Liao Tingyan looked at the blood slowly trickling from the corner of the ancestor’s mouth with an indescribable expression. Was he injured?

Sima Jiao raised his hand, wiped the blood from his mouth with his thumb, and gave a completely unconcerned smile as he looked at the white-robed woman: “Back then, I almost killed all the elders and palace masters of Gengchen Immortal Mansion. Now you alone want to kill me? You’re greatly overestimating yourself.” He didn’t count those earlier sisters who couldn’t withstand a single blow.

It seemed these were two different groups of women with different backgrounds.

The white-robed woman struggled to sit up. She took out a jade bottle from her sleeve, poured out a pill, and swallowed it. Her entire body visibly recovered, even appearing more dangerous than before. She then drew a completely luminous white sword.

“This is my master’s sword, our Moon Palace’s inheritance, the Moonlight. Today, I will not rest until one of us is dead.” The white-robed woman said each word deliberately, the hatred and determination in her eyes moving. She looked like a female protagonist about to make a desperate counterattack and beat the boss. She said gravely: “The Fengshan clan of the Sima family, this decadent clan, should have been exterminated long ago.”

Liao Tingyan heard the huge chains outside swishing and the jade tablets inscribed with “seal” emitting soft buzzing sounds. The entire central tower trembled slightly. The woman’s attacks were even more fierce than before, a completely reckless fighting style. That frenzied posture could only make one think of mutual destruction.

Sima Jiao seemed finally unable to withstand it, coughing up another mouthful of blood under such attacks. He even stood up, his expression finally becoming somewhat grave.

The entire central tower was filled with their erupting spiritual power. With Liao Tingyan’s level of cultivation, any movement meant death. Fortunately, it was safer behind Sima Jiao, so she could only cower in the safe zone, waiting for this battle to end.

They didn’t fight for long. Soon, after a thunderous boom, the white-robed woman, her entire body stained with blood, was thrown far away, barely clinging to life. Sima Jiao wasn’t much better off. He stepped back twice, collapsing onto Liao Tingyan’s bed, his eyelashes slightly drooping, similarly appearing to be breathing his last, with blood flowing more violently from his mouth.

Liao Tingyan grabbed a handful of her hair, realizing she seemed to be the only one left on the battlefield who could move. She stood up from the gap on the other side of the bed and tentatively asked her boss: “Ancestral Master? Are you alright?”

“Liao Tingyan.”

The one calling her wasn’t the ancestral master but the white-robed woman barely clinging to life. She said: “I know you’re a disciple of Qinggu Tian. Your master would call me Grand-Aunt Master.”

Liao Tingyan: “…” What, sister, your status is that high? Immortal cultivators lived long lives, with many generations coexisting, making status truly difficult to figure out.

The woman’s burning eyes held the madness of one at the end of her rope: “Sima Jiao has no strength left to resist. Quickly kill him!”

Liao Tingyan: Huh?

“As long as you kill him, our Moon Palace will be your backing in the future. Whether it’s resources or status, you can easily obtain them.” The woman struggled to say: “Don’t be afraid. Now, if you take the Fengshan Blood Condensed Flower stained with Sima Jiao’s blood, you’ll immediately have profound cultivation. Then take my Moonlight sword, cut open his chest, take out his heart, and place it in that jade pool over there. He will then be completely dead.”

The steps were explained in detail, seeming quite feasible. Anyone with ambition would probably be tempted to follow her words.

Liao Tingyan glanced at the unresponsive Sima Jiao. To be honest, when she saw him bleeding earlier, she had momentarily considered trying the red lotus petal with blood, wondering if her experience would rapidly increase.

Sima Jiao opened his eyes, his face bearing a smile, looking at her, silently mouthing a few words—”Come kill me”

Liao Tingyan: “…?” What was the ancestor saying? Uncomfortable? He was lying there with something digging into his waist, looking indeed quite uncomfortable.

She hesitantly reached for him, lifted him with effort, and properly placed him on the bed, covering him with a blanket.

Liao Tingyan: “Better?”

Sima Jiao: “…”

White-robed woman: “…”

The white-robed woman coughed as if she was about to die, hoarsely shouting: “What are you doing? Quickly! Quickly kill him! He’s a demon. If he doesn’t die today, more people will die someday!”

Liao Tingyan put in her earplugs. She wouldn’t do as that girl said because she was just an innocent bystander, not wanting to participate in this world’s struggles. Moreover, in her twenty-plus years of life, let alone killing someone, she had never even killed a chicken. To expect her to kill someone with just a few words was impossible. Had all these years as a law-abiding citizen been for nothing?

Even with earplugs, she could still hear the white-robed girl shouting with her dying breath: “You’re aiding a tyrant! Sooner or later, you’ll regret it—”

Liao Tingyan disagreed. This world had nothing to do with her, these people had nothing to do with her. She had no connection to that girl, so she wouldn’t listen to her. She had no grudge against Sima Jiao, so she wouldn’t kill him. It was that simple.

The girl seemed to have died, and the entire floor fell silent. Liao Tingyan sat on the edge of the bed, glancing at her boss whom she had settled on the bed. He was looking at her with a strange, half-smiling expression.

Liao Tingyan: “Are you alright, elder?” If the boss was in trouble, she would have to consider her future path.

Sima Jiao coughed up a mouthful of blood for her to see, his voice weak: “What do you think?”

That looked bad. He seemed unable to move, only lying there motionless, even speaking with difficulty.

“I think there should be some kind of healing medicine at a time like this,” Liao Tingyan said.

At that moment, she saw a sudden gleam in Sima Jiao’s eyes. Abruptly, she felt herself being forcefully pulled down by a hand, crashing into Sima Jiao’s embrace. Then, her vision blurred, and when she opened her eyes again, she was already floating outside the window in Sima Jiao’s arms, while the place they had just been, walls and bed included, had been completely shattered.

Liao Tingyan: “F***?!”

Sima Jiao, who just moments ago had been gasping for breath as if on the verge of death, now abandoned all pretense of weakness, floating steadily in the air outside the central tower. Judging by the strength of the arms holding her, his weakness earlier had been an act. Liao Tingyan clung to Sima Jiao’s waist with a stiff face, only hoping not to fall, as there was nothing beneath her feet now.

A flame appeared in Sima Jiao’s hand, suddenly transforming into a sea of fire, instantly covering the entire central tower and the surrounding sky for a hundred meters.

Liao Tingyan saw dozens of figures appearing in the sky, both men and women, old and young, all carrying a dangerous aura, surrounding Sima Jiao. Although they outnumbered him, Liao Tingyan noticed that all their expressions were particularly grave and unpleasant.

Compared to their tension, Sima Jiao, standing alone, appeared arrogant and composed. Liao Tingyan consciously treated herself as an accessory, hanging quietly. In such a situation, even an idiot would know that this place was a dangerous battlefield tonight. If the ancestor hadn’t protected her just now, she would already be dead.

The dozen or so people present looked grim, their hearts filled with uncertainty. Truthfully, these people weren’t of one mind, each having their thoughts. Gengchen Immortal Mansion had continued for so many years and was such a large power that even a small branch had different voices, let alone the entire Gengchen Immortal Mansion. Regarding Sima Jiao, they all had different ideas.

Some wanted to kill Sima Jiao because of grudges from five hundred years ago; some coveted the flesh and blood of the Fengshan clan members, wanting a share; others wanted Gengchen Immortal Mansion to continue as before, yet were wary of Sima Jiao’s restlessness and cultivation, so they hoped to control him.

Tonight was a new moon. These people, knowing the secrets of the Sima clan, had secretly infiltrated here and had been watching for a long time. The white-robed woman earlier was indeed just a vanguard. Until just now, many were still hesitant, but among them was one who had a blood feud with Sima Jiao, so he acted impatiently. Who knew that Sima Jiao’s weak appearance was a disguise? Instead, they were outmaneuvered by him and now found themselves amidst a sea of fire. The others couldn’t help but silently curse the old man who couldn’t keep his patience and attacked.

This flame was different from others. Even the most cultivated dared not act rashly. So now, although it seemed they had surrounded Sima Jiao, in reality, they were blocked by his sea of fire.

“Lord Cizang, I’m afraid this is a misunderstanding. We have no ill intentions,” a tall, thin man spoke first. “At least our Heaven Palace has no disrespectful intentions toward you.”

Sima Jiao’s gaze fell on a sinister-looking old man. “Which palace’s trash are you? Being imprisoned by you for five hundred years, I don’t even remember anymore.”

Liao Tingyan: “…” Still provoking hatred at a time like this—truly worthy of being called the ancestor, I admire this.

The old man’s nose twisted with anger. That attack just now was from him. He was still glaring at Sima Jiao with hatred but showed no intention of speaking to him. Instead, he looked at the others, inciting: “Don’t be fooled by him. He’s clearly at the end of his strength. Tonight, if we join forces, we can certainly finish him! If we don’t kill him tonight, who among us can escape in the future!”

Some wavered, their eyes flickering, while others retreated and lowered their heads, indicating unwillingness to participate. Half eventually retreated. They had all seen Sima Jiao’s madness five hundred years ago, were still haunted by fear, and dared not act rashly. The rest, whether due to greed, hatred or simply different positions, ultimately chose to attack Sima Jiao.

Liao Tingyan couldn’t help but cling tighter to Sima Jiao’s waist. Suddenly finding herself at the center of the battle, she was truly panicked. This didn’t seem like it should be her part, but the ancestor had to cue her in, creating immense pressure.

“What are you afraid of?”

Liao Tingyan belatedly looked up, realizing these words were spoken to her by the ancestral master. He lowered his head to glance at her. “I don’t want you to die, so you won’t die. Didn’t I say, even in my weakened state, they’re still too weak for me?”

Impressive.

The scene that followed showed Liao Tingyan what truly impressive meant. Sima Jiao, with the power of one person, killed seven notable leaders from the Gengchen Immortal Mansion. This made Liao Tingyan realize that earlier in the tower, facing that white-robed woman, he was probably acting. What a drama queen. Was he just bored? Even coughing up blood, making it seem so real. If she had listened to the girl at that time, she would probably have been reduced to ashes by now.

When those seven people were burned into human-shaped dried corpses, the remaining seven onlookers couldn’t help but look at Sima Jiao with terrified eyes. They had thought that after so many years of suppression here, Sima Jiao would only be weaker. Unexpectedly, he was still so terrifying. Could it be that the Fengshan clan was truly so powerful that even such layer upon layer of formations and prohibitions couldn’t subdue him?

“Lord Cizang, these people were disrespectful to you, lord, and deserved this punishment. After we return, we will properly deal with the branches these people belonged to.” The speaker was more cautious now.

But Sima Jiao had no intention of letting them leave. His gaze swept over the nine people still alive, and he suddenly smiled: “I still need one person to stay.”

Everyone was stunned.

The person who spoke first suddenly let out a miserable cry, instantly becoming a man of fire, unable even to resist. The others looked grim. A kindly-looking old man suddenly widened his eyes and exclaimed in a low voice: “Not good! Could it be…”

Before he could finish, the corpse of the white-robed woman flew out from the tower, a total of nine corpses positioned around the central tower. These nine people happened to have bloodlines from the eight palaces of Gengchen Immortal Mansion and the main sect from five hundred years ago. Back then, it was the ancestors of these nine bloodlines who set up the imprisonment formation here.

“I’ve endured these eyesore seals for a very long time.” As Sima Jiao’s words fell, the nine corpses rapidly descended, falling into specific positions. In an instant, the earth shook and mountains trembled. The huge chains of the central tower collided with each other, continuously emitting thunderous clangs, then all breaking simultaneously, crashing down onto the palace below, turning this palace into ruins in an instant.

Amid the exclamations and crashes, Liao Tingyan heard Sima Jiao let out a light laugh, a very joyful one.

After experiencing this series of events, Liao Tingyan’s face was wooden, her mind blank, feeling only—this ancestor’s waist was really slim.

Sima Jiao looked at everything before him with satisfaction, noticing that the strange demon realm spy he was holding in one arm was stunned with fear. In a very good mood, he lifted her chin and asked: “Look at these people. Each one of them, stepping out, is a feared powerhouse. But now, how ridiculous they look. What are your thoughts now?”

Liao Tingyan: “Your waist is very slim.” The truth buff was going to kill her again. Why did this person keep using the truth buff for no reason?x

Sima Jiao’s smile, showing no respect for family or anyone, faltered, as he wondered if he had misheard.