Protect Our Patriarch

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After leaving the Pingyun Pavilion's courtyard, Zuoqiu Qingyun found himself in a vast peach blossom forest spanning thousands of acres.

Monan Commandery was situated on a plateau with a dry and cold climate and significant temperature differences between day and night. Although it was already summer, the temperature remained low. The peach blossoms in this forest were clearly a specially cultivated variety, meticulously cared for so that even now, the branches were still full of blooming flowers.

Under the moonlight, the peach blossoms looked like patches of rosy clouds, exuding an indescribable romantic beauty.

However, Zuoqiu Qingyun had no mood to appreciate the scenery. He had just flown out of the courtyard and landed on the ground, weaving through the peach blossom forest.

He dared not fly high, out of caution, fearing interception.

Moreover, his ability to fight beyond his level relied on Old Jiang's possession, which mainly enhanced his soul power rather than his profound energy.

If he kept flying using his soul power, Old Jiang, who was now just a remnant soul, would soon be exhausted.

Zuoqiu Qingyun moved swiftly, occasionally using the ground or trees for leverage, his speed light and fast, like a bird darting through the forest or a fish swimming agilely, silently passing through.

If not for that mysterious woman causing trouble, he would have already captured Celestial Maiden Tianyan.

She was a prodigy in the Celestial Realm. With her as a cauldron, his cultivation would advance rapidly, soon reaching the Celestial Realm.

But now, everything was ruined.

"Kid, something was off today," Old Jiang's voice echoed in his consciousness, "That mysterious woman must be extraordinarily powerful, yet she was suppressing her bloodline power, trying to hide her true identity. If she had gone all out, we would have been in serious trouble."

"Old Jiang, didn't you say you were a peak Divine Realm expert from the Celestial Empire thousands of years ago, just half a step away from the next realm?" Zuoqiu Qingyun's heart was filled with resentment, "How could you lose to a mere mysterious woman today?"

"What do you know, kid?" Old Jiang retorted angrily, "I'm just a remnant soul now. If your cultivation wasn't so weak, how could we lose to a mere Celestial Realm opponent? I warned you before, to act low-key and avoid making enemies when you're not strong enough."

"Enough, enough. What's done is done. We need to leave this dangerous place quickly."

Amidst their bickering, Zuoqiu Qingyun had already reached the center of the peach blossom forest.

Suddenly.

Old Jiang's voice sounded in his mind, carrying a hint of gravity, "Kid, something's not right. I can vaguely sense prying eyes in the dark. We might be under surveillance."

Zuoqiu Qingyun immediately looked around nervously but found no signs of danger. He couldn't help but complain, "It's just that the plants are dense here, there aren't even any insects or birds. Are you being paranoid, Old Jiang?"

"Kid, be careful!"

Old Jiang's voice suddenly rose several octaves.

Before Zuoqiu Qingyun could react, he felt a sense of danger approaching and hurriedly dodged.

"Swish!"

A blood-red vine brushed past his chest, tearing his clothes and drawing a line of blood.

In an instant, the blood-red vine disappeared into the depths of the peach blossom forest.

At the same time, rustling sounds came from the forest, as if countless enemies were hiding, with countless eyes watching them.

The atmosphere was indescribably eerie.

"Who's there?" Zuoqiu Qingyun shouted angrily, "If you have the guts, come out and face Young Master Zuoqiu directly. Sneaking around in the dark, what kind of skill is that?"

"Clap, clap, clap~"

Suddenly, a few crisp clapping sounds came from the depths of the peach forest.

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Along with the clapping, a slightly magnetic male voice said, "I didn't expect that the young master of a prestigious family, a direct disciple of the academy, would have such a different face in private."

As the voice spoke.

A handsome young man in white, pushing aside the branches in his way, walked out of the dense forest as if strolling in his own courtyard.

It was clear that he was the one who had spoken.

Tonight, the moon was bright and the stars were absent, making the silver moonlight even brighter and purer than usual. As he stepped out of the dense forest, the moonlight gradually fell on him, making his white robe seem to glow faintly, enhancing his extraordinary and ethereal demeanor.

At the same time, the moonlight illuminated his face, which Zuoqiu Qingyun found particularly annoying, especially the mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.

"It's you? Wang Shouzhe!" Zuoqiu Qingyun's expression changed drastically, "So all of this tonight was your scheme? How dare you plot against a direct disciple of the academy!"

Wang Shouzhe raised an eyebrow, his mocking smile turning into a cold one, "Young Master Zuoqiu, you should understand that from the moment you hired 'Tianque' to deal with me, we became mortal enemies."

"Tianque? How do you know about Tianque?" Zuoqiu Qingyun's face stiffened in disbelief, then he suddenly realized, "Tianque betrayed me?"

"It seems my information was correct."

Wang Shouzhe sighed.

In fact, before making a move, he was already almost certain. The reason he still probed with words was out of caution, to confirm one last time.

He looked at Zuoqiu Qingyun and said, "Zuoqiu Qingyun, I have investigated your character. Although you come from a prestigious family, you are narrow-minded and vengeful. Since you intended to harm me, even if you fail this time, you won't give up easily and will only escalate your efforts. To eliminate future troubles, I must strike first."

"Zuoqiu Qingyun, today is the day you die."

"Hmph~ Just you?" Zuoqiu Qingyun didn't panic but instead exuded a strong killing intent, "You, a mere late-stage Lingtai Realm cultivator, think you can stop me? How naive! Get lost!"

As he spoke, a sinister and powerful aura erupted from him, enhanced by Old Jiang's soul power.

At the same time, his mid-grade spirit sword spun, emitting eerie peach-red light.

This was the "Soul-Disturbing Sword Technique" he had learned from Old Jiang, which could affect the opponent's soul and disrupt their mind during battle, with endless subtle uses.

Against a Celestial Realm expert, this sword technique had limited effect, but against another Lingtai Realm opponent, it was very effective.

Today, he would show Wang Shouzhe what absolute power meant!

Zuoqiu Qingyun moved with his sword, his wrist flicking as a sinister sword light shot towards Wang Shouzhe.

The soul power condensed in the sword light, spreading out layer by layer in peach-red sword intent.

Anyone with a slightly weak will would see overlapping illusions in their mind, unable to focus on the battle.

However, Wang Shouzhe seemed completely unaffected, his expression unchanged.

As the sword light approached, he moved his mind, and a cloaked figure flew out from behind him, blocking the attack with lightning speed.

A powerful aura erupted from the figure, like a tidal wave.

The next moment.

The figure's body sank, and it punched directly at the incoming sword light!

"Boom~~~!!"

A thunderous roar echoed through the peach blossom forest.

Under the fierce punch, the peach-red sword light and sword intent were shattered.

Zuoqiu Qingyun's body shook, and he was sent flying, barely stabilizing himself after several yards.

The shattered sword intent and fierce punch wind swept through the surrounding peach forest, causing the trees to sway wildly and countless petals to fall.

In the turbulent wind, the cloak on the figure was lifted, revealing a metallic body underneath.

This figure was a metal puppet!

"A Heavenly Puppet?!"

Zuoqiu Qingyun's pupils shrank, stunned by the sudden turn of events.

Clearly, the figure that had just appeared was Wang Shouzhe's Heavenly Puppet, Wang Shouzhu.

Since its costly repair, this was the first time Wang Shouzhu had truly made a move. Despite it being a simple punch, the power and dominance of the Heavenly Puppet were evident.

As Zuoqiu Qingyun was shocked, the vines in the surrounding forest suddenly began to grow wildly.

The vines, like giant pythons, surged towards Zuoqiu Qingyun, engulfing him in an instant.

Seeing this, Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but feel a myriad of emotions.

In the past, controlling so many vines at once would have been very taxing for him, but now, it was effortless.

The difference between having one more layer of bloodline and one less was truly worlds apart.

The disparity was something one had to experience to fully understand.

He had always known that great prodigies were powerful, but now that he had become one himself, with his bloodline evolving to the fourth level, he finally deeply understood the abnormality of the Lingtai Realm spirit body.

After becoming a spirit body, his affinity with plants had significantly improved. Not only did he absorb wood elemental energy more efficiently, but his consumption of spiritual energy when controlling plants in battle also decreased, making control much easier.

This was why he could precisely track Zuoqiu Qingyun's movements.

The peach blossom forest was filled with "eyes and ears" he had cultivated in advance.

As time passed, his meridians, nourished by his bloodline power, became wider and tougher, even his spiritual sense had strengthened, giving him a sense of rebirth.

And these were just the most basic changes.

The biggest change was in his understanding of "intent."

All techniques and methods, when practiced to the extreme, would produce "intent." Swords had "sword intent," blades had "blade intent," fists had "fist intent," even archery had "arrow intent."

This so-called "intent" was essentially a bit of insight. Once understood and mastered, the power of the techniques would greatly increase.

Generally, only those who reached the Celestial Realm could comprehend their own "intent," but great prodigies with spirit bodies in the Lingtai Realm had the opportunity to touch the level of "intent."

Wang Shouzhe had always known this, but it was only theoretical knowledge until his bloodline evolved, and he became a spirit body in the Lingtai Realm. When he picked up his newly acquired top-grade spirit bow "Dingxian," everything changed.

The spirit body seemed to have activated an invisible switch, making his spiritual sense more sensitive and his perception of the world more detailed. Even ordinary things could bring him new insights.

Although he hadn't had "Dingxian" for long, he had already grasped some of the essence of archery, and his strength had taken a significant leap.

The same applied to his body techniques, sword techniques, and plant control.

Although he hadn't truly stepped into the threshold of "intent," his strength had undergone a tremendous transformation.

At this moment, Wang Shouzhe, holding the top-grade spirit bow "Dingxian," moved like a wisp of spring breeze through the wildly dancing vines.

The wildly dancing vines and the lush peach blossom forest all became his cover. From a distance, only a white shadow could be seen moving, making it impossible to pinpoint his exact location.

Occasionally, he would pluck the bowstring and shoot an arrow or two.

Although the frequency was not high, each shot posed a significant threat to Zuoqiu Qingyun.

Even with the powerful soul power enhancement, Zuoqiu Qingyun struggled to cope with Wang Shouzhe's attacks, unable to break through.

Soul power enhancement was not omnipotent. It only allowed Zuoqiu Qingyun to use techniques far beyond his level, but the duration was very short. Within a few breaths, his Lingtai Realm profound energy would be exhausted.

With the protection of the vine formation and the Heavenly Puppet Wang Shouzhu, such attacks posed no threat to Wang Shouzhe.

This made Zuoqiu Qingyun and Old Jiang increasingly alarmed and shocked as they fought, "Is this kid really just a late-stage Lingtai Realm cultivator? How is he so powerful and difficult to deal with?!"

Even an average Celestial Realm cultivator might not be as troublesome as Wang Shouzhe. With the assistance of a Heavenly Puppet, it was a blessing not to be killed by him, let alone defeat him.

"Kid, let's retreat for now and deal with him later."

Old Jiang's voice suddenly sounded in Zuoqiu Qingyun's mind.

At the same time, he decisively burned his soul power. The vast soul power turned into a brilliant glow, enveloping Zuoqiu Qingyun's body, and he shot towards the night sky, deciding to flee.

Zuoqiu Qingyun was unwilling but had no choice. He gritted his teeth and shouted at Wang Shouzhe, "Kid!! I'll remember this. One day, I'll settle this score with you!"

Before he finished speaking, the glow enveloping his body had already flown dozens of yards away, about to disappear into the dense forest.

Wang Shouzhu's gem-encrusted eyes flashed red, and his aura erupted as he prepared to give chase, but Wang Shouzhe stopped him.

"Shouzhu, don't chase. He can't escape."

Wang Shouzhu stopped immediately, obediently standing behind Wang Shouzhe.

Wang Shouzhe looked up at the night sky, his expression calm, and casually slung the top-grade spirit bow "Dingxian" over his shoulder.

In the night sky, a figure in white, with an ethereal and graceful presence, was floating towards them. It was Ancestor Long Yan, disguised as Cao Youqing.

No longer needing to conceal her identity, Ancestor Long Yan did not hide her profound energy characteristics, her entire body exuding a strong icy aura.

The sword in her hand had also changed from the ordinary low-grade magic sword used to disguise her identity to the mid-grade magic sword, Purple Lightning Sword.

With Ancestor Long Yan's strength, she naturally noticed the fleeing Zuoqiu Qingyun immediately.

Seeing the peach-red glow about to escape, Ancestor Long Yan did not hesitate, her aura erupting.

In an instant.

A faint female figure appeared behind her, with fluttering robes and a majestic stance, exuding a vast and overwhelming aura.

This figure was Ancestor Long Yan's Dharma Aspect!

Since advancing to the Celestial Realm, this was the first time Ancestor Long Yan had revealed her Dharma Aspect.

Now a great prodigy, her bloodline had naturally evolved to the fifth level after advancing to the Celestial Realm.

The fourth level of bloodline was called "spirit body," while the fifth level was called "dao body," a far more terrifying existence than the spirit body.

At this moment, with her bloodline power activated, the tall Dharma Aspect behind her was like an ice goddess standing proudly on a snowy peak, exuding an awe-inspiring and inviolable aura.

At the same time.

With a flick of her wrist, the surging profound energy, enhanced by the Dharma Aspect, poured into the Purple Lightning Sword, and a sword light shot out.

The sword intent soared.

Like a collapsing snowy peak or a thunderous explosion, the terrifying power seemed to tear the sky apart.

The overwhelming icy aura instantly spread through the heavens and earth.

In an instant, layers of black-tinged frost formed on the ground, even the blooming peach blossoms were covered in frost.

As the icy aura spread, so did the frost, turning the peach forest into a frozen landscape within a radius of nearly a mile.

The Celestial Realm was called "Celestial" because, at this level, a strong cultivator could change the weather and terrain in a short time, possessing unimaginable power.

The old ghost-possessed Zuoqiu Qingyun widened his eyes in terror.

How could this be? This woman was clearly only at the early stage of the Celestial Realm, how could her sword intent and profound energy be so powerful?

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