Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 974 Enemies meet on a narrow road
Hong Fuxiu stared at the disheveled woman. Kota quietly moved closer to her and whispered, "Madam, be careful, it might be a trap!"

He had been staring at the woman not because of the glimpse of her smooth, voluptuous figure, but because he felt something was off about her.

In this dangerous and chaotic cave, it's normal for some to flee in a sorry state and for others to be chased. But there's something very unusual about this woman. She appears to be disheveled, but Kota can tell at a glance that her clothes are not damaged by magic.

If it were magic, it wouldn't be a disheveled appearance, but rather something completely broken.

Moreover, although the woman appeared to be breathing erratically, she was not actually injured.

If there were no injuries, why were their clothes disheveled? Do immortal cultivators fight by pulling and tugging at each other, only pulling at clothes?

Kota and Hong Fuxiu are both experienced immortal cultivators. The couple used to roam deep in the Wanhua Mountains and have teetered on the brink of life and death countless times. Naturally, they are not the kind of people who are easily deceived.

Hong Fuxiu also noticed the abnormality, nodded calmly, and transmitted her voice, "I will keep an eye on her. You help Senior Yunxiao guard against those people!"

Upon hearing this, Kota turned to look at the newcomer.

There were four people, led by a burly bald man with a deep purple burn scar on his left cheek. He wore a sleeveless black robe that revealed flame-shaped tattoos on his arms.

This person is not a cultivator, but a martial artist at the Divine Soul Realm.

Just then, the man looked at Yunxiao and revealed a chilling smile.

"Who do we have here? It's you, Yunxiao!" The man's voice was filled with murderous intent.

Yunxiao sighed softly, "What a small world! Senior Wang, it's been a long time!"

The person who came was none other than Wang Henglie of the Netherworld Prison.

The fall of the Sun Cave Heaven was such a momentous event that the Netherworld Sect would naturally receive the news and get involved.

The feud between the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty and the Netherworld Gate needs no further explanation.

The fact that the two sides could meet in this Sun Cave Heaven was somewhat coincidental, but not entirely unexpected.

The Sun Cave is very large, but one must enter it through the Tai Xu Crack.

Around Emerald Valley, the eastern Taixu Rift is basically occupied by the demon race of Wanhua Mountain Range, the southern part is occupied by the human forces of Wanhua Mountain Range, and the northern and western parts are mostly occupied by forces from around Yunxiao Mountain Range.

In other words, they were in roughly the same area before entering the Sun Cave, and after entering the Sun Cave, they naturally ended up in the same area.

Wang Henglie grinned, "Hehe, this is my good fortune, and your misfortune!"

He hated the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty to the core.

Of course, he hated Hidden Sword Mountain even more.

In the battle of Wuxiang City, the Youyu Sect suffered heavy losses. Not only did they lose a Divine Soul Realm martial artist, but they also lost two Foundation Establishment Immortal cultivators, Ming Shuzi and Jiang Taishu. In addition, the Youyu Sect lost tens of thousands of elite disciples.

This is no longer a simple matter of crippling the body; it has damaged the very foundation of the Netherworld Sect.

Since the war with the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty ended, the Netherworld has been plunged into a series of upheavals.

The Netherworld Sect possessed a vast territory and originally had tens of thousands of elite disciples, including many Foundation Establishment cultivators and martial arts experts, enough to deter all villains.

Because of the heavy casualties in the Battle of Wuxiang City, Youyumen was no longer able to deter the surrounding forces, and could not even control the noble families and clans under its command.

This forced the Netherworld Sect to shrink its power and abandon a large amount of territory.

Anyway, there were a lot of upsetting things, which made Wang Henglie feel very upset.

He had always wanted to take revenge on Hidden Sword Mountain and the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, but he had never found an opportunity.

Now that he has encountered Yunxiao, he naturally wants to kill Yunxiao to vent his anger.

"Senior, why bother? We're practically acquaintances. There's really no need for this fighting!" Yunxiao advised.

"Whoever you call me is someone I know, Yunxiao, you must die today!"

Wang Henglie's long-suppressed anger erupted, and he roared, "Attack! Take them down!"

At the same time, a heavy, demon-headed broadsword appeared in Wang Henglie's hand.

His ghost-head broadsword was like a full moon hanging in the sky, five feet and three inches long, with a back wider than two fingers, but the blade was as thin as a cicada's wing, gleaming with a cold blue light.

The top of the hilt is inlaid with a three-inch-tall bronze ghost head. The ghost's face is wide open in anger, its brow bones are as if they were cleaved by a knife and axe, and there are three deep grooves on its forehead as if they were scorched by lightning and fire. Its tangled beard has turned into a twisted copper chain, which wraps around the hilt three times. At the end hang two copper bells the size of copper coins, which make a clear and crisp sound when they move automatically without wind.

Although the entire knife had no ghostly aura whatsoever, it exuded a heavy, murderous aura.

With the broadsword in hand, Wang Henglie's aura immediately changed. His brutality spread like a tangible force, and his intense killing intent, carrying a strong sense of oppression, pressed down on Yunxiao.

"Take my knife first!"

The blade flashed like a rainbow, its crimson light like a blood moon across the sky, crashing down towards the heavens with an invincible momentum.

Just as he drew his sword, the voluptuous woman suddenly sprang up, a glint of cold light aimed straight at Hong Fuxiu's brow.

This woman was in cahoots with Wang Henglie; the so-called pursuit was just an act.

Their plan was to lure the woman closer first, and then launch a surprise attack.

Of course, they didn't know that the people here were Yunxiao and his group before they arrived.

At this moment, the woman was only three zhang away from Hong Fuxiu. The inch-light she unleashed was fast and urgent, making it impossible to defend against.

However, Hong Fuxiu was a seasoned veteran, and she had encountered such tricks more than once.

The moment Wang Henglie drew his sword, Hong Fuxiu's figure transformed into a ball of flame, dodging the incoming slash and directly colliding with the woman.

The blazing flames engulfed the woman, who screamed and hurriedly tried to escape.

She wanted to escape, but how could Hong Fuxiu let her escape so easily?

Red sleeves flutter, flames rise.

"Hmph, you dare to scheme against me? Do you think I'm a pushover!"

Hong Fuxiu snorted coldly.

"Nanming Fire, heed my command!"

With a light flick of her wrist, a red ribbon, about ten feet long, suddenly flew out from her wide sleeve, instantly transforming into a fiery dragon with surging red scales, baring its fangs and claws as it pounced towards the woman.

Suddenly, the dragon raised its head and opened its huge mouth, spewing out a rain of fire. Every spark that landed burst into flames the size of a bowl, and in an instant, the area within a radius of ten feet turned into a sea of ​​fire, with flames rolling like waves.

The woman also possessed the cultivation level of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. After the Netherworld Sect lost Ming Shuzi and Jiang Taishu, she was considered one of the top Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect.

But in front of Hong Fuxiu, she appeared very naive.

Beneath the flames, she activated her defensive magic treasures, igniting two defensive talismans in succession, layer upon layer of defense enveloping her body.

Unfortunately, she underestimated Hong Fuxiu's Nanming Li Huo.

In a matter of moments, she was swallowed up by the red phosphorus fire dragon and never came out again.

On the other side, Wang Henglie's blade light pressed down, and Yunxiao put his hands together, made a sword incantation, and the Yunbai flying sword stood in front of him, instantly bursting out with sharp sword intent.

Swords clashed, sending terrifying blade energy flying in all directions, leaving countless holes in the surrounding mountain walls and ground.

Compared to Wang Henglie, Yunxiao was ultimately weaker. He blocked Wang Henglie's blade light, but was forced to dodge and weave repeatedly by the approaching Wang Henglie, as if dancing on a blade, looking extremely dangerous. A Divine Soul Realm martial artist is indeed a Divine Soul Realm martial artist; their true essence has been condensed to a terrifying degree, and the divine soul power of a Divine Soul Realm martial artist is no less than that of a Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivator, and may even be several levels stronger than that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivator.

However, when the power of the soul and the true essence merge, they will generate magical power, and this magical power is even more solid than the magical power of immortal cultivators.

Therefore, the strength of a martial artist in the Divine Soul Realm is far superior to that of a Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivator.

Moreover, Wang Henglie is not an ordinary Divine Soul Realm martial artist. He has been in the Divine Soul Realm for two hundred years, and his cultivation is extremely powerful, far surpassing that of Sheng Youhuang and Li Xuanxiao.

Wang Henglie's continuous slashes were like a surging river, each strike carrying the power to split mountains and shatter rocks.

Yunxiao's expression was solemn. His flying sword conjured layers of sword nets in front of him, yet he was still forced to constantly dodge and weave by the blade's edge. The surrounding rocks shattered in the blade's energy, turning into dust that scattered in the wind.

"Haha, Yunxiao, if that's all you've got, you're doomed today."

Wang Henglie sneered coldly, and the blade's light suddenly grew three feet, carrying immense power as it cleaved towards the sky.

Yunxiao changed his sword technique, and the Yunbai Flying Sword suddenly burst out with dazzling silver light, transforming into countless sword shadows that swept across the sky.

The clash of swords and blades exploded in the air like a thunderclap. Taking advantage of the moment, Yunxiao retreated several feet, his chest heaving violently and cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

Upon seeing this, Wang Henglie's face grew even colder, his eyes filled with unwavering confidence.

Indeed, he was absolutely confident in facing Yunxiao.

But at that moment, a black chain suddenly shot out from the cave archway that was submerged by rocks.

The chains, like spears, thrust straight towards Wang Henglie.

Wang Henglie reacted extremely quickly, parrying with his sword, and with a clang, blocked the incoming chains.

"Who?"

He demanded.

Unfortunately, no one answered him.

Missing its first strike, the chain spun in the air and stabbed at Wang Henglie again.

At the same time, countless vines sprouted from the ground, and countless chains seemed to intertwine in the air.

"Seale the heavens and sever the earth!"

The sky has nets, and the earth has vines.

In the blink of an eye, the area of ​​several hundred feet was sealed off by chains and vines.

Vines and chains intertwined and tangled, forming a massive cage that enveloped everyone.

Quack~~
Gray crows circled in the cage, as if singing a hymn to death.

The vines transformed into spears, densely packed together, stabbing towards Wang Henglie.

Enveloped in magic and spear intent, these fragile vines are even more resilient than magical artifacts.

If it were just one, it wouldn't pose any threat to Wang Henglie.

However, the hundreds and thousands of spearheads made Wang Henglie somewhat flustered!

"A sea of ​​knives!"

Wang Henglie had no choice but to unleash his power, his sword energy transforming into a rainbow, the blade's edge sweeping outwards like a giant wave in the sea.

In an instant, countless vines were shredded to pieces, and the Soul-Locking Chains were forced back amidst a series of clanging sounds.

"One sword reaches the sky!"

The intense sword intent soared into the sky, and in an instant, everything in the world seemed to be imbued with a layer of sword intent, even the thousands of vines were enveloped by the intense sword intent.

The invisible sword energy surged like a tangible black tide, as if the void itself had been cleaved open with a massive crack, as if the world itself was about to collapse here.

Holding the Cloud White Flying Sword, Yunxiao's aura changed completely.

With a swing of his sword, the sword energy transformed into a long dragon, heading straight for Wang Henglie.

Wang Henglie's expression changed slightly, and he slashed horizontally with his broadsword, shouting, "Blade Prison!"

The originally flamboyant blade light surged into the longsword like rivers flowing into the sea. He flicked his wrist, and the blade emitted a resentful tremor. The air in the entire valley suddenly froze.

The sound of blades rang out like the wails of ten thousand ghosts, and the crimson light curtain transformed into a torrential downpour of blades that blotted out the sky. Each blade aura materialized into a three-foot-long serrated blade, its edges crackling with a teeth-grinding purplish-black electric light, shredding even sword intent into dust wherever it passed.

Yunxiao's sword intent was strong, but Wang Henglie's saber intent was even stronger.

"In my prison of swords, your sword is merely a sword."

Wang Henglie's voice mingled with the clang of blades, and before he finished speaking, the second wave of blade hell had arrived. This time, the blade energy was no longer scattered, but condensed into a giant blade wheel of countless blades, shearing off half of the mountainside in its path, revealing the rock inside, which had been melted into a glassy state by the high temperature.

Yunxiao looked at the approaching blade wheel, a barely perceptible hint of mockery in his eyes.

Wang Henglie's gaze met his, and a sudden sense of foreboding arose in his heart.

Gaa gaa gaa~~~
Crows circled overhead, and before he knew it, they were already above his head.

Suddenly, Wang Henglie felt a wave of dizziness. He became alert and tried to draw his sword to drive away the strange crows.

But the cawing of crows made him uneasy.

The next moment, he felt his legs tighten, as if something was wrapped around them.

He looked down, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Soul-Suppressing Lock!"

He naturally recognized the Soul-Suppressing Lock; in fact, he had recognized it just now, since it belonged to their Netherworld Sect.

He didn't care, though. Ming Shuzi and Jiang Taishu both died in Wuxiang City, so it was only natural that Yunxiao or his companions had the Soul-Suppressing Lock.

He knew the power of the Soul-Suppressing Lock, but he didn't care, because his soul was no weaker than that of a Foundation Establishment Peak Immortal Cultivator, and was even stronger.

Given the strength of his soul, the Soul-Suppressing Lock would at most cause him some trouble, but it wouldn't pose a significant threat.

However, he did not know that the person controlling the Soul-Suppressing Lock was Yang Zhengshan, nor did he know that Yang Zhengshan's soul strength had already reached an extremely abnormal level.

The cries of the Soul Raven continued, each cawing containing a faint attack of divine soul power.

The first level of the Seven Treasures Soul-Suppressing Pagoda also has the Divine Shield, which can conceal the soul, making spiritual awareness have a concealment effect, and also making soul attacks have a certain degree of concealment effect.

Of course, if the soul attack is too strong, the effect of the Soul-Gathering Shield will be greatly reduced.

However, a weak attack on the soul can go unnoticed.

Yang Zhengshan's Soul Raven was formed from his spiritual power. Using the Soul Raven to perform the Soul-Capturing Technique was not particularly powerful, but it could subtly influence Wang Henglie's spiritual perception.

The Soul-Suppressing Lock wrapped around Wang Henglie's legs. Wang Henglie tried to break free, but his soul was affected by the Soul-Capturing Technique of the Soul Crow, and he was unable to resist the Soul-Suppressing Lock's seal for the time being.

(End of this chapter)