My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

Faced with these swirling tentacles, Shangguan Mengqing remained remarkably calm. Surrounded by the Mirror Moon Holy Flame, she wielded the Water Moon Sword at an incredibly fast pace, unleashing countless deep blue sword energies carrying the Mirror Moon Holy Flame back at the monster.

Under Shangguan Mengqing's meticulous control, the Mirror Moon Holy Flames transformed the entire area into a deep blue sea of ​​fire, and Shangguan Mengqing moved about in this sea of ​​fire with ease and grace.

The heavenly fire seemed to inflict extremely high damage on the monster. Shangguan Mengqing's thunderous attacks caused the monster to retreat. Its petals contracted tightly, and its body actually wriggled out of the hollow tree, trying to escape the sea of ​​fire with the help of its tentacles.

"Heh, trying to escape?"

Shangguan Mengqing realized the monster's intentions. She commanded the Mirror Moon Holy Flame to gather and compress the monster's space. Once the monster was trapped in the Mirror Moon Holy Flame, everything seemed to be settled. If there were no unexpected events, then Shangguan Mengqing would probably be able to deal with this monster.

But Lin Ran, who was not far away, felt that something was wrong. His unease grew stronger and stronger. Where exactly was it?

"Swish!"

Suddenly, a jumble of noises came from all directions and surged toward them.

Lin Ran glanced back, and the next moment his face turned ashen. In his vision, a dense, overwhelming swarm of all kinds of poisonous insects, snakes, centipedes, scorpions, and other venomous creatures and monsters appeared, almost completely covering Lin Ran and surrounding him in large numbers.

The venomous creatures bared their fangs and claws, emitting low, high-frequency hisses, as if declaring war on them.

Lin Ran's expression gradually calmed down from the initial panic. He slowly backed away. These demonic insects and poisonous creatures shouldn't have appeared suddenly. Why did they appear when that pink monster was about to die? Could it be to save that disgusting lump of flesh?

The swarms of venomous insects, like waves of the ocean, suddenly began to churn. Lin Ran vaguely saw a figure stepping out from among the bodies of these insects.

It was an old man with a withered body and a smug face. Two dark purple scorpions crawled on either side of his face, and a giant python as thick as a bucket coiled around his arm. Dark red light flashed in the old man's eye sockets. He walked out, leaning on a cane with his right hand and wearing tattered clothes infested with demonic insects and poisonous creatures.

The old man's appearance surprised both Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing, who were dealing with the pink monster, but the two were in perfect harmony.

The Mirror Moon Holy Flame that was besieging the pink monster suddenly burst into flames, and the temperature rose at an extremely rapid speed. The pink monster, which was engulfed in flames, couldn't help but let out screams of agony as the flesh at its base was burned to ashes.

"Stop it!"

The old man let out a hoarse roar, slammed his cane down, and a dark red light flashed. The venomous insect transformed into a black torrent that rushed towards Shangguan Mengqing.

Just then, Lin Ran rushed to Shangguan Mengqing's side. He sneered, clenched his right fist, and used his powerful golden spiritual energy to tear her clothes to shreds. Golden dragon scales crawled all over his right arm. "You'd better stop right now!"

With a roar from Zhejiang, Lin Ran slammed his right fist out. The golden dragon let out a loud cry, its black and white eyes staring at the old man. It opened its ferocious fangs and tore at him.

"Qingdi!"

The old man suddenly exclaimed in surprise. He hurriedly gathered the demonic insects and poisonous creatures from other areas, and in his haste, he transformed them into a dark red barrier. Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that the barrier was actually formed by countless demonic insects and poisonous creatures.

"Roar!"

The golden dragon pulverized all the demonic insects and poisonous creatures along its path into dust, and finally crashed heavily into the dark red shield. Countless demonic insects and poisonous creatures turned into dust and fell into the pool below.

The old man's already pale face became even more ashen, like a ghost. He tapped his cane again, and the pink monster that was being attacked by Shangguan Mengqing opened its petals once more, suddenly spitting out several beams of pink light.

Shangguan Mengqing tried to intercept them, but in her haste, she only managed to intercept two or three. The remaining two entered the old man's body, and the monster, having lost its energy, was instantly devoured by Shangguan Mengqing's Mirror Moon Holy Flame.

"Lin Ran, watch out!"

Shangguan Mengqing's thoughts arrived in an instant.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Ran had already gathered energy in her left hand and threw another punch at the strange old man.

The old man, who had been hesitant, used all the energy he had just collected. He raised his cane and pointed it at himself, and a dark red light burst forth, along with a strange energy that inexplicably expanded...

……

144. Poisonous Insects in Soul Form

As the dark red energy spot in the cane struck the old man's body, his seemingly withered and frail body burst forth with astonishing and terrifying energy.

The old man's body swelled at a visible speed, and his thin figure transformed into a "little giant" more than two meters tall in the blink of an eye. His exposed flesh was a frightening purplish-red color, and one could vaguely see monsters and poisonous insects swimming inside.

Dark red will-o'-the-wisps flickered in its shadowy pupils, creating an eerie sight.

The next moment, the dark red giant shield that the old man had condensed was torn to shreds by the golden dragon. Facing the dragon that was so close at hand, the old man gently pointed his cane forward, and the already dim golden dragon was shattered into countless points of light by this attack.

But after dealing with this attack, another one followed immediately. Faced with this undiminished Dragon Fist, the old man looked somewhat embarrassed. Clearly, Lin Ran's unpredictable attacks were putting him in a difficult position.

The old man waved his cane again, and the swarming demonic insects and poisonous creatures around him emitted a dark red light. Some of them charged towards the giant dragon, while others rushed towards Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing, with a significant portion of them targeting Lin Ran.

The old man could tell that Lin Ran was definitely the weakest of the two. As long as he defeated the guy who cultivated the Azure Emperor's Technique, the other one was not a threat at all. He had plenty of ways to deal with Heavenly Fire.

Facing the venomous insects charging towards him, it would be a lie to say that Lin Ran wasn't afraid. However, he knew he couldn't show the slightest fear, otherwise the old man on the other side would notice and launch a thunderous counterattack against him.

Lin Ran stepped forward, blocking Shangguan Mengqing's path. Facing the overwhelming swarm of demonic insects and poisonous creatures, he transmitted his voice, "Mengqing, let me handle this. With Fan Hua's help, I should be able to manage!"

"Go away!"

Shangguan Mengqing responded coldly.

But Lin Ran remained unmoved, and even rushed forward on her own, as if she wanted to raise those horde of demonic insects and poisonous creatures all by herself.

Without hesitation, Shangguan Mengqing followed Lin Ran to her side in the blink of an eye. She put the Water Moon Sword back and took out the Autumn Rain Sword again. Without saying a word, the two only needed a simple exchange of glances or a tacit understanding to know what to do next.

Lin Ran also took out the Autumn Rain Sword. The two crossed their swords, and the golden and dark blue spiritual energy merged together in perfect harmony through the Autumn Rain Sword as a bridge.

Even though Shangguan Mengqing switched to cultivating the Mirror Moon Saint Emperor's techniques, the two could still use each other's spiritual power as before, their spiritual power merging together without any repulsion. Perhaps this was due to Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing's shared experience of inheritance, or perhaps it was due to the ancient poems of the Azure Emperor and the Mirror Moon Saint Emperor.

Regardless, the two joined forces once again, as if they had returned to their days cultivating in the Azure Spirit Sword Saint's Secret Realm. However, compared to then, their relationship was much closer, and they had truly become sworn brothers.

"Until the mountains crumble!"

The intertwined golden-blue sword energy, with its unstoppable momentum and overwhelming force, rushed towards the dark red swarm of insects that covered the sky. The demonic insects and poisonous creatures were instantly pulverized upon contact with even a trace of the sword energy.

This swamp had already been turned upside down, and now the massive crescent-shaped sword energy was so powerful that it seemed to have the power to cleave the heavens and earth in two.

Seeing the sword coming, the flames in the old man's eyes dimmed a bit. He had just managed to deal with the dragon fist with great effort, but this sword came immediately.

"We have no choice but to take the risk and give it a try!"

The old man didn't really want to use this move unless absolutely necessary, because it was almost like fighting to the death with his opponent. But if he could eliminate these two with this move, it would be like clearing the way for the great Lord in advance, and then unparalleled glory would descend upon him.

The old man's burly figure suddenly transformed into countless poisonous insects and monsters, which scattered hastily in all directions, as if they were made of mud and sand.

Their combined attack could only clear out a large number of the demonic insects and poisonous creatures. The two slowly landed on the water's surface, stood steadily, looked at each other, and exchanged thoughts.

"That old Deng actually escaped, something's not right!" Lin Ran said.

Why did they have to fight to the death before slinking away in such a sorry state? Moreover, the other party's strange attack methods and the demonic insects and poisons they controlled had a faint scent of the Void Evil Clan, making it hard not to be suspicious!

Shangguan Mengqing nodded, pondering, "We still need to be extremely careful. That pink mist might have been part of his plan, but we managed to thwart it. He must be holding a grudge and looking for an opportunity to retaliate. The enemy is in the shadows, while we are in the light..."

Even as they were talking, they remained vigilant about their surroundings. However, despite their careful precautions, they overlooked a large swarm of venomous insects crawling and intermingling beneath the water's surface where they stood.

The next moment, two dark red beams of light emerged from underwater and shot straight toward the two of them. In that instant, Lin Ran’s sense of crisis reached its peak. He subconsciously pushed Shangguan Mengqing away. The words he was about to say were just sent out when the two dark red beams of light struck his mind.

"Mengqing...be careful..."

As the words were spoken, Shangguan Mengqing could only watch helplessly as Lin Ran, her eyes glazed over, plunged headfirst into the pool. If Shangguan Mengqing were to describe what heartache felt like, she would never forget this moment. It felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her heart tightly, the pain making it hard to breathe…

She caught Lin Ran's body, and when she listened to the unusual heartbeat in Lin Ran's chest, she was stunned. There was nothing wrong with her body; the dark red light was...

Suddenly, Shangguan Mengqing thought of something. She took Lin Ran and went into her own space. The sudden disappearance of Shangguan Mengqing's figure made Uncle Wu, who was in a certain space, panic.

The space where the two had just stood was instantly torn open by a spatial rift. He looked around in confusion, only to see a swamp that had been badly damaged. Lin Ran and Shangguan Mengqing were nowhere to be seen.

"What kind of technique is this, Young Sect Master? Is it spatial teleportation? How come we can't detect even the slightest trace of his presence!"

Even with Wu Shu's Undying Realm level and years of accumulated experience, he still couldn't figure out how Shangguan Mengqing did it.

Such bizarre methods, along with the silent tacit understanding displayed by the young sect leader and the vice dean of Linghua Academy, their dual sword techniques, and their Dragon Transformation Realm-level strength—all of this seemed to shroud Shangguan Mengqing in a fog.

"It seems that the young sect leader experienced more than we imagined during that Mirror Moon Holy Emperor's Secret Realm..."

Uncle Wu thought Shangguan Mengqing should be fine, but the ambiguous relationship between Shangguan Mengqing and the vice dean of Linghua Academy was a bigger problem.

"Or... should I just pretend I don't know?"

Uncle Wu stroked his chin, thinking it over and over. He felt that this was still the safest option: pretending not to know would make everything much easier.

There was another problem waiting for Uncle Wu to think about: the old man that the young sect leader and the others had just dealt with, and the pink monster. In fact, Uncle Wu had been watching them the whole time. Their mysterious and unpredictable attack methods made even him a little nervous, but the two of them handled it very well.

Moreover, Uncle Wu, who had fought against the Void Evil Clan for many years, also sensed the Void Evil Clan's aura from the strange old man. This made him sigh, "I didn't expect... the Void Evil Clan's invasion is truly ubiquitous. I thought guarding those few entrances would be enough, but now..."

After this trip to the secret realm, he will have to report back to the sect leader. Judging from the current situation, this former state has been invaded and turned into a leaky mess. Wouldn't there be even more undiscovered areas in the other major states?

"Let's wait here for the young sect master!"

Uncle Wu stood there, like an old monk in deep meditation, on the water's surface, eyes closed, seemingly resting...

.....

After pulling Lin Ran into her space, Shangguan Mengqing immediately took Lin Ran to the inheritance hall of the former Mirror Moon Saint Emperor. She gently placed Lin Ran on the lotus seat and arranged her into a meditation posture, with their hands intertwined tightly.

Shangguan Mengqing pressed her forehead against Lin Ran's forehead, and Lin Ran closed her eyes tightly. Then, a deep blue light shone from Shangguan Mengqing's body, and this dazzling light entered Lin Ran's mind from between Shangguan Mengqing's eyebrows...

Meanwhile, in Lin Ran's spiritual ocean, Lin Ran's soul was trembling inside the tassel palace, while beside him was Fan Hua, whose brows were furrowed.

Looking outside the Liusu Palace, one can see countless demonic insects floating in Lin Ran's mind. Behind these demonic insects stands an old man who commands them to open their fine fangs and brandish their sharp claws as they rush towards the Liusu Palace.

Seeing the momentum of those demonic insects, determined to break through the tassel palace, grab Lin Ran's soul from it and devour it, once the soul is devoured, even if Lin Ran's body still exists, without the soul, it will only be a "shell" of Lin Ran.

Under Fan Hua's manipulation, the tassel palace shone brightly with golden light, constantly emitting golden waves that shattered the demonic insects and poisonous creatures that came to attack.

But the old man was prepared to die this time, so it was not so easy to resolve. He just didn't expect Lin Ran to have such a divine object that could protect the soul. He understood why Lin Ran was not controlled by his mist.

That girl possesses Heavenly Fire, and this guy has such a divine artifact. This must be the biggest obstacle to their future Void Evil Clan's attack, and they must be eliminated. It's just a pity that this guy withstood both attacks, so he can only replace him.

"Lin Ran, you really should have let Meng Qing come. I'm controlling the Flowing Tassel Palace, but I can only protect your soul, not let you drive these guys away!"

Inside the tassel palace, Fan Hua felt utterly helpless in the face of the current situation. The two sides were essentially locked in a stalemate. Fan Hua was confident that the other side couldn't break through, but she also couldn't actively eliminate the demonic insects that had transformed into spirits, because the tassel palace didn't have such an attack method.

"Sigh, what can we do next?"

Lin Ran shook her head dejectedly. She was stuck at home and couldn't leave her house. She could only watch helplessly as those demons and poisonous insects attacked Liusu Palace. It was so frustrating.

Fan Hua hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself. She actually had a plan, but it was far too dangerous, and she dared not say it, knowing that Lin Ran would absolutely not agree.

She knew better than Lin Ran how important Shangguan Mengqing was to Lin Ran.

.....

145. I love you

"That old bastard is really a sly old man!"

Lin Ran, inside the Liusu Palace, was furious as she watched the incredibly arrogant old man outside commanding a large army of demonic insects to relentlessly attack the palace.

He was still careless and got tricked by this old scoundrel. Fortunately, Meng Qing was alright. With the protection of the Liusu Palace, he could stay in this turtle shell for a while without any problems.