In this chaotic world of vying for power, I can become stronger by marrying a wife.

Su Ming narrowed his eyes: "Senior, can you beat him?"

"I can't beat him." Chen Xiu grinned. "But I can hold him off while you run away."

"Run?" Su Ming sneered. "I never run."

He raised his bow and aimed it at the old man.

"Whether he's human or ghost, just shoot him dead."

"collapse--!"

The armor-piercing arrow transformed into a streak of light, heading straight for the old man's face.

The old man raised his withered hand and waved it gently.

The arrow suddenly stopped in mid-air, three inches away from him.

Then, with a "crack," it shattered into powder.

Su Ming's face darkened.

What the hell is this?

The old man slowly stood up, his gaze falling on Su Ming.

"Dragon vein...you possess the aura of a dragon vein..."

He grinned, revealing a set of charred teeth.

"Excellent... With the dragon vein, I can reshape my physical body..."

The words fell.

The old man suddenly disappeared from the spot.

The next second, a withered hand appeared in front of Su Ming and grabbed directly at his chest.

"Be careful!"

Chen Xiu roared and slashed at the old man with his sword.

The old man slapped Chen Xiu away with a backhand.

"Get out of here."

Su Ming had no time to dodge and could only grit his teeth and raise his fist to meet the attack.

"Bang--!"

The moment the two fists collided, Su Ming felt as if he had been hit by a mountain, and he was sent flying backward, smashing through three stone walls.

[Ding! Fatal damage detected! Super Armor activated!]

[Immunity effect activated. Host's current health: 1%!]

Su Ming struggled to his feet, a mouthful of blood gushing from his mouth.

"Damn... what rank is this old bastard?"

[Ding! Scan results: Remnant soul of the former dynasty's imperial advisor, current strength approximately equivalent to peak fourth rank!]

Su Ming's face turned deathly pale instantly.

Fourth rank?

How the hell am I supposed to fight this?

Just then, the Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman in my arms suddenly became hot.

Immediately afterwards, Li Yueru's anxious voice rang in his mind.

"My lord! The camp has been attacked! It's the Ministry of War! They say you colluded with the northern barbarians and they want to arrest me and take me to the capital for interrogation!"

Su Ming's pupils contracted.

That bastard Zhao Hong, he really dares to touch his people?

He gritted his teeth, took out a bottle of spiritual spring water from his spatial storage, and gulped it down.

[Ding! Host's emotional fluctuations detected!]

[Hidden state triggered: Fearless Protector (Attack +500%, Defense -50%, Duration: 10 minutes)!]

A blood-red light flashed in Su Ming's eyes.

He raised his head and stared intently at the old man.

"You old bastard, you're blocking my way."

Inside the sealed room, the stench of decay surged in like a tide.

The remnant soul of the former imperial advisor floated in mid-air, and the eerie green ghost fire in his empty eye sockets pulsed more and more violently.

"Hand over the dragon vein..."

Su Ming wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, the blood-red light in his eyes growing stronger.

[Ding! Remaining time for the "protective domineering" state: 9 minutes and 47 seconds!]

[Current attack power bonus: 500%!]

"Old man, are you fucking deaf?"

Su Ming raised his bow, and a layer of pale golden internal energy wrapped around the arrow.

"I told you, you're blocking my way."

"collapse--!"

The armor-piercing arrow transformed into a golden streak of light, its speed several times faster than before.

The remnant soul of the Imperial Advisor raised his hand in a grasping motion, and the arrow once again froze in mid-air.

But this time, the golden internal energy on the arrow suddenly exploded.

"boom--!"

The shockwave sent the rubble flying from the secret chamber, and the remnant soul of the Imperial Preceptor was forced back three steps.

He looked down at his charred palm, and the will-o'-the-wisps in his eyes flickered even faster.

"The power of the dragon vein... interesting..."

Su Ming didn't give him a chance to speak, launching three arrows in quick succession.

Each arrow was imbued with golden internal energy, leaving three afterimages in the air.

"Boom boom boom—!"

The remnant soul of the Imperial Advisor vanished in a flash.

The three arrows missed their mark, blasting three deep craters into the stone wall behind the secret chamber.

"Young man, your internal energy is mixed and impure; you can't even unleash thirty percent of the dragon vein's power..."

The voice of the remnant soul of the Imperial Preceptor came from all directions.

"With skills like this, you think you can kill me?"

Su Ming closed his eyes.

The teleportation talisman in her arms heated up again, and Li Yueru's voice came through intermittently.

"My lord...they want to take me away...I...I don't want to be a burden to you..."

Su Ming opened his eyes, and the bloodlust in them completely overwhelmed the golden light.

"Don't you want to be a burden to me?"

He muttered to himself, a sinister smile creeping onto his lips.

"Yueru, remember this: you are a burden to me for the rest of your life, and no one will ever take you away from me."

He turned abruptly and fired an arrow into an empty corner.

"Get out here!"

"collapse--!"

The arrow pierced through the void, forcibly bringing forth the remnant soul of the Imperial Preceptor.

"How could you...?"

"You think I'd look at you with my eyes?" Su Ming sneered. "Your broken soul body makes your breathing louder than a donkey's braying."

He took out the last bottle of spiritual spring water essence from his spatial storage and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

[Ding! Host has been detected forcibly overdrawing their potential!]

[WARNING: If this condition persists for more than 10 minutes, it will cause irreversible damage!]

[Time remaining: 9 minutes and 12 seconds!]

Su Ming flexed his wrists, and the power of the dragon vein within his body surged wildly.

Nine minutes is enough.

With a stomp of his foot, he charged towards the remnant soul of the Imperial Preceptor like a cannonball.

This time, he didn't use a bow.

Golden internal energy swirled around his right fist, while his left hand gripped a broken spear he had pulled from his spatial storage.

The remnant soul of the Imperial Preceptor snorted coldly, and with a grasping motion of his hands, the rubble in the secret chamber floated into the air, transforming into dozens of stone spikes that shot towards Su Ming.

"A trivial skill."

Su Ming swept his spear across, shattering all the stone spikes.

The next second, he appeared in front of the remnant soul of the Imperial Preceptor and punched him in the chest.

"Bang--!"

The remnant soul of the Imperial Preceptor was blasted away, crashing through the wall of the secret chamber and into the stone chamber outside.

Su Ming followed closely behind, his Broken Army Spear piercing straight for his opponent's brow like a poisonous dragon emerging from its lair.

The remnant soul of the Imperial Advisor flashed, barely avoiding the fatal blow.

"Young man, you have angered this old man..."

He opened his mouth, and a plume of black smoke billowed out, instantly enveloping the entire stone chamber.

From within the smoke, countless mournful cries rang out.

[Ding! Mental attack detected!]

[Dragon's Might trait automatically activates, granting immunity to mind control effects below level two!]

Su Ming sneered, and the power of his dragon vein erupted, the golden light dispersing the black mist.

"this one?"

He pierced the black mist with his spear, the tip aimed straight at the face of the remnant soul of the Imperial Preceptor.

The remnant soul of the Imperial Preceptor's expression changed drastically. He made a grasping motion with both hands, and a black barrier condensed in front of him.

"when--!"

The spear struck the barrier, producing a piercing metallic clang.

The barrier shattered instantly.

The remnant soul of the Imperial Preceptor was once again repelled, and the ghostly fire in his eye sockets flickered even weaker.

"Impossible... You're only a seventh-rank... How could this be..."

"Maybe my ass."

Su Ming put away his gun and raised his bow.

This time, he fired five arrows in one go.

Each arrow was imbued with a rich, golden internal energy.

"I don't have time to play with you."

He released the bowstring.

"collapse--!"