After maxing out my affinity, my signature weapon kept evolving.

Ren Xingyuan's attack puzzled Xie Wenyuan. "You've already been crippled by me, why are you still fighting?"

But he quickly realized something was wrong, immediately summoned the Spirit Rhinoceros Blade and activated his concentration state, holding the blade horizontally in defense.

The Turtle Shield was still the same Turtle Shield, but this time the anomaly occurred in Ren Xingyuan himself.

He was emanating black energy, clearly indicating that he had used some kind of evil magic; he was quite abnormal.

The tortoise shield had no cloud patterns on it, but the force with which it struck the Spirit Rhinoceros Blade was far greater than before.

Fortunately, Xie Wenyuan's physical body was also extremely strong, and he remained unmoved even when Ren Xingyuan charged at him with all his might.

With a kick, Xie Wenyuan slashed at Ren Xingyuan, splitting the tortoise shield in two, and leaving a huge wound on Ren Xingyuan's chest.

However, to Xie Wenyuan's horror, no blood flowed from Ren Xingyuan's wound; instead, endless black smoke billowed out.

"Ren Xingyuan, what have you done! You actually accepted the power of the void!"

Xie Wenyuan had witnessed this phenomenon before; it was a manifestation of actively contacting the power of the void.

"What do you know? Having received the power of the gods, I'm not as powerless as you, a mere mortal. Just watch!"

The wound on Ren Xingyuan's chest kept wriggling, and it healed completely in less than two breaths.

The fight between the two attracted the attention of others. Many people felt nauseous after seeing Ren Xingyuan's churning wounds, and some even vomited.

The reason is simple: the scene was not only disgusting, it was downright mental pollution.

"Ha, since you've broken the taboo, I won't let you off this time. Last time, with your father around, you barely escaped with your life, but this time you won't be so lucky!"

With the golden attribute "Breaking the Law and Slaying Evil" empowering him, Xie Wenyuan ignored this mental pollution and preemptively struck, piercing Ren Xingyuan before he could make a move.

Ren Xingyuan laughed loudly, but did not resist. Instead, he turned into black smoke and disappeared.

"Hahahaha, my father will avenge me! You just wait to die! The whole city will pay with their lives!"

Looking at the black smoke rising into the sky, Xie Wenyuan's expression turned solemn. Did the Ren family really stop being human in their pursuit of revenge?

------

Inside the city lord's mansion, Wang Changqing looked at Ren Xudong lying on the ground with a solemn expression.

Ren Xudong's face was contorted with rage as he cursed viciously:

"Wang Changqing, just you wait! The gods will not let you get away with this! The entire Renqiu City, no, the entire Great Qian Dynasty, will become a land-based divine kingdom!"

He then turned into black smoke and dissipated with the wind, leaving Wang Changqing standing there stunned.

"A land-based divine kingdom? You think you can conquer it?"

However, this also served as a reminder to Wang Changqing. After resting for a while, he also arrived in the city and then discovered Xie Wenyuan, who was leading Sun Miaoran.

"Lord City Lord, the Ren family has come into contact with the power of the void and has begun to retaliate."

Wang Changqing nodded and said:

"Yes, Ren Xudong just managed to bypass the surveillance and sneak into the City Lord's Mansion. If it weren't for the huge difference in strength between us, he probably would have succeeded."

After comparing what they had seen, the two men discovered that the two things had something in common.

Not only the Ren family father and son, but all the other members of the Ren family also turned into black smoke, and the black smoke actually went in the same direction.

Then, the two said in unison:

"forest!"

Wang Changqing suddenly realized what was going on:

"Everything makes sense now. The mysterious power deep in the forest is actually the void! It seems the Ren family has been venturing into the depths of the forest and coming into contact with the power of the void these past few days. I will immediately gather people and send them to investigate the depths of the forest. This matter must not be known to any more people!"

Xie Wenyuan brought Sun Miaoran back to the clinic and told Sun Huazeng about the Ren family.

"Damn it, they're never letting us have a moment's peace, those damned Ren family!"

Sun Miaoran looked completely innocent; her trip with Brother Xie had been interrupted like this.

She pouted her pink lips, looking quite aggrieved.

Xie Wenyuan gently patted her back and comforted her:

"It's alright, Brother Xie will have plenty of time to spend with you in the future. How about I take you to your Sister Yue's place first?"

Sun Miaoran's two peach blossom eyes were watery, and her little pearls looked like they were about to fall out.

Helpless, Xie Wenyuan had no choice but to take out his own treasured possessions.

"Here, this is a pendant I used to wear when I was little. Isn't it pretty?"

Sun Miaoran looked at the lifelike jade pony and held it firmly in her hand.

"This was given to me by Brother Xie, so you can't take it back, okay?"

"Alright, alright, it's yours. Be good, wait with your sister Yue for your grandpa and me to come back."

Xie Wenyuan didn't want to be separated from Sun Miaoran and Zhao Yue, but he was probably the only person in the entire Renqiu City who was immune to the corruption of the void, so he had to fulfill his responsibility.

In less than half a day, Wang Changqing had gathered a group of people. This time, they were mostly spiritual cultivators at the level of Spirit Master or above. After all, there were still powerful spirit beasts deep in the dense forest, and spiritual cultivators with too low a cultivation level would only be a hindrance.

To Xie Wenyuan's surprise, the violent Ren Qiuyue was also present, and even Wang Changqing treated her as an honored guest.

"Aren't you also a member of the Ren family? How come you've joined the extermination team?"

Ren Qiuyue rolled her eyes at him and said coldly:

"From the moment they crossed the line, I was no longer a member of the Ren family. The innocent will remain innocent."

"Such a fast cut!"

Wang Changqing clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"Gentlemen, our focus this time is on reconnaissance. Do not linger in battle. If we find anything amiss, we must retreat immediately. Furthermore, this time we have a prodigy from the Great Qian Royal Academy joining us; she has sufficient knowledge of fighting against the void."

Wang Changqing focused his gaze on Ren Qiuyue with utmost respect.

The others also looked at her, their faces filled with distrust.

"Ren Qiuyue? Isn't she also a member of the Ren family? Don't let her tip us off and wipe us all out!"

"Yes, she is Ren Xudong's niece, so we can't trust her too much."

Wang Changqing hadn't expected this scene and was momentarily embarrassed.

"Everyone, if you don't trust the Ren family, you should at least trust the Royal Academy. The spiritual cultivators who can enter there have all passed through layers of selection, regardless of their talent or character."

Ren Qiuyue showed no reaction to the doubts of the crowd, or rather, she was already used to it.

A cool, clear voice rang out, carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"Listen up, everyone. I'll only say this once. When facing the void, do not make contact with your physical bodies. Spirit Lord level cultivators should use their transformed spiritual power to attack; Spirit Master level cultivators should just be on guard against spirit beasts, otherwise you won't be of any other use."

Everyone exclaimed, "What makes you think you can talk like that?"

Although Ren Qiuyue is well-known, she is only in her early twenties, and no one believes that she is strong enough to overwhelm everyone.

A snow-white longsword appeared in Ren Qiuyue's fair hand, freezing the air around it and emitting wisps of cold air.

Four cloud patterns shone brightly on the slender blade, demonstrating Ren Qiuyue's strength.

"Can you believe me now?"