A mortal cultivating immortality can nurture spirit beasts.

The Frost Dragon spirit bared its fangs and brandished its claws, looking extremely fierce. Every breath it exhaled was a chilling aura. Under Lin He's control, it spat out more than a dozen thick ice spikes, heading towards Hong Fen.

Not only that, the Frost Dragon spirit raised its head and then unleashed a continuous icy breath. This icy breath was not an ice spike that disappeared after a single attack, but a continuous attack, and its power was incomparable.

A dozen or so thick ice spikes arrived first, but were blocked by the gigantic ring, which was clearly also an ancient defensive artifact with considerable power.

Immediately following, a chilling breath struck, continuously hitting the massive ring. Even though this ancient defensive artifact was quite powerful, it was still shaken violently by the impact.

Just then, the Golden Rain Sword and the Seven-Colored Peak attacked again, with dozens of golden sword energies and the earthy yellow light that appeared at the bottom of the mountain following one after another.

With so many attacks landing on the giant ring, the ancient defensive artifact immediately shook violently, appearing to be overwhelmed.

The woman in red beneath the ring looked extremely grim. She never expected that Lin He, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, would possess so many abilities. He not only had several magic treasures but also several ancient treasures. Moreover, the strength of the Frost Dragon Spirit was clearly not weak. The combination of these various abilities brought her immense pressure.

Hongfen had to take out another antique treasure shaped like a handkerchief to relieve some of the pressure, which allowed the ring to continue to support itself.

The two sides were evenly matched, seemingly engaged in a war of attrition. However, Lin He frowned. Although his spiritual sense was stronger than that of a typical mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was still only slightly stronger. Simultaneously controlling Lan Chou and the Cold Dragon's spirit put a heavy burden on his spiritual sense, and he couldn't sustain it for long. He would be at a great disadvantage in a war of attrition.

Lin He vividly remembered the defeat that Wang Shan, who had fought against him, had suffered from. He locked his divine sense onto the giant tortoise puppet in the storage bag, preparing for a quick victory.

Just then, an explosion occurred high in the sky, followed by two figures flying out.

Linghu Laozu looked somewhat disheveled, while Yunlu appeared quite calm in comparison; it was clear at a glance who had suffered the loss.

"How about it? Old ghost Linghu, do you want to keep fighting?" Yunlu said sarcastically. "If this continues, it won't be just a small skirmish anymore. You should understand the consequences."

As expected, Yunlu seemed to have accurately grasped Linghu Laozu's mindset. He sighed and said...

"Huayuan, Linhe, let's go back!"

"What!" Li Huayuan was extremely unwilling upon hearing this, but since Linghu Laozu had spoken, he had no choice. Lin He, on the other hand, couldn't wait to stop immediately.

Even if he defeated Hongfen, with Yunlu present, he would have no chance of killing her. It was a battle destined to be fruitless, and Lin He naturally did not want to stay here and fight to the death.

From the moment Yunlu appeared, Lin He knew that the operation to rescue Hong Fu had failed. Snatching someone from a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was far more difficult than expected.

The pink skeletons on the other side immediately stopped, especially the pink one. She, who always liked to cause trouble, breathed a sigh of relief this time. Although Lin He's cultivation was low, he had many tricks up his sleeve. Compared to facing Lin He, the pink one would rather deal with Li Huayuan.

Yunlu sneered, seemingly unsurprised by Linghu Patriarch's compromise. He didn't provoke him further, but instead left with Xuan'er and the unconscious Hongfu.

Dong Xuan'er glanced at Lin He with some reluctance, but had no choice but to leave with her father.

After Yunlu and the others left, Li Huayuan asked, puzzled, "Uncle-Master, if you had stalled for a little longer, Junior Nephew Lin could have defeated Hongfen, and then we would have had the upper hand. Why did you retreat?"

Linghu Patriarch glanced at him, shook his head, and said, "Do you think that was Yunlu Old Demon's full strength just now? He wasn't even using his full power. If it really came down to a fight, I wouldn't be a match for him either."

Li Huayuan was quite surprised to hear this, while Linghu Patriarch looked at him and said, "I have said that I made this trip purely for you. I had expected Yunlu to appear. This rescue operation was destined to fail, but you just didn't want to believe it."

"For me?"

"That's right," Elder Linghu explained, "When you reach the peak of the late Core Formation stage and are preparing to form your Nascent Soul, there will be a difficult hurdle called the Heart Demon. If you don't go to rescue your senior sister today, you may develop such a Heart Demon in the future. You may face Hong Fu's accusations and your own regret. If you become addicted to it, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Although Li Huayuan had heard of inner demons before, his cultivation level was far from that point, so he had only listened to them. But today, Ancestor Linghu simply explained it to him clearly.

"Thank you, Martial Uncle!"

Li Huayuan suddenly realized that Linghu Laozu had done a great job, but he was still very unwilling to accept that he had failed to save Hong Fu.

"You know, your personality is just too headstrong. After all, you cultivate the True Yang Technique, which I can understand. But regarding the Transformation Realm, if Yunlu and I were to fight to the death here, have you considered the consequences?"

"This..." Li Huayuan was speechless for a moment.

"Let me tell you," Linghu sighed, "once news of my serious injury or death spreads, the other factions will likely join forces the next day to attack Huangfeng Valley and divide up all its resources. Can you withstand that?"

Li Huayuan and Lin He both turned pale upon hearing this. The cultivation world has always been cruel, and the seven sects are no exception, engaging in intrigue and deception, and are not a united front.

Li Huayuan understood, but still asked, "But... but Senior Sister Hongfu is a late-stage Core Formation cultivator. She might become the second Nascent Soul cultivator in Huangfeng Valley someday. Isn't it worth taking a gamble for her?"

The biggest problem with Huangfeng Valley is that it only has one Nascent Soul cultivator, which makes Elder Linghu afraid to risk his life and unwilling to take any risks.

But if Hong Fu can also form a Nascent Soul, then Huangfeng Valley's confidence will be greatly strengthened. Even if Ancestor Linghu is injured, Hong Fu will be able to hold him up for a while.

However, upon hearing this, Patriarch Linghu smiled bitterly and said, "If Hong Fu could form a Nascent Soul, I would risk my old bones to save her. It's a pity that her inner demons are too deep. Once she forms a Nascent Soul, she will surely suffer a backlash from her inner demons and die without a doubt!"

Linghu Patriarch's words were so decisive that Li Huayuan's heart skipped a beat. Seemingly realizing this might frighten him, Linghu Patriarch reassured him,

"Everyone's inner demons are different. Some people are naturally optimistic and it is not difficult for them to overcome their inner demons. Others overthink and it is not easy for them to overcome their inner demons. You don't need to be so afraid."

Li Huayuan's expression softened a bit, while Lin He pondered to himself.

"An inner demon? Then what could my inner demon be?"

Linghu the Elder took out the golden plate again and carried the three of them back to Jingu Plain.