This Dao Ancestor is too young.

This time, Zhang Yuanzhu directly entered the middle-aged man's body, carefully sensing the circulation of his muscles, blood, skin, and even magic power, and then summarizing it in conjunction with the "Moonlight Protection Technique".

As time went by, his mastery of the "Moonlight Protection Technique" improved rapidly.

Only when everything around him shattered did he end his comprehension of the spell, carefully placing the tattered jade slip deep into his storage bag.

Then, he stretched out his hand, flicked his sleeve, and collected all the jade slips and spirit stones on the ground.

He sat down cross-legged, circulated his cultivation technique, and began to recover the mana he had consumed in refining the magical artifact.

Only after nightfall did he get himself into peak condition.

Zhang Yuanzhu slowly rose, turned to look at the center of the inner city, his expression solemn.

"Lord Liu Wenpeng!"

Young man's words:

He stood up, slung his blue crystal sword over his shoulder, and revealed golden gauntlets as he opened his palms. He then took out a thick earthen jar, a bronze mirror, and a black blood shield from his storage bag and kept them close to his body.

Once everything was ready, he strode forward and headed straight for the city lord's mansion.

He moved extremely fast, passing many commoners and shops, and finally stopped in front of a mansion.

The mansion was solemn, with its gray walls standing tall, surrounding the buildings, and should have been very imposing.

At this moment, however, it was exceptionally empty and deathly silent, with a faint black mist swirling around it, and the faint chirping of insects could be heard from all sides, carrying an eerie feeling.

Zhang Yuanzhu remained expressionless, but a thought flashed through his mind.

The black blood shield in his arms floated out, hovering above his head, emitting wisps of black and red mist.

His eyes were cold as he slowly raised his arms and formed an ancient hand seal.

The magical power surged within his dantian and then burst forth.

hum!

The shield trembled slightly and expanded rapidly. In less than a few breaths, it had already transformed into the size of a mound, truly like an iron wall lying across the sky.

kill!

The boy snorted softly.

The Black Blood Shield struck out with a deafening roar, like a meteor streaking across the sky, and fell toward the City Lord's Mansion.

Violent and direct!

Rumble~

With a deafening roar, walls collapsed, palaces shattered, the black mist dissipated, and billowing dust rose.

With just one strike, the mansion was already a complete mess.

Zhang Yuanzhu narrowed his eyes, gazing at the blood-red light curtain rising amidst the billowing dust.

The light screen spun rapidly, its mysterious patterns flashing, blocking out the scattered dust.

"Formation?"

Zhang Yuanzhu frowned deeply.

He took a step forward, arrived beside the Black Blood Shield, and grabbed the shield directly. His flesh and blood trembled slightly, and bursts of great power erupted.

Then, it smashed straight at the blood-red light curtain.

bang~

The crimson light curtain rippled, and the black blood shield flew backward.

As the smoke and dust cleared, the scene within the formation was revealed.

In the lake formed by the backflow of crimson blood, figures sat cross-legged on the surface.

Those figures, withered and lifeless, with blank expressions, surrounded a refined middle-aged man draped in a blue official robe.

Streams of life essence, blood energy, and magical power converged on each other in ways the boy couldn't comprehend.

Zhang Yuanzhu gripped the sword hilt tightly, his eyes icy as he gazed at the figure standing in the center of the blood-red lake, uttering each word with a chilling intensity:

"It really is you, Liu Wenpeng!"

The refined-looking man raised his head, his eyes as black as ink, sweeping over the ruins outside the formation before finally settling on the young man:

"You ant, I gave you life, why did you insist on courting death!"

The middle-aged man sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness.

He stretched out his palm, pointing to the rows of solitary figures sitting around him:

"Most of the high-ranking members of the Tao, Shang, and Qian families are here and imprisoned by me. This is of great benefit to you, an insignificant ant."

"Otherwise, how could someone at the mere first level of Qi Refining possibly wipe out the three major families and obtain abundant cultivation resources?"

Zhang Yuanzhu tilted his head slightly, a grin spreading across his face.

"You're so long-winded, you're just stalling for time!"

With a single word.

Clang!

The magic sword was drawn, its dazzling light bursting forth, tearing through the sky, and crashing down with a deafening roar.

bang bang bang~

In less than a breath, the boy unleashed eighteen sword strikes, creating ripples on the blood-red light screen.

Liu Wenpeng's eyes turned cold as he stared at the dazzling sword lights slashing towards him.

If it weren't for the crucial moment in his cultivation, he would have already released the formation and crushed this ant with a single palm strike.

"A grand formation that has been prepared for over a decade is not something a mere cultivator like you, who has just entered the Qi Refining stage, can break."

"Heh~"

Zhang Yuanzhu sneered.

In the blink of an eye, the black blood shield above his head trembled violently, the black and red mist twisted, and cracks appeared on the shield.

Immediately afterwards, a blinding beam of light burst forth from the crack, dazzling and dangerous.

This magical artifact, which he had personally reforged, is now self-destructing.

At this moment, even Liu Wenpeng frowned.

"You've destroyed your own magical artifact; it seems you truly care about those lowly people."

This was the only reason Liu Wenpeng could think of. The two sides clearly didn't have much enmity, and he had even imprisoned the other's enemy, yet these ants were willing to fight to the death.

There was no response, only the boy's outstretched hand.

brush~

The black blood shield floated out and landed on the blood-red light screen.

Amidst the deafening roar, the shield shattered inch by inch, and black and red flames enveloped the formation, obscuring vision.

When the firelight subsided, the blood-red light curtain was complete, though the crimson color had faded slightly.

"Insects, a low-grade magical artifact..."

Before the words were finished, a bronze mirror flew out of the boy's arms, cracks appearing on its surface, and landed on the formation.

Boom!

A roaring sound reappeared, accompanied by dazzling flames, and the light curtain flickered in the flames.

Zhang Yuanzhu gazed intently at the swaying array, where a yellowish-brown altar slowly floated out from his robes.

Medium-grade ritual implement – ​​Thick Earth Altar!

Without the slightest hesitation, it immediately began to self-destruct.

Rumble~

An even louder roar followed, and a yellowish-brown halo mixed with smoke and dust rose into the air.

Click!Click!

Tiny cracks appeared on the great formation.

The moment this sliver of light appeared, the clanging of swords rang out. What began as a faint bird song quickly transformed into a thunderous roar, a raging sea, and a burst of azure light.

These azure rays intertwined and outlined, transforming into wild beasts.

A savage bear, a golden snake, a fierce tiger, a spirit ape, and a flying swallow—five beastly figures surrounded the magic sword, roaring and howling, giving their all to enhance its edge!

Zhang Yuanzhu took a step forward, and the magic sword in his hand thrust straight out.

The sword light pierced through layers of strong winds and brilliance, stopping at the crack in the formation.

In an instant, time seemed to freeze, and the tiny cracks rapidly expanded, becoming as dense as a spider web.

then……

bang~

The great formation shattered, and the blood-red lake rippled with waves. One by one, the figures sitting cross-legged on it tumbled into the lake and turned into dust.

At the same time, the sword light moved forward, destroying many figures, and struck Liu Wenpeng's face.

clang~

Amidst the clinking of metal and jade, Liu Wenpeng's face cracked open, and pieces of skin peeled off, revealing a gloomy and aged face.

Zhang Yuanzhu narrowed his eyes; he seemed to have seen this hidden face before at the Tao family's residence.

A rapid recollection in my mind, whispered:

"Tao Jintai!"

That was an elder of the Tao family, the father of the current head of the Tao family. He had seen the portrait of the elder in the Tao family ancestral hall.

The old man's expression was indifferent. He stretched out his hand, peeled off the skin pasted onto his face, and uttered each word slowly and deliberately:

"You ant, you actually recognize my name, that's quite unexpected."

His gaze swept over the half-missing figure on the blood lake, and he uttered each word slowly and deliberately:

"Now think about how you want to die!"