I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

The Hehuan Sect was shaken by an earthquake.

The main peak, Sword Peak, Crimson Peak… all the palaces and pavilions atop the mountains hummed and groaned, their beams and pillars creaking as tiles rained down, shattering into dust on the mountain paths. Several furnaces on Crimson Peak were overturned, spilling crimson lava that burned through half a side hall; in the library, thousands of jade scrolls scattered across the ground. The lower-ranking disciples across the mountains were thrown about, some crouching in corners, clutching their heads, others losing a shoe in the process. Cries, shouts, and the sharp clanging of unsheathed magical artifacts filled the air.

"What's going on?!"

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! The battle formation is sounding!"

Several streaks of light shot up from the peak, as fast as shooting stars.

The leader, a man in a fluttering blue robe, was none other than Li Hanshan. He had been meditating in a side hall when the siren sounded, and he burst out of his meditation, his jade crown binding his hair in disarray. The Fourth Elder followed closely behind, the hem of his dark green palace robe billowing in the wind; behind him, Ye Shuanghua arrived in white robes, sword in hand; Zhang Qingxuan's sleeves were disheveled; and Hua Nongying had barely draped her outer robe over her shoulders—the women arrived from all directions, landing on the mountain gate tower in the blink of an eye.

The moment I landed, a gust of wind hit my face, carrying a nauseatingly sweet and pungent smell.

Everyone looked up and gasped in shock.

it's dark.

Outside the great formation, demonic clouds obscured the sun, and billowing black mist, like ink dripping into clear water, soaked the midday sunlight down to a thin layer. The light that peeked through the gaps in the clouds was a dark red, making the entire mountain gate resemble a ghostly realm.

A figure in black robes stood before the rolling demonic clouds.

His body was emaciated, half of his skin a deathly gray-white, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading from his neck to his wrists. Yet his eyes shone with a terrifying light, like two glowing embers. The demonic energy swirling around him condensed into dark red chains, which hissed and corroded the air as they passed. With a casual wave of his hand, a thousand-foot-long beam of demonic light slammed into the light barrier, causing the entire formation to vibrate and groan, and sending ripples across the barrier that made one's teeth ache.

"The Heavenly Demon Sect Master?!"

Night Frost Hua fell silent.

Li Hanshan's pupils contracted sharply the moment he saw that face clearly.

The Heavenly Demon Sect Master—he actually didn't die.

The Immortal Alliance and the Three Harmony Paths besieged and attacked, and the Heavenly Demon Sect was destroyed overnight. Everyone thought that this demonic giant had already died and vanished. Who could have imagined that he would appear alive and well at the gates of the Joyful Union Sect at this critical juncture?

"I was careless."

Li Hanshan stared at the demonic figure, slowly exhaled, his voice revealing a hint of lingering fear and a touch of relief.

For the past two weeks, groups of affiliated sects have been coming and going, offering gifts. He was only thinking about accepting and selecting them and making good connections, but he forgot that this channel he opened himself was also a crack that could let wolves in.

Fortunately, at the beginning of his takeover of the formation, he always felt uneasy and kept a watchful eye.

With the army outside and the mountain gates undefended, what if something managed to sneak in? So, he secretly infused a wisp of his pure Yang fire into the core of the grand formation, creating an extra layer of warning—not to block people, but to sound an alarm. No matter how well you conceal your presence, if you carry even a trace of demonic energy or hide a cultivation level higher than what's apparent, that wisp of pure Yang fire will immediately issue a warning.

Pure Yang can subdue all demons. This restriction is practically tailor-made for the person before us.

Li Hanshan's main concern was the people from the Heavenly Demon Sect.

After all, he bears the main responsibility for the destruction of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

"That old bastard's got a tough life," Li Hanshan squinted. "Even the Sanhe Dao couldn't kill him."

Suddenly, a very light, trembling breath came from beside me.

Li Hanshan turned his head to the side.

Ye Feiyan stood beside him, her eyes fixed on the demonic figure outside the formation, her expression changing repeatedly.

Father.

The name rolled through her mind, and the first thought that surfaced wasn't fear—

It is a hope.

Was he here to...save her?

She was a slave, bound by nine Yin lines. If her father were to kill Li Hanshan today and free her from those Yin lines—the thought alone made Ye Feiyan's heart pound wildly.

But then, a chill shot up from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

wrong.

Intaglio lines.

If Li Hanshan dies, the nine Yin patterns within his body will lose their master and backfire on the spot—she will be buried with him. Forget about rescuing him; the father and daughter might not even meet on their journey to the underworld, instead becoming lonely souls sharing the same fate as this old demon.

Thinking further down, there's something even more unspeakable, stuck in my heart, itching and itch.

These three months... spent by Li Hanshan's side, were actually... not bad.

She ate well, lived comfortably, and her cultivation level skyrocketed without her even realizing it. The flower sister complained about her, but then shared spiritual fruits with her. It was true that her master used her as a power bank, but before each time he used her to replenish her energy, didn't he first infuse her with pure yang energy to solidify her foundation? In all her years of life, no one had ever treated her like this in the Heavenly Demon Sect.

She hoped her father would win; she would die.

Hoping her master would win... she surprisingly didn't feel wronged at all.

Ye Feiyan bit her lower lip, her mind a jumbled mess.

Li Hanshan turned his head and gave her a half-smile.

With just one glance, Ye Feiyan shuddered – she had forgotten that with nine Yin markings on her body, her master could hear every single thought that crossed her mind!

"Master, mistress," she stammered, hastily professing her loyalty, "this servant did not wish for him to win! This servant is utterly loyal to my master, as clear as day and night—"

"Alright," Li Hanshan waved his hand, a smirk playing on his lips. "You've been waiting, so I don't blame you."

He paused, then added with a smile:

"Anyway, he can't win."

Ye Feiyan stared at him blankly. For some reason, her tangled thoughts suddenly calmed down.

-

Outside the great formation, the Heavenly Demon Sect Master's gaze swept across the city tower.

His gaze was like a tangible knife, scraping across everyone's face—the Fourth Elder, Ye Shuanghua, Zhang Qingxuan, Hua Nongying—and those touched felt a chill run down their spines and a stinging pain in their souls. Finally, his gaze fixed on the figure in the green robe.

Immediately afterwards, he saw the pretty face beside Li Hanshan, whose expression was changing.

"Scarlet Smoke?"

He was taken aback at first, then his eyes turned bloodshot—his daughter, standing beside the enemy who had destroyed his sect, was meek and obedient, and had just been whispering to that man!

"You little beast!" The Heavenly Demon Sect Master roared in fury, "How dare you use my daughter as a cultivation vessel!"

"A furnace or cauldron?" Li Hanshan chuckled, speaking slowly, "Old bastard, you can't just spout nonsense. Feiyan isn't a furnace or cauldron with me."

"She was a female slave."

The Heavenly Demon Sect Master choked.

"Come here, Feiyan," Li Hanshan turned his head, his tone as casual as if he were ordering a cup of tea, "say hello to the person opposite you."

Ye Feiyan froze.

She looked up and met Li Hanshan's eyes, which held a half-smile. There was no anger or killing intent in his eyes, only a calm "you'll see what happens" attitude—but Ye Feiyan understood. Nine Yin lines lay on her heart meridian; her life was in his hands. Besides, that old devil had come in today to take his master's life.

When her master died, she was buried with him.

Although deeply humiliated, the will to survive ultimately prevailed, churning within Ye Feiyan. She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and, facing the demonic figure outside the formation, shouted:

"You old—you old beast!"

Once that first word was uttered, the rest of the speech flowed smoothly:

"You've finally met your match! The Heavenly Demon Sect was destroyed because of your own actions! Don't you even know how your sister's mother died?! You used your daughter as a pawn, and your disciple in the Blood Refining Pool. What father in the world would act like this—you deserve it! You got what you deserved!"

As the rant reached its end, tears welled up in my eyes; it's hard to tell if it was acting or just my true feelings.

The city gate tower was deathly silent.

The Heavenly Demon Sect Master froze in mid-air, his face contorted with twitching pain. In his entire life, he had been besieged and killed by the Three Harmony Path and shredded by the chaotic void currents. He never imagined that one day he would be verbally abused by his own daughter.

"You...rebellious daughter..."

"See that?" Li Hanshan shrugged, smiling innocently. "Even your own daughter is cursing you."

"I say, you old bastard, you've really gone this far. Your eldest daughter is completely estranged from you, and your youngest daughter calls you a beast—oh, by the way, your eldest daughter is doing quite well these days, living the high life at my place, and her cultivation is improving by leaps and bounds."

"Didn't you come to rescue your daughter?" He smiled and spread his hands. "But it seems she's reluctant to go with you."

"How about this," he suddenly said seriously, "you leave your head behind, and I'll have Feiyan burn some paper money for you during festivals?"

"Li, Han, Shan——!!"

The Heavenly Demon Sect Master's eyes burned completely red, and with a roar, the demonic clouds exploded.

"Today, I will tear you to pieces—!!"

The Heavenly Demon Blood Palms rained down relentlessly upon the light barrier, one palm after another. With each strike, a blood-red palm print, hundreds of feet in size, exploded on the barrier, leaving a charred mark. Where the demonic clouds eroded, the light barrier dimmed and blackened at a visible speed. The entire formation hummed and groaned, and the array patterns on the east side even began to extinguish piece by piece, like lamps being extinguished.

"This is bad!" The Fourth Elder's expression changed drastically, and he urgently reported, "Master, when he forced his way through the passage, his demonic power clashed head-on with our great formation, and the three array eyes on the east side were shattered—the power of the great formation has been reduced by at least 20%!"

She stared at the spreading black spots on the light screen, her speech quickening, her voice growing increasingly strained:

"Originally, if a Dao-Merging cultivator had personally arrived, defending this great formation for several months would have been no problem. But now the formation's foundation is damaged, and the consumption of spirit stones has increased more than tenfold. If he continues to attack like this—"

She gritted her teeth:

"It won't last more than a few days."

On the city wall, everyone's expression changed simultaneously.

Hua Nongying gripped Li Hanshan's sleeve tightly, her fingertips turning white. Xu Lingxi's eyes were already red. Ye Shuanghua's hand holding the sword had bulging veins, but the overwhelming pressure of the Dao-Merging Aura made even drawing the sword difficult—the sword was not yet drawn, but its heart was already lamenting.

"SOS for help!" Li Hanshan made a decisive call. "Send a message to the front lines, send a message to the sect leader—"

The Fourth Elder had already taken out a communication jade talisman, infused it with spiritual power, and the talisman's spiritual light surged, transforming into a stream of light that shot into the sky—

But just as the stream of light rose a hundred feet, a blood-red hand suddenly emerged from the demonic clouds, its five fingers spread wide, and with a single grab, it crushed the jade talisman to pieces!

A few sparks of inspiration leaked through my fingers, like a fleeting firefly, and then went out.

Hehehe—

The Demon Lord's eerie laughter echoed from the demonic clouds, slow and deliberate, tinged with the smug satisfaction of a cat toying with a mouse: "Now that I'm here, do you think I'd let you deliver the message? The vast void has already been draped with a blood-red curtain of demonic energy—today, the Joyful Union Sect is utterly helpless!"

The message was intercepted.

There was no hope of getting help.

A deathly silence reigned above and below the city walls. The faint sound of suppressed sobs from lower-ranking disciples drifted in the mountain breeze, while the few Nascent Soul elders remaining behind were ashen-faced. All eyes were fixed on Li Hanshan.

The Fourth Elder's voice revealed a rare hint of apprehension:

"Master, what should we do now?"