Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

"Do you know what this Golden Vein Earth Beast is? It is a natural creature born deep within a spirit mine, its entire body formed from the purest essence of gold, impervious to water and fire, and difficult to harm by swords."

His eyes burned with fervor. "If we can refine it into a celestial artifact, my Xuanqi Sect will become the number one artifact sect in the world! What are the lives of a few mere mortals worth!"

Looking at his frenzied appearance, Li Yuan shook his head: "You're right, this is indeed a golden-veined earth beast, but it's not mature enough. You used evil magic to forcibly catalyze it. Although it gained great power in a short time, it also destroyed its intelligence, turning it into a beast that only knows how to kill."

His gaze was fixed on Zhong Yuanzi. "Even if you do refine it into a so-called immortal artifact, what you will get is only a weapon full of malevolence. In that case, the first to suffer the backlash will be yourselves."

Zhong Yuanzi's face turned pale and then red, clearly indicating that Li Yuan had hit a nerve.

He gritted his teeth and sneered, "Even if you're right, so what? Do you think you three juniors can change anything?"

He suddenly pulled a jade talisman from his pocket and crushed it forcefully.

"I have already informed the sect leader. Soon, the other experts in the sect will arrive. At that time, none of you will be able to escape!"

Li Yuan and the other two exchanged glances, all of them startled, realizing something was wrong.

We must release this golden-veined earth beast before the experts from the Xuanqi Sect arrive.

Li Yuan gripped his short knife tightly, his gaze fixed on the golden-veined earth beast that was frantically ramming against the rock wall, trying to vent its rage. He whispered, "Cover me."

He let out a low shout and charged towards Zhong Yuanzi with lightning speed. On the blade, starlight and the Flame of Silence intertwined and swirled once more, flickering and emitting a sizzling sound.

Although Zhong Yuanzi was injured, his cultivation at the early stage of the Transformation Realm was still considerable. When he saw Li Yuan rushing over, he snorted coldly, flicked his longsword, and created three sword flowers, blocking all of Li Yuan's routes.

With a flick of his wrist, Li Yuan's knife cut in at an extremely tricky angle, precisely targeting the weak point of Zhong Yuanzi's sword strike. "Clang, clang, clang," a crisp sound rang out, and Li Yuan's sword strike was actually broken by Zhong Yuanzi's knife.

Zhong Yuanzi's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected that a young man in the Core Formation Realm would have such a seasoned and precise swordsmanship. Just as he was about to change his move, he suddenly felt his foot slip. The originally flat bluestone slab was now covered with a smooth, mirror-like ice surface.

It's a condensation cream.

She stood on the outer edge of the battle circle, her hands forming a seal, continuously casting ice spells around Zhong Yuanzi. Although they were not enough to pose a fatal threat to Zhong Yuanzi, they, combined with Li Yuan's frontal attacks, restricted his movements, preventing him from unleashing even 70% of his strength.

Meanwhile, Ji Fanghua moved across the battlefield like a ghost, constantly creating interference for Zhong Yuanzi.

Although the golden-veined earth beast's intelligence was damaged, its fighting instincts were extremely sharp. It hated Zhong Yuanzi to the extreme and roared, coordinating with the three's attack to consciously block Zhong Yuanzi's retreat.

"clang--!"

The golden-veined earth beast's claws clashed with Zhong Yuanzi's longsword once more, sparks flying.

This time, Zhong Yuanzi finally lost his grip on the longsword. His tiger's mouth split open, blood flowed freely, and the longsword flew out of his hand, landing with a "clang" several feet away.

Zhong Yuanzi's face turned pale. He staggered backward, leaning against the rock wall, having reached the end of his road.

Just then, Li Yuan suddenly felt the nameless sword at his waist tremble violently. Yan Ji's will became unusually excited, and a strong desire came from the sword, almost controlling Li Yuan's arm and making him stab the golden-veined beast into its body.

Li Yuan abruptly pressed down on the hilt of the knife, forcefully suppressing Yan Ji's agitation.

He looked up at the golden-veined earth beast, his thoughts a jumble of emotions. The beast's eyes were becoming clearer and clearer, and it seemed to be regaining its senses.

"Hey!" Li Yuan shouted at it, "Can you understand me? Your enemy has been defeated. Take advantage of the remaining chance and leave quickly."

"Escape from here, get as far away as possible, and don't let them catch you again."

Even though he knew this was a time in the past, Li Yuan still wanted to try and see if he could make any changes.

The golden-veined earth beast raised its eyes to look at him, the blood red in its eyes beginning to fade. It opened its mouth and let out a low roar, a roar filled with anger, resentment, and a trace of struggle.

It turned its head and looked at Zhong Yuanzi, its eyes surging with overwhelming hatred once again. It let out a deafening roar and pounced on Zhong Yuanzi.

"roar--!"

A fierce glint flashed in Zhong Yuanzi's eyes as he prepared for a desperate fight.

"You beast! Cease your arrogance!"

A majestic voice rang out, followed by a condensed golden sword aura that descended from the sky, slashing straight at the head of the Golden Vein Earth Beast.

The golden-veined earth beast instinctively sensed the threat, abruptly halting its attack and dodging to the side. The sword energy grazed its body, and with a loud "boom," a sword mark several meters long was slashed into the bluestone pavement.

A middle-aged man dressed in a golden Taoist robe, with a dignified face, descended into the abyss like a god.

He had a handsome face, with three long strands of beard flowing down his chest. He possessed an elegant and otherworldly air, and a single glance from him carried an imposing and dignified presence.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room before finally settling on Leng Ning Shuang.

"Ning Shuang, I have always treated you well and intended to pass on my mantle to you. Why did you betray our sect and collude with these outsiders, ruining the great affairs of my Xuanqi Sect?"

He looked heartbroken.

Leng Ning Shuang looked directly at him and said, "Sect Master, I am grateful for your kindness, but your actions of using living people as sacrifices, harming the innocent, and forging evil weapons are no different from those of the demonic path."

The sect leader sighed and shook his head: "Ning Shuang, you are still too young. Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. Those mortals are nothing but ants."

"It is their honor to sacrifice their lives for the rise of the Xuanqi Sect. If you turn back now, your master can forgive and forget, and still regard you as his most outstanding disciple."

Li Yuan sneered, "What a fine 'forgive and forget'! Sect Master, you're all talk and no action. You're keeping her around not because you value her talent, but because you want to use her as a sacrifice to refine your immortal artifact, aren't you?"

The sect leader turned his gaze to Li Yuan, his eyes filled with disdain: "Boy, who are you? How dare you be so insolent before me?"

"Who I am is unimportant," Li Yuan calmly met his gaze. "What's important is that this so-called immortal artifact you speak of probably requires more than just a golden-veined earth beast, doesn't it?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you simply can't forge such a powerful artifact. You can only use evil magic to find some exceptionally talented people to sacrifice in the furnace."

The sect leader's expression finally changed; the disdain in his eyes vanished, replaced by intense killing intent: "Boy, you know too much."

"In that case, why don't you come along too!"

He turned his head, his gaze falling on Ji Fanghua, his eyes gleaming with greed: "It's actually spatial talent! Hahaha, the spatial talent I've been searching for for decades has actually delivered itself to my doorstep!"

He laughed loudly, "Good! Good! Good! None of you three will escape. As long as I refine all three of you into the artifact, I will surely be able to forge an unparalleled divine artifact."