After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

The SUV rolled over the gravel and steep slope, and the violent bumps did not slow Lin Ping down. A blood-red aura rushed towards him from several miles away on the mountain road, and a faint red mist appeared on the car windows. He opened the car door, and in a flash, he landed on the ground. The car engine was still roaring and stopped by the side of the mountain road.

A grand formation was deployed in the valley, and blood energy surged in the ravines. Dozens of Illuminati cultivators surrounded the sacrificial altar, their magical artifacts constantly drawing upon the power of the earth's veins. In the center of the altar, Shen Aoxue, dressed in a plain white dress, lay limply on the cold stone platform with her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling slightly, in a deep coma.

In the dark, dense forest, Xiaoyuer hid behind a giant rock, his mechanical right arm clenched tightly. He stared at Lin Ping's figure through the holographic eyepiece, not daring to reveal the slightest trace, and whispered instructions to his deputy beside him.

"Don't show yourself. Wait until he enters the formation and exhausts his energy before we make our move."

The deputy bowed his head in response, and the group of modified assassins lay hidden among the grass and trees, their metal prosthetics rubbing against the branches and leaves, making a soft, rustling sound.

The black-robed cultivator leading the group on the high platform sensed the presence of a living person and abruptly turned his head, his black robe billowing without any wind.

"Who dares to trespass on the Illuminati's leyline sacrifice array? They're asking for trouble!"

Three Foundation Establishment cultivators charged forward with blood-red longswords, their blades wreathed in dense baleful energy, aiming for Lin Ping's head.

Lin Ping didn't move his feet, casually raised one hand, and flicked his fingertips lightly.

Three powerful bursts of internal energy shot out, shattering the three blood-red longswords. Their momentum remained undiminished as they slammed into the chests of the three men.

With three muffled thuds, the three men were sent flying backward, crashing into the blood-filled ravine and instantly losing consciousness.

The black-robed cultivator's expression changed drastically, and he roared fiercely, "Attack with all your might! Use Shen Aoxue's soul as a catalyst to unleash the earth's killing power and kill him!"

The remaining dozen or so cultivators formed hand seals in unison, causing the earth to tremble violently. Countless blood-red tentacles shot out from the ground and wrapped around Lin Ping's limbs.

Lin Ping's eyes were cold and deep. A faint aura of true energy emanated from his body, and all the crimson tentacles instantly melted upon touching the aura surrounding him. He lightly touched the ground with his toes, and in an instant, his figure leaped onto a platform several meters high. The black-robed cultivator hurriedly pulled out a sacrificial dagger and stabbed it towards Shen Aoxue's heart, attempting to use her life to threaten her.

"Don't dare touch her in the slightest."

As Lin Ping finished speaking, he shook hands with Lin Ping across the air.

The black-robed cultivator's wrist bones suddenly shattered, the dagger flew out of his hand, and he was pulled into the air by an invisible force, crashing heavily onto the edge of the stone platform. He coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground, completely powerless to resist.

He bent down and gently lifted the unconscious Shen Aoxue into his arms. The girl's body was limp, her breathing weak, and her face pale. Lin Ping placed his fingertips on her pulse; it was erratic and weak. There were no martial arts injuries in her body, but it seemed that her mind had been eroded by the evil energy of the great formation for a long time.

Looking around at the fallen Illuminati members, the murderous intent lurking in the valley was now completely still, and the entire valley was eerily quiet.

Lin Ping frowned slightly, a strange feeling stirring in his heart.

This ultimate sacrificial formation, known for its endless killing intent, was guarded by ridiculously weak forces. Taking down this group of people was far too easy, requiring absolutely no effort.

He looked down at Shen Aoxue in his arms, suppressing his doubts.

It seems that the main force of the Illuminati has been relocated, leaving insufficient manpower to guard this place, which is why I was able to seize it so easily.

Without lingering any longer, Lin Ping carried Shen Aoxue down the mountain quickly, got back into the car, turned it around, and sped away from the deep mountain valley.

Behind the dense forest and rocks, Little Fish watched the taillights of the departing vehicle, her fingernails digging fiercely into the rocks, the mechanical hand emitting a harsh scraping sound.

"Useless, a bunch of useless trash, unable to even hold them off for a moment."

The deputy whispered, "Commander, Lin Ping took Shen Aoxue away. Should we follow and launch a surprise attack?"

"No need." A sinister glint flashed in Xiaoyuer's eyes. "The evil energy of the great formation has already invaded Shen Aoxue's soul. Ordinary medical techniques and witchcraft are completely ineffective. Just wait and see him return to the manor and seek medical help everywhere, looking utterly helpless. Issue the order to continue keeping a close watch on the manor and wait for the right moment to make our next move."

The convoy sped back to the suburban manor, where Zhu Xiaohan, Ake, Adai, and Alu were all waiting in the corridor. Upon hearing the car, they all rushed forward to greet them.

The car door opened, and Lin Ping carried Shen Aoxue out of the car slowly. The eyes of the group immediately fell on the girl's pale face.

Adele stepped forward, lightly touching Shen Aoxue's forehead with her fingertips, her brows furrowed.

"His whole body was ice cold, and his breathing was too weak."

Alu quickly fetched a soft blanket and carefully covered Shen Aoxue with it.

Ake stood to the side, a fleeting hint of feigned worry flashing across her eyes, and asked softly, "Brother Ping, will Sister Aoxue be alright? This formation is dangerous; could it have damaged her foundation?"

Zhu Xiaohan had no time to pay attention to Ake and quickly led the way: "Quickly take us into the bedroom in the main building. The bed has already been prepared. I will immediately send a message to all the witch doctors in the southern border region, as well as reclusive divine doctors from various places, to come here."

Several people escorted Lin Ping into the bedroom and gently placed Shen Aoxue on the bed. Lin Ping immediately sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, placed his palms on Shen Aoxue's back, and slowly channeled his pure and powerful internal energy into her body, circulating through her internal organs and soothing her damaged meridians.

Half an hour later, he withdrew his hand, a thin layer of sweat covering his forehead, his expression solemn.

"Her physical body is unharmed, but her soul is corrupted and imprisoned by the earth's blood energy. My internal energy can only protect her life force, but cannot dispel the evil energy within her soul."

Zhu Xiaohan immediately took out her communication jade token and dialed several secret lines in succession.

"The three great witch doctors of the Southern Frontier, the divine doctor of Jiangnan, Gu Gu Zhu, and the Medicine King of the Northern Frontier, are all here at the manor immediately. We are offering a large sum of money to expedite the process."

Within a single day, various talented individuals arrived at the manor's bedroom.

The white-haired medicine king took the pulse with his fingertips, examined it repeatedly for a long time, and shook his head and sighed repeatedly.

"It's strange. The meridians and blood flow smoothly, and the internal organs are intact, but the spirit is sunken. I have never seen such symptoms in my hundred years of medical practice, and I have no idea how to treat it."

The old shaman from southern Xinjiang, holding a bone flute, played a sage's hymn to ward off evil spirits around the bed. The music lingered for a long time, but Shen Aoxue remained with her eyes tightly closed, showing no signs of waking up. The old shaman put away the bone flute, his face full of bewilderment.

"The blood-red turbid energy from the earth vein sacrifice has taken root deep in the soul, rendering all witchcraft artifacts and exorcisms ineffective; I am powerless to help."

Seven or eight renowned doctors took turns trying various methods, including acupuncture, elixirs, witchcraft, and massage, but Shen Aoxue remained unconscious. The doctors looked at each other, all at a loss.

In the outer corridor of the bedroom, the group of renowned doctors took their leave, leaving only Lin Ping and a few women in the hall.

Adele brought Lin Ping a glass of warm water and gently comforted him, "Don't worry too much, there's always a way."

Alu silently took a clean handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Lin Ping's forehead.

Ake lowered her eyes, her voice soft but sharp: "In the end, it's because the information came from an unknown source. If you hadn't rashly gone to the deep mountains, Sister Aoxue wouldn't be in this situation. Some people even warned you before, but you were misunderstood and provoked instead."

These words were directed at Zhu Xiaohan, who immediately looked up, her aura turning cold.

"My warnings back then were all true. How could you be using this as an opportunity to spread rumors? The information trap was deliberately released by someone. Now you're bringing up old grievances, are you trying to pin all the blame on me?"

"Why get angry, Sister Hanhan? I was just telling the truth." Ake lowered her head slightly, pretending to be aggrieved, but she secretly glanced at Lin Ping's expression.

Lin Ping spoke calmly, interrupting the two's argument, his tone steady: "This is no one's fault; it was my insistence on going to the valley. The most important thing right now is to find someone who can save Aoxue."

He looked at Zhu Xiaohan and instructed her, "You have been based in the Southern Frontier for many years, poring over all the ancient books and secret scrolls to find a solution to the problem of the evil energy of the earth veins invading the soul."

"Adele, use all your connections in the business world to search for a reclusive divine soul healer."

"Alu, take out the top-grade spiritual medicine from the storeroom and continue to nourish Aoxue's body. We cannot allow her life force to decline."

The three women nodded in unison, each accepting their orders and leaving. Only Lin Ping remained in the bedroom, guarding the bedside, gazing at Shen Aoxue's serene and pale profile, his fingertips gently stroking the strands of hair at her temples.

In a dark corner, Ake hadn't gone far and overheard the conversation inside the house. She turned around and quietly took out a secret communication butterfly. With a flick of her finger, the paper butterfly fluttered its wings and flew out of the manor, heading towards the place where the little fish in the mountains were hiding.

In the dense forest behind the manor, Little Fish caught the paper butterfly, read the message, and burst into maniacal laughter before his mechanical arm smashed a tree trunk beside him.

"The damage to your soul is incurable, Lin Ping. You can only watch helplessly as your beloved remains asleep forever."

The deputy bowed and asked, "Commander, shall we assemble men now to raid the manor and abduct the remaining women?"

Little Fish raised a hand to stop him, a sinister glint in his eyes: "No rush. Let him experience the despair of having nowhere to turn for medical help first. Send a message to the Illuminati headquarters to dispatch high-level sacrificial cultivators. When Lin Ping is exhausted, we'll surround him from both inside and outside, take over the manor in one fell swoop, capture all the women, and use their souls to restart the earth vein array, completely refining Lin Ping's cultivation!"

The paper butterfly flew out of the dense forest again, carrying a secret order to mobilize troops.

In the main bedroom, Lin Ping held Shen Aoxue's icy hand in his fingertips, pondering to himself.

Ordinary healers and sorcerers from the southern border were all helpless; ordinary methods simply could not break the binding of the earth's blood energy on the soul. He possessed unparalleled martial arts skills and medical expertise, yet he was utterly clueless about the erosion at the level of the soul.