*Rumble---*

The spiritual fire soared into the sky, illuminating the thick dark clouds above, like a newly born golden sun, completely dispersing the darkness for hundreds of miles.

Hundreds of years of accumulated snow on the top of the **Jade Snow Peak** was also thrown into the sky by the impact. That was followed by a sudden burst of lava and flames, instantly igniting all the trees in the ten-mile snowy forest.

*Boom---*

Ten spiritual lights suddenly pierced the mountain. Zhuang Yan gasped as he was sent flying with all the broken rocks pressing against him. Then, he jumped out from within the mountain and summoned his flying sword, hovering in mid-air.

His originally golden-white priestly robe was full of burnt holes, and his bun was disheveled.

"Ahhhh---"

"Help..."

Several *Foundation Building* cultivators were severely burned, but they managed to survive. Now, they were trapped under debris, struggling and shouting for help, but Zhuang Yan showed no intention of lending a hand, his eyes cold and ruthless.

Looking at the lava gushing from the mountain at his feet, Zhuang Yan clenched his teeth so hard that his cheeks bulged. Then, he waved his long sleeves and released his spiritual sense, trying to find the person who just threw the *Water Spirit Pearl*, as well as Yun Jiujiu and Yun Yiyi's whereabouts.

Unfortunately for him, the roiling spirit fire made it impossible to use his spiritual sense.

"Tsk..."

Zhuang Yan raised his left hand and shook off his sleeve, revealing a left arm that had been completely disfigured by burns. He spread open his fingers, and a pitch-black pill with silver cracks slowly floated up in the palm of his hand.

This was the demonic pill that he reached into the furnace to salvage before it exploded completely.

Zhuang Yan spent several decades studying the method of reshaping the physical body and nearly twenty years gathering the necessary heavenly materials and treasures from all over the **Heavenly Realm**, just to create a body for his direct disciple Yun Kunwu.

However, because of a small oversight of two ant-like characters, everything was gone now.

"Elder Zhuang... save..."

"Aaarghh!"

Zhuang Yan roared angrily, waved his long sleeves, and used his spiritual energy to mobilize dozens of golden swords suspended around him, shooting them toward the *Core Formation* cultivator down there who was reaching out to him for help.

*Swish--- swish---*

Sounds of piercing flesh were heard, and the cultivator, whose right shoulder was pinned down by a giant rock, was turned into a hedgehog by Zhuang Yan's golden spirit swords. His soul scattered without delay.

"Ha... hoo..."

Zhuang Yan closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, and with a gesture, he retrieved the ten spiritual swords. After quite some time, he regained his composure and looked again at the demonic pill he held in his left hand.

He didn't have another sixty years to refine this demonic pill for Yun Kunwu again, and with such a big commotion this time, he could never show up as an Elder in the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect.

"Kunwu... my disciple..."

---"Oh, isn't this Elder Zhuang? What a coincidence."

?!

Suddenly, a woman's sarcastic voice came from behind Zhuang Yan. Startled, he widened his eyes and immediately took out a pill bottle, put the demonic pill inside and everything back in the storage bag, before turning around to look.

A woman in white leaned back on her flying sword, holding a jade gourd in her hand. She tilted her head back, taking a big gulp, and the wine flowed from the corner of her mouth and then dripped down her chin and her collar, straight into her deep cleavage.

"Hu Tianyue..."

Zhuang Yan's gaze became alert, feeling somewhat puzzled. It would take at least half an hour for Hu Tianyue to fly here from the **Middle Peak**, even if she was extremely fast. But it had only been fifteen minutes since the furnace exploded, yet Hu Tianyue was already here...

Hu Tianyue raised her hand and summoned a green jade sword from her storage bag. Standing up, she complained, "Just now, Third Miss came in a hurry to my house and kicked me out of bed, telling me that someone attacked in her room in the middle of the night. I thought it wasn't a big deal, probably just a group of low-level thugs or something, but now it seems this is not a small matter..."

"..."

"As it happens, I have never fought against you before, Elder Zhuang." Hu Tianyu lifted her jade sword and raised an eyebrow. "Shall we give it a try?"

"Hmph! How audacious!! Hu Tianyue, how dare you talk like that in front of me?" Zhuang Yan sneered and immediately grabbed a sword beside him, glaring at her.

"Whether I'm audacious or not, you'll only know if you try."

Saying that, Hu Tianyue became serious and took out her magic tools from the storage bag.

Although there was not much difference in cultivation between her and Zhuang Yan, as both were mid-stage *Nascent Soul* cultivators, when it came to fighting among cultivators at the *Nascent Soul* stage or higher, it all depended on some rather subtle details.

In other words, whoever had more and stronger magical treasures would have a greater chance of winning.

Facing Zhuang Yan, Hu Tianyue estimated that she only had a 40% chance of winning. But as long as she didn't make any mistakes, it would only be wishful thinking for Zhuang Yan to shatter her *Nascent Soul* shell.

She just needed to hold on until the other Elders arrived. No matter how strong Zhuang Yan was, he would definitely not be able to withstand the combined attack of several *Nascent Soul* cultivators.

Zhuang Yan exhaled a mouthful of spiritual energy and tightened his grip on the sword.

*Boom---*

The energy wave exploded in mid-air with a loud bang.

Zhuang Yan's figure flickered and turned into a stream of light, rushing out in the opposite direction of Hu Tianyue. In just an instant, he fled hundreds of feet away.

"..."

"Hiss -- you old fart, damn it!!!"

Hu Tianyue blinked, and it took her a moment to realize that she had been tricked by this old man Zhuang. She took a deep breath, and, holding the jade sword in her hand, she also turned into a stream of light, chasing after Zhuang Yan.

......

*Thunderbolt---*

The two *Nascent Soul* cultivators chased each other, sparking arcs of lightning between the clouds, illuminating the fluttering snowflakes in the air, light and dark alternating.

On the **Jade Snow Peak** mountainside, Zhang Yihe and Pei Lianxue each held a shovel, diligently shoveling the snow beneath their feet.

*Swish---*

As Pei Lianxue thrust her shovel down, she suddenly felt that she hit something.

The next moment, a pathetic cry came from beneath the snow.

---"Ouch!!!"

Pei Lianxue was startled, then quickly waved to Zhang Yihe, who was shoveling on the other side, and said, "Found her."

"I'm coming--"

Zhang Yihe did not dare to delay and ran over with his shovel, carefully shoveled the snow in front of Pei Lianxue, and pulled Yun Xi out from under it.

Just now, when the furnace exploded and the spiritual fire soared into the sky, a huge boulder was lifted by the impact and directly knocked Yun Xi off her flying sword.

Hu Tianyue seemed to think that she would not die, so she asked Pei Lianxue and Zhang Yihe to dig her out while she rushed straight toward the spirit fire to check the situation.

After being rescued, Yun Xi looked at Zhang Yihe with a twisted face. "Zhang Yihe!!! What the hell..."

"Ah -- Third Miss, it's not my fault. I warned you when the rock flew over; you see, Miss Pei and I didn't get hit."

Yun Xi's eyes twitched. The rock that flew just now hit her in the face, and Zhang Yihe only shouted as an afterthought. "Third Miss, be careful of flying rocks!!"

However, there was no use scolding him now.

She stood up, took out a gauze roll from her storage bag, and bandaged the wound on her head that was bleeding from Pei Lianxue's shovel. She took a pill and looked up at the sky.

Seeing the flickering lightning above the clouds, she felt uneasy in her heart but also felt fortunate that she followed Pei Lianxue's advice and brought Hu Tianyue with them.

"Whew---" Yun Xi let out a breath, "Let's go!! Let's collect the corpses!"

"Ah?" Zhang Yihe paused, not understanding what she meant. "Third Miss... What corpses are we collecting?"

"My two stinky sisters' corpses! Damn it, they better be dead. Once they're dead, I'll be the head of the family! Hmph~" Yun Xi cursed and kicked the snow pile in front of her with force.

*Bang---*

Unexpectedly, inside the snow pile, there was a stone. She inhaled sharply in pain, trembled, and squatted down to hold her foot, tears streaming down her face.

Zhang Yihe asked, "Third Miss, do you really think that Eldest Miss and Second Miss are dead..."

"What do you care what I think?" Yun Xi looked at him with two big teardrops on her face and turned around. "Go!! Dig them up, whether they're alive or not. No matter what, you have to dig them up."