“What happened to Great Master Gong?” Ye Jiuge asked Qiao Shaohua in surprise.

“I'm not sure. Just now, the Bloodthirsty Patriarch dropped off Great Master Gong and took my junior away. However, I heard that the Gong Clan has a secret family technique to protect them. They use a Spiritual Tool to activate a hidden ability in their body. This hidden ability forms a layer of crystal around the body, preventing any injury for one hundred days. However, the longer they maintain this state, the more damage is done to their cultivation.” Qiao Shaohua said.

Ye Jiuge had heard of this secret family technique before. The symptoms that Gong Xifan was exhibiting seemed to indicate that his hidden ability was active.

“Do you know how to help him regain consciousness?” Ye Jiuge asked.

“That is the Gong Clan's family secret. They are the only ones with this knowledge.” Qiao Shaohua shook his head. If it were so easy for outsiders to thwart the hidden ability, the Bloodthirsty Patriarch would have already devoured Gong Xifan a long time ago.

“Then let's get Great Master Gong out of here first. Can you still walk?” Ye Jiuge had planned to ask Qiao Shaohua to pull the coffin along.

“Yes. However, my Spiritual Energy is sealed. Eldest Miss, I need you to take care of me,” Qiao Shaohua said with a wry smile.

Ye Jiuge could see that the Bloodthirsty Patriarch had used a special technique to confine Qiao Shaohua's Spiritual Energy within his body. He was no different now from a person with no Spiritual Cultivation.

It was too troublesome for Ye Jiuge to remove these restrictions. She wanted to leave this room and meet up with Zi Shang before thinking about it.

Qiao Shaohua carried Gong Xifan on his back cooperatively. Without another word, he followed Ye Jiuge to the Forbidden Grounds.

Rubble was scattered everywhere. They could hear rumbling from the ongoing fight nearby.

The Demonic Corpse had probably been commanded not to pull any punches.

Its every move had a ma.s.sive impact. The pa.s.sageways, which were full of traps, shattered into pieces. Thirteen pillars were slanted haphazardly, keeping the area they demarcated out of sight.

Zi Shang seemed pretty relaxed. With a purplish-black lance in his hand, he whacked the Demonic Corpse casually, as if toying with a cat.

When he saw Ye Jiuge, he even had the time to wink at her flirtatiously.

Ye Jiuge rolled her eyes at him. She chose an inconspicuous spot near the ruins and squatted before activating her Spiritual Eye to search for Si Youyue.

Since Si Youyue was poisoned with the Jade Spiritual Pill, her cultivation was also negatively affected. Therefore, she couldn't wander too far away from the Demonic Corpse.

However, she still could not uncover Si Youyue's tracks even after sweeping the surroundings.

Could she be in the vicinity of the Blood Lotus Flower?

Ye Jiuge summoned the Treasure-hunting Scorpion and instructed it, “Have a look around the Blood Lotus Flower and see if a woman is close by.”

“Cheep! Cheep!” The Treasure-hunting Scorpion's body gave off a brief golden gleam before it burrowed into the ground to search quickly for any signs of the lady. Soon, it returned to Ye Jiuge and reported, “Cheep, cheep! There is no one near the Blood Lotus Flower.”

Where on earth is she hiding? Ye Jiuge wondered.

She furrowed her brow and put away the Treasure-hunting Scorpion. She glanced at the Demonic Corpse, which was locked in an intense fight with Zi Shang, and muttered to herself, “It seems that I must think of a way to take the Demonic Corpse down first.”

During her earlier fight with the Bloodthirsty Patriarch, she had discovered that every Yin Corpse had a Control Point on its body.

As long as she inflicted harm to the Control Point, she could break the connection between the Corpse Manipulator and the Yin Corpse.

When that happened, she was confident that Si Youyue would show herself.

Ye Jiuge stared at the Demonic Corpse and discovered that it was surrounded by a black aura. However, there was a tinge of red near its heart.

“Zi Shang, attack its heart!” Ye Jiuge shouted.

Zi Shang brandished his lance. Many Spiritual Orbs with spikes burst out of it and flew toward the Demonic Corpse.

However, a sly grin appeared on Zi Shang's face as he snapped his fingers.

The tiny Spiritual Orbs with spikes that clung to the Demonic Corpse's body grew in size and pierced the Demonic Corpse's heart.

Although the Demonic Corpse stood rooted to the spot, it instinctively adopted a defensive stance.

Zi Shang did not continue to attack the Demonic Corpse. He stood on top of a pillar to restore his Demonic Energy.

The skill that he'd used earlier had expended a great deal of his Demonic Energy. If it were not for Ye Jiuge's request, he would have been reluctant to use it.

After all, the Demonic Corpse was undead. Its heart was not its Achilles heel.

When Ye Jiuge saw that the Demonic Corpse had stopped moving, she looked for Gong Xifan with her eyes wide open.

However, Zi Shang suddenly turned around and dove at her.

A hint of trepidation appeared on his handsome, ethereal face. It was as if he'd seen something terrifying.

The initially motionless Demonic Corpse suddenly started to rage. It clawed at Zi Shang's back with its long, jet-black nails.

But Zi Shang disregarded it completely. He lunged at Ye Jiuge like a mad person.

Ye Jiuge's heart skipped a beat. She sensed inexplicable danger.

However, before she could react adequately, she felt pain in her abdomen.

The very next moment, potent, frigid yin energy exploded as it impacted her body.

She could not stop herself from flying. Her red skirt unfurled in the air, similar to a flower that was about to wilt.

“Hahaha!” A woman's gleeful laugh came from behind Ye Jiuge.

The previously quivering Qiao Shaohua stood up. His eyes shone with a red glint, while his lips curved into a creepy smirk.

The real Qiao Shaohua was already dead. The person in front of Ye Jiuge now was a corpse mentally controlled by Si Youyue.

When Ye Jiuge's guard was lowered, Si Youyue thrust a Netherworld's Bone Needle into her body.

This Netherworld's Bone Needle was mainly used to destroy a person's Elixir Field maliciously and ruthlessly. She only had one in her possession.

This time, she decided to use it on Ye Jiuge, whom she despised her for poisoning her with the Jade Spiritual Pill. Furthermore, she wanted to take this opportunity to cause trouble for Ye Zi.

As long as she and the Demonic Corpse attacked the heavily injured Ye Jiuge together, Ye Zi would not be able to protect her. It was only a matter of time before they took his life. The survivor would hardly pose a threat.

Then, she would kill everyone on Bloodcloud Peak and bring the Blood Lotus Flower back. At last, she could achieve the task that Elder Qiu Sen had a.s.signed to her.

Since Si Youyue was able to succeed with one move, she disconnected her mind from Qiao Shaohua right away and returned it to her own body.

She used the leftover Yin Energy from the formation's core to create a hidden barrier. That was how she had avoided detection by Ye Jiuge and the Treasure-hunting Scorpion earlier.

Zi Shang held Ye Jiuge close with his left arm, while a purple light expanded exponentially in his right palm. He shot the purple light toward Si Youyue's real body.

Si Youyue grabbed Gong Xifan shrewdly and pulled him in front of her to use him as a s.h.i.+eld.

Zi Shang's purple light contacted Gong Xifan with a bang.

The yellow crystal coffin did not move. However, Si Youyue, who was hidden behind the coffin, flew backward three feet and smashed into a wall.

“Save me!” Si Youyue shrieked immediately. She could feel an immense amount of murderous intent coming from Zi Shang.

When the Demonic Corpse received her command, it lunged at Zi Shang without a care for its own safety and trapped Zi Shang firmly in its arms.

Straightaway, Zi Shang's black pupils became vertical purple slits.

His long, jet-black hair turned silver and danced in the wind.

Just like lava erupting from an active volcano, his terrifying Demonic Aura obliterated the Demonic Corpse's arms in the blink of an eye.

“Is it possible that he is the Demon Emperor?!” Si Youyue's eyes widened. It would have never occurred to her that this bodyguard with a master's skills could be a demon.

Not only that, but he was also a thousand times scarier than the Emperor.

Zi Shang spread his right palm. His purple lance attacked Si Youyue with a blood-curdling whoosh.

Si Youyue's face was as white as a sheet. She used every Defensive Charm and Spiritual Tool that she had to defend herself.

When she activated her Defensive Charms, they shone brightly and formed a protective barrier around her. However, Zi Shang's lance broke through them all.

Si Youyue knew that she would not be able to escape unscathed. She slapped the Invincible Tortoise Sh.e.l.l Protective Amulet pinned to her chest, which Elder Qiu Sen had given her.

This amulet could purportedly withstand a full-force attack from an Advanced Spiritual Pract.i.tioner.

Black Spiritual Light shone out from Si Youyue's body, forming a barrier as solid as the city walls. It seemed impenetrable. Anyone who wished to break through it would despair.

Zi Shang's eyes gleamed with a Demonic Glint. His purplish-black lance transformed into a Legendary Silver Dragon. It attacked the barrier that the precious Invincible Tortoise Sh.e.l.l Protective Amulet had formed, shattering it into pieces.

Si Youyue felt excruciating pain all over. The flow of the Spiritual Energy in her Meridians reversed. She threw up blood before losing consciousness.

Zi Shang still wanted to finish her. However, the Demonic Corpse leaped forward recklessly and bit Si Youyue's belt. The armless corpse dragged Si Youyue away using his mouth, and they fled to a faraway place.