The Ghost Fork’s power wasn't great, but what was truly vexing was the foul, bloody miasma it emitted. The fork, shrinking then growing, transformed into a streak of dark-green light, hurtling directly toward Yan Wei.

With no other option, Yan Wei threw out the few remaining talismans in his hand. Several fireballs detonated ahead, unleashing a wave of flame that managed to stall the Ghost Fork for a fleeting moment.

He then slapped his storage pouch, sending forth a low-grade fire-element flying sword to meet the incoming threat, finally holding the Ghost Fork back at a distance of several dozen zhang.

A streak of dark-green light and a fiery-red glow entangled in mid-air, but as the blackness wound around the fire-element flying sword, its crimson light rapidly dimmed. Contaminated by the Ghost Fork’s foul aura, the low-grade sword's power would soon dissipate; it was certain to be discarded after this use and rendered useless.

Yan Wei was irritated. Barely engaging, he had already suffered several small, frustrating losses at the hands of this black-robed cultivator whose cultivation was slightly beneath his own—a humiliation he could not tolerate. What angered him even more was that the black-robed cultivator could attack him with impunity, while his own strikes couldn't even graze his opponent.

The reason for this disparity was quite simple: Ye Qin’s Bat King Wings had average flight speed, but within a hundred zhang in close quarters, they allowed for extraordinary agility, granting a huge advantage in melee combat. Several fierce waves of flame attacks launched by Yan Wei using the Fire Feather Fan were easily dodged by Ye Qin, proving ineffective.

Yan Wei suddenly recalled something. Losing his anger, he instead displayed a cold, pitying sneer: "Your bat wings are indeed impressive. A Foundation Establishment cultivator of the same rank might not be able to handle you. It’s a pity you ran into me. If this is all you have, I suggest you surrender now to avoid a messy death..." He retracted the Fire Feather Fan artifact, holding it in his hand, and spoke slowly.

"Oh, is that so? I wonder what method you possess that can subdue me?" Seeing Yan Wei cease his assault, Ye Qin continued to flee into the distance while warily observing his movements. He knew very little about Yan Wei’s techniques and couldn't predict what means he might use to attack.

"Hmph, courting death. Then I shall let you witness the true might of my Fire Feather Fan."

Yan Wei rapidly gave chase, flicking his hand to cast the Fire Feather Fan artifact into the air once more. This time, however, he wasn't using it to summon a sea of fire. Instead, he directly channeled a pillar of crimson light, furiously injecting his magic power into the fan.

The Fire Feather Fan swelled to over ten zhang, consuming nearly twenty percent of Yan Wei's magic power.

Yan Wei’s face flushed red. He then executed another spell sequence. With a 'bang,' the Fire Feather Fan artifact violently burst apart, transforming into thousands of flame-like feathers, a vast expanse of crimson snow that instantly covered an area spanning several hundred zhang.

Each fire feather was individually weak, possessing power equivalent to one-third of a low-grade spiritual tool—only slightly stronger than a fireball. Their individual potency was greatly reduced, but their sheer number, thousands of them, formed a colossal, area-of-effect spiritual weapon field.

Ye Qin’s expression instantly changed; he understood what Yan Wei intended to do.

Although the Bat King Wings possessed the heaven-defying Void-Shattering Flash technique, they had a critical weakness: the flash range was too short, covering only fifty zhang at a time. If an opponent’s attack covered an area exceeding fifty zhang, the Void-Shattering Flash would be useless.

Yan Wei had clearly identified this weakness and devised a countermeasure against the Bat King Wings.

"Go!"

Yan Wei pointed two fingers remotely toward the target with a sharp shout. Those thousands of fiercely burning fire feathers swept toward Ye Qin like a surging tide of fire, instantly engulfing his silhouette.

In that instant, Ye Qin had time to do only one thing: immediately cast a Golden Warding Shield over himself. The massive volume of fire feathers blanketed an area of several hundred zhang; he couldn't even manage to flee beyond the perimeter.

Swish, swish, swish!

After enduring one wave of the dense, wide-range fire feather attack, Ye Qin turned back. A sharp pain pierced his heart. On the pair of ten-foot-long Bat King Wings upon his back, the snow-white membrane was now riddled with more than a dozen scorched holes, each the size of a fist, all punctured by the fire feathers.

The thin membranes of the Bat King Wings were damaged, and several crucial supporting struts had snapped. The magic power Ye Qin channeled into the wings was leaking out rapidly through these holes. Ye Qin patted the wings and found they could no longer execute the Void-Shattering Flash technique. Without the Flash, these Bat King Wings were no different from an ordinary low-grade winged spiritual tool—they were ruined.

A deep ache resonated within Ye Qin.

He had obtained these Bat King Wings back when he first arrived at Lingwu Immortal Fate City, adventuring with Zhang Zhe, Zhang Fang, Old Black Xia, Fan Jasheng, and others in the Lingwu Grand Canyon. They had been with him ever since, achieving remarkable feats and saving his life numerous times. He knew that the Bat King Wings were ultimately just a very low-grade spiritual tool and would eventually become obsolete as his cultivation rose. Yet, seeing them damaged today caused him profound distress.

"Haha! A mere winged spiritual tool dares to act presumptuously before me, Yan Wei! Without those bat wings, I’d like to see how you evade my next attack!" Yan Wei roared with laughter.

Equally rendered useless was Yan Wei’s Fire Feather Fan. Once fully infused with magic power and detonated, all the feathers would lose their enchantment and fall to the ground. Yan Wei couldn't possibly reuse those thousands of feathers; reassembling them into a Fire Feather Fan would be extremely taxing and time-consuming, making it temporarily unusable.

Yan Wei’s actions finally stirred the fire of rage in Ye Qin, who was usually low-key and composed.

Considering they were both fellow disciples of the Green Elixir lineage, Ye Qin inherently did not wish to engage in a fight to the death with Yan Wei. Furthermore, Ye Qin’s primary goal was to leave the Lu Family Fortress as soon as possible, not to fight Yan Wei to the death. But Yan Wei was relentlessly aggressive, cornering him and inspiring murderous intent.

This thought flashed and vanished. Ye Qin quickly retracted the Bat King Wings, regaining his composure. He resumed flying on the Cloud Screen Barrier while gripping a bronze bell in his hand, aiming it behind him.

Just then, Ye Qin’s heart suddenly stirred, and he glanced toward the distant Lu Family Fortress.

He saw the figure of a woman in white, riding a massive Ice Soul Sword artifact, flying rapidly toward their location. Her speed was incredible; within a few blinks, she was closing in on them.

"Bing'er..."

Ye Qin murmured inwardly, showing no external expression, turning his cold gaze back to Yan Wei.

When Huangfu Bing'er arrived at the battlefield, she stopped, looking at Ye Qin with complex emotions. Although Ye Qin had disguised his appearance, this disguise was useless against her. The Blood Soul Tracing Mark allowed her to easily pinpoint Ye Qin’s location amidst any crowd.

Six years had passed since they last met. Ye Lang seemed even more taciturn and reserved, his sharpness concealed. However, the oath sealed by the Blood Soul Tracing Mark remained utterly unchanged; the imprint on their primordial spirits was still distinct.

"Junior Brother Yuanhong sent five long-distance communication talismans. The Lu Family Ancestor should be returning soon. If we are to act, we must do so quickly."

Huangfu Bing'er had no time to waste. Her red lips parted as she spoke a matter of great importance.

The Lu Family Ancestor!

Even Ye Qin’s rock-solid willpower wavered for a split second. Once the Lu Family Ancestor returned, he would have no chance of escape. His remaining time was short; if he was to act, it had to be immediately.

Yan Wei naturally noticed Huangfu Bing'er’s arrival and chuckled, "Oh, is that so? If the Lu Family Ancestor returns, so be it. Sister Bing, you don't need to make a move; watch how I subdue this enemy."

Yan Wei hadn't considered for a moment that Huangfu Bing'er's words were not directed at him.

He saw Ye Qin take out a small bronze bell, a low-grade artifact, and burst into laughter, about to mock him. But then his eyes suddenly narrowed; this bronze bell seemed somewhat different from an ordinary bell artifact.

"Soul-Seizing Bell? Isn’t that Junior Brother Yu’s artifact from the Ancient Artifact Sect? ... Wait, Junior Brother Yu died unexpectedly in the Ten Thousand Withered Peaks years ago, and this artifact was lost. It must have been acquired by disciples from various sects. Which among the sect disciples are you to possess this artifact?"

Yan Wei was widely traveled and maintained some acquaintance with disciples from various factions. He actually recognized the origin and extraordinary nature of this bell. A trace of apprehension and suspicion flickered across his face. Although the Soul-Seizing Bell was also a low-grade spiritual tool, it was far more insidious and troublesome than the wicked Ghost Fork; it was a restraining artifact, not designed for direct attack, but for limiting the movements of enemy cultivators.

He now suspected Ye Qin’s identity was not from the chaotic regions.

Knowing the bell’s power, Yan Wei dared not be careless. He immediately patted a Fire Shield from his waist pouch, which transformed into a ten-zhang-sized shield of flame, positioning it in front of him to guard against any potential attack from the Soul-Seizing Bell. The bell’s sound waves attacked directly from the front, and blocking the front offered the best chance of mitigating its effect.

However, this was merely a defensive measure; relying solely on this would not be enough to subdue Ye Qin.

"Great Technique of Raging Fire!"

Yan Wei took a deep breath and roared. His robes instantly swelled outwards, his handsome face began to show rough sinews, his eyeballs gradually turned blood-red, and plumes of flame erupted from his skin.

With a whoosh, his robes disintegrated into ash amidst the raging flames, revealing an inner layer of flame armor.

Yan Wei threw his head back and roared. His entire body was now enveloped in towering flames reaching tens of zhang high. His strength soared dramatically, elevating him to the peak state of a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. His fire-elemental magic powers, in particular, surged tremendously; even a casual fireball he cast would possess Mid-Stage power.

The Great Technique of Raging Fire was a powerful art used by fire cultivators to stimulate their internal potential, causing a comprehensive, temporary surge in their strength. After using it, the cultivator would suffer a period of weakness and exhaustion. Yan Wei had cultivated the first three layers of this technique, enabling him to nearly double his strength. At his current level, he could fight a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator head-on without being at a disadvantage. He intended to use the Raging Fire technique to crush Ye Qin in one go.

As Yan Wei initiated the Great Technique of Raging Fire, Ye Qin's eyes narrowed sharply. Frowning deeply, he soon vanished into the large mass of the Cloud Screen Barrier and began executing his own great technique.

By the time Yan Wei finished casting the Great Technique of Raging Fire, Ye Qin had already enacted the Demonic Shadow Great Technique, splitting into two identical, entirely black-clad figures, each grasping a Soul-Seizing Bell artifact, appearing above the Cloud Screen Barrier.