The Buke Ren (Diviner), "That direction is not good to go. Stop, stop! You absolutely cannot go there!" The Western Region man shouted loudly, trying to stop Ji Changkong from approaching the tent from which a faint sound was emanating.

"Mmm," "Mmm,"... From the tent ahead, a low sound of struggling came again.

Ji Changkong frowned, took a step, and arrived at the tent entrance. Three Western Region men, their heads wrapped with white cloth, instantly pointed their scimitars at him when they saw him approach, forbidding him to come any closer.

These three Western Region men—two at the San Cai Tian realm and one at the Si Xiang Tian realm—possessed stern faces and chilling expressions.

The old Western Region man who had failed to stop Ji Changkong followed him over, quickly communicating with the three Tian Shi (Heavenly Masters) blocking the tent entrance in the Western Region dialect.

Clang!

The Western Region Tian Shi at the Si Xiang Tian realm swung his scimitar, releasing a fierce blade aura. The tip pointed directly at the old Western Region man, signaling with his eyes not to meddle further.

The old Western Region man seemed deeply afraid of these three. He chuckled awkwardly, bowed, and retreated behind them.

"Buke Ren, hurry up and leave. No one in the Western Region dares to cross them," the old Western Region man murmured in Middle Kingdom tongue as he passed by Ji Changkong, then quickly lowered his head and hurried away.

"Scram!" The leading Tian Shi, who was at the Si Xiang Tian realm, spat out a gruff command in halting Middle Kingdom tongue.

"Followers of the Ram Sect, hehe. I’ve already slain quite a few like you along this road. I didn't expect to run into a few more here," Ji Changkong sneered.

A burst like thunder exploded from his body. Before the three men ahead could react, Ji Changkong struck. The Tian Lei Bao (Heavenly Thunder Burst) erupted, exploding between the three of them. With a shocking crash of thunder, the two San Cai Tian masters were blasted away. The Si Xiang Tian master’s scimitar flashed with white light, forming curving arcs that partially canceled the destructive force of the Tian Lei Bao.

He slammed into the Western Region Tian Shi, pressing his palm lightly against the man's Dan Tian (Cinnabar Field); a terrifying, mountain-collapsing force suddenly burst forth from his palm.

Crack!

The sound of shattering bones suddenly came from the Western Region Tian Shi. His imposing body flew high into the air, tearing through the tent and landing directly in its center.

Inside the tent, three Ram Sect disciples, wrapped in earth-colored long robes with poisonous scorpions tattooed on their necks, glared fiercely at Ji Changkong.

Behind these three Ram Sect disciples, the sisters Yi Jia and Yi Rou were tightly bound, their mouths stuffed with cotton plugs, yet they cried out with joyous recognition, "Mmm, mmm!"

Noticing that Ji Changkong was dressed like someone from the Middle Kingdom and seeing him move against the Ram Sect people, Yi Jia and Yi Rou immediately took him as their savior. They struggled desperately, twisting their bodies to make Ji Changkong see that they had been captured.

"You... Who are you?" In the tent, a Ram Sect disciple at the Wu Xing Tian realm suddenly stood up, glaring at Ji Changkong. "How dare you meddle in the affairs of our revered Ram Sect? Who are you?" Just then, Li Hentian and Tuoba Lie walked in casually. Li Hentian looked indifferent, glanced at the people in the tent, then at Ji Changkong, and asked curiously, "You know these two girls?"

"No, I don't," Ji Changkong said with a smile, shaking his head. His previous encounters with the Yi sisters had been while he was disguised; he was certain they wouldn't recognize him now.

"Hehe, these two little lasses are quite pretty, sisters too. Good for keeping as maids," Tuoba Lie strode out casually and brought his foot down on the Dan Tian of the Ram Sect disciple Ji Changkong had just thrown into the tent.

As Tuoba Lie stepped down, the Ram Sect disciple arched his body like a shrimp. With a crunch, the bones in his Dan Tian shattered, and blood spurted out from his entire body like a fountain.

"Kill! Kill!" The other three Ram Sect disciples, enraged by Tuoba Lie's brutality, immediately stirred up their ferocious instincts and rushed to surround the trio.

Li Hentian did not move, merely frowned and retreated slightly, as if making room for Ji Changkong to fight. "Tuoba Lie, don't move yet."

"Fine, I’ll watch from the side," Tuoba Lie laughed heartily. Like a phantom, he circled around the three Ram Sect Tian Shi blocking Yi Jia and Yi Rou, and his huge, grasping hands reached out to grab the ropes binding the sisters behind their backs, lifting both of them into the air.

Yi Jia and Yi Rou, now in Tuoba Lie’s hands, appeared fearful. They had initially believed Tuoba Lie and Ji Changkong were heroes coming to their rescue, but upon hearing Tuoba Lie say he intended to keep them as maids, their hearts began to pound with unease.

Tuoba Lie’s bald head shone brightly, and his fierce demeanor, coupled with how he had just stomped one Ram Sect disciple to death, made him seem even more savage than the enemies. This gave Yi Jia and Yi Rou the feeling of having escaped the wolf’s lair only to enter the tiger’s den.

As soon as Tuoba Lie seized Yi Jia and Yi Rou, Ji Changkong struck. This time, he did not use the Tian Lei... but instead channeled the power of the fresh blood within him. His entire figure moved faster than lightning, coiling around the three men inside the tent like a fierce, writhing venomous dragon. In the You Wo realm, Ji Changkong could clearly perceive the strength of the three men's attacks and the precise moment to unleash the full power of each strike.

In the You Wo realm, he could accurately grasp the fluctuation of their vital energy, knowing the true and false nature of their attacks. This gave him a massive advantage from the start. Fueled by the power of his internal blood, his dodging was extremely agile, always allowing him to retreat safely from their most powerful assaults.

Li Hentian, despite feigning disinterest, was paying closer attention than anyone, his gaze never leaving Ji Changkong to prevent any accident.

Tuoba Lie held the two girls with ease, but he made no move to remove the cotton plugs from their mouths, clearly not taking the two young women seriously.

This tent was quite large, housing three Western Region Tian Shi: one at the Wu Xing Tian realm and the other two at the Si Xiang Tian realm.

The three initially planned to engage Tuoba Lie and Li Hentian. Before one could even approach Tuoba Lie, he was kicked away. The Western Region Tian Shi who had intended to strike Li Hentian felt his soul nearly ripped from his body after just a single glance from Li Hentian. His mind shook violently; he instantly knew this emotionless elder was an ultimate powerhouse he could never contend with. Seeing Tuoba Lie and Li Hentian positioned on the periphery, if any of the three Western Region Tian Shi tried to flee, Tuoba Lie would intercept them, holding Yi Jia and Yi Rou, kicking them back to the center of the tent to serve as targets for Ji Changkong's practice.

Bang!

Evading a strike from the expert at the Wu Xing Tian realm, Ji Changkong flashed like a phantom behind a Western Region man at the Si Xiang Tian realm and delivered a punch to his back, causing him to vomit blood.

Like a slick eel, he weaved and dodged among the three Western Region Tian Shi, launching surprise attacks. Before long, both Si Xiang Tian masters had been heavily struck, their entire skeletons shattered, collapsing limply to the ground.

The last Wu Xing Tian master’s expression turned ruthless. He suddenly charged toward Ji Changkong, ignoring everything else. His face was an unnatural pale white, giving off a strangely chilling and ominous feeling.

Li Hentian frowned and reached out, remotely enveloping the Wu Xing Tian master.

With a loud bang, the Ram Sect disciple at the Wu Xing Tian realm exploded. A huge shockwave was released from his bursting body; however, for some unknown reason, this massive impact was confined to a very small area. His exploding remains were compressed within inches, and there was no scene of blood and gore splattering.

"When a person knows certain death is inevitable, they often resort to self-destruction, attempting to take others with them. The power released this way is always astonishing. Remember this, you must be cautious in the future, and always avoid being caught in a mutual destruction scenario with such a person," Li Hentian lectured with a stern face.

Hearing this, Ji Changkong realized that if Li Hentian had not suddenly intervened to contain the man's self-destruction within a small radius, he, being so close, might have been affected.

He let out a light breath and nodded. "I understand."

"Hmm, we’ll eat something in this oasis, replenish some fresh water, and then continue on our way," Li Hentian nodded, squinting as he looked at Yi Jia and Yi Rou. "How do you plan to deal with these two girls?"

"Didn't Uncle Tuoba just say to keep them as my maids? Ha, I’ve never been waited on since I was little." Ji Changkong joked lightheartedly.

Li Hentian’s expression became strange. He seemed to realize Ji Changkong recognized Yi Jia and Yi Rou and was deliberately teasing the two girls. "As you wish," Li Hentian replied flatly.

Tuoba Lie finally removed the cotton plugs from Yi Jia and Yi Rou’s mouths. As soon as they could speak, they began to shout, especially the willful Yi Jia, who glared at Tuoba Lie and Ji Changkong and yelled, "Damn you! Do you know who I am? I am from the Yi family, one of the Seven Great Yi Clans! You dare make me a maid? If my family finds out, they will never forgive you! Release us immediately. Considering you saved us from the Ram Sect, I can pretend I never said anything."

"So annoying!" Tuoba Lie muttered low, stuffing the cotton back into their mouths. Then he smiled and said, "Hehe, someone from the Yi family of the Seven Great Clans? Hehe, not bad, not bad. Making them your maids, Changkong, is quite fitting!"

"Mmm," Yi Jia struggled and cried out, her face filled with indignation.

"When you've thought things over, stopped shouting, and are willing to lower your stance, I will naturally remove your bindings," Tuoba Lie chuckled, carrying the two girls out of the tent. As soon as he stepped outside, his expression subtly changed. He turned back to Li Hentian in the tent with a grave face and said, "Quite a few people have arrived!"

"I know," Li Hentian remained placid, as if nothing in the vast world could ever move him.