Bing Ming, concealed within the void, stiffened. The iron sword in his hand instantly drew back, held horizontally before him to block the sweeping long spear. But the force of that spear was immense; the moment it touched the iron sword—which had been infused with Bing Ming’s true essence—the sword shattered completely. Bing Ming’s arms exploded simultaneously, revealing gleaming white bone. His body was flung backward instantly, a fountain of blood erupting from his mouth, his face bleached utterly pale—clearly, he had suffered grievous internal injuries.

Ying Kongshi swept Bing Ming aside with his spear, but the fox-like attendant, Hu Yanmeng, inside the carriage had already loosed a second arrow. At this moment, Ying Kongshi paid no mind; with a mere flick of his spear, he pulverized the spirit arrow Hu Yanmeng had fired.

“I admire beautiful women, but I despise being attacked by them!” Ying Kongshi sneered, then slapped out a single palm strike against Hu Yanmeng’s face, sending her flying. Half of her face swelled grotesquely.

Apparently driven into a violent rage by his injuries, Ying Kongshi swept a cold glance over Hu Yanmeng, then strode forward, snatched the still-unconscious Luo Ling’er, slung her over his shoulder, and exited the carriage.

At this moment, Chi Yixiu had managed to rise. Seeing Ying Kongshi about to take Luo Ling’er, he roared out and charged at Ying Kongshi once more, raising his battle-axe.

Ying Kongshi merely snorted. The long spear in his hand quivered rapidly, blooming a series of spear blossoms that unfurled entirely before Chi Yixiu. Each blossom detonated, the massive energy forcing Chi Yixiu to stagger backward. Even with his peerlessly robust physique, he was blasted until his flesh was mangled and riddled with wounds, finally being hurled completely away, landing heavily on the ground, unmoving.

Hu Yanmeng, dazed and disoriented by Ying Kongshi’s slap, couldn't distinguish north from south, humiliation bringing tears to her eyes. When she finally managed to clear her head, she saw that Ying Kongshi had already vanished without a trace.

Gone with him was the person they were sworn to protect: Luo Ling’er.

Her expression shifted drastically upon witnessing this. They had promised Ye Jingyu, no matter what, to ensure Luo Ling’er’s safety. And now?

Struggling out of the carriage, she saw all four of them—Chi Yixiu and the others—sprawled on the ground, completely still. Especially Chi Yixiu; his entire body was shredded meat, with exposed bone visible in many places—his lower abdomen, chest, arms, and thighs all horribly mangled.

Seeing this, Hu Yanmeng felt her liver and guts tear apart. How could she possibly explain this to Ye Jingyu now?

It was at this precise moment that two figures rushed toward the scene at incredible speed. Hu Yanmeng looked up and saw Ye Jingyu galloping furiously on Ni Bo, arriving within mere steps.

“Big Brother, save them!” Seeing Chi Yixiu and the others motionless on the ground, Ye Jingyu’s heart tightened. While shouting to Liang Xiaoke, he rushed to Bing Ming, the closest one, and lifted him up. He immediately felt the meridians within him in chaos; though breathing faintly, the life force was extremely weak.

He pulled out a large handful of spirit medicines, disregarding any process, and stuffed them into Bing Ming’s mouth. With his right hand pressed against Bing Ming’s back, colossal Ba Yuan Power surged into his body, recalibrating the disordered meridians.

After considerable effort, he managed to stabilize the chaotic flow within Bing Ming. Meanwhile, Liang Xiaoke used a similar method to help Lin Xiaoyi smooth out his internal energies. However, his was the Netherworld Qi; while it stabilized Lin Xiaoyi’s injuries, it caused a shadow of blackness to creep over his face, making him resemble a corpse.

As for Hu Yanqi and Chi Yixiu, under the aid of Gongsun Lu’s potent Azure Wood Qi, their injuries began to mend. Yet, whether it was them or Bing Ming and Lin Xiaoyi, all remained unconscious, none stirring.

Ye Jingyu strode to stand before Hu Yanmeng, looking at the swelling on her face and the distinct imprint of five fingers. A sharp pang shot through his heart, and an unspeakable rage surged upward.

“Meng’er, what happened? Who hit you?” Ye Jingyu gently stroked Hu Yanmeng’s cheek, forcefully suppressing the anger in his heart as he spoke softly.

Seeing the fury in Ye Jingyu’s eyes, feeling the deep care reflected there, Hu Yanmeng felt that the humiliation she had just suffered was insignificant. She quickly recounted everything that had just transpired to Ye Jingyu.

“Ying Kongshi?” Upon hearing that it was Ying Kongshi who had taken Luo Ling’er, Ye Jingyu’s brows knitted tightly. That powerful man he once encountered in Blue Dream Marsh—he was truly Xiao Geng’s brother? That meant Xiao Geng was indeed a denizen of the Demon Race.

But why would he abduct Luo Ling’er?

In that moment, Ye Jingyu felt utterly bewildered. If it were anyone else, even someone from the Ancient Hua Continent, he could devise a plan. But Ying Kongshi was of the Demon Race, which dwelled in the Demon Realm—a place he had no idea how to reach.

Hu Yanmeng, Liang Xiaoke, and the others fell into a heavy silence. They had no clue why Ying Kongshi seized Luo Ling’er or where he had taken her.

To the Demon Realm, perhaps? If so, how could they possibly follow?

Forcing down his rising anger and worry, Ye Jingyu relentlessly sifted through the situation in his mind.

“We should first find a place to settle these injured people. Their wounds are severe. Although their lives are temporarily saved, they require extensive rest, or they could face mortal danger at any moment,” Liang Xiaoke said, noticing the deep crease in Ye Jingyu’s brow.

Ye Jingyu was about to nod in agreement when he spotted Xiao Taotao perched atop a tree, its pair of emerald eyes fixed intently in the direction of the Southern Wilderness Forest.

“Xiao Taotao, did you find something?” Ye Jingyu’s heart gave a slight stir. Could it have a clue?

“Wuo wuo…” Xiao Taotao let out a few soft cries, its green eyes flickering, and faint golden ripples slowly radiated outward.

In an instant, before them appeared a golden mirror of light, over a foot wide. Within the mirror, the figures of Ying Kongshi and Luo Ling’er materialized.

“That… that’s the valley where Master once resided…” Ye Jingyu’s face changed. Why would Ying Kongshi take Luo Ling’er there?

But just then, the golden light mirror rippled, and the image blurred…

Before Ye Jingyu could inquire about the disturbance, the mirror shattered, and Xiao Taotao tumbled down from the tree…