"Seeking death..." Seeing Liang Xiaoke appear before him without even taking the time to regulate his breath, Xue Hai Wuya let out a cold snort. The memory of being schemed against by this group fueled his fury; with a flick of his blood-red longsword, a massive crimson beam shot forth, aiming directly to cleave Liang Xiaoke.

Liang Xiaoke met the attack head-on with the Zhuxian Sword, utterly convinced that the blade in the other man's hand could not withstand its legendary sharpness.

"Clang..." With a sharp resonance, the Zhuxian Sword was actually knocked flying! The hand gripping the sword was instantly split open by the immense recoil. Before Liang Xiaoke could even comprehend the power of Xue Hai Wuya's treasure sword, a kick swept towards him, landing heavily on his lower abdomen. A mass of blood erupted within his core, exploding outward. The tremendous energy hurled him far away, leaving a gaping, bloody hole where his stomach had been...

At this moment, the other several Family Heads charged forward. Since the fighting had begun, they were determined to let none of their enemies escape.

Lin Xingyun bolted straight toward the monk, while Zhan Batian, wielding a colossal axe easily several zhang long, rushed the monk as well. They both recognized the devastating power emanating from the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree held in the monk's hands.

Xue Yuan Yun, the head of the Xue family, merely tapped a finger, sending a beam of white light shooting into the sky. Immediately, a heavy snow began to fall, and the temperature plummeted instantly. Fang Zhuguo and the others, who had been moving swiftly through the wind, were suddenly frozen in place by the intense cold...

"Break for me..." Unexpectedly, Liang Xiaoke, who was still spewing blood, roared out. The Haotian Orb ascended, casting ten thousand rays of light that completely melted the overwhelming snow. However, at that precise moment, Yue Zhongtian, the head of the Yue family, and Jun Longmin, the head of the Jun family, lunged before him. Yue Zhongtian, gripping an exceedingly thin longsword, pierced straight through Liang Xiaoke’s body. The sharp sword energy mercilessly shredded his flesh.

Jun Longmin followed up with a punch delivered to his right shoulder, shattering it entirely. A mist of blood erupted violently, and the terrifying force flung him thousands of zhang away until he slammed into a mountain peak, causing the entire mountain to shatter into rubble before he finally stopped moving...

"Roar!" A mighty bellow erupted from Liang Xiaoke's throat. Black radiance began to flicker across his body, and the damaged areas rapidly healed. In a short time, he was completely restored. Next, black scales began to sprout across his pale skin, his face became covered in demonic markings, and a pair of black, fleshy wings burst forth from his back. With a powerful beat of these wings, he launched himself back into the sky once more...

The Daoist, the monk, Gongsun Lu, and he—the four of them simultaneously blocked the path of the Family Heads, absolutely forbidding them from crossing that boundary.

Seeing Liang Xiaoke seemingly disregard his own injuries solely to cover their escape, Fang Zhuguo felt a surge of profound emotion. He was tempted to stay and fight alongside Liang Xiaoke, but he rigidly adhered to Liang Xiaoke's earlier command: escape with Xiyang at any cost, simply because she was the woman of his brother.

When a brother is absent, the elder brother naturally bears this responsibility.

Yes, Ye Jingyu was not only Liang Xiaoke’s brother, but also his brother...

Gripping Xiyang’s arm tightly with both hands, Fang Zhuguo fled into the distance. Xiyang, however, was confused. Why were they escaping while Brother Liang fought so desperately? She wanted to stay, but a divine thought from Liang Xiaoke pierced her mind.

"Leave this place, find Jingyu, and tell him: they cannot be trusted!"

Because of those few words, Xiyang forced down her impulse and allowed Fang Zhuguo and the other to pull her away at full speed. Having only just reached the Heavenly Immortal realm, what use would she be if she stayed? She would only add to the casualties and needlessly waste Brother Liang’s efforts. What she needed to do now was survive with all her might and report everything that happened here to Ye Jingyu.

Seeing Liang Xiaoke recklessly interpose himself before them, the faces of the Family Heads broke into mocking smiles. Even Hua Wuhui, whose private parts had been severed by the Zhuxian Sword, managed to struggle into the air. At their level, what injury could not be healed? It was just that having that specific part removed caused excruciating pain, not to mention the profound loss of face.

After consuming many potent elixirs, he had recovered somewhat, and his gaze fixed on Liang Xiaoke was thick with venom. To have his that severed in front of so many people was an insult far worse than being slapped across the face. He was already mentally calculating what methods he would use to torture Liang Xiaoke.

"Gentlemen, let's strike together. Kill this brat first, and then we can seize the magic treasures on him!" Xue Hai Wuya said coldly, noticing the shimmering gazes of the seven Family Heads fixed upon Liang Xiaoke. He was certainly not going to let this satisfying opportunity slip away.

"Good..." The other six, including Hua Wuhui, nodded emphatically.

Kill the person first, then take the treasure—this plan suited their desires perfectly.

As soon as the words fell, the seven attacked almost simultaneously. Seven beams of light shot towards Liang Xiaoke. It was obvious to them that Liang Xiaoke was the true body; if the core was eliminated, the others would naturally disintegrate.

Liang Xiaoke swallowed the Haotian Orb whole, and a golden shield materialized before him. But the immense shadows of the axe, sword, blade, and staff all smashed onto this golden barrier. Even though the golden shield was powered by the energy released from the Haotian Orb, it was instantly shattered into dust.

Several torrents of violent force slammed into Liang Xiaoke, blasting him backward. His sturdy scales cracked one after another, slightly golden blood sprayed forth, and his firm flesh was torn to shreds. Even his head suffered a massive, bloody gash...

An indescribable agony pierced Liang Xiaoke’s heart. How long had it been since he felt pain? He was a zombie; how could he feel pain unless his soul was directly wounded?

But now, he clearly felt pain—an unbearable, searing agony.

The energy of the Nine Nether continuously surged out, repairing his body. His two avatars and the Blood Corpse Gongsun Lu materialized before him, encircling him tightly. But against the combined assault of the seven Family Heads, they could not hold.

The first one to be crushed was the monk, simply because he bore the brunt of the attacks while holding the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree. After barely half an incense stick's time, his physical form completely collapsed. The Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree rose into the air, and Xue Hai Wuya and Lin Xingyun shot forward instantly, lunging toward the fallen treasure...