Chapter 144: Breaching the Spirit Artifact Manor

"Elder Yang, can you truly break the barrier?" a sect master asked.

"I will go to the Sacred Land and beg my teacher to bestow a supreme treasure. With the Space-Piercing Needle, this mortal-martial barrier is bound to be shattered," Yang Guirong replied.

"That is wonderful!"

The crowd, who had been plunged into deep despair, instantly became excited.

"Once the barrier is breached, we shall first execute that scoundrel Yu Guiyuan! If it weren't for his meddling, this brat would have already been captured by us!"

"Indeed, and that Jing Wuchen as well. We shall slaughter them together."

"Those old emperors of the mortal realm are all worthless trash. Kill them all wherever they are found!"

"Let's withdraw for now, and a month from now, we shall return to annihilate him!"

Consequently, the mighty host of otherworldly powerhouses had no choice but to retreat in defeat.

The skies above the mortal-martial realm finally returned to tranquility.

"Let's return to the Supreme Xuan Academy."

Xia Jiuxuan and the others flew together toward the Xianwu Imperial Capital.

Along the way, Xia Jiuxuan used his soul bead to check the current state of the entire Xianwu Kingdom.

His consciousness extended directly into the imperial palace.

"Hmm?"

Xia Jiuxuan frowned.

He was actually unable to detect the presence of Yu Guiyuan!

"This old bastard is hiding something suspicious!"

Because of this, Xia Jiuxuan was forced to accelerate his pace.

He felt somewhat concerned for Li Luoyan and Xia Ran.

Moreover, Duanmu Wan and Mufeng's whereabouts remained completely unknown, beyond even his ability to search out.

...

In the Xianwu Imperial Capital, at the Supreme Xuan Academy.

The spirit-artifact mansion trembled violently.

"Sister Luoyan, why hasn't Second Dad returned yet?"

Xia Ran curled up in Li Luoyan's arms, her small eyes filled with terror.

Over the past three days, the spirit-artifact mansion had been subjected to relentless, powerful assaults, and it looked as though it was on the verge of shattering.

Before leaving, Xia Jiuxuan had deliberately reinforced the defense of the spirit-artifact mansion.

However, these defenses consumed a massive amount of spiritual energy.

Once the spiritual energy within the formation's core was depleted, the mansion would inevitably be breached.

Li Luoyan comforted Xia Ran, "Don't worry, Young Miss. Even if your Second Dad doesn't return, Sister Luoyan will protect you with my life."

Xia Ran looked at Li Luoyan with a disheartened expression, "But... but Sister Luoyan, you are injured, and you can't beat those bad guys."

After a month of cultivation, coupled with her constitution's natural absorption of spiritual energy, Xia Ran had already reached the peak of the Ninth Realm of Palace Entry.

She could keenly perceive just how powerful those people outside were.

Depending solely on Sister Luoyan, she certainly couldn't defeat the bad men outside.

"Young Miss, do not fear. There is still me."

Han Yu walked out from the cultivation chamber.

In the span of more than a month, he had practiced the cultivation technique imparted to him by Xia Jiuxuan to the realm of great completion.

His strength had undergone a heaven-shaking transformation.

"Han Yu, are you confident you can deal with the Departing Mortal Realm now?" Li Luoyan asked.

"Miss Luoyan, you underestimate me. Or rather, you underestimate the technique imparted to me by Teacher," Han Yu said with a smile.

"Oh?" Li Luoyan looked at him in surprise and asked, "Then what is your true combat strength?"

"In single combat, I can only slay peak Departing Mortal experts. But if I conceal myself and assist you in battle, I can enable you to easily slaughter those in the Entering Saint Realm," Han Yu stated.

The rapid growth of Han Yu's strength was not due to inherent talent.

Rather, it was because he had obtained a true inheritance; as long as he comprehended the profound Confucian Dao techniques, his power would increase, regardless of his cultivation realm.

"That is wonderful!"

Li Luoyan felt the panic in her heart finally recede.

With Han Yu's assistance, she at least stood a chance of escaping with the Young Miss!

Boom!

The spirit-artifact mansion trembled violently once more.

Fine cracks began to web across the surrounding walls.

Li Luoyan furrowed her brow, "The mansion cannot hold out much longer. Prepare yourselves!"

"Stinking woman, hurry up and get out here! Let's see how long you can hide!"

A roar filled with murderous intent echoed from outside.

"Attack! Give it your all!"

Outside the mansion, more than a dozen powerhouses frantically battered the spirit-artifact structure.

A quarter of an hour later, the mansion could no longer endure. The gates were smashed open, and the building began to collapse.

Swish!

A figure abruptly darted into the air.

"She has come out! Surround her!"

Instantly, dozens of figures flew in from all directions, blocking Li Luoyan's path.

Holding a spirit sword, Li Luoyan forcefully projected her aura in an attempt to intimidate her foes.

"Are you all courting death?"

Li Luoyan swept her icy gaze across the crowd.

"Hmph, stop putting on a front. We know your true strength."

A man stared at Li Luoyan with a playful look in his eyes.

"Is that so? You truly never learn. It seems I didn't kill enough back at the Crown Prince's Mansion!" Li Luoyan said coldly.

"Haha."

Hearing this, not only did the opponents show no fear, but they burst into loud laughter.

"Stinking woman, still trying to bluff us? Our majesty has long since probed your true strength; you can't even defeat a Departing Mortal expert anymore!"

Li Luoyan's heart sank.

It seemed the enemy had indeed discovered her bottom line; otherwise, how could they have dared to rashly attack the spirit-artifact mansion?

Things had reached this point, and trying to intimidate them was virtually impossible.

"Kill!"

No matter what, this battle was unavoidable, so Li Luoyan took the initiative to strike.

Swish!

A terrifying sword shadow flashed forth, and a young man in front of her failed to dodge in time, being cleaved neatly in two.

Yet, after this single sword strike, a fracture appeared within the sword core inside Li Luoyan's body.

A wave of intense pain surged through her, making it nearly unbearable.

"Ten more strikes, and my sword core will shatter completely."

Bitter agony filled Li Luoyan's heart.

"Stinking woman, you still dare to fight back! Activate the formation!"

At the command, threads of crimson light intertwined into a massive net that descended from above.

"Hmm?"

Li Luoyan frowned and soared upward.

She slashed fiercely with her sword toward the descending crimson net.

To her utter astonishment, her blade could not touch the red net at all, passing through it as if hacking at empty air.

The next instant, the crimson net crashed down upon Li Luoyan.

Crack!

A bolt of lightning struck from the red threads, knocking Li Luoyan down from mid-air.

Terror gripped Li Luoyan's heart.

She had no idea what kind of formation that crimson net was, but its offensive power was astonishingly high.

That single bolt of lightning had nearly torn her internal organs to shreds.

"Charge! Kill this woman!"

Swish, swish, swish...

Dozens of peak Departing Mortal powerhouses rushed toward Li Luoyan simultaneously.

Behind them, several Entering Saint experts watched the scene with cold indifference.

"Young Master Shen's formation is truly formidable."

An Entering Saint expert looked respectfully at a young man beside him.

The young man let out a cold huff, shook his head, and said, "Didn't you all say this woman was formidable, practically invincible in the mortal-martial realm? How can she be this weak?"

Seeing the young man's trace of anger, the nearby Entering Saint experts quickly offered flattering smiles.

"Young Master is unaware, but this woman was indeed extremely powerful before. However, she is severely injured, and her current strength is a far cry from her prime," one of the Entering Saint experts explained.

"A waste of time," the young man said with displeasure.

"Look, Young Master Shen, this woman is as beautiful as a celestial maiden. Why don't we capture her alive and present her to the Young Master for your amusement, to make amends for our offense? What do you think?" another Entering Saint expert suggested.

The young man's expression instantly darkened.

"Idiots! The prettier a woman is, the more poisonous she is. This young master doesn't swing that way!"

The crowd was stunned. Even such a breathtaking woman failed to move Young Master Shen—he truly lived up to being that lord's son; his temperament was indeed extraordinary.

"Since Young Master dislikes her, we shall simply execute her!"

With that, several Entering Saint experts unleashed their aura, preparing to personally slay Li Luoyan.