In truth, Du Youqian also wanted to end the battle quickly.
He was worried something might happen to Long Ruzhen.
Although he had given Long Ruzhen several Talismans.
Theoretically, it wouldn't have been a problem for Long Ruzhen to slaughter everyone in Cyan Bamboo Castle with those Talismans.
But he worried her soft-heartedness would make her hold back, and she might end up in danger as a result.
So, when this malevolent Cultivator wanted a quick fight, it was exactly what Du Youqian had hoped for.
He deliberately held back his full strength, activating Talismans as if they were free, yet he still appeared like a small boat in the middle of a river during a storm, on the verge of capsizing at any moment.
The malevolent Cultivator didn't suspect for a moment that Du Youqian was hiding his true ability.
A Qi Cultivation Middle Stage Cultivator suppressing a Qi Cultivation Early Stage Cultivator was completely normal.
It would be abnormal if he couldn't dominate the fight.
He cast Magic spells one after another, his movements fluid and unrestrained, thoroughly enjoying himself as he watched "Fang Ying" struggle to cope, facing one peril after another.
The side hall looked as if it had been hit by a storm, ravaged to the point of collapse.
The malevolent man's heart was filled with a mix of mockery and smugness.
"Still not kneeling and begging for mercy? Cultivation isn't easy. Do you really want to die here?"
"If you make a Heart Demon Vow to help me ambush your master, I might consider sparing your life."
He spoke with casual ease.
Du Youqian deliberately feigned a furious expression and charged forward recklessly, braving the spells, his entire body seemingly riddled with openings.
The malevolent man's eyes lit up. He temporarily relaxed his control over the Vine Shield and, with a flick of his wrist, drew out a nearly Transparent Scimitar Magical Artifact.
The Transparent Scimitar flew out silently, circling insidiously behind Du Youqian before suddenly slashing at the back of his neck.
Du Youqian had now reached him, his fists blasting toward the man's chest.
Those fists were as crystalline as semi-translucent jade and didn't make the slightest sound as they moved through the air.
The malevolent man was well aware that this "Fang Ying" had once been a Martial Arts Innate Grandmaster whose Martial Arts had reached the realm of Returning to the Essence.
This silent, soundless punch looked like a playful jab between friends.
In reality, its power was completely contained within. If a regular Postnatal Martial Artist were to be hit by it, their entire skeleton and all their internal organs would be turned to dust.
'But no matter how powerful that punch is, a miss is a miss.'
No matter how he calculated it, his scimitar would be able to decapitate Du Youqian before those fists could touch his body.
But just then, a small Turtle Shell Shield flew out from Du Youqian's body and slammed violently into the scimitar.
The malevolent man controlled the scimitar with his Divine Sense. The impact sent a shock through it, making him see stars as he let out a muffled groan.
And Du Youqian suddenly accelerated.
BANG! His fist slammed heavily into a major acupoint on the malevolent man's chest.
Although the punch failed to completely shatter the man's protective Magical Power, it still made him gasp for breath and even temporarily weakened his control over the Vine Shield.
'This is bad!'
The malevolent man realized his predicament.
If he could just recover from this momentary setback, he could still turn the tables and suppress Du Youqian.
After all, the gap in their strength was plain to see.
But how could Du Youqian possibly let him catch his breath!
With a flick of his sleeve, a dagger of the Divine Weapon Level appeared in his hand. He backhanded it into the man's Dantian Qi Sea, throwing his energy into chaos and making it impossible for him to condense his Magical Power for defense.
Meanwhile, the shimmering Flying Sword had already broken free from the Vine Shield's entanglement. It shot over and circled the malevolent man once.
It didn't even touch the man's skin, remaining a short distance away.
But its sharp aura had already erupted forth.
The malevolent man didn't even have time for any last words before the light faded from his eyes.
Then, a thin red line appeared on his neck.
WHOOSH! The powerful rush of blood sent a fountain spurting three feet high from his neck, launching his head over twenty feet away.
In the moment before his death, one had to wonder, did he feel any regret?
If he had just been cautious and not underestimated Du Youqian.
With his superior realm and strength, even if Du Youqian had used every trick up his sleeve, he would have had no chance to kill him, or even defeat him.
Du Youqian took a step back, dodging the rain of blood.
Only after the corpse fell like a log did he step forward, quickly patting it down and collecting the man's Transparent Scimitar and Vine Shield.
Without a moment's delay after looting the body, Du Youqian immediately ran toward the Dock Wall.
There, he saw Long Ruzhen looking like a goddess descended from the heavens, majestic and powerful. Her three-foot-long sword terrified the people of Cyan Bamboo Castle, who were wailing in despair. No one dared to get near her.
The soldiers were a dark, dense mass, but their morale had already crumbled.
When her gaze swept over them, they all fell back in unison.
As for the Jianghu People who had come for the bounty, most had already been reduced to severed limbs lying on the ground.
A few, seeing that the situation was bad, had already retreated or were hiding in the crowd, waiting for an opportunity.
Behind Long Ruzhen, the woman named Ji Min was supporting a listless Liao Leizhong, moving slowly.
Du Youqian took in the entire scene, but he couldn't find the Fortress Lord of Cyan Bamboo Castle.
He was, after all, only a Qi Cultivation Early Stage Cultivator. His Divine Sense couldn't be projected outward, and his sensory range wasn't much greater than it was before he started Immortal Cultivating.
After searching and failing to find the main culprit, the Fortress Lord of Cyan Bamboo Castle, Du Youqian's anger was hard to quell. He let out a cold snort and released his Flying Sword.
The Flying Sword landed in front of Long Ruzhen. Amidst her surprised gaze and the soldiers' despairing looks, it just slashed forward quickly.
The front rank of soldiers fell heavily, like wheat cut by a scythe.
"An Immortal, it's an Immortal!"
"Immortal, spare me! Don't kill me!"
"I was wrong, I'll never do it again!"
At that moment, the morale on Cyan Bamboo Castle's side completely collapsed.
The well-trained soldiers began to flee in disarray.
The Jianghu People, who were better at seeking advantage and avoiding harm, all used their Lightweight Body Techniques to escape Cyan Bamboo Castle.
Du Youqian didn't continue the slaughter, letting them flee.
He walked over the field of corpses and slowly approached Long Ruzhen.
Long Ruzhen nodded at him, then turned to look sadly at Liao Leizhong.
Liao Leizhong forced a smile. "Father, Mother, your son is useless. I've made you worry. Father, have you finally found the path to immortality? That's wonderful. I hope you achieve eternal life and everlasting fortune."
"Let's not talk about that," Du Youqian said, first nodding to Ji Min. "Miss, thank you."
Ji Min was staring at him with the stunned expression of someone looking at an Immortal. She didn't dare act presumptuously and immediately returned the gesture, too scared to speak.
Only then did Du Youqian seriously examine Liao Leizhong.
He saw that Liao Leizhong's complexion was ashen and his very essence had been ravaged. A foul, festering stench emanated from the stump where his arm had been severed.
"Father," Liao Leizhong was still forcing a smile, "please forgive your unfilial son. I can only repay your kindness in raising me in the next life."
Long Ruzhen cried out in alarm. As Liao Leizhong spoke, a trickle of black, foul-smelling blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
After a brief moment of panic, Long Ruzhen immediately pressed her hands against vital acupoints on Liao Leizhong's torso and forearm, desperately pouring her True Qi into him.
"It's useless, Mother. Don't waste your energy," Liao Leizhong said with a bitter smile. "They fed me one of the world's most bizarre poisons, known as... Ugh!"
But Du Youqian had moved like lightning, shoving an Elixir into his mouth and patting his back to make him swallow.
"Father, what did you give me? I can feel a cool energy in my stomach, traveling along my meridians. The poison is actually being dispelled!" Liao Leizhong was shocked.
Du Youqian patted his face. "We'll talk more when we get back. Don't worry, with me here, it'll be hard for you to die even if you wanted to. And don't worry about your Martial Arts; you'll be back to your old self soon enough. It's just... that arm. There's really nothing I can do about that."
Liao Leizhong let out a breath of relief. He didn't cry, but his eyes glistened with unshed tears—the joy of surviving a disaster.
Though he had just acted with heroic bravado, facing death unflinchingly.
But if one could live, who would want to die!