Seeing that the two did not respond, Mo Bai snorted and snapped his folding fan shut: "Fine, I will go myself."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already vanished from the spot as a blur.

Old Master Zhou sighed helplessly and cupped his hands to the two of them, saying, "Young Master is impatient, please forgive him."

Having said that, he disappeared even faster than his young master.

Elder Li shook his head and said to Rong Jiaojiao, "Let's purify our own."

Rong Jiaojiao nodded and, together with Ziling, sped up the purification process.

Half an hour later, it was already dark. The two people and one beast finished purifying themselves and flew back to the battlefield on their swords.

The sounds of gunfire had ceased. They were hiding in the air, having been too busy tracking down the evil cultivators to observe carefully. Only now did they realize that the previous battlefield was a fortified mountain stronghold that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

By this time, the mountain stronghold had long been reduced to ruins, with broken walls and rubble everywhere, and the smoke of battle still lingering.

Soldiers were clearing the battlefield and escorting the captured bandits down the mountain in a procession.

"Strange..." Rong Jiaojiao wondered, "Why didn't I see Mo Bai and Old Zhou?"

Zi Ling perched on her shoulder, twitched her little nose a few times, and suddenly pointed to the back of the stronghold: "Squeak!"

“Master, there is the aura of a demonic seed there.”

Li Li looked in that direction, his expression changing slightly: "Not good, let's go!"

The two exchanged a glance and immediately sped off on their swords. After passing through two mountains, they witnessed a chilling scene—

Dozens of bandit corpses lay scattered on the altar behind the mountain stronghold.

The skullcaps of each corpse were opened, and the brains were missing.

Blood flowed along the patterns on the altar, forming a strange, blood-red array.

Mo Bai knelt on one knee at the core of the formation, the Nine Dragons Demon-Subduing Brush stuck in the ground, the golden runes fiercely clashing with the blood-red formation.

Old Zhou's sword energy surged as he battled the demonic spirit.

"Another Blood Refining Array!" Li Li exclaimed in shock, "These bandits have been used as sacrifices!"

Rong Jiaojiao had already drawn her sword: "Zi Ling, break the formation!"

The moment the purple lightning struck the altar, the ground suddenly cracked open, and a scarlet whip formed from condensed blood and evil energy burst forth from the earth, lashing fiercely at Zi Ling in the air!

Zi Ling dodged the scarlet blood whip with a flash, but the whip twisted and turned as if it were alive, attacking it again!

"Watch out!" Rong Jiaojiao's talisman flew out, and a lightning whip wrapped around the blood whip, burning it to ashes.

At this moment, two more tentacles emerged from the crack and coiled towards Rong Jiaojiao and Ziling.

"Not good!" Upon seeing this, Li Li immediately threw out three demon-suppressing copper coins, shouting, "Righteous Qi of Heaven and Earth, break!"

The copper coin transformed into golden light and struck the blood whip, causing the scarlet whip to dissipate as if melting ice and snow.

Suddenly, the blood array on the altar boiled, and three more identical blood whips condensed, attacking the three of them like venomous snakes!

Rong Jiaojiao brandished her sword, "Nine Revolutions of Subduing Demons, First Form: Sword Transformation into a Wandering Dragon, Go!"

The Lingyuan Sword transformed into a silver dragon, and with its sword energy crisscrossing, the three blood whips snapped in two!

However, the blood array on the altar became increasingly turbulent, with more bloody energy surging from the ground and condensing in mid-air into a hideous ghost face!

"Hahaha..." The ghostly face let out a shrill laugh, "A mere mortal dares to presume to break my Blood Sacrifice Array?"

Ah, how familiar these lines and scenes are!

Mo Bai looked up from the center of the formation, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, yet he still wore that nonchalant smile: "Old Zhou, are you ready?"

Old Zhou withdrew his sword aura and suddenly retreated to Mo Bai's side: "Young Master, you are ready at any time!"

A cold glint flashed in Mo Bai's eyes, and he suddenly drew the Nine Dragons Demon-Subduing Brush: "Heavenly Net - Reversal!"

In an instant, the golden runes that had been binding the blood array suddenly reversed, turning into countless chains that wrapped around the ghost face!

The ghost face let out a piercing scream and struggled frantically, but it couldn't break free!

"Now!" Mo Bai shouted sharply.

Li Li had already finished making hand seals, and the Demon-Suppressing Copper Coin flew out: "Borrow the power of heaven and earth, thunder come!"

Zi Ling's fur stood on end, and purple lightning condensed in its mouth: "Boom—!"

Amidst thunder and lightning, the ghost face was blasted into a distorted and deformed shape.

Rong Jiaojiao seized the opportunity, and the sword technique of Lingyuan Sword changed again: "Nine Revolutions of Subduing Demons - Third Form - Sword Locks the Netherworld, Slash!"

Thousands of sword energies aimed straight at the ghost face; this sword strike aimed directly at the ghost face's spirit!

"Awooo—!!"

The ghost face let out a shrill scream, and the blood array began to collapse.

Mo Bai seized the opportunity to wield his brush, and golden runes rained down: "Burn!"

Amidst the raging golden flames, the blood array crumbled inch by inch.

However, at the very last moment, a wisp of spiritual energy suddenly shot out from between the ghost face's eyebrows, heading straight for Rong Jiaojiao!

"Watch out!" Mo Bai flashed forward, trying to block Rong Jiaojiao's path!

Rong Jiaojiao thought to herself, "You're in my way," and used a burst of spiritual energy to push him away. With one hand, she held the jade bottle and put the spiritual essence into it.

She turned her head happily, only to see Mo Bai looking at her with resentment.

Rong Jiaojiao coughed awkwardly and said insincerely, "Sorry, I just acted too quickly."

Mo Bai clutched his chest, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth, but deliberately feigned an exaggerated expression of injury: "Fellow Daoist Rong, you have a cruel heart. I shielded you from disaster, yet all you care about is collecting Ling Mei."

Rong Jiaojiao withdrew her hand, the jade bottle disappeared, and she rolled her eyes: "Don't give me that. With your cultivation level, you think you can be injured by my light wave?"

Old Zhou couldn't help but laugh out loud, but after being glared at by Mo Bai, he quickly straightened his face and said, "Young Master, your injuries are more important. You should heal them first."

Li Li stepped in to smooth things over: "This time, it was thanks to Young Master Mo's timely intervention that this Blood Sacrifice Formation was truly difficult to break."

Rong Jiaojiao pouted, but still took out a bottle of healing pills she had made herself from her storage bag and threw it to Mo Bai: "Here, consider it as something I owe you."

Mo Bai took the jade bottle, a sly glint in his eyes: "Then how about..."

"Don't even think about it!" Rong Jiaojiao immediately took two steps back warily. "Cooperation is out of the question!"

Zi Ling perched on her shoulder, grinned at Mo Bai, and nodded in agreement.

Mo Bai shook his head helplessly: "Fellow Daoist Rong, why are you so wary? I just wanted to ask if I could have half of this Lingmei to study?"

"No!" Rong Jiaojiao protected the jade bottle. "I obtained it through my own abilities!"

"But I'm the one who broke the formation..."

"So what!"

Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Li Li quickly changed the subject: "It's getting late, let's leave here first. These bandits' corpses..."

Old Zhou stepped forward to examine them and frowned: "They are all puppets controlled by evil magic. Burn them."

Old Zhou flicked a cluster of eerie blue flames from his fingertips, and the bandit's corpse instantly burst into flames.

Strangely, mournful howls emanated from the flames, as if tormented souls were imprisoned within the corpses.

"What a tragedy..." Li Li shook his head and sighed, taking out a Rebirth Talisman and throwing it into the fire. "Dust to dust, ashes to ashes..."

The wailing stopped abruptly the moment the talisman burned out.