The patriarch of the Ying family swept his cold gaze over Zi Sangyi, his tone chilling: "Qingtao Valley has quite the audacity to dare to be an enemy of my Ying family!"

Zi Sangyi was not afraid at all. Meeting his gaze, she sneered, "Old Monster Ying, you've finally come out. Today, I will seek justice for my disciple!"

The two powerful spiritual energies collided, stirring up a gust of wind that made the trees in the valley rustle.

Xu Yuehuai looked at the scene before her, her heart filled with unease.

A fierce battle is inevitable.

He gripped his sword tightly, ready to join the battle at any moment.

The Ying family patriarch and Zi Sangyi were locked in a fierce battle. Both were highly skilled cultivators, and it was difficult to determine a winner for the time being.

Sword energy surged, spiritual power rippled, sand and stones flew through the valley, and trees collapsed.

Suddenly, the Ying family patriarch found an opening and struck Zi Sangyi in the chest with a palm.

Zi Sangyi was unable to dodge in time and took the blow head-on.

He groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, and staggered backward.

"Master!"

Xu Yuehuai exclaimed in surprise, disregarding her own injuries, and rushed forward to support Zisangyi.

"Master!" Xu Yuehuai rushed forward, supporting Zisangyi's swaying figure, her fingertips trembling as she reached for the shocking palm print on his chest.

Zi Sangyi shoved him away, blood trickling down her lips, but a cold smile crept onto her face: "What's a little injury like this?"

He staggered to his feet, his longsword humming, its tip pointing directly at the Ying family patriarch. "You old bastard, come again!"

The patriarch of the Ying family smiled sinisterly: "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to drink the penalty cup! Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!"

His palm strikes were fierce, each aimed directly at Zi Sangyi's vital points, clearly intending to take advantage of his injury to defeat him in one fell swoop.

Upon seeing this, the tree spirit trembled violently, and countless vines shot out like serpents, entangling the Ying family disciples and relieving the pressure on Zisangyi.

"Fellow Daoist Zisang, you should focus on dealing with that old thief. I'll handle these small fry!"

Zisangyi and the Ying family patriarch clashed again, their swords flashing like lightning and their palms whistling like thunder, stirring up gusts of wind and making the grass and trees in the valley seem like soldiers.

Although he was seriously injured, his swordsmanship was still fierce, and every move was filled with a desperate and ruthless spirit, forcing the Ying family patriarch not to underestimate him.

Despite being repeatedly defeated by the tree spirit's attacks, the Ying family disciples continued to advance relentlessly, fearless of death.

They were extremely familiar with the terrain of the valley and used the terrain advantage to constantly change their formation, surrounding Zisangyi and the tree spirit.

"How stubborn!"

Zi Sangyi snorted coldly, and his sword speed suddenly increased. The sword energy was like frost, and he instantly knocked down several Ying family disciples.

He caught a glimpse of Xu Yuehuai being attacked by several Ying family disciples out of the corner of his eye. His heart tightened, and in that moment of distraction, he was struck on the shoulder by the Ying family patriarch. He groaned and almost fell over.

At that moment, a flash of green light appeared, and Qi Guze appeared beside Zi Sangyi, blocking the follow-up attack from the Ying family patriarch.

Are you alright?

"I'm fine." Zi Sangyi took a deep breath, suppressing her surging blood. "Be careful, this old scoundrel is cunning!"

The head of the Ying family watched with a pounding heart; he hadn't expected Zisangyi and the tree spirit to be so troublesome.

He looked anxiously at the Ying family patriarch and whispered, "Patriarch, what... what should we do?"

The patriarch of the Ying family had a gloomy face. His gaze swept over Zi Sangyi and the others, and he cursed them inwardly for being so foolish as to offer themselves up to him.

"Keep them calm and buy them time!" he telepathically told the head of the Ying family.

"The barrier has completely healed. There are too many people outside; they can't escape! We just need to stall until the sacrifice array is activated, and then sacrifice them all here!"

Upon hearing this, the head of the Ying family was overjoyed and immediately shouted, "Zisangyi, you are surrounded! If you know what's good for you, surrender obediently to avoid suffering!"

As he spoke, he secretly directed his disciples to tighten the encirclement.

Zi Sangyi sneered: "Surrender? You're dreaming! Today, I will raze your Ying family to the ground!"

He pointed his sword at the head of the Ying family, his killing intent palpable.

The head of the Ying family feigned composure and laughed, "Zisangyi, why are you so stubborn? Your disciple Xu Yuehuai is in our hands. As long as you hand over the secret treasure of Qingtao Valley, I guarantee you will be spared!"

As he spoke, he secretly observed Zisangyi's expression.

Zi Sangyi's eyes narrowed, and she thought to herself, "This is bad, this old fox!"

Upon hearing the Ying family patriarch's words, Xu Yuehuai turned deathly pale, struggled desperately, and cried out hoarsely, "Master! Don't believe his nonsense! He's just trying to deceive you! Don't worry about me!"

Zisang's eyes sharpened, and her heart felt as if it had been violently clenched.

But he knew exactly what kind of person the head of the Ying family was.

Handing over the secret treasure of Qingtao Valley is tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house. If the treasure is lost, the disciple may not be willing to release it!

They will also be subject to endless constraints!

He gritted his teeth, and his longsword emitted a clear whistle, its light as white as snow, instantly forcing back the attacking Ying family disciples. He shouted sternly, "Ying family head, stop with your hypocrisy! Even if I, Zisangyi, die in battle, I will never be threatened by you!"

The resolute look in his eyes startled the head of the Ying family, who then flew into a rage: "You won't listen to reason, so don't blame me for being impolite! Kill them!"

Before he finished speaking, Qi Guze appeared beside Zi Sangye like a ghost, his long sword flashing with blue light as he blocked a palm strike coming from behind.

His eyes were icy cold, and his face was grim.

Zi Sangyi and Qi Guze stood back to back, their perfect coordination creating an impenetrable net of sword energy that forced the Ying family disciples to retreat repeatedly.

Zi Sangyi's swordsmanship was fierce, with each move carrying a chilling killing intent, while Qi Guze's movements were unpredictable and elusive, making him impossible to defend against.

Seeing that the attack had failed to break through, the Ying family patriarch's face grew increasingly gloomy.

He snorted coldly and rejoined the battle, engaging in fierce combat with Zisangyi and Qi Guze.

The three figures clashed, their palm strikes and sword energy surged, trees collapsed, and the scene was a complete mess.

Xu Yuehuai was tightly controlled by his two disciples, and could only watch helplessly as Zisangyi and Qi Guze fought against multiple opponents, his heart burning with anxiety.

He struggled desperately, but it was all in vain.

“Master…” he murmured softly.

The head of the Ying family watched with a pounding heart, never expecting that Zi Sangyi and Qi Guze would be so troublesome.

Especially Qi Guze, who seemed to be able to predict all of the Ying family patriarch's moves and always managed to defuse the crisis at the last minute.

"Just who is this kid?" he wondered to himself, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

In the midst of the fierce battle, Zi Sangyi seized an opening and aimed his sword directly at the chest of the Ying family patriarch.

The Ying family patriarch was startled and quickly dodged to the side, but was still cut on the arm by the sword energy.

He flew into a rage, his palm strikes becoming even more ferocious, each one potentially fatal.

Zisangyi and Qi Guze gradually felt overwhelmed.