Currently, I don't know how to win.

Boom!

A thunderous roar shook the heavens.

A massive spatial rift burst open with a deafening crack. Endless azure flames raged behind it as a middle-aged man slowly stepped out of the fissure, walking upon the blazing fire. His presence was as imposing as a mountain, and the scorching waves radiating from him were even hotter than the heat of the Lancang Desert, making it nearly impossible to look directly at him.

The man wore a scarlet robe, its fabric embroidered with flame patterns that seemed to burn. Every single flame was a rare heavenly fire difficult to find anywhere in the world, yet now they served merely as adornments for the man, lying quietly along the edges of the cloth.

Such a dazzling entrance naturally shook the entire battlefield.

“The Flame Clan Patriarch?”

Ye Shu narrowed his eyes and softly stated the newcomer’s identity.

That was right.

The man who had torn open the void was none other than the patriarch of the Flame Clan, one of the eight hidden clans of the Central Plains. He had also taken part in the battle at Qingxuan Sect back then, so Ye Shu still remembered him.

But the question was—why was he here?

And why had he arrived at precisely this moment?

Ye Shu turned his head toward Mo Yu.

Sure enough, a smug smile had appeared on the other man’s face.

At last, a smile returned to Mo Yu’s face.

“Heh heh. You didn’t really think I’d dare risk coming to abduct your wife and daughter with just a few worthless minions, did you? When dealing with someone like you, it never hurts to be as cautious as possible.”

“If I don’t make a move, so be it. But once I do, I’ll throw everything I have into it.”

“After all, I’m not the only one who wants you dead. The other great clans have been longing to get their hands on you as well.”

Mo Yu let out a cold, sinister laugh, his face filled with triumphant delight.

Even the system had to admit that although its host was indeed lacking in brains, he did have one advantage.

He never dragged things out.

No outsourcing. No handing things down through layer upon layer of subordinates. Whenever he made a move, he went all in, surrounding the enemy’s newbie village with overwhelming force and leaving not the slightest chance for a comeback.

At the same time, Medusa and the others went deathly pale.

They stared at the figure high in the sky, their delicate bodies trembling uncontrollably as memories of the battle at Qingxuan Sect resurfaced in their minds.

But unlike that time—

This time, their opponent had clearly descended in person.

And Ye Shu was already grievously wounded, with no usable weapon in his hands. How could he possibly win?

“Is that the enemy Father has to face?”

Ye Xiaoxi looked up at the sky, her heart quaking beneath that oppressive aura. She simply couldn’t imagine how her father had managed to survive at the hands of someone like this back then.

Just then, Medusa suddenly spoke.

“This is all your fault.”

She lowered her head and looked at Ye Xiaoxi, her tone cold and hard. “If you hadn’t stopped me from self-detonating, your father would have run off somewhere by now. But look at us now—the big one has arrived. Even if the two of us self-detonate right this instant, your father still won’t be able to escape. The four of us are going to die together and be neatly reunited as a family. Are you happy now?”

“Excuse me?”

Ye Xiaoxi pointed at her own nose, utterly dumbfounded.

“You’re blaming me?”

“You’re putting this kind of pressure on a child who isn’t even ten years old?”

“All right, stop pressuring her.” Even Ye Shu couldn’t stand it anymore and stepped in to persuade her. “I’m not dead yet, am I?”

“You’re practically dead already!” Medusa shot back.

Ye Shu: “……”

So apparently, he absolutely had to die today.

At the same time, Yan Kuang cast his gaze down from midair and stared coldly at Ye Shu. His voice was grim as he asked, “Back at the Nine Nether Ruins, was it you who killed my son?”

“Your son?”

Ye Shu froze for a moment, then casually dug at his ear and said disdainfully, “Sorry. I killed too many people too quickly back at the Nine Nether Ruins and didn’t have time to ask their names. Which one was your son?”

“........”

“........”

Seeing Yan Kuang’s face darken visibly, the corner of Danxia’s mouth twitched. She secretly grumbled to herself, *Shu’er’s foul mouth hasn’t changed one bit after all these years.*

There was no point in saying more when they were already at odds.

Yan Kuang’s expression was gloomy as he stared coldly at Ye Shu.

The moment he received news of this man’s whereabouts, he had traveled countless miles and torn through the void to appear here by force. He had done so despite the fact that the injuries he had suffered more than a decade ago had yet to fully recover.

And it was not merely because of the threat Ye Shu had displayed.

More importantly, his most prized offspring—the future heir of the Yan Clan—had died inexplicably in the ruins.

And now, his opponent was actually treating the matter with such disdain?

How could Yan Kuang not be furious?!

Neither the majesty he possessed as one of the strongest cultivators of his generation nor his dignity as a father could tolerate such an affront!

“Brat, prepare to die!”

Yan Kuang’s voice was icy and grim, as though he were already passing judgment on Ye Shu’s death. He slowly raised a hand. The flame patterns embroidered across his robes suddenly seemed to come alive, responding to his movement as they wound around his arm and transformed into brilliant, intricate tattoos.

Yan Kuang’s aura instantly surged by more than thirty percent.

He shifted his feet slightly, and the void beneath him was crushed into a crack. In the next instant, he had already appeared before Ye Shu, his right fist wrapped in flames of various colors as it thundered forward.

Before the force of his fist even arrived, the air within a radius of a hundred zhang had already been burned away. Even the robes of Medusa and Danxia began to catch fire of their own accord.

“Be careful!”

Ye Shu’s eyes narrowed. With a wave of his hand, he flung the two women away, then swiftly raised his arm to meet the attack head-on. “If you want to fight, then fight. Why waste so much time running your mouth?”

Boom!

The collision between the two erupted in an instant.

The surrounding space, stretching for hundreds of li, was utterly incapable of withstanding the impact. Cracks as black as ink spread in every direction like a spiderweb. The sand beneath Ye Shu’s feet transformed into glazed, scorched earth in the blink of an eye, then shattered layer by layer into dust. Before even a single fragment could be blown into the air, the embers bursting from their collision had already vaporized everything clean.

Riiip!

The sleeves covering Ye Shu’s arms exploded at once.

“Damn it.....”

He gritted his teeth, his expression turning grim.

Although spirit possession had granted him the combat strength of the Mahayana stage, it was ultimately only a temporary measure. Another drawback of spirit possession was that it consumed an enormous amount of soul power. In severe cases, it could even cause the collapse of one’s spirit and soul—just as it had with his master, who had fallen into a deep slumber.

Things had come to this.

There was only one option left.

Run!

“You two go first.”

As Ye Shu fought fiercely against Yan Kuang, he sent a message to Medusa and Danxia through his divine sense. His voice was curt. “There’s a sandstorm in the direction I came from. At its eye is a teleportation formation that will send you to a place of absolute safety. Hurry!”

“All right!”

Upon hearing this, Medusa acted decisively. With a sweep of her red sleeve, she led the many Snake People below, along with Ye Xiaoxi, speeding back the way Ye Shu had come.

However, a figure suddenly blocked her path.

“Hmph! Trying to escape?”

Mo Yu cracked his knuckles and stared at Medusa with a cold laugh. Then he shouted inwardly,

“System, add my points!”