No sooner had Shen Haoran and Murong Wanqing spoken than two figures appeared on a distant sand dune, supporting each other and stumbling as they fled—it was Ling Feng and his junior sister, Duan Ruyan.

But the two of them were a wretched sight. Their robes were soaked crimson with blood, their faces pale. On Ling Feng’s back was the long-unconscious Shi Dahuo.

As the pair fled for their lives, they kept glancing back, their faces filled with rage. A moment later, a group of Martial Artists appeared behind them, clearly chasing Ling Feng and his two companions.

"Go get ’em, boys! Kill the two men, but as for the woman... drag her back to be my Lady of the Stronghold. I’m gonna have some real fun with her!" The burly man licked his lips as he watched the two stumbling figures, his booming laughter causing Duan Ruyan’s face to flush crimson with fury and shame.

Hearing this, the burly man’s henchmen laughed and swarmed forward. Several spear-wielding Martial Artists hurled their weapons, which landed upright in the sand right in front of Ling Feng and Duan Ruyan, blocking their path.

The Martial Artists then surrounded Ling Feng and his two companions.

Ling Feng tightened his grip on his longsword as he scanned the surrounding Martial Artists, but a wave of helplessness washed over him. ’Our situation is dire. Duan Ruyan and I don’t have a single shred of Spiritual Power left. Forget these Spirit General and Spirit Marquis Tier experts... even a novice Martial Artist who just condensed their first bit of Spiritual Power could kill us now!’

"Haha! Run! Why don’t you keep running?!" Now that Ling Feng’s group was surrounded, the burly man swaggered forward and aimed a vicious kick at Ling Feng’s stomach.

Ling Feng tried to block, but his injuries were too severe. Before he could even raise his sword, the kick sent him flying. He crashed onto a sand dune, another mouthful of blood spraying from his lips.

"Senior Brother!" Duan Ruyan scrambled over to help Ling Feng up.

"Hmph. Do you have any idea who we are?" Duan Ruyan glared at the burly man and said coldly, "We are disciples of the Celestial Spirit Sect! If you dare to touch us, the Celestial Spirit Sect will show you no mercy!"

"Heh, disciples of the Celestial Spirit Sect? Ooh, I’m so scared!" The burly man feigned terror at Duan Ruyan’s words, but his expression suddenly twisted into a ferocious snarl.

"Hmph, so what about the Celestial Spirit Sect? I, Wang the Fifth, have spent my life dancing with death. Don’t think you can scare me just by dropping their name. Besides, once I get rid of all three of you, who’s going to know I killed their disciples?" The burly man licked his Ghost Head Saber and ambled toward Ling Feng and Duan Ruyan.

"Y-You... What are you doing?" Duan Ruyan stared at the menacingly slow approach of Wang the Fifth, snatching up her fallen sword and pointing it at his chest.

"Oho, a feisty one, are we? I like that!" Wang the Fifth gave a lecherous grin. With a flick of his saber, he sent Duan Ruyan’s sword flying. He then grabbed her arm and tossed her to the henchmen behind him.

"Hold her tight!" Wang the Fifth commanded before looking down at Ling Feng.

Ling Feng struggled to lift his head, his eyes blazing with killing intent. ’This Wang the Fifth is just a coward taking advantage of our weakness. If I were at my Peak, killing him would be as easy as breathing!’

"If you have to blame someone, kid, blame your own bad luck for running into me," Wang the Fifth sneered, leaning down to speak to Ling Feng in a sinister tone. "Now go on and die. Don’t worry, I’ll take *real* good care of your little junior sister for you!" With that, he raised his Ghost Head Saber and swung it down!

"No!" Duan Ruyan shrieked, her voice tearing as she watched the helpless Ling Feng. At the sound of her cry, the smile on Wang the Fifth’s face grew even wider.

HISSS...

The Ghost Head Saber in Wang the Fifth’s hand sliced through Ling Feng’s neck and plunged deep into the yellow sand.

But strangely, not a single drop of blood emerged from Ling Feng’s neck. His head was completely unharmed. The scene stunned all the onlookers.

A moment later, Ling Feng’s figure slowly faded away. Wang the Fifth’s Ghost Head Saber had only struck an afterimage.

"Who’s there?! Get out here!" Wang the Fifth yanked his Ghost Head Saber from the sand, his eyes darting around warily. Just a moment ago, all he’d seen was a black shadow flash past before Ling Feng vanished from right under his nose.

"AH!"

But the moment the words left his mouth, the two henchmen holding Duan Ruyan let out bloodcurdling screams. They collapsed to the ground, instantly silenced. Two Fire Feathers were embedded in their backs, right where their hearts were, and in a flash, the feathers incinerated their bodies, leaving nothing but ash.

"You think you have the right to lay a hand on one of my brothers?" A cool voice echoed from above. A moment later, Shen Haoran and Murong Wanqing descended slowly from the sky, holding the severely injured Ling Feng and Duan Ruyan.

"Hmph, so it’s just a couple of brats," Wang the Fifth scoffed, breathing a sigh of relief as he sensed Shen Haoran and Murong Wanqing’s auras. ’A Tier One Spirit Marquis and a Tier Six Spirit Marquis? I don’t even need to take them seriously. I’m a Tier Eight Spirit Marquis!’

But when his gaze fell upon Murong Wanqing, his eyes glinted with avarice. ’Now *that’s* a real beauty! Those long legs, that slender waist, that gorgeous face... I’ve never seen a woman like her in my life!’

"I’ll give you some advice, kid," Wang the Fifth shouted to Shen Haoran, flicking his saber onto his shoulder. "Drop those two and leave the little beauty behind. Do that, and I might just let you walk out of here alive!"

"Leave this little beauty for you?" Shen Haoran cast a mocking glance at Wang the Fifth, then said nonchalantly, "Alright. She’s all yours."

At these words, Murong Wanqing began to walk slowly toward Wang the Fifth, a faint smile gracing her lips. The sight made his heart skip a beat.

But in the next instant, the blur of a fiery red whip cut through the air, its scorching aura aimed straight for Wang the Fifth’s neck. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

A sense of crisis flared in Wang the Fifth’s heart. He instinctively raised his saber to block the fiery whip. But he had gravely underestimated Murong Wanqing’s power. The moment they collided, his Ghost Head Saber was sent flying. The fiery whip coiled tightly around his neck, and with a sharp tug, Murong Wanqing yanked him off his feet, sending him crashing to the ground at Shen Haoran’s feet.

COUGH! COUGH! The whip tightened around his neck, choking him. Wang the Fifth couldn’t breathe. It was only now that he realized these two were not people to be trifled with. ’To come all the way to the heart of the desert by themselves... they must be disciples from some great clan out on a trial!’

"Do you know the fate of those who dare to cross one of my brothers?" Shen Haoran bent down and whispered into Wang the Fifth’s ear. His icy tone instantly drenched the man in a cold sweat.

"My lord, spare me! Please, spare my life! I know I was wrong!" Wang the Fifth stared at Shen Haoran, immediately beginning to kowtow and beg for mercy.

"Spare you? Too late for that," Shen Haoran snorted. A Black Flame erupted from his palm, coalescing into a Black Flame Long Saber. He swung it down at Wang the Fifth. There was a flash of black light, and Wang the Fifth’s head flew into the air. Not a single drop of blood sprayed out; the terrifying heat of the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian had instantly vaporized it all.