In the end times, many children bring more blessings. I pick up a goddess every day.

After the dust settled... everyone was stunned—the earthy-yellow spiritual energy had actually been shattered by the ice arrow... Although the ice arrow had also dissipated... it hadn't allowed Zhao Shan's spiritual energy to harm Liu Yang in the slightest...

Zhao Shan's expression completely changed... He hadn't expected this outsider cultivator's spiritual power to be so strong... A mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator's attack... had been easily blocked by him...

"Who exactly are you?" Zhao Shan gripped his cane tightly... his eyes filled with vigilance... "Why are you in Qingyang City?"

Liu Yang didn't answer his question... he just walked step by step towards Zhao Shan... his spiritual energy slowly rose... pale blue chill condensed at his fingertips... the temperature in the air seemed to drop a few degrees: "You just said... you wanted me to know the consequences of offending the Zhao family? Now... it's time for you to know... the consequences of messing with me..."

Zhao Shan's pupils constricted sharply... He could sense that Liu Yang's spiritual power was growing stronger and stronger... even surpassing his own... A sudden pang of regret arose in his heart—if he had known this cultivator was so powerful... he shouldn't have rashly brought so few people...

"You dare lay a hand on me?" Zhao Shan forced a confident stance... "I am an elder of the Zhao family... If you harm me... the Zhao family will never let you go! There will be no place for you in the entire Qingyang City!"

"Nowhere to hide?" Liu Yang sneered... An ice arrow had already materialized at his fingertips... "Then I'll erase the Zhao family from Qingyang City... and find myself a place to hide..."

The words had barely left his mouth... when he suddenly raised his hand... an ice arrow shot out like a meteor... aiming straight for Zhao Shan's face... Zhao Shan, startled, quickly swung his cane... and an earthen-yellow shield appeared in front of him...

"clang!"

The ice arrow struck the shield... with a crisp sound... and cracks instantly appeared all over the shield... Zhao Shan felt a tremendous force... and staggered back three steps... his tiger's mouth was split open, and blood seeped out...

"Elder!" Upon seeing this, the four cultivators rushed forward, their magical weapons aimed at Liu Yang.

Liu Yang turned...dodged one man's blade...at the same time, an ice blade condensed in his palm...with a backhand swing...a pale blue light flashed...the cultivator's blade was instantly frozen...then the ice blade sliced ​​across his wrist...the cultivator screamed...the blade fell to the ground...blood flowed freely from his wrist...

The other three cultivators turned pale with fright... but dared not stop... they could only grit their teeth and continue attacking... but against Liu Yang... their attacks were like children playing... they couldn't even get close... In just a moment... all three cultivators were knocked to the ground... some with broken arms... some with internal injuries... lying on the ground groaning in pain...

In the blink of an eye... only Zhao Shan remained standing among the five cultivators... He looked at his groaning subordinate on the ground... then at Liu Yang approaching step by step... his face was filled with fear—he knew... he was no match for this cultivator at all...

"You...you stay away!" Zhao Shan backed away...his voice trembling..."I can give you money...I can give you spiritual materials...as long as you let me go...the Zhao family will never bother you again!"

Liu Yang didn't stop... his eyes remained completely calm: "You just made me cripple my cultivation... and now you're begging for mercy... it's too late..."

He raised his hand... and another ice arrow materialized... Zhao Shan was terrified... He turned to run... but just then... a pale blue spiritual energy suddenly wrapped around his ankle... He slipped... and fell heavily to the ground...

The ice arrow caught up instantly... and stopped just in front of the back of his head... The icy chill made him tremble all over... He didn't dare to move...

"Spare...spare my life..." Zhao Shan's voice trembled...cold sweat streamed down his face..."I was wrong...young master, spare my life..."

Liu Yang looked down at him... his eyes as cold as ice: "You can live... but you have to agree to one condition..."

Zhao Shan nodded hurriedly: "Please speak, young master! As long as it's within my power... I will definitely agree!"

"Take me to the Zhao family's forbidden area..." Liu Yang's voice left no room for negotiation... "Now... immediately... right now..."

Zhao Shan's face instantly turned deathly pale—the forbidden area was the core of the Zhao family... hiding the secrets of the Ice Thunder Token... how could he let an outsider in? But looking at the ice arrow in the back of his head... he dared not refuse... he could only grit his teeth... and nod with difficulty: "Okay... okay... I'll take you..."

Liu Yang sheathed the ice arrow... and lifted Zhao Shan up: "If you dare to play any tricks... I'll show you... what it means to wish you were dead..."

Zhao Shan nodded repeatedly in fear... daring not to resist in the slightest...

Su Qingyao stood to the side, watching the scene unfold before her, her heart filled with astonishment. She had initially thought Liu Yang was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage... but the strength he had just displayed... clearly indicated he had reached the late-Foundation Establishment stage... perhaps even approaching the Golden Core stage! Such strength... was already top-tier in Qingyang City... the Zhao family was no match for him at all...

All her previous schemes... were indeed a joke in the face of absolute power... Su Qingyao lowered her eyes... concealing the complexity within them—perhaps... following this man... could truly lead her to the secrets of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison... and might even allow her cultivation to advance to a higher level...

Liu Yang didn't notice Su Qingyao's thoughts... He carried Zhao Shan... and walked towards the Zhao residence... The onlookers watched his retreating figure... their eyes filled with awe—from this day forward... the world of Qingyang City... is likely to change.

Chapter 9: The Zhao Family's Pressure

The bloodstains on the bluestone pavement were still wet... Liu Yang, carrying Zhao Shan by the back of his collar... as if lifting a chick... walked step by step towards the Zhao residence... Su Qingyao followed behind... her gaze swept over the groaning Zhao family cultivator on the ground... then settled on Liu Yang's tall, straight back... the complexity in her eyes gradually replaced by a hint of certainty—this man's strength... far exceeded her expectations... following him... might give her a better chance of obtaining the benefits of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison than fighting alone...

Upon seeing this scene, the cultivators along the way retreated to the side of the road. No one dared to step forward to stop them. They had clearly seen the fight in the street. Zhao Shan, the elder of the Zhao family, was powerless against Liu Yang. Even a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator was completely under Liu Yang's control. Who would dare to provoke such a trouble?

"Young...Young Master...the Zhao family gate is just ahead...the forbidden area is on the west side...I...I'll take you there right away..." Zhao Shan was being dragged around, gasping for breath...his voice was full of flattery...the wound on his wrist was still bleeding...but he didn't dare to even cry out in pain—he was afraid that if he complained...this ruthless star in front of him would cripple his cultivation on the spot...

Liu Yang didn't speak... but his steps didn't stop... Just as he approached the vermilion gate of the Zhao family mansion... a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from afar... accompanied by dense fluctuations of spiritual energy—at least a dozen cultivators were rushing towards them... Leading them was Zhao Qian, an elder of the Zhao family... Behind him were four Foundation Establishment cultivators... each with a steady aura... clearly the core fighting force of the Zhao family...

Zhao Qian was originally arranging guards for the forbidden area within the manor... when he received a report from a servant that Zhao Shan had been captured... and was being escorted to the Zhao manor by Liu Yang... he was immediately shocked and furious... and hurriedly led the manor's best guards over... From afar, he saw Liu Yang carrying Zhao Shan... his face instantly darkened... and the Thunderclap Sword in his hand faintly crackled with lightning...

"Liu Yang! Release Zhao Shan!" Zhao Qian roared... his voice carrying the power of thunder... causing the surrounding air to tremble... "You dare to lay a hand on an elder of my Zhao family in Qingyang City... do you really think my Zhao family is powerless?"

Liu Yang stopped... looked up at Zhao Qian... his eyes showing no fear: "Whether the Zhao family has anyone... isn't something you can just say... If you want to save him... then obediently step aside... I need to go to the Zhao family's forbidden area..."

"Insolence!" Zhao Qian laughed in fury... "This forbidden area is the foundation of my Zhao family... How dare you, an outsider, enter and leave at will? If you know what's good for you today... release Zhao Shan... and even cripple your own arm as an apology... I might spare your life; if you remain obstinate... don't blame me for making sure you are reduced to ashes!"

The four Foundation Establishment cultivators behind him stepped forward simultaneously... unleashing their full spiritual power... the surrounding air instantly became heavy... one of the cultivators, dressed in purple robes, even summoned a longsword... its blade gleaming with a bluish-green light... clearly a mid-grade spiritual weapon... and assumed an attack stance towards Liu Yang...

Su Qingyao quietly tugged at Liu Yang's sleeve... and lowered her voice, saying, "Zhao Qian is at the late Foundation Establishment stage... and his Thunderclap Sword can summon heavenly lightning... its power is immense... The four cultivators behind him... three at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage... and one at the late Foundation Establishment stage... are all loyalists of the Zhao family... We won't gain anything if we fight head-on..."

Liu Yang ignored him... he just looked at Zhao Qian... a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "Crippling your own arm? You've got some ideas... but I advise you... not to push me—Zhao Shan is still in my hands... if you make a move... I'll cripple his cultivation first..."

As he spoke... he gathered a wisp of cold air at his fingertips... and gently pressed it against the back of Zhao Shan's neck... Zhao Shan was instantly terrified... and hurriedly shouted to Zhao Qian, "Patriarch! Save me! I don't want my cultivation to be crippled! Please grant his request!"

Zhao Qian's face turned ashen... Looking at Zhao Shan's cowardly and fearful appearance, he was so angry he almost lost his temper on the spot... But Zhao Shan was, after all, an elder of the Zhao family... If his cultivation were truly crippled... the Zhao family would completely lose face... Moreover, Zhao Shan had also participated in the defensive setup of the forbidden area... Without him... many things would be difficult to handle...

"What do you want?" Zhao Qian gritted his teeth... forcibly suppressing his anger... "You absolutely cannot enter the forbidden area... but as long as you release Zhao Shan... I can compensate you—one thousand low-grade spirit stones... plus three Qi Refining stage magic artifacts... is that enough?"

"A thousand low-grade spirit stones?" Liu Yang thought he'd heard a joke... "Zhao Qian... do you think I've never seen spirit stones before... or do you think Zhao Shan's life is only worth that little money?"

He paused... his gaze swept over the four cultivators behind Zhao Qian... his voice turned colder: "Either let me into the forbidden area... or... I'll cripple Zhao Shan right now... and tear down the gates of your Zhao mansion... and see if the people of Qingyang City... will say your Zhao family is incompetent..."

These words struck Zhao Qian's heart like a provocative drumbeat. As the head of the Zhao family, he had been a tyrant in Qingyang City for many years, and had never been threatened like this before. But looking at the chilling aura emanating from Zhao Shan's neck, he dared not gamble—what if Liu Yang really crippled Zhao Shan and then caused a scene at the Zhao residence? The Zhao family would lose all face.

"What exactly do you want?" Zhao Qian took a deep breath... his eyes were full of vigilance... "The forbidden area only contains my Zhao family's ancestral heirlooms... They are of no use to you... Why do you insist on going in?"

Liu Yang didn't answer... but the chill at his fingertips intensified... Zhao Shan grimaced in pain... tears welling up in his eyes: "Patriarch! Don't ask! Give it to him! Just show it to him! It's better than having my cultivation crippled!"

Zhao Qian's fists were clenched tightly... his knuckles turned white... He knew... if he didn't compromise today... he would probably really pay the price... but the forbidden area held the secret of the Ice Thunder Token... if Liu Yang discovered it... the consequences would be unimaginable...