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

Just then, the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator in purple robes approached Zhao Qian and whispered, "Patriarch, why don't we agree to his request and let him enter the outer perimeter of the forbidden area... Deep within the forbidden area is the Yin-Yang Spirit Locking Array, as well as an ambush we've set up. Once he goes in, he won't come out alive... That way, we can not only protect Elder Zhao, but also completely eliminate this brat..."

Zhao Qian's eyes lit up. How could he have forgotten this... There wasn't anything important on the outer perimeter of the forbidden area; the real secret lay deeper inside. Moreover, he had already arranged for five Foundation Establishment cultivators to lie in ambush there, just waiting for someone to walk right into his trap... If Liu Yang really went in, he would fall right into his trap...

“Fine…” Zhao Qian nodded, but his face still held anger. “I can let you into the outer perimeter of the forbidden area, but you must release Zhao Shan first… Moreover, there are restrictions placed on the depths of the forbidden area by my Zhao family. If you dare to trespass, don’t blame me for being impolite…”

Liu Yang naturally knew that Zhao Qian wasn't so kind and had definitely set up an ambush... but he had already thought of a countermeasure—first, use this opportunity to figure out the layout of the forbidden area, then take the chance to find clues about the Ice Thunder Token. As for the ambush, he didn't take it seriously...

“Okay…” Liu Yang nodded, loosening his grip and pushing Zhao Shan out. “But I want Zhao Shan to come in with me. If there’s an ambush inside, I’ll cripple him first…”

Zhao Qian's expression changed, and he was about to refuse when Liu Yang stepped forward and grabbed Zhao Shan's arm. The coldness in his eyes made him dare not object...

“Alright, Zhao Shan will go in with you…” Zhao Qian said through gritted teeth, “But remember, you can only move around on the outer perimeter of the forbidden area. If you dare to touch the restrictions deeper inside, I will immediately have someone take action…”

Liu Yang didn't speak, picked up Zhao Shan, and turned to walk towards the west side of the Zhao residence... Su Qingyao quickly followed. As she passed Zhao Qian, she could feel the ruthlessness in his eyes, and she became secretly wary—it seemed the Zhao family was truly going to kill them this time...

The entrance to the forbidden area on the west side of the Zhao residence was hidden behind a bamboo grove... The entrance was a stone gate, intricately carved with spiritual runes, faintly radiating the fluctuations of a restriction... Zhao Shan, being carried by Liu Yang, trembled as he stepped forward, placed his hand on the stone gate, and channeled a stream of spiritual energy into it...

"Click..."

The stone door slowly opened, revealing a pitch-black interior. A passageway was vaguely visible, its walls adorned with luminous pearls that emitted a faint glow...

"This is the outer edge of the forbidden area..." Zhao Shan's voice trembled. "The passage ahead is only fifty steps long. Beyond that lies the area of ​​the Yin-Yang Spirit Locking Array; touching it will trigger the restriction..."

Liu Yang didn't speak, but pushed Zhao Shan inside... Su Qingyao followed behind, and as soon as she entered the passage, she sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy—clearly, someone was secretly watching them...

The passage was quiet, with only the echoes of their footsteps... After walking about fifty steps, a transparent light screen appeared ahead, inscribed with complex array patterns—the Yin-Yang Spirit Locking Array...

"We've arrived. The barrier is just ahead; we can't go any further..." Zhao Shan quickly stopped, afraid that Liu Yang would take another step forward...

Liu Yang stood still, his spiritual sense quietly spreading out, probing behind the light screen... The moment his spiritual sense touched the light screen, he felt a powerful rebound, and at the same time, he sensed five spiritual energy auras hidden behind the light screen—all of them were at the Foundation Establishment stage, three at the mid-stage and two at the late-stage. Clearly, this was an ambush arranged by Zhao Qian...

"Zhao Qian is certainly willing to invest..." Liu Yang sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, his gaze sweeping across the walls on both sides of the passage, as if searching for something...

Su Qingyao also noticed the ambush behind the light screen and subtly winked at Liu Yang, signaling him to be careful... Liu Yang nodded slightly, gathered a wisp of spiritual energy at his fingertips, and seemingly casually tapped the wall...

"Master, what are you looking for?" Su Qingyao asked deliberately, trying to attract Zhao Shan's attention...

Zhao Shan looked over, his eyes full of doubt... Just then, Liu Yang suddenly made his move, shooting a burst of spiritual energy at an inconspicuous stone on the wall... The stone instantly caved in, and more than a dozen small holes suddenly popped out of the walls on both sides of the passage, from which ice arrows shot out, aiming straight for the ambush behind the light barrier...

"Not good..." A cry of alarm came from behind the light screen, followed by a chaotic fight... Clearly, the ambushing cultivators hadn't expected Liu Yang to suddenly attack and were caught off guard...

Zhao Shan turned deathly pale with fright. He never imagined that there were hidden mechanisms within the outer walls of the forbidden area—this was the Zhao family's forbidden area, and he had lived for decades without ever knowing such a thing...

"How...how did you know there were traps here?" Zhao Shan asked in a trembling voice...

Liu Yang didn't answer, but simply pushed him aside and walked towards the light screen... The fighting behind the light screen grew increasingly intense, clearly indicating that the ambushing cultivators had lost their composure...

"Liu Yang...you dare to break the Zhao family's protective barrier..." Zhao Qian's voice came from outside, filled with rage, "I'll see how you leave here alive today..."

Liu Yang sneered and raised his hand to strike the light screen... Pale blue spiritual energy surged towards the light screen like a tide, and the array patterns on the screen instantly dimmed... He had long seen the weakness of the Yin-Yang Spirit Locking Array—although its power was considerable, it required a continuous input of spiritual energy to maintain. The cultivators who had been lying in ambush had been disrupted by the mechanisms and had not been able to supply energy to the array in time, which was a perfect opportunity to break the array...

"Click..."

A crack appeared on the light screen, then more and more cracks appeared, and finally with a "bang," the light screen shattered completely...

Upon seeing this, the five cultivators behind the light screen paled and rushed towards Liu Yang... One of them, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, brandished a large sword, its blade glowing red, clearly a fire-attribute spiritual weapon, and swung it down towards Liu Yang's head...

Liu Yang dodged to the side, simultaneously conjuring an ice blade in his palm and swinging it backhand... The pale blue ice blade flashed like lightning, instantly freezing the cultivator's broadsword. Then, the ice blade struck his shoulder, causing the cultivator to scream in agony as blood instantly stained his clothes...

Seeing this, the other four cultivators dared not be careless and immediately unleashed their magical artifacts, launching a coordinated attack on Liu Yang... In an instant, spiritual energy surged within the passage, various colors of spiritual light intertwined, and booming sounds echoed continuously...

Su Qingyao stood aside, not making a move, but cautiously observing her surroundings—she knew Liu Yang could handle these five cultivators; her task was to prevent Zhao Qian from launching a sneak attack from the outside...

Sure enough, not long after, footsteps sounded outside, and Zhao Qian rushed in with the cultivator in purple robes... Upon seeing the scene in the passage, Zhao Qian's expression completely changed—three of the five ambushing cultivators had already fallen, and the remaining two were also retreating steadily, clearly no match for Liu Yang...

"Liu Yang...you're courting death..." Zhao Qian roared, his Thunderclap Sword flashing out, a purple bolt of lightning shooting out like a venomous snake, aiming straight for Liu Yang's back...

This bolt of lightning was incredibly fast, carrying a world-destroying aura; it was clearly Zhao Qian's full-force attack... Su Qingyao's expression changed, and she quickly warned, "Be careful... it's the heavenly lightning power of the Thunderclap Sword..."

Hearing the warning, Liu Yang didn't turn around, but instead struck out with his palm... The pale blue spiritual energy collided with the purple lightning, creating a loud bang... Stones from the top of the passage fell one after another, and dust filled the air...

Everyone felt a powerful shockwave hit them, and they couldn't help but take a few steps back... When the dust settled, everyone was stunned—the purple lightning bolt had actually been blocked by Liu Yang's spiritual power. Although Liu Yang had also taken two steps back, he was clearly unharmed...

"How is this possible?" Zhao Qian's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief. "The power of the Thunderclap Sword's heavenly lightning is something even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator can't withstand. How are you alright?"

Liu Yang sneered, ignoring his question, and simply walked towards him step by step... The spiritual energy around him grew stronger and stronger, and a pale blue chill gathered around him, causing the temperature in the air to drop slightly...

"Zhao Qian, do you think you can hold me back with this little ambush?" Liu Yang's voice carried a hint of sarcasm. "Today, I'm not only going to venture deep into the forbidden area, but also to take your Zhao family's heirloom—the Ice Thunder Token..."

"The Ice and Lightning Token?" Zhao Qian's expression changed drastically. He never expected that Liu Yang would know about the Ice and Lightning Token... "Who exactly are you? Why do you know about the Ice and Lightning Token?"

"Who I am is unimportant. What matters is that I'm determined to have the Ice Lightning Token..." Liu Yang said, suddenly striking. An ice arrow shot out from his fingertip like a meteor, aiming straight for Zhao Qian's face...

Zhao Qian quickly swung his Thunderclap Sword, a bolt of lightning blocking his path... With a clang, the ice arrow struck the lightning and vanished instantly, the lightning itself dimming slightly...

"Purple Robe, follow me..." Zhao Qian shouted, charging towards Liu Yang with the Thunderclap Sword... The cultivator in the purple robe quickly followed, his longsword gleaming with a blue light, aiming for Liu Yang's waist...

Liu Yang remained unfazed. With his left hand, he conjured an ice shield to block the purple-robed cultivator's sword, while with his right hand, he summoned an ice blade to meet Zhao Qian's Thunderclap Sword...

"clang......"

The ice blade clashed with the Thunderclap Sword, producing a piercing metallic clang... Liu Yang felt a powerful force surge through him, his arm going slightly numb, while Zhao Qian was forced back three steps, his hand split open by the impact...

"How can this kid be so strong?" Zhao Qian was shocked. He was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, wielding a mid-grade spiritual weapon, yet he had lost to Liu Yang in terms of strength...

Seeing this, the purple-robed cultivator seized the opportunity to attack, thrusting his longsword towards Liu Yang's chest... Liu Yang dodged to the side, simultaneously pushing forward with his ice shield, forcing the purple-robed cultivator back. Then, with a swift slash of his ice blade, a cold light flashed towards the purple-robed cultivator's neck...

The purple-robed cultivator was so frightened that he hurriedly retreated, but he was still a step too slow. A bloody gash appeared on his neck, not deep, but it still sent a chill down his spine...

Just then, Zhao Qian launched another attack, the lightning on the Thunderclap Sword growing increasingly intense, clearly indicating he was about to unleash a deadly move... "Liu Yang... take my 'Thunderclap Strike'..."

Zhao Qian roared and slashed down with his Thunderclap Sword. A massive bolt of purple lightning descended like a waterfall, engulfing Liu Yang... This lightning was several times more powerful than the previous ones; the air in the passage was scorching hot, and the surrounding walls began to melt...

Su Qingyao's face turned deathly pale. She could feel the power of the lightning; if struck, even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would be severely injured on the spot...

Liu Yang remained standing, his eyes showing no fear whatsoever... He took a deep breath, his spiritual energy surging wildly, and a pale blue chill condensed into a massive ice shield before him. The shield was engraved with intricate array patterns—a defensive formation he had gleaned from the properties of the Xuan Iron Sand, which greatly enhanced the ice shield's defensive capabilities...

"boom......"

Purple lightning struck the ice shield, creating a deafening roar... The entire passage trembled, and stones from the ceiling kept falling, as if it were about to collapse at any moment...

"You... what exactly is your cultivation level?" Zhao Qian's voice trembled. He finally understood that he was no match for Liu Yang at all...

Liu Yang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes growing even colder: "Now you're scared? Too late..."

As he spoke, he suddenly flashed, appearing before Zhao Qian like a ghost, his ice blade aimed at his chest... Zhao Qian was so frightened that he hurriedly swung his Thunderclap Sword to defend, but due to the excessive consumption of spiritual energy, his movements were a beat too slow...

"puff......"

The icy blade pierced Zhao Qian's shoulder, and blood gushed out instantly... Zhao Qian screamed in agony, the Thunderclap Sword fell to the ground, and he staggered back a few steps...