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

Liu Yang calmly countered, alternating between ice and fire elemental energies. Sometimes he used ice to freeze Wang Hu's attacks, sometimes fire to burn his protective shield... The two exchanged blows, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle, the fluctuations in their spiritual energy causing cracks to appear in the surrounding ground... Li Qing and Su Qingyao stood by, watching the battle intently—they knew that the outcome of this fight would determine the future of Qingyang City...

Wang Hu grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. He discovered that Liu Yang's spiritual energy was not only abundant but also replenished extremely quickly. Despite fighting for so long, Liu Yang showed no signs of exhaustion... while he himself had already consumed nearly half of his spiritual energy, and his protective shield had been cracked by Liu Yang's fire-based spiritual energy... He considered retreating, but was unwilling to do so—if he retreated now, the Wang family would not only lose the Xishan spiritual mine but also be ridiculed by the Li family, making it impossible for them to hold their heads high in Qingyang City...

Just then, Liu Yang suddenly seized an opening in Wang Hu's defenses, gathering fire-elemental spiritual power at his fingertips and thrusting it towards the crack in Wang Hu's protective shield... With a "poof," the fire-elemental spiritual power pierced through the shield, striking Wang Hu's shoulder. Wang Hu screamed in pain as his shoulder was instantly burned, emitting plumes of black smoke...

"Wang Hu!" Wang Feng exclaimed, wanting to rush forward to help, but Su Qingyao stopped him... Su Qingyao sneered: "Your opponent is me!"

Liu Yang gave Wang Hu no chance to catch his breath. He flashed forward, appearing before Wang Hu and striking his dantian with a burst of spiritual energy... Wang Hu's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly retreated, trying to avoid this fatal blow, but it was too late—the spiritual energy struck his dantian. He felt a sharp pain, his spiritual energy instantly became chaotic, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, staggering back a few steps, his face ashen white...

"Clan leader!" the Wang family cultivators exclaimed in alarm, rushing forward to protect Wang Hu...

"Stop!" Liu Yang shouted coldly, his spiritual power spreading out and forming a pressure that made the Wang family cultivators dare not step forward... He looked at Wang Hu, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth: "Wang Hu, do you still think you can protect the West Mountain Spirit Mine?"

Wang Hu clutched his dantian, his eyes filled with fear and resentment—he knew he had been severely injured by Liu Yang and wouldn't recover in a short time. If the fight continued, he feared Liu Yang would kill him... He gritted his teeth and said to the Wang family cultivators, "Retreat! Let's go!"

The Wang family cultivators hurriedly helped Wang Hu up, and they left the West Mountain Spirit Mine in a sorry state... Watching the Wang family cultivators' departing figures, Li Qing said excitedly, "Brother Liu, you are amazing! You actually severely injured Wang Hu!"

Liu Yang didn't speak, but felt the spiritual energy being depleted in his body—although he had won the battle just now, it had also consumed a lot of spiritual energy, which he needed to recover as soon as possible... Just then, Li Xiong arrived with the Li family cultivators. Seeing that the West Mountain Spirit Mine had been captured, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Fellow Daoist Liu, thank you for your hard work! We will now send people to guard the Spirit Mine and at the same time seize the Zhao family's other assets!"

"Hmm..." Liu Yang nodded, "I need a quiet place to recover my spiritual energy. You all go and deal with the Zhao family's assets first. We can talk about anything else after I've recovered..."

"Alright!" Li Xiong quickly arranged for someone to prepare a quiet room for Liu Yang and Su Qingyao to rest... The two followed the Li family cultivators to the quiet room. Su Qingyao closed the door and said warily, "Master, the way Li Xiong looked at the Ice Thunder Token just now was strange. I'm afraid he has ill intentions..."

“I know…” Liu Yang sat on the futon and began circulating his cultivation technique to recover his spiritual energy. “The Li family is just a pawn in our game. Once we find the entrance to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison and get what I need, they will be useless to us… Right now, we need to rely on their power and not worry about their intentions for the time being…”

Su Qingyao nodded, standing guard at the door of the quiet room, listening vigilantly to the sounds outside... She knew that the days to come would not be peaceful; the Wang family would definitely retaliate, the Li family might also play tricks, and unknown dangers awaited them within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison... But as long as she followed Liu Yang, she believed she would definitely obtain the opportunity she desired and become a true powerhouse...

Meanwhile, inside the Wang family mansion, Wang Hu lay on a sickbed, his face deathly pale. The injury to his dantian caused him to grimace in pain... Wang Lie and Wang Feng stood by the bedside, their expressions grim...

"Brother, are we just going to let this go? The Li family has seized the Xishan Spirit Mine, and they'll definitely take over the Zhao family's other businesses too. If this continues, our Wang family is finished!" Wang Lie said unwillingly...

Wang Hu gritted his teeth and said, "What else can we do but give up? Liu Yang is too strong. I'm no match for him at all... Right now, we can only recover from our injuries and think of a solution later... By the way, you guys go and investigate Liu Yang's background. Find out who he is and whether he has any powerful backers... As long as we find his weakness, we can take our revenge!"

“Okay! We’ll go investigate right away!” Wang Lie and Wang Feng quickly agreed and turned to leave the room… Wang Hu stared at the ceiling, a fierce glint in his eyes—he would never admit defeat so easily; he would definitely take revenge on Liu Yang and the Li family!

Inside the study of the Li residence, Li Xiong was looking at a secret report, his brow furrowed... The report stated—Liu Yang's origins are unknown; all that is known is that he...

Li Xiong gripped the secret report in his hand, his knuckles turning slightly white... The handwriting on the report was hasty, clearly written by a spy in a hurry. Aside from the statement, "Liu Yang's origins are unknown; he only appeared at the east gate of Qingyang City three days ago, accompanied only by Su Qingyao. Neither of them made contact with any other forces," there was no further information...

"Origin unknown..." Li Xiong muttered to himself, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table... A cultivator who could single-handedly storm the Zhao family's forbidden area and severely injure Wang Hu couldn't have appeared out of thin air... He was either a disciple from a reclusive sect who had come down the mountain for training, or a top cultivator from another city who had come seeking opportunities...

Neither scenario is good for the Li family—disciples of reclusive sects are often arrogant and would be powerless against the Li family should disagreements arise during cooperation; and cultivators from other cities might just be using Qingyang City as a stepping stone, and would turn on them immediately once they obtain the treasures of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison...

"Father, what are you worried about?" Li Qing entered the study carrying a freshly brewed cup of spiritual tea. Seeing Li Xiong's furrowed brows, he couldn't help but ask...

Li Xiong looked up and handed the report to Li Qing: "Look for yourself... We can't find any clues about Liu Yang's background, which is more dangerous than knowing he has a powerful backer... We're like cooperating with a bottomless abyss right now; nobody knows what he'll do next..."

Li Qing quickly scanned the secret report, his face darkening: "This... how could we not find it? Every entrance to Qingyang City is watched by members of the Li family, how could he appear out of thin air?"

“Either he’s hidden his whereabouts, or he’s discovered our spies…” Li Xiong sighed. “Whether it’s the case or not, it shows that Liu Yang is more cautious and shrewd than we thought… From now on, you must be extra careful when cooperating with him. Don’t offend him easily, and don’t let him see through our intentions…”

“I understand, Father…” Li Qing nodded, but a sense of unease rose in his heart… He recalled the scene he had witnessed at the West Mountain Spirit Mine—when Liu Yang severely injured Wang Hu, there was no hesitation in his eyes, as if killing was just a trivial matter to him… Could such a person really keep his oath to the inner demon?

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the study, and a Li family cultivator strode in, bowing respectfully: "Clan leader, young master, the people we sent to investigate the suspected entrance to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison have returned. They discovered something unusual in the cave in Luoxia Mountain!"

"Oh?" Li Xiong's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Let him in!"

A moment later, a cultivator covered in mud entered the study. His clothes were scratched, indicating that he had encountered danger in the cave. "Clan leader, as you instructed, we went to explore the cave in Luoxia Mountain. Deep inside the cave, we discovered a stone door covered by an array. The patterns carved on the stone door are exactly the same as those at the entrance to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison recorded in ancient books!"

"Really?" Li Qing stood up excitedly. "Can the stone door be opened? Have you detected any danger?"

"The stone gate was sealed by an array. We tried to break it with our spiritual power, but it triggered a counterattack, and two of our brothers were injured by the array..." the cultivator said. "Moreover, there are quite a few first-tier demonic beasts called 'Crimson Flame Serpents' in the cave. They are very aggressive, and it took us a lot of effort to break through..."

Li Xiong pondered for a moment, then said to Li Qing, "Go and invite Fellow Daoist Liu. Tell him we've found a possible entrance to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison, and ask him to take a look... Remember, your attitude must be respectful; don't let him sense our suspicions..."

"Okay!" Li Qing quickly agreed, then turned and ran towards the quiet room...

Inside the quiet room, Liu Yang had recovered most of his spiritual energy... He opened his eyes, feeling the surging ice and fire spiritual energy within his body, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips—the battle with Wang Hu just now not only established his authority but also made him more proficient in using ice and fire spiritual energy, bringing him one step closer to the late stage of Foundation Establishment...

"Master, Li Qing is here..." Su Qingyao's voice came from outside the door...

Liu Yang stood up, straightened his clothes, and said, "Let him in..."

Li Qing pushed open the door to the quiet room, a smile on his face: "Brother Liu, I have good news for you! Our investigators have discovered a possible entrance to the Ice and Fire Prison in a cave in Luoxia Mountain. My father asked me to invite you over to take a look and confirm if it's true..."

A glint of light flashed in Liu Yang's eyes—the karst cave in Luoxia Mountain was exactly the place Su Qingyao had mentioned before... He had initially thought Su Qingyao was just mentioning it casually, but it turned out there was something truly unusual... "Alright, let's go now..."

The three left the meditation room and headed towards the outside of the Li residence... On the way, Li Qing briefly recounted the situation in the cave, including the Crimson Flame Serpents they encountered and the cultivators injured by the formation... After listening, Liu Yang thoughtfully remarked, "Crimson Flame Serpents prefer warm and humid places. The presence of Crimson Flame Serpents in the cave indicates that the temperature there is higher than other places, which matches the 'fire' attribute characteristic of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison... As for the formation, it should be used to guard the entrance. With the Ice and Thunder Token, breaking it shouldn't be difficult..."

Li Qing nodded, secretly admiring Liu Yang—not only was Liu Yang powerful, but he also had such a deep understanding of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Prison. It seemed that cooperating with him was indeed the right choice...

Before long, the three arrived at the entrance of the Li residence, where Li Xiong was already waiting with several Li family cultivators... Upon seeing Liu Yang, Li Xiong quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Fellow Daoist Liu, thank you for making this trip... The caves of Luoxia Mountain are quite far from here, but we have prepared flying artifacts. Shall we set off now?"

“Okay…” Liu Yang nodded, his gaze sweeping over the several cultivators behind Li Xiong—they were all core members of the Li family, their cultivation levels all above the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, clearly an arrangement by Li Xiong to deal with potential dangers…

The group boarded the flying magical artifact, the "Azure Phoenix Boat." The Azure Phoenix Boat was a blue wooden boat that could carry more than ten people at a time and flew at a very fast speed... As Li Xiong infused it with spiritual energy, the Azure Phoenix Boat slowly rose into the air, flying towards Mount Luoxia...

Standing beside Liu Yang, Su Qingyao lowered her voice and said, "Master, I've been to the caves in Luoxia Mountain before. The terrain inside is very complex, with many branching paths, making it easy to get lost... Although the Li family has found a possible entrance, there might be other dangers. We need to be extra careful..."

Liu Yang nodded slightly: "I know... When we get to the cave, stay close to me and don't act on your own... Although the Li family will help us, in crucial moments, we still have to rely on ourselves..."

Su Qingyao nodded, a hint of gratitude flashing in her eyes... Since she started following Liu Yang, although he had been very strict with her, he had a dual-elemental cultivation technique of ice and fire, and the Ice Thunder Token contained thunder attribute spiritual power. Could there be some connection between these three?

Just then, a fork in the road suddenly appeared ahead, with a door on each side. One door was red, and the other was red.