I asked you to go down the mountain and get married, not to shock the world!

Ye Chuhan's bargaining attitude and incessant chatter finally enraged Xue Lian, who was already known for his violent temper.

"Enough with the noise!" A flash of bloodlust appeared in Xue Lian's eyes as he lost his patience. "Since you don't know what's good for you, then I'll let you taste the consequences first!"

Before he finished speaking, the ghostly claw that had grabbed a villager suddenly blazed with black light!

A thick, dark, sinister aura, accompanied by a mournful howl, poured wildly into the body of the middle-aged male villager!

"what--!!!"

The villager let out a bloodcurdling scream that sounded inhuman, and his body convulsed and twisted violently!

His skin instantly turned bluish-black, his eyes rolled back, leaving only the whites of his eyes, and his blood vessels bulged and writhed under his skin like black earthworms!

A violent, chaotic, and destructive energy erupted from his body!

The Blood Refinement was actually a form of evil magic that forcibly catalyzed the process, turning this innocent villager into a temporary evil puppet who only knew how to kill and was filled with sinister energy!

"Go! Kill them!" Blood Refining grinned maliciously, releasing his control over the evil puppet.

The evil puppet that the villager had transformed into let out a beast-like roar, its body shrouded in black mist, and it pounced on Ye Chuhan, who was closest to it, with incredible speed!

His five fingers formed claws, the tips of which were pitch black and sharp, carrying a bloody scent, as he went straight for Ye Chuhan's heart!

Its speed and power are in no way inferior to those of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator!

"Bastard!" Ye Chuhan's eyes were bloodshot as he watched the life that was so vibrant just a moment ago turn into this state, and his heart was filled with boundless rage!

But he had no choice but to react, using his Wind Spirit Footwork to swiftly dodge the fatal claw.

The evil puppet's claw missed its mark, instead gripping the nearby rock wall, leaving several deep grooves and sending fragments of rock flying!

"Jizhou!" Ye Chuhan looked anxiously at Jizhou while dodging the evil puppet's frenzied and chaotic attacks.

He knew that the evil puppet had been completely corrupted by evil energy, its soul and spirit destroyed, and there was no possibility of saving it. All that remained was a dangerous, driven shell.

Jizhou's heart was bleeding. He looked at the villagers, whose faces were unrecognizable and who were left only with the instinct to kill, and then at the other villagers in the ghost claws who were trembling and almost fainting from fright. An indescribable grief and murderous intent surged into his heart.

The act of blood refining is extremely vicious!

Not only do they harm the innocent, but they also try to pin the blame for the massacre of their compatriots on them!

"We can't hesitate any longer!" Pain flashed in Jizhou's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

He understood that any leniency at this moment would lead to the deaths of more innocent people, including him and Ye Chuhan!

"Chu Han! Subdue him! Release him!" Ji Zhou's voice was hoarse, but unusually firm.

Upon hearing this, Ye Chuhan knew that this was the only option.

He stopped dodging, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he unleashed the remaining spiritual power in his body with all his might. He increased his speed again, seized an opening when the evil puppet pounced, and suddenly closed in, locking the evil puppet's arms tightly with his hands like iron hoops!

"Roar!" The evil puppet struggled frantically, and the black energy continuously eroded Ye Chuhan's protective aura.

Ji Zhou seized the opportunity and, instead of using a powerful spell, pointed his fingers like a sword and unleashed a finely condensed cyan wind blade, as thin as a hair, at a speed that surpassed the ability of sight to perceive!

"laugh--"

The wind blade grazed the evil puppet's neck with perfect precision.

The evil puppet's struggling movements suddenly froze, its bluish-black head separating from its body and rolling to the ground.

No blood gushed from the wound; only thick black mist dissipated. The headless torso twitched a few times and then stopped moving.

The whole process was clean and efficient, without causing the evil puppet any further suffering.

A moment of deathly silence fell over the cave.

Immediately, the remaining villagers, who had been grabbed by the ghostly claws, let out even more desperate and terrified howls and cries!

They witnessed their companions being turned into monsters and then mercilessly slaughtered; the immense fear nearly consumed them!

"Hahaha! See that? This is what a so-called righteous sect looks like! They're just as ruthless and efficient at killing mortals!" Xue Lian laughed maniacally, his tone filled with twisted pleasure. "Who's next?"

He manipulated the ghostly claw, moving it among the remaining villagers, seemingly selecting his next target.

Ji Zhou and Ye Chuhan were panting heavily, staring intently at Xue Lian, their eyes as cold as ice.

Anger and murderous intent gathered in their hearts, almost bursting out of their chests.

Blood Refining used the most cruel methods to drive them into a desperate situation.

At this moment, it's not just about saving lives, but also about eliminating this utterly depraved monster!

Xue Lian's nauseating laughter and the villagers' desperate cries pierced Ji Zhou and Ye Chuhan's nerves like poison needles.

We must not let this tragedy repeat itself!

Just as Bloodforged's ghostly claws were about to lock onto their next target, and its mind was completely absorbed in manipulating evil magic and enjoying the opponent's pain, a resolute light suddenly burst forth in Jizhou's eyes!

He no longer suppressed the primordial power within his body that originated from the Glazed Golden Flame Fruit!

A burst of crimson-gold spiritual light, far purer and hotter than before, carrying a sacred and purifying aura, suddenly emanated from his dantian, instantly dispelling the evil black energy surrounding him!

The next moment, Jizhou did not focus all his attack power on the Blood Refining Body. Instead, he used all his spiritual power and the suddenly erupting crimson gold spiritual power to crash into the Yin Sha Banner, which was slightly loosened due to its master's distraction, and the Yin Fire Ghost Claw that was grabbing the villager!

This is not a physical attack, but a more direct and fundamental energy shock and interference!

In particular, the purifying properties contained in the crimson gold spiritual power have a natural restraining effect on evil energy!

"Om-!"

The Yin Sha Banner trembled violently, and the human faces on the banner emitted even sharper and more chaotic wails, causing the black energy it was releasing to pause!

The ghostly claw of Yin Fire also dimmed suddenly under the impact of the crimson-gold spiritual light, its structure became unstable, and its restraint on the villagers loosened for a moment!

"what?!"

Xue Lian's expression changed drastically as he felt his control over the magical artifact and the ghost claw rapidly decreasing!

That fiery, pure power filled him with disgust and a hint of fear from the depths of his soul!

"Save them!" Ji Zhou roared hoarsely.

He maintained this full-force spiritual pressure, and his face turned deathly pale at a visible speed, clearly under immense strain!

Ye Chuhan and Ji Zhou were perfectly in sync. Almost at the same time Ji Zhou erupted, Ye Chuhan charged out like a wild horse!

This time, his goal was clear—not to attack, but to rescue!

Ignoring his own safety, he pushed his speed to the limit, transforming into a streak of green, and rushed straight at the flickering, ghostly claw of Yin Fire!

"Open it for me!"

Ye Chuhan roared, the wind spirit power in his hands spinning wildly, forming two small wind drills, which he fiercely stabbed at the weakest point where the ghost claw connected to the villager's body!

"Hey!"

Under the interference of Jizhou's spiritual pressure and Ye Chuhan's all-out attack, the Yin Fire Ghost Claw was finally forcibly torn open!

The remaining three villagers fell from mid-air like dumplings being dropped into a pot!

Ye Chuhan reacted swiftly, spreading his arms and gently supporting them with the power of wind spirits. At the same time, he kept moving and desperately retreated towards the corner of the cave with the three of them!

"You bastards! How dare you!"

Blood Refining was furious. With the hostages being rescued, his plan was about to fail!

He frantically channeled his spiritual power, trying to stabilize the Yin Sha Banner and kill Ye Chuhan, who had ruined his plans!