"What did you just say? A beautiful man like you?" Lin Yu scoffed, eyes narrowing with disdain.
"You pathetic creature... Someone like you would've been sold to a brothel to work as a prostitute—and not even for low-grade spirit stones. Just... mortal money."
His voice was sharp, cruel, and piercing.
Even Su Chen, hiding below the hill, couldn't help but silently agree. In the brothels of Cloud Village, there truly were men like that—feminine, delicate, and dressed up to serve rich merchants.
The feminine man's expression twisted into rage.
"What did you say... you bastard?!"
Boom!
His spiritual energy exploded outward. He spun his wrist, forming a seal midair, and shouted:
"Void Seal!"
A surge of dark energy shot toward Lin Yu like a tidal wave.
Lin Yu's expression remained cold. He clasped his hands together, spiritual chants echoing around him. A golden light erupted from his body as he responded with:
"Buddha Seal!"
Boom!
The two techniques collided in midair with deafening force. The shockwaves made nearby stones tremble, though none shattered. Even the Enlightenment Tea Tree, veiled by powerful restrictions, stood unmoved beneath the chaos.
Above, the feminine man formed more hand seals. With a flash of energy, three identical clones appeared at his side.
Swish—!
All four figures—the real body and the clones—rushed into the air and descended upon Lin Yu in unison, forming a deadly encirclement.
"Lin Yu! They're attacking from all directions!" his weapon spirit warned, voice young and panicked.
Lin Yu's senses flared. He summoned another radiant Buddha figure made of pure golden light, its aura solemn and overwhelming. It surrounded him protectively as feathers—shining like blades—flew toward him from every direction.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The golden Buddha blocked most of the attacks, but Lin Yu's focus was forced to remain on defense. His breathing grew heavier.
Then, from above, the original body of the feminine man made his move.
He increased his output, spiritual power surging as he roared once more:
"Void Seal—Break!"
The next blast was far stronger.
Boom!
The golden Buddha figure surrounding Lin Yu cracked under the force.
Startled, Lin Yu reached into his storage ring and quickly hurled a golden Buddhist garland treasure forward. It emitted a sacred light that collided with the void seal, halting its advance just in time.
But just then—
"Lin Yu! From below—!" his weapon spirit suddenly screamed.
Lin Yu's eyes widened.
Too late.
Before Lin Yu could react, a previously hidden clone erupted from the ground and slammed into the bottom of the Buddha figure, cracking it further.
Crack!
A jagged fissure appeared in the golden light shield. Then, one of the feminine man's clones rushed forward and hugged the Buddha figure tightly—before self-destructing.
Boom!
The explosion sent shockwaves through the air. The golden figure shattered like glass.
Before Lin Yu could recover, the remaining clones converged and self-destructed at the same time.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Before Lin Yu could react, all of the feminine man's clones rushed toward him from every direction—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
They self-destructed simultaneously.
Waves of violent qi exploded outward, tearing through the ground, shaking stones, and causing debris to scatter in every direction. The shockwave was deafening.
A painful, ragged howl echoed through the dust-filled air.
"Aaaahh! You… bitch… slut… I'll kill you!"
The voice was unmistakable. As the smoke cleared, the figure trembling in rage and pain was Lin Yu.
Though he'd worn several protective treasures, the sheer force of the coordinated explosion had overwhelmed them. His right arm was mangled—reduced to little more than crushed flesh and torn muscle. Blood poured freely from his nose and mouth, dripping down his chin.
His face twisted—not in pain, but in humiliation.
He wasn't just furious at the feminine man who had ambushed him.
He was furious that his master… hadn't stepped in to protect him.
Across the battlefield, the feminine man's condition wasn't much better.
He had fallen to one knee, gasping for breath. His spiritual energy was almost depleted, and the aftershock of controlling so many clones at once had taken its toll.
Without hesitation, he pulled out several holy-grade healing plants from his storage pouch, quickly chewing on a few and swallowing them. The rest he sealed away for later.
Meanwhile, Lin Yu, despite his injuries, remained focused. He retrieved a bottle of healing medicine from his storage ring and swallowed it in one gulp. While it wasn't anything extraordinary by itself, the resources he had obtained after entering the Immortal Palace had changed everything.
His physique was already adapting.
The shattered bones and torn muscles in his arm began to twitch and slowly mend themselves.
At this rate, with the aid of the medicine and his improved body, his arm would fully heal within two hours.
But neither of them had the chance to recover in peace.
A new presence descended from the sky.
Swish—
The air split with a piercing sound as a figure slowly landed near the Enlightenment Tea Tree.
It was a youth, dressed in an imperial golden robe, embroidered with a majestic black dragon that coiled across his back. Every thread shimmered with divine brilliance. His aura was heavy—noble and terrifying, like a sleeping dragon that had just awakened.
His expression was calm, but the temperature around him dropped several degrees.
It was Jiang Chen.
But something about him was different. He was majestic, quieter—his presence more oppressive than before, Full with dragon aura.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly and said, "It seems our fellow Daoists have already begun fighting… and yet the true treasure, the Enlightenment Tea, hasn't even emerged from its restriction. I doubt breaking the seal will be easy. If any of us tries to do it alone, it'll be near impossible."
He glanced at the others, his tone calm but firm. "How about this—we work together to break the restriction first. Once it's open, we can divide the treasure fairly."
Both Lin Yu and the feminine man looked like they wanted to refuse, but before either could speak, Jiang Chen's gaze shifted—landing precisely on the dense underbrush where Su Chen and the child were hiding.
"Why don't the other fellow Daoist come out as well?" he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Since you're already here, wouldn't it be better to lend a hand?"