The two of them quickly collected the Phoenix Blood Ancient Vine.

The sound of rushing air echoed from the distance. Lin Muyun had returned. The two men who had been with him were gone. They had either been abandoned as bait or had voluntarily lured away the Blood Demon to create an opportunity for Lin Muyun.

Seeing this, Lü Zhong pulled Yu Feng’Er into his arms. Their auras immediately faded until they were nearly undetectable.

BANG!

The gourd-shaped, agate Flying Magical Artifact didn’t slow in the slightest as it smashed into the stone mountain.

Before the dust cloud could settle, Lin Muyun rushed out.

He had paid an enormous price to obtain the Phoenix Blood Ancient Vine. Not only had he used up Talismans and Pills while fleeing for his life, but he would also have to pay a large sum of Spirit Stones as compensation for the two decoys who had already died.

Thankfully, everything had gone according to plan.

As long as he, Lin Muyun, obtained the Phoenix Blood Ancient Vine, he could heal the old injuries that had plagued him for years. Then, with the resources his clan had accumulated, he could make even greater progress—perhaps even recapture the glory of his ancestors.

’And restore the Lin Family to its former glory as a Golden Core Clan!’

’It’s a shame,’ Lin Muyun thought as he ran. ’If that Lü fellow had come, I wouldn’t have needed to use Zhu and Liu as decoys. With his strength, he was able to kill the Sword Cultivator Ma Cheng; he might have actually been able to hold off the Blood Demon.’

His gaze swept over the two corpses on the ground without a hint of shame.

’They had poor judgment. It served them right for being used.’

But when he rushed onto the stone mountain, where was the Phoenix Blood Ancient Vine?

A mouthful of blood rushed up his throat, and Lin Muyun nearly spat it out.

’To think that after all my scheming and hard work, someone else swooped in and snatched the prize!’

Looking toward the horizon, he saw a Blood Shadow speeding toward him—it was the Blood Demon.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Muyun dared not linger. He immediately collected the two bodies from the ground. Even with the men dead, bringing their corpses back would serve as an explanation to their families.

Doing so would also help mitigate his losses and preserve the Lin Family’s reputation.

With a wave of his hand, he was about to flee on the agate gourd.

Unexpectedly, however, the Blood Demon’s flight speed was even faster than before.

Before Lin Muyun could even take to the sky, he was struck by a Blood Shadow, which knocked both him and the gourd out of the air. The Blood Shadow then weaved back and forth, launching a furious assault on him.

"You damned beast, have you gone insane!"

Both shocked and furious, Lin Muyun struggled to parry the blows.

The Blood Demon’s sudden frenzy was surely related to the missing Phoenix Blood Ancient Vine, but the vine truly wasn’t on him. His frustration at this moment was beyond words.

In a flash, a large chunk of flesh was torn from his arm.

He frantically activated the Jade Token in his hand, calling for his two helpers to rush to his aid. At the same time, the agate gourd beneath him poured out a constant stream of Glazed Treasure Sand, attempting to slow the Blood Demon’s flight.

He then cast a Tier Two Spell, the Water Condensation Shield, to protect himself.

In his current situation, Lin Muyun could only defend his position and wait for reinforcements.

Down below, Lü Zhong was preparing to leave with Yu Feng’Er.

After retreating for more than a thousand zhang, Yu Feng’Er suddenly stopped. She seemed to be struggling with indecision, and sent a voice transmission: "Husband, look... shouldn’t we help Fellow Daoist Lin? With our combined strength, it wouldn’t be difficult to save him from the Blood Demon."

Lü Zhong knew what she was thinking.

She simply felt guilty for seizing the opportunity from him and then leaving him to die.

If it had been anyone else, he would have given up on them immediately.

Otherwise, they would surely become a burden in the future. The danger of an incompetent teammate was far greater than one might imagine.

As for Yu Feng’Er, Lü Zhong felt there was still hope for her.

Considering the bond between them, it was worth trying to set her straight this once.

Lü Zhong did not consider himself a cold-blooded and heartless person.

Recalling the shocking secret he had discovered when he replayed the scene on the stone mountain, he decided to teach Yu Feng’Er another lesson. If she could come to her senses in time, all the better.

"Let me be blunt: the Cultivation Realm has always been a place where the strong prey on the weak. You might save someone’s life, but they won’t necessarily be grateful. They might even turn around and try to harm you. I hope you’re prepared for that!"

"Husband..." Yu Feng’Er sensed the hidden meaning in his words.

The two of them took flight, speeding toward the distant stone mountain.

Lü Zhong flew in the lead. He had already summoned the Dragon and Tiger Banner and the Qingyang Mirror, and held the Golden Sun Spirit Sword in his hand, showing just how seriously he regarded the Blood Demon.

Fortunately, the beast had already been tied up in a fight with Lin Muyun and the others, so its strength had surely fallen from its peak.

If they acted now, even if they couldn’t slay the Blood Demon, rescuing Lin Muyun shouldn’t be a problem.

Lü Zhong was confident he had the strength to do so.

On the stone mountain, Lin Muyun was still desperately holding on.

’My Magical Power is nearly depleted. I’ve taken so many Replenishing Qi Pills that they’re barely having any effect... Is this it? Am I, Lin Muyun, going to die here?’ His heart seethed with unwillingness, but faced with the Blood Demon, he was powerless to turn the tide.

The beast’s strength was far beyond his expectations.

Now that it had abandoned its Metamorphosis and was consuming its accumulated Demon Core Essence, its power was even more terrifying.

The Blood Demon transformed into a Blood Shadow and shot forward, snapping its jaws.

The Water Condensation Shield wavered on the verge of collapse. The color drained from Lin Muyun’s face as the last of his already meager True Essence was mostly consumed. He could only hold on for another two or three breaths.

Just then, the silhouette of a sword wreathed in Golden Flame came slashing down from the sky.

The Blood Demon dodged, avoiding the blow.

Immediately after, Lü Zhong released his Divine Sense, instantly eliminating all blind spots.

Detecting a Blood Shadow diving down from behind, he unhesitatingly slashed out with two condensed Late Sun Magic Swords.

Against an agile Demon Beast like this, ranged attacks from Magic Skills or Spiritual Artifacts were not very effective. The best method was close-quarters combat. Generally, practitioners of Body Refining Mystic Cultivation were their greatest bane.