Chapter 52

At this moment, a deep and familiar voice echoed: "White Rainbow Pierces the Sun!" In the midst of the white clouds, a sword aura shot straight towards the direction of the Emerald Valley. Ximen Shuai and Lin Fan exchanged glances and immediately flew out of their hiding place. As they approached, they saw sword rain falling over the Emerald Valley, with a purple-robed figure directing the sword rain to rain down on the valley.

"Zhang Tongyuan," Ximen Shuai and Lin Fan said in unison. Indeed, it was him. What was this guy doing here?

Zhang Tongyuan seemed not to have noticed them, focusing entirely on his sword. At this moment, a green barrier rose, enveloping the entire valley. The Emerald Screen had been activated. Zhang Tongyuan laughed heartily: "Man and Sword as One."

The sword rain disappeared, and Zhang Tongyuan vanished. The White Rainbow Sword glowed brightly, flying to strike the Emerald Screen, causing the entire valley to tremble. The White Rainbow Sword was deflected into the air, and Zhang Tongyuan and the White Rainbow Sword separated. Zhang Tongyuan shouted: "Man and Sword as One Again."

Another strike...

Ximen Shuai nodded: "When a Yuan Ying expert merges with their sword, it is generally effective in battle because this move is very powerful, but it is slow. Most people will dodge the attack and counterattack the merged sword, which not only damages the sword but also directly attacks the sword wielder. This move is purely offensive and lacks defense. However, it is highly effective against immobile defensive barriers."

"Man and Sword as One!" Zhang Tongyuan charged again, relentlessly striking the Emerald Screen. The screen, originally green, gradually faded with each strike. Just as the Emerald Screen was about to be breached, a purple light broke through the screen, coinciding with the moment Zhang Tongyuan and the White Rainbow Sword were deflected.

Zhang Tongyuan was about to strike again when he noticed a purple-robed woman with purple, swirling eyes in front of him. Zhang Tongyuan's heart sank, but the Purple Pupil Technique had already been activated, plunging Zhang Tongyuan into an icy illusion.

"Break the Illusion!" Ximen Shuai's Seven Break Flags flew swiftly, paused in the air, and the flags fluttered, emitting a radiant light. Zhang Tongyuan immediately broke free from the illusion, but it was too late. Ziyexi had already used her true essence to form a hand, breaking through Zhang Tongyuan's protective true qi and striking his chest.

In the Man and Sword as One state, the White Rainbow Sword had no protective ability. This blow was solid, and Zhang Tongyuan was thrown like a broken kite, crashing into a mountain a hundred paces away.

"Shrink Heaven and Earth!" Lin Fan suddenly appeared in front of Ziyexi, grabbing her hand: "Nine Turns to Trap Demons!" Using the enemy's own technique against them, who doesn't know a couple of circular techniques?

Ximen Shuai and Lin Fan worked in perfect harmony. As soon as Lin Fan got a hold, Ximen Shuai wasted no time. The Noon and Midnight Rings spun to their limit, emitting a blood-red light as Ziyexi's head flew off, and she was killed on the spot. Lin Fan regained his freedom, grabbed the headless body, and noticed something unusual. He casually pulled it off, revealing a jade bracelet. Lin Fan looked around: it seemed to be a magical treasure. No wonder evil people liked to kill and plunder. Finding a magical treasure required not only cunning but also divine providence. Now he had somehow obtained one...

Ximen Shuai glanced at it, finding it quite ordinary and uninterested in dividing the spoils with Lin Fan. At this moment, Zhang Tongyuan returned, shouting: "Damn your ancestors... What are you two doing here? Why are you causing trouble?"

Zhang Tongyuan was stunned for a moment and then exclaimed in shock: "Are you here to get the fox fur too?"

After the battle with Ximen Shuai and Lin Fan, Zhang Tongyuan was dissatisfied with the sect leader and in a bad mood. Hearing that the Emerald Valley was home to a thousand-year-old fox, he thought it was ridiculous that a sword expert like himself didn't have a decent storage bag. So he left a message and came alone to the desolate land. Upon arrival, he didn't investigate or scout; he just used his divine power and attacked. If not for Ximen Shuai's Seven Break Flags, Zhang Tongyuan would have perished there.

"No," Lin Fan said sheepishly. "We're here to kidnap."

"Kidnap?" Zhang Tongyuan was puzzled.

"Yes, this thousand-year-old fox is the beloved wife of the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, the leader of the Purple Pupil Sect."

"Wow, you're shameless... But I like this method." Zhang Tongyuan stroked his chin. He was indeed inferior, only thinking of eliminating the threat and getting the fur. Seeing their approach, he realized they didn't care about the fox's fur but aimed for the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord's treasure, directly kidnapping. What a difference... Zhang Tongyuan asked: "Can I join in?"

Ximen Shuai was exasperated: "How do we divide it?" Lin Fan's share was still on credit, and he hadn't figured out where to get a thousand-year-old beast. Now another troublemaker had joined.

Just as they were talking, the thousand-year-old fox inside the Emerald Screen shouted angrily: "You so-called righteous sects bully the weak and women. Do you have any shame?"

Zhang Tongyuan laughed: "I want the fur, not the face... Hey, can I join? If not, I'll take care of this demon."

Lin Fan looked at Ximen Shuai, leaving the decision to him. Ximen Shuai hesitated. Zhang Tongyuan was good at breaking the Emerald Screen, but getting the fox fur wasn't his goal. However, without cooperation, kidnapping would be difficult... Damn, it's not kidnapping, it's a deal. It had been half an hour, and the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord would be back soon.

"Whatever! I don't care. Man and Sword as One!" Zhang Tongyuan struck the Emerald Screen again, which was now dim and lifeless.

Soon, Zhang Tongyuan broke through the Emerald Screen and shouted: "The Daoist is here." He rushed into the Emerald Valley.

"Let's go!" Ximen Shuai nodded, and they entered the Emerald Valley together.

As soon as they entered the Emerald Valley, the scenery changed. Flowers floated in the air, and a woman's laughter echoed by the stream. Ximen Shuai knew they had entered an illusion and quickly summoned the Seven Break Flags. At that moment, a pair of snake-like hands wrapped around him from behind: "Husband!"

Ximen Shuai's heart skipped a beat as he turned to look: "It's you, you... why aren't you wearing clothes? No, it's an illusion."

"Does the husband want to kill me?" the woman said pitifully. "My soul is trapped here, unable to leave. Please, husband..."

As she spoke, Ximen Shuai's heart wavered. It wasn't just an illusion... No, no. Ximen Shuai could only exclaim, but he couldn't recall what kind of array this was. Once in the illusion, he couldn't use the Seven Break Flags.

What kind of array? This was a seduction technique, a fusion of the fox's seduction and the Purple Pupil Technique. When Ximen Shuai turned to look at the woman, he was already in the illusion. Since the fox had no help, she couldn't attack Ximen Shuai, so she used the seduction technique to trap him.

Lin Fan saw Shangguan Feiyan, who wrapped herself around him naked. Lin Fan started sweating, but he felt a slight disgust towards Shangguan Feiyan.

Zhang Tongyuan, on the other hand, shouted in surprise: "So many naked women..."

The thousand-year-old fox operated the technique, laughing coldly. Three inexperienced brats dared to scheme against her. They were asking for death.