"Whew!" The Grand Elder did not immediately launch an attack; instead, she placed her hands at her sides, palms up, muttering under her breath in a language Li Yifei couldn’t understand. It seemed to be some kind of mysterious ancient language. As she chanted halfway, Li Yifei’s brow furrowed, suddenly sensing the surrounding atmosphere seemed to be condensing around them—this condensation was of Spirit Qi, as if an energy shield had materialized in the space, encapsulating both Li Yifei and the Grand Elder.

The barrier began to slowly transform, with some crimson aura emanating from the Grand Elder’s body, fusing into the shield, alongside the blood of the Sixth Elder. Initially, the blood had scattered with the rainwater, but was now being drawn toward the sky.

"Is it something akin to a force?" Li Yifei thought. He didn’t give the Grand Elder much time to prepare; considering it was the opponent’s attack technique, it meant the battle between them had already commenced. A streak of white light flashed as Li Yifei wielded a short blade, rushing toward the Grand Elder.

Swish, the Grand Elder’s body flickered briefly, instantly appearing several meters away, evading Li Yifei’s blade while continuing her incantations, the air continuing to solidify.

"Quite quick at dodging!" Li Yifei laughed heartily, though surprised, as the Grand Elder seemed to have grasped the rules of space, appearing to teleport momentarily. Of course, Li Yifei knew it wasn’t teleportation; rather... he himself had slowed down!

So that’s how it is, Li Yifei thought, watching the Grand Elder still murmuring her chant, instantly understanding the opponent’s purpose. This seemed to be something more advanced than force itself. Within this space, Li Yifei’s actions would slow down while the opponent’s speed would accelerate. Thus, in this imbalance, it appeared as though the Grand Elder leapt several meters as if teleporting.

Comprehending this, Li Yifei decided not to engage head-on. Despite his curiosity, due to the opponent’s excessive speed, confronting her directly would be too disadvantageous. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

With this in mind, Li Yifei quickly ran toward the boundary; the entity the Grand Elder conjured inevitably had a distance limitation.

To outsiders, Li Yifei seemed to have slowed dramatically, his movements resembling slow motion. Even so, compared to his previous speed, it was still quite fast.

"A domain, the Grand Elder has utilized a domain!" Old Master Zhao blurted out, seeing the scene, unable to contain himself. This domain the Grand Elder acquired from ancient texts is an exceptionally powerful battle aid; if given adequate time to unleash, any enemy within—or rather, anyone except the Grand Elder—will experience drastically slowed movements. How much the speed can slow down relies on the user’s cultivation level—if high enough, it can even imprison a person at a distance. Those trapped experience different effects based on their cultivation level.

Someone like Li Yifei, who can still run, is considered an elite master. However, deploying such domains indeed consumes copious amounts of True Qi and requires adequate time.

If Li Yifei had intervened initially, the Grand Elder couldn’t have released the domain, negating significant danger. Yet now the Grand Elder had begun unleashing the domain, making it difficult to impede her, as the domain’s effects have commenced, slowing Li Yifei while enhancing the Grand Elder’s speed.

The butler was somewhat excited, having been genuinely anxious before. If Li Yifei, as headstrong as he is, could defeat the Grand Elder, then everyone from the Zhao Family present would likely face misfortune. After all, such an expert couldn’t be resisted by the rest of the Zhao Family.

"Thankfully, thankfully!" The butler wiped his sweat; the domain was essentially the Grand Elder’s ultimate move. Once unleashed, the battle’s outcome was essentially decided.

Within the venue, Li Yifei dashed toward the boundary, about to reach it, when the surrounding space suddenly stilled, and a person appeared before him—it was the Grand Elder who had pursued him. Within her domain, her speed was significantly boosted, allowing her to catch up instantly.

Li Yifei stopped, understanding a principle: the entity would change according to her movement. In other words, if Li Yifei couldn’t escape immediately, the Grand Elder could always catch up with him at will.

Which means, once caught in this entity, escaping becomes arduous. Either defeat the opponent or be perpetually squashed by this unfair suppression.

Thus, Li Yifei halted—not to surrender, but to change tactics. The Grand Elder had completed her chant-like muttering, and her domain was now fully formed. Li Yifei sensed bodily changes, felt reassured, yet his movement indeed slowed.

"What is this?" Observing the Grand Elder’s face with a smug ’why aren’t you running anymore’ demeanor, Li Yifei felt mildly irritated, asking aloud.

The Grand Elder continued in a cryptic manner: "A domain!"

"Domain? What is that?" Li Yifei frowned, encountering a completely new term he’d never heard before.

It seemed the Grand Elder was in no rush to eliminate Li Yifei. Evidently, maintaining her domain didn’t consume excessive energy upon invocation. Hearing Li Yifei’s query, the Grand Elder explained: "A domain is something belonging to the next realm; only upon reaching that realm can you comprehend this ability!"

"The next realm? The Indescribable Realm?" Li Yifei’s eyelids twitched. He had heard the term ’Indescribable Realm’ multiple times, seemingly suggesting a realm beyond description. Yet upon hearing the Grand Elder’s words, Li Yifei froze, his heart pounding intensely. What did her words mean? Had she indeed reached that realm herself? She clearly remarked that only those who achieve such realms can grasp abilities called domains.

This evidently surpasses force considerably; simply its decelerative effect on foes, while boosting one’s own speed, is enough to induce madness.

If she truly reached that realm, Li Yifei realized he stood no chance against her; their levels differed entirely. In that moment, Li Yifei’s spirit inadvertently faltered.

Humming, as if in this instant, Li Yifei’s gaze turned vacant, and to onlookers, he seemed suddenly dazed. Moments later, he dropped the blade in his hand with a clang, narrowly missing his foot, without any reaction, while the Grand Elder wore a smug grin.

She initially employed mental assaults against Li Yifei, unaware of the resilience of his mind, repeatedly failing upon each attempt. Regardless, the Grand Elder remained unfazed, continuing her mental attacks during domain creation, finally exploiting the moment Li Yifei’s mind wavered, successfully seizing control over Li Yifei’s spirit.

In essence, she could now instruct Li Yifei to perform any act—self-harm included—a task she’d previously stated she intended to avoid. She hoped to keep this body intact as the perfect puppet, implying it couldn’t be easily damaged.

"Oh, indeed the Grand Elder is impressive once she acts!" The butler couldn’t help but applaud, with Zhao Family members cheering upon the scene. Old Master Zhao also sighed in relief, knowing that if the Grand Elder couldn’t repel the foe, surely nobody else could, promising doom for the Zhao Family thereafter.

Fortunately, fortunately, Old Master Zhao wiped sweat from his brow, nerves taut with tension.

After manipulating Li Yifei to perform several motions, the Grand Elder’s smile widened, determining her puppet status confirmed—no escape possible—considering recalling her domain to have Li Yifei restrained.

Yet at this juncture, the Grand Elder made a critical error, commanding Li Yifei to slap himself. It was another test—if Li Yifei committed to such an act, it indicated complete dominion over him.

Regrettably, as Li Yifei raised his hand, the slap didn’t connect as planned; instead, he paused for an instant, before lifting his gaze mere meters away, his pupils darkening as he grinned at the Grand Elder. "Are you sure you want me to slap myself?" he uttered.

Whew! The Grand Elder’s expression froze—eyes wide with surprise at Li Yifei, observing as he elevated his hand, swinging wide at the Grand Elder. Of course, Li Yifei remained within the Grand Elder’s domain, so his movements were sluggish.

Stunned by shock, the Grand Elder struggled to comprehend how Li Yifei defied mental control, having definitively subdued him...

Seeing the unfolding slap, the Grand Elder belatedly reacted, yet Li Yifei’s hand reached before her, the sharp wind striking her face. Despite no internal injuries, public shame awaited if struck.

Zhao Family Young Generation’s faces registered shock, struggling to digest the events, while the butler, in panic, crushed paving stones beneath his feet with a crack, glancing at Old Master Zhao equally anxious.

Swish, with the slap imminent on the Grand Elder’s cheek, she moved. To Zhao Family People, her figure flickered once, appearing meters away, then darting further swiftly, winding up beyond a dozen meters, leaving Li Yifei’s slap futilely swinging in air. With that motion, his form twisted somewhat, exhibiting the force behind the attempt.

Whew! Outside, the people collectively exhaled relief, acknowledging that had the Grand Elder fell here, nobody could thwart Li Yifei, whereas her nimbleness evaded harm.

The butler crushed another brick this time from excitement, sweating on behalf of the Grand Elder’s close call, unlike Old Master Zhao’s less relaxed demeanor since Li Yifei’s initial appearance, relying on the Grand Elder and Second Elder; but now...