Ningyan grabbed Su Mian, managing to pull her hand away from her forehead. Instantly, his expression changed.

That seal.

The same seal from the other night.

The seal he had been certain he destroyed was glowing brightly on her forehead once more.

Ningyan gritted his teeth. "This can’t be happening."

He pressed his palm against her forehead, his eyes igniting with a vivid purple glow as he tried to remove it, but it seemed the blue moon was strengthening the seal instead.

His spiritual energy eased her pain slightly, but it was nowhere near enough.

Su Mian cried and wailed in agony, her entire body trembling violently, and the sound was enough to draw Yan Wuhen and the other two children over immediately.

"What is happening?" Wuhen asked.

"I will take care of it." Ningyan quickly carried Su Mian into the house, laying her carefully on the bed before focusing all his power on cleansing the seal, but moments later, Su Mian suddenly passed out.

And still, the seal remained.

Ningyan’s expression darkened heavily before his eyes widened in realization.

"They never intended to let me leave that easily."

Outside, Yan Wuhen, who remained with Su Miao and Su Ruo, suddenly sensed something. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

His eyes lifted sharply toward the sky.

Hovering before the massive blue moon in the distance was a gigantic golden phoenix.

The surrounding winds began roaring violently, and a thick demonic aura spread through the area like a rising storm.

Wuhen instantly went on alert while the children clung tightly to him.

Then, the phoenix descended before the house alongside five others, all wielding demon tools as though the weapons were extensions of their own bodies.

Xie Zhenting stood at the front in all his golden glory.

His purple eyes landed on Wuhen, amusement flickering across his handsome face.

"What a pleasant surprise. You must be Yan Wuhen." His lips curved faintly. "It is truly an honour to stand in your presence. You look every bit as formidable as the stories claim."

His gaze then shifted toward the children, and his smile deepened.

Wuhen, however, spoke coldly to them.

"Go to your father."

The children nodded hurriedly before rushing back into the house.

The moment they disappeared inside, Wuhen moved.

A fierce red-gold glow exploded from his body and slammed against the house before spreading across every outer surface, forming a powerful barrier that sealed the entire building completely.

No one would enter. And no one would leave.

At least for now.

Xie Zhenting burst into laughter, shaking his head in amusement.

"What exactly do you intend to do? Kill me?" he asked lazily. "I come in peace, Yan Wuhen."

"You come in peace while your companions wield demon tools?" Wuhen replied calmly, tilting his head, though the danger in his voice was unmistakable.

"We are here for our kin," Xie Zhenting answered smoothly. "Not the child. Only Su Ningyan."

Yan Wuhen smirked as though he had just heard the greatest joke in existence.

And that expression alone greatly wounded Xie Zhenting’s pride.

"I have heard of your greatness, your feats, but you are nothing more than a child to me, so—" He did not get to finish.

Wuhen suddenly appeared before him, and with a single strike to his chest, Xie Zhenting was blasted backwards through the air. He stopped himself midair almost instantly, boots skidding against nothingness before he straightened with a deep frown.

He slowly lifted his head, glaring at Wuhen.

Wuhen’s tails had already flared out behind him like roaring crimson-gold flames.

The other phoenixes immediately moved to attack, but Xie Zhenting raised a hand sharply, stopping them where they stood. He rose upright, rubbing his chest before clearing his throat as though forcing himself to remain calm.

"Well then."

A freezing white glow instantly erupted around his body, cold enough to distort the surrounding air as he stared directly into Wuhen’s eyes.

"I did not come here to kill you, Yan Wuhen, but perhaps I should have expected this. Our Ningyan surrounds himself with powerful divine beasts... obstacles I have long planned to eradicate."

The moment those words fell, Xie Zhenting charged.

Wuhen blocked him effortlessly.

For the first time, surprise flashed across Xie Zhenting’s face, while Wuhen’s own expression split into a wild smile that reached his red-gold eyes.

Then Wuhen drove a brutal punch straight into Xie Zhenting’s face.

The impact exploded across the night.

Their clash instantly descended into a full battle, waves of spiritual pressure tearing through the surroundings hard enough to shake the earth beneath them.

Meanwhile, the phoenixes wielding the demon tools spread themselves around the house. They stretched out their hands, sending streams of sizzling qi crashing against Wuhen’s protective barrier with the clear intention of destroying it.

Inside the house, Ningyan had finally succeeded in removing the seal, but Su Mian still remained unconscious.

He let out a shaky breath as the pressure from the battle outside trembled through the building itself. Cracks had already begun forming across the visible barrier Wuhen had created.

Ningyan swallowed hard and looked toward Su Miao and Su Ruo, both of whom looked terrified.

"Come here," he whispered.

He pulled them both into his arms, hugging them tightly before kissing their foreheads.

"Make sure you all stay together," he said softly, tears gathering in his eyes.

As though sensing danger, Su Miao immediately shook his head. "Father...?"

Su Ruo burst into tears.

Ningyan’s heart clenched painfully at the sight of them.

"I will come to you soon," he whispered, cupping Su Ruo’s face carefully. "I just need to take care of something important."

She looked at him like she was terrified he would disappear.

Ningyan forced himself to pull away.

A glowing purple portal instantly formed beneath the children, swallowing them whole and transporting them directly to the Azure Dragon Clan.

It would be enough to alert Jun Haoxuan that something was wrong.

The very moment the children vanished, Wuhen’s protective barrier shattered.

And a violent surge of ominous purple energy exploded from Ningyan’s body, powerful enough to force the surrounding phoenixes staggering backwards in disorientation.

He burst out of the house and went straight for the first phoenix wielding a staff. Her eyes were blood-red, dark veins spreading along her neck as she lunged at him like a feral beast.

They collided instantly.

The others joined the battle at once, surrounding Ningyan from every direction, forcing him to fight all of them simultaneously.

But then he noticed something strange.

As fiercely as they attacked him, none of them were aiming to kill him.

Unfortunately for them, Ningyan had no intention of showing mercy.

Purple essence wrapped around his hand as he struck forward violently, his fingers plunging straight into one phoenix’s abdomen. He grabbed the beast core and crushed it without hesitation.

A horrifying scream tore through the night before the phoenix combusted into golden flames.

The moment it happened, the others immediately retreated.

Ningyan lowered his gaze toward the demon tool that had fallen from the phoenix’s grasp, only for it to suddenly dissolve into purple light and vanish.

His eyes widened.

The demon tool had not disappeared.

The crystal had absorbed it. Straight into the crystal space.

Shock coursed through him hard enough to make him freeze.

The remaining phoenixes immediately took advantage of the opening, throwing their demon tools toward him at once.

But the moment the weapons touched his aura, they were swallowed by his purple essence and vanished one after another.

Ningyan’s heart skipped violently. "No... what...?"

Before he could process it, the phoenixes all raised their hands simultaneously.

Chains erupted into existence around him. The same purple chains the fake Su Ruyin had used before. They wrapped tightly around his limbs and waist as a massive sealing formation ignited beneath his feet.

Ningyan’s glowing purple eyes widened. He could not move.

The seal was suppressing him completely.

"No...! Wuhen!"

In the distance, Yan Wuhen immediately turned at the sound of his voice.

He had been locked in battle against Xie Zhenting, landing blow after blow against the ancient phoenix, but the instant he heard Ningyan scream, his expression changed.

Red-gold flames exploded violently around him.

In a blink, he vanished from the battlefield and reappeared beside Ningyan, the sheer force of his flames blasting the chains apart instantly.

The sealing formation beneath Ningyan shattered.

Wuhen immediately wrapped an arm around Ningyan’s waist and pulled him against his body protectively while the red-gold flames of his nine tails spiraled around them both.

Ningyan was breathing hard, his body trembling slightly from the suppression of the seal.

But despite his relief at being freed, panic still filled his eyes.

He grabbed Wuhen’s sleeve tightly.

"Wuhen... the demon tools..."

Wuhen looked down at him immediately. "What about them?"

"The crystal absorbed them."

For the first time, genuine surprise crossed Wuhen’s face.

But before he could respond, Xie Zhenting attacked again.

A blast of white flame roared toward them with terrifying force.

Wuhen was forced to let go of Ningyan to block the attack before it could hit him directly.

The impact sent violent pressure exploding through the area.

Ningyan staggered backward and dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.

"Well, well..." A familiar voice drifted through the chaos.

Ningyan slowly lifted his head.

The fake Su Ruyin stood before him once more, smiling down at him.

And beneath Ningyan’s feet, the sealing formation began to glow again.