"How do you know that?"
"Yue Jinghong said he would protect me." Before Fu Tian could finish speaking, Ye Lanshan cut him off directly.
Just as Fu Tian opened his mouth to say something, a sudden clap of thunder rang out, accompanied by a thick murderous aura.
"Truly, one wave after another." Ye Lanshan held her forehead in frustration. Why had she taken in so many troublesome people?
"Sikong Rong, I never expected you to be hiding here. We've had quite the time finding you. Oh, and there's a little beauty here too. Tsk tsk, you're quite lucky in romance. But once I capture you and take you back, this little beauty will be mine."
A group of black-clad figures surrounded the place, and the one leading them wore a blue luxurious robe—a color that should have been calm and composed, but on him, it exuded a sleazy vibe.
Though this wasn't an era that judged by appearances, for Ye Lanshan, who appreciated beautiful things, this man's looks were truly unbearable.
His eyes were two thin slits, so narrow that if you didn't look closely, you'd think they were closed. He had a cleft lip, a slightly crooked nose, and his face was covered in red and black spots. His voice was also shrill.
If he were just ugly, that would be one thing, but the key issue was that he was now swaggering around on her turf, claiming she was his—practically asking for a beating.
"You're asking for death." Before Ye Lanshan could say anything, Yun Di had already angrily launched into a fight with them.
At that moment, Ye Yu also charged in. That was the young lady he would protect with his life—how dare this man insult her like this? His rage had now overpowered his reason, and ignoring his still-healing body, he joined the brawl with those men.
Sikong Rong, whose face had been burned by flames, immediately shouted, "How dare you burn me! Once I take you all back, I'll make sure to report you thoroughly to the family head, and you'll experience all eighteen forms of torture!"
"Should I say you have no brains, or should I say you have no brains? Do you really think you can take them away with me here?" Ye Lanshan had never encountered such a stupid enemy before.
"Little beauty, being too arrogant means you won't live long. I advise you to stay put and wait here. Once I catch them, I'll take you back as my tenth concubine, so you can avoid physical suffering." Sikong Rong stared at Ye Lanshan, unable to help swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
At this, Ye Lanshan's gaze turned completely cold. Without another word, she directly pulled out a dagger and in an instant was at his side.
Sikong Rong quickly bent over and retreated backward, barely avoiding the tragedy of having his throat slit. His demeanor turned dark and menacing. "Little beauty, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."
"Is that so? I'd like to taste what this forfeit is like." A slow smile curled at the corner of Ye Lanshan's mouth, her entire presence becoming elusive, as if she might vanish in the next second. This was a precursor to her anger. Whenever she showed this state, the other party was in for trouble.
If any cultivators from her past life saw her in this state, they would likely cast a sympathetic glance at her opponent and say, "You're done for. Get ready to be sliced to pieces."
"How utterly clueless." Sikong Rong snorted coldly, forming a bow and arrow with his hands, and fired five arrows at her simultaneously, leaving her no room to dodge.
Only after Ye Lanshan used her "Six-Sided Fire Shield" was she barely able to block his arrows, though cracks had already appeared on the shield.
"This guy's strength isn't bad. Perfect for you to practice on." Wu Jiao had somehow come out of the space again, shrinking himself as small as possible and hiding on Ye Lanshan's wrist, sizing up Sikong Rong with satisfaction.
"Vine Surge" — thorn-covered green vines surged up from the ground, lashing at Ye Lanshan like whips.
"Blazing Wildfire" — specks of flame descended onto the green vines, and in no time, they devoured them completely.
"Grass Root Needle" — a large area of grass grew from the ground, swaying left and right in the strong wind, looking fragile and weak. But if someone stepped on it, it would pierce through their shoe soles and grow into their flesh, impossible to pull out no matter how they struggled.
"Wings of Carnage" — Ye Lanshan immediately flew into midair, but the grass relentlessly pursued her, growing up into the air as well.
"Flying Fire Meteor"
"Blazing Wildfire"
Three mystic techniques unleashed at once finally destroyed the "Grass Root Needle."
Just as Ye Lanshan let out a breath, she noticed that everyone fighting was staring at her in shock. Someone even dropped their weapon, which clattered loudly to the ground.
"How did you do that? Three mystic techniques at once—only a Mystic Emperor should be able to pull that off, right?" Yun Di had always known Ye Lanshan was formidable, but he never imagined she was this powerful.
"Such terrifying spiritual power, combined with this top-tier earthly fire—it's a waste not to use it for alchemy." Sikong Rong was also amazed by her talent.
"With your talent, as my tenth concubine, you could have anything you want. Why follow this already useless waste? Choose me or him—you only get one chance."
Greed filled Sikong Rong's eyes. Even though Ye Lanshan hadn't agreed yet, he was already scheming about how to use her to climb to a higher status.
Ye Lanshan was almost amused by him. "You must not be awake yet. Do you think I, as the head of the Ye family, lack anything? It seems you need a good wake-up call."
"Blazing Wildfire"
"Spark Ignition"
"Roaring Tsunami"
"Water Freezes to Ice"
These mystic techniques came pouring out like they cost nothing.
By now, Ye Yu and Yun Di were also red-eyed with rage, attacking the black-clad men like killing machines.
"Tell me, do you choose death by a thousand cuts, or death by a thousand cuts?" Ye Lanshan condensed an ice sword and placed it at his neck.
"Mercy, please! I failed to recognize your greatness, not knowing you were the Ye family head. Please, in the name of ignorance being blameless, spare my life!" Sikong Rong's legs went weak from the sword, and he immediately knelt to beg for mercy.
But Ye Lanshan remained unmoved. She held the sword, gesturing over Sikong Rong's body as if pondering where to start.
Finally, the sword stopped at his shoulder. Ye Lanshan said gently, "Let's start here, then."
Seeing that begging was useless, Sikong Rong endured the pain, slid off her sword, and ran backward. Once he had some distance, he shouted out the last mystic technique of his life: "Deadly Cage."
"Flame Lotus" — the fire bloomed like a lotus, layer by layer wrapping around her, perfectly protecting her at the center of the pistil. Then it blossomed outward layer by layer, eventually burning the "Deadly Cage" to nothing.
Just as Sikong Rong was crouching low to escape, she quickly condensed a dagger and hurled it toward his groin.
A scream of agony rang out as Sikong Rong clutched the bleeding area, writhing in pain on the ground.
"Water Chains" — chains formed from water locked Sikong Rong in midair. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free, forced to watch helplessly as Ye Lanshan walked toward him.