To the sight, the elder figure flickered and suddenly spanned dozens of zhang, arriving before the Blood Spirit. Startled, the Blood Spirit promptly recoiled backward. At once, the two co-merged puppets beside him stirred—one drew a bow, releasing a sharp, continuous series of golden flashes; the other, with a flick of his long spear, sent a flash of cold light, transforming the spearhead into a magnificent blue blossom, about one zhang in diameter, which swept directly toward the elder. Though the blossom appeared remarkably translucent and radiant, as soon as it pressed down, a strange cold aura surged forth, coiling and condensing the space around the elder, as if ready to freeze it solid. Meanwhile, the golden beams surged from all directions. The coordination between the two puppets was nearly flawless. With a cold exhalation, the tall elder merely had a layer of crimson electric arcs ripple across his body, tearing through the surrounding cold air. The seemingly formidable golden beams, upon nearing him, were effortlessly deflected by these electric arcs. Then, with one hand, the elder reached out, grasping the blossoming spearhead in mid-air. With a loud crash, the blue giant flower vanished instantly, and a blue spear was effortlessly grasped in the elder's five fingers, which curled like hooks. The gun-wielding puppet's arms trembled violently as it tried to pull the spear free, yet the weapon remained firmly rooted, unyielding. Meanwhile, the archer puppet's eyes flashed with brilliant light, and a powerful aura surged from his body. His bow glowed intensely, and a golden lance of light shot forth with a sharp cry, rushing directly toward the elder. The tall elder chuckled heartily, simply opening his mouth and blowing at the incoming golden lance. A cluster of crimson lightning erupted, expanded in the wind, and soon grew to the size of a large water cistern. With a thunderous boom, the two forces collided and exploded. The crimson lightning surged and immediately engulfed the golden glow, then rolled back in a sweeping arc, striking the archer puppet with perfect precision and reducing him to ashes. As for the composite puppet wielding a spear, it was suddenly struck by a massive crimson hand that appeared in the sky, instantly reducing it to a heap of wreckage. After a slight sway, the tall elder swiftly materialized beside the young woman, extending his hand with no courtesy: "Young lady, hand over the key and the treasures now. I'll give you a fair deal right away. Otherwise, heh... well, you'll find out." With each word, the elder's expression grew more fierce. "You must know that my presence here implies I carry a key from the Tian Ding Palace. Why then, insist on seizing the items from this young disciple?" the Blood Spirit said, her face pale, retreating slowly. "Hmph. I'm well aware that certain special areas within the Tian Ding Palace require specific keys. I only possess a replica key myself, so naturally, I'd like to gather more keys as backups. If you're unwilling to hand them over willingly, don't expect me to be gentle." The tall elder, seeing the blood essence still refusing to yield, coldly snorted and extended his palm, suddenly flipping it over, then sharply parted his fingers to grasp the young woman. Though the gesture appeared ordinary, the blood essence instantly felt as though she were completely enclosed within the space of the elder's fingers—every direction, front, back, left, and right—creating an eerie sense of helplessness, causing her great alarm. As the elder slightly angled his fingers, poised to seize her shoulder, a surge of energy rippled above her, and a beam of crystalline light materialized, rushing downward in a lightning-fast arc toward the elder. The attack came entirely unannounced. Even though the tall elder was a seasoned, long-established master of the Great Stage, he was still startled, barely managing to evade it. A dull boom echoed, and as the elder extended his arm, it was instantly drawn into a shimmering light, bursting into seven or eight fragments mid-air. Yet, the towering elder himself blurred slightly and materialized several dozen paces behind, in the void, his eyes blazing with fire as he shouted sharply, "Which of you has dared to employ such a maneuver and ambush me thus?" As he spoke, a mist of blood surged from the severed ends of his arms, and beneath the swirling, pulsing threads of blood, a fresh, delicate arm began to regenerate. For practitioners on the Blood Sky Continent, whose cultivation relied heavily on blood-based techniques, such limb regeneration was a matter of course. Yet, after his outburst, the surrounding void remained utterly silent—no one emerged. The blood spirit's expression had regained some composure, though it continued to retreat slowly toward the rear. The tall elder grew visibly stern, then cast a venomous glance at the blood spirit. With a sudden lift of his intact arm, he swiftly pointed at the young woman. A deep thud echoed. A streak of crimson light burst from his fingertip, flashing briefly before vanishing into the void. Instantly, at a distance of about ten paces ahead of the blood spirit, a roar erupted, and the crimson glow materialized, coalescing into a short, red shuttle about a foot long, which then plunged straight toward the blood spirit's chest. The speed was astonishing—almost instantaneous. Even with her refined cultivation, the blood spirit could not summon a defensive artifact or manage to dodge in time. Though usually composed, she now turned pale with shock. At that very moment, a flash of golden light appeared before the young woman, revealing a golden figure about a foot tall. With a simple wave of one arm, the golden figure deflected the red shuttle, sending it flying. It was the Golden Child, the king of the golden insect race. The tall elder's eyes narrowed suddenly, a hint of suspicion appearing on his face. "Who are you, and what is your connection to this young girl?" After a quick glance, he suddenly asked. The tall elder roared softly, flicking his sleeve toward the opposite side. Instantly, the crimson and silver lightning surged together, weaving into a massive thundercloud of diameter several li, then pressing down with great force upon the other side. Upon seeing this, the golden figure on the opposite side raised his hands expressionlessly and pointed once toward the direction of the elder. A sharp crackling sound erupted as golden crystalline filaments shot forth like a downpour, directly striking the thundercloud. Within the cloud, a continuous series of sharp crackles resonated, with countless glimmers appearing and disappearing—within moments, the cloud was riddled with countless holes and rapidly shrunk as the spiritual energy gradually dissipated. The elder could hardly believe his eyes. Though this strike might not have been his most refined technique, it certainly represented one of his long-standing, trusted powers. That ancient silver mirror had once been a legendary remnant treasure of the Heavenly Realm, and when combined with his own mastery of crimson lightning, it had intimidated countless opponents. Yet now, it was effortlessly shattered by the other party. What exactly was the crystalline filament the other had conjured—so sharp, yet unafraid of his lightning prowess? Just as the elder was stunned, the golden figure raised both hands, and with a series of sharp hisses, the surrounding space suddenly grew cold. A dense network of intangible sword-like qi materialized, rushing toward him at high speed. The elder's face paled; without hesitation, he shook his sleeve, sending a jade bowl of jade green color soaring into the air. The bowl spun once, then hovered at the apex of his head, before rotating smoothly to form a shimmering green light shield that enveloped him. At the same time, with a precise hand gesture, he summoned a vivid image of a massive crimson dragon emerging from behind him. As soon as the dragon appeared, it opened its maw and roared, unleashing a surge of crimson lightning that erupted into a sweeping, thunderous curtain, crashing outward in all directions. "Pfft, pfft!" The lightning arcs struck the invisible sword qi and shattered like dry wood, each one cleaving through with a crisp sound. Yet the azure light curtain, harboring some mysterious mechanism within, suddenly flashed with brilliance and effectively blocked the incandescent, intangible sword energy that had surged toward it. Even so, the tall elder was startled, his face paling instantly. He quickly raised one hand and summoned from his storage bracelet a peculiar, unusually curved crimson sword. Grasping the sword firmly, he exhaled several clusters of concentrated blood directly onto it. As soon as the blood touched the blade, it was instantly absorbed, leaving none behind. The sword then blurred momentarily before suddenly twisting and coming to life, transforming into an unknown, blood-streaked serpent. With a low, dark chuckle, the elder tossed the serpent into the air. A sharp "whoosh" followed, and the serpent rolled through the air before vanishing into the void. At that very instant, a sudden mist of blood rose spontaneously around the golden figure. The smaller figure's eyes flashed with cold light, and instantly two beams of crystalline radiance shot out, piercing straight through the blood mist, leaving behind an empty, seemingly featureless space. Just as the golden figure was momentarily stunned, the blood mist suddenly coalesced in a surge, unexpectedly transforming into a blood-colored strange serpent. As the serpent's body blurred into form, its head suddenly snapped onto the smaller figure's shoulder with a firm bite. From afar, the elder watched in amazement and burst into loud, booming laughter: " youngster, you're done for. This serpent is one of the Blood Sky's Ten Most Venomous Insects—the Blood Flash Serpent. Even if you possess an indestructible body, you'll be reduced to a mass of foul blood within moments." "Ten Most Venomous Insects? Is it that good to eat?" The golden figure glanced at the serpent now biting his shoulder, and for the first time, his expression revealed a touch of unusual curiosity. His voice was unusually high-pitched, carrying a strange, chilling sensation that made listeners feel a deep cold run through their bodies. Upon hearing this, the tall elder was momentarily taken aback—yet, a scene that utterly Suddenly, the golden figure across from them moved their arm, grasping the seven-inch section of the blood-mist serpent at the shoulder and forcibly tearing it away. Then, with a single mouthful, they bit off the serpent's head.