Above the azure sky, several figures floated in the heavens, scattered and spread out, carefully scanning the mountain range below with cautious eyes. "Shen Yun, you said the boy had your blood lightning seal embedded within him—shouldn't you be able to sense his exact location? Where is he now?" The red-robed, yellow-faced elder, after searching for a while, grew impatient and turned sharply to his gray-robed companion beside him, speaking with growing frustration. Shen Yun's expression was now slightly gloomy. Throughout their journey, he had noticed the connection between himself and the blood lightning seal gradually weakening—especially when he first entered the vicinity of the mountains, when that connection had completely vanished. Thus, he had been following the fading trail of that connection, but after so long, he still hadn't found any trace of the boy. "The boy must have used some method to erase the blood lightning seal I left within him." "Shen Yun said in a gloomy tone. To be honest, he was equally astonished—how difficult it was to remove the Blood Lightning Seal, he himself knew better than anyone. Yet within less than a day, it had completely vanished. This was the first time in all these years he had witnessed such a phenomenon. "You weren't confident in your Blood Lightning Seal? If I had known this would happen, I would have pursued him right away!" Hearing this, Hong Tianxiao immediately grew furious. If the boy lost the connection and fled far away, how could they possibly find him? "Hmph! What's all the roaring about? You go after him? If you weren't afraid of the puppet in his hands, wouldn't you have caught up with him by now?" Shen Yun frowned, equally impatient. "You... you're making a fool of yourself! How could I be afraid of that boy's puppet?" Hong Tianxiao burst out, furious. "When we finally find him, it'll be up to you to deal with the puppet..." Shen Yun sneered, then raised his hand and said firmly, "You go down there and search methodically—that boy is definitely still within these mountains. I simply don't believe he can fly off the ground right under my very eyes!" Hearing Shen Yun's command, the dozen or so strong figures floating in the sky paused, then turned their gaze toward Hong Tianxiao. As loyal servants of the Hong family, they naturally followed his instructions. "Do exactly as he says," Hong Tianxiao said, waving his sleeve. "Understood!" At these words, the dozen Hong family servants bowed respectfully, then dispersed, descending slowly to form a fan-shaped spread, and began their steady search inward through the mountain range. While Hong Tianxiao and the others searched for Xiao Yan, two figures quietly emerged from a concealed forest behind them. One of the women was none other than Han Xue, standing beside her was a white-robed elder with a wistful expression. Through the gaps in the branches, the elder gazed steadily at Shen Yun and the others in the distance, his eyes briefly darkening with seriousness. "Being able to bring you here on such an adventure—well, that's all thanks to the young man's help to our Han family once. I've always been one who doesn't like to owe people favors, especially not in the grander sense. Otherwise, no matter how well you put it, I wouldn't take such a matter as offending the Fenglei Pavilion lightly." Han Xue bit gently at the corner of her red lips, nodded silently, and spoke softly, "I know what's appropriate. Then, Grandfather shall see how he can assist—depending on the situation. If things truly don't work out, we'll simply proceed." By the end of her words, her eyes had grown noticeably moist. Seeing her in this state, the white-robed elder could only sigh again, gently rubbing the smooth, silken strands of Han Xue's hair, and murmured, "Ah, it truly takes some skill for that young man named Xiao Yan to transform my proud little granddaughter into this state..." Hearing this, Han Xue's delicate face flushed with bashfulness, just as she was about to speak, a sudden explosion echoed from the distant mountains—crashing loudly—accompanied by waves of gasps that carried faint cries of "He's here!" and similar voices. "Has he been discovered?" Han Xue tightly clutched her hands. "My resentment will become vividly apparent to you the moment you fall into my hands." Shen Yun said with venom in his voice, the pain radiating from his palm like a sharp spike piercing his heart—deeply humiliating, it stirred a fierce rage within him. "Young man, this time, I'm determined to see just how long you can escape! I've promised my nephew that I'll break your limbs and bring you before him." Hong Tianxiao stared at Xiao Yan with a menacing gaze, his somber tone sending a chill through the韩 family's attendants. Xiao Yan smiled slightly, though the smile carried a coldness within it. "It seems the two of you truly intend to spare my life, and will not rest until you've achieved that. Then, let it be so—by me, I shall take both of your lives." Upon seeing Xiao Yan's cheerful expression, Hong Tianxiao burst out laughing, scornfully remarking, "How bold and overconfident! Do you really think that merely by relying on a puppet, you can save your own life?" At these words, the serene smile on Xiao Yan's face grew slightly eerie. With a flick of his fingers, a flash of silver light appeared, and the Earth Spirit Puppet materialized before them. As the Earth Spirit Puppet emerged, the Han family's senior officials stationed in the sky hurriedly stepped back, deeply intimidated by this fierce puppet that had even broken Shen Yun's fingers. Even Hong Tianxiao's gaze tightened slightly, his expression growing more serious—this puppet was no ordinary one, and he was well aware of its difficulty. "Hong Tianxiao," Xiao Yan said, "since you mentioned this matter earlier, I shall hand over the puppet to you. As for the young man, I shall take care of him myself." His gaze fixed on the Earth Demon Puppet, Shen Yun's eyes flickered slightly, almost with a hint of fear, and he turned to Hong Tian Xiao. Upon hearing this, Hong Tian Xiao's face twitched momentarily, then he took a deep breath and coldly remarked, "It shall be under my care. As for you, however, you'd better swiftly deal with that young man." "Rest assured," Shen Yun said, his gaze sharp and fierce upon Xiao Yan, "this time, I'll make him understand that offending the Wind and Thunder Pavilion will be his greatest mistake!" Faced with the watchful eyes of the two elders, Xiao Yan merely smiled, his fingers gently tracing over the snow-white storage amulet, then suddenly pointing at Hong Tian Xiao and saying softly, "Kill him!" As soon as Xiao Yan's words fell, the Earth Demon Puppet slammed its foot hard into the ground, causing stones to shatter and then rocketing skyward like a missile, finally crashing into Hong Tian Xiao with great force. "Hmph," Hong Tian Xiao said, "Let me see just what makes this puppet so special!" "Upon seeing the earth-demon puppet charging in with fierce momentum, Hong Tian Xiao chuckled, his fiery qi surging forth like flames from within, spreading across his entire body. With a firm grasp of his palm, a great sword two meters long materialized in his hands. As he swung it, a wave of intense heat surged forward, delivering a powerful blow toward the earth-demon puppet. 'Clang!' The blade struck the puppet's shoulder, yet sparks erupted violently, and a white streak appeared where the blade landed. 'Quite a solid frame,' Hong Tian Xiao remarked, slightly surprised. He then tightened his grip on the sword, meeting the earth-demon puppet head-on, and instantly, a fierce battle erupted. While Hong Tian Xiao engaged the earth-demon puppet, Shen Yun gradually descended, finally hovering above Xiao Yan. With a dry, expressionless face, he offered a startling smile, his cold voice speaking slowly. 'Young man, you broke off one of my fingers. By the time this is over, I'll have you completely disabled—every single finger of yours will be gone!' Xiao Yan smiled faintly, then stamped his foot on the ground, rising into the air before lightly landing on a towering tree. As that mighty spiritual force poured into his body, the space around Xiao Yan began to slowly warp and distort, radiating an overwhelming presence that surged like a sovereign awakening and reigning supreme over all. At the very moment this majestic aura manifested, even Shen Yun, the Han family priests surrounding them, and Hong Tianxiao, who was engaged in fierce combat with the Earth Demon Puppet, all experienced a brief moment of stunned stillness—followed instantly by an uncontrollable wave of awe, spreading through their minds like grass growing rapidly and vigorously. At a distance, the white-robed elder stood utterly speechless. After a moment, he stiffly turned his head to gaze at Han Xue, her puzzled expression, his voice dry and strained.