Chapter 49: Chen Daoxuan's Arrival! Suppressing Patriarch Ren
In the blink of an eye, the three breaths were up, and the people on the mountaintop remained motionless.
"The three breaths are up. What are you planning to do to this young master? Why don't the two of us go to the residence first? We can have a close exchange and discuss matters slowly."
Ren Qirui smiled and didn't attempt to conceal his intentions.
Leng Yanran let out a slow sigh. To be honest, she didn't want trouble. Given her current strength, there were many situations she couldn't handle on her own, and she'd have to rely on her Master to bail her out.
However, she couldn't tolerate dealing with such vile individuals. Even for the sake of her Master and the face of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion, she couldn't back down.
With a raised finger, Leng Yanran looked at Ren Qirui and slowly opened her vermilion lips.
"Heavenly Demon Finger!"
In an instant, a sinister aura gathered on her fingertip, coalescing into a nearly tangible illusion of a demonic entity exuding a dark aura. This phantom roared and charged at Ren Qirui, its ethereal finger pointing forth.
"Damn! Wang Yan, help me!
Ren Qirui's scalp tingled as he saw the demonic figure coming toward him. He finally realized he had grossly underestimated Leng Yanran. This single attack made him feel the threat of death.
Under the crimson gaze of the demonic figure, his body froze, and he helplessly watched as the pointed finger came closer and closer to his forehead. He could only shout desperately to Wang Yan beside him.
After all, Wang Yan had a Boundless realm expert escorting him. As long as he made the request, the Boundless realm expert could save him. However, it was clear that Wang Yan had no intention of doing so.
If Ren Qirui died in the Northern Region, it wouldn't be any loss to him. On the contrary, it would weaken the Ren Clan's prospects of producing a successor. Why wouldn't he seize this opportunity?
Furthermore, he didn't believe that Ren Qirui didn't possess life-preserving treasures. If he could force those treasures out of him, it would reduce one layer of threat after entering the secret realm.
Even Li Shenruo, the Saintess, couldn't help feeling startled upon witnessing the Heavenly Demon Finger. She inwardly pondered: if she were to face this technique, how much chance of victory did she have?
In the end, she concluded less than thirty percent. At most, she had a thirty percent chance of withstanding this technique. What a terrifying sorceress! If she could bring her under her command, she would undoubtedly gain a powerful ally.
"Darn it!"
Seeing Wang Yan's inaction, Ren Qirui, with no other choice, gritted his teeth, channeled his spiritual energy, and shattered a jade pendant he held within his embrace. The jade pendant's destruction felt like Ren Qirui's heart bleeding—it was a life-preserving measure bestowed by his Ancestral Patriarch.
"Who dares to harm a descendant of the Ren Clan!"
In an instant, a figure emanating terrifying aura appeared before Ren Qirui, an existence that none of them had ever witnessed. Although not the actual manifestation, the illusory figure alone possessed the power of the Boundless Realm ninth stage!
With this phantom alone, it would be effortless to annihilate the entire Northern Region.
The old man casually waved his hand, dispersing the Heavenly Demon illusion that had come towards him.
"A demon girl from the demon race? Hmph, I'll seal her cultivation. After the secret realm ends, Qirui will take her back to the Ren Clan for judgment."
The old man's gaze turned ice-cold as he quickly focused on Leng Yanran, who had previously attacked Ren Qirui.
Li Shenruo felt a twinge of regret seeing this. She hadn't expected that Ren Qirui possessed a projection of the Ren Clan's Ancestral Patriarch. Now that the Ancestral Patriarch personally intervened, her face-saving efforts might not save this sorceress.
Ren Qirui's eyes lit up upon hearing the Ancestral Patriarch's words. If he could cripple the sorceress's cultivation, he would have free rein. It suited him perfectly.
"Many thanks, Ancestral Patriarch!"
Ren Qirui quickly bowed in gratitude towards the direction of the Ancestral Patriarch's projection.
Without delay, the Ren Clan's Ancestral Patriarch lifted his hand and struck towards the top of Leng Yanran's head. If this palm connected, it would thoroughly cripple her cultivation.
"Damn it, I can't move! I can't even use the last resort Master gave me in time!"
Leng Yanran intended to use the array disk and pendant given by her Master, but she realized that she had lost control of her body after the Ren Clan's Ancestral Patriarch's intervention. The gap in their realms was too vast—even the use of her Master's final trump card was beyond her reach.
In despair, Leng Yanran closed her eyes. "Master, your disciple is powerless. I can no longer serve by your side…"
She murmured with a heart full of grief. She wasn't afraid of death, but the thought of never seeing her Master again was unbearably painful. She hadn't had the chance to express her feelings to her Master.
"Hmm? This smell... Master!?"
A while passed, and the anticipated pain didn't materialize. Instead, a pleasant aroma wafted into Leng Yanran's nose, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.
She discovered that her Master had wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into an embrace against his chest. His other hand was raised high, effortlessly catching the Ren Clan's Ancestral Patriarch's formidable attack.
"Who might you be?"
The Ren Clan's Ancestral Patriarch momentarily couldn't gauge the youth's depth. Although his senses detected only a Sea of Qi Realm first stage, this youth had effortlessly intercepted an attack carrying the power of the Boundless Realm ninth stage. How could this be?
However, Chen Daoxuan didn't take the Ren Clan's Ancestral Patriarch's projection seriously. He casually pinched Leng Yanran's cheek with a faint smile.
"Why the tears? Didn't I tell you? I've got you covered in every aspect. You've done well. When the opponent can't win, they call for backup. How could I blame you?" Moreover, that lad has someone backing him. Can my disciple be without support?"
Chen Daoxuan's smile deepened, and he gently adjusted Leng Yanran's hair. At this moment, all colors seemed to pale in Leng Yanran's eyes, leaving only the gentle figure of her Master.
"Master... Disciple."
Leng Yanran's nose twitched as she attempted to speak, but her Master lightly pressed a finger to her lips.
"We won't discuss this now. Let me handle the issue."
Chen Daoxuan smiled faintly, and then, with one arm around Leng Yanran's waist, he raised his other hand. Pointing his fingertip at the projection of the Ren Clan's Ancestral Patriarch, he spoke with a sense of authority.
"Old man, you've got guts to bully my, Chen Daoxuan’s disciple. My Yanran is crying, and I'm not happy about it."
With Chen Daoxuan's intervention, the atmosphere shifted. His appearance painted a picture of serene strength, highlighting his pivotal role in this confrontation.
"Today, I'll take one of your projections as interest. Next time we meet, I'll annihilate your entire lineage."
Chen Daoxuan spoke with a constant smile, as if discussing trivial matters of no importance. As for the Eastern Domain or the Ren Clan, he cared little. Bullied by him, his disciples would have their whole family walking alongside them, so they wouldn't be lonely.
"Demon Finger."
Muttering those plain words, he also employed the Demon Finger technique. However, the power it unleashed was worlds apart from the one Leng Yanran had used.
In an instant, a figure resembling an ancient demon materialized—the Chaotic Demon. A thick aura of malevolence emanated from its body, distorting the space around it. Its eyes were blood-red, resembling a sea of blood.
"Who are you!?"
The Ren Clan's Ancestral Patriarch panicked. At the appearance of the Chaotic Demon, he was horrified to find that even though his projection possessed the realm of the Boundless Realm ninth stage—a power that could sweep the Northern Region—he had lost his ability to move under the demon's gaze.
He could only cry out to Chen Daoxuan in terror.
"Me? "I'm just an ordinary master who doesn't want to see his disciple wronged."
Chen Daoxuan's voice trailed off as the Chaotic Demon dashed towards the projection of the Ren Clan's Ancestral Patriarch.
"Bo——"
With a soft sound, the Ren Clan's Ancestral Patriarch's projection shattered, and the Chaotic Demon slowly dissipated into the air.
In an instant, everyone present was dumbfounded. Had that terrifying projection of the Ren Clan's Ancestral Patriarch disappeared so easily? The same Demon Finger technique, when wielded by this young man, felt as though an ancient demon god had descended. The malevolent aura exuding from the demon made them feel suffocated and dizzy.
Ren Qiuru's expression was still frozen in excitement from the Ancestral Patriarch's appearance. It took him a moment to react, and he quickly fell to his knees.
"Please... spare me, senior!!!"