A Swift Resolution!

Li Banfeng looked at Ye Shengge standing by the doorway. Even though he had shed his suit of armor, his entire frame still resembled a shrimp. His appearance was quite deceptive; from the start, Li Banfeng had assumed he was suited for aquatic combat. Yet judging by his recent offensive methods, the man's arts had nothing to do with fighting in water. Earlier, when Xie Gong and Zhu Jin had been unable to hold onto their knives, their bodies going completely limp and numb, they had likely been struck by the Joy Cultivator art known as Crisping Bones and Numbing Flesh. Li Banfeng had once heard Ma the Fifth describe this technique: whoever was struck by it felt as if they were suspended in a moment of supreme bliss, entirely numb and drained of strength, left at the mercy of others. Could this man be the Joy Cultivator Patriarch? A founder of an entire pathway, serving as someone's bodyguard? Qiao Yi barked an order to Ye Shengge. "Capture him alive! Do not harm him!" Ye Shengge regarded Li Banfeng. "You are of the younger generation. I will not bully you. You make the first move." Li Banfeng shook his head. "You are an elder, and I respect you. Senior, you should go first." With that, Li Banfeng executed Five Horses Dismembering a Household, ripping two shrimp legs clean off Ye Shengge's body. Ye Shengge was startled. He had never expected Li Banfeng to strike so abruptly, and so viciously. More crucially, he had no idea what art Li Banfeng had just employed. "Now it's my turn!" Ye Shengge steadied his footing. Sweeping the two long whiskers on his upper lip, he prepared to unleash an art. Li Banfeng seized the opening with Going Down the Slope with the Donkey. "Senior, please!" *Crack!* A gash split open across Ye Shengge's chest. Li Banfeng had used Sever Path to Open a Road. The sound was quite similar to a cracked shrimp shell. Li Banfeng genuinely could not figure out Ye Shengge's identity. "Are you really a shrimp?" Ye Shengge scowled. "Why do you ask so many—" Before he could finish, another gash split across his belly. Ye Shengge suddenly felt he was being foolish. Knowing full well this man possessed no martial honor, why was he still trying to trade moves with him step-by-step? Right now, he should strike swiftly and capture him immediately— *Rumble!* Banfeng Two used Treading Ten Thousand Rivers against Qiao Yi. Covered in blood, Qiao Yi tumbled off the bed. Ye Shengge genuinely could not comprehend why his mind had been so conflicted. He instantly unleashed the art of Crisping Bones and Numbing Flesh, aiming to subjugate Li Banfeng. Once the art landed, Li Banfeng felt a slight sensation. It felt as if a needle had pricked his heart, and in his mind, he seemed to hear his lady calling out sweetly, *"Husband."* Yet he felt no tingling numbness, much less any loss of strength. He looked down. No response. Li Banfeng looked at Ye Shengge with utter sincerity. "Senior, put a little more effort into it." Ye Shengge's whiskers trembled. His body flushed crimson, looking just like a live shrimp being boiled. He could not tell whether Li Banfeng was provoking him or looking down on him. Rage boiled within him, but he did not dare strike a lethal blow. Qiao Yi issued another order: "Spare his life, but you may severely wound him." He had relaxed the restriction; Ye Shengge was now permitted to gravely injure Li Qi. With a flick of Ye Shengge's whiskers, Li Banfeng's arm caught fire. Ye Shengge had used Body Burning with Joy Fire. Li Banfeng promptly swapped places with Banfeng Two. Banfeng Two hopped about in agony and swapped places with Banfeng C. Banfeng C slid sideways across the room to find Banfeng Chou. Li Banfeng rubbed his own arm; he was completely unharmed. Because it happened so fast, Ye Shengge had no idea where Li Qi had diverted the joy fire. Fearing only that Li Qi might flee, he was about to follow up with Layer Upon Layer of Mountains when he suddenly heard agonizing shrieks from Qiao Yi. Qiao Yi's arm was engulfed in flames. With his strength, he could never endure Ye Shengge's joy fire. Ye Shengge hurriedly retracted the joy fire. Qiao Yi's arm was charred black, billowing dark smoke. Ye Shengge stared at Li Banfeng, assuming he had somehow redirected the joy fire onto Qiao Yi. Li Banfeng gave a slight shake of his head. "Qiao Yi signed a covenant deed. He cannot harm me in Chaoge, not even by ordering someone else to do it. As long as we are here, he must guarantee my safety." Qiao Yi ground his teeth, glaring at Li Banfeng. Xie Gong and Zhu Jin had prepared wards in this opera house that could block the retribution of covenant deeds, so why had they failed to ward off Li Qi's covenant deed? Moreover, the method of retribution on this covenant deed was different as well. It was not poison, not a curse, nor a blade, but the direct return of the exact joy fire inflicted upon Li Qi. The deed stipulated that Li Qi could not be harmed in Chaoge; once Li Qi was injured, the covenant-breaker would suffer the exact same injury. Qiao Yi had never seen this kind of covenant paper before. Li Banfeng shifted his gaze back to Ye Shengge. "Still want to fight?" Ye Shengge awaited Qiao Yi's command. Qiao Yi waved his hand repeatedly. "Your Highness, why disrupt our harmony?" Li Banfeng smiled. "If you don't want to disrupt our harmony, take me to the mobile city and accompany me to Xiaodu." "It really is not convenient for me to travel. I am wounded, and my physical form has changed. I must arrange a cover as soon as possible." Qiao Yi's words sounded sincere enough. He was no longer a three-headed person, and that was something he truly needed to conceal. "Rest assured, I've thought of everything for you. As long as you deliver the payment, I naturally provide full service for my business." Li Banfeng uncorked a bottle within his sleeve, and a three-headed person appeared behind him. In outward appearance, this three-headed person was completely indistinguishable from Qiao Yi, Xie Gong, and Zhu Jin. "I've already arranged your cover." Li Banfeng gestured to Xi Zhaofu. Xi Zhaofu stepped forward, looking upon Qiao Yi and Ye Shengge with an imposing, majestic air in every movement. Qiao Yi knew this was an Opera Cultivator. "Your Highness's gracious hospitality is appreciated, but I have made my own preparations. There is no need to trouble Your Highness with this." This was no lie. Qiao Yi had indeed prepared an Opera Cultivator of his own. Before the truth came to light, he needed to select a body double, requiring a buffer and a transition period. However, Li Banfeng felt that whatever double Qiao Yi had chosen was not good enough. Though he had never met the person, Li Banfeng simply felt they wouldn't do. "Since you know it's gracious kindness, don't merely appreciate it in your heart. And since you know I went to the trouble for it, don't decline," Li Banfeng said, pointing at Xi Zhaofu. "The double can only be him!" Qiao Yi gritted his teeth and looked toward Ye Shengge again. Li Banfeng also looked at Ye Shengge. "If he tells you not to fight, you dare not strike?" Ye Shengge stood motionlessly in place. Qiao Yi did not dare order Ye Shengge to attack. Fighting in Chaoge meant that regardless of whether Ye Shengge could defeat Li Qi, Qiao Yi would inevitably be the one suffering in the end. Li Banfeng had Xi Zhaofu walk up close to Qiao Yi. "Brother Qiao, let's head to the mobile city and let my friend cover for you here. The matter is settled. Be sure to remember, he is my attendant—so long as we are in Chaoge, you cannot harm him." The three-headed Qiao Yi, Zhu Jin, and Xie Gong walked at the front, impersonated by Xi Zhaofu. Nian Shangyou had awakened and walked in the middle alongside Ye Shengge. Two guards walked behind them, one played by Qiao Yi and the other by Li Qi. Nian Shangyou had procured outfits for the two of them. Clad in armor and carrying side-swords, they looked thoroughly convincing. All traces inside the opera theater had been wiped clean. Li Banfeng always saw things through to completion, even helping to gather the corpses of Zhu Jin and Xie Gong. Seeing how miserably they had died, Li Banfeng shed a few tears on their behalf. Not long after they left the opera house, the guards Xie Gong had arranged in advance arrived. Altogether, there were over three hundred guards bearing two first-rank weapons and sixteen second-rank weapons. All were elites gathered from various regions, including guards transferred from Wenyuan Pavilion. The sense of impending danger Li Banfeng had felt earlier had been due to these guards laying an ambush outside the opera house. Now, the ambush was useless. They had to obey Qiao Yi's orders. As for whether Qiao Yi was genuine or fake, they could not tell, nor did they care to. The "three-headed Qiao Yi" immediately ordered, "Return to the manor!" The group escorted the "three-headed Qiao Yi" back to the manor, where "Qiao Yi" rested in the bedroom behind closed doors, turning away all visitors. That left the real Qiao Yi, Nian Shangyou, and Ye Shengge to accompany Li Banfeng to the mobile city. Xie Gong and Zhu Jin had indeed prepared a mobile city. Knowing how overbearing Li Qi was and fearing he would inspect the goods beforehand, they had kept the mobile city anchored by Chaoge's shore. The scale of this mobile city was not large, perhaps half the size of Boundless City. The city was completely deserted, without a single inhabitant, and its buildings were somewhat dilapidated. Li Banfeng looked at Qiao Yi. "You're giving me a mobile city like this?" Qiao Yi explained, "This was the price promised to Your Highness by my two brothers; it was not my decision." Li Banfeng chuckled. "Both your brothers are gone, yet you're still throwing them under the bus? Could Xiaocheng be just as desolate?" Qiao Yi shook his head. "I have not visited Xiaodu in many years. I do not know its current state either." Li Banfeng took a lap around the city. There were seventeen streets on the left and seventeen on the right, fully equipped with shops, residences, and market squares. Nian Shangyou and Ye Shengge followed closely behind. They wanted to find an opportunity to get the mobile city out of Chaoge as quickly as possible, but neither dared speak up lightly. Li Banfeng asked, "What is the name of this city?" Nian Shangyou replied, "This city is called Tianyi City. Among mobile cities, it once held quite a reputation. Its city master was Marquis Hu Tianyi. Hu Tianyi was framed by villains and died an unjust death. Most of his clan was implicated, and the citizens were driven out, leaving the city in this desolate state." Li Banfeng nodded. "The city looks decent enough. But since it's a mobile city, it ought to move." "It moves!" Nian Shangyou hurriedly took up the topic. "This city is named Tianyi—Adding Wings. When it moves, it is as though wings sprout from it; it can reach Xiaocheng in less than half a day." Li Banfeng showed a face full of pleasant surprise. "That fast? How does the city move?" Nian Shangyou extended a hand. "This way, Your Highness. Allow this subordinate to demonstrate for Your Highness!" Qiao Yi frowned slightly. Nian Shangyou was being a bit too impatient. Yet Li Qi seemed not to have seen through Nian Shangyou's intentions. He followed him to a manor on Left Third Street. The plaque on the manor had been removed; presumably, this had been Hu Tianyi's residence. The interior of the manor was fairly clean, indicating someone maintained it regularly. Following a paved path through the garden, they arrived at a grand hall, where Li Banfeng saw a familiar layout. The floors, walls, ceiling, and pillars were all a uniform golden yellow. If all of this were replaced with crystal, it would be identical to Boundless City's Lucidity Hall. The Luo family controlled Boundless City from Lucidity Hall, and the Hu family had once controlled Tianyi City from this very hall. "What is this hall called?" Nian Shangyou said, "This place is called Jinrui Hall. There are seventy-two gold pillars in total, every one of them linked to Tianyi City." "Gold pillars?" Li Banfeng gently stroked a nearby pillar. "Are these solid gold?" Nian Shangyou offered a faint smile without replying. The glove chuckled. *"Master, they're all brass."* Li Banfeng inspected each pillar in turn. "How do these pillars control Tianyi City?" Nian Shangyou said, "Allow this subordinate to demonstrate my clumsy skills." Li Banfeng nodded, watching Nian Shangyou's technique with rapt attention. Nian Shangyou walked up to the third pillar in the first row. The two whiskers on his upper lip extended slowly and wrapped around the pillar. His pair of fish eyes darted up and down, and the two gill slits on his neck opened and closed continuously. The entire Jinrui Hall jerked with a sudden shudder. Tianyi City departed from Chaoge's coast. Li Banfeng asked Nian Shangyou, "So that counts as moving?" Nian Shangyou's whiskers slipped away from the pillar. He nodded to Li Banfeng. "It is moving." Li Banfeng remarked, "I won't be able to learn your method. I don't have whiskers as long as yours." "Which is why this subordinate believes Your Highness need not learn it." Nian Shangyou took several paces back to Ye Shengge's side. Li Banfeng smiled. "There's something I've been rather curious about: who exactly is your master?" Nian Shangyou bowed to Qiao Yi. "From beginning to end, this subordinate has only ever had one master." Li Banfeng asked further, "Earlier, I saw Xie Gong bossing you around as he pleased. Did you say those exact words to Xie Gong as well?" Nian Shangyou gave a dry chuckle and did not answer. Qiao Yi looked at Li Banfeng, his face full of bafflement. "Your Highness, I have always believed you to be an extraordinary individual. Yet your actions today truly perplex me." Li Banfeng said, "Whatever doubts you have, speak them, and I will clear them up for you." Qiao Yi frowned. "You still have the heart to play dumb? Tianyi City travels like the wind and has already moved far beyond Chaoge. Under the covenant deed, I was bound to guarantee your safety in Chaoge. Out here, that no longer applies." Li Banfeng said, "So what if it no longer applies?" Qiao Yi said, "What do you think should happen?" Li Banfeng offered a suggestion: "I think you should step back a bit, lest you get splattered with blood." Qiao Yi nodded. "Your Highness makes a fine point." He turned to Ye Shengge and said, "Do not hold back. Cast aside all concerns. There is no need to capture him alive—kill him. I will await your news outside the manor." Ye Shengge clasped his fists in a salute. "Thank you, My Lord." He was grateful to Qiao Yi for lifting all restrictions. As for Li Qi's strength, it did not even factor into Ye Shengge's considerations. Had it not been for his master's commands, Ye Shengge believed he would have claimed Li Qi's head long ago. Qiao Yi and Nian Shangyou left the manor. Ye Shengge pointed outside. "I would hate for any mishap to befall Tianyi City. What say we battle in the courtyard?" "Great minds think alike. This is my city, and I wouldn't want it damaged either." With their agreement reached, they stood in the courtyard. Seeing another layer of mottled armor covering Ye Shengge—armor he had clearly taken off before—Li Banfeng asked, "Senior, since this is a fight to the death, could you tell me which pathway you actually belong to?" Ye Shengge did not conceal it. "I am the Joy Cultivator Patriarch. The Joy Cultivator lineage was founded by me." "Yet looking at your build, why do you resemble a physical cultivator?" Ye Shengge smiled thinly. "You ask too many questions. How do you wish to fight?" Li Banfeng said, "Earlier at the opera house, Senior yielded to me. This time, it's my turn to yield. Senior, make the first move—" "Very well!" Ye Shengge's body flushed red as blood surged from his torso into his two arms. *Squelch!* Banfeng Two stabbed the Tang dao straight into Ye Shengge's back, right through the heart. The carapace was too hard; the Tang dao barely penetrated a little over an inch, but he twisted the blade inside the wound. Ye Shengge gritted his teeth. "I have only myself to blame! Suffering losses time and again, yet I still trusted a villain like you!" Ye Shengge's blood clung to the blade. The Tang dao lost all power, its steel bending. Joy Cultivator art: Soul-Enthralling Bone-Erosion. Like a youth who had fought eighteen rounds in a single night, the blade went completely limp. And the Tang dao was not the only thing going limp. The green grass in the courtyard wilted, stems slackening and blades sticking to the ground. The poplar trees softened, branches drooping until leaves rested against the roots. At a visible pace, the art of Soul-Enthralling Bone-Erosion swept through the residence. This was the terrors of a Joy Cultivator: able to unleash techniques without ever making direct contact with the foe. Li Banfeng retreated rapidly, dodging the encroaching art. Drawing an iron ruler with his right hand, he hurled it at Ye Shengge. The iron ruler flew swift and fierce, aiming straight for Ye Shengge's face. If this strike connected, the injury would interrupt Ye Shengge's art. Yet as the founder of a pathway, how could he be wounded so easily? Ye Shengge's body bent and snapped straight, dodging the iron ruler like a shrimp darting through water. Li Banfeng pulled out his scythe, preparing to throw it as well, but his arm went limp, and the scythe clattered to the ground. Had he been struck by Soul-Enthralling Bone-Erosion? A flicker of joy rose in Ye Shengge's heart, but wary of a trick, he did not rashly advance. Li Banfeng's body swayed, on the verge of collapsing into a heap. His eyes stared intently at Ye Shengge, filled with bitterness and reluctance. Certain beyond doubt that Li Banfeng had succumbed to the art, Ye Shengge lunged forward, two sharp spikes extending from his forearms to finish him off. The spikes stopped mere fractions of an inch from Li Banfeng, yet no matter how much force Ye Shengge exerted, he could not touch him. Was this Hundred Steps Traverse? Ye Shengge gasped in shock. Glancing back, he spotted the iron ruler embedded in the ground. The iron ruler had seemed aimed at his face, but Li Banfeng's true aim had been for it to stick into the ground, serving as the first marker. The scythe that had seemingly slipped from his grip was actually the second marker. With the two markers aligned, Hundred Steps Traverse was complete. Taking advantage of Ye Shengge's moment of panic, Li Banfeng flashed right up to him and unleashed Five Horses Dismemberment, sending shrimp legs raining down all over the ground. Ye Shengge was utterly dumbfounded. He could not comprehend how Li Qi, having fallen victim to Soul-Enthralling Bone-Erosion, could still unleash such a vicious art. Had he not been afflicted by Soul-Enthralling Bone-Erosion at all? Indeed, Li Banfeng had not been affected. That bitter expression earlier had been his use of Speaking of Sour and Bitter; though he hadn't spoken a single word, the technique had taken effect. Now that Ye Shengge was wounded and the Soul-Enthralling Bone-Erosion was dispelled, the Tang dao regained its rigidity and thrust into Ye Shengge's back once more. The stab was still not deep enough, so Banfeng Two shoved from behind, driving the blade half a foot into his back. Li Banfeng scooped up the scythe from the ground and brought it chopping down from above, gouging straight through Ye Shengge's skull. Banfeng Chou led the Earthly Branch shadows in swarming forward, hacking and slashing in a frenzy that left Ye Shengge completely powerless to fight back. Ye Shengge truly had no means to retaliate—all of his arms had been torn off by Li Banfeng. After a brief slaughter, Ye Shengge was battered and covered in wounds. Flexing and contracting his spine, he barely broke through the encirclement. Just as Li Banfeng moved to take his life, Ye Shengge suddenly shook off his entire shell of armor, standing completely unharmed from head to toe. What art was this? Ye Shengge laughed. "Junior, have you ever seen an Art of Heavenly Unity?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "This junior is ill-informed; I truly haven't." Molting once and making a full recovery—did that count as an Art of Heavenly Unity? "Junior, facing your doom yet gaining a bit of enlightenment means your life was not in vain." Ye Shengge's eyes flickered. The discarded shrimp shells scattered across the ground burst into flames, swirling and fluttering around Li Banfeng. As the shrimp shells converged on Li Banfeng simultaneously, he swapped positions with Banfeng Mao, dodging the joy fire. Ye Shengge knit his brows. Li Qi's shadow cultivator arts were not easy to deal with. Drawing a handkerchief from his robe embroidered with a woman, the woman flew out from the fabric and pursued Li Banfeng relentlessly. A Travel Cultivator moved with extraordinary speed, so by all rights the woman shouldn't have been able to keep up. Yet no matter how Li Banfeng dodged, she remained right before his eyes. Joy Cultivator art: Solitary Seeking a Mate. Formed from an art and propelled by the power of seeking a mate, the woman locked onto Li Banfeng, flashing repeatedly beside him. Finding her impossible to shake, Li Banfeng prepared to strike and disperse her, only for the woman to touch him once and dissolve on her own. Did she use poison, or some other method? Ye Shengge closed in again, one shrimp leg nearly hooking Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng dodged the leg and brought a Treading Ten Thousand Rivers stomp down on Ye Shengge. *Smack!* A crisp smack rang out as Li Banfeng lightly tapped Ye Shengge with a kick. Was this Treading Ten Thousand Rivers? Li Banfeng knew his execution was far from masterly, but it shouldn't have been this pathetic. Swinging his scythe, he chopped down toward Ye Shengge's skull from above. *Swish!* The scythe merely tickled Ye Shengge's head, not even breaking the skin. Joy Cultivator art: Flirting and Scolding. All of Li Banfeng's attacks had turned into playful banter between lovers. When had he been struck by the art? Li Banfeng remembered the relentlessly pursuing woman. Her single touch had subjected Li Banfeng to the technique. Layering Flirting and Scolding inside Solitary Seeking a Mate—the Joy Cultivator Patriarch truly possessed some skill. Spikes erupted from over a dozen pairs of shrimp legs as Ye Shengge pressed in close, attacking relentlessly. Li Banfeng used Carefree and Unfettered to maneuver around Ye Shengge. After dozens of exchanges, Ye Shengge still failed to lay a finger on him. The more Ye Shengge fought, the more frenzied he became, feeling as though he and Li Banfeng were kindred spirits who had met too late, determined to fight to the finish today. Yet as the battle dragged on, Ye Shengge suddenly recalled something. With so many arts at his disposal, why was he insisting on close-quarters combat with Li Qi? In close combat against a Travel Cultivator, he could gain no advantage whatsoever. Ever since he engaged Li Qi, Ye Shengge had felt as if his strikes were devoid of rhythm and structure. Flirting and Scolding appeared to have worn off. Locking onto Li Banfeng's position, Ye Shengge prepared to use the Joy Cultivator art Soft Jade and Warm Fragrance. If that move truly landed, it would be sickening—Li Banfeng would grow emotionally attached to Ye Shengge, unwilling to lay a hand on him. Before Ye Shengge could unleash the art, Li Banfeng hurled a capsule at him. What was this thing now? Ye Shengge darted aside, but the capsule detonated right beside him, sending a shower of blood splattering from his body. More than half the carapace on his back was blown away, leaving mangled flesh exposed. Explosives this potent were extraordinarily rare. Ye Shengge stared at Li Banfeng. "The sacrificial altar... you were the one who blew it up?" Li Banfeng did not answer. Looking at Ye Shengge, he said, "Why aren't you molting? Don't you have an Art of Heavenly Unity?" Ye Shengge quickly widened the distance between himself and Li Banfeng. Banfeng C chimed in from behind, "Not enough time, is it? Trying to stall again? That shell isn't something you can shed whenever you please." Banfeng Chou chuckled. "Molting helps you shed part of the damage, but there's a cooldown between uses, and some damage can't be removed at all. At most, it's a formidable physical cultivator art—how could it possibly count as an Art of Heavenly Unity? You're just banking on your old age to bully a younger man's lack of experience." Banfeng Two stood beside Li Banfeng. "Beating him isn't hard, but he's adept at wearing opponents down. Qiao Yi might seize the chance to escape. We need to make this quick." Li Banfeng nodded. "My thoughts exactly. Which method do you think is fastest?" Banfeng Two said, "We rush in and pin him down, and you blast him to death with explosives." Li Banfeng shook his head. "Not fast enough. Pinning him down won't be easy; he has too many arts, and he uses them cleverly." Banfeng Two suggested again, "Then trap him with Sever Path to Open a Road, and we'll all swarm him and hack him to death." Li Banfeng shook his head once more. "My Sever Path to Open a Road isn't proficient enough. If I leave a gap, he could still slip out." "We'll hold him here while you go kill Qiao Yi." "Qiao Yi can't be killed. I still have use for him." Banfeng Two grew impatient. "This won't work, that won't work! Hurry up and come up with something, or once he stalls long enough, he'll molt again." Li Banfeng felt Banfeng Two's thinking was too narrow. "You only think in terms of Travel Cultivator arts. Do you really think Travel Cultivators are the fastest?" "If Travel Cultivators aren't fast, what is?" Li Banfeng pricked his fingertip. "There is a way faster than anything." Ye Shengge was furious. In the heat of such life-and-death combat, Li Qi was actually casually discussing tactics with his shadows! Such blatant contempt was intolerable. It wasn't even merely contempt—Li Qi was currently thinking about dealing with Qiao Yi, ignoring Ye Shengge entirely. Ye Shengge gnashed his teeth. "You dog of a villain, you aren't going anywhere! Your life ends here today!" Blood surged as Ye Shengge turned bright red all over. He was about to unleash the Joy Cultivator art Layer Upon Layer of Mountains. This technique demanded enormous energy, but it could trap Li Banfeng inside this residence once and for all. As the art was unleashed, a single manor turned into countless manors, nested within one another. Just like Jianrengang back then, where Li Banfeng descended Sage Peak only to find himself climbing it again after walking for ages, unable to escape no matter what. With Layer Upon Layer of Mountains established, Ye Shengge gave a sinister grin. Li Banfeng was trapped beyond escape. Just as he prepared to let Soul-Enthralling Bone-Erosion blanket the entire estate so that Li Banfeng had nowhere to hide, he felt a sudden surge of imposing might. Someone seemed to be behind him. Ye Shengge looked back, only to see a woman clad in battle robes and holding a spear, standing in the middle of the courtyard. Her figure was one in ten thousand, but her appearance was bizarre: from her forehead to her cheekbones, there was no flesh, yet there remained a pair of eyes, and above her left eye was a section of eyebrow that looked as though it had been painted on. Li Banfeng had used Extending the Wide Bridal Chamber to summon Hong Ying. Hong Ying had been doing her makeup, and having arrived in a rush, she hadn't finished drawing her eyebrows. "Oh, so it's the Joy Cultivator Patriarch." Hong Ying recognized Ye Shengge and even offered a greeting. Hearing the voice, Ye Shengge gasped, "You're Hong—" Hong Ying abruptly vanished. Sensing imminent danger, Ye Shengge immediately tracked her trail with his eyes. At first he could still track her, but once Hong Ying took a step, her path lost all predictable pattern. Ye Shengge's vision blurred, and his body burst open like a blooming flower. Fortunately, enough time had passed, and Ye Shengge was able to molt once more. Shrimp shells clattered to the ground in heaps. But after molting, Ye Shengge was far from unharmed; his body was drenched in bright crimson, still a mangled mess of flesh and blood. Indeed, this was no Art of Heavenly Unity. It could only shed a portion of the damage, and the devastation from Hong Ying's Viewing Flowers from Horseback was simply too catastrophic. Even after shedding seventy percent of the damage, the remaining thirty percent left Ye Shengge critically wounded. While Ye Shengge was still trying to figure out how to deal with Hong Ying, Li Banfeng grabbed his head from behind. "You still don't know the name of this art. Let me teach you: Mad Cultivator art, Five Horses Dismemberment." *Splatter!* Ye Shengge's body shattered into pieces, leaving a single intact head in Li Banfeng's grip. Hong Ying walked up. "Qilang, which pathway does the Mad Cultivator art belong to?" "We'll discuss that in a bit." Li Banfeng used Extending the Wide Bridal Chamber to bring out the gramophone. "Madame, eat quickly. I still have important matters to discuss with Lord Qiao."