Chapter 47: Betrayal

Hearing the words "increasing longevity," Chen Lin suddenly realized the truth.

Yu Yuehai had used the Blood Demon Pill, leaving him with very little lifespan remaining; no wonder he was so calculating in his efforts to refine this pill.

If this pill provided enough longevity, he could pave a smooth path into the Golden Core realm!

As for the inevitable heavenly retribution, he surely had a way to resolve it.

A Golden Core cultivator was a super powerhouse capable of dominating a region; even if he could only live for another dozen years, it would be enough to make anyone's heart race.

Without longevity-extending pills, he would never dare to step into the Golden Core stage, for the moment of advancement would be the moment of his death!

Even if he didn't aim for the Golden Core realm, he could continue to live a carefree life as a Foundation Establishment expert after extending his life.

Chen Lin's expression grew even more grim.

To Yu Yuehai, who had used the Blood Demon Pill, this pill was as vital as life itself; he would never give it up no matter what.

Furthermore, from the tone of their conversation, was he actually planning to refine pills directly from living people?

Even though he knew of Yu Yuehai's ruthlessness, he could hardly believe the man was capable of such cruelty.

Yu Yuehai suppressed his rage and looked at the five dying clan leaders, saying, "Is it not a waste of breath to keep talking about this now? Besides, how much better off are you?"

"I forgot to tell you—I was the one who leaked the recipe for the Five Elements Immortal Refining Pill. Don't try to claim you weren't after it to refine that pill; the number of Five Elements cultivators' souls required for *this* pill is even greater. Weren't you all planning to refine it too? Why act like such righteous gentlemen!"

"However, that recipe was a fake, hahaha..."

Yu Yuehai's words caused the faces of the five clan leaders to darken further.

At this moment, they finally understood that their schemes over the years had been nothing more than being led by the nose by this man. After all their plotting, they had not only worked for someone else's benefit but had also lost their lives.

"Good, good, good! Your schemes are truly extraordinary; I, Han Yuhe, admit defeat. But if you think you can refine me into a pill, you are dreaming!"

As he spoke, his body began to swell, and the spiritual power within him became explosive.

"Hmph! You want to self-detonate? In your dreams!"

Yu Yuehai sneered. With a flick of his hand, five small talismans were slapped onto the five clan leaders.

Once the talismans were applied, Han Yuhe's body rapidly withered, his spiritual fluctuations vanished without a trace, and he became unable to move even a single limb, turning into a standing puppet.

The same happened to the other four; they could only glare at Yu Yuehai with murderous eyes.

Unfortunately, looks couldn't kill.

Yu Yuehai's gaze swept over Chen Lin, and with a wave of his hand, he slapped a talisman onto Chen Lin's forehead as well.

Chen Lin instantly felt paralyzed, his body unable to move even a fraction.

He couldn't help but curse inwardly, regretting his indecisiveness. Had he taken a desperate risk earlier and used the Thunderbolt No. 4, he wouldn't be in a position where he wanted to use it but couldn't.

But thinking about it, there truly hadn't been an opportunity along the way, unless he had used himself as a human bomb, in which case he wouldn't have survived anyway.

However, Chen Lin was not entirely despondent. With a thought, he subtly sensed the strand of sword qi within his dantian.

Upon discovering he could control it, he quietly ceased all movement and turned a murderous gaze toward Yu Yuehai.

This sword qi certainly wouldn't pose a threat to Yu Yuehai, but it could be used to dispel the talisman on his forehead, and that would be enough.

As long as he regained control of his body, he could use the Thunderbolt Pearl.

Moreover, doing it this way would certainly be more unexpected.

Seeing that Yu Yuehai's attention had shifted elsewhere, Chen Lin's eyes darted around, scanning the surroundings for an escape route after using the Thunderbolt Pearl.

At that moment, Yu Yuehai's Foundation Establishment aura erupted fully as he stared at Ye Jingyun. "Since you knew the truth and were still able to endure until now, you must have prepared something. Let me see what your trump card is!"

Chen Lin also looked over, watching Ye Jingyun with expectant eyes.

He had completely figured it out by now: the reason she had asked him to refine talismans earlier was to deal with this exact situation. He didn't know what that talisman was for or if it could pose a threat to Yu Yuehai.

The Xia sisters also looked as if they had been frightened senseless, retreating in panic behind Ye Jingyun.

Ye Jingyun maintained her indifferent demeanor, as if she truly possessed a card that could turn the tide.

But before she could make a move, the Xia sisters behind her suddenly shot two streaks of black light from their hands, striking her!

Because they were so close and because she was completely unprepared for them, Ye Jingyun had no chance to dodge; she spat out a mouthful of blood.

Ye Jingyun collapsed to the ground with a thud, her expression one of extreme shock and fury as she looked at the Xia sisters with disbelief.

"Why?"

These sisters had been with her since childhood. Though they were maids, they were no different from biological sisters. She could not understand why they would betray her.

A trace of unnaturalness appeared on both sisters' faces.

Xia Yunshu spoke up, "I'm sorry, Sister. We had no choice. Please don't blame us."

"Heh, no choice?"

Ye Jingyun sneered. "Do you even know what the Inverted Five Elements Blood Refining Method is? It requires two sets of cultivators with complete Five Elements—one set as the medicine and the other as the catalyst. The number of people here is just right. Do you really think he will let you go?"

"What!"

The Xia sisters both showed expressions of shock and anger, looking at Yu Yuehai with suspicion.

"Senior Yu, is this true? You said before that if we sisters cooperated with you, you would make us official disciples of the sect and help our Xia family prosper. And... you said you wouldn't take Sister Ye's life!"

Hearing this, Chen Lin was utterly speechless.

They were truly naive. And Ye Jingyun wasn't all that great either—even the maids raised by her family since childhood could betray her!

What frustrated him even more was that after all this time, the opponent had just been standing there without moving. If she had a trump card, why was she waiting?

How could he place his hopes on such people?

He couldn't wait any longer!

Chen Lin knew the opportunity he was waiting for was never going to come. He had hoped Ye Jingyun had a backup plan, but she was far weaker than he thought.

Even if he couldn't escape, he had to try.

With that thought, he moved his intent to trigger the sword qi to break the talisman on his forehead.

Just then, a sharp aura appeared from the other side, and a red light shot straight toward the back of Yu Yuehai's neck!

The strike was so sudden that it caused Chen Lin to freeze, halting his movement.

He saw it—the attacker was actually Zhao Zhengyuan, who had been in a state of unconsciousness!

Yu Yuehai also seemed not to have expected his sealing technique to fail against a Qi Refinement cultivator. A look of combined shock and rage appeared on his face. Without dodging, he reached out his hand to grab the red light.

The red light was a flying sword. It looked incredibly sharp, but it was caught in Yu Yuehai's grasp, humming incessantly in the void.

"Hmph, you actually have some skill, managing to break my seal. But you're still a bit lacking if you think you can sneak attack me!"

Yu Yuehai snorted coldly. With a shake of his wrist, he intended to strike the flying sword back to counterattack Zhao Zhengyuan.

At that moment, an even more massive aura soared into the sky. Ye Jingyun suddenly stood up from the ground, and her body underwent a startling transformation!

At this moment, not only had her body swelled in size and her clothes been torn to shreds, but her entire body was covered in dark green scales that shimmered in the night.

Seeing this, Chen Lin finally understood what the talisman she had asked him to refine was for—it could actually turn a person into such a creature.

No wonder she had been reluctant to use it; it was far too hideous.

However, despite the appearance, the effect was staggering. At this moment, the aura emanating from Ye Jingyun had reached the level of a Foundation Establishment powerhouse!