Chapter 761: Master-Disciple Bond

"Brother Li, he's trying to split us apart. Don't fall for this old fiend's scheme! The entire Rakshasa City is now under martial law. Even if you leave now, you'll be caught sooner or later. Our only chance is to rescue the Ancestor and rely on his power to truly escape," Hu San said hastily.

Han Li glanced at Hu San, his eyes flickering slightly, as if pondering something.

"Scheme? You can think that way. You must be aware of the situation in Rakshasa City—there's no spare force to pursue you. In my eyes, a few mere Golden Immortals amount to nothing. If you're still uneasy, I can even grant you a Nine Abyss Token," Yin Chengquan said indifferently.

As he spoke, he raised a hand slightly and flicked his finger. A black light shot out, landing before Ti Hun—a pitch-black token made of some unknown metal.

Liu Qi Ancestor frowned slightly at the sight.

"Master, the various restrictions in Rakshasa City may seem scattered, but they are all laid out with a super array at the core. The Nine Abyss Token is a treasure refined from that super array, and only five exist in the entire Nine Abyss Clan. With this, I am confident I can open most of the restrictions in Rakshasa City," Ti Hun caught the token and transmitted to Han Li.

"I, Li, also participated in breaking the restrictions at Kun Hou's place, so I share responsibility for the situation here. You wanted to kill me just now—why the sudden change of heart, willing to let me leave?" Han Li squinted and asked.

"Hmph, on an ordinary day, none of you would leave here alive. But my only target now is Liu Qi. You managed to block a divine sense strike from this sliver of my soul, showing some skill. I'm sparing you to avoid unnecessary complications," Yin Chengquan said coldly.

"Your frankness shows sincerity, but I'm sorry—I've already promised Senior Liu Qi to lend him a hand, so I must decline your offer," Han Li said with a faint smile.

Hu San's expression relaxed, and Liu Qi Ancestor's brows smoothed, though Ti Hun looked greatly anxious.

"Boy, you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. Since that's the case, stay here! Luo'er, you see—it's not that your master is ruthless, but that this man seeks death. Leave now, lest you be caught in the crossfire," Yin Chengquan's face turned cold as he made hand seals and waved.

The massive formation on the ground suddenly brightened, and a surge of white light erupted, enveloping Ti Hun's body and flying outward.

Ti Hun spoke anxiously, but the white light around her was immensely powerful, not wavering in the slightest, and no sound emerged.

Just then, a gray shadow flashed, wrapping around Ti Hun's body like lightning—it was a fox tail.

Seeing this, Yin Chengquan's expression changed drastically. He shot out like lightning, appearing above Liu Qi Ancestor in a flash, and punched out in fury.

As his fist struck, a gray light blazed forth, within which a ferocious ghost head the size of a house vaguely appeared, emitting a sharp, chattering screech.

The sound was piercing, penetrating the soul, exuding a dense aura of death like the sneer of a hellish demon, making one feel as if being dragged into an abyss of hell.

Han Li, Hu San, and Shi Chuankong heard the sound, and their souls trembled violently, on the verge of dissipating.

Liu Qi Ancestor on the ground waved his front claws, and streams of gray-white light shot out, instantly forming an egg-shaped gray-white light shield that covered Han Li and the others, along with the four lightning pools.

Once the shield appeared, the chattering screech diminished greatly.

At the same time, the middle-aged man's phantom flickered, appearing in the air above the shield, blocking Yin Chengquan.

"If you want to attack them, you'll have to get through me first," the middle-aged man laughed, making hand seals. A gray-white crystalline light flew from his body, spinning to form a thick staff shadow over ten zhang long.

Two phantom figures resembling dragons and snakes coiled around both ends of the staff shadow, emitting a heavy fluctuation of soul power as they met Yin Chengquan's fist.

With a thunderous roar!

The staff shadow and fist collided in midair, erupting in a blinding light like the sun. A tangible wave of divine sense burst forth, distorting the nearby void wildly before shattering like a mirror.

The gray-white light shield was also affected, trembling violently with crackling sounds, forming streams of white mist that spread outward.

But the shield seemed extremely tough, not breaking, and soon stabilized.

In midair, after the strike, both the middle-aged man and Yin Chengquan shuddered violently, flying back.

The series of exchanges happened like lightning, and only then did Han Li and the other two react, letting out muffled groans with blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.

They exchanged glances, all showing shock.

"Liu Qi, attacking a junior—have you no sense of dignity?" Yin Chengquan steadied himself, refraining from further action, and roared.

"Tsk, hearing such righteous words from Domain Lord Yin is rare. We've fought for countless years and know each other well. Don't tell me you think I haven't seen through your intentions?" Liu Qi Ancestor sneered, tightening his fox tail around Ti Hun. The white light around her shattered with a crack.

The fox tail moved, pulling Ti Hun back to Liu Qi Ancestor's side.

Ti Hun, who had been struggling, slowly stopped.

"What do you mean?" Yin Chengquan's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

"Little girl, your true form is a Punishment Beast, isn't it? If I'm not mistaken, after Yin Chengquan took you as his disciple, he spared no effort to nurture you, even capturing beings from various races and hunting souls for you to devour and enhance your cultivation—am I right?" Liu Qi Ancestor glanced at Yin Chengquan with a hint of mockery, then asked Ti Hun.

"Yes, my master's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain..." Ti Hun glanced at Yin Chengquan and said.

"But do you know why your master dotes on you so much, sparing no cost to boost your cultivation? Surely you're not unaware of Yin Chengquan's character?" Liu Qi Ancestor continued, ignoring her words.

Ti Hun's face turned pale. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out.

These doubts had occurred to her many times over the years, but Yin Chengquan was so good to her that she refused to suspect him. Whenever the thought surfaced, she immediately shied away. Now, confronted directly by Liu Qi Ancestor, she could no longer avoid it.

Han Li's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this.

In fact, when he came here, he had heard that Yin Chengquan, the first Dao Ancestor governing the Nine Abyss Domain, was inherently bloodthirsty and adept at using treacherous means to force other medium and small domains into submission. Even the Great Luo cultivators within his own clan regarded him with a mix of awe and fear. He hardly seemed like a good teacher who would take in a foreigner and nurture them.

But given the urgency of the situation, though he had doubts, he hadn't given it much thought. Now it seemed...

In midair, Yin Chengquan's expression was indifferent, but his eyes held a coldness.

"You must know that the Nine Abyss Clan can control others using Soul Devouring Insects. I must say, this divine ability of theirs is exceptionally powerful—not only can it manipulate puppets, but through the insects, it creates a奇妙 connection between master and puppet. If their laws are similar, they can easily achieve law fusion. This is a key reason the Nine Abyss Clan stands firm as one of the three overlords of the Gray Realm," Liu Qi Ancestor laughed, then abruptly changed the subject.

"Senior Liu Qi, what does this have to do with Ti Hun?" Han Li vaguely sensed a notion but wasn't sure, so he asked.

"Years ago, due to an accident, I was severely injured and drifted to the Gray Realm, where Yin Chengquan captured me and imprisoned me here. The reason he didn't kill me was that he coveted my Heavenly Illusion Law. He cultivates the Ghostly Law. If he could successfully refine me into a Soul Devouring puppet and fuse our laws, his power would double, and no one in the Gray Realm would be his match," Liu Qi Ancestor sneered, continuing leisurely.

Ti Hun seemed to recall something, her face turning pale.

"But to control a Dao Ancestor like me, Yin Chengquan needs an extremely advanced Soul Devouring Insect, which cannot be refined from ordinary souls. That's why he went to such lengths to nurture you. The Punishment Beast is a highly advanced soul entity with the ability to absorb souls and devour ghosts, making it perfect for refining top-tier Soul Devouring Insects. However, your cultivation is still low. He likely planned to wait until you reached the Great Luo stage before refining you, to ensure success," Liu Qi Ancestor said slowly.

Ti Hun's face turned deathly pale upon hearing this.

Han Li sighed inwardly at her expression. He had once experienced being schemed against by a respected figure, and though it was long ago, it had profoundly impacted his entire cultivation journey.

"Master, is what he said true?" Ti Hun slowly looked up at Yin Chengquan in midair and asked.

"Heh, Luo'er, I've enjoyed this game of good master and filial disciple very much. I intended to continue, but since you know now, let it end here," Yin Chengquan's expression had calmed, and he spoke with a faint smile that sent chills down one's spine.

Ti Hun's body trembled, and the last trace of color drained from her face.

Han Li looked at Yin Chengquan, squinting, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Liu Qi, you said we've fought for countless years and can hardly hide our thoughts from each other—that's not entirely true. For instance, can you guess why I calmly let you finish speaking?" Yin Chengquan turned to Liu Qi Ancestor, his smile unchanged.

Liu Qi Ancestor was startled, then suddenly looked at Ti Hun before him, as if realizing something.

At that moment, a sudden change occurred!