The situation in the courtyard had dissolved into chaos.

Nearly all the cultivators from the City Lord’s Manor had been drawn away by Shen Li, leaving no one aware of the battle raging within these walls.

Watching Shen Li employ his sinister arts, a cold glint flashed in Ye Qingxian’s eyes. She lightly raised her jade-like hand, and a resplendent golden phoenix phantom suddenly manifested behind her.

As the phoenix spread its wings, the temperature in the entire courtyard soared abruptly, causing the very air to warp and distort.

“Such paltry evil arts dare to run rampant!”

She shouted coldly, a thread of golden flame coalescing at her fingertip.

The flame thread appeared slender, yet it contained a heart-palpitating power. Wherever it passed, the black qi demonic pythons summoned by Shen Li let out shrill, agonized roars before dissipating into wisps of green smoke.

Shen Li’s face contorted as he frantically urged the spiritual power within his body. “Die!”

The bloody runes on the Heart-Eroding Blade suddenly erupted with a blinding crimson light. Nine demonic pythons reformed, their bodies swelling several times in size as they pounced forth with an aura capable of destroying heaven and earth.

Ye Qingxian neither dodged nor evaded, her hands forming a seal.

The phoenix phantom let out a clear, melodious cry. Spreading its wings, countless golden fire-feathers poured down like torrential rain.

“Phoenix Dance Across the Nine Heavens!”

The fire-feathers collided with the demonic pythons, erupting in deafening booms.

Golden light and black qi intertwined. The ground of the entire courtyard cracked inch by inch, and the surrounding structures collapsed with thunderous crashes.

Shen Li spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with disbelief. “Impossible… my Blood Fiend Demonic Pythons…”

Previously, within the Ancestral Grounds, Shen Li’s ability to fight back and forth with her had relied on the assistance of others and the empowerment of the Void Guiding Jade Pendant.

But now, alone and unaided, how could he contend with Ye Qingxian?

Whoosh—

Before his words even finished, a golden flame thread had already pierced through his shoulder, sending a spray of blood into the air.

“Ah!”

Shen Li let out a miserable shriek as the Heart-Eroding Blade flew from his grasp.

Ye Qingxian’s figure flickered, arriving before him in an instant. Her jade-like hand lightly tapped his glabella. “Seal!”

A golden rune materialized on Shen Li’s forehead. His wildly surging spiritual power was instantly suppressed, and the black qi surrounding him receded like a tide.

“You… just who are you…” Shen Li slumped to the ground, his eyes brimming with terror.

Ye Qingxian did not answer. She merely cast him a cold glance before turning and walking toward Shen Xian.

After taking only two steps, she suddenly staggered, another mouthful of blood spraying forth. Forcing herself to activate the Phoenix True Flame to suppress the evil arts had worsened her injuries significantly.

Shen Xian hurried forward to support her. “You…”

“It’s nothing.” Ye Qingxian wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her voice still cool and detached. “My promise is fulfilled.”

She stubbornly forced herself to stand straight, but her pale complexion and slightly trembling fingers revealed just how much this battle had drained her.

Seeing her stubborn demeanor, Shen Xian felt a tumult of complex emotions. He opened his mouth but ultimately only said softly, “Thank you.”

Ye Qingxian gave a faint nod, her gaze sweeping toward the subdued Shen Li. “I leave him for you to deal with.”

Shen Xian walked directly toward him.

Shen Li sat slumped on the ground, black blood trickling from his mouth. Suddenly, he burst into a fit of maniacal laughter. “Hahaha… Shen Xian, do you think you’ve won?”

He raised his bloodshot eyes, glaring fixedly at Shen Xian. “Since we were children, you’ve always been like this… hiding behind others to pick up the spoils!”

“Now you even need a woman’s help to deal with me?” Shen Li spat out a mouthful of bloody froth, his face full of mockery. “What a fine son of the Shen Family you are!”

Shen Xian approached expressionlessly, the Traceless Sword manifesting in his hand.

“What? Did I hit a sore spot?” Shen Li sneered viciously, his voice hoarse. “Kill me then! Let the whole clan see how this new family head rose to power by relying on a woman!”

He struggled to prop himself up, a crazed light flashing in his eyes. “I’ll be waiting for you in hell! Waiting to see how this waste leads the Shen Family to ruin!”

A cold glint flashed in Shen Xian’s eyes as he abruptly brought down the Traceless Sword!

“Halt!”

A clear, cold shout suddenly rang out in his mind!

It was a voice transmission from his eldest brother, Shen Xing.

Immediately after, an immense divine sense pressed down like a mountain weighing ten thousand jun, causing Shen Xian’s sword momentum to stall momentarily.

Behind him, sensing this hidden divine sense pressure from the shadows, Ye Qingxian narrowed her phoenix eyes. Golden flames swirled at her fingertips as she prepared to intervene…

Meanwhile, Shen Xian had already secretly activated the Void Reflecting Spirit Mirror.

Today… he and Shen Li must settle their score…

No one could stop it!

Boom—

Deity Transformation Realm divine sense erupted violently, scattering Shen Xing’s pressure. The original suppression vanished without a trace.

“Sever!”

Unhindered now, the Traceless Sword descended with an air of finality.

Swish—

A flash of sword light passed by. Shen Li’s head flew high into the air, its face still frozen in a ferocious grin.

Blood sprayed forth, staining Shen Xian’s white robes red.

A flicker of surprise passed through Ye Qingxian’s beautiful eyes. In that instant… she had sensed a wisp of Deity Transformation Realm fluctuation from him…

But wasn’t he only at the Qi Refining Realm? Even if he possessed such treasures… he shouldn’t be able to activate them so effortlessly…

Unless…

Ye Qingxian realized that this “husband” of hers was far from ordinary; he must harbor secrets even she couldn’t detect.

At that moment… Shen Xing finally arrived on the scene.

His face was as dark as water. He frowned as he looked at the headless corpse lying in a pool of blood on the ground.

His earlier intervention… he had thought it would easily subdue him. But the result was far beyond his expectation. The other party actually possessed treasures that even he couldn’t restrain.

Shen Xing stared intently at this third brother of his. The cultivation aura of a Half-Step Nascent Soul erupted forth without reservation. A pressure as heavy as mountains filled the area, restraining both individuals opposite him.

“He is your own Second Brother!” He furrowed his brows slightly. A cold light flickered in his eyes, and his expression remained dark. His icy voice carried a trace of displeasure.

This outcome was what he least wanted to see.

Shen Xian flicked away the blood droplets on his sword; a mocking smile curled at his lips.

“Second Brother?” He kicked Shen Li’s head lightly with his foot. “This ‘Second Brother’ deliberately tampered with gifts at the Ye Family… wanting me to bear their wrath…”

Shen Xian walked step by step toward Shen Xing, his voice growing colder and colder. “This ‘Second Brother’ colluded with the Blood Fiend Sect… laying down killing traps meant to end my life!”

Shen Xing frowned slightly. “These matters…”

“Does Eldest Brother wish to say you didn’t know?” Shen Xian suddenly laughed, the sound carrying a bone-chilling coldness. “Then where were you when Second Brother withheld my monthly allowance? Where were you when he sent people to spy on me? Where were you when he poisoned my cultivation resources?”

“And now Eldest Brother brings up matters of familial affection?”

He looked directly at this Innate Dao Body, this future Immortal Venerable. His voice was as icy as frost, not a trace of fear in his eyes.

The successive targeting had long since built up rage within him. Now that it could be released, naturally, he would speak freely.

After all… Shen Li was already dead… and he himself had gained recognition from the founding family head. Could it be that the other party still intended life for life?

A strange glint flashed through Shen Xing’s eyes but quickly returned to calmness. “The family has its own rules…”

“Rules?” Shen Xian suddenly laughed loudly. “Fine rules indeed!”

He abruptly turned around, his sword tip lifting Shen Li’s head high. “Then today I’ll tell Eldest Brother what my rule is…”

“Those who wish to kill me must die!”

Before the words finished falling, his left hand formed a seal gesture—a Li Fire True Seal blasted onto the head, instantly incinerating it to ashes.

Shen Xing’s fingers within his sleeves twitched slightly but ultimately did not act.

He looked deeply at Shen Xian once more.

“Don’t spout those high-sounding platitudes about family righteousness or grand causes—today I killed him knowing full well the consequences killing him entails…” Shen Xian sheathed his longsword, turning and walking toward Ye Qingxian. “If Eldest Brother wishes to seek revenge for Second Brother—I await you anytime.”

Looking at Shen Xian walking toward her, a complex emotion flashed through Ye Qingxian’s beautiful pupils once more.

This former “husband,” who once acted frivolous and playful, now carried a heart-palpitating aura of slaughter.

Shen Xing stood silently in place, his white robes fluttering without any wind present. He lowered his gaze, looking at the corpse. At the bottom of his pupils, a barely perceptible ripple flashed.

“Third Brother.”

His deep tone carried an undeniable authority and pressure. “First reflect properly upon the actions you have taken today!”

No further explanation was offered, nor were fierce reprimands given.

He raised a hand, beckoning the corpse. Clear light enveloped the form, and he turned and departed. The moment he left, the entire courtyard’s restrictions suddenly lit up, trapping the place.

Watching the departing back figure, Shen Xian suddenly smiled faintly again.

A dead person holds the least value indeed!