On the other side of the small island, the old Patriarch wielded the black banner and the Frost Sword, leaving one gash after another on the Green Flame Python’s body.

The Green Flame Python’s eyes narrowed. With no way out, it resorted to using its inner core to counterattack.

A deafening explosion rang out as the demon core collided with the Frost Sword’s blade light. The resulting shockwave was so powerful it actually split the lake water down the middle.

However, after this strike, the demon core dimmed considerably. It was clearly damaged, yet it had failed to harm Wang Guang’an.

Seeing that its limited repertoire of attacks still couldn’t subdue its opponents, the Green Flame Python realized these two humans possessed extraordinary strength and were far beyond its capabilities. It let out a furious roar, desperately calling for support from other demon beasts.

But Wang Yanzhao and Wang Longyou were not idle either. Leading the Wang Family members, they used the formation to firmly hold back the other demon beasts on one side.

Seizing this opportunity, Wang Hao and the old Patriarch showed no mercy. They unleashed their magical artifacts consecutively, launching a relentless assault on the Green Flame Python.

Wang Guang’an swung his sword seven times in succession. The blade lights superimposed upon each other, unleashing immense power. The protective spiritual light around the Green Flame Python instantly dissipated, and a massive wound was pierced through its body.

Hiss—

Severely wounded so suddenly, the Green Flame Python cried out in pain. It no longer dared to stay and turned to flee.

How could Wang Guang’an let it escape? He threw out a talisman. With a thunderous boom, the talisman seemed to foresee its path, locking onto the Green Flame Python’s escape route and striking precisely at its vital point—seven inches below the head.

The Green Flame Python was already nearly spent. Suffering an attack on its vital point, its body stiffened for a moment.

It was just an instant, but Wang Hao seized this fleeting opportunity. He activated the Ash Calamity Sword and brought it down with full force, severing the Green Flame Python’s head.

With one strike killing the enemy, both Wang Guang’an and Wang Hao breathed a sigh of relief. While this battle might sound straightforward, it had consumed nearly half of their True Essence.

The most troublesome second-rank demon beast was now gone, but they dared not rest. Wang Yanzhao and the others were holding off seven second-rank demon beasts and were close to their limit.

Wang Guang’an pushed his speed to the extreme, transforming into a sharp arrow that shot through the horde of beasts. Low-rank demon beasts were instantly torn apart in swathes.

A low-grade second-rank Blue Crab attempted to block him, but with just a slight activation of his black banner, Wang Guang’an froze it into an ice sculpture. A follow-up sword thrust shattered it into icy fragments.

Killing a low-grade second-rank demon beast in one exchange—Wang Guang’an truly was the most outstanding clansman of the Wang Family in centuries.

The Profound Water Turtle flew into a rage, spitting a massive water column towards Wang Guang’an. However, for turtle-type demon beasts, longevity and defense were their strengths; their weakness naturally lay in attack power. This water column couldn’t even threaten Wang Guang’an; even Wang Longyou at mid-Foundation Establishment could handle it easily.

Wang Guang’an also noticed this and quickly ordered, “Longyou, Yanzhao, you two hold off that Profound Water Turtle. Hao’er and I will deal with those three low-grade second-rank demon beasts first.”

A Carp Spirit had just emerged from the depths of the water. It hadn’t yet grasped the situation when it saw Wang Hao and Wang Guang’an pouncing towards it with fierce grins. Seeing them charge over, fear flashed in the Carp Spirit’s eyes.

In its panic, it spat bubble after bubble at them before turning to flee for its life.

But how could Wang Guang’an let it have its way? Activating his black banner, he instantly froze a large area of lake water—the Carp Spirit was trapped within it. Wang Hao smashed down with his Chaos Earth Seal violently, shattering that entire section of the frozen lake surface.

The two repeated this method, and moments later, they had dealt with another two low-grade second-rank demon beasts.

All of this was witnessed by the Profound Water Turtle, Six-Legged Crab, and Black-Shell Shrimp, but they were powerless to help. Two Foundation Establishment cultivators and a formation firmly blocked them.

Now only three second-rank demon beasts remained against four human Foundation Establishment cultivators—one of them at the ninth layer. They had lost all hope of victory.

The Profound Water Turtle roared once before sinking into the water. Its shell emitted a light resembling an Eight Trigrams pattern, temporarily obscuring everyone’s vision as it continued its desperate escape.

“Hmph! Trying to run?” Wang Guang’an snorted coldly.

His flying sword slashed repeatedly into the distance. The blade light cleaved through the lake water, revealing large stretches of the lakebed where the Profound Water Turtle lay stunned, sprawled on the muddy bottom.

Wang Guang’an again activated the black banner, releasing a frigid whirlwind. The parted lake water instantly refroze, forming four ice walls around the beast.

“Can you escape?”

Simultaneously, Wang Hao arrived. Raising his hand, he summoned the Ash Calamity Sword and struck down.

Clang!

A sharp sound rang out, but only a faint mark appeared on the turtle shell.

“This shell really is hard.” Wang Hao shook his head with a wry smile, thinking he needed to acquire a better weapon. The Ash Calamity Sword was still somewhat weak.

Wang Guang’an said, “Go help your father deal with those other two beasts. This old man will play slowly with this turtle!”

“Alright.” Wang Hao agreed and swiftly turned back.

Seeing their companions slaughtered and their leader captured, the Six-Legged Crab and Black-Shell Shrimp were long since terrified. Facing two human Foundation Establishment cultivators was hard enough; facing four meant certain death.

Exchanging a glance, the two beasts chose different directions and began fleeing.

Without clearing out Ling Lake’s demon beasts, how could the Wang Family members dare confidently support Qingniu Market? Naturally, Wang Hao wouldn’t let them escape. Treading with his Clear Source Boots, he pursued the faster-fleeing Black-Shell Shrimp.

Wang Yanzhao and Wang Longyou also began their pursuit separately.

Wang Longyou instantly conjured several illusions, confusing the beast as to which was real and which was fake. All three men cultivated the same Red Lotus Phantom Wood Heart Sutra, but at mid-Foundation Establishment, Wang Longyou had long mastered the Phantom Wood Clone Art. Three figures pounced from three directions, surrounding the Six-Legged Crab.

Wang Hao, seeing this divine ability for the first time, couldn’t distinguish the real from the fake. The Six-Legged Crab was even more bewildered. Stunned for a moment, it finally gritted its teeth and pounced on one figure.

That figure of Wang Longyou chuckled lightly. “Wretched beast, you chose wrong!”

Raising both hands, a white alchemical furnace flew out. Growing with the wind, its immense weight suppressed the Six-Legged Crab onto the lakebed. The crab tried to dig an escape tunnel, but for every foot it dug down, the furnace descended a foot. It simply couldn’t break free.

Wang Longyou took out a thread-like magical artifact. “Come out, you!”

The artifact wrapped around with spiritual light, tightly binding the Six-Legged Crab’s six legs and two pincers. Under the struggle, the crab suddenly emitted several loud snaps.

What snapped wasn’t the thread artifact, but several legs and two pincers of the crab itself.

“Stubbornly unyielding!” Wang Longyou shouted lightly. He channeled his Qi, completely crushing the Six-Legged Crab dead onto the lakebed.

He had originally wanted to keep the crab shell to make a defensive artifact, but the beast insisted on resisting utterly. To avoid variables, he could only crush it into pulp.

On the other side, the Black-Shell Shrimp was also no match for Wang Hao and Wang Yanzhao. Struck flying by Wang Yanzhao’s sword, the shrimp kicked its legs rapidly, fleeing towards Wang Hao’s side.

“You can’t escape.”

Wang Hao’s gaze turned cold. Seizing the crucial moment, he activated the Ash Calamity Sword and struck.

The Black-Shell Shrimp’s demonic power was already nearly depleted, and its protective spiritual light was very thin. The Ash Calamity Sword pierced through immediately, its momentum severing two leg appendages.

“Wretched beast, accept death!”

Arriving just in time, Wang Yanzhao roared angrily. He summoned the family Patriarch’s sword, the Flowing Cloud Sword—a supreme-grade spiritual artifact. The spiritual light slashed horizontally down, a single strike cleaving the body into two halves.

“Whew, finally resolved!”

Wang Yanzhao and Wang Hao returned to the flying vessel and collapsed into a seated position. Their methods were fierce, but ultimately their cultivation was somewhat low, and their internal Qi was not deep enough.

Repeatedly activating spiritual artifacts and formations, although they slew powerful enemies, had consumed eighty to ninety percent of their True Essence.