113. Warm My Bed

Ying Huanhuan and her group looked toward the source of the voice.

There, a white-haired elder in a gray and white robe floated in mid-air, his wrinkled face carrying a hint of mockery.

"Yuan Gate people!" Huanhuan’s pretty face changed.

Yuan Fang immediately stepped forward, shielding Huanhuan. "You must be elders of Yuan Gate. This Ancient Immortal Tree is something we discovered first."

"Whoever finds it first, owns it?"

"Naturally."

"We discovered it long ago and are simply here to collect it now." The white-haired elder sneered coldly, his gaze lingering on Huanhuan.

Yuan Fang’s expression shifted. "This mineral vein belongs to Dao Sect, so anything here is ours."

The Ancient Immortal Tree absorbs natural energy and condenses it into fruits, which are greatly beneficial for those in the Nirvana stage.

Ying Huanhuan added, "Your Yuan Gate already has an Ancient Immortal Tree, so why fight with us for this one?"

"Oh? So, you know Yuan Gate has an Ancient Immortal Tree? Then take a guess—why would there be a young tree here?" The elder’s face twisted into a sly smile.

Indeed, this Ancient Immortal Tree had been planted by them not long ago, and they had used a secret technique to hasten its growth.

Ying Huanhuan instantly understood. "You led us here on purpose?"

"Correct. Well done."

"But why?"

"Hehe, Yuan Gate doesn’t need to explain our actions to ants like you!" The elder waved his sleeve, and several gray-and-white figures appeared out of thin air around Huanhuan and her group, all dressed in Yuan Gate elder robes.

It was clear they had come prepared.

Ying Huanhuan’s lips pressed together, and her pretty face turned exceptionally serious.

"Su Rou, Yun Yun, soon, Sister Fang and I will hold them off. You two hurry back and alert the sect!"

"Sister Huanhuan, I’ll stay. One more person means one more chance to fight back," Su Rou said resolutely, biting her lip.

"That’s right. Running is pointless. Better to stay and fight!" Yun Yun gripped a sword with a mysterious glow in her hand.

"No, even if you stay, it won’t make much difference," Ying Huanhuan said firmly.

Her strength was close to the Eight Yuan Nirvana realm, but the enemy consisted of multiple elders they couldn’t hope to resist. Escaping was their only chance to inform the sect.

The white-haired elder of Yuan Gate laughed wickedly. "How touching, but none of you are getting away!"

The elders they’d dispatched had all been strengthened, with the weakest among them at the peak of the Profound Death realm. Letting a few Nirvana stage cultivators escape would be a disgrace.

"Then we’ll live and die together!" Yun Yun’s eyes held a fierce resolve.

Su Rou, too, showed rare determination. "Yes!"

"Enough! If no one escapes to report this, how will the sect know what happened here?" Ying Huanhuan decided quickly, leaping onto a large tree.

With a wave of her hand, a green zither appeared, shining like jade and emanating a surprising aura that spread across the field.

The white-haired elder smirked. "I’ve heard of Dao Sect’s Heavenly Phoenix Zither, a priceless treasure. Seeing it today, it truly lives up to its name!"

The white-haired elder's eyes gleamed with greed. Though he was an elder of Yuan Gate, he didn’t possess a truly powerful treasure.

The Heavenly Phoenix Zither, a Pure Yuan treasure, was perfect. He would claim it for himself!

"Take this!"

On the tree, Ying Huanhuan, dressed in green and white, sat cross-legged with her jade-like hands resting on the strings of the emerald-green zither. "Thrum..."

In an instant, an incredibly powerful wave of energy pulsed from the instrument, distorting the air around her.

"A fine treasure, but what a shame—the wielder isn’t skilled enough. Let me teach you a lesson!" The elder’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.

With a wave of his sleeve, a terrifying surge of elemental energy burst forth, neutralizing the soundwave attack on the spot. He then stepped forward, summoning a massive energy hand, aiming it directly at Ying Huanhuan!

"Watch out, Sister Huanhuan!" Su Rou gathered her energy to form a shield, hoping to block the attack.

But the gap in their strength was too vast—the shield shattered instantly under the elder’s assault.

"Die!" he sneered, pressing down with the energy hand, which descended with overwhelming force.

Yun Yun, Yuan Fang, and the others rushed to assist, but the elder scoffed.

"A group of ants dares to defy me? Perish!"

"Go, Huanhuan! I’ll hold them off!" Yuan Fang resolved to sacrifice herself.

"No! If we go, we go together. If we die… we die together!" Yun Yun clenched her teeth, knowing she had only three chances to use her energy-based attacks.

Timing her strike, she unleashed a concentrated, dark beam from her glowing sword.

"Blade of the Wind—Death Strike!"

The narrow beam pulsed with destructive energy, slicing off a finger from the giant energy hand.

Seeing this, Ying Huanhuan pressed her hands down on the zither’s strings, her palms bleeding and staining the instrument red.

A strange energy rippled outward from the zither.

"Formless Bodhi Sound!" she intoned softly.

A burst of blood-red light shattered the descending energy hand.

"Hmm?" Su Li let out a startled gasp, his killing intent intensifying.

"Su Li, let’s finish this together. We were ordered—Ying Huanhuan must die!" Elder Wang Su of Yuan Gate stepped forward, worried about possible delays.

"Fine! Together! But that Heavenly Phoenix Zither is mine," Su Li replied harshly.

"Agreed," Wang Su replied, focused only on completing their mission.

Then, another elder, Cheng Pu, eyed Su Rou and Yun Yun.

With a lecherous gleam, he pointed at them. "Hehe, that treasure is yours, but may I have these two girls?"

His gaze roved over their bodies with undisguised lust.

Su Li nodded. "Deal!"

The five Yuan Gate elders closed in, surrounding Ying Huanhuan and others. Cheng Pu sneered at Yun Yun and Su Rou.

"If you two agree to warm my bed, I might consider sparing your lives!" His mission was only to eliminate Ying Huanhuan; the others could be killed or captured.

"In your dreams!" Yun Yun spat coldly.

"Oh, feisty! I like that," Cheng Pu laughed, licking his lips in excitement at her defiance.