Temple Guardian Beast, Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python!

"Oh no, it's a Foundation Establishment Realm expert!"

Li Dalong exclaimed, freezing his movements in place.

Sensing the immense power radiating from this cultivator, the members of the Li Family quickly gathered behind Li Dalong.

"Oh? What kind of magical artifact is this? One splitting into ten? And they look like spirit tablets; this is somewhat interesting."

The Foundation Establishment cultivator gazed at the ten tablets floating in front of the Li Family, looking quite intrigued.

"Who are you? Why are you trying to harm my Li Family?!!"

Though Li Dalong appeared rugged, he was sharp-witted and could tell that the recent invasion of refugees was linked to the cultivator before him.

However, with the Ancestor's tablets standing before him, he felt a sense of calm.

"Yo, your little family is quite interesting, too."

The cultivator raised an eyebrow. "The refugees came from Tailin Town; you tell me, who am I?"

"The Hu Family?!!"

Li Dalong gritted his teeth. The only people he could think of who had a grudge against him were Hu Wei and his kin.

"A smart man, quick to catch on."

The cultivator curled his lips, not taking the Li Family seriously at all. In fact, he hadn't moved yet precisely because he wanted to see what cards the Li Family had to play. It seemed they were just a large family with some ordinary spirit beasts, nothing to fear. "When I left seclusion this time, my grandson said that in these deep mountains and old forests, a family had killed his eighth-level Qi Refining subordinate. I didn't believe it at first, but now, it seems it really was you lot."

"Hu Wei." Li Dalong's expression turned grim. "I have never offended your Hu Family. I was even severely injured by your Hu Family's Hu Wei. Why must you be so aggressive?"

"Aggressive? That's not quite it."

The cultivator brushed the dust off his sleeve, glancing at the Li Family with disdain. "People like you aren't even worth my notice. I just looked into your background and grew curious. How does someone born a slave manage to become a seventh-level Qi Refining expert in less than twenty years? And your children, tsk tsk, they are even more promising than the children of my own family."

"Look at your spirit beasts; they could sell for a high price. This is truly interesting. My useless grandson finally did something that pleased me."

The cultivator's mocking laughter ceased, his expression turning cold.

"Now, tell me, what secret are you hiding? Hand over the treasures you've concealed, and I will spare your lives!"

"And as for these pathetic tablets, you don't actually think this useless magical artifact can protect you, do you?"

The Li Family members remained silent, merely looking at the Ancestor's tablets.

They had a secret—they had a mysterious Ancestor!

But...

"I'll curse your ancestors for eighteen generations!"

Li Dalong's eyes turned bloodshot. He snatched the longbow from Li Yaotie's hands, drew it, and notched an arrow. He poured every ounce of his spiritual energy into the bow and arrow, to the point where the iron bow began to emit a cracking sound from the internal stress!

He did not know in what form the Ancestor existed.

He did not know how astonishing the secrets behind the Ancestor's tablets were.

He only knew that as a descendant of the Li Family, even if he died, he would never reveal a shred of the secret of the Ancestor's existence, and he would fight for the honor of the Ancestor!!!

"Whoosh!"

The arrow, imbued with true energy, let out a violent, piercing sound as it tore through the air.

It also represented the resolve of the entire Li Family!

As Li Dalong's arrow flew, everyone in the Li Family gripped their weapons tightly; Li Yaozu even thrust out a sword aura.

But...

It was useless!

The arrow, powered by most of Li Dalong's true energy, was caught weakly in the hand of the Hu Family's Foundation Establishment Ancestor. Li Yaozu's sword aura couldn't even break through the man's protective true energy!

"I think it would be better if you all just obediently handed over your belongings and secrets."

The Hu Family's Foundation Establishment Ancestor looked at Li Dalong, who was drawing his bow again, with disdain. He acted as if he were playing with prey, strolling forward while casually deflecting their attacks toward the Li Family.

As long as these pieces of trash were terrified enough, he wasn't worried about failing to extract what he wanted!

"As expected of the descendants I've nurtured."

Watching his Li Family descendants in the game, who remained fearless even when facing a Foundation Establishment expert, and who were willing to exhaust every bit of their true energy to face their opponent, Li Xiang felt a strange sense of pride. At this moment, he felt as if he no longer viewed these descendants as mere game characters, but as his true kin.

He even wished that these Li Family members were his real-life family.

Then.

His gaze locked onto the Hu Family's Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he curled his lips. "You think you're pretty arrogant?"

The ten tablets floating before the Li Family finally moved!

The first one flew before the Hu Family's Foundation Establishment Ancestor just as the man was about to block.

Press R, Explode!

"Not good!"

This time, the Hu Family Ancestor finally recoiled violently, hurriedly using his true energy to block. He hadn't expected these strange tablets to have such a trick up their sleeves!

"The Ancestral Patriarch is unleashing his might!"

"Kill that bastard!"

The members of the Li Family saw the spirit tablet repel the Hu Family Ancestor, their eyes lighting up.

"It still has such power?"

The Hu Family Ancestor frowned as he stared at another moving spirit tablet, letting out a cold snort. "I want to see what this useless thing can actually do to me!"

This time, the Hu Family Ancestor used his flying sword to strike!

"Bang!"

Li Xiang manipulated the spirit tablet to self-destruct once more, blasting the flying sword away.

Immediately following this, he quickly maneuvered two more spirit tablets to charge toward the Hu Family Ancestor, and then, pressed R!

"Let's see how arrogant you can be!"

Amidst the sound of the explosion, the Hu Family Ancestor retreated again!

A lock of hair was blown out of place, obstructing the Hu Family Ancestor's vision. He brushed it aside with an ugly expression. "Six left. What will you do when they're all used up? Let's see how you handle that!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Meanwhile, Li Xiang, sitting in front of the screen, paid no attention to the small text appearing above the Hu Family Ancestor's head.

He manipulated the spirit tablets again and again, then pressed R!

Until the very last one, the spirit tablet finally shattered the Hu Family Ancestor's true energy, sending him flying backward!

Blood seeped from the corner of the Hu Family Ancestor's mouth, and his clothes were in disarray.

Yet his face was filled with a mocking smile. "Hahaha, it's gone. Your strange magical artifact has no..."

But the next moment, his laughter came to an abrupt halt.

[Consumed 20 points of Incense, used 'Ancestral Patriarch's Fury'!]

A spirit tablet appeared out of thin air once again in front of the Li Family members!

"How are there still more? Is this never-ending?!! I..."

The Hu Family Ancestor's mouth twitched. He stared at that spirit tablet, finding himself in a dilemma!

He had just boasted loudly; if he retreated now, he would likely blush even in his dreams. But if he didn't retreat... he had been blasted nine times, and his true energy was only half-depleted. Who knew how many of these things there were???

But he was mistaken.

Li Xiang summoned this spirit tablet not to attack the Hu Family Ancestor, but to protect the descendants of the Li Family.

Because...

In the Li Family ancestral hall, the Thunder Python coiled beneath the ancestral tablets finally opened its eyes!

Its body was even more massive, occupying nearly half the space of the ancestral hall. Its originally pitch-black python skin was gradually fading, turning a deep purple. On its smooth purple skin were mysterious and beautiful patterns!

The two sharp horns on its head had actually curved forward after its molting.

"Roar!"

Upon waking, the Thunder Python roared toward the sky. The sound it emitted was no longer the hissing of a snake, but the roar of a ferocious beast!

The lightning on its body radiated ten meters along the ground, and the purple electric arcs were clearly visible even to those outside the ancestral hall!

"What... what is that noise?!!"

If Li Xiang's ancestral spirit tablets only made the Hu Family Ancestor feel a bit of dread.

Then now.

He was filled with absolute, unadulterated terror!

He looked in horror toward the direction of the Li Family ancestral hall, where there was an aura that made him feel a sense of oppression just by sensing it!

"Run!"

As arrogant as the Hu Family Ancestor had been when he arrived, he was now that much more pathetic.

He didn't dare look at the Li Family again, turning his head and sprinting toward the Spirit Herb Garden!

He didn't even dare to look back.

But...

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sound of large trees being knocked down and collapsing continued to come from behind him, and the noise was getting closer and closer.

Until the moment he fled to the Beast Blood Fruit Tree.

He could even smell a foul, fishy stench. At this moment, he didn't dare move. He looked down in terror; the purple electric arcs had landed on the ground at his feet, though they did not attack him.

Of course, this arc of electricity also conveyed a message to him: if he dared to move, he should be prepared to be killed!

He stiffened his neck, turned around with great difficulty, and swallowed hard.

Until.

He was shrouded in shadow, and smooth scales appeared before his eyes.

"What... is this thing?!!"

The head of the Hu Family Ancestor trembled involuntarily. When he finally raised his head as if it had taken a lifetime, he saw clearly what was pursuing him.

A snake.

A giant python nearly twenty meters long, its color a purple so deep it looked black!

Standing prominently on the head of this giant python was a spirit tablet—the very tablet he had mocked just moments before being blasted into terror!

At this moment.

Li Xiang, in front of the screen, was gritting his teeth as he stared at the Hu Family Ancestor. In front of the Thunder Python, the Hu Family Ancestor looked like nothing more than a mouse!

He slowly clicked on the image of the Thunder Python.

Then he typed—

Finish him off, but don't let him die too easily!

In an instant, the Thunder Python coiled around the body of the Hu Family Ancestor, slowly discharging electricity, slowly tightening its grip!

"Ah!"

It had to be said, the Hu Family Ancestor still had some backbone. Even though he had been fleeing, once he was coiled by the Thunder Python, he didn't immediately beg for...

"Lord Spirit Beast, please spare my life!"

"..."

Li Xiang stared at the Hu Family Ancestor, whose face was bulging with veins as he was squeezed by the Thunder Python. "Go on, be arrogant! Keep being arrogant!"

He had been waiting all this time, waiting for the Thunder Python to awaken!

No.

It shouldn't be called the Thunder Python anymore.

But rather—

The Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python!

[Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python (Spirit Beast)]

[Description: A powerful existence possessing immense strength and innate thunder-flames. It is currently awaiting its next transformation!]

After ordinary demonic beasts come spirit-level demonic beasts, and the breakthroughs of demonic beasts are not like those of humans. The Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python is an outlier; it had already reached maturity, and shedding its skin was a metamorphosis, more akin to an evolution!

Upon becoming the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python, it had reached the pinnacle of spirit beasts!

Under the constriction of the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python, the bones of the Hu Family Ancestor soon began to emit 'crackling' sounds. His blood burst from the vessels in his skin, sliding down the smooth hide of the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python and dripping slowly beneath the Beast Blood Fruit Tree.

Before long, the once-arrogant Hu Family Ancestor was reduced to nothing more than a twisted human skin.

Only then did Li Xiang let out a long sigh of relief.

He clicked on the icon of the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python once more and typed—

Have someone deliver his skin to the Hu Family...