Just as Zhang Miao finished speaking, two people stepped out from the group behind him.

They stood with the withered old woman, no longer concealing their auras. A foul, rotten stench immediately drifted over on the wind, causing the expressions of Lin Fangyun and the other stewards to change.

Demon Cultivators!

Any stewards who had been wavering, or even considering defecting, immediately changed their minds.

Changchun Valley was known for its harsh stance against Demon Cultivators. Since Zhang Miao still dared to collude with them under these circumstances, it was clear he had no intention of letting anyone go.

"How about we join forces for now, Niece Feng?"

Lin Fangyun said to Yu Feng’Er, who was standing beside him, taking a deep breath.

Zhang Miao’s side was now formidable. If their two factions didn’t join forces, he feared none of them would escape today. They would all be buried here in Yunlu Pavilion.

Yu Feng’Er was trying to put on a brave face, but her slightly trembling hands gave her away.

Instead of looking at the two Honored Guest Elders from the Yu Family, she turned her gaze to Lü Zhong. The hired cultivator still seemed completely unperturbed, as if he had everything under control.

Noticing Yu Feng’Er’s gaze, Lü Zhong couldn’t believe how indecisive she was at a time like this. ’She’s a world away from Li Hejun.’ He had no choice but to send her a voice transmission: "In this situation, cooperation is mutually beneficial. Regardless of who becomes the Commerce Association’s chairman, now is not the time for infighting."

Hearing this, Yu Feng’Er hurriedly said to Lin Fangyun, "We’ll do as you say, Uncle Lin."

’Sigh.’

Lü Zhong was speechless.

’Honestly, this woman really isn’t cut out to be the chairman of the Chengde Commerce Association.’

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the two sides clashed.

Lü Zhong’s side had six Foundation Establishment cultivators in total, including himself.

The opposing side, including Zhang Miao, had a full eight Foundation Establishment cultivators. Three were Demon Cultivators skilled in combat, and their leader, the withered old woman, possessed a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Seeing the old woman tie up Lin Fangyun, Lü Zhong was pleased to have a free hand and rushed forward to stand in front of Yu Feng’Er.

"Hmph, you’re courting death!"

A Demon Cultivator in the Early-stage of Foundation Establishment had intended to kill Yu Feng’Er first. Seeing Lü Zhong approach, he snorted, changed his target, and hurled a scarlet, blood-red flame from his hand.

"Shocking Spirit Flame, burst!"

Mid-flight, the blood-red flame suddenly exploded.

It instantly transformed into a sea of blood-red fire, engulfing an area several yards wide in front of him.

’You ignorant fool. Still, you should be honored to die by my Shocking Spirit Flame Secret Skill!’ the heavily tattooed Demon Cultivator thought with smug satisfaction.

The next moment, his expression changed drastically.

He watched as the sea of blood-red fire first dimmed, then transformed into a brilliant golden radiance.

Lü Zhong emerged from the sea of fire completely unscathed. The golden flames around him then converged, re-forming into a small, golden Spirit Flame. He was greatly surprised.

’Just by devouring that blood flame, the Spiritual Attribute of my Golden Sun Insect Fire increased dramatically! If I could absorb a few more, it might even cause the fire to undergo a metamorphosis, strengthening the effect of my Spirit Forging Fire.’

An idea surfaced in his mind, and he surged forward.

Ahead of him, the Demon Cultivator was already retreating.

When the Demon Cultivator saw that Lü Zhong possessed Yang Fire, rendering his greatest weapon—the Shocking Spirit Flame—useless, he instantly lost all will to fight. He decisively abandoned his target to go after someone weaker.

Lü Zhong, however, had no intention of letting him go.

Chanting an incantation while forming hand seals, he used his Flying Star Qi Introduction Skill, followed by several Star Shifting Steps. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of the Demon Cultivator.

Without a moment’s hesitation, a Late Sun Magic Sword condensed in each of his hands.

The Late Sun Sword Skill had never failed him; it was his go-to weapon for dispatching weaker foes.

Dozens of slashes rained down, instantly shattering the protective Demonic Qi the Demon Cultivator relied on for defense. Then, one sword slashed at his neck while the other struck his lower Dantian, leaving him powerless to retaliate.

With two sickening squelches, the man was decapitated, his aura vanishing completely.

Immediately, the corpse burst into flames.

The flames were blood-red—it was the very same Shocking Spirit Flame Lü Zhong had just seen.

He used his Golden Sun Insect Fire to devour it. As if it had consumed a potent tonic, the fire’s Spiritual Attribute was greatly enhanced, eventually stopping at a certain threshold. The flame’s color then began to deepen, the faint trace of cyan it once had fading away to become a pure, pale gold.

With no time to inspect the changes to his Golden Sun Insect Fire, Lü Zhong snatched the Demon Cultivator’s Storage Bag and rushed to help Yu Feng’Er.

By now, his side was at a complete disadvantage.

The Chengde Commerce Association stewards, all with only Qi Refining cultivation, were being slaughtered by Zhang Miao and his men; they were about to be wiped out. Meanwhile, Lin Fangyun, with his Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, was being forced into a steady retreat by the withered old woman. Of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators he had brought, only one remained; the other had already been killed by the old woman’s Butterfly Flying Needles.

As for Yu Feng’Er’s side, the two family Honored Guest Elders she’d brought were proving useless. The female cultivator had no will to fight at all; she had been trying to break away and escape from the very beginning, but a Demon Cultivator had her pinned down. Meanwhile, the male cultivator was being besieged by three enemy Foundation Establishment cultivators. He was already covered in wounds and struggling to fend them off; his defeat was only a matter of time.

Thus, even with Lü Zhong killing one of the Demon Cultivators, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide of battle.

Seeing the situation rapidly deteriorating, Lü Zhong lost any desire to continue the fight.

Besides, once Lin Fangyun was defeated, he alone would clearly be no match for Zhang Miao and the others.

’In that case, what was there to hesitate about?’

With a flick of his sleeve, Lü Zhong summoned the Wood Spirit Wind-controlling Ship. He then fired off a Palm Thunder, blasting Yu Feng’Er’s opponent away. Using his Object Control Skill, he pulled the woman directly onto the Flying Ship.

The Flying Ship shot into the air and immediately accelerated, rocketing into the distance.

"Damn it! Stop him for me!"