362: The golden mace and double hammers fell upon the traitor; the outcome was decided, and the dust had settled.

Three-Pronged Mountain, Badger Dwelling Labyrinth, the hideout of the Skinning Family.

"Kill them all!!!" Cai Nianxiong led dozens of Shisha Realm personal guards into the Badger Dwelling Labyrinth, launching a fierce assault. Along the way, every member of the Skinning Family encountered was captured or killed; whether Mortal or Cultivator, if they dared to resist, they were all killed.

Every member of the Skinning Family bore the surname Dai, a rare pure-blood Family in this world.

Because they possessed a Bloodline left behind by ancient gods, they refused to intermarry with outsiders, primarily to maintain the purity of the Ancient God Bloodline. This ensured that almost every generation within the Skinning Family would produce a Genius Cultivator with an Awakening Bloodline, though the cost was extremely high.

Perhaps only one in several hundred newborns would be such a one; the rest were basically monsters, deformed, or mentally disabled. Once these defective products grew up, they served as the Family's bottom-tier fuel, sacrificing everything for the Family.

The Geniuses bred in this way were indeed formidable, able to reach the Shisha Realm by thirty. With such talent, they were top-tier Geniuses even across the entire Five Turbidities Evil World. Unfortunately, pure-blood Families almost all had one fatal flaw: they were all top-tier glass cannons and did not live long.

At thirty, they would inevitably die from a ruptured body due to the backlash of the Ancient God Bloodline. Even if they had enough lifespan, it was useless; they would die an unnatural death all the same.

Unless they achieved a Breakthrough to the Shidu Realm by thirty and mastered the power of the rules hidden within their Bloodline, they would undoubtedly die.

This resulted in the Skinning Family having no Cultivators over thirty; their foundation was effectively non-existent.

However, the higher-ups within the Family were indeed strong enough, with every single one being a top-tier Genius.

As for those below the higher-ups, there were no middle-tier elites, only bottom-tier fodder.

And the bottom tier consisted entirely of deformed, monstrous, and mentally disabled individuals who obeyed the commands of the Family's upper echelon completely.

The personal guards led by Cai Nianxiong were the most elite batch under Cai Guozhong, enjoying the best resources, the best equipment, the best spell Secret Manuals, and the best physical technique Secret Manuals. They were well-coordinated and well-trained; once they formed a battle formation and charged into enemy ranks, it was equivalent to a massacre.

Even though the Skinning Family had hundreds of people, including many Shisha Realm Geniuses who could join forces to resist, they were, in the end, nothing but a rabble. Facing the encirclement of an army, they were simply outmatched.

Jianghu and the battlefield are different.

"Mother, Mother!" Cai Nianxiong searched everywhere for his mother. When he finally found her, he saw that she was already gaunt and frail, delirious and in a daze. She was dressed in servant's clothes, her palms rough, her face withered, and her hair sparse, looking like an eighty-year-old Mortal grandmother.

"What happened? What is wrong with my mother?" Cai Nianxiong called out for a long time, but Madam Cai stood like a wooden chicken, her eyes dull, like a Puppet. She let Cai Nianxiong shake her, showing no reaction at all.

The guard commander stepped forward to examine her for a moment and said, "Young Master, Madam has been afflicted by a Puppet soul-capturing technique. This is a type of spell specifically for controlling people; it can suppress a person's consciousness and forcibly control their Physical Body to drive them."

"Those afflicted by this technique have their consciousness trapped deep within their brain. They can perceive everything in the outside world but are powerless to act, like a bystander, only able to watch their own Physical Body act according to the master's commands."

"If this technique is broken in time after being cast for a short period, the victim will recover after resting for a few days."

"However, judging by Madam's condition, she has been under this technique for a long time. Her consciousness is likely deeply affected, and even if we manage to break the technique, her consciousness might not necessarily return. Moreover, her Physical Body has been drained of essence and blood due to years of labor; she is now suffering from a severe deficiency of Qi and blood, and her life is nearing its end."

Cai Nianxiong was so anxious that tears were about to fall: "Stop talking nonsense! Life-extending pills, give me life-extending pills!"

The guard commander took out a bottle of life-extending pills and handed it over.

Cai Nianxiong pinched his mother's mouth open and fed her one life-extending pill after another: "It's okay now, Mother. Your son has come late. It is truly my fault for letting you suffer outside all these years. I will take you home now."

After prioritizing saving Madam Cai's life, Cai Nianxiong quickly hoisted her onto his back and headed outside. Holding his dual floral plate axes in one hand, he roared an order: "Damn it, kill all these freaks for me! Every single member of the Dai Family, leave none alive!"

Hearing this, the dozens of Shisha Realm personal guards fought fiercely. Relying on the defense of their armor and shields, they engaged the Skinning Family in close-quarters combat, pressing forward step by step, killing the Skinning Family's Cultivators as they retreated, one after another.

Just as the scene descended into a melee, Zhegu Di led twenty Shisha Realm subordinates in a surprise attack from the shadows, heading straight for Cai Nianxiong and Madam Cai. The Cai Family's personal guards were caught off guard and could not stop them; the defensive line was broken instantly.

"Hahaha! The time has come, brothers, attack!" Zhegu Di leaped toward Cai Nianxiong, his face full of joy. As long as he captured Cai Nianxiong and Madam Cai, he could stage a beautiful comeback and turn the tables. He could already imagine the scene of victory.

However, a personal guard standing beside Cai Nianxiong suddenly blocked his path.

"A mere guard dares to block me?!" Purple light swirled around Zhegu Di as his true cultivation Realm was fully revealed. He charged forward with extreme arrogance and swung his hand in a slap, not taking the guard blocking him seriously at all.

However, he was shocked to find that the slap landed on the guard's head to no effect. Instead, the guard clenched his fist and struck him in the chest. The power of that single punch sent Zhegu Di reeling back more than ten zhang, crashing into the rock wall and vomiting a mouthful of blood.

The aftermath of the collision between the fist wind and the body affected everyone around; friend and foe alike were sent flying by the shockwave. Inside the mountain, the Badger Dwelling Labyrinth shook from the impact, causing large amounts of rock debris from the ceiling to fall, and the scene was filled with wails.

"Who... are you..." Zhegu Di clutched his chest and slowly climbed up, blood streaming from his mouth. That punch had contained the power of the rule of strength, which had forcefully entered his body, churning his internal organs and causing him significant internal injuries.

Cai Guozhong slowly removed his face mask, revealing a mocking expression: "Zhegu Di, didn't expect it to be me, did you?"

Cai Nianxiong said in surprise: "Father?!"

Zhegu Di wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looking at Cai Guozhong in disbelief, and said suspiciously: "Impossible, how is this possible? I clearly confirmed it, you were at Raven Fort. How could you appear here?"

Cai Guozhong chuckled, a purple light flashed in his palm, and he took out two Golden Melon short hammers: "Stupid, your schemes were already seen through by Mr. Jiang. Before Mr. Jiang left, he left me three strategies specifically to deal with you."

Zhegu Di was shocked and furious, saying bitterly: "Jiang Dong, it's him again. Damn it, he has ruined my plans time and again. I will kill him!"

"Don't dream. You won't have the chance," Cai Guozhong said. "You traitorous rebel, I will hammer you to death today."

"Retreat!" Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Zhegu Di made a prompt decision and turned to flee outside the Badger Dwelling Labyrinth. After all, if the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood; if he was defeated, so be it, as long as he wasn't dead, there would be opportunities. If he died, everything was gone.

"Want to run? A kill-trap was set for you today, how could I let you escape?" Cai Guozhong sneered: "Dark Guards, where are you!"

Dozens of Shisha Realm Dark Guards killed their way in from the perimeter. A single volley of arrows shot and killed most of Zhegu Di's subordinates. Relying on his high Realm, Zhegu Di resisted the first wave of attacks, wanting to break out of the encirclement. However, dozens of Dark Guards swarmed him. Even if their so-called attacks couldn't harm Zhegu Di in the slightest, they were able to delay and contain him.

Meanwhile, Cai Guozhong, carrying the Golden Melon twin hammers, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, dodged and pursued, smashing one hammer toward Zhegu Di's head.

"Spare me, Lord! This subordinate was wrong!!!"

"Spare your mother's head! Go to hell!"