The two warriors exchanged no further words and launched into a fierce battle.
Outside the ancestral hall, the great conflict was about to erupt.
After Chen Qingyu and the others made their move, three more teams from the Li family quickly arrived.
As they approached, they saw Chen Qingyu, now at the late Blood Coagulation Realm, pressing down on the burly man
If they had arrived a moment later, the man's life would have been in danger.
Despite his injuries, the burly man's late-stage Blood Coagulation Realm cultivation allowed him to survive.
However, the first group who had followed him into the ancestral hall, including another Blood Coagulation Realm cultivator, had not been as fortunate.
Of course, the one who used necromantic techniques to control their ancestor's reanimated corpse was Chen Xingzhen.
In a family war, there was no room for honor and dishonor---only the goal of eliminating enemies and protecting their own.
Seeing the grim situation their relatives were in, the other members of the Li family turned red with rage and charged at the Chen family fighters with weapons in hand.
The intense battle between the two sides quickly escalated.
Fresh blood mixed with rainwater, forming crimson threads that flowed through the cracks in the stone slabs. Eventually, they seeped into the ground.
Beneath the earth, Ji Yang's roots, now part of a tree, stirred. With a mixture of fear and anticipation, Ji Yang cautiously allowed his roots to touch the blood-stained rainwater.
"Fortunately, I can't absorb it," he thought with a mixture of regret and relief. Although he was now a tree, he wasn't really just a tree.
His greatest concern wasn't his ability to absorb blood---it was his struggle to control his inner desires.
When those desires were unleashed, he found it difficult to resist. Fortunately, the recent experiment confirmed that this particular temptation hadn't taken hold.
"Qinghe, have you chosen your destination?" Chen Qingmeng tightly gripped the mountain-splitting blade and asked Chen Qinghe beside him in a corner near the Ancestral Hall.
"Almost!" Chen Qinghe replied.
As Chen Qinghe watched the battle through the fine rain, he carefully assessed the opponents in front of him.
To his left, there was a late-stage Body Tempering Realm warrior, and to his right, another of the same level. Even the lowest-ranked fighter displayed mid-stage Tempering Realm prowess.
Chen Qinghe's determination to save his family wavered. Although he and his companion were passionate, he wasn't foolish. He knew better than to pick opponents he couldn't defeat.
What caught him off guard was the revelation that the Li Clan warriors sent this time were all at least mid-stage Body Tempering Realm cultivators.
Caught in a dilemma, Chen Qinghe hesitated. At that moment, a figure swooped toward them. It was a mid-stage Body Tempering Realm cultivator from the Li Clan who had been defeated earlier and had taken refuge.
As he prepared to rejoin the battle, he suddenly sensed two hidden auras behind him.
Seeing the appearance and age of the two, the mid-stage Body Tempering Realm warrior couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahaha! I've actually caught two little brats from the Chen Clan! Die!"
With these words, he swung a large blade at Chen Qinghe and his companion. Both of them paled at the sight but reacted quickly, dodging frantically.
As Chen Qinghe evaded the attack, he was about to urge Chen Qingmeng to run faster. However, he soon heard Chen Qingmeng's voice in his ear:
"Qinghe, leave him to me!"
Chen Qingmeng's gaze was steely as he rushed forward with his mountain-cutting blade.
Seeing this, Chen Qinghe hesitated for a moment. But then, gritting his teeth, he followed suit. After all, they were both Body Tempering Realm warriors, while their opponent was only mid-stage.
It seemed like a fair match, one on one, with both of them.
As the two weapon-wielding warriors charged at him, the martial artist from the Li family burst out laughing.
"Two little brats who've just entered the realm of body tempering," he scoffed. "They haven't even fully tempered their bodies, yet they dare to challenge me. Ignorant fools!"
When the three of them clashed, Chen Qinghe and Chen Qingmeng were both kicked away by the Li family warrior. As he approached with his large blade, Chen Qinghe's heart sank.
It seemed that one plus one wasn't always equal to two.
The combined strength of Chen Qinghe and Chen Qingmeng was no match for a seasoned warrior of the Body Tempering Realm.
Just as the Li family warrior was preparing to deal with the two in front of him, the ground suddenly shook. Without warning, a thick, rope-like tendril stretched out from beneath him, instantly binding his body.
"What is this thing?" The Li clan warrior struggled against the unexpected bondage, panic evident in his eyes. He couldn't help but let out a series of curses.
On the sidelines, both Chen Qinghe and Chen Qingmeng were stunned.
However, as they watched the Li family warrior immobilized by the binding, their youthful blood surged.
They realized that this was a golden opportunity.
Despite the warrior's restricted movement, his hands remained free.
He glared at the two who were about to attack him.
"Get lost!" he roared, ready to fend off the impending attack.
The Li family warrior's eyes blazed with determination as he swung his large blade, preventing the two approaching youths from getting close.
His reckless and frenzied aura filled the air, striking fear into the hearts of the young duo.
"Qingmeng, don't bother with him! Let's run!" Chen Qinghe pulled Chen Qingmeng along as they both prepared to evade the Li family warrior.
Meanwhile, the tied-up warrior remained calm. He shifted his gaze to the vines binding him and raised his blade to cut them.
Just as he was about to break free, a sudden chill enveloped him from behind. Lowering his head, he discovered a blade piercing his chest while another emerged from beneath him.
Behind him, the two youths looked tense as they quickly drew their Dao swords.
"Qingmeng, let's go!"
"This time, we're really getting out of here!"
As the subterranean tendrils retreated, the Li family warrior collapsed with an angry expression on his face. He hadn't breathed his last breath yet, but his gaze remained fixed on the departing youths. His last exclamation escaped his lips:
Inside the Ancestral Hall, Ji Yang fell silent. He had assumed that the two youths were genuinely scared, but it seemed they had ulterior motives.
Despite the initial difficulties, the result was favourable---his intervention hadn't been in vain.
Ji Yang also realized that even though he had strengthened his own tendrils, they were still only effective against some warriors at the Body Tempering stage.
They were far from a match for the warriors of the Blood Coagulation Realm. Helping the Chen family with his tendrils alone would prove to be a challenge.