As Su Mu waved his hand, a tremendous pressure instantly fixed the thirty-six relics in place.

With a flick of his wrist, they were all collected into Su Mu’s sleeve.

The barrier that had trapped Su Mu was shattered in the recent clash, and the surrounding iron walls were already full of cracks. The black runes that once covered the walls had also vanished.

Feeling the pressure dissipate, the Little Groundhog froze on the spot.

It stared at its master’s back, stunned for a moment. It always knew how powerful its master was, yet witnessing it firsthand, the shock still overwhelmed its worldview.

The master was trapped in a dire situation; the enemies had been laying their plans for long. From any perspective, the master seemed to be at a disadvantage.

However, even so, with just a single move, the master not only shattered the enemy’s attack but also captured all thirty-six opponents. What an astonishing feat!

After snapping back to reality, the Little Groundhog scrambled and crawled over to Su Mu’s leg.

It clutched Su Mu’s calf, wiping its nose and tears as it said, "Master, I’m sorry... It’s my fault for dragging you down. It’s my fault..."

The Little Groundhog’s emotions were genuine, with no pretense, entirely from the heart.

It followed its master without being of any help, becoming a burden instead. If anything had happened to the master today, it would never forgive itself for the rest of its life.

"It’s okay, I’m fine."

Su Mu said to the Little Groundhog.

In truth, the so-called "killing trap" earlier was far below his expectations.

The enemy had gone to great lengths to lure him here, and this was the extent of their strength??

Throughout the process, before Su Mu made a move, he was observing if there was anything more significant lurking behind the scenes.

That’s why he stood still, allowing the thirty-six figures to form their formation.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have even had the chance to make a move.

When he realized that was all they had, Su Mu decisively struck and obliterated them all in one blow.

They were even weaker than expected...

He always felt, although the opponent seemed formidable and with a grand presence, they were merely a facade, a paper tiger...

Don’t even mention killing him—they couldn’t even harm him.

Then, why did the enemy go to such lengths to set up this meaningless trap?

"Master, the path has appeared."

"Follow this road, and you’ll find Brother Shi."

As Su Mu pondered, the voice of the Little Groundhog pulled him back to reality.

He focused his gaze and saw a passage appear ahead.

With the barrier gone, all surrounding restrictions vanished. Activating his Divine Sense, Su Mu scanned the area and instantly locked onto the Iron-Eating Beast’s location.

He headed in the direction of the Iron-Eating Beast’s aura, with the Little Groundhog following behind.

......

Simultaneously, in the depths of the Iron Wall Space.

With the sound of the recent thunderous impact fading, silence ensued. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The Iron-Eating Beast and Barrier Beast fell into silence, feeling anxious.

Although the Iron-Eating Beast had absolute confidence in its master, it couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous, worrying if its master might be injured or trapped...

At this moment, footsteps echoed from the passage.

The Iron-Eating Beast and Barrier Beast simultaneously turned their heads, looking at the pitch-black passage, especially the two Barrier Beasts, with their hearts in their throats.

.....

The footsteps abruptly halted as a figure emerged from the passage.

The instant the Iron-Eating Beast saw its master, it froze for a second, and its expression burst into an array of emotions.

Like the Little Groundhog earlier, it too scrambled over, clutching Su Mu’s leg, tears streaming down its face, saying, "Master, I’m sorry, Master, it’s my fault."

The Little Groundhog stood there dumbfounded upon hearing this.

That was supposed to be my line!

Just moments ago, it had said the same thing.

Seeing Brother Shi in this state, the Little Groundhog understood that only in front of their master would Brother Shi behave this way!

In front of them, Brother Shi always exhibited 220 IQ, excelling in every aspect.

In front of the master, it seemed as if its IQ automatically lowered, appearing simple-minded, with clearer eyes.

....

The Little Groundhog couldn’t let Brother Shi take the spotlight alone.

It too stumbled forward, throwing itself at its master, clutching Su Mu’s other leg, crying even more intensely, "It’s all my fault. It’s my fault!"

"If I hadn’t let Brother Shi go out, none of this would have happened."

Faced with the two little one’s cries, Su Mu could only smile wryly.

Not far away, in front of the Stone Sect, the two Barrier Beasts gazed at the man clad in an Immortal Robe, with unmatched aura and striking looks, frozen in place.

As their eyes fell upon the man in the Immortal Robe, it seemed like they were looking at a majestic mountain, an endless Realm Sea, shrouded in thick mist, as if an insurmountable mountain stood before them.

No matter how they looked up, they couldn’t see the full extent of the mountain.

In that moment, they felt incredibly insignificant....

This feeling was entirely new to them, the first time!

Is he Brother Shi’s master?

....

"Alright, alright, I don’t blame you."

Su Mu spoke to the two little companions.

In truth, Su Mu never planned to blame them. This trap was directed at him.

The little Iron-Eating Beast and Little Groundhog simply unwittingly became bait for the enemy. Even if it wasn’t them, it might have been someone else.

Therefore, this confrontation was inevitable, merely a matter of time.

...

Su Mu’s gaze swept past the two small animals, settling gently on the distant Stone Sect.

As his Divine Sense locked onto the Stone Sect, his brows furrowed deeply.

...

Meanwhile, above the River of Time, in the corner of a tributary.

Gao Renying’s eyes stayed fixed on the white Compass in his hand.

At that moment, the shorter figure leaned over, asking, "No issues in the battlefield?"

"How long has it been?"

"Calculating generously, not even a hundred breaths have passed. How could there be any problems...."

"You know the strength of those thirty-six! At the worst, they could delay an hour."

The shorter figure nodded, "Indeed, with their strength, at least an hour, perhaps even two and a half wouldn’t be out of the question!"

.....

As soon as the words left their mouth.

The white Compass in Gao Renying’s hand instantly crumbled into dust.

Both stood there, utterly stunned, their minds blank.

After a long pause, the shorter figure’s stammering voice slowly emerged:

"Dao...Daoist brother, wha...what just happened?"