"She got away again!" Lin Zheyu looked at the blood on his blade and shook his head helplessly.

What a pity. If he had been just a little faster, it would have been far more than a few drops of blood. After Hu Xuefei fled, Lin Zheyu turned back, only to find the man who had survived by luck was already gone. He glanced toward the others. Things were still under control. He did not rush over to support them. Instead, his figure blurred as he began searching for spoils. Five had come in total. Two escaped, and three died. Those three carried plenty of good things, especially that woman's spirit beast.

Lin Zheyu estimated it should sell for a few hundred low-grade spirit stones without much trouble. After all, it was a special spirit beast capable of attacking the spirit and spiritual soul.

"Asking for one or two mid-grade spirit stones for it is not excessive, right?" he muttered under his breath.

He carefully pulled a palm-sized, miniature emerald toad from the woman's sleeve. It was tiny, completely different from the imposing giant toad from earlier, with the grotesque face on its back.

"How do I keep this thing alive? If I put it in a storage pouch, it'll die, won't it?" Lin Zheyu murmured.

After thinking for a moment, he slapped the already weakened toad unconscious, found a dharma artifact rope, tied it up tightly, and stuffed it into his pocket.

Seeing Lin Zheyu's battle had ended, Shi Mulan quickly sent a voice transmission, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, please support Fellow Daoist Bai."

Ji Ziyang and Gu Jinghong had fought their way off who knew where, leaving the entire formation under Shi Mulan's control. The pressure on her was immense. She had no spare energy to help Bai Lin fight.

Lin Zheyu shook his head and replied, "It's fine, Fellow Daoist Bai won't lose. There's still someone hidden in the dark. I can't leave my position."

Within his perception, an extremely faint aura had remained hidden in the shadows, waiting to strike. If the other party had not crept a little closer just now and accidentally revealed a trace of aura, Lin Zheyu truly might not have noticed.

Lin Zheyu looked around and, not seeing Ji Ziyang, asked curiously, "Where is Fellow Daoist Ziyang?"

Shi Mulan said helplessly, "He fought Gu Jinghong and disappeared somewhere."

"Oh, then it's fine. He's so strong, he'll probably be back soon. Fellow Daoist Lei is about to win, too. Once his battle ends, there likely won't be any more surprises," Lin Zheyu said softly.

Lin Zheyu watched the others fight while staying alert for the hidden enemy. That person's ability to conceal aura was remarkable. He had nearly been fooled.

Sure enough, not long after, Lei Yongtao's battle ended as well. His whole body twitched, and a savage wound gaped across his abdomen, blood staining his robes red.

"Hah... Damn, I nearly died." Lei Yongtao touched the blood at his neck, spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, and showed a savage grin.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, you really finished faster than me. Fellow Daoist Bai, hold on a little longer. I'm done for, so I need to rest." Lei Yongtao glanced at Bai Lin, who was struggling in hard combat, and pulled a helpless smile.

Bang!

Right as Lei Yongtao spoke, Bai Lin was caught off guard and was sent flying, crashing down beside Lei Yongtao. He lifted his head awkwardly and exchanged a look with Lei Yongtao, both looking embarrassed.

"Hehe, die!" A sinister laugh rang out as the cultivator fighting Bai Lin flashed forward and gave chase. With a hand seal, two golden rays shot from his body and blasted toward Bai Lin and Lei Yongtao.

A terrifying blast rang out. Lin Zheyu vanished in an instant and intercepted the man midway. His long blade hacked down, and the fatal strike was blocked by the man's defensive dharma artifact. Yet the monstrous force still sent him flying backward, smashing him hard outside the formation. Cracking sounds came from the artifact on his body, and the yellow belt at his waist snapped apart.

The man spat blood, his face filled with horror as he said, "So strong! What kind of monster is this? How can a peak Foundation Establishment realm possess such terrifying strength!"

This was not the power of rules. This was raw, pure strength, terrifyingly powerful, and it had shattered his protective artifact in a single blow.

"You two alright?" Lin Zheyu returned to the formation node he was guarding and looked back at Bai Lin and Lei Yongtao.

Bai Lin coughed twice and cupped his hands in thanks. "I'm fine. Many thanks for the help."

Lei Yongtao, beside him, looked much worse. After a brutal fight and then a sneak attack, a gash had opened on his forehead, blood streaming down and leaving him in a miserable state.

"Damn, I almost croaked. Where did Gu Jinghong find so many strong experts to act together?" Lei Yongtao shuddered with lingering fear. He slapped his storage pouch, and a mid-grade spirit stone and a medicinal pill radiating a rich fragrance appeared in his hand.

"Recover quickly. I'll keep watch for you from here," Lin Zheyu said.

He looked toward Ji Zitong. Her battle was nearing its end. Unlike Bai Lin's disheveled state, or Lei Yongtao's hard-won but miserable victory, Ji Zitong's side had gone much more smoothly. Her strength was formidable. Relying on her three powerful azure natal swords, she fought steadily and looked completely at ease. Lin Zheyu gave it one glance and paid it little further attention. Ji Ziyang had lured away Gu Jinghong, the strongest enemy. Without him holding the formation, they could only rely on themselves.

"Fellow Daoist Tu Yuan, can you still hold on?" Shi Mulan asked.

"I'm still managing. But if this doesn't end soon, I won't be able to hold out." Tu Yuan's muffled voice came through.

Though hiding underground seemed safe, Tu Yuan's task was heavier than anyone's. He had to use earth-element spells to keep the entire formation from being damaged by the battle. A large reason Ji Ziyang lured Gu Jinghong away was to prevent the aftermath of their clash from wrecking the formation.

"It's almost over. Only Fellow Daoist Zitong's side remains. Once she wins, you can rest for a while." Shi Mulan sent a voice transmission.

Her hands pressed on the central formation node as she used the formation to sense movements around them, guarding against sudden changes. Experience had taught her that nothing could be called victory until the very last moment.

"Careful, more people are coming!" Lin Zheyu suddenly warned.

Shi Mulan looked at him in surprise. Even with the formation, she had failed to detect anyone approaching, yet Fellow Daoist Xiao had sensed them. That perception was truly frightening.

Lei Yongtao let out a long breath and rose with his battle axe in hand, enduring the pain wracking his body. After taking the medicinal pill, he felt much better. His strength had not returned to its peak, but he could still fight.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, can you still fight?" Lei Yongtao glanced at Bai Lin, who was still sitting cross-legged, recovering.

Bai Lin opened his eyes and shook his head, saying, "No problem. The expenditure was just heavy."

After repeatedly drawing on the power of his divine repository, the immense energy stored within it was nearly exhausted. Once he returned, without powerful medicinal pills to aid recovery, he would likely need a long period of recuperation before reaching his peak again.

Lei Yongtao seemed quite familiar with Bai Lin. He pulled out a medicinal pill from his storage pouch and tossed it over. "Here, take this pill. Just count it as you owing me. Pay me back when you have money." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Bai Lin did not refuse the kindness. He accepted the medicinal pill, saying, "Many thanks, Fellow Daoist."

"How many came?" asked Lei Yongtao, looking toward Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu carefully probed and answered slowly, "Three. One's strength is unknown, with very strong concealment. The other two have obscure auras. I can't sense them clearly, but they shouldn't be too strong."

Within the formation, his Perception Domain, combined with the formation's amplification, had greatly enhanced his sensing ability.

Lei Yongtao let out a breath of relief. "Hah, you scared me to death..."

"If it's just three, it's no big problem. Fellow Daoist Zitong has finished too. And the formation wasn't damaged this time. That's an unexpected blessing," Lei Yongtao said with a grin.

Suddenly, Lin Zheyu's expression changed, and he said at once, "Wait. Don't celebrate too early. They seem to be planning to intercept Fellow Daoist Ziyang."

Within his perception, Ji Ziyang's aura was rapidly approaching. At the same time, the other three began to move as well, rushing toward Ji Ziyang.

"What?" Ji Zitong, who had only just finished her battle, turned pale at once. Her figure shifted as she was about to rush out, but a powerful hand pressed down on her shoulder.

"Don't go!" Lin Zheyu said in a low voice. His eyes narrowed as he looked toward the distant sky.

"Right now, we can only trust your brother's strength. We just came through a hard fight, and our exhaustion is already severe. If we leave the formation and lose its support, we won't have much of a chance at all." Lin Zheyu shook his head.

Ji Zitong let out a long sigh, veins bulging along the arm gripping her sword. She looked toward the distant sky but saw nothing, only sensing the battle's fluctuations from afar.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, can you tell how my brother is doing?" Ji Zitong looked at Lin Zheyu and asked anxiously.

"Relax, your brother is fine. He got away," Lin Zheyu said with a smile. Within his perception, Ji Ziyang's speed was astonishing. The instant he realized there was an ambush here, he changed direction and left at once.

"Miss Ji, your worry is clouding your judgment. Fellow Daoist Ziyang's escape art is said to be unmatched below the Golden Core realm. Even if Gu Jinghong took on his true Teng Snake form, he probably still couldn't catch him." Lei Yongtao cut in with a grin.

"It's not time to relax yet. Back to your formation nodes, more people are coming!" Shi Mulan said anxiously.

The others moved at once and returned to their positions. Lin Zheyu sensed carefully and found that someone had indeed approached, but after taking a distant look and apparently deciding they were not easy prey, the person left. It was likely some wandering cultivator hoping to scavenge an opportunity.

Not long after, Ji Ziyang's aura reappeared in Lin Zheyu's perception. Behind him, Gu Jinghong wore an ugly expression.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Gu, do you still want to continue?" Ji Ziyang hovered above the formation and laughed at Gu Jinghong.

"Hmph!"

Gu Jinghong cast an ugly look at Lin Zheyu and the others, cursed them as trash under his breath, then turned and left. Once he was sure Gu Jinghong had gone, Ji Ziyang let out a slight breath of relief. He descended slowly from the air, swayed, and nearly lost his footing.

"Brother, are you alright?" Ji Zitong appeared at Ji Ziyang's side in an instant, supporting him as she asked with concern.

"I'm fine. Get ready, all of you. Prepare to receive the descent of the rule fragments!" Ji Ziyang straightened his back and said with a smile, excitement flashing in his eyes.

At last, it's coming!

They had slain so many yaos this time, so the bloody aura of the yaos was very dense. The prize was truly something to look forward to!