As Li Sheng burst out of the grand formation, the murmurs of the magical creature grew more frantic, and familiar figures began to materialize, rushing toward him with menacing expressions.

"Roar~"

A dragon's roar erupted, shattering the surrounding illusions. The heads embedded in the fleshly mass exploded, providing Li Sheng with an opportunity to get closer. He swung his sword wildly, muttering to himself.

"Business is so bad, yet you still come out to tempt people!"

"I'll teach you a lesson for your bad business!"

"I'll teach you to tempt others!!!"

"Shhhh~"

"I'll teach you to mess up illusions!"

"I'll teach you to make my grandmother appear so fearsome!"

"Shhhh~"

"I'll teach you to be as stupid as a pig!"

"I'll teach you..."

"Shhhh~"

While hacking away, Li Sheng's rage reached its peak. This scene happened to be witnessed by Bai Ye and Liu Hongfeng, who had rushed over.

"Is Junior Brother going mad with rage?"

"Uh... Senior Brother is kind-hearted... he doesn't like to fight..."

Liu Hongfeng rolled her eyes and quietly observed Bai Ye, whose delicate face visibly flushed.

"Junior Brother? Come back!" Liu Hongfeng called out, shaking her head as she looked at the approaching magical creatures.

Hearing his senior sister's voice, Li Sheng didn't retreat; instead, he charged sideways with his sword, releasing his pent-up emotions. The magical creatures capable of creating illusions had been chopped into a pitiful state.

After a fierce battle, he killed seven danger-level leaders before retreating back into the formation, trying to catch his breath.

"Senior Brother, are you alright?" Bai Ye stepped forward, using a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"I'm fine..." Li Sheng shook his head, saying no more as the anger in his heart dissipated considerably.

"Senior Sister, have you broken through?" Li Sheng noticed the powerful aura radiating from her.

"Yes, I have to thank Junior Brother for the pills. Otherwise, it would have taken me at least a year and a half to break through." Liu Hongfeng bowed in gratitude.

A flash of white caught Li Sheng's attention, and he quickly turned to Bai Ye.

"Senior Sister, no need to be polite. How long do you think it will take for you to break through?"

Liu Hongfeng straightened up, glancing meaningfully at Li Sheng.

"Um... I still need three... five... at most seven days!" Bai Ye stammered, lacking confidence.

"Junior Brother, what is this silver thread? It looks beautiful."

Li Sheng turned to see his senior sister playing with a strand of hair on the ground, seemingly quite fond of it.

"It's from a magical creature. Senior Sister, if you like it, you can keep it."

After saying that, he glanced outside the formation, where a new wave of attacks was approaching.

Just as the three prepared to take action, a tremendous pressure swept over them.

The hundreds of magical creatures outside froze in place, trembling in fear. This sudden wave of pressure filled them with an overwhelming sense of danger, as if their hearts were being gripped, rendering them unable to move.

"Senior Brother, look!" Bai Ye pointed to the distance, her voice trembling.

The two looked up to see a colossal beast moving to the right.

Wherever it passed, crimson mist swirled around it. Its massive body was covered in red patterns, both terrifying and oddly sacred.

"That must be at least a thousand feet tall!" Bai Ye exclaimed in horror.

"Disaster-level... or even Despair-level?" Li Sheng's expression darkened.

"Our sect hasn't advanced yet; this third-tier grand formation likely won't hold against such a creature."

The magical beast seemed to sense the commotion, stopping in its tracks, its head adorned with several sharp horns turning toward them.

A horrific aura pressed down upon them.

Dozens of magical creatures outside suddenly exploded, and the protective barrier above the formation shattered under the beast's presence.

The protective formation crumbled before it, only able to hold for two breaths.

Stolen story; please report.

"Even just its aura is too much to withstand..." Li Sheng thought bitterly, struggling to speak.

"Junior Sister, Senior Sister, run!"

As his gaze fell, Li Sheng felt a tightness in his body, as if his legs were unresponsive. At this moment, running was out of the question; even moving an inch felt impossible.

"Am I going to die?" A hint of bitterness welled up in Li Sheng's heart, wishing he could dig up the graves of the Da Yan royal family and the Sacred Land.

The giant turned its gaze, briefly glancing their way before continuing forward.

As the ground trembled, the colossal figure gradually vanished into the horizon.

"It's gone!"

"It actually left?!"

The three exchanged glances, all showing expressions of having escaped death.

In a place unnoticed by the two, a hint of crimson quietly vanished from Liu Hongfeng's clear eyes.

As the giant departed, the overwhelming pressure gradually faded.

The remaining twenty or thirty magical creatures began to stir, slowly approaching Qingling Sect.

Without the cover of the formation, the rich life aura within Qingling Sect was completely exposed.

Li Sheng moved his limbs, picked up his sword, and advanced to confront them.

He couldn't allow these magical creatures to invade the sect; otherwise, if the disciples suffered heavy casualties, the special mission would be declared a failure.

"Junior Brother, I'll help you!" Liu Hongfeng called out as she chased after him.

"Senior Sister, go back..." Li Sheng began, wanting her to stay back and not cause trouble. After all, she hadn't practiced spirit-level martial arts, so her combat ability was limited.

But before he could finish, he saw the magical creatures ahead suddenly turn and flee.

It looked like they had been scared by something.

"Let them go; if it comes to a fight without the protection of the formation, there might be mistakes." Li Sheng thought.

"What did you say, Junior Brother?"

"Uh, nothing..." Li Sheng shook his head and took out the black玄石 to collect the aura.

After a moment, he focused his thoughts into the stone.

"Danger-level Leader: Seventy-three"

"Seventy-three... if this adds up, there should be over four hundred merit points!"

"What a pleasant surprise."

Withdrawing his thoughts from the stone, Li Sheng walked toward the two.

"Junior Brother, I just discussed with Junior Sister that now the formation is breached, we should take care of the defense."

"No need to be so troublesome." Li Sheng called up his panel and looked at the protective formation section.

Protective Formation: Tier Three (Repairing) "Estimated Time: One Hour"

"What does Junior Brother mean...?"

"I will repair the formation quickly, at most in an hour."

"So fast?" The two exchanged glances, then relaxed.

Li Sheng led the two around, checking things out. During this time, he shared some details from the discussion hall, mentioning the rewards included insights into the Sword Dao from the Sword Saint of the West Gate.

Bai Ye's eyes instantly lit up, and she greeted the two before rushing to the Spirit Gathering Room, eager to train hard.

Soon an hour passed, and dense mist began to rise again.

At this point, night had fallen, and after dinner, the three parted ways.

In the Spirit Gathering Room, Li Sheng took out a Solid Blood Pill, looking somewhat hesitant.

During his first encounter with a special mission, he had relied on explosive pill training to get through that crisis.

He had suffered greatly then and vowed never to use that method again.

But when the giant appeared earlier, that helpless feeling of waiting for death deeply stimulated his nerves; he never wanted to experience that again.

He hoped that the next time he faced it, he could have enough strength to fight back or escape, rather than waiting for death.

For that reason, he decided to use the explosive pill method to train again, no matter how badly he might get hurt or how much suffering he would endure—he felt it would be worth it!