"What the hell is going on?"

Behind the mountain range, Lake Sea Wanderer growled in a low voice. Two or three others were with him, but no one responded, presumably because they were also stunned by the unexpected turn of events at the foot of the mountain.

The shout of Yu Ci echoed through the fog, resounding across the entire mountain. Everything else was insignificant compared to the words "Lichen Sect", which struck like thunder in the hearts of dozens of cultivators. They had just been discussing the reputation of Fu Long, but compared to the Lichen Sect, what was Fu Long?

The Lichen Sect was one of the top sects in the cultivation world, the undisputed ruler of the western region of this realm, especially the Broken Realm Mountain Range. Here, the Lichen Sect was the sky, the ruler of almost all cultivators. Regardless of who one was, no matter how powerful or audacious, they would be in awe under the name of the Lichen Sect.

In fact, the chaos at the foot of the mountain came to a sudden halt with Yu Ci's shout. Most people turned their gaze towards him, but due to the fog, seven or eight out of ten could not clearly see Yu Ci's face.

Yu Ci was well aware of the changes in the scene, but his focus had already shifted to another direction. Behind the mountain range, after a few angry curses, Lake Sea Wanderer suddenly changed his attitude and laughed eerily:

"Lichen Sect is good, Lichen Sect is wonderful. I've never tasted the beauties of those big sects in my life. Today, I'm going to have a feast. Boys, let's get started!"

With that, he lifted the heated Array Plate in his hand. On the elliptical metal plate, countless patterns lit up simultaneously, and the nearly hundred small Array Flags on it rotated and changed like a carousel. The Subarray Plates in the hands of the surrounding cultivators also connected with the Aura and activated one by one. In response, the humming sound of the Formation setup starting could be heard from the other side of the mountain.

Lake Sea Wanderer's cultivation level was only at the Nature-Connecting Middle Stage. He was greedy and lustful, full of faults, but among these cultivators, his status was only below Fu Long and Ma Cheng. The reason was his profound knowledge of Formation, which was a crucial part of the plan to kill You Gongquan.

Golden Elixir cultivators could control instruments to fly in the sky. Even if they were surrounded by many people, if they couldn't win, they could escape by flying. Only Fu Long alone had no assurance of stopping them. If so, the target of this action would have a ninety percent chance of failure. In this situation, the Formation setup arranged by Lake Sea Wanderer in advance became particularly important.

The array set up on the hillside was a very powerful "Air Restriction Array". Its function was to emit special vibrations to interfere with the operation of the Primordial Qi in the sky and block the ability of cultivators to manipulate artifacts to fly. This Formation had no effect on Vacuum Walking cultivators and above, but for Golden Elixir cultivators, it was the perfect remedy.

The activation of the Formation took just a few breaths, and both You Gongquan and Fu Long could no longer control their bodies, plummeting downward. The turbulence of the true Sha energy intensified, stirring up the momentarily pacified scene below into chaos once again.

Lake Sea Wanderer stifled his laughter a few times, but eventually, he couldn't hold it back anymore and burst into hearty laughter. "What Lichen Sect, Laichen Sect, without life, it's all just a pile of crap! That youngster is merely at the Nature-Connecting Cultivation Level, it would only take three to five of us to trap him here. If we are skilled enough, no one can leak a word!"

His words were full of bravado. Under his leadership, the Array Plate operated with increasing force. Even if the people around him had other thoughts, they couldn't afford to pay attention to them while fully controlling the Array Plate. All they could hear was him shouting: "After we finish this, let's all head south. No matter how strong the Lichen Sect is, what can they do?"

As the chaos intensified, Lake Sea Wanderer, through the Array Formation, had a sense of the situation on the battlefield and was growing more and more excited. While operating the Array Plate, he shrieked, "Silence them all, leave no one behind!"

"Woodworm Cultivators are indeed all mad!" This thought crossed the minds of the people around him. However, upon further reflection, they found it reasonable. Initially, they planned to scatter the hunting group and break them one by one. But now, with the revelation of Yu Ci's identity as a member of the Lichen Sect, wouldn't they have to kill everyone to ensure no leaks?

This point was not only realized by Lake Sea Wanderer but also by Ma Cheng, who had just narrowly escaped death. As Yu Ci shouted out, regardless of whether it was true or false, they were forced to surround nearly thirty members of the hunting group and not let a single one escape. The pressure increased tenfold, like a lump in their throats, making it hard to breathe. Yet, they had to swallow it down. Where was their advantage from before?

Ma Cheng's broad face turned purple, but he still gave orders for his men hidden in the hunting group to prepare.

At that moment, a cold sneer came to his ears: "Ma Cheng, Zeng Liang, Li Yan."

Seven or eight names were called out clearly, but before anyone could react, the voice commanded: "You colluded with bandits and harmed your comrades. Your crimes are severe and heinous. Aren't you ready to accept your fate?"

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A loud bang sounded in Ma Cheng's mind, leaving it blank except for one lingering thought: "There's a traitor!"

Chaos resumed, and there was no way to stop it. The confusion caused most people in the hunting group to remain clueless, but everyone felt threatened. The likelihood of banding together against a common enemy was almost nonexistent. However, their strong desire to escape from the dangerous situation was evident.

Immediately, some people started running towards the back. Where there was one, there were two, and the cultivators in the hunting group didn't care about the spoils of war on the carriage that hadn't been distributed yet. They all distanced themselves, scattering in all directions. If it had been before, Ma Cheng and the others would have let them go without hesitation. But now, with the self-proclaimed enemy of the Lichen Sect standing proudly on the Cloud Floating Carriage, regardless of what happened behind him, if anyone who witnessed this event escaped and leaked the news, who would withstand the wrath of the Lichen Sect?

Ma Cheng felt a surge of anger, disregarding everything else, he just wanted to cut the Gordian knot, and roared: "Kill that impostor!"

As soon as the words were out, his companions snapped back to reality. Immediately, five or six of them surrounded him. They were all accustomed to such situations and their cooperation was seamless. It wasn't a reckless charge, but a coordinated attack. Some attacked from a distance, some restrained from close range, and some directly rushed to the side and rear of the Cloud Floating Carriage, aiming to distract Yu Ci's attention.

Several individuals joined forces, their True Breath surging like a tide, causing the Cloud Floating Carriage to spin uncontrollably in mid-air.

Yu Ci stood on the carriage shaft, paying no mind to those attacking him. Instead, his gaze was fixed on Ma Cheng, who was far away.

He was not entirely satisfied with the sword strike he had just delivered to Ma Cheng. It was the first attack he had launched on a cultivator of the same rank since he entered the Nature-Connecting Upper Stage and achieved the perfect integration of his Vital Essence. If it weren't for the Black Light of Body Protection, everything would have been perfect. He was certain that without the protective Magical Instrument, he could have slain Ma Cheng with his sword, rather than merely injuring his Divine Soul, as he had done.

Yu Ci felt somewhat dispirited. Over the past few months, he had honed his swordsmanship against fierce Demons, thinking he had made some progress. But today's confrontation proved that there was indeed a difference between Cultivators and Demons. Demons, despite their tough exteriors, were still made of flesh and blood. He was confident that with a well-timed strike, he could deliver a fatal blow.

However, when it came to Cultivators, like his encounter with Ma Cheng, encountering Protective Talismans could significantly reduce his power. Despite the strength of his Half-Mountain Mirage Sword Intent, he had not truly achieved the realm of Intricate Mastery. Encountering these obstacles, his power was severely diminished, making it difficult to achieve success with a single strike.

What was the point of fighting for a sliver of life if he couldn't kill his enemy in one blow?

The gap was too wide, too wide.

Emotionally charged, a purple lightning orb the size of a fist rose from his shoulder, its electric light writhing like a small snake.

"Get out of my way, all of you!"

Under the horrified gazes of the surrounding Cultivators, the Five-Thunder Talismans, which had been enhanced thirteen times by the Qi Leading Method the night before, shrank by half and released a dazzling purple electric halo. This was followed by a burst of unparalleled lightning, the intense crimson-purple light like a great tide, causing a heatwave and even distorting the surrounding Aura into more than ten twisted lightning strikes heading straight for them.

Screams rose in succession.

The Path of Symbolic Techniques epitomized the principle of "establish if anticipated, waste if not." Once Yu Ci, through Lake Sea Wanderer, had insight into all of the enemy's plans and made preparations accordingly, the fate of these people was sealed!

In Yu Ci's eyes, a ring of marvelous halo spread. He activated the "Dharma Eye," a recently acquired ability that could dematerialize physical entities and reveal the mysteries of the Divine Soul. Through this method, Yu Ci saw the source of light, which he called the "Soul Source," that was immediately disturbed by the engulfing lightning fire.

With a slight sway of the Seven Dipper Star Sword Talisman, the Sword Intent Killing Qi swept over. On the Divine Soul level, the void composed of Ripple Lines fluctuated, quickly dimming. Five or six "Soul Sources" collapsed or extinguished one after another. In the blink of an eye, only Yu Ci's own "Soul Source" shone brightly in the void. In addition, there was another...

"Again, the Sword aura condensed with Sha energy, attacking the Divine Soul. The Authentic Scripture of Symbol Techniques and various grand divine techniques flowed out like water. How detestable!"

The Black Gold Law Card only had one self-defense opportunity per day. Having used it earlier, Ma Cheng could not avoid the electric shock this time. The subsequent sword and Sha energy attack also hit him, damaging his Divine Soul for the second time. His Yin Spirit was almost dispersed!

Now he was severely injured, his robust figure almost unable to stand, yet a poisonous fire burned in his heart. He no longer doubted the identity of Yu Ci. Apart from top-tier Sects like the Lichen Sect, which other family's Nature-Connecting Cultivator could possess such endless techniques?

Even these Sect Cultivators, despite having the same Cultivation Level, always managed to take the upper hand in battles with Lone Cultivators, thanks to their Sect's profound heritage and countless secret skills. From Primordial Qi Method to Superior Alchemy Formulas, Vacuum Walking Method, and even Thunderbolt Tribulation Method, they never needed to worry about difficulties, as long as they followed the steps. But the countless Lone Cultivators had to search hard for opportunities in this vast world, risking their lives for a single Elixir Formula.

Damn the heavens, how unfair you are!

Ma Cheng's eyes were bloodshot, and he was almost ready to pounce on Yu Ci and tear a piece of flesh from him. But then, another wave of attack directly hit his Divine Soul. As the Black Tide surged, he fell to the ground with his eyes wide open.

This time, Yu Ci used his Yin Spirit astral projection, changing the shockwave technique to defeat the enemy. Although it seemed easy, it also consumed a lot of energy to severely damage a Cultivator's Yin Spirit of the same rank. Seeing him effortlessly eliminate Ma Cheng and others, which of those thieves dared to step forward to seek death? They all kept their distance, their thoughts changing:

Could they really win against such a formidable opponent?

At this moment, only a fingertip-sized piece of the Thunder Pearl remained. Yu Ci, who lacked Elder Jie Liang's ability to maintain it for over a hundred years, was unwilling to waste it. With a thought, the Thunder Pearl suddenly disappeared. In an instant, a streak of lightning danced wildly in the sky, striking the mountains in a perfect angle.

The sound of thunder roared, and screams rose again.

The Air Restriction Array suddenly dissipated.

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