Liu Zhenxiong glanced at the incoming swarm and declared in a deep voice, "Black-backed gold beetles, first-level Gu. They fear the flames."

Li Xuanming nodded, channeling more Spiritual Qi into the Corpse Refining Blood Fire.

With a booming sound, the flame intensified, enveloping the cluster of Black-backed Gold Beetles in front of them. The air filled with a crackling sound as the insects flew into the flames and were instantly consumed, their bodily energy feeding and amplifying the Corpse Refining Blood Fire.

This was the terrifying aspect of the Corpse Refining Blood Fire. As long as there was flesh, it needed no external Spiritual Qi to burn endlessly.

For the other approaching Black-backed Gold Beetles, Liu Zhenxiong carefully retrieved a box and opened it. A green bug slowly awakened inside. Scenting the beetles, it charged like a starving ghost unleashed after decades, causing the beetles to scatter in terror with shrill cries.

The green bug tore through them like a tiger amongst sheep, shredding the beetles into pieces. Black carapaces, transparent wing cases, and yellow bodily fluids fell to the ground.

Zhou Yu watched in utter shock. Over the months of conflict, he had encountered the Black-backed Gold Beetles numerous times. Although they were only first-transformation Gu and hardly grew more powerful, their reproduction was rapid and their carapaces tough.

When deployed, their numbers were overwhelming, much like a plague of locusts. Many early-stage Foundation cultivators found them a nuisance, often forced to retreat when faced with large swarms.

"What is that green bug?" Zhou Yu asked, noting it seemed to be the bane of the Black-backed Gold Beetles.

Liu Zhenxiong casually replied, "Green Armor Immortal, it preys on Black-backed Gold Beetles. I've brought several types of Gu this time to be prepared, and the Green Armor Immortal is just one of them designed to counter these beetles."

Zhou Yu's eyes widened in admiration. Impressive! He felt like a sheltered flower compared to these cultivators from the Extreme Yin Cave, realizing he had much to learn about Gu.

Before all the Black-backed Gold Beetles were exterminated, the Gu Master could no longer sit idle. He moved like a specter among the ruins and trees, drawing closer to the trio.

Suddenly, he burst forth, aiming directly at Zhou Yu!

Zhou Yu frustrated, "Damn it, why target me!"

"Hmph, you're the weakest of the three, who else but you should I kill!" The Gu Master sneered, sending a palm strike straight towards Zhou Yu's face.

Zhou Yu roared in anger, immediately conjuring a small shield in front of him. He also deployed a water barrier that shimmered around him. Despite these defenses, the impact of the strike sent his blood surging violently, nearly causing him to spit blood on the spot.

"Just waiting for you to make your move," Liu Zhenxiong muttered, suddenly pinching his fingers together.

Zhou Yu felt a sharp pain on his shoulder and turned his head to see a bug unexpectedly burrowing out from it. The bug moved incredibly fast and in the blink of an eye, it charged towards the Gu Master. Then, it exploded!

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The burst of plasma coalesced into terrifying blood claws that latched onto the Gu Master, immobilizing him. At this moment, Zhou Yu's face was a mask of horror.

'What the heck? Liu Zhenxiong patted my shoulder, and he had already placed a Gu there? The methods of these Extreme Yin Cave guys are too terrifying!'

Liu Zhenxiong watched the Gu Master with an indifferent gaze, having anticipated that he would target the weakest among them, Zhou Yu, and had prepared accordingly.

"Speak, where is Junior Brother Chen Zhaofeng?" Liu Zhenxiong demanded.

The Gu Master, far from intimidated, began to laugh maniacally, his laughter growing louder and more intense.

Li Xuanming furrowed his brows, suddenly realizing something. He stepped forward rapidly and injected his Spiritual Qi into the Gu Master to probe his Qi Sea. Retreating quickly, he exclaimed, "It's not right, he's not at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, there are other Gu Masters around!"

As soon as he spoke, chilling laughter echoed around them. "Reacting only now? Too late!"

Swish, swish, swish.

Three figures descended from the sky, positioning themselves in a triangle around them. From beneath the corpse-covered, dark red ground, layers of golden light suddenly rose, instantly forming an array that enveloped Li Xuanming and the others.

Within the array, three golden beasts rapidly materialized, each a gigantic golden wolf with bared teeth, ready to devour.

Li Xuanming's expression shifted slightly. Although not deeply versed in arrays, he recognized many Foundation Establishment stage formations and instantly identified this as the Wolf Soul Killing Array, a mid-tier formation at that level. The array could conjure three golden wolves, and as long as the array's energy wasn't completely exhausted, these wolves would continue to revive.

These native cultivators of Wu Province, when had they acquired such sophisticated formations? During the past five months of warfare, they had never revealed such capabilities!

Li Xuanming and Liu Zhenxiong were not fools. They immediately suspected that other sects might have joined the war, perhaps even supplying these advanced formations to the native cultivators.

"Ironwire Mountain forever! Thousand Insects Sect forever!" the trapped Gu Master roared as his skin suddenly swelled and his veins writhed like worms under his skin.

The trio's faces changed drastically, and they quickly employed their own methods to defend themselves.

With a loud bang, the Gu Master exploded like an overinflated balloon, scattering blood, bones, muscles, and organs everywhere.

Under the influence of Spiritual Qi, these fragments turned into deadly shrapnel, making their impact in such a confined space truly horrifying.

Li Xuanming and Liu Zhenxiong, both robustly powerful and protected by high-grade magic tools gifted by Wan Wuying, barely managed to withstand the Gu Master's self-destruction.

Zhou Yu, however, was not so fortunate. Being only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment and lacking substantial personal resources, his defensive magic tool was instantly shattered, and his protective spells were blown apart. The debris pierced his flesh unimpeded.

Zhou Yu screamed in agony and fell to the ground. Immediately, the three golden wolves, which had been waiting, pounced.

Zhou Yu's leg was bitten off in an instant. Had he not activated a mid-grade Foundation Establishment Gold Light Shield talisman in a desperate attempt to save his life, he would have been devoured by the wolves then and there.

Li Xuanming and Liu Zhenxiong had to focus intensely on dealing with the wolves. Although they could briefly kill the wolves, the creatures would quickly revive.

Now that Liu Zhenxiong had run out of array-breaking talismans, they couldn't break the Wolf Soul Killing Array directly. They had to exhaust the array's energy to break the encirclement.

In a roar of fury, Liu Zhenxiong invoked, "Black Beast Demonic Body!"

His body suddenly swelled, bursting his robes.

In the blink of an eye, his body was covered in black fur, transforming him into a creature resembling a black demonic beast.

This was the result of his auxiliary practice, the "Hundred Beasts Body," which has three levels. Having mastered the second level, he could summon the Black Beast Demonic Body, significantly enhancing his physical strength.

At this point of life and death, there was no longer any reason to hold back their trump cards.