As Yu Jiling and the four Five Elements Heavenly Attendants stepped out of the stone forest, their expressions instantly normalized, as if nothing had happened. They continued chatting and laughing their way out of the woods.
Yu Ziling walked in front, the other four following behind her, maintaining a slight distance. The gray earth ahead of the stone forest showed no immediate sign of anomaly, and the distance between them and the five was rapidly closing.
Yu Ziling and her group continued their lively banter and loud laughter, seemingly oblivious to anything unusual.
Suddenly, the smiles on the faces of Yu Ziling and her four companions vanished in an instant. Simultaneously, they drew sharp short swords and cold blades from their bodies, and amidst a shrill sound cutting through the air, all five weapons plunged toward the patch of gray earth.
The five attacked using sword control, inserting their weapons into the gray earth in a flash of lightning.
At the same moment, Yu Ziling and the four suddenly scattered, charging rapidly toward that spot together. Blue fire, ice cones, and searing light burst forth, slamming down onto the targeted area with a roar.
Bang!
A violent impact resonated from beneath the ground, accompanied by two sharp screams of pain. The figures hidden deep underground were forcibly ejected as they burst through the soil.
They had been painstakingly suppressing their auras, waiting for Yu Ziling’s group to draw near before launching a surprise ambush. They never anticipated being exposed to Ji Changkong’s spiritual sense, only to be caught completely off guard by Yu Ziling and her team’s sudden strike!
“Kill them!”
Yu Ziling cried out, her voice hoarse, and a scattering of hazy blue flames spread out, splashing toward the ambushers who had broken ground like fireworks.
The four individuals flanking Yu Ziling immediately struck without hesitation, attacking the figures emerging from the earth mercilessly.
“Be careful, it’s poisonous!” a cold voice suddenly hissed. The speaker was clad in black, yet wore a fearsome white mask on his face.
Ji Changkong, observing from a distance within the stone forest, felt his expression turn cold upon seeing the black attire and the grotesque white mask.
The one with the fearsome white mask—it was him! The previously relaxed Ji Changkong instantly focused, concentrating entirely on the unfolding battle. He began to stealthily shift his position within the stone forest, following the movement of the fight ahead.
Puffs of blue fragmented fire erupted from Yu Ziling, shooting out like quenched flames, emitting a faint blue smoke.
The man in the white mask hissed a warning and swiftly dodged. Currently in the Six Harmony Heaven realm and protected by a thick layer of earth element surrounding him, he managed to evade the encroachment of the blue poisonous fire.
The others were neither as advanced in realm nor as fortunate. Two of them had already been struck by the weapons of Yu Ziling’s group while still deep underground. When they finally broke the surface, they had no time to react before the blue poisonous fire splashed onto them.
The four companions who accompanied Yu Ziling chuckled sinisterly, focusing their killing blows on the targets splattered with the blue fire. Where the blue fire had touched the skin of those ambushers, blue smoke rose, and their clothes and flesh rapidly decomposed. They were utterly incapable of resisting the attack from the four.
Dream Mist Poison Smoke!
Ji Changkong, concealed in the stone forest, recognized the phenomenon immediately. Seeing the blue fire Yu Ziling unleashed emitting a faint, eerie blue smoke that instantly rotted skin and cloth upon contact, he identified it as one of the poisons that frequently drifted over the Great Marsh of the Dream Cloud.
During his last trip to the Dream Cloud Great Marsh, he had briefed Yu Ziling on the various types of Dream Mist Poison Smoke, its effects, and its movement patterns. He never imagined she had not only remembered but had also collected some of it, mixing it with her flames, which abruptly multiplied the fire’s destructive power several times over.
The flesh of those hit by the blue fire rotted swiftly. Except for one individual in the Five Elements Heaven realm who decisively used a dagger to gouge out the flesh burned by the blue fire, the others were beyond saving. Under the brutal assault of the four pursuers, their bodies failed them, and they were killed in short order.
The masked man, after evading Yu Ziling’s scattered blue flames, immediately engaged her in combat. He was also a Six Harmony Heavenly Attendant, specializing in the earth element of the Five Elements, constantly conjuring soft earth to disrupt Yu Ziling’s attacks. His arms had turned earth-yellow; with a single strike, a cloud of yellow dust would fly out, obscuring vision, allowing him to choose his angle for an attack.
“Xie Mazi, the four of you come help me. Let’s take care of this guy first!”
Yu Ziling had failed to strike a decisive blow for some time, but noticing the other four had already finished off the poisoned men, she barked out the order roughly.
The woman with the pockmarked face and the grim-faced man missing an ear both sneered in response. They joined the other two, surrounding the masked man. The weapons they had previously thrown now returned to their hands, and they advanced from four directions, collectively controlling their weapons to assault the newcomer in the white mask.
Seeing the other four from Yu Ziling’s side closing in, the man in the white mask sensed the situation turning grave. Before they could form a complete encirclement, he brutally shattered Xie Mazi’s ice cone and burst through the side of the hastily dodging Xie Mazi.
The Stone Forest!
Breaking free from the encirclement, the man in the white mask immediately fixed his gaze on the nearby stone forest. Within it stood jagged, resplendent stone pillars. Once he plunged into that maze, it would be nearly impossible for Yu Ziling and the others to corner him again.
Good, come on!
In the stone forest, Ji Changkong, who had been constantly changing his position relative to the fight, cheered internally.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The man in the white mask darted swiftly toward the stone forest, frequently glancing back to cautiously fend off the weapons flying from Yu Ziling. Yu Ziling conjured a fire net supported by beast bones, and the flames of this net were clearly mixed with poisonous smoke. The masked man was extremely wary, causing his speed to increase even further.
Peng!
A massive boulder suddenly flew out and collided heavily with the man in the white mask.
Ji Changkong, hidden beneath the rock, acted with a cold and resolute expression. He unleashed the most powerful move of the Heavenly Thunder Force—the Heavenly Thunder Blast—which erupted from his palm and slammed down onto the masked man’s back as he charged past.
The Heavenly Thunder Force possessed three methods of exertion: Heavenly Thunder Roar, Heavenly Thunder Blast, and Heavenly Thunder Transformation. However, without thunder power within his body, it was difficult to truly unleash the strength of this technique. But with the recent days of storms and lightning, he had been able to draw Heavenly Thunder into his body, and the three layers of thunder fields within him were now imbued with natural lightning power!
Rumble! Rumble!
The rolling sound of thunder crashed down precisely onto the back of the man in the white mask, who had momentarily staggered from the impact of the giant boulder. The strike landed true.
With thunder booming in his body, one clap of thunder sounded, and the white-masked man’s body emitted a crisp crack, as if one of his bones had fractured.
Spitting up blood every three steps, the man in the white mask turned back to glare venomously at Ji Changkong, who had struck but not followed up. His steps faltered, and he violently crushed an earthy yellow square elemental stone. A yellow light instantly enveloped his body.
“Boss, leave him for me!”
Yu Ziling, who had reverted to her ugly appearance, shouted hoarsely, sounding unusually excited. She apparently hadn't expected the seemingly weak Ji Changkong to succeed with a sneak attack. Seeing the white-masked man continuously bleeding from his mouth, she assumed he was doomed and believed Ji Changkong had acted on her behalf.
“Disgusting dogs!”
The white-masked man shuddered, cursed coldly, flipped over, and with a bright yellow light emanating from the square elemental stone in his hand, he suddenly burrowed deep into the earth.
A distinct life signal traveled from the depths of the earth, continuing to burrow downward like a rat.
“Boss, kill him, help me kill him!”
Yu Ziling hurried over, urgently calling out.
Ji Changkong knew the situation clearly. He suddenly stepped forward a few paces, raised his hand, and summoned the resounding thunder again, punching the ground.
A violent tremor resonated from the earth. Although the resistance of the ground had significantly dampened the attack power of the Heavenly Thunder Force, it still tenaciously penetrated the earth. The man in the white mask, who was pouring all his strength into tunneling downward, took another hit to his back, and blood began to flow uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth.
“Dogs! A pair of dogs! I will kill you disgusting dogs sooner or later!”
The white-masked man cursed venomously beneath the earth, frantically urging the elemental power within him to escape deeper into the earth.
“Where is he?” Yu Ziling arrived excitedly, calling out loudly.
Ji Changkong pointed to the earth, which showed no sign of a crack, and replied calmly, “He escaped underground. There was nothing I could do. However, he should be quite injured. It will probably take him several months to recover.”
“He actually got away?” Yu Ziling stamped her foot, indignant. “Now that he’s fled, he won’t be so easy to deal with when he reappears next time. Ah…”
A moment later, Xie Mazi and the other three also walked over, their faces grim.
“Brother Ugly, you truly are formidable. If it weren't for you this time, we would have suffered a major loss!” The pockmarked woman looked at him with admiration. She had previously been somewhat dismissive, thinking Ji Changkong was paranoid, but she hadn’t anticipated that not only did he perceive everything beforehand, but he was also the one who severely injured the man in the white mask in the end.
“I was disrespectful just now, I hope Big Brother doesn’t mind,” said Tu Qi, the man missing an ear, his tone respectful and serious.
Hearing Tu Qi, who was much older than him, call him Big Brother, Ji Changkong forced a wry smile. His actions had nothing to do with Yu Ziling; it was simply because the man in the white mask had injured him previously.
“With our Boss here, this trip to Yangshuo Mountain will be much more secure,” Yu Ziling declared proudly and arrogantly.
Tu Qi and the others nodded in agreement, their gazes toward Ji Changkong filled with reverence. Among these fierce individuals, there was no distinction between beauty and ugliness; the more ferocious someone looked, the more they earned their trust and were considered comrades.
Ji Changkong, with his sallow complexion and two birthmarks, looked repulsive. Most people would instinctively keep their distance. However, the more these four looked at him, the more comfortable they felt. As long as someone possessed strength that could aid their endeavors, they would receive their respect.
“You four go and divide the belongings from those fallen men. The Boss and I need to discuss some matters,” Yu Ziling stated generously.
The four looked delighted and quickly thanked her profusely before turning toward the corpses.
“Who was the man in the white mask?” Ji Changkong asked immediately after the four departed.
“Someone from the Shadowless Sect. The Shadowless Sect, the Mani Sect of the Western Regions, and the Sunset Isle of the Eastern Sea joined forces to plunder the Spirit Treasure Assembly. The Mani Sect members have already reached the Tianwu Kingdom, and the Sunset Isle group fled toward the Eastern Sea. Only the Shadowless Sect, whose roots are in the Central Lands, has become the target of universal condemnation. Yangshuo Mountain, it is rumored, is one of the Shadowless Sect’s strongholds,” Yu Ziling explained.