The space between them erupted with vivid green and yellow light, fiercely assaulting the yellow protective shroud of the Grand Wutu Formation.

Following immediately was a terrifying shockwave; the self-destructive force of colliding magical artifacts targeted friend and foe alike, causing even the wicked cultivators on the surrounding barbarian islands to turn ashen-faced and retreat swiftly to avoid the impact.

This Wutu Grand Formation had gathered over forty cultivators at the Golden Core mid-to-late stages; almost all who had survived the earlier skirmishes with the savage island heretics were now concentrated within its boundaries, save for those already slain during the treasure hunt.

They channeled their vital energy with all their might into the four formation flags of the Wutu Grand Formation, pushing the earth-elemental light shield's defense to its absolute zenith.

However, Sun Xing’s four Wutu Formation Flags were only mid-tier Earth Elemental Nascent Soul artifacts, their intrinsic quality no superior to Ye Qin’s own Nascent Soul artifacts. Even though the aggregated power of the treasure-seeking cultivators caused a massive surge in might, it could not alter the fundamental quality of the Wutu Formation Flags themselves.

How devastating was the minor divine ability, the Green Fiend Sword, wielded by the Green Robe Ancestor.

Under the earth-shattering blow of the Green Fiend Sword, a section of the yellow light shield above the Wutu Grand Formation visibly began to crack over a wide area.

Simultaneously as the green light struck the earth shield of the Wutu Grand Formation, every cultivator within—sharing the immense impact of that single blow—felt a sudden constriction in their chests, as if struck by a blow weighing thousands of tons.

Many Golden Core cultivators, already injured, sputtered out mouthfuls of crimson blood, their conditions worsening drastically.

Inside the Earth Formation, Sun Xing, Cultivator Pang, Great Cultivator Cao, and the rest of the treasure-seeking group were a ghastly sight, their faces a mixture of green and white, utterly horrified.

It took the combined strength of over forty Golden Core cultivators, leveraging the power of the Wutu Grand Formation, to barely manage to withstand that single sword strike.

Having witnessed Ye Qin, merely at the Golden Core mid-stage, escape the relentless pursuit of the Green Robe Ancestor without significant harm, they had perhaps underestimated the old ancestor somewhat, thinking this mid-stage Nascent Soul expert was not so formidable after all.

But when they directly endured the terrifying might of the Ancestor’s sword, they were stunned to realize just how horrifying the Green Robe Ancestor’s true strength was, and how immense the gap was between themselves and the Ancestor.

“It didn’t break?! Then you shall take another strike from this Old Ancestor!”

The Green Robe Ancestor’s expression remained flat as he sneered.

With that, he waved his right hand, reclaiming the spent green light, and immediately unleashed successive torrents of formidable magical energy. Before anyone could recover their composure, the Green Fiend Sword shot skyward and descended once more.

“BOOM!”

This time, the already cracked protective shield shattered with a deafening roar, collapsing into countless fragments without any suspense.

Without the shield’s resistance, the Green Fiend Sword met no further obstruction, transforming into a streak of green light before slicing directly into the Wutu Grand Formation, aiming straight for Ye Qin amidst the crowd of cultivators.

“Not good! The protective shield is broken! Fellow Daoists, scatter and save yourselves!” “Stop worrying about the Wutu Grand Formation.” “Let us divide into small groups, stopping not for an instant, and regroup within the Ghost Mist Grand Formation, fighting these savage island heretics to the bitter end!”

With the defensive shield above their heads destroyed, the treasure-seeking cultivators inside were thrown into utter panic, abandoning all else, rushing madly out of the Wutu Formation, fleeing toward the nearby giant island and the ancient ruins.

The protective light shield was the sole defense the Wutu Grand Formation offered against the Green Fiend Sword.

Once the flying sword penetrated the formation, the cultivators could no longer combine their efforts to resist it using the Wutu Grand Formation; they could only rely on their individual magical artifacts to counter the Green Fiend Sword.

But how could their artifacts withstand it?

If this group of treasure-seekers remained clustered together, a single sweep of the Green Robe Ancestor’s Green Fiend Sword would cut down a large swath of them!

“” Screams erupted one after another.

The Green Fiend Sword sped directly toward Ye Qin, striking and killing whomever was in its path, dodging nothing and stopping for no one.

In the span of a single breath, several incredibly unlucky Golden Core cultivators perished under the malevolent power of this minor divine ability flying sword.

Without the vital energy support of over forty Golden Core cultivators, the four formation flags of the Wutu Grand Formation saw their yellow light rapidly dim, their power drastically reduced.

Sun Xing swiftly retrieved the four Wutu Formation Flags, noting the slight damage they had sustained, which caused him a pang of pain. However, daring not to delay even a moment, he fled toward the direction of the ancient ruins.

“Kill them all! Not a single one shall live!”

The Green Robe Ancestor controlled the Green Fiend Sword, continuing his pursuit of Ye Qin, while simultaneously barking a chilling command to his subordinates.

Upon receiving this order, the surrounding group of savage island cultivators immediately unleashed their artifacts, swarming toward the fleeing treasure-seekers like hungry wolves.

“Haste!”

Ye Qin transformed into a streak of dark light, weaving through the crowd of treasure-seekers, rapidly flying toward the giant island.

He knew the Green Robe Ancestor’s determination to kill him was absolute, reached the point of paying any price. Originally, the Ancestor had only sought revenge for his sole disciple, but now, having learned Ye Qin possessed the Ghost Cultivator's supreme treasure—the Spiritual Root Bone—he would never let him go!

Ye Qin had not expected the Green Robe Ancestor to break the Wutu Grand Formation in such a short time.

But thankfully, he had been mentally prepared; the instant the Wutu Formation shield dissolved, he acted without hesitation… using the Cloud Barrier to charge toward the Ghost Mist Grand Formation on the nearby colossal dark island.

“I am still ten li away from the giant island! I must cover this distance in mere breaths to have a chance of escaping into the Ghost Mist Grand Formation.”

Ye Qin felt a surging, murderous sword aura shooting toward him from behind—he knew it was the Ancestor’s Green Fiend Sword—and his face turned deathly pale.

Fortunately, the sword aura encountered the desperate resistance of other Golden Core cultivators mid-flight, causing a slight delay. Otherwise, it would have caught him in the blink of an eye.

“The barbarian island heretics are numerous; I must evade their entanglements!” “At the same time, I must evade the Ancestor’s green sword. I absolutely cannot give the Green Robe Ancestor another chance to attack me. Otherwise, with my remaining mana less than a third of what it was, even blocking the green sword one more time would leave me either dead or gravely injured. Even if I managed to flee into the perilous Ghost Mist Grand Formation, I would have little ability to protect myself—a dead end regardless!”

In that instant, Ye Qin’s entire being tensed up. His thoughts raced. The dark light flashed violently across the sky, its speed unbelievably swift.

In a moment like this, the more panic and confusion set in, the faster one died. Ye Qin became increasingly calm and steady.

Across the entire battlefield: The Wutu Grand Formation had been breached, and over forty treasure-seeking cultivators were streaming toward the Ghost Mist Grand Formation on the giant island. With the pursuit of more than thirty savage island heretics, this small area of just a few li was suddenly packed with seventy to eighty Golden Core cultivators—the scene was utterly chaotic.

It was not easy for the Green Fiend Sword to pursue him through such a dense, disordered throng of cultivators. Any random strike might fell another cultivator instead. Furthermore, Ye Qin’s Cloud Barrier was slightly faster than the Nascent Soul artifacts of ordinary Golden Core cultivators, meaning he could “borrow” other Golden Core cultivators to shield him from the Green Fiend Sword.

Ye Qin plunged directly into the densest part of the Golden Core crowd, hiding where the congestion was thickest.

These treasure-seeking cultivators fleeing toward the Ghost Mist Grand Formation were employing every trick they knew, fighting back against the pursuing savage island heretics while attempting to escape to the giant island, resulting in a chaotic melee.

“Damn it! I’ll fight you to the death!”

At this moment of life or death, these treasure-seeking cultivators dared not hold anything back; they unleashed all the spells, artifacts, and treasures they usually guarded carefully, seeking only to escape with their lives.

These Golden Core cultivators, having accumulated centuries of cultivation, possessed certain trump cards. Earlier, when they had maintained formation resistance, they hadn't had the opportunity to use them fully. Now, facing absolute peril, hoarding them meant certain death.

The combat prowess displayed by these Golden Core cultivators surpassed their usual level, even temporarily suppressing the momentum of the savage island heretics. However, this heightened output was unsustainable, and as they neared the Ghost Mist Grand Formation, the treasure-seekers' will to survive grew ever more intense.

“Kill!” “Flee!”

For a moment, within this thousand-foot radius, various colored streaks of light—flying swords, magical artifacts, spells, spirit beasts, talismans—crossed paths, punctuated by continuous explosions, creating an astonishing spectacle.

The Green Robe Ancestor’s Green Fiend Sword was fixed solely on Ye Qin, but the other treasure-seeking cultivators were inevitably caught as collateral damage.

“Uncle, I can’t hold on much longer!”

The Wang uncle and nephew pair, maneuvering several top-tier defensive artifacts, frantically dodged the crossfire between the other cultivators, flying on their swords and crying out in distress.

Their cultivation levels ranked among the lowest of all the treasure-seeking Golden Core cultivators on the island. Surviving this long was pure luck. Perhaps the stronger savage island heretics, preoccupied with dealing with the more powerful treasure-seekers, had deemed them too weak to bother chasing.

Now, fleeing toward the Ghost Mist Grand Formation, their limited resources made the escape incredibly arduous. But they knew the Ghost Mist Grand Formation was their only chance at survival; if they didn’t get inside quickly, they truly wouldn’t have a shred of hope left. If they continued to follow Ye Qin, they would likely die even faster under the collateral damage of the Green Robe Ancestor’s attacks.

“Uncle, can we escape? If we both die here, our Wang family will be finished…” The middle-aged Wang cultivator narrowly dodged a Nascent Soul artifact that zipped past overhead, breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Nephew, hurry and flee for your life! Your uncle will use every ounce of strength to ensure you escape this calamity!”

Old Man Wang frantically urged his flying sword onward, shouting urgently and mournfully, “We shouldn’t have coveted the treasures here! Now we face this great disaster; who knows how many Daoist friends will perish here…!”

Old Man Wang wanted to say more, but he couldn't resist looking back. The sight terrified him, draining the color from his face. He and the middle-aged Wang man, who had noticed the same thing, accelerated their flight forward.

Only twenty to thirty zhang behind them:

Great Cultivator Cao, Cultivator Li, Cultivator Hu, and three others, their faces grim and sharp, were manipulating their flying swords to fight several pursuing savage island heretics while frantically fleeing toward the giant island.

“Run! We’re done for!”

Old Man Wang cried out in terror, pulling the middle-aged Wang man along. Shielded by their flying swords, they fled desperately.