"..." "Senior Brother Xiao Yao, you are truly too dashing! You actually dodged that one!" "Ah, dashing Senior Ghost... oh, no, Senior Brother Xiao Yao, that dodge wasn't quite as dashing; how could you slip right under that spirit beast's belly?" "Tsk, tsk, tsk! Senior Brother Xiao Yao, that move of yours is truly creative!" To almost shove your own head into the **maw of the 'Shadow Streamer Beast'! "Hahahaha... that kills me! Senior Brother Xiao Yao, can you stop dodging with such flair? Hiding under a spirit beast, and getting your head so close to its hind legs—thankfully, this one is female. If it had been a male, it might have just shoved it straight into your mouth!" "Ouch, I can't take it anymore, I really can't, Senior Brother Xiao Yao... my stomach is about to burst from laughing..." "..."

Amidst the rising and falling roars of the spirit beasts and the cracking sound of spiritual energy explosions, Nie Kong's voice intermittently cut through. By now, several spirit beast corpses littered the ground, yet more than a dozen beasts still maintained a rotating siege around them, with one or two more occasionally joining the fray from the distance.

As time wore on, Xiao Yao’s once elegant and nimble figure grew increasingly sluggish.

His snow-white robe was now dyed a deep crimson, stained with both his own blood and that of the beasts. Across his limbs and spine, several gashes deep enough to expose bone were visible, blood oozing sluggishly, a gruesome sight. His long black hair, usually draped over his shoulders, was now a disheveled mess, utterly wretched in appearance.

Twenty or thirty meters away, Nie Kong occasionally needled this poor fellow, laughing so hard he nearly fell over. Nie Kong felt no remorse for kicking a man when he was down. When Xiao Yao had treated him like an ant that could be crushed at will, he certainly hadn't anticipated that less than half an hour later, this very ant, without even lifting a finger, would force him into such a predicament. Truly, the tables had turned!

"Hiss!"

As if the sound of tearing fabric had been amplified manifold, Xiao Yao suddenly ducked low. His right claw shot out like a hook, a flash of purple ethereal light vanishing instantly. The abdomen of a spirit beast swooping down from above was ripped open by a long gash, spilling blood and viscera down, thoroughly drenching his entire body.

The spirit beast crashed down behind Xiao Yao with a thud, letting out a pained shriek before ferociously tumbling and lunging at Xiao Yao once more.

Seeing this, Nie Kong doubled over in laughter: "Ah, ah, Brother Dashing! What do you call that move—Monkey Stealing Peaches? Or Monkey Grabbing the Moon? What a pity... you didn't steal the peach, nor did you grab the moon, and now you've just made a mess of yourself... though, this might be exactly what Brother Dashing wanted."

"Nie Kong, shut up! I..."

Xiao Yao roared, his chest surging with rage.

Ever since the spirit beasts had besieged him, he had endured Nie Kong’s incessant mockery and ridicule. It was precisely because Nie Kong's taunts kept distracting him that he had sustained so many injuries. At this moment, all thoughts of 'dashing,' 'calmness,' and 'non-killing' vanished. He longed to tear Nie Kong into pieces, but every attempt to approach Nie Kong was thwarted by the frenzied spirit beasts.

"Roar!"

With only enough time to glare at Nie Kong with his blood-red eyes, several more tireless spirit beasts charged in. Xiao Yao’s blood-soaked figure was once again engulfed by the beasts' assault.

"What a 'Lazy Donkey Roll'! Brilliant! Ah..." Watching Xiao Yao tumble across the ground, Nie Kong clapped his hands together, offering lavish praise.

"Boom!"

With a sound like thunderous lightning, a brilliant burst of purple ethereal light suddenly exploded from Xiao Yao’s body, its fierce energy rampaging outward. The nearest spirit beasts let out continuous screams as if struck by a heavy blow; their massive, heavy bodies were simultaneously flung backward.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Yao sprang up. A dense mass of green energy, like a gigantic cocoon, instantly enveloped his scarlet form completely.

"This guy is trying to escape!"

Seeing Xiao Yao’s condition, Nie Kong knew he was activating the 'Jade Tablet of Emerald Grain.' He frowned slightly, his figure flashing rapidly through the spirit beasts blocking his path, unleashing the 'Flowing Shadow of Flying Flowers' technique as he charged toward Xiao Yao. However, the sheer density of the spirit beasts surrounding Xiao Yao severely reduced his speed.

"Trying to stop me? Too late!"

Xiao Yao sneered, his hoarse voice sending a chill down the spine. "Junior Brother Nie Kong, thank you so much for preparing such a fine feast for me. If we meet again in the future, I will certainly thank you properly!"

As he spoke, the green cocoon around Xiao Yao began to vibrate violently. "Junior Brother Nie Kong, you will definitely be very satisfied when that time comes! Hahahaha..."

"Ah!"

Xiao Yao's laughter abruptly ceased, turning into a scream, his eyes snapping wide open.

"Whoosh!"

Nie Kong had finally broken past the first wave of spirit beasts. His figure shot forward, his right palm, completely enveloped in emerald green, carrying immense force! It descended straight toward Xiao Yao's head! The 'whoosh' of the air alerted Xiao Yao to extreme terror; his eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

"Mountain Shattering Strike!"

A chilling intent flashed in Nie Kong's eyes. Although his spiritual power had not fully recovered, if the flaw Xiao Yao mentioned about the 'Jade Tablet of Emerald Grain' was real, the power of this 'Mountain Shattering Strike' would absolutely be enough to shatter its defense and crack his skull!

Seeing Xiao Yao's terrified, distorted face within the barrier, Nie Kong’s descending palm hesitated for not a moment. But just then, a pillar of green light suddenly shot down from the high heavens, piercing straight through Nie Kong's right palm and directly into Xiao Yao's body, merging seamlessly with his emerald barrier.

The void flickered momentarily, and Xiao Yao's figure vanished without a trace. Nie Kong's palm struck empty air...

Lingxiao Altar.

"He’s out! He’s out!"

When the gradually dimming green dot suddenly turned black and then vanished from the Illusion Space, the crowd monitoring the battle couldn't help but cry out, instinctively looking toward the eastern entrance of the Lingxiao Altar.

However, the Lingxiao Altar was vast. Most people only saw a flash of green light over there and couldn't make out any figure clearly. But since he was out, he was certainly out of mortal danger. Thus, the crowd’s attention shifted to the remaining green dot in the Illusion Space.

Around that green dot, the number of red dots had now exceeded twenty. Yet, amidst these two dozen or so spirit beasts, the disciple from Spirit Royal City had not suffered a single attack from beginning to end! No one knew who this person was, to make the maddened spirit beasts ignore him entirely!

Truly bizarre!

For a moment, the crowd’s curiosity about the identity of that Spirit Royal City disciple grew intense...

At the entrance to the Illusion Space, several Spirit Royal City disciples who had been eliminated earlier had heard about the battle raging in the middle section. Almost the instant that green light flickered, they stared unblinkingly, desperate to see who the unlucky one was.

As the green light dissipated, a blood-soaked figure collapsed onto the ground. His blood-stained face twitched incessantly; deep remnants of panic and terror lingered in his blood-red eyes, and his lips trembled slightly, as if, in the very instant of exiting the Illusion Space, he had encountered something terrifying.

"This guy actually managed to hold out for so long under the siege of dozens of spirit beasts. Though he's out now, it's an honorable defeat." "Exactly, this person is truly formidable. Brothers, does anyone know which branch hall he belongs to? We must get to know a fellow disciple like this." "Don't recognize him. He looks unfamiliar." "..."

Seeing his blood-drenched state, the surrounding Spirit Royal City disciples couldn't help but show a trace of admiration. In truth, they had no choice but to respect him; a mere individual resisting the sustained attacks of so many spirit beasts and even killing quite a few of them. If it were them, they certainly couldn't have done it, considering the spirit beasts in the Illusion Space were superior in every aspect to those outside. "Hey, isn't this Inner City disciple Xiao Yao? I joined the Purple Thunder Hall at the same time as him three years ago, but he moved to the Inner City two years ago." "I... it's actually an Inner City disciple! That bastard—why didn't those spirit beasts just kill him off!" "Agreed, agreed. Those Inner City disciples are just too detestable! Damn it, I already surrendered and voluntarily activated the 'Jade Tablet of Emerald Grain' to leave, yet he still tormented me for such a long time." "This guy probably isn't that great either. An Inner City disciple, yet he still couldn't handle a few mere spirit beasts. In the end, he had to rely on the 'Jade Tablet of Emerald Grain' to escape. Hahahaha, that's hilarious—he looks like the very first Inner City disciple to be forced out early!" "I heard when he was first spotted in the Illusion Space, he was chasing someone? That brother must be incredibly strong to draw so many spirit beasts and drive this bastard out?" "..."

Knowing Xiao Yao's identity as an Inner City disciple, the crowd felt no sympathy upon seeing his pitiful state; instead, they felt a surge of gratification. Especially the one who had been mocked by an Inner City disciple after surrendering—it was as if he had drunk the nectar of the gods, his pent-up frustration completely dispelled...

North of the Lingxiao Altar.

"Oh dear, oh dear! Look! Sister Yuqing, Grand-Uncle, look! The spirit beasts are starting to move, and they are all following that one person."

Seeing the green dot ahead move, the dozens of red dots surrounding it acted like its followers, obediently trotting behind it. The little loli's two dark, bright eyes shone with novelty, her little face full of envy. "Why are those spirit beasts so obedient!"

After watching the spirit beast disciple who had been besieged for so long use the 'Jade Tablet of Emerald Grain' to escape, the scene in the middle section of the Illusion Space shifted again. A slight hint of surprise appeared in Bai Yuqing’s clear, beautiful eyes. The burly old man beside her couldn't help but narrow his eyes in contemplation.

The little loli didn't care if there were any hidden meanings in this. She immediately latched onto Bai Yuqing's arm, clinging like a taffy candy. "Sister Yuqing, this is too interesting! When the assessment is over, you’ll come with me to find him, okay? I absolutely must learn that trick."

"Uh."

Bai Yuqing let out a soft snort, but it was unclear whether she agreed or disagreed.

"Go!"

At that moment, the burly old man suddenly spoke, shouting toward the door: "Bring the little one who just came out here to me. I have something to ask him."

"Yes!"

The two figures standing guard at the door quickly departed...

P: First update done. Brothers, I was exhausted yesterday, so today will probably only have three updates, but it will definitely be over ten thousand characters. Let's push the gap between the Medicine King and the fourth place on the New Book Ranking even wider! Thank you to all the brothers for casting every precious monthly ticket.