Long Feng stood quietly on a small earthen mound at the resort construction site. Tonight, the task of luring Chu Yuntian fell to Zhang Yang. He hadn't gone with him from the start, waiting here instead, anticipating Zhang Yang would lead Chu Yuntian into the formation, allowing him to immediately activate the grand array.

This Heavenly Gate Formation wasn't considered any profound technique; even so, in these past two days, Long Feng had only managed to learn how to activate it, and at most, he could sustain it for half a minute.

Within that half-minute, Zhang Yang would need to take over control of the array.

This fact genuinely brought home to him the arduous nature of studying the Esoteric Art of Qimen Dunjia. Merely controlling a simple formation that barely counted as Qimen Dunjia was this difficult; what hope was there for mastering true Qimen formations?

On Long Feng's shoulder, there was a white shadow.

Lightning also crouched there motionlessly. Its claws were already gripping a large crab claw—only the very tip of the pincer, but even that fragment looked sizable relative to Lightning's frame, giving it an oddly mismatched appearance.

Neither it nor Long Feng had gone to lure the enemy, and both were feeling a knot of worry.

On the other side, Zhang Yang, after clashing with Chu Yuntian, quickly retreated several steps. Chu Yuntian pressed his attack relentlessly, giving Zhang Yang no opportunity to escape.

As the red aura surrounding Zhang Yang intensified, he finally couldn't hold back, spun around, and bolted outward.

His flight looked more like a panicked rout.

Zhuifeng followed close behind, but unfortunately, Chu Yuntian positioned himself between them, constantly emitting inner force to keep Zhuifeng and Zhang Yang separated, denying Zhang Yang the chance to leverage Zhuifeng’s speed for his escape.

"He ran?"

At the Huang family villa, a chill settled over everyone. The latest reports confirmed they could no longer track the figures. Zhang Yang, in whom they had placed such high hopes, had actually fled in terror.

Nobody knew where he had gotten off to now.

"It's over, it's completely over now!"

A man in his mid-forties muttered in utter despair. If Zhang Yang failed to defeat this great demon, once the demon finished with him, he would surely come for them next.

"Grandpa, let's run quickly! This demon is too strong. If we run abroad, surely he can't chase us overseas!"

The fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy shouted, looking toward his grandfather—the eldest person in the room.

"It's useless. You don't understand these demonic cultivators. Even if you hide in the White House in the US, they will drag you out and kill you. We can't escape; we cannot escape!"

The eldest man, around sixty, shook his head with profound disappointment, despair clouding his eyes.

"If the White House won't work, we'll hide on a deserted island, or buy a ship and live at sea. He can't possibly find us there, right?"

The young man argued stubbornly, his youth leading him to simplify complex matters.

The older man glanced at him and shook his head again.

They couldn't live on an island forever, nor could they live on a boat for their entire lives. Furthermore, this was a demonic master who integrated with modernity; even fleeing across the sea, they likely wouldn't evade him.

If they couldn't evade capture, the outcome upon being caught would inevitably be the most tragic.

"Wait! Ask them—how many people and how many spirit beasts were with Mr. Zhang just now?"

Huang Jing suddenly exclaimed. She had also felt despair, but something about the situation felt wrong, something she hadn't grasped until this moment.

"What do you mean, how many people, how many spirit beasts? That Mr. Zhang of yours has already run away, don't you understand?"

The young man yelled again, directing his greatest ire toward Huang Jing, convinced in his heart that this disaster was her fault.

"Xiao Xu, don't speak to your sister like that. Ask immediately: how many people and how many beasts did Mr. Zhang have just now?"

It was the eldest man who stopped the boy and issued the instruction.

Soon, the reply came back: only Zhang Yang, and only one spirit beast, the white horse.

"That's not right. Mr. Zhang wasn't alone; there was also a Long Family disciple named Long Feng. Besides the spirit beast Heavenly Horse, he also had the spirit beast Fox-tailed Marten. Facing an opponent like this, there’s no reason for him not to deploy his full strength!"

Huang Jing shook her head vigorously, her brow tightly furrowed.

She finally understood what was amiss. Zhang Yang’s appearance wasn't his full force; Long Feng and Lightning were absent. The combat power of this one man and one beast couldn't be weak. Since Zhang Yang knew the enemy’s strength, he wouldn't possibly neglect utilizing his own strongest assets.

"You mean... Mr. Zhang's flight this time was intentional, with some other objective?"

The eldest man was the quickest to grasp the implication of Huang Jing’s words.

"Uncle, I only suspect this; I don't know the specifics. Mr. Zhang certainly didn't mention any operational details to me!"

Huang Jing shook her head, her expression slightly dim. Zhang Yang couldn't possibly share his plans for engagement or tactics with her; such matters were confidential. If Chu Yuntian found out, all his preparations would be wasted.

"Whether this is the case or not, we must leave it to fate," the man sighed softly, closing his eyes as he sat. Since he remained still, the others dared not move either, settling into a tense wait.

Zhang Yang, having successfully escaped, was currently fleeing in a rather disheveled manner.

Chu Yuntian was not slow either, keeping close pursuit and constantly severing the connection between him and Zhuifeng, preventing Zhang Yang from smoothly reuniting with the beast.

He could only fight while running. Fortunately, it was night, and he was taking obscure routes.

Even so, they were spotted by a few people. News would likely spread through the streets tomorrow, but thank goodness communication networks weren't as advanced, or the whole country might know by now.

However, those who saw them didn't dwell on it; their speed was too extreme.

They vanished in the blink of an eye, leading some people to think they had imagined it, with only a few harboring suspicion.

Zhang Yang kept running, Chu Yuntian kept chasing, and slowly they moved away from the city and into the suburbs.

Zhang Yang's flight path was utterly chaotic and lacked any discernible strategy, which eased the cautious Chu Yuntian’s mind, allowing him to maintain the pursuit.

Chu Yuntian also wished to find a sparsely populated area to finally deal with Zhang Yang.

Observing Chu Yuntian's persistence, Zhang Yang couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

These demonic cultivators were indeed extremely cautious. His arrangements hadn't been in vain; he had finally succeeded in drawing him out. Now it depended on whether Long Feng could coordinate well with him in a moment to usher Chu Yuntian into the grand formation.

The construction site of the resort was now faintly visible.

Three shadows, positioned in three different directions, streaked toward the resort grounds like shooting stars. Zhuifeng tried several times to converge with Zhang Yang, only to be disrupted by Chu Yuntian, forcing it to follow at a distance.

Upon sighting the construction site, Zhuifeng let out a long, mournful cry to the heavens, a sound seeming to vent grievance and dissatisfaction.

This cry alerted Chu Yuntian slightly, but he didn't overthink it. He never suspected this was Zhuifeng signaling Long Feng at the site, informing him of their arrival.

Long Feng, standing on the small mound, stiffened slightly, immediately leaping down and landing precisely within a marked square.

Calculating the timing, Long Feng directly urged his inner energy to activate the grand formation. His body vanished instantly, and everything in that open space reverted to normal.

In the very moment he disappeared, Zhang Yang and Chu Yuntian’s figures appeared in the distance.

Not seeing Long Feng, Zhang Yang felt a slight surge of joy; he knew Long Feng had initiated the array.

But he was also tense. The duration Long Feng could maintain the formation was far too short; he had to take over control immediately, or all their efforts would be for naught.

Zhang Yang's speed suddenly increased significantly.

This surge propelled him a few body lengths ahead of Chu Yuntian.

Seeing Zhang Yang accelerate, Chu Yuntian matched his pace. In less than ten seconds, both had entered the boundary of the grand formation.

Reaching the center of the formation, a sinister smile suddenly curved Zhang Yang’s lips, and his body stopped abruptly. At this moment, Chu Yuntian had entered the array.

As Zhang Yang halted, Chu Yuntian also stopped, just catching sight of the faint smile playing on Zhang Yang’s face.

His heart plummeted. In that instant, he was seized by a terrible premonition. Before he could react, he roared and bolted outwards.

Unfortunately, before he could break free, the Zhang Yang he had been pursuing vanished, and the view before him transformed into a forest under a starry sky, no longer the abandoned construction site from moments before.

"Qimen Formation!"

Chu Yuntian blurted out, his face etched with horror. As a Fourth Layer expert, he was well-versed in Qimen Dunjia lore. In that single instant, he understood he had fallen into a trap.

This twenty-something cultivation prodigy, rare in ten thousand years, was not as outwardly reckless as he appeared. From the very beginning, he had set a snare, and despite considering himself supremely cautious, Chu Yuntian had ultimately walked right into it.

Chu Yuntian's expression turned slightly bitter, becoming even more serious. He knew he was ensnared, and caution was now paramount.

"Zhang Yang, it's yours now!"

Having successfully handed over control, Long Feng breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Yang had taken command of the array, continuously reinforcing the inner energy within the flagpoles.

His spirit-bonded companions, Lightning and Wuying, were already prepared.

Zhuifeng’s psychic link wasn't as strong, but Wuying stood upon its back, meaning the two would attack in tandem; even if Zhuifeng failed to understand some nuance, Wuying could relay it.

And Long Feng had already drawn his poison-soaked Snow Whip, ready to enter the fray.

This time, they were ganging up on a Fourth Layer expert, and one who wasn't even fighting back—such a golden opportunity, he certainly wouldn't miss.

Just as the three spirit beasts and Long Feng finalized their readiness, Chu Yuntian had already dispatched the first two attacking tigers. The scenery before him had morphed into an endless desert, and he could even feel the vibration of shifting sand beneath his feet.

"Awooo!"

A wolf howl pierced the air. On a distant sand dune, dozens of hungry wolves appeared, their eyes glowing green as they watched him. The dozen wolves stood there without attacking, merely holding their ground from afar.

These wolves were illusions, but their attacks were real. Moreover, the attacks from Long Feng, Lightning, and the others were blended invisibly among these wolves, concealed from Chu Yuntian’s sight.

Tomorrow continues with three updates; please offer some support with your votes, won't you?