The injured Chu Yuntian immediately struggled back to his feet. The moment the viper venom entered his system, he felt something was terribly wrong. Shandian (Lightning) was one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts; even if ranked lower, it was not something to be lightly dismissed.

Not to mention that it had already swallowed two Golden Crown Python venom sacs, meaning its toxicity had long since evolved, making its current poison far more potent than before.

After that tingling sensation began, Chu Yuntian instantly sealed the point of injury, attempting to prevent the poison from spreading.

It was already too late; Shandian’s venom was not something so easily contained.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”

Having successfully bitten Chu Yuntian, Shandian stood behind Zhang Yang and squeaked excitedly, like a child who had finally achieved a long-planned objective—vibrant and adorable.

Fortunately, Chu Yuntian couldn’t see Shandian right now, or he would have been enraged to death.

Standing up, Chu Yuntian had no time to examine the bite wound; he urgently summoned the Flame Blade again to defend himself.

With Chu Yuntian poisoned and injured, Zhang Yang would be a fool to miss this opportunity. The grand formation couldn't hold for more than a few minutes, so he had to use those final moments to eliminate Chu Yuntian as thoroughly as possible.

If this demon was not killed, he would become an endless source of trouble in the future, even posing a threat to Mi Xue and Zhang Keqin.

“Clang! Clang!”

Zhang Yang made almost no attempt to conceal himself. His figure flickered intermittently within the great formation, his Cold Spring Sword, imbued with massive internal energy, posing threat after threat to Chu Yuntian.

In the disadvantageous environment within the formation, dealing with a third-tier spirit beast was manageable for Chu Yuntian, but facing a genuine fourth-tier powerhouse was proving incredibly taxing.

And Zhang Yang was no ordinary fourth-tier expert.

“Clang!”

The Cold Spring Sword and the Flame Blade met again in close contact. Zhang Yang gripped the sword with his right hand, and with his left, he formed a gesture in the air; a dagger shimmering with golden light shot straight from his palm.

The Dragon Devouring Dagger had appeared. Facing an opponent this formidable, Zhang Yang had prepared everything he possibly could.

Chu Yuntian could not see the Dragon Devouring Dagger, but the sudden surge of wind startled him. Continuous fierce combat, coupled with his injury, and the constant harassment from Zhui Feng and Wuying, meant that when faced with Zhang Yang’s sudden throw of the Dragon Devouring Dagger, he failed to dodge it completely.

The Dragon Devouring Dagger grazed his arm, then flew back past him, leaving a string of blood droplets in its wake.

Zhang Yang’s ambush was successful, inflicting another wound on Chu Yuntian.

Chu Yuntian grunted, unleashing three heavy blade glows in quick succession while rapidly retreating backward.

His injured arm immediately began to feel numb.

At this moment, Chu Yuntian was internally cursing Zhang Yang, realizing he had poisoned his weapon. Just this sensation told him it was a potent toxin, no less severe than the initial bite.

What frustrated him was that even now, he could not see Shandian and could not confirm precisely what poison he had taken.

“Hiss, hiss~”

Seeing Zhang Yang inflict another wound, Zhui Feng grew even more agitated. It charged toward Chu Yuntian with almost no attempt to conceal its form; the horns on its head were fully erect. Whether struck by the horn or kicked by its hooves, Chu Yuntian would suffer badly.

Watching the somewhat manic and over-excited Zhui Feng, Zhang Yang felt a touch of helplessness.

With the creature acting so boldly, Zhang Yang had to provide cover, which inadvertently restricted his own movements. The true threat to Chu Yuntian remained Zhang Yang, the fourth-tier expert.

Zhui Feng, while seemingly helping, was actually causing more trouble.

After transmitting several messages to Wuying, Wuying finally managed to calm the frenzied Zhui Feng, allowing Zhang Yang to refocus his full attention on Chu Yuntian within the formation.

The great formation began to shake, and cracks appeared in several places; the illusory scene within the formation was gone.

Under these circumstances, Chu Yuntian pushed his strength to its absolute peak. He knew the formation was about to break.

Only by breaking the formation did he have any hope of escaping to find a place to heal and detoxify. At this point, he no longer contemplated how to slay Zhang Yang; he had lost all confidence in achieving that goal.

“Rumble!”

With a deafening crash, Zhang Yang felt his body shake. Simultaneously, the dozen or so formation flags surrounding them emitted sharp cracking sounds; soon, several flagpoles shattered into fine jade dust, and the great formation vanished completely.

As the formation dissipated, the stopped construction site reappeared before Chu Yuntian. The sky was still black. Looking at the somewhat unfamiliar yet familiar scenery, a strange sense of excitement stirred in his heart.

Freedom. Those who had never experienced being trapped in such a formation could never truly grasp the preciousness of this liberty.

He had finally broken through the grand formation and regained his freedom.

Alas, the price he paid was too steep. Not only were both his Blood Puppets destroyed, but he himself was poisoned and wounded. His heart now held nothing but resentment toward Zhang Yang, and given any chance, he would launch the most vicious retaliation against him.

The moment the formation broke, Zhang Yang sensed trouble.

Without the formation, dealing with Chu Yuntian as before was impossible; their greatest advantage was lost, and what lay ahead would certainly be a genuine, grueling battle.

Zhui Feng and Shandian also gathered around Zhang Yang. They were intelligent enough to know that from now on, survival depended entirely on raw strength, without the luxury of striking from concealed positions.

Fortunately, the time spent within the formation had not been wasted; Chu Yuntian had suffered significant internal and external injuries, weakening his power.

“Good, very good. I have rampaged through the Western Frontier and the Southern Frontier for so many years, and I have never suffered such a massive loss. You are the first!”

Chu Yuntian, having broken free, took a step back. Zhang Yang did not rush to continue the assault.

Standing there, Chu Yuntian threw his head back and laughed loudly, yet his voice carried endless malice. Zhang Yang had truly provoked his anger this time.

What was infuriating was that even now, he did not know Zhang Yang’s name.

“Fox-tailed Marten?”

Chu Yuntian’s expression shifted sharply again; he had finally noticed Shandian.

Hearing Chu Yuntian speak its identity, Shandian immediately squeaked, seeming to provoke him.

However, its appearance was petite and exquisite, making it look incomparably cute, as if it were merely coquettishly pouting.

Of course, Chu Yuntian felt no cuteness whatsoever. He wished he could kill Shandian immediately and extract its saliva to cure his poison; he knew precisely how potent the venom of a Fox-tailed Marten was.

“You demon, hiding in the Western Frontier?”

Long Feng walked over at this moment and shouted the question loudly. Chu Yuntian had just mentioned that he operated freely in the Western and Southern Frontiers, meaning he had lived there all along.

The Southern Frontier was irrelevant to the Central Plains, but a large section of the Kunlun Mountains lay within the Western Frontier—which could be considered the Long family’s territory.

Having such a powerful demonic master operating on their own ground explained why Long Feng would question him so directly.

“You brat are the one who snuck an attack on me with that long whip just now!”

A cold glint flashed in Chu Yuntian’s eyes. He couldn't see the attacker then, but that didn't mean he couldn't sense anything. He was aware of the spirit beasts, and he had sensed someone less powerful, wielding a soft whip to constantly harass him. He couldn't see this whip and dared not meet it head-on, but he remembered the person. Only a human would use such a weapon.

“Since you are in the Western Frontier, were the missing internal energy cultivators in the Western Frontier all your doing over the years?”

Long Feng ignored Chu Yuntian’s remark and retorted. The Western Frontier was vast, and the Long family was not the only place with cultivators; there were also scattered minor noble families, small sects, and independent internal energy cultivators.

In the entire Western Frontier, there were perhaps several hundred such individuals. Their individual strengths were not high; many were like Long Cheng and Qu Meilan, merely first-tier cultivators with no hope of ever advancing to the second tier—such people accounted for seventy percent of the cultivators.

However, there were also some second-tier or even third-tier masters. Over the years, rumors occasionally surfaced about a powerful cultivator disappearing, or a group of cultivators vanishing. Initially, people paid little attention, as cultivators were inherently transient, often traveling for years at a time. It wasn't until a second-tier disciple of the Long family disappeared that the family took the matter seriously.

The Long family sent investigators, and the results were shocking. Over the past decade, more than thirty cultivators had vanished without a trace. Most were first-tier internal energy practitioners, seven or eight were second-tier, and there was even one third-tier master among them.

No news of these individuals ever surfaced, whether they were alive or dead. The Long family had been investigating relentlessly without success. Now, Long Feng finally understood: these people had all met a terrible end. With a demonic master like Chu Yuntian around, it would be strange if they met any other fate.

“You speak truly. The blood of these people is the best material for forging Blood Puppets. It’s a pity they were too scattered; otherwise, if I had captured them all, I could have forged even more Blood Puppets!” Chu Yuntian nodded slowly, directly admitting the accusation. Long Feng’s face instantly flushed with rage.

Chu Yuntian continued, “Looking at your youth, having third-tier internal energy cultivation is not bad. Who are you?”

Previously, he might have offered Long Feng a few compliments; Long Feng’s talent at that age surpassed his own youthful progress slightly. However, with a freak like Zhang Yang in existence, Long Feng’s progress meant little by comparison.

“A disciple of the Long family, Long Feng. Today, I swear to avenge my Long family and my brethren in the Western Frontier. Old demon, this day will surely be your execution!” Long Feng spoke slowly, gripping his Snow Whip tighter.

The Long family disciple who went missing was a cousin with whom Long Feng shared a very close relationship, which was why he paid such close attention to the case. That cousin had looked out for him considerably; he disappeared five years ago and never returned. Long Feng had harbored some faint hope, but now that hope was entirely shattered. Recalling the two powerful Blood Puppets, Long Feng felt as if a knife were twisting in his heart. It was highly probable that his cousin was now reduced to that pile of pus and blood. (To be continued)