Long Shen frowned, looking at Zhang Yang, just about to object when Zhang Yang had already gripped his arm.

A hint of surprise flashed in Long Shen’s eyes. He knew Zhang Yang was stronger than him, but even a mid-stage Fourth Layer expert would struggle to defeat him.

He was a master forged in life-and-death combat, his strength far surpassing others at the same level.

Yet, with Zhang Yang’s casual grab just now, he hadn't even had the thought to evade; his arm was caught. Even though he was severely injured now, it shouldn't have been this easy.

He even had the unsettling feeling that even if he were uninjured, he wouldn't have been able to dodge it.

In other words, if Zhang Yang had wanted to kill him just then, he would already be dead.

“Your injuries are severe; recovering with only medicinal pills will be too slow. I’ll insert a few needles; this can restore sixty to seventy percent of your strength!”

After gripping Long Shen’s pulse points for a moment, Zhang Yang gently shook his head and murmured softly.

“What did you say? You can restore sixty to seventy percent of my strength?”

Long Shen blurted out, the astonishment in his eyes deepening this time. He knew his injuries best. At most, less than twenty percent of his power remained. Continuing to fight would only be courting death; the injuries were too heavy, preventing him from utilizing his strength, making him susceptible to further harm.

He stood there, not leaving, only because he needed to watch the Long Family disciples fight bravely. No matter how grave his injuries, he wouldn't retreat now.

The older the family, the deeper the sense of familial honor embedded in its disciples.

“Yes, but you must cooperate!”

Zhang Yang spoke as he took out silver needles from his person. While doing all this, the energy he emitted constantly monitored the five high platforms.

He knew clearly that those five individuals were watching him, not paying the slightest attention to the battle below.

“Fine, I cooperate!”

Long Shen gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement. If his strength could be restored to sixty or seventy percent, he could re-enter the fight.

With that level of power, facing a Fourth Layer expert from one of the Five Great Powers alone, he was still confident he could dispatch them with a single strike. The combat experience gained from so many brushes with death was his greatest reliance.

Zhang Yang took out the silver needles and immediately inserted them into several vital acupoints on Long Shen.

One of these points was the Yintang point.

As the needle pierced the Yintang point, Long Shen’s body twitched unnaturally. But remembering Zhang Yang’s words, he stubbornly stared as the silver needle sank into his forehead. Instead of the expected pain upon entry, there was a sensation of coolness.

Recalling Zhang Yang’s other identity, Long Shen felt a pang of jealousy.

The reason he agreed to let Zhang Yang treat him was also tied to this identity: Zhang Yang was a successor of the Medical Saint lineage.

When it came to medical skills, no one could claim to be better than the Medical Saint lineage; not even their millennium-old Long Family could compete.

After inserting all the needles, Zhang Yang finally turned his head to observe the brawl between the two sides below.

The forces on both sides were already fully engaged. The Five Great Powers had a large number of Fourth Layer experts, but the Long Family had quite a few as well. Moreover, whenever they encountered danger, the Long Family members always retreated into the formation, using it for protection, leaving the Five Great Powers helpless.

Even for Ouyang Jiankang and the others, the Long Family members had transmitted messages instructing them on how to enter the formation and activate it individually.

These people were helping them; protecting them meant protecting themselves.

However, overall, the Long Family’s number of Fourth Layer experts still lagged behind the Five Great Powers. Especially Long Yi, who was already struggling against Di Ao, with others intermittently launching sneak attacks on him.

Zhang Daofeng was also fighting fiercely, though his situation was somewhat better.

His opponent was an Elder from the Zhou Family, a seasoned mid-stage Fourth Layer expert, but his own strength was not weak. Especially after acquiring the wealth of the Huyuan Family, everyone in the Zhang Family had upgraded their equipment significantly.

The current Zhang Daofeng wielded a top-tier Divine Weapon, a bone staff, and was clad in two defensive Divine Artifacts.

His bone staff wasn't among the top ranked weapons on the Divine Weapon Rankings, but it was close. It was a crucial treasure of the Huyuan Family, and he found the weapon very easy to use, so he kept this Divine Weapon close.

Long Haotian was fighting an early-stage Fourth Layer expert, but he was not facing just one person now.

The Patriarchs of the Li, Hua, and Zhou Families, along with the Wudang Sect Master, were all ambushing him. None of them had broken through to the Fourth Layer, but their advantage lay in numbers. Together, four of them, plus the distraction provided by the Fourth Layer expert, left Long Haotian in grave peril.

Still, he was the one facing the most enemies, fighting one against five.

“Lin’er!”

A Zhou Family Elder confronting Ouyang Jiankang suddenly roared in grief and indignation, breaking free from his engagement and rushing toward another direction like a bolt of lightning.

There, he caught a person falling from the sky.

This man was Zhou Lin, in his thirties, a standout among the younger generation of the Zhou Family, possessing mid-stage Third Layer strength. His opponent had been Long Feng of the Long Family.

Long Feng was inherently slightly stronger than Zhou Lin, and he had been concealing his strength, occasionally feigning weakness to make his opponent believe he was only so-so, ultimately finding a perfect opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

This Zhou Family disciple had been slain by him.

This was the second death since the battle began, and the deceased was still someone from the side of the Five Great Powers.

Looking down, Zhang Yang’s eyebrows twitched again. Long Feng’s performance had drawn much attention. The Zhou Family Fourth Layer expert was still entangled by Ouyang Jiankang, but a peak late-stage Third Layer master had come to deal with Long Feng.

Facing a peak late-stage Third Layer expert, Long Feng immediately fell into a disadvantage. Relying only on himself, he couldn't defeat someone a whole level above him.

His foundation was unstable, his power boosted by elixirs, putting him at a severe disadvantage in actual combat. If not for his unique cultivation technique, he would likely be finished by now.

“Lightning, watch Long Feng. Intervene if necessary!”

Zhang Yang instructed silently in his mind. Lightning and Chasing Wind were still in the rear hall. Hearing Zhang Yang’s command, Lightning immediately transformed into a streak of white light and zipped over.

This was a chaotic melee, and Long Feng, only at mid-stage Third Layer strength, made Zhang Yang deeply uneasy.

Sending Lightning to protect him meant that even an average early-stage Fourth Layer expert would find it difficult to harm Long Feng, especially since the enhanced Lightning was even more powerful.

Lightning was small. Upon arrival, it perched in a corner of the high platform, watching covertly.

Some people noticed Lightning, but everyone was too preoccupied with their own struggles to pay him any mind.

“Bang!”

“Long Haotian, give up your life!”

Long Haotian, who had been fighting without being ganged up on, finally couldn’t hold back and was injured. Li Wenruo and the others seized the opportunity of his injury to press the attack, intending to end his life then and there.

Four peak late-stage Third Layer masters attacking in concert was something even a Fourth Layer expert could not ignore. Back then, Zhang Yang, at the peak late-stage Third Layer, had forced a Fourth Layer elder of the Huyuan Family to use his family’s secret technique.

Just as it seemed Long Haotian couldn't evade the onslaught, a faster white shadow suddenly appeared, whisking him away to the side.

This white shadow also extended several hooves. Had Li Wenruo and the other three not retreated in time, a single kick could have severely wounded them.

The white shadow with hooves could only be Chasing Wind. Seeing Long Haotian in danger, Zhang Yang had summoned Chasing Wind to save him. Long Haotian was Long Feng’s father, and his safety could not be compromised.

Chasing Wind reared back and let out a long neigh, displaying the might of a Fourth Layer Spirit Beast.

On its back, Shadowless was equally defiant, unleashing a powerful burst of inner energy. The Fourth Layer expert who had struck Long Haotian initially tried to block it head-on, but sensing the danger, rolled away. However, he was still shaken by the residual force, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Shadowless’s attack further manifested the power of a Fourth Layer Spirit Beast.

“Squeak squeak!”

Lightning, which had remained motionless, suddenly leaped out. Its speed was so terrifying that observers only saw a white blur. In the next instant, the peak late-stage Third Layer expert attempting to ambush Long Feng was bitten. Half his body immediately turned pitch black.

“Ah, Fox-Tailed Marten!”

The bitten man only managed to scream before collapsing, dead, his entire body turning black.

Such speed and venomous toxicity stunned many onlookers. Some who were mid-fight paused, staring blankly in this direction.

Lightning’s speed, coupled with its immediate kill of a peak late-stage Third Layer master upon striking, also displayed its true power.

This was another Fourth Layer Spirit Beast.

Three Spirit Beasts, all at the Fourth Layer, immediately shifted the tide of the battle upon their appearance.

The three powerful Spirit Beasts silenced many onlookers; some were filled with fear, while others were secretly delighted.

These three Spirit Beasts were clearly aiding the Long Family members.

“Brother Zhang, I implore you to send your three Spirit Beasts to assist us in battle. My Long Family will surely repay you richly in the future!”

Long Haotian exclaimed joyfully, quickly shouting out. He knew these three Spirit Beasts belonged to Zhang Yang and knew they were powerful, but he hadn't realized they had all broken through and advanced to the Fourth Layer.

Ordinary inner energy cultivators wouldn't grasp the strength of a Spirit Beast until they engaged in combat.

There was a fundamental difference between a Third Layer Spirit Beast and a Fourth Layer Spirit Beast.

A Fourth Layer Spirit Beast was even stronger than an average Fourth Layer expert. If these three Spirit Beasts joined the fray, it would be equivalent to at least four Fourth Layer experts, and perhaps five if they coordinated well.

If that were the case, their deficiency in Fourth Layer experts would be instantly remedied, perhaps even yielding a slight advantage.

Long Haotian didn't understand why Zhang Yang wasn't coming down to fight. He had been slightly annoyed earlier, but that anger vanished entirely now.

If Zhang Yang wasn't fighting, having his three great Spirit Beasts fight was just as good. In Long Haotian’s mind, the contribution of the three Spirit Beasts was now no less than that of Zhang Yang himself.

“Chasing Wind, help Patriarch Long and the others!”

Zhang Yang nodded lightly. This time, he did not refuse. He couldn't descend to the fight, but sending the three Spirit Beasts was an acceptable alternative.

With the three Spirit Beasts present, although the Long Family wouldn't instantly reverse the entire situation, things would certainly improve. At the very least, they could contend with the Five Great Powers in terms of Fourth Layer power, unlike their previous passive state.

Having spoken, Zhang Yang turned back and pulled all the silver needles from Long Shen’s body.

After Zhang Yang’s treatment, Long Shen no longer felt pain, and his strength had recovered to over sixty percent. He now possessed full combat capability again.

“Thank you!”

Long Shen opened his eyes, gave Zhang Yang a deep look, clasped his hands in gratitude, and then leaped out.

He stopped pondering why Zhang Yang wasn't fighting. With Zhang Yang’s medical skill available, having him stay behind was actually better. Any severely wounded Long Family disciple could immediately regain combat strength after Zhang Yang's treatment, effectively increasing their overall power significantly.

At this moment, Zhang Yang was unaware of Long Shen’s thoughts. His decision not to fight was purely due to the containment offered by the Great Perfection stage expert, not a thought about staying behind to treat the wounded.