"Rumble..." With a deafening crash, Liang Xiaoke's body slammed into the ground, carving a massive earthen crater where he landed, stunning everyone. Ye Jingyu’s face instantly filled with profound worry.

Streams of golden-red light erupted once more. Liang Xiaoke’s skin immediately began to crack open, revealing pale, glistening flesh. A look of agonizing pain contorted his face.

"Big Brother..." A wave of anxiety washed over Ye Jingyu, yet he strode forward, crossing the distance directly to Liang Xiaoke’s side. However, he was violently repelled by a surge of fierce wind power, causing his expression to shift drastically.

"Did you think it would be so easy to devour Jin's flesh and blood? He is the descendant of the Great Ape with Celestial Arms; his divine soul is naturally powerful. Even if you destroy his body, do you imagine you can completely annihilate his spirit?" Seeing Liang Xiaoke struggling painfully on the ground, Gongsun Sheng allowed a cold sneer to spread across his face.

His own body landed, effectively blocking the path of Ye Jingyu and the others. Meanwhile, the enormous centipede coiled itself behind Ye Jingyu, and the remaining dozens of Fierce Apes surrounded them, boxing the group in entirely.

At this moment, Bing Ming had already gone to intercept Xu. Beside Ye Jingyu, there was only himself—newly ascended to the Soul Immortal realm—and a juvenile Taotie that had not yet fully matured.

On Gongsun Sheng’s side, not only was Mo Gong overwhelmingly powerful and capable of locking down Little Peach Blossom completely, but the dozens of Sixth-Level Fierce Apes alone were enough to exhaust Ye Jingyu and the Taotie.

As for the unfathomable Gongsun Sheng, he exerted immense pressure on Ye Jingyu. Yet, the more critical the juncture, the calmer he became.

"Little Peach Blossom, immediately take Big Brother and that woman and leave. I will cover the rear!" Ye Jingyu commanded, addressing Little Peach Blossom via a mental wave as Gongsun Sheng walked toward him step by deliberate step.

Little Peach Blossom paused, turning to look at Ye Jingyu. Its emerald eyes were filled with palpable concern.

"Don't worry. With a soul art like 'Reaching the Horizon with a Single Step,' he won't be able to stop me!" Ye Jingyu projected an expression of reassurance.

Seeing the confidence on Ye Jingyu’s face, Little Peach Blossom flickered. It appeared beside Liang Xiaoke, transforming into its true form. With a gentle grasp of its two small claws, the furious ambient aura shattered. It then secured Liang Xiaoke onto its back and scooped up Yu Wushuang, who was nearby.

"What? Do you think you can actually escape?" Gongsun Sheng murmured, observing Little Peach Blossom's movements, his eyes blazing with avarice—greed for the creature itself. An ancient fierce beast! If he possessed such a beast, what more could he ever need to fear?

"A joke! Is the Young Master the sort of person to flee in the face of battle? This is called a strategic relocation!" Ye Jingyu retorted, rolling his eyes and sharply chastising him.

"Strategic relocation?" Gongsun Sheng frowned, clearly unfamiliar with such a novel term, still puzzling over it when Ye Jingyu’s voice cut through: "Go..."

Just as Gongsun Sheng prepared to shout a halt, he noticed a black longbow had inexplicably appeared in Ye Jingyu's hand. Immediately following, a streak of silver light shot forth, causing Gongsun Sheng’s expression to change.

"Indeed, a seasoned Soul Immortal. I slew one in the North Sea ten years ago; I wouldn't mind killing another today!" While speaking, Gongsun Sheng’s body flashed to the side, while several Fierce Apes opened their massive maws and lunged directly at Ye Jingyu.

At this moment, Little Peach Blossom’s form suddenly split in two. One entity, Shen Tanshi, carrying Liang Xiaoke and Yu Wushuang, dashed toward the valley exit at full speed, while the other vicious beast sprinted toward Mo Gong.

Before it could reach Mo Gong, a bolt of lightning cleaved down from the sky, striking Mo Gong’s hardened carapace directly.

Mo Gong paid the lightning no mind, swinging its colossal tail toward Shen Tanshi. Following Gongsun Sheng's orders, they were not to let anyone escape.

Seeing that Mo Gong completely disregarded its lightning attack, the vicious beast seemed immensely angered. Its black form solidified entirely, and it extended its razor-sharp claws to rake across Mo Gong.

Faintly, cracks began to appear in the very fabric of space. Mo Gong, which had been attacking Shen Tanshi, seemed to sense an extreme crisis, rapidly retreating backward. Where it had just stood, a massive black rift immediately tore open.

This was the Taotie's divine ability: Sky-Rending Tear.

Taking advantage of this brief window, Shen Tanshi bolted away. At this moment, its speed reached its absolute zenith; each stride covered hundreds of meters.

However, since Gongsun Sheng had already engaged, he would not let them depart so easily. Consuming almost no time, Gongsun Sheng bypassed Ye Jingyu’s Heaven and Earth Star Spirit Arrow and intercepted the Taotie's escape route.

This speed slightly surprised Ye Jingyu. Gongsun Sheng was known as the Medical Sage; not only was his medical skill exceptional, but his martial cultivation was also extraordinarily profound! To evade his Heaven and Earth Star Spirit Arrow so calmly, his cultivation level must surpass that of Bai Tianyu from before.

It seemed there were vast differences even among those of the Martial Saint level.

However, his two souls—Heaven and Earth—had merged into a single Soul Immortal, causing his power to multiply exponentially. At this critical juncture, he casually reached toward his bracelet, and a pitch-black great seal materialized in his hand.

This was the Heaven-Shaking Seal, which he had reclaimed from the Vajra Bangle after defeating Xiao Geng.

Without pausing, he flung the seal into the air. The Heaven-Shaking Seal immediately positioned itself above Gongsun Sheng. A figure then shot out from within Ye Jingyu’s body and submerged entirely into the seal.

The Heaven-Shaking Seal was a Profound-Tier Soul Artifact, its true might only unleashed by a Soul Immortal. The moment the soul from Ye Jingyu’s body merged with the seal, the entire artifact seemed to spring to life, suddenly expanding hundreds of times. Originally only a few zhang wide, it now spanned several acres. Looking up, it resembled a colossal mountain descending upon them.

Furthermore, along the edges of the Heaven-Shaking Seal, countless arcs of lightning surged and flashed. Even before it landed, the void began to crackle and pop audibly.

It seemed as though the firmament itself would be crushed by this iron seal. Even Gongsun Sheng’s expression contorted sharply once more. The body that had been lunging for Little Peach Blossom rapidly retreated into the distance. Against such a powerful soul artifact, even a peak Martial Saint like himself could not withstand a direct clash.

"Rumble..." The Heaven-Shaking Seal plunged straight down, creating an earth-shattering reverberation. Whether trees, grass, medicinal herbs, or rock formations—everything beneath the seal was instantly pulverized into ash and dust.