82: Catch the turtle in the jar and lock the powerful enemy in the formation!

Dozens of kilometers away from the Mind Nexus, that secret message rippled like water, then vanished without a trace.

Bai Xiao's eyelids lifted slightly, his gaze sharp and cold: "Move out."

Stone Rock grunted in response, picked up his Lava Greatshield, and took the lead.

Zhui Yun's lips curled slightly as he gripped his Wind and Thunder Longbow with a backhand.

The group, along with dozens of Spirit Pivot Sword Envoys with refined auras, shot out of the mountain hollow like arrows from a bowstring, heading directly towards the direction the Spider Squad was moving.

Mere moments after they departed, on the other side of the mountain hollow, the ground began to tremble slightly.

The rumbling of hooves approached from afar, and a cavalry unit emerged from the horizon, their iron armor gleaming, their cold light glinting.

The heavy armor worn by the cavalry reflected a cold metallic sheen in the dim light, their hooves kicked up a cloud of dust, and a fierce, battle-hardened aura assailed them.

Leading them was Huo Jun. He reined in his mount, glanced in the direction Bai Xiao and the others had departed, then turned to his own troops.

"Scout units go first, spread out in a fan formation, monitor the Mind Nexus's movements. Report any anomalies immediately."

"The main force will follow me and establish a defensive line. Our mission is to completely block any escape routes or reinforcements for Ka Mountain and his squad."

"Roar!" A unified low roar erupted from the cavalry unit, their fighting spirit high.

Immediately, the scout camp swiftly detached, while the main force, led by Huo Jun, advanced towards the designated location.

They were the subsequent anvil, ensuring the prey had nowhere to run and preventing any trump cards the Mind Nexus might deploy.

A meticulously planned hunt had already begun.

......

Meanwhile, on the barren plains.

Twelve figures were advancing unhurriedly.

Leading them was Ka Mountain, the Thought Weaver. He maintained his detached demeanor, as if he wasn't walking on a perilous, alien battlefield, but strolling in his own backyard.

The eleven people behind him were members of the Spider Squad, each with a steady aura and sharp eyes, clearly all battle-hardened veterans.

"Captain Ka Mountain, it's been nearly half a day, and we haven't seen a single ghost."

One team member couldn't help but speak, a hint of impatience in his tone, "Is Marco overreacting?"

Another chimed in, "To be able to make Marco suffer, and silently devour his seventh-tier squad, the opponent shouldn't be simple. It's just that they don't seem to plan on showing themselves."

Ka Mountain didn't turn around, his voice flat: "Prey always needs enough patience to wait until the hunter loses vigilance. Or… they believe the trap they've set is clever enough."

No sooner had he spoken than Ka Mountain's forward steps paused slightly.

A barely perceptible, unusual glint flashed in his deep three-eyed pupils.

He "saw" that a few kilometers ahead, the energy flow in space exhibited an extremely subtle, unnatural distortion.

This distortion was incredibly subtle; had he not been a powerhouse of his rank, with an extremely high sensitivity to spatial fluctuations, he would have been utterly unable to detect it.

"Heh." Ka Mountain's lips curved into a meaningful, light smile, "Interesting. It seems our 'little mice' finally can't resist showing themselves."

Instead of stopping, he quickened his pace, stepping directly towards that seemingly normal area.

"Follow," he commanded indifferently.

Although the members of the Spider Squad didn't understand why, they never doubted Ka Mountain's orders and immediately followed him.

The moment Ka Mountain stepped into that area, an abrupt change occurred!

"Om—"

A low hum resonated throughout heaven and earth.

With them at the center, the space within a radius of more than ten kilometers suddenly darkened, and then, countless milky-white psionic glows shot up into the sky, intertwining to form a massive celestial curtain that completely enveloped and sealed off this area!

Above the curtain, mysterious runes flickered in and out of view, exuding a heart-pounding pressure.

The air seemed to solidify, and the previously clear distant view became blurry, as if the entire world had been isolated by this sudden barrier.

"A formation?" Someone in the Spider Squad exclaimed, immediately becoming vigilant.

Ka Mountain hovered in mid-air, examining the suddenly appearing psionic barrier with interest, the light in his three eyes flickering slightly: "A grand gesture. To be able to instantly deploy a concealment barrier of this scale, it seems the opponent was very well prepared."

There was no hint of tension in his tone; instead, it carried a trace of the excitement a hunter feels upon discovering interesting prey.

Before he finished speaking, the space not far ahead distorted, and a dozen figures slowly emerged.

The leader, dressed in plain white combat attire with a face as cold as ice, was Bai Xiao.

Beside him, Stone Rock stood like a mountain, holding his greatshield, its surface glowing with molten lava, emitting a scorching aura.

Zhui Yun, on the other hand, held his longbow, which occasionally flashed with blue-green light, emitting a subtle hum.

Further back, a dozen Spirit Pivot Sword Envoys spread out in a fan formation, their longswords humming, their sword intent erupting.

"Thought Weaver, Ka Mountain." Bai Xiao spoke, his gaze falling on Ka Mountain.

The light in Ka Mountain's three eyes shifted as he surveyed these uninvited guests, especially Bai Xiao, the leader, his light smile still lingering: "Oh? So you are the 'trouble' Marco spoke of. You have some guts, to dare to directly confront me."

The members of the Spider Squad behind him had already drawn their weapons the moment the formation appeared, their expressions wary.

Now that they saw the opposing main force, though few in number, each radiated a refined aura, and the leader, in particular, made them feel an inexplicable pressure.

Ka Mountain looked around, his gaze returning to Bai Xiao, "Who gave you the courage to play such a trick in front of me?"

Bai Xiao was expressionless, his longsword slowly rising, its tip pointing at Ka Mountain: "Your life, I'll take it."

At these words, the murderous aura in the air suddenly intensified.

Ka Mountain heard this and laughed aloud: "Take my life? Young man, you have big ideas. Do you know what it means to be ranked among the top hundred of the Three-Eyed Race at the same tier? That is power infinitely close to the Heroic Tier of the same rank."

His laughter ceased, and a cold glint flashed in his three eyes: "I am curious, though, how you knew my whereabouts and set such a precise ambush."

Among the Spider Squad, a member with a spiderweb tattoo on his face couldn't help but speak: "Captain, why waste words with them! Let me go and twist their heads off first!"

"No rush." Ka Mountain waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over Bai Xiao and the others, "Kneel and surrender, and your bodies will remain whole. Otherwise…" His tone rose slightly, "I will make you experience the pain of your soul being stripped away."

"Noisy!" Impatience flashed in Bai Xiao's eyes.

No sooner had he spoken than Bai Xiao's figure abruptly vanished from his original spot.

Ka Mountain's pupils suddenly contracted!

His senses were screaming warnings; an extreme sharpness had locked onto the side of his neck!

Too fast! This guy actually attacked directly! Not even willing to say an extra word of pleasantry?!

The next moment, Bai Xiao's figure appeared to Ka Mountain's left, his longsword already unsheathed, a flash of sword light tearing through the air, silent yet carrying the chilling implication of severing a soul, striking directly at Ka Mountain's neck!

'Clang!'

In the nick of time, a barrier made of countless energy filaments materialized in front of Ka Mountain. The barrier's surface shimmered with iridescent light, yet upon contact with that sword light, it emitted a harsh metallic grinding sound.

The energy threads stretched and twisted violently, as if they would snap at any moment.

The sword body collided with the barrier, erupting in a piercing metallic clang, stirring up a visible ripple in the air.

This force rebounded along the barrier, directly impacting Ka Mountain.

His figure was jolted backward by this terrifying force, his hovering posture becoming somewhat disheveled.

The composure on Ka Mountain's face instantly faded, replaced by shock and anger.

"You're asking for death!" Ka Mountain roared, his three eyes wide with fury, and a torrent of spiritual power erupted like a volcano...