69: Ambush on the way home, murderous intentions lurking everywhere

The glowing exit portal of the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm slowly disappeared behind him.

The surrounding clamor also gradually subsided.

Lin Gou silently detached himself from the main group of the Qingyun Sect.

He did not fly through the air; that would be too ostentatious.

He chose a secluded mountain path, his feet rustling softly on the thick layer of fallen leaves.

Inside his body, the spiritual power of the Foundation Establishment Stage Middle Stage surged like a great river, steady and powerful.

Deep within his Divine Soul, the new talent named “Unyielding Will” stood like an ancient deity, suppressing his Sea of Consciousness, bringing an unprecedented sense of peace and strength.

His name was inscribed at the top of the Prodigy Stele.

His Divine Soul power skyrocketed.

His cultivation Bottleneck was broken through.

This trip to the Secret Realm yielded far more than expected.

Lin Gou was in a good mood, even having the leisure to admire an unknown blue wildflower by the roadside.

However.

Just as he lifted his foot, preparing to bypass a moss-covered mountain rock.

A sudden, extreme tremor, without any warning, shot up from his tailbone to the top of his head!

It wasn't an illusion.

It wasn't a premonition.

It was a shrill shriek from the “Karma Perception” talent deep within his Divine Soul Origin.

In his Sea of Consciousness, an invisible, blood-red alarm bell seemed to have been violently struck, causing him intense Divine Soul pain.

It's here.

Lin Gou's steps froze in place.

The ease and relaxation on his face vanished without a trace in a thousandth of a second.

His “Presence Weakening” talent was instantly activated to its maximum.

His entire aura evaporated like morning mist, completely merging with the surrounding grass, trees, and rocks.

He drifted silently like a leaf blown by the wind to hide behind a half-person-tall boulder, revealing only his eyes, which vigilantly peered forward.

Ahead was a narrow, elongated valley.

The valley was shrouded in mist, appearing no different from anywhere else.

But in his now greatly enhanced Divine Soul perception, that valley was like a monstrous beast that had opened its gaping maw.

Countless Formation runes, invisible to the naked eye, flickered in the Void Realm, weaving into a giant net that covered the heavens and earth, exuding a chilling sealing power.

In the dense forests on both sides of the valley, several black-robed figures appeared and disappeared.

Xuan Yin Sect attire.

Leading them was a gaunt, sinister-looking black-robed Elder, who floated silently above the valley entrance, his hands tucked into his sleeves.

A Pseudo-Core cultivator.

A meticulously planned, deadly trap, waiting for him alone to fall into it.

Lin Gou slowly retreated.

Without making any sound.

But he had only taken three steps back when his back hit an invisible wall.

Behind him, there were also Formation fluctuations, sealing off all escape routes.

A net from heaven and earth.

“Stop hiding.”

The Pseudo-Core cultivator floating in the air suddenly spoke.

His voice was hoarse, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together, especially grating in the silent mountain forest.

He slowly took out a palm-sized black compass from his sleeve.

The compass needle, at a bizarre angle, was firmly pointed at the boulder where Lin Gou was hiding.

“The primer for this ‘Thousand-Mile Soul Locking Incense’ is the essence blood of Ye Jun, whom you personally killed.”

“It's useless no matter how far you run!”

As his voice fell.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Several black figures flashed out from the forest, surrounding the boulder where Lin Gou was, completely encircling it.

Chilling Killing Intent instantly locked onto him.

The leading Pseudo-Core cultivator slowly descended, his cloudy eyes filled with the playful cruelty of a cat toying with a mouse.

He sternly declared Lin Gou's crimes, his voice echoing within the Formation barrier.

“You killed our Sect's Prodigy, Ye Jun!”

“You harmed our Sect's Golden Core Elder, Zhao Wuji!”

“You stole our Sect's precious Earth Fire Demonic Lotus!”

“Lin Gou, today, you shall have your Divine Soul utterly destroyed, never to reincarnate!”

Every word carried intense Killing Intent.

Lin Gou walked out from behind the boulder.

All the calmness and vigilance on his face had vanished.

In their place was extreme, undisguised panic.

His face was pale, his body trembling slightly, like a quail scared out of its wits.

“Misunderstanding, it's a misunderstanding!”

He waved his hands repeatedly, his voice choked with tears, sounding pathetic, weak, and helpless.

“Seniors, I... I'm just passing by, I don't know anything about what you're talking about!”

As he spoke, he uncontrollably retreated, only to be blocked by the barrier behind him, which further intensified his “fear.”

Deep down, another voice was calmly calculating.

‘A Pseudo-Core cultivator leading the team, several Foundation Establishment Stage Late Stage Cultivators, and a grand Formation specifically designed to counter spatial displacement...’

‘This setup is luxurious.’

‘Dying here, the reward settlement will probably skyrocket again.’

‘However, I should try my last trump card first.’

While using exaggerated acting to stall for time, he quietly gave an instruction to the System in his mind.

‘System, activate Sect anchor point, teleport immediately!’

【Ding!】

【Warning: You are currently under the strong suppression of the ‘Four Directions Soul Locking Formation’. Spatial Laws are severely distorted and interfered with. The anchor point teleportation function is disabled!】

The System's cold notification sound was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.

That Pseudo-Core cultivator seemed to have seen through his small actions and let out a harsh, mocking laugh.

“Hahahaha!”

“Don't waste your energy!”

His eyes were full of contempt.

“This Formation is our Xuan Yin Sect's ‘Four Directions Soul Locking Formation,’ specially designed to trap and kill Golden Core Immortal Masters!”

“Once the Formation is activated, it isolates inside from outside and distorts space! Let alone a mere Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator like you, even a true Golden Core Immortal Master would not be able to escape!”

“Today, even the King of Heaven himself can't save you, I say!”

His extremely arrogant words echoed through the valley.

The several Xuan Yin Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivators surrounding Lin Gou also showed cruel smiles.

They looked at Lin Gou as if he were prey already caught in a trap, making its last struggles.

The air seemed to solidify.

All paths of survival seemed to have been completely cut off.

The fear on Lin Gou's face suddenly vanished.

That paleness, that trembling, that begging, receded like a tide.

His back slowly straightened.

His eyes transformed from those of a frightened sheep to those of a cornered, hungry wolf.

A cold, dead calm enveloped his entire body.

All retreat was cut off.

The only way to survive was to fight his way out.

Or rather.

To die trying to get out.

The Pseudo-Core cultivator keenly noticed the change in Lin Gou's demeanor; the smile on his face slightly receded, and his eyes grew even colder and more sinister.

He sneered, speaking one word at a time.

“Don't be in a hurry to die.”

“We will first cripple your cultivation, break your limbs, and then capture you alive to bring you back to the Sect.”

“Using the most cruel Soul Searching secret technique, we will dig out the secret of your Heaven-Defying ‘luck’ from your Divine Soul, bit by bit.”

“We will let you experience what it truly means to wish for death but be unable to die!”