321: Chapter 321 Trap

"What are you doing!"

He Yu and Lin Dan were both startled; they hadn't expected this seemingly cowardly old man to actually charge straight at the demon fox's true body.

The Three-Tailed Dark Fox let out a shrill shriek as its three grayish-black tails danced wildly, whipping up a fierce wind. It opened its mouth and spat out a beam of jet-black demonic light.

Ye Jing didn't dodge. He blocked with his spiritual blade while silently crushing an Explosive Talisman between his fingertips.

"Boom—!"

The airwave from the exploding Explosive Talisman collided with the demonic light, sending dust and smoke flying everywhere.

Taking advantage of this gap, Ye Jing had already closed in on the demon fox. His powerful Physical Body as a Body Cultivator directly smashed through the fox's remaining protective spiritual power, and his spiritual blade hacked fiercely at one of its tails!

"Roar—!!"

The Three-Tailed Dark Fox screamed in pain. Its tail was slashed, leaving a deep wound where the bone was visible, and demonic blood splattered everywhere.

Its Clone illusion technique instantly fell into disarray, and the fox shadows filling the sky dissipated in large numbers.

Seeing that Ye Jing had broken the fox's illusion, He Yu and Lin Dan were immediately heartened and followed up with a fierce assault.

Lin Dan closed her Red Umbrella, and a red light shot from its tip, pinning down the demon fox's hind leg.

He Yu's spiritual aura surged as he stabbed straight for the demon fox's eyes.

Attacked from both front and back, the Three-Tailed Dark Fox's ferocity was fully unleashed, and it prepared to counterattack desperately.

Ye Jing snorted coldly and charged forward, swinging his blade heavily onto the demon fox's crown. His dense spiritual power, combined with the immense strength of a Body Cultivator, delivered a shock. Although a Low Grade Spiritual Artifact couldn't cut through a Peak Rank Two demon fox, it was enough to leave it dazed and dizzy.

This strike prevented He Yu and Lin Dan from being severely injured by the demon fox's counterattack.

His movements were clean and efficient. After withdrawing his blade and retreating, he returned to his gasping, slightly disheveled old man appearance, as if that fierce blow just now had been a mere stroke of luck.

Seeing this, Lin Dan's eyes were filled with astonishment as she looked at Ye Jing. "Fellow Daoist Hu... what incredible skill!"

Ye Jing waved his hand, pretending to be shaken. "It was just relying on a bit of brute force, nothing but luck."

"Let's work together to kill this demon fox!" He Yu wanted to finish off the fox, which was still shaking its head, in one fell swoop.

But in the next second, Wu Yuan, who had disappeared to Ruan Mountain to get the spirit soul lingzhi, suddenly appeared.

"I didn't expect you to hold out for so long!"

"What?" This inexplicable remark left both Lin Dan and He Yu stunned.

Meanwhile, Ye Jing had already tightened his grip on his blade, a hint of killing intent surfacing in his eyes.

Monk Wu Yuan stood in mid-air, his cassock fluttering without any wind. The compassionate smile on his face had long since vanished.

Suddenly, Formation Plates appeared in the hands of those two martial monks. As soon as the Formation appeared, it directly enveloped Ye Jing and the other two.

The Buddhist beads in Wu Yuan's hand flew out, passing directly through the Formation to strike at the demon fox's head. Subsequently, dozens of beads poured down upon its body.

The demon fox had already exhausted its spiritual power fighting Ye Jing and the others. Now, it was powerless to defend against the beads. In an instant, its body was pierced through, left in a tragic state covered in holes.

Seeing this, He Yu hurriedly said, "Master! What are you doing? Aren't you here for the spirit soul lingzhi?"

Hearing this, Wu Yuan sneered, his gaze sweeping over the Three-Tailed Dark Fox before turning to Ye Jing's group.

"There are so many Golden Core Cultivators in my Buddha Realm. What this poor monk wants has never been the spirit soul lingzhi. What I want are the Primordial Spirits of you three benefactors to refine my Soul-Gathering Pearl. I wonder if you would be willing to give them to me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the demon locking bead in his hand suddenly expanded, and a jet-black light enveloped the entire forest.

The Three-Tailed Dark Fox, which was barely clinging to life, let out a piercing scream. Its Primordial Spirit was being forcibly stripped away by the demon locking bead, turning into wisps of black gas that were absorbed by the pearl.

Lin Dan's face instantly turned as pale as paper, her voice trembling. "You... you actually had such a plan! We kindly helped you, yet you want to take our Primordial Spirits."

He Yu was also shocked and furious. "You hypocritical bald donkey! To think you wear a cassock and recite Buddhist scriptures, yet your actions are more sinister than a demon's!"

Wu Yuan stood within the Formation, his face full of mockery and cruelty. His hands were pressed together in prayer, but there wasn't a hint of compassion. "In the Buddha Realm, the strong prey on the weak. You Loose Cultivators have no sect or faction; no one will care if you die. It's only right that you help fulfill this poor monk's Great Dao."

The two martial monks activated their Formation Plates, and the light of the Formation surged. Countless golden Buddhist runes entwined like chains, sealing off all exits. The air was thick with a pressure that suppressed the Divine Soul.

Ye Jing stood in front of Lin Dan and He Yu. His seemingly old and hunched body was as steady as a rock, and his previous cowering appearance had vanished without a trace.

He looked up at Wu Yuan, his voice cold as ice. "Bald donkey, if you want our Primordial Spirits, you'd better see if you have the teeth for it."

Wu Yuan raised an eyebrow, looking him over with some surprise. "Oh? It seems I misjudged you. You old thing actually have some backbone."

"Unfortunately, before this poor monk at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, you are still an ant."

Before he could finish, the Buddhist beads whistled through the air again, carrying a sharp killing intent straight for Ye Jing!

Ye Jing gave a disdainful smile. "Is that so? But I, a mere Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, have killed someone at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage before! You aren't any stronger than him!"

With that, he immediately performed the Azure Feather Wind-Riding Art. His figure became as light and swift as the wind, dodging the bombardment of the red Buddhist beads.

He flicked his wrist and pulled out several Explosive Talismans. With a surge of spiritual power, the talismans exploded with a roar, the airwaves slamming into the Formation's barrier and making it shake slightly.

"Attack together and break the Formation!" Ye Jing shouted. He could see that this Formation was extremely sturdy and difficult for one person to break.

Beside him, He Yu and Lin Dan also knew that today was a matter of life and death, so they no longer held anything back.

He Yu's sword momentum surged, drawing in the surrounding Spiritual Qi. With an ear-piercing sword hum, he slashed out a red Sword Qi several meters long towards one side of the Formation.

Lin Dan opened her Red Umbrella, and a sky full of red mist transformed into a rain of sharp needles, shooting densely toward the Formation runes.

Wu Yuan sneered, "Resistance is futile!"

Having said that, he immediately threw out a Lotus Pedestal emitting purple light. The purple light from the Lotus Pedestal shone down upon the three of them.

Ye Jing instantly felt a terrifying suction that reached deep into his bones. It felt as if his Divine Soul was being torn out of his body.

Within the purple light of the Lotus Pedestal, Lin Dan let out a muffled groan, her face turning even paler, and the circulation of her spiritual power began to stall. He Yu also swayed, a trickle of blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth.

Ye Jing's heart sank.

This demon locking bead specifically countered the Divine Soul. If this continued any longer, they would surely meet with disaster.

Seeing this, Ye Jing looked at his Low Grade spiritual blade, which already had a rolled edge, and then put it away.

"Is the benefactor going to give up resistance? Didn't you say you've killed a Cultivator at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage? Why aren't you even using your blade now?"

Seeing this, Wu Yuan gave a cruel smile, looking at him with the same contempt as one would look at an ant.

His gaze also lingered lewdly on Lin Dan's shapely figure. "Fellow Daoist Lin, if you become my concubine, I might consider letting you off."

"Pah! You damn bald donkey! I won't let you off even as a ghost!" Lin Dan, unable to stand being insulted by these monks, cursed directly.

Hearing this, the mockery on Wu Yuan's face instantly vanished. "Ungrateful. Since you refuse to comply, I will extract your Primordial Spirit and refine your physical shell into a Puppet!"

With that, he began chanting an incantation, and the pressure within the Formation became increasingly intense.

The Cultivators inside turned pale with a greenish tint. Just as Wu Yuan thought he was about to capture the three of them, a helpless sigh came from within.

"Sigh... very well. Since you, bald donkey, are so eager to seek death, then this old man has no choice but to fulfill your wish."