103: The oriole is behind

"Retreat, Brother Lin!" Fatty Wang was stunned. He looked at the strange starry sky enveloped by endless starlight, and the terrifying Flood Dragon roaring madly within it, yet unable to break free. His chubby face was filled with confusion and... greed. "That... that's a great demon of the Treasure Body Realm! And that bastard Shi Potian! Are we... are we just leaving? That token..."

His words echoed the sentiments of everyone present.

Yes.

It was so hard to trap this terrifying roadblock. This was simply a heaven-sent, perfect opportunity to annihilate him in one fell swoop! As long as Shi Potian was killed, they could seize the Beast Taming Sect's chief token! That was... an immense fortune that could make their points skyrocket!

However, Lin Ye slowly shook his head.

"Do you want to die?"

Just one sentence made everyone's bodies stiffen!

"That's a Golden Armored Flood Dragon of the Treasure Body Realm!" Lin Ye's voice continued, "My Nine Heavens Star Array is only at the introductory stage right now. It can only 'trap', not 'kill'! At most... in another half an incense stick's time, the Formation will collapse on its own!"

"By then, a thoroughly enraged great demon of the Treasure Body Realm, plus a Shi Potian whose strength is comparable to Sword Without Dust... do you think we can stop them?!"

"Go!"

Lin Ye no longer wasted words. He turned around, his figure like lightning, and merged into the forest!

The rest of the people no longer hesitated. One by one, they forcibly suppressed the unwillingness and greed in their hearts and followed closely!

...Just as the Qingyun Sect's team vanished without a trace, as if evaporated into thin air, at the end of the dense forest.

About ten li away from this place, in a hidden mountain hollow.

More than a dozen figures, each carrying an ancient sword box on their back and exuding soaring Sword Intent, were silently lurking there.

Their aura perfectly blended with the surrounding rocks, grass, and trees. If not for Divine Sense detection, their traces would be impossible to discover!

Leading them was none other than the peerless Sword Son, Sword Without Dust, whose white clothes were purer than snow and whose beauty was not of a Mortal!

At this moment, he was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, meditating on a bluestone.

"Sword Son Senior Brother," a Heavenly Sword Manor Disciple beside him reported in a low voice, filled with reverence, "Scouts have reported that Shi Potian of the Beast Taming Sect has caught up with the Qingyun Sect's team!"

"Oh?"

"That Shi Potian actually directly activated his life-bound battle pet, the Golden Armored Flood Dragon! Looking at that posture, it seems he wants to completely annihilate the Qingyun Sect's team in one go!" The Disciple continued, with a hint of schadenfreude in his tone. "However... that young man named Lin Ye is a bit strange! He actually used some method to set up a peculiar Formation, temporarily... trapping that Golden Armored Flood Dragon!"

"Trapped?" Sword Without Dust's cold voice, for the first time, showed a hint of fluctuation.

"Yes!" The Disciple nodded quickly. "However, looking at the Formation, it doesn't seem like it will last much longer. Those people from the Qingyun Sect are now fleeing like stray dogs towards our direction!"

"Heh..."

On Sword Without Dust's always calm face, a cold, playful arc slowly formed.

"The mantis stalks the cicada... how can it know that the oriole is behind?"

He slowly stood up from the bluestone.

At that instant, two terrifying sword lights, like solid entities, capable of tearing the Void Realm apart, burst forth from his deep eyes!

"Deliver my command."

He spoke slowly, his voice clear, ethereal, yet filled with an undeniable dominance!

"Everyone, conceal your auras, and... set up an ambush on the spot!"

...In the dense forest, the Qingyun Sect's team was moving rapidly.

Lin Ye was always at the forefront of the team.

His dark eyes seemed to be vigilantly observing the surroundings, but in reality, his mind had already completely immersed itself in the world that only he could see!

"System!"

"Basic Reconnaissance Technique, maximum range enemy search!"

"[Command confirmed! Reconnaissance range has been extended to... ten li radius!]"

Buzz!

Before Lin Ye's eyes, the entire world instantly transformed into a real-time rendered... three-dimensional map composed of countless data streams!

Mountains, rivers, plants, birds, and beasts... everything was clearly marked and quantified in his eyes!

And on this huge map, dozens of red light spots of varying sizes, representing "hostility," were silently lurking not far in front of them, at an... excellent ambush location!

"As expected... they've come."

A cold killing intent flashed in Lin Ye's heart.

But on his face, he still maintained that "panicked" and "fleeing in disarray" appearance.

He even deliberately slowed down his pace to make himself appear more "wretched."

He led the team, like a startled herd of deer already targeted by a hunter, step by step, with precise accuracy, into the trap that had already been laid for them!

...In the mountain hollow, everyone from Heavenly Sword Manor had already held their breath.

They watched the approaching, unsuspecting Qingyun Sect team, and in each person's eyes, a cruel smile, like a hunter seeing prey, appeared!

"They're here!"

"Prepare to act!"

Sword Without Dust's cold voice echoed in everyone's hearts!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Without any warning!

From another dense forest behind them, dozens of various streaks of light, filled with chilling killing intent, burst forth!

"What?!"

Sword Without Dust's expression drastically changed!

He suddenly turned his head, horrified to discover that, at some unknown point, another team had appeared behind them... a team whose numbers were no less than their own!

Hundred Illusions Pavilion!

"Not good! We've fallen into a trap!"

This thought flashed through Sword Without Dust's mind instantly!

However, everything was too late.

"Rumble!!!"

The dozens of attacks, filled with chilling killing intent, like a violent storm, fiercely slammed into their ambush Formation!

"Puff! Pfft!"

Screams instantly erupted!

Several Heavenly Sword Manor Disciples on the outermost edge of the Formation didn't even have time to react before they were instantly blasted into a bloody mess by the terrifying attacks, transforming into streaks of white light and being teleported out of the Secret Realm!

And at the same instant their Formation fell into disarray!

The Qingyun Sect team, which had been "fleeing in disarray" in front of them, suddenly stopped!

The young man, Lin Ye, who had been "panicked," turned around.

His handsome face no longer held any trace of its previous "wretchedness."

"Everyone," he spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet every word was clear, like a final judgment, "The game... is over."

"Kill!!!"

A furious roar!

The Qingyun Sect team, which had been like startled birds, instantly transformed into an awakened primeval beast!

With an unprecedented fervor, they formed the death battle Formation they had practiced countless times, and counter-attacked... slaughtering the already chaotic Heavenly Sword Manor members!

Pincer attack!

Attacked from front and back!

At that instant, the once invincible Heavenly Sword Manor found itself in... a desperate situation!

"Lin... Ye!!!"

Sword Without Dust's eyes were bloodshot, his previously cold eyes completely turned blood red at this moment!

"Clang—!!!"

A heaven-shattering sword cry, capable of tearing the heavens and earth apart, suddenly erupted from his mouth!

A brilliant sword light, capable of eclipsing the sun and moon, shot into the sky!

However, just as his heaven-shattering sword was about to strike!

A vast starry sky, filled with endless profoundness and ancient aura, suddenly unfolded beneath his feet... without any warning!

The Nine Heavens Star Array — activated again!