86: Chapter 87 The Hunt

The fire in the center of the Main Stele Area had been lit for less than half an hour when the Night Wing in the West Lower Corridor of the bridge belly suddenly sent out three urgent cries—one short, one long, then one short; every note reeked of danger!

Wen Zhao's expression darkened abruptly. He pinched a seal with his fingertips to lock onto the Night Wing's vision. "The retreat is blocked! The Pei family has made their move!"

Lu Jin raised his hand to access the vision and instantly grasped the situation: the West Lower Corridor was already narrow, flanked by the broken stele wall on the left and the collapsed ash slope on the right. All three old exits leading back to the Post Station had been nailed shut with dark gold short spikes! There weren't many spikes, but they precisely blocked the retreat, forcing them toward the only exit—Stele Tooth Ravine!

Lu Jin had seen Stele Tooth Ravine on the ancient battle map. It wasn't deep, but it was right next to the oldest Stele Guardian path on the periphery of the Main Stele Area—a dead-end ravine that was easy to enter but hard to leave!

Qiao Ye exploded in anger on the spot, slamming his long shield onto the ground, sending ash splattering. "Those bastards! They're herding us like prey?"

Wen Zhao traced the air with his fingertips, committing the positions of the spikes at the exits to memory. His tone was ice-cold. "They don't want a direct confrontation; they just want to force us into the ravine and then close the opening from behind to trap us like dumplings."

Lu Jin's eyes narrowed as he instantly saw through the whole picture: Ning Yanqiu was still suppressing the Mirror Void at the West Upper wind vent, Wu Fu was guarding the Brood Nursery Court, and Grey Pupil was holding down the Priest Court. The only ones who could be pulled away immediately were himself, Qiao Ye, Wen Zhao, and the two Night Wings. Being outnumbered was exactly the situation the Pei family wanted!

"Go!" Lu Jin pressed down with the black fire in his palm and turned to rush toward the West Lower Corridor, his tone resolute. "They've already set the trap. If we don't go, these three exits will only shrink tighter, and by then, we won't even have room to struggle!"

Qiao Ye followed closely with his shield, shouting angrily, "Perfect! I've been wanting to chop up these sewer rats from the Pei family for a long time!"

Wen Zhao tucked three Line-Marking Nails between his fingers and hurried to keep up, lowering his voice to warn, "Remember, don't run to the deepest part of Stele Tooth Ravine! That area is wide; it's their pre-set closing point. If we go in, we'll truly be turtles in a jar!"

The three of them didn't bring a large force, leaving only two Night Wings hanging high to scout. A swarm of Red-Eyed Rats slinked along the ground, and two Bone-Armor Furnace Guards protected Qiao Ye's sides, specializing in taking frontal impacts—they were traveling light, determined to catch the Pei family off guard!

The wind in the West Lower Corridor was eerie. The further they went, the finer the ash on the ground became, as if it had been sifted beforehand, leaving only a layer of hard crust on the ground. When they reached the second broken wall, Wen Zhao suddenly crouched down, wiped the ash-covered ground with his fingertips, and his expression sank to the extreme.

"There's bait!" He stood up, his fingertips stained with a bit of pale red ash. "It's the smell of meat-fire mixed with the aura of dark gold material. The Pei family has already fed the Stele Guardian!"

Qiao Ye's teeth ground together audibly. "Those bastards! Using live bait to lure the Stele Guardian here—they want to kill us using the beast!"

Before he could finish speaking, the lead Night Wing suddenly soared upward, skimming back along the top of the broken stele, emitting urgent, short warning cries!

Boom—the entire West Lower Corridor shook violently. It wasn't the sound of human footsteps, but rather like a living wall slowly moving from the depths of Stele Tooth Ravine, carrying the momentum to crush everything!

"Stop!" Lu Jin raised his hand to signal, his eyes as cold as ice.

The trembling sound grew closer. When the third vibration arrived, the innermost ash crust of Stele Tooth Ravine collapsed with a roar, and a giant, dark red-black shadow was fully revealed—its shoulders taller than the doorway, its back arched like a broken stele, its limbs as thick as old pillars, and two grey-white long horns slanted upward from its head, the bases covered in old stele patterns. Most terrifying was the center of its forehead, embedded with a half-exposed black-red bone piece, with a Main Stele-shaped vertical stripe beneath it that contracted and expanded with its breathing!

"A native leader-level Stele Guardian!" Qiao Ye gasped. "And it's a main beast guarding the passage, not a wild leader!"

As soon as the beast appeared, the old stele cracks on both sides of the West Lower Corridor lit up simultaneously with pale grey patterns. With every step it took forward, the entire terrain undulated, as if all the stele energy in this place was being sucked into its body!

Wen Zhao's voice was compressed into a thin line, his gaze sweeping over the heights. "It grows by relying on stele energy. The Pei family is controlling it from the high openings!"

The Night Wing's vision arrived just in time—at three high openings above the West Lower Corridor, there were Pei family figures, six in total: two guarding the spike positions, two pulling dark gold lure-cords as thin as hair, and the young man in a short cape in the middle was holding a steaming piece of beast blood vessel. Clearly, he was the one who had lured the Stele Guardian!

"I'm going to chop that bastard up first!" Qiao Ye raised his shield to charge, but Wen Zhao pressed him down.

"Don't be impulsive!" Wen Zhao sternly advised. "Their positions are extremely spread out. If you charge, you'll be sending yourself right into the ravine. If the two of us go to save you, we'll all be trapped and killed!"

Lu Jin's gaze swept across the battlefield, the black fire in his palm flickering slightly. In his Sea of Consciousness, the nodes of the Post Station, Fire Well, branch nest positions, and the Priest Court lit up simultaneously—the backup plan was still there. As long as they coordinated properly, they could turn the tables!

"Qiao Ye!" "Here!" "You guard the ravine entrance!" Lu Jin's tone was unquestionable. "Do only one thing today: don't let it break through our defense line even by a step. Stall until Wen Zhao and I break the situation!"

Qiao Ye swallowed hard, no longer impulsive. He slammed his long shield into the ash, and the two Bone-Armor Furnace Guards immediately locked in on his left and right, forming a triangular defense line with him. "Don't worry! If it comes one step, I'll push back one step. Even if my arms break, I won't let it move forward an inch!"

Lu Jin then looked at Wen Zhao. "The high openings and the exits are yours! Blur their vision and don't let them control the beast anymore!"

The Line-Marking Nails between Wen Zhao's fingers were already primed, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "They want to watch us die? Then I'll make them blind first!"

"Move!"

At Lu Jin's command, the two Night Wings immediately soared up, one to the left and one to the right, skimming along the top of the broken stele and the wind gaps of the collapsed slope. The Red-Eyed Rat Tide dispersed from the old cracks at the base of the wall, creeping along the ash-covered ground toward the lower areas, targeting the Pei family's lure-cords and spike positions!

The Stele Guardian finally moved! It didn't roar or lunge; it simply tapped its front hoof lightly—the old stele patterns along the entire West Lower Corridor instantly sank. Qiao Ye's footing faltered, and even the edge of his shield sank half an inch into the ash. A tremendous force traveled through the ground, almost crushing him!

"It's a field suppression!" Wen Zhao's expression changed, and he threw the first Line-Marking Nail on the spot, accurately nailing it toward the upper-right high opening!

The moment the spike landed, the dark gold lure-cord on the upper right that was about to tighten suddenly veered by an inch. Just as the Pei family spike-user at the high opening was about to reinforce the spike, a Night Wing grazed past his ear, its wings flapping and forcefully knocking away half of the beast blood vessel in his hand!

Roar—the Stele Guardian was finally enraged. It arched its shoulders and spine, the entire beast like half a moving stele wall, slamming head-on toward Qiao Ye with overwhelming momentum!

Qiao Ye didn't retreat but advanced instead, pushing his long shield forward. He concentrated all his strength in his shoulders, elbows, and legs, while the two Bone-Armor Furnace Guards exerted force simultaneously, pressing their weight behind the shield!

Boom! After the loud crash, ash filled the air at the ravine entrance. Qiao Ye's arms were numbed by the shock, and the webbing between his thumb and index finger split open on the spot. Blood dripped down the shield handle, but he had stubbornly withstood the blow! The Stele Guardian was also pushed to a halt, the black-red bone piece on its forehead trembling violently; clearly, it hadn't expected this defense line to be so hard!

"Come again!" Qiao Ye roared through gritted teeth, fierce fire burning in his eyes. Instead of retreating, he pushed forward by half an inch!

At this moment, Lu Jin made his move! He didn't charge the front; his figure flashed, diving into the shadow of the broken stele on the left. He pressed the black fire in his palm down into the ground—the three swarms of Red-Eyed Rats instantly split up: one bit at the low-opening lure-cords, one burrowed into the stele cracks to harass the beast, and the third rushed straight at the dark gold short spikes on the outer edge of the ravine entrance, gnawing frantically!

Wen Zhao also acted simultaneously. The second Line-Marking Nail didn't hit a high opening but was accurately nailed into the remnant frame of the old fire gate on the right wall of the ravine entrance!

The moment the spike entered the frame, that old fire gate, which had been dead and silent for who knew how long, suddenly lit up with a faint pattern!

Lu Jin's eyes brightened instantly—he recognized it. This was the old fire gate that used to seal the Stele Guardian path. The frame was still there, and although the door core had collapsed, as long as the frame wasn't dead, he could use its power to turn the tables!

"The left frame is alive, and the right axis is still there!" Wen Zhao said without looking back, a hint of a cold sneer in his voice. "The Pei family wants to seal us in, so we'll use this door to seal them!"

A cold smirk curled Lu Jin's lips, and he immediately ordered, "Qiao Ye, pull back two steps! Let it into the narrow opening of the door frame!"

Although Qiao Ye had doubts, he didn't hesitate. Withstanding the Stele Guardian's second impact, he forced himself to take two steps back—just enough to lure the Stele Guardian right in front of the old fire gate's remnant frame, leaving it stuck between advancing and retreating!

The Pei family up high finally panicked! The young man in the short cape tightened the second dark gold lure-cord, trying to make the Stele Guardian break through the door frame, but he didn't expect two Night Wings to suddenly dive down, attacking from above and below. One snatched the beast blood vessel from his hand, and the other directly yanked the dark gold ash-line at the sealing spike position off course!

"The high openings are mine!" Wen Zhao chuckled, and the third Line-Marking Nail left his hand, accurately nailing onto the retreat path at the rear edge of the ravine entrance!

The moment the spike landed, the Red-Eyed Rat Tide immediately swarmed up, gnawing the "escape route" the Pei family had reserved into a pile of scattered ash—at this point, the Pei family's hunting trap was completely countered!

"Now!"

Lu Jin gave a low shout, and the black fire in his palm surged. He didn't smash the beast or burn the people, but pressed all of it into the left frame, right axis, and the old groove under the door of the fire gate, pouring it all in one breath along the faint patterns!

Boom! The old fire gate roared with backfire. It didn't open outward but locked inward! The fire shells on both sides of the door frame closed simultaneously, like two invisible iron walls, trapping the front half of the Stele Guardian's body firmly in the doorway, unable to move!

Roar—the Stele Guardian let out a desperate, angry roar, and the entire West Lower Corridor shook violently. The Pei family seal-line operators up high turned pale—they had originally stood at the closing position, but now they were trapped on the same side as the Stele Guardian, and their retreat was cut off!

"Withdraw!" The young man in the short cape ordered sharply, turning to retreat, but their escape route had long been sealed by Wen Zhao's fire line. The Red-Eyed Rat Tide was lurking below the slope, and the Night Wings were circling high above; if they dared to move, they would immediately expose their positions!

The black fire in Lu Jin's eyes sank deeper, his tone icy. "Now, it's our turn to close the net!"

Qiao Ye led the assault, rushing forward with the two Bone-Armor Furnace Guards. His long shield slammed again and again onto the Stele Guardian's trapped left shoulder, sending stele scales flying and making the beast tremble all over. Wen Zhao guarded the centerline, monitoring the high openings while accurately calling out the beast's weak points: "There's an old wound two inches below the left rib! The stele pattern on the right hind leg is broken! Don't touch the bone piece on its forehead; that's its field suppression core!"

Lu Jin spread out his Sea of Consciousness, completely controlling the battlefield: the Night Wings reported vision from above, the Red-Eyed Rat Tide burrowed through cracks, Qiao Ye held the front, and Wen Zhao controlled the overall situation—at this moment, the entire battlefield was obeying his commands!

The Stele Guardian panicked completely, the black-red bone piece on its forehead flaring with intense light. The old stele patterns all around pressed inward simultaneously, trying to shatter the door frame and break free from the restraints!

Just then, Grey Pupil's voice suddenly pressed into his Sea of Consciousness, carrying the heaviness of the Fire Well: "The Priest Court can suppress it for you for one breath!"

The next instant, a thread of extremely fine Fire Well fire arrived from afar along the old grooves of the Post Station, landing precisely on the lower edge of the door frame, forcefully knocking the Stele Guardian's stele suppression off-balance for a split second!

That split second was enough!

Lu Jin's figure flashed, passing by Qiao Ye's right side. Black fire condensed in his palm, and he slammed it hard into the broken pattern on the right hind leg that Wen Zhao had called out! The black fire didn't explode but burrowed into the old bone, burning its meridians!

At the same time, the Red-Eyed Rat Tide swarmed up from the low opening, specifically biting at that broken pattern. The Night Wings dove down, one claw grabbing the Stele Guardian's forehead bone piece, forcefully yanking its vision askew!

Qiao Ye seized the opportunity, raised his long shield, and slammed it down with a heavy blow, hitting the Stele Guardian's lower jaw squarely!

Boom! The Stele Guardian fell to its knees with a roar. The fire shells of the door frame took the opportunity to tighten further, directly pressing its head firmly onto the ground, unable to move!

The Pei family members up high were completely desperate. The young man in the short cape gritted his teeth and, in a hard decision, threw out a signal flag: "Retreat! As long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood!"

The few of them turned and retreated, leaving in a hasty and disheveled manner—they knew that if they didn't leave now, they would be completely wiped out by Lu Jin, Qiao Ye, and Wen Zhao!

Lu Jin didn't pursue—his gaze was entirely fixed on the Stele Guardian. The beast wasn't dead yet; the black-red bone piece on its forehead was still glowing, contracting and expanding as if it held a second heart inside.

Even more eerily, the authority fragment in his sleeve suddenly became scalding hot, and the black fire followed suit, flickering violently as if responding to something!

"There's something in its core!" Grey Pupil's voice came again, his tone grave. "It's exactly the same as the one in the Main Stele Area!"

Lu Jin's eyes narrowed, and he immediately ordered, "Qiao Ye, pin its head down! Wen Zhao, watch the high openings closely; don't let the Pei family turn back for a sneak attack!"

Qiao Ye immediately pressed his shield firmly onto the beast's head, even pushing with his shoulder. Wen Zhao crouched halfway on the edge of the broken stele, his gaze like a falcon, firmly locking onto the high-altitude retreat path.

Lu Jin crouched down, the black fire in his palm condensing into a blade. He pressed it against the Stele Guardian's forehead bone piece and began to dissect it inch by inch—the bone was harder than the Sun Gold sealing groove, but after peeling away the first layer, what emerged wasn't blood, but fine, grey-red fire!

As soon as this fire appeared, the authority fragment in his sleeve became even hotter; he could feel its agitation through his clothing.

Dissecting one more inch deeper—crack! The forehead bone piece shattered with a roar. Qiao Ye cursed under his breath, and Wen Zhao also turned his head sharply—beneath the bone piece, what was revealed wasn't a beast core, but a black-red main core piece the size of half a palm, and the patterns on it were exactly the same as the fire in the center of the Main Stele Area!