Prey? No, I am the hunter now!

The beetle brushed past the invisible spatial rift.

Squelch!

There was no violent sound, only the dull thud of a sharp blade cutting through rotten wood.

The pitch-black, hard, giant beetle was cut neatly down the middle, and green, foul-smelling sap gushed out from the smooth cut.

The young man standing at the very front of the beetle didn't even have time to let out a scream.

His body, along with his head and half of his shoulder, was sliced off cleanly; his upper body slid down, a look of shock still frozen on his face.

The person behind him narrowly escaped the fatal blow due to the angle, but paid a painful price.

Half of his shoulder was severed by the spatial rift; the cut was smooth as a mirror, and blood sprayed wildly.

"Ahhh!"

A shrill, miserable howl finally tore through the sky.

Witnessing this heart-stopping scene, the despair in Xue Linglong's eyes instantly faded, replaced by an irrepressible sense of worship and fanaticism.

In such a desperate, fatal situation, Lin Yuan was actually able to calmly observe the environment and use the spatial rift to launch a counterattack.

This level of intelligence and courage was not something just anyone could possess.

With the two most threatening helpers dead and disabled, Lan Caier tapped her toes lightly and hovered in the air, not daring to pursue recklessly.

Although she was confident in her powerful strength, Lin Yuan made her feel a trace of dread in her heart.

Just at the moment she was preparing to turn around to check on her companion's injuries, hum— the sound of breaking through the air rose again.

Lin Yuan was actually piloting the light feather boat, tracing a smooth arc in the air as he turned back to counterattack.

The identities of hunter and prey were completely reversed at this moment.

This Lan Caier was the Saintess of the Five Poisons Sect, but Xue Linglong's methods were equally strange and unpredictable; adding himself to the mix, it was not impossible to defeat this woman.

Moreover, this woman must be carrying a massive amount of rare spiritual materials, and perhaps she even had the netherworld grass he needed.

Seeing the two of them dare to turn back, a flash of grim ruthlessness crossed Lan Caier's pretty face.

"You're courting death!"

She slapped the exquisite little bamboo basket hanging at her waist with her jade hand.

Buzz, buzz, buzz— a dense, scalp-numbing sound of flapping wings came from it.

Thousands of black beetles, the size of a fingernail, surged out of the bamboo basket like a dam breaking, forming a black wave.

They quickly gathered in the air into a massive black cloud of insects, blotting out the sky and sweeping towards Lin Yuan and the other.

"You focus on piloting the Magical Artifact, leave her to me!"

Battle Intent rose in Xue Linglong's eyes as she suddenly slapped the corpse-raising bag at her waist.

"Roar!"

A Bronze Armored Corpse with a bronze luster all over its body appeared out of thin air, letting out a deafening roar.

The Bronze Armored Corpse opened its giant, fanged mouth wide.

A ball of eerie green corpse fire spewed out, instantly engulfing the insect swarm at the very front.

The sizzling sound of burning was incessant, and countless beetles fell like rain.

However, the corners of Lan Caier's mouth curled into a cold, mocking sneer.

Those beetles that had been burned by the corpse fire struggled for a moment on the ground, then actually wobbled as they flapped their wings again and took flight, their ferocity not diminished but increased.

"Giggle, my Bone-Eroding Poison Fire Beetles are not afraid of your mere corpse poison fire."

Before her voice had even faded, those beetles that had taken flight again surged straight towards the light feather boat.

Xue Linglong's expression changed drastically.

Just at this moment, Lin Yuan suddenly opened his mouth.

Whoosh!

A ghostly blue flame, like a blooming lotus of death, quietly blossomed in front of him.

Those fearless beetles, which didn't fear the corpse fire, didn't even have time to let out a scream the moment they touched this blue flame; they instantly turned into ash and dissipated in the air.

"Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire?!"

For the first time, a look of genuine horror appeared in Lan Caier's beautiful eyes. Her heart shook violently, and she stomped her smooth little feet on the fat white silkworm beneath her, retreating rapidly.

Poisonous insects and Gu creatures were inherently afraid of fire; although ordinary flames could hardly hurt them, Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire was different.

Her Bone-Eroding Poison Fire Beetles, which she was so proud of, were no different from moths flying into a flame when faced with this fire!

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant; whether to fight or retreat left her hesitating for a moment. And in a battle between experts, victory or defeat was decided in a split second.

It was precisely in this moment of her mental shock and slight hesitation that Xue Linglong seized the opportunity.

Her gaze was like lightning, sweeping past the still-shaken Lan Caier and locking firmly onto the youth with the severed shoulder and the cold corpse in the distance.

These were excellent living souls for raising the banner!

Xue Linglong slapped her waist, and two things appeared in her hands: one was a Soul-Summoning Banner, and the other was a black bell the size of a palm.

This item was the Soul-Guiding Bell, used for extracting living souls.

"Don't you dare!" Lan Caier also reacted and shouted sharply, but it was already too late.

The Soul-Summoning Banner swayed gently, and immediately, streaks of ghostly shadows flew out, rushing straight towards the youth with the severed arm.

The youth's face showed great alarm. He wanted to bring out a treasure, but was hit by the Evil Qi formed by the ghostly shadows.

He couldn't even raise his protective spiritual light before the many ghostly shadows drilled into his body.

His body convulsed, and after a moment, he had no breath left.

"Clang!"

At the same time, the bell in Xue Linglong's hand swayed gently.

It emitted a soft sound. This sound was not harsh; to a living person, it sounded like nothing!

But on the bodies of the two dead youths, a terrifying scene appeared.

Two phantoms, looking exactly like them but semi-transparent, were forcibly pulled out from their crowns by an invisible force.

The faces of the phantoms were full of pain and fear, struggling and flailing, but they could not resist the suction of the bell at all.

"No... no! Save me!"

The youth's Divine Soul let out a silent wail, but no matter how he struggled, it was as if a pair of invisible hands were dragging him towards the Soul-Summoning Banner.

The two complete living souls entered the Soul-Summoning Banner, and the black Qi on the banner suddenly became much denser.

Xue Linglong licked her lips, a morbid flush appearing on her face, her eyes full of excitement.

The reason Xue Linglong was able to collect the Divine Souls of the two Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators so smoothly was entirely because Lin Yuan was keeping Lan Caier occupied.

"Clang!"

A sharp sound of metal clashing exploded.

Lan Caier was piloting a jade-green ribbon Magical Artifact, its edges flashing with the cold light of sharp blades, crazily coiling towards Lin Yuan, but it was firmly blocked by a Flying Sword wreathed in cold air.

She prided herself on her not-weak Cultivation and faced him head-on, but no matter how fierce her attacks were, they were all blocked by the other's Flying Sword; she couldn't gain even the slightest advantage.

Lin Yuan's expression was calm and waveless. He simply pinched a spell with one hand, controlling the frost sword; as the Sword Light flowed, his defense was airtight.

But the more this happened, the hotter the rage in Lan Caier's heart burned.

"Good, very good! This is what you forced me to do!"

Lan Caier gritted her silver teeth, her beautiful face appearing somewhat distorted due to extreme anger. She slapped the bamboo basket at her waist with her bare hand again.

This time, there was no overwhelming insect swarm. The buzzing sound was so faint it was almost inaudible, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness.

Spiritual light flashed, and two thumb-sized, colorful poisonous bees flew out of thin air.

The surfaces of these poisonous bees shimmered with flowing light, as if carved from the most exquisite colored glaze; they were extraordinarily beautiful, yet they exuded an aura of extreme danger.

"Be careful, those are the Phantom Bees of the Five Poisons Sect; they have the characteristic of penetrating spiritual power shields and are extremely poisonous!"

Having collected the two living souls, the satisfied Xue Linglong finally regained her senses. Upon seeing the two colorful poisonous bees, her stunning face instantly lost its color, and she hurriedly spoke to warn him.

"Only noticing now? It's too late!"