199: First hunt successful

The twenty-three Prodigies swiftly pursued Lin Ziye.

The lowest cultivation among them was at the Peak Law Manifestation Realm, while the highest, the three of Xuannian, were already at the Peak King Realm Eighth Heaven. Their lineup was truly luxurious.

Lin Ziye pretended to have just discovered his pursuers, a look of "panic" on his face, and turned to flee.

He deliberately controlled his speed, neither allowing the pursuers to catch up immediately nor letting them lose track of him.

"Lin Ziye, you scumbag, you can't escape!" Xuannian roared, striking out with a palm. Black Profound Fiend Qi transformed into a giant palm, attacking Lin Ziye's back.

Lin Ziye "barely" dodged, but was still grazed by the aftermath, stumbling. "Blood" seeped from the corner of his mouth—it was actually from biting a fake blood pill.

He continued to flee forward, but a cold sneer flashed in his eyes.

"He's injured! Quick, chase!" A look of joy flashed in Yuan Qingya's eyes as she accelerated her pursuit.

Lin Ziye led the pursuers gradually closer to the Misty Valley. When he was still a hundred feet from the valley entrance, he suddenly "lost his footing," almost falling. He looked back at his pursuers, a look of "despair" on his face, then gritted his teeth and rushed into the valley.

"Hahaha, he can't run anymore!" Bing Wuhen laughed. "Into the valley, don't give him a chance to recover!"

The twenty-three Prodigies rushed into the Misty Valley without hesitation.

What they didn't know was that as soon as they entered the valley, Lin Ziye's speed quietly increased, maintaining a certain distance from them and guiding them deeper into the Formation's center.

"Strange, why is the fog in this valley getting thicker?" A Prodigy from an affiliated School asked, puzzled.

Xuannian snorted coldly: "Who cares what kind of fog it is? We must kill them today!"

Just then, Lin Ziye, who was ahead, suddenly stopped and turned to face his pursuers. There was no longer any panic on his face; it was replaced by icy killing intent.

"Thank you all for accompanying me this far." Lin Ziye's lips curled into a cold sneer. "The scenery here is quite nice. Let it be your burial ground."

"Arrogant!" Yuan Qingya snapped. "Just you alone?"

Lin Ziye didn't answer. His hands suddenly formed a seal: "Formation, rise!"

In an instant, the ground of the entire valley lit up with aDeep Blueblue light. Countless runes rose from the ground, forming a giant cage.

At the same time, crimson Formation patterns appeared in the sky, and the temperature suddenly soared.

"Not good, it's a combined killing Formation!" Bing Wuhen's face changed drastically. "Retreat quickly!"

But it was already too late.

The Nine Yellow Springs Formation blocked their retreat, and the Heaven Burning Blazing Flame Formation began to unleash a sky full of fiery rain.

The Prodigies of the three major forces hastily resisted, but the Formation's power far exceeded their imagination.

"Kill!" Lin Beixuan's voice echoed through the valley.

Countless poisoned arrows and flying darts suddenly shot out from the rock walls on both sides. Two Prodigies from affiliated Schools were caught off guard, instantly shot full of holes, and died from the poison.

"An ambush!" Xuannian roared, waving his sleeve to knock down several flying darts, but one of them still grazed his arm.

He immediately felt a numbness and his face changed drastically: "It's poisoned!"

Lin Yuan leaped down from a rock wall on one side, his longsword like a Dragon, aiming straight for Yuan Qingya's throat.

Yuan Qingya hastily raised her sword to parry, but was forced back several steps, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

"Who are you? How dare you interfere in the affairs of our three major forces, are you seeking death...?" She looked in surprise at the suddenly appearing Lin Yuan and Lin Beixuan.

Lin Beixuan stood on a high rock on the other side, holding a pitch-black longbow. Three green-glowing arrows were nocked on the bowstring: "Hmph! Your three major forces have been chasing my brother for so long. Today, it's time to pay the debt."

Before his words fell, three arrows shot out simultaneously, striking three Prodigies who were resisting the Formation.

The arrows cut through the air, emitting a shrill whistle. The three had no time to react before their chests were pierced. The potent poison instantly took effect, and they fell to the ground, twitching a few times before dying.

"Form up and defend!" Bing Wuhen shouted. The four members of the Icy Frost Emperor Palace quickly stood back to back, cold Qi surging from their bodies, forming an ice crystal shield.

The Profound Fiend Dynasty members also quickly gathered. Xuannian stood at the forefront, his hands forming seals, and Profound Fiend Qi formed a black barrier.

The Heavenly Yuan Holy Land members, meanwhile, sacrificed an ancient mirror, and the mirror's light transformed into a protective shield.

Lin Ziye sneered, his hand seals changing: "Yellow Springs rise, flames fall!"

CountlessDeep Blueblue tentacles suddenly surged out from the Nine Yellow Springs Formation, coiling around the Prodigies of the three major forces.

At the same time, the fiery rain from the Heaven Burning Blazing Flame Formation became denser, each drop of fiery rain containing terrifying scorching power.

A Prodigy from an affiliated School was entangled by theDeep Blueblue tentacles, instantly letting out a horrific scream. His skin shriveled at a visible rate, as if his life force was being rapidly drained.

Another tried to cut the tentacles with his sword, but was accidentally struck by the fiery rain. His entire body instantly burst into flames, turning into a fireball.

"Ah—save me!" Screams echoed through the valley.

Lin Beixuan gave them no chance to breathe. His figure darted out like a ghost, a cold-glowing shortsword appearing in his hand.

His first target was a Prodigy from the Profound Fiend Dynasty. That person was fully focused on maintaining the Profound Fiend barrier and never expected death to strike from the side.

The shortsword slashed across the throat, and blood gushed out. Lin Beixuan retreated after one strike, then pounced on another.

Lin Yuan, meanwhile, engaged Yuan Qingya of the Heavenly Yuan Holy Land. Their sword lights intertwined, sparks flying.

Yuan Qingya's cultivation was not weak, but within this combined killing Formation, she could only exert seventy percent of her strength and was quickly suppressed by Lin Yuan.

"You despicable villains!" Yuan Qingya cursed. "If you have the guts, fight me head-on!"

Lin Yuan sneered: "Ridiculous! When you were chasing my brother, why didn't you talk about fairness?"

Before his words fell, he suddenly changed his move. His longsword thrust out like a venomous snake, piercing through Yuan Qingya's defense and leaving a bone-deep wound on her shoulder.

Lin Ziye controlled the Formation, specifically targeting those who tried to break through.

Whenever someone was about to rush out of the Formation's range,Deep Blueblue tentacles or fiery rain would block them.

The entire valley had become a death trap.

Seeing the heavy losses on their side, a ruthless glint flashed in Xuannian's eyes: "Burn your essence blood and forcefully break the Formation!"

He bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of essence blood onto his hands. His Profound Fiend Qi surged, transforming into a giant black long spear, which he thrust towards the Formation barrier.

"Want to break the Formation? Not so easy!" Lin Ziye's hand seals changed again. All theDeep Blueblue tentacles in the Formation converged on Xuannian, and at the same time, the fiery rain from the sky poured down on him.

Xuannian's long spear collided with the Formation's power, creating a deafening explosion.

The Formation shook violently but ultimately held.

Xuannian, however, was sent stumbling backward, spitting blood from the backlash.

"Third Prince!" Two Prodigies from the Profound Fiend Dynasty rushed forward to protect him.

Lin Beixuan seized this opportunity. His figure flashed, appearing behind the two. His shortsword, like a venomous snake striking, instantly pierced one person's back. The other person had just turned around when Lin Beixuan kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backward to crash against the rock wall, where he was then pinned by several suddenly shooting poisoned arrows.

The battle was a one-sided slaughter. The Prodigies of the three major forces fell one after another, their blood staining the valley floor.

The few from the affiliated Schools were the first to die, followed by the four from the Icy Frost Emperor Palace.

Bing Wuhen detonated a secret treasure before his death, almost injuring Lin Yuan, but was ultimately pierced through the heart from behind by Lin Beixuan's sword.

Only Yuan Qingya of the Heavenly Yuan Holy Land remained. She was covered in wounds, her ancient mirror shattered, and her longsword broken in two.

She knelt on the ground, her face full of unwillingness: "You all... will not die well..."

Lin Yuan expressionlessly swung his sword, ending her life.

Finally, only Xuannian of the Profound Fiend Dynasty and two others remained.

The three stood back to back, their eyes filled with both anger and fear.

"Do you know the consequences of killing us?" Xuannian said sharply. "The Profound Fiend Dynasty will not let you off!"

Lin Beixuan sneered: "If we don't kill you, will you let us off?"

"Die!"

The three attacked simultaneously.

Lin Beixuan's shortsword, Lin Yuan's longsword, and Lin Ziye's Formation attacks assailed the last three from three directions.

Xuannian roared as he fought, but in the face of absolute disparity in strength, resistance was futile.

Moments later, the last three Prodigies also fell in a pool of blood.

Lin Beixuan quickly checked the battlefield, ensuring no one was left alive.

Lin Ziye began to dismantle the Formation and erase traces.

Lin Yuan collected the spoils of war—these Prodigies had many good things on them.

"Hurry, the people from the three major forces must have sensed it already," Lin Beixuan urged.

The three quickly left the valley and galloped towards the Southern Domain.

Indeed, shortly after they left, several powerful auras appeared above the valley.

"Damn it! Damn it! Let's chase!"

At this time, Lin Beixuan and the two others had already reached the border between the Northern Domain and the Southern Domain.

They looked back at the powerful auras chasing them from behind, then crossed the border into the Southern Domain without hesitation.

Soon after they entered the Southern Domain, several terrifying auras descended on the north side of the border. They looked at Lin Ziye and the two others, who had already gone far, their eyes filled with monstrous killing intent, yet they dared not pursue.

Because once they entered the Southern Domain, they would surely be detected by the powerful experts of the Southern Domain, which could then lead to a major conflict between the two domains.

This price was something their three major forces could not afford, after all, the Northern Domain was not their sole domain.

"Scumbags! It's useless even if you escape to the Southern Domain!" A powerful expert from the Profound Fiend Dynasty roared. "My Profound Fiend Dynasty will fight you to the death!"

"Issue an order, put a bounty on the heads of these three. Whoever kills them, my Profound Fiend Dynasty will reward a Saint-tier Cultivation Technique and a million Spirit Stones!"

Subsequently, the Heavenly Yuan Holy Land and the Icy Frost Emperor Palace also issued similar bounties.

The bounties even circulated into the Southern Domain...

P.S.: Today's two chapters!