110: Yangquan cultivators launched a surprise attack using formations.

"Should I use the ten thousand souls banner..."

Su Ling huddled in the shadows behind the group, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the cold pole of the banner hidden in his sleeve, his gaze fixed on the slaughter in the distant valley.

Previously, he had always kept this Magic Treasure strictly hidden, fearing that this sinister method of soul-absorbing and soul-devouring would make Wen Qingzhu and the others wary of him.

After all, the cultivation world had always despised such Demonic Weapons; one careless move and he would be ostracized from the team.

Being a lone wolf in the National War, though a smaller target, meant dancing on a knife's edge.

Once exposed, what awaited him would be a collective siege—a situation that was almost certainly fatal.

But as soon as the thought arose, he gripped the banner pole tighter.

Facing a swarm of Demonic Beasts was one thing; as long as there were no fourth-rank creatures, fifty people forming a defensive Formation would always have a higher chance of survival.

But right now, they had to deal with Yangquan Sect Cultivators, and later they would encounter opponents from other factions; a slight oversight could lead to being killed by some bizarre technique.

If he could use this ambush to collect the Divine Souls of the Cultivators belonging to the Yangquan Sect into the ten thousand souls banner, this Magic Treasure would definitely become a lethal Sharp Weapon.

Whether for subsequent actions or on the front lines, it would give him a bit more confidence.

Su Ling's Adam's apple bobbed twice as he temporarily suppressed the impulse.

Half an hour later, the battle ahead finally neared its end.

The ferocity of the Bone-Burning Scorpion-Tailed Lion was far beyond imagination; despite the disparity in strength, not a single one was willing to flee.

The remaining thirty-some lion beasts, led by two blood-covered Peak lions, continued to charge fiercely at the Yangquan Sect Cultivators.

Sharp claws shattered shields, and scorpion tail stingers pierced through robes; every pounce carried a desperate ruthlessness to take the enemy down with them.

"Prepare to move!"

Wen Qingzhu's voice was as cold as ice, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light.

Confirming that the Yangquan Sect Cultivators' spiritual energy was seventy percent depleted, he immediately raised his hand and waved it down.

In the woods concealed by the Nether Mist Veil, fifty-four Core Formation Cultivators stood up instantly, maintaining Sancai and Five Elements Formations, their footsteps as light as a cat's.

They moved quickly along the rock walls on both sides of the valley, the sound of their sleeves brushing against gravel completely muffled by the distant sounds of slaughter... "Senior Brother Wu, in fifteen minutes at most, we can finish off the remaining Manticores!"

On a giant boulder in the center of the valley, a silver-patterned Black-Robed Cultivator had just landed and bowed to the man in front of him to report.

That man was none other than the Yangquan Sect Peak Core Formation Disciple Wu Keji, who was also the leader of this vanguard squad.

At this moment, his cuffs were stained with dark red blood, and his brow was tightly furrowed.

"Tell them not to dawdle, speed up, and rest on the spot immediately after clearing them out."

Wu Keji waved his sleeve, his voice carrying an unquestionable urgency, "Our mission is to map out the distribution of the Demon Species and scout the path ahead, not to waste time here with these lion beasts."

If it weren't for the fact that most of the groups they encountered along the way were a mix of second and third ranks with pitifully few points, they wouldn't have taken this detour to hunt down these hundreds of third-rank Manticores.

After all, hunting Demon Species earned points without having to risk their lives against other Cultivators, so most people were naturally willing.

But even with careful planning, of the over one hundred Core Formation Cultivators, more than ten had been lost, and over thirty were injured, most of whom were Loose Cultivators or Disciples of small Sects.

Wu Keji's Divine Sense swept across the battlefield; seeing several Loose Cultivators forced back repeatedly by the lion beasts' Soul-Scorching Stingers, his heart sank slightly.

The Physical Body strength of the Demon Species in the Nether Prison Plane far exceeded expectations, and the stingers spat out by the Manticores carried a strange intent that corroded spiritual energy, truly catching them off guard.

As he was pondering, a bone-chilling cold suddenly crept up the back of his neck, as if an icy blade were pressed against his throat.

"Careful! Enemy attack!"

Wu Keji's Divine Soul voice instantly spread across the field, the Heart-Protecting Mirror on his chest suddenly lit up, and a pale gold light shield instantly enveloped his entire body.

His pupils constricted sharply as he looked toward the left side of the valley.

He saw a fireball about the size of a zhang streaking through the murky sky, exploding violently above the battlefield!

"Boom!"

A rain of fire, like glowing red iron sand, covered a square mile.

Over a dozen Loose Cultivators still entangled with the Manticores didn't have time to react; they looked up only to be drenched by the fire rain.

Piercing screams instantly echoed through the valley as flesh sizzled in the blazing flames, turning into wisps of ash within breaths, before even their Divine Souls could escape.

Almost at the same moment, the right side of the valley also lit up with dazzling Formation light patterns; a dense lightning net descended from the sky, and several bluish-black wind dragons roared out, their claws shattering rocks and their dragon breath hurling debris at the crowd.

The most ruthless was the Thousand-Blade Hurricane Formation presided over by Qi Fei; the wind dragons charged into the cluster of healing Loose Cultivators and exploded violently, turning into ten thousand Wind Blades that sliced in all directions.

In an instant, over thirty caught-off-guard Loose Cultivators were shredded into pieces of meat, blood splattering everywhere and even staining the rocks dark red.

" Formation！"

Wu Keji roared in anger.

Several Yangquan Sect Disciples who hadn't been hit instantly shot over, the black and white Formation Flags in their hands snapping open, Formation patterns flowing rapidly beneath their feet, weaving into a complex light net in the blink of an eye.

This was the Yangquan Sect's core legacy Formation, the 'Heaven and Earth Origin Return Formation', which could both defend and counterattack.

As four more Disciples joined with flags, the coverage of the Formation patterns rapidly expanded to hundreds of feet, protecting the dozen or so surviving Loose Cultivators nearby.

But before they could stabilize their footing, a fireball and a lightning spear as thick as a bowl's mouth struck down simultaneously!

"Boom—"

The light shield of the Origin Return Formation was instantly dented by the impact, followed by the cracking of fine lines.

Wu Keji and several Disciples were sent flying back at the same time, cracks uncontrollably appearing on the Formation Flags in their hands, and blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.

Fortunately, they were extremely proficient with this Formation, not only setting it up quickly but also being able to use the Formation patterns to deflect the force of the attack.

Although this strike broke the Formation, it didn't cause fundamental damage.

"Kill!"

A loud shout came from outside the valley as Wen Qingzhu led the crowd in a charge.

Flying Swords and Magic Treasures were unleashed together; sword light flashed, and several more Cultivators belonging to the Yangquan Sect were cut down.

"Retreat!"

Wu Keji swallowed a healing pill and, without a moment's hesitation, commanded his natal Flying Sword to flee toward the valley's exit.

He saw clearly that although the incoming enemies numbered only about forty, every one of them was in perfect condition.

More than half of his own side's manpower had already been lost, and they couldn't organize an effective counterattack; if they didn't leave now, it would be a dead end.

But having flown only a dozen or so feet, two bolts of thunder suddenly exploded ahead, and two figures, one purple and one cyan, instantly blocked the path—they were Luo Xuanxiao and Su Ling.

Without a word, the two attacked immediately.

Luo Xuanxiao wore Purple-Gold Thunder-Patterned Gloves, and ten claw marks condensed from purple lightning lunged forward.

Su Ling, stepping with Rushing Thunder Steps, his body surging with Azure Heaven Thunder Power, lightly pointed his right index finger, and a solid bolt of lightning shot toward Wu Keji like an arrow.

"Damn it!"

Wu Keji cursed inwardly and flicked his left hand; a White Jade Ruler flew out, instantly transforming into dense ruler shadows to block his front.

His right hand rapidly formed hand seals, and a lustrous white Dharma seal rose from the top of his head—it was the Yangquan Sect's core legacy technique, the 'Pure Yang Dharma Seal'.

Complex runes were engraved on the surface of the seal, emitting waves of scorching spiritual energy.

"Hmph, Pure Yang Dharma Seal..."

Luo Xuanxiao snorted coldly, the claw marks suddenly accelerating and tearing through the ruler shadows with a crack, heading straight for the Pure Yang Dharma Seal.

At the same time, Su Ling's lightning had also reached him, striking Wu Keji's protective mirror with a sharp sound that tore through the air.

Under the bombardment of the lightning, the pale gold light shield instantly rippled with waves.