The Goat Masked figure spun around and transformed into a streak of rainbow light, shooting straight toward the Silent Bone Forest.
In mere breaths, he had already returned to the forest.
His divine sense swept across the somewhat chaotic scene, then he quickly looked up at Li Xingtian, who still stood in the air wreathed in surging blood aura.
"Is it him?" the Goat Mask asked simply.
"It's him!" Dong Gua nodded hurriedly.
With confirmation received, the Goat Mask first hurled Dong Gua in his grip forcefully to the side, then immediately charged at Li Xingtian.
"Careful! There's also a Body Integration blood aura cultivator nearby."
Dong Gua, thrown a fair distance by the tremendous force, barely stabilized her form before hurriedly calling out a warning.
"A Body Integration cultivator might still be in the area."
The Goat Mask heard her clearly enough, yet his figure showed no signs of slowing down.
Whether there was an ambush or not no longer mattered. Taking down this man first was what mattered most.
Whether for leverage or intelligence, the Nascent Soul realm Li Xingtian was currently the best target.
The losses were already set in stone. Finding every possible way to recover was the optimal choice.
Besides, a Body Integration cultivator couldn't possibly hover around a Nascent Soul cultivator at all times like a bodyguard, could they?
Seize the opportunity. Seize the moment.
In the blink of an eye, the Goat Mask was already before Li Xingtian. His source power bloomed as a massive hand came crashing down toward him.
Li Xingtian's expression remained perfectly calm as he watched the Goat Mask's posture of absolute confidence.
He felt somewhat embarrassed, but still called out the agreed-upon signal.
"Master! Save me!"
A transparent long sword seemed to traverse the heavens themselves, carrying boundless might as it pierced toward the Goat Mask.
The Goat Mask looked at that sword brimming with endless destructive sword intent, and ultimately decided not to test which was harder — his life or the blade.
More importantly, behind the sword, a figure was also approaching at extreme speed.
He shifted his body and slammed a fist directly onto the blade, barely deflecting the crushing sword intent.
"Beloved disciple, your master is here."
Chu Xingchen's words had barely landed before his figure pressed on toward the Goat Mask without so much as pausing beside Li Xingtian.
Li Xingtian watched his master's departing silhouette, unsure for a moment whether to feel ashamed or moved.
This agreed-upon signal was naturally far too shameful for someone of Li Xingtian's temperament.
Given his nature, what Li Xingtian felt he would more likely say was — if you've got the guts, then kill me.
Li Xingtian had once refused this utterly humiliating signal, but he genuinely couldn't withstand his master's autocratic arrangements.
In the end, he simply had to relent. When it came to his master, obedience was the only option.
Words like "Master, save me" were something Li Xingtian had only ever heard others cry out before.
Now that it was finally his turn to say them...
Truth be told, there was secretly a hint of satisfaction to it.
"A mighty Body Integration cultivator actually bullying a Nascent Soul disciple."
Chu Xingchen summoned Wan Ban back to his hand and pursued the Goat Mask without hesitation.
"Good thing I, a pillar of righteousness, happened to be passing by. Otherwise, such an atrocity would have been carried out by scum like you!"
The transparent long sword in Chu Xingchen's hand was calm and still as water.
But the moment he brought it down in a slash, spiritual power surged forth like a vast river stretching to the horizon.
The Goat Mask took a single glance and immediately determined — this man was absolutely beyond him.
Chu Xingchen merely standing there exuded a pure Dao resonance.
And Wan Ban, which made his heart tremble at first sight — all of it told him clearly that he stood no chance without even needing to exchange blows.
So faced with Chu Xingchen's annihilating strike, his choice was simple.
Run!
The Goat Mask's source power surged forward like writhing sludge to meet the sword intent and spiritual energy.
In terms of range alone, it did not fall short of Chu Xingchen's seemingly casual downward slash.
Though inferior in quality, source power was still extraordinarily potent as a entangling measure.
As long as he could buy himself a bit of time, he could escape.
After all, they were both Body Integration cultivators. If you couldn't win, there were still means to flee.
In the cultivation world, running fast equaled living long.
That was a required course.
The Goat Mask's gaze locked onto Dong Gua once more, his figure darting toward her while reaching out to take her along.
But the very next moment, his movements froze instantly as his eyes widened in disbelief, turning to look to the right.
That murky, viscous source power suddenly erupted with pure blue light.
In less than half a breath, the source power was swiftly dissolved and eradicated.
Chu Xingchen pressed down with his sword, Wan Ban cleaving downward in a flash of blue radiance.
The Goat Mask turned to block, mobilizing every ounce of source power around him.
But the moment they clashed, his figure was sent flying by the rainbow light.
Chu Xingchen's calm gaze swept briefly over Dong Gua, who stood frozen and motionless below.
Yet he didn't casually slice her into ribbons with a single strike, choosing instead to continue pursuing the Goat Mask.
Even though Chu Xingchen was no longer on the scene, Dong Gua still felt her divine sense racing and her entire body rigid.
That soul-deep terror had robbed her of even the courage to resist just moments ago.
Even at this very moment, she still couldn't break free.
It wasn't merely suppression of cultivation. It was more like encountering a natural predator.
Dong Gua's pupils dilated as the sounds in her ears grew hazy. Suddenly, she began gasping desperately for air, like a drowning person finally granted the right to breathe.
She breathed greedily, yet fearfully.
"Are you alright, Fellow Daoist Dong Gua?"
The sudden call snapped her back to reality. She stiffly turned her head, and in her vision was Cui Hao, standing calmly at a short distance away.
The terror in Dong Gua's heart overpowered her fury. She couldn't even muster the thought to curse Cui Hao.
Cui Hao didn't mind her silence, and simply continued speaking.
"Thanks for your cooperation. Let me remind you of something — you still have a chance to run right now."
Dong Gua burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"Run? Where could I possibly run to?"
"You won. You won."
Cui Hao shook his head slightly, gesturing with his eyes toward Li Xingtian, who hadn't made a move but still regarded the scene with calm eyes.
"To put it plainly — for us, you escaping is what counts as winning. Dying doesn't count."
"Otherwise, you'd have been turned into ribbons just now."
The manic grin on Dong Gua's face faded as she raised her hand and drew her cartilage sword.
"If that's how it is, what more is there to say? I'd rather die than let you win."
Cui Hao's expression showed a hint of regret.
"Very well then. Until we meet again, Fellow Daoist Dong Gua."
As his words landed, the spirit treasure blade in Li Xingtian's hand flew from his grip, and an overwhelming blood aura bore down on Dong Gua.
Just as Dong Gua prepared to embrace death, her hand was suddenly and inexplicably seized.
Her heart jolted with panic again as she quickly glanced sideways.
It was the Pig Masked figure who had grabbed her, source power churning around his body.
But he didn't engage Li Xingtian in combat. Instead, he pulled Dong Gua along and shot rapidly outward, employing some unknown technique to briefly tear through space and traverse a short distance.
Li Xingtian didn't give chase either. Besides Daozi Yuyang and his own master, there were quite a few top-tier cultivators stationed nearby.
This must have been his master intentionally letting them through.
Cui Hao stood beside his second senior brother, watching the two figures fleeing into the distance with calm eyes.
He stretched lazily, then looked at Li Xingtian and said:
"Second Brother, you remember you promised to put in a good word for me with Eldest Senior Sister, right?"
Li Xingtian's gaze remained fixed on the departing Dong Gua, silent and pensive, as though something weighed on his mind.
"Who are you?"
Dong Gua forced the words out through the agony of rapid spatial traversal, each jump feeling as though her flesh were being carved.
"Originally designated backup reinforcement," the Pig Mask replied evenly. "The mission is destined to fail. The current mission is to bring you back alive."
Dong Gua didn't ask where he planned to take her. She simply let the Pig Mask carry her through the traversals.
But soon, the Pig Mask stopped. He stood in place, gazing at the Bai Li Flowing Clouds stretching out before them.
Dong Gua's eyes followed his gaze, and immediately she was stunned.
The Bai Li Flowing Clouds, stretching across a hundred li, were now enveloped by a formation vast enough to blot out the sky.
Even the faint traces of aura drifting from it were enough to make one feel a sense of endless destruction.
Though they couldn't see clearly, several powerful auras pulsed outward without any attempt to hide themselves.
Without a doubt, these were the absolute pinnacle of top-tier cultivators.
Dong Gua asked in shock: "This... this is our East Victorious Divine Continent headquarters?"
Only core personnel knew the headquarters' location. Dong Gua clearly wasn't core enough to be in the know.
But she never could have imagined that the East Victorious Divine Continent headquarters would possess such overwhelming power.
If even the outer barrier was this formidable, how absurd must the forces stationed within be?
Dong Gua looked at the silent Pig Mask and quickly spoke up:
"With the headquarters this powerful, we might still be able to counterattack."
The Pig Mask shifted his gaze to Dong Gua, his eyes flickering with unreadable emotion as he spoke.
"This power isn't ours."
"What?"
Dong Gua's expression was one of absolute astonishment.
Before she could ask what he meant by those words, the formation enveloping the Bai Li Flowing Clouds suddenly activated.
In what seemed like an instant.
The Bai Li Flowing Clouds, stretching a hundred li, were completely leveled.
Dong Gua watched the enormous pillar of spiritual light rocketing toward the heavens.
No explanation was needed. She understood the situation perfectly.
[
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