With a single slap of his hand, Huang Yunchong sent the Yin-Yang Gourd flying. It emitted black and white mystical light, growing in the wind until it was the size of a small mountain before smashing down toward the demon crane's head.

CLANG!

The demon crane was instantly stunned by the blow.

Seeing her chance, Ji Zidian soared into the air. Lightning and thunder flashed around her as purple divine lightning surged forth, as if she were rending heaven and earth. Her entire body was bathed in immortal light, her jade-like face holy and pure, resembling a goddess in control of thunderstorms.

"Nine Heavens Thunder Induction! Go!"

BOOM!

Countless streaks of lightning descended, leaving the demon crane charred black and drenched in blood. Then, sword qi rained down, followed by more than a hundred powerful attacks. The barrage shattered great trees and made the very void tremble, an apocalyptic energy exploding upon the demon crane's body.

Even Mo Wuwei, who was not adept at combat, commanded three puppets to charge forward with fierce momentum.

"SCREECH—"

The demon crane shrieked wretchedly. It had never imagined it would die in such a frustratingly helpless way.

It was the ruler of this region. Normally, no other Fierce Beast dared to come within a hair's breadth of its territory. Against these humans, if they had come one by one, it was confident it could have taken down at least half of them. But they completely disregarded immortal propriety. Attacking all at once, they left it with no strength to fight back.

In an instant, the demon crane was buried by the terrifying energy.

This area suffered a great calamity. The ground was strewn with wreckage, and the acrid smoke of charred remains billowed everywhere.

Wang Xiu assessed the battlefield and, knowing the demon crane was dead, hastily leaped onto its corpse. He began directing everyone to carve up the prize.

"Senior Brother Li, your swordsmanship is superb. You take care of plucking its feathers, and try not to damage them! Senior Brother from the Water Vein, could you lend a hand and wash this up? Senior Brother Huang, may I borrow your gourd to collect the blood? This stuff is highly nourishing! Senior Brother Xiang, with your immense strength, please hoist this demon crane! Senior Brother Xiang, your knife skills are peerless, please help me divide this demon crane's meat for everyone..."

Under Wang Xiu's guidance, the Sanqing disciples dutifully adhered to the Immortal Sect's virtue of thrift and frugality. The enormous demon crane was divided up completely, without even a single feather going to waste.

Watching this scene, Wang Xiu felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Indeed, there is strength in numbers. If I had to handle all these tasks by myself, it would be a massive headache. This is so much better. With everyone working together, our efficiency is incredible!

...

Soon, they finished cleaning up and the group set off once more.

This Ancient Forest was filled with opportunities, but the dangers were just as real. When Wang Xiu had been acting alone, he had to search for treasures while fending off Fierce Beasts, an extra step that inevitably slowed him down. Now, with a large group, they steamrolled through everything in their path without the slightest obstruction.

The previously quiet forest was thrown into complete chaos.

"ROAR—"

A giant python shot into the sky. Its body was fiery red. Below its head, its body bifurcated into two separate torsos, boasting a total of six legs and four wings. Its scales bristled, creating a grotesque and fierce sight.

It guarded a millennium-old Vermilion Fruit. Sensing intruders, it planned to swallow the careless trespassers whole, as it usually did. But it never expected a crowd of over a hundred people to burst forth, catching it utterly off guard.

A torrent of over a hundred magical attacks flooded it. Fear gripped its heart, and it decided to flee, abandoning the Vermilion Fruit to save its own life. However, seeing it attempt to escape, the hundred-odd people swarmed forward, grabbing its two tails and preventing it from taking flight. A large man in bronze armor stepped forward, his Great Halberd growing in the wind to a hundred zhang long. He pierced both of its bodies through, pinning it to the ground.

Dragged down, it struggled fiercely. Its thrashing body shattered several mountain ranges, shaking the earth and rattling the heavens as if the world were ending. Unable to escape, it was brutally beaten to death by the mob.

...

Not long after, tiger roars shook the heavens in the eastern woods.

A Black Fiend Tiger, radiating a dense, virulent aura and possessing an ancient bloodline, met a cruel fate. Not only was the heaven-sent treasure it guarded stolen, but not even its litter of cubs was spared.

...

The entire Ancient Forest seemed to have lost its peace. Heaven-shaking howls erupted continuously.

Within the forest, many Chosen who had just stepped out of their encampments, ready to display their prowess, were startled by the commotion. Their faces paled as they drew sharp breaths.

"This Ancient Forest seems to be a place of great peril!"

"How terrifying! Can we really enter this forest to search for opportunities?"

"Those howling Fierce Beasts have world-shaking power, capable of destroying heaven and earth, yet even they are screaming in agony. What kind of creatures are torturing them? What great terror lurks in this place?"

"..."

「Somewhere in the Ancient Forest.」

Atop a huge tree, several figures were hidden among the branches, silent and without a hint of their presence leaking out.

"Will they really come?"

"They will. Definitely!" The black-clad youth's eyes were sharp as he performed calculations with his hands, his voice filled with confidence. "That Wang Xiu is a successor of the Divination Sect. Who knows what techniques those old fossils left him with? He's not someone we can easily divine... But the people around him are a different story! I've already divined that Li Zuoyue, seventeenth on the Golden Core Ranking, has left the Sanqing encampment and is heading this way... And besides him, there's Xiang Tiange! Those two are top geniuses of the Sanqing Immortal Sect and are close friends with Wang Xiu. If they're here, he's most likely here too... And even if he isn't, there's no harm in killing them!"

Beside him, the pupil-less girl didn't speak. She simply rested a hand on the youth's arm and sent a divine sense transmission. *"Those two have exceptional destinies. Divining them will result in a severe backlash for you!"*

The youth's eyes flickered, his gaze fixed intently on the path ahead. "As long as I can kill Wang Xiu and sever the line of the Divination Sect, my Peeping Sky Pavilion will be unrivaled in this world, ensuring our eternal prosperity and peace... For this, I am willing to pay with my life! This is the promise I made to my Master!"

The pupil-less girl remained silent for a moment before transmitting another thought. *"They are strong. Killing them will be no easy task."*

Shi Ming took a deep breath, retrieving a strange, ink jade-colored formation plate. His eyes gleamed with a vicious light. "This Celestial Extinction Formation plate was a gift from my Master on my coming-of-age day! Once it's activated, even a Ninth-Heaven Nascent Soul cultivator is doomed! We have the element of surprise. Even if Wang Xiu and Li Zuoyue are reincarnated immortals, they have no escape today!"

The plate was inscribed with a pre-existing formation. It contained a killing formation laid down with the full power of a Way of Formations Grandmaster, ready to be used instantly with just an infusion of mana. Such single-use consumable items often fetched exorbitant prices, and the Celestial Extinction Formation plate was notoriously expensive. Even the master of the Peeping Sky Pavilion would feel a pang of regret for giving such an item away. It wasn't handed out lightly but was reserved for his most prized disciples to use as a trump card.

They are all at the Golden Core Stage. Even if they have the ability to fight above their level, they'll never be able to withstand my killing formation!

The pupil-less girl communicated with her divine sense. *"What if more people come with them?"*

Shi Ming laughed coldly. "More? At this hour? Given the caliber of this generation of Sanqing Immortal Sect disciples, how many could have made it out? Three to five would be impressive. At the absolute most, I'll count ten! So what?"

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!

Just then, the needle on the compass in Shi Ming's hand shot straight up, trembling rapidly.

Shi Ming's eyes lit up. "They're here!"

Extremely excited, he formed a hand seal, and the Celestial Extinction Formation plate flew into the air. It released a multitude of mysterious runes that sank into the ground, causing the surrounding space to ripple subtly as if connecting with another dimension. On the surface, however, everything appeared normal.

The pupil-less girl suddenly felt a sense of panic. *"Should we wait before we act? I feel a little uneasy."*

Shi Ming patted her hand. "Don't worry, Junior Sister. Everything is fine."

The pupil-less girl pressed. *"Senior Brother, are you nervous too?"*

Shi Ming shook his head. "How could I be? Not at all!"

*"But your palms are covered in sweat!"*

Shi Ming scoffed. "It's probably just... I was exerting myself earlier. Don't stare at them. People in our line of work have keen instincts. If they spot us, things could go wrong!"

The pupil-less girl said nothing.

HUMMM!

At that moment, the space around them flared with brilliant light. The formation had been triggered.

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