Xiao Yu's voice was ghostly. "If you've never even heard of it, how did you know this was the Celestial Extinction Formation? And that it was deployed with a formation disk?"

Shi Ming froze.

"I... I just heard you all mention it a moment ago!" His mind raced as he scrambled for an excuse. "I have always disdained using such filthy and lowly tactics!"

[Ding!]

[Detected someone bragging nearby. Congratulations, Host, you have gained +99 mana!]

"Is that so?" Ji Zidian was clearly unconvinced. He slowly walked forward, his body wreathed in lightning that carried a destructive aura, looking as if he might strike at any moment.

Shi Ming's body went taut.

Just then, Wang Xiu stepped forward. Clad in fluttering white robes, he looked like an exiled immortal—as graceful as a startled swan, with an extraordinary bearing. A white, jade-like radiance seemed to coat his very being, making him appear both divine and celestial.

This was the first time Shi Ming had gotten a proper look at Wang Xiu. As the most valued direct disciple of the Peeping Sky Pavilion's master, he had been eager to measure himself against the heir of the Divination Sect. Now, facing him, he could feel Wang Xiu's remarkable presence.

Damn, this kid is handsome! he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Wang Xiu stopped Ji Zidian. With a broad smile, he looked at Shi Ming. "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be tense. My Senior Brothers and Sisters were just joking with you!"

Shi Ming glanced at Li Zuoyue, whose Sword Box was slightly ajar, hinting at an unrivaled sharpness ready to be unleashed. He then looked at Ji Zidian, who held the Heavenly Light Sword, surrounded by crackling thunder. Finally, he looked at the others, all of them poised as if ready to launch a thunderous strike to suppress him at a moment's notice.

He forced a dry laugh. "Heh, heh!"

Wang Xiu chuckled. "So, it seems this Fellow Daoist, like us, simply stumbled into this killing formation by mistake!"

Shi Ming nodded repeatedly. "Exactly, exactly!"

Wang Xiu nodded. "That's what I thought. The killing formation is active but hasn't been triggered. It doesn't seem like it's meant to execute anyone who enters, but more like someone's formation disk accidentally fell from their robes and activated..."

Shi Ming's mouth twitched. Of course, he hadn't triggered the formation immediately. He had wanted to act cool for a bit, but if he had fully activated it, he would have been trapped as well. A killing formation disk didn't distinguish between friend and foe, and he wasn't an Array Master with that level of precise control.

Suddenly, Wang Xiu's hands formed a seal. Instantly, the air filled with countless dense runes. With a thrust of his palm, they all sank deep into the earth.

HUM! HUM!

The void trembled lightly. The runes of the killing formation retracted, vanishing from sight. A palm-sized formation disk, glowing with a dark, treasured light, shot out from the ground and landed in Wang Xiu's hand.

Wang Xiu played with the disk, feeling its satisfying weight. It was as smooth as jade and felt wonderful to the touch. It was clearly forged from the highest quality of materials. In Vermilion Bird City, it would fetch a sky-high price.

With a satisfied look in his eyes, he turned to Ji Zidian and the others with a smile. "It seems our luck is truly good today. Not only did we acquire a huge bounty of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, but we even found a treasure like this!"

Xiao Yu's eyes lit up. "Junior Brother Wang Xiu, you understand formations, too?"

Wang Xiu's move had seemed simple, but it required a profound understanding of the essence of the Way of Formations. Xiao Yu mused that even he couldn't have done it any better.

Wang Xiu waved his hand with a smile. "Just a little. Compared to Senior Brother Xiao, I'm still far behind!"

"Junior Brother, you are far too modest!" Xiao Yu said with sincerity.

The crowd was stunned. They knew very little about Wang Xiu, having only witnessed his astounding mastery of Thunder Technique in Vermilion Bird City. It was rumored he had reached an unfathomable level, even capable of giving pointers to the Saint Heir of the Longhu Immortal Sect. They had no idea he was also proficient in formations. And from the looks of it, even the Chief Disciple of the Formation Sect acknowledged his high level of skill.

Is he really a disciple of the Divination Sect? How does he know everything?

...

Shi Ming was also stunned by Wang Xiu's move.

He could do that?

The precious treasure his master had given him to kill Wang Xiu had ended up in Wang Xiu's hands just like that.

Wang Xiu probed the disk with his Divine Soul. "There's a Spiritual Imprint from the original owner on this formation disk. Once I erase it, it'll be usable!"

"Wait a moment!" Shi Ming said hastily.

Wang Xiu looked at him, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Everyone turned to look at him, their intense gazes feeling like mountains pressing down on Shi Ming. He swallowed hard and forced a laugh. "Fellow Daoist, be careful. This is a killing formation disk, after all. It would be bad if it were accidentally triggered..."

Wang Xiu smiled faintly. "For a moment, I thought this formation disk might be yours, Fellow Daoist!"

Shi Ming wanted to cry but had to maintain a facade of indifference. "Hahaha, Fellow Daoist, you must be joking. How could that be possible?"

"Don't worry, I'm just erasing the imprint. There's no risk. Even if something unexpected happens, with so many of us here, we can handle it!" Wang Xiu said. As he spoke, his Divine Soul entered the formation disk and directly wiped away the Spiritual Imprint.

Once the mark was erased, Shi Ming could no longer sense the disk's presence. He wasn't injured, but his heart was bleeding.

He suppressed the agony and cupped his hands with a smile. "Many thanks to all you Fellow Daoists for your help. Because of you, I was able to escape so easily. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll just..."

Before he could finish, Wang Xiu suddenly stepped forward and grasped his hand with a beaming smile. "Fellow Daoist, you're far too polite! We're all part of the righteous alliance, so it's only right that we help each other. A thank-you gift is really unnecessary... However, since you are so sincere, it would be difficult for us to refuse. There are quite a few of us here, you see... so just a small token for each person will be more than enough!"

Shi Ming: ???

What? What's going on? When did I ever say I was giving a thank-you gift? You're pulling this out of thin air!

Before he could utter a word, over a hundred people had surrounded him, blocking any chance of escape.

"What? A thank-you gift? Oh my, this is so embarrassing."

"We didn't really do anything. Fellow Daoist, you're too kind!"

"Ah, it's so hard to refuse such sincerity!"

"Just a small token is fine! We're all very reasonable!"

"..."

Shi Ming's vision went dark, and he nearly fainted. He really wanted to cry.

This is daylight robbery! Pure psychological torture! Not only did they take my Celestial Extinction Formation disk, but now they want to empty my pockets! What kind of Righteous Sects are you? You're a swarm of locusts!

Seeing him stand there, unresponsive, Li Zuoyue pulled a sword from his Sword Box, slung it over his shoulder with a roguish air, and said, "Brothers, I think this Fellow Daoist is in a tough spot. Maybe we... shouldn't force him? Perhaps he never intended to repay us at all."

CLANG!

Before he finished speaking, Xiang Tiange slammed his Great Halberd into the ground, shaking the earth and startling the nearby birds and beasts.

"Nonsense! This young brother doesn't look like the type to be ungrateful. I, Xiang, am never wrong about people. As for that type of person... I've always just smashed them to death with one strike of my halberd!"

Sensing a dangerous aura, Shi Ming hurriedly spoke up. "This Senior Brother is right! How could I possibly be that kind of person? You all saved me, and I must repay this kindness, no matter what! It's just... I left in a hurry and didn't bring much with me, you see..."

He took out a Storage Bag from his waist and peeked inside. Before he could finish his sentence, Xiang Tiange snatched it from his hand.

"Hahaha, brother, you're too generous! How can we possibly accept this?"

Shi Ming: "!!!"

Li Zuoyue's eyes were fixed on Shi Ming's waist. "Fellow Daoist, that belt, if I'm not mistaken, is called the Vast Sea Moonlight Belt, correct? A spatial Magical Treasure, and quite valuable. It seems you come from a remarkable background... Buying a Celestial Extinction Formation disk should certainly be within your means!"

Shi Ming took a deep breath, the smile on his face uglier than a grimace. "You jest. This belt isn't worth much. If brother fancies it, then it's yours!"

He spoke through gritted teeth, quickly transferring the items stored in the belt to another place before unbuckling it and handing it over.

Huang Yunchong's eyes darted about. "Fellow Daoist, your shoes are quite nice too! They must be at least a mid-grade Spiritual Artifact, right? Can't be much cheaper than a Celestial Extinction Formation disk..."

Shi Ming: "!!!"

...

An incense stick's worth of time later.

"Fellow Daoist, your generous reward truly makes us feel ashamed!" Wang Xiu smiled, nonchalantly patting Shi Ming on the shoulder as a subtle, mystical light vanished without a trace.

Shi Ming was completely unaware. He stood rooted to the spot, his gaze empty, his body devoid of any will to live.

The disciples from Sanqing left, utterly content. Every one of them had rosy cheeks and looked radiant and refreshed.

After a long while, Shi Ming, now clad in a makeshift garment of leaves, began to shiver. "Bandits! They're all bandits!!!" he howled.

"My Vast Sea Moonlight Belt! My Meteor Traversing Moon Boots! My Evil Banishing Jade Ring! AHHHHHH—"

"Sanqing Immortal Sect, I will never share the same sky with you!"

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