"Ah!"
They had just finished setting up their formation when a scream rang out behind them. Everyone turned toward the sound.
A cultivator had fallen to the ground. A gaping hole had been torn through his chest, and blood poured from the wound, staining the ground red.
The dead man's eyes were wide open, filled with unwillingness.
"Sect Master, this is a Seven Tribulation Monarch!" Sars said to Li Yi, his expression grave.
Many of the cultivators present recognized the monarch. He was one of the unaffiliated monarchs.
Everyone fell silent. Only now did they truly understand how dangerous the Nine Trials of the Yellow Springs were. They had yet to begin exploring, and already a monarch had fallen.
"Let's go!" Li Yi pondered for a moment, then led the Witch God Sect cultivators into the white mist. The other cultivators did not linger either.
As soon as they entered the mist, the various factions were separated from one another. They could see only a few feet ahead. Unless they kept in contact through their formations, they couldn't see one another at all.
"Ah!" A few breaths later, another scream rang out. Evidently, another cultivator had fallen.
Li Yi's heart grew heavy. He ordered, "Everyone from the Witch God Sect, listen up. Stay on high alert. If you notice anything wrong, immediately report your location."
"Yes, Emperor!" everyone replied.
A few breaths later, Li Yi and the others had walked roughly a thousand paces through the mist when screams rang out again. This time, there was more than one; several came one after another, accompanied by the thuds of bodies hitting the ground.
The truly dangerous moment had finally arrived!
Bang!
As Li Yi and the others pressed forward, the Witch God Sect's protective formation suddenly shuddered. A cultivator immediately