"Yin Xiaokong, you've got one hell of a dog's nose. You actually dared to track us all the way here!"
Wei Yushan spoke coldly.
High in the air, Yin Xiaokong looked down at them with contempt. "This is the last chance I'm giving you."
"Either you submit completely to Lie Huo Mountain, or you die!"
Wei Yushan strode forward, his expression icy. "Who do you think you are? Do you really think Lihuo Sect is easy to bully?"
Yin Xiaokong shook his head. "In my eyes, you're nothing but ants."
"I'm giving you the chance to submit. Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."
He was arrogant and overbearing!
He didn't take Lihuo Sect seriously at all.
As he spoke, his aura gradually unfurled. In an instant, a mighty pressure filled half the sky!
Nascent Soul Realm, Ninth Heaven!
"Even if your Old Ancestor were here, your Lihuo Sect would still be no more than Nascent Soul Realm. Besides, he died long ago."
"What do you have to stop me?"
He took one step forward and hovered in the air. His powerful aura made the grass and trees below sway violently.
"Nascent Soul Realm?"
Wei Yushan sneered. He, too, took a step forward, and an equally terrifying aura surged forth!
"Nascent Soul Realm?!"
Yin Xiaokong was instantly startled!
Wasn't Wei Yushan just a lowly Nascent Soul cultivator?
When had he broken through to Nascent Soul Realm? And how had his aura come to rival Yin Xiaokong's?
Impossible. The intelligence couldn't be wrong. When Gongsun Qi had reported in, Wei Yushan had still been at Nascent Soul Realm...
He had only made one trip to this Small Mountain Village!
A deep unease stirred in his heart, but he still said solemnly, "So what if you broke through to Nascent Soul Realm? You're still no match for me!"
"Heh. Is that so? And what if you had this old man to contend with, too?!"
At that moment, Yu Qishui spoke up as well. He calmly stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Wei Yushan.
An even more terrifying aura spread out, immediately crushing Yin Xiaokong's!
Yin Xiaokong was stunned. This was... the aura of Nascent Soul Realm Perfection?!
How was this possible!
Hadn't Yu Qishui been half-dead for ages, his cultivation unable to advance any further?
But now, he was clearly at the height of his power, so terrifying that even Yin Xiaokong could feel it!
They were both at Spirit Severing Ninth Heaven, but Yin Xiaokong was no match for Yu Qishui!
"Why... were you both clearly only at Nascent Soul Realm...?"
He blurted out.
Two people at Nascent Soul Realm had broken through to Nascent Soul Realm on the same day, one reaching the seventh heaven and the other perfection?!
This was damn near enough to drive a man to despair!
How was this possible...
What on earth was in this village?
Yin Xiaokong couldn't help glancing at the seemingly peaceful, unassuming village below. A storm surged in his heart!
Could Lie Huo Sect's Old Ancestor really still be alive? And had his cultivation reached a terrifying level?
Or was there some incredible opportunity hidden here?!
"Yin Xiaokong, die!"
Wei Yushan and Yu Qishui said no more. They attacked together!
If they didn't kill Yin Xiaokong, he would remain a threat to Lihuo Sect.
Yin Xiaokong's heart sank. There was no way he could withstand two opponents at the same cultivation level attacking together.
But he didn't retreat. He said quietly, "Today, I'd like to see what kind of opportunity this little village holds that let the two of you advance so quickly!"
As he spoke, he abruptly flicked four great banners out of his sleeve!
White Bone Poles, Human Skin Banners, snapping in the wind as a sinister chill swept over them!
The four banners immediately surrounded Yu Qishui and Wei Yushan.
A horrifying aura spread, as if countless vengeful ghosts were wailing.
"W-what is that?"
Wei Yushan's expression changed.
"The methods of Devilish Heresy!"
Yu Qishui's expression changed, too. His hair whipped wildly as he released a torrent of violent energy, trying to blast the four banners apart!
But between the four banners, invisible Black Chains suddenly appeared, pressing down like a storm.
Wei Yushan and Yu Qishui fought back with all their might, but the chains ignored the Spiritual Power Barriers they had formed and lashed heavily across their bodies.
"Ah—!"
Yu Qishui and Wei Yushan plummeted from the sky.
They hit the ground hard.
"You really thought reaching Spirit Severing Stage would let you oppose me?"
Yin Xiaokong spoke coldly. Before coming, he had already prepared to face Lihuo Sect's Old Ancestor.
These Array Flags were his ultimate trump card. They could slay even a Void Integration expert!
"Grandmaster! Master!"
Seeing this, Mu Qianning hurried forward and released her spiritual power, catching Yu Qishui and Wei Yushan.
Yu Qishui and Wei Yushan were both pale, their lips cracked and dry.
They were extremely weak.
"Those Array Flags... there's something wrong with them. They're probably a Mahayana Artifact..."
Yu Qishui managed to say.
"What do we do...?"
Wei Yushan was filled with unwillingness.
By now, Yin Xiaokong had slowly descended. He didn't even glance at Yu Qishui and the others, but fixed his eyes on the peaceful Small Mountain Village before him.
"What could be here? Some opportunity?"
He murmured, then suddenly waved a hand. The four banners in the sky flew toward the four corners of the Small Mountain Village!
"Whatever's here, I'll refine every living person inside first!"
He was extremely cautious and planned to use the Array Flags to kill every living thing within.
"Don't you dare!"
Mu Qianning's expression changed drastically.
"What wouldn't I dare do? Heh. I should thank you for pointing out such a great opportunity to me. Perhaps I'll be able to break through to Void Integration Stage, too!"
The banners streaked across the sky like four meteors, about to plunge into the earth surrounding the Small Mountain Village.
But—
Just as the Array Flags were about to land, all four suddenly stopped. The next instant, they burst apart!
They turned to ash!
At that very moment, Yin Xiaokong's expression changed. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood essence and cried out in pain, flying backward several hundred meters!
"Bam!"
He slammed into the earth, sending dust flying everywhere.
Yu Qishui and the others were stunned.
"Senior Li... made a move?"
Wei Yushan asked in disbelief.
"No... he didn't make a move. It was merely a passive defense. This village... because Senior Li lives here, it's long since become a terrifying forbidden ground..."
Yu Qishui answered in shock!
Those four Array Flags were most likely the work of a Mahayana cultivator, yet Senior Li hadn't even lifted a finger. They had merely approached the place where he lived, and they were destroyed?
Terrifying.
Was this the might of an unparalleled great expert?
"A great expert must never be insulted. It truly was no lie..."
Wei Yushan murmured.
"No..."
Yin Xiaokong crawled out of the dirt, his heart trembling as he stared at the peaceful Small Mountain Village ahead. His eyes were filled with fear!
What was happening?
How could this be...
The Array Flags in his possession were powerful enough to almost slay a Void Integration Stage expert!
And now they had burst apart? Worse, his cultivation had nearly been wiped out in an instant. He was a cripple!
And all because the Array Flags had approached this village?
What on earth was in this village?
Whatever it was, it was far beyond someone of his station!
He had to report this at once!
In that instant, he could think of nothing else. He took out a White Jade Array Plate, burned his blood essence once more, and activated the Teleportation Array!
His figure vanished.
He fled!
Yu Qishui and the others finally let out a long breath.
"Grandmaster, Master, are you all right?"
Mu Qianning asked anxiously.
Wei Yushan and Yu Qishui did their utmost to circulate their power, only to discover that no matter what they tried, they couldn't dispel the wounds left by the Black Chains in their bodies!
"These wounds are as if left by a Mahayana Realm expert. With our strength, there's no way they'll heal..."
Yu Qishui gave a bitter smile, then looked back toward the village. "We can only ask Senior Li for help..."