"A formation barrier!!! Who's casting this?"
Suddenly trapped in the center of the sealed Four Red Yang Formation, everyone's expressions changed. However, they were not overly panicked. The formation could only restrict their movements; it could not endanger their lives. At worst, they could activate their Five Academies Tokens and teleport away.
Still, the sudden barrier left the Nascent Soul cultivators somewhat tense. Among the thirty-odd people present, only Ye Yun and Ye Ming, who were at the Deity Transformation stage, remained relatively calm. Gao Ze, meanwhile, showed no expression at all.
"It was you!" Ye Yun turned around and looked at Gao Ze, who was rapidly retreating away from them.
"It was." Gao Ze nodded without the slightest attempt at concealment. The next moment, he changed out of his Dao One Academy robes and put on a black coat patterned with red clouds, revealing his identity as a protector of [Akatsuki].
"Th-That's [Akatsuki]'s robe!!! You're one of [Akatsuki]!"
Upon seeing Gao Ze as he was now, the Nascent Soul cultivators all revealed shocked expressions and instinctively hid behind Ye Yun and Ye Ming.
The sects they belonged to were all hostile toward [Akatsuki]. Seven or eight years ago, they had participated in the campaign against the Ninja Sect, and even now, they continued to block the Ninja Sect's movements in the outside world. As everyone knew, the Ninja Sect had been founded by [Akatsuki]'s divine envoys. Seeing someone from an enemy faction now, every one of them was terrified.
After all, Gao Ze was at the Deity Transformation stage. Moreover, whether divine envoys or protectors, members of [Akatsuki] were far stronger than other cultivators of the same stage. It was common for them to fight three or even five opponents alone. Thus, even hiding behind Ye Yun and Ye