The Elucidation Sect Golden Immortal's expression was extremely unpleasant.
His cultivation was indeed higher.
Facing any one of Wang Mo's four-man group alone, he was absolutely confident of victory.
But the four of them joining forces was another matter entirely.
Especially since the Four Sages of Nine-Dragon Island had cultivated together for many years.
They were intimately familiar with each other's methods.
Their simple four-man coordination was far more effective than four unfamiliar Immortals hastily teaming up.
Wang Mo had no intention of giving his opponent much time to think.
"Attack!"
With a furious roar.
The four men scattered at once.
Yet they did not truly widen the distance between themselves.
Wang Mo stood at the front.
Yang Sen took the left.
Gao Yougan and Li Xingba positioned themselves to the right and rear.
The auras of the four men were nearly connected as one.
Lin Yuan's eyes lit up.
Now this is more like it.
In the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, the most frightening thing was rescuing Grandpa one gourd brother at a time.
Sending them in one by one.
Who could withstand that?
If there were truly four people.
Then all four should attack together.
If the other side complained that they lacked martial ethics, they could call for reinforcements too.
After all, one of the Intercepting Sect's greatest advantages was—
Numbers.
The Elucidation Sect Golden Immortal clearly had no intention of retreating.
After all, in his view.
Even if four Intercepting Sect disciples at roughly the Profound Immortal level joined forces, they might not truly be able to do anything to him.
He raised a hand and unleashed a jade seal.
The jade seal expanded in the wind.
In the blink of an eye, it became as large as a mountain.
It smashed down upon the four of them.
"Scatter!"
Wang Mo roared.
The four shifted positions simultaneously.
Yet they still maintained their formation.
The jade seal struck empty air.
The ground collapsed with a thunderous boom.
Yang Sen had already attacked from the side, Immortal light striking straight for the other man's back.
The Elucidation Sect Golden Immortal blocked it with a backhand.
Wang Mo immediately followed up.
One blow after another.
They barely allowed their opponent a moment to breathe.
Lin Yuan did not rashly join the battle.
With his current Early Heavenly Immortal cultivation, stepping into a Golden Immortal-level battle head-on would just be delivering himself to the enemy.
The cash-on-delivery kind, at that.
He stood at the edge of the battlefield.
His Innate Spiritual Perception was pushed to its limits.
All his attention was focused on the changes in battle.
"Senior Brother Gao!"
"To your right!"
Gao Yougan shifted sideways almost instinctively.
The next moment.
A streak of Jade Clarity Sword Qi suddenly emerged where he had been standing.
It narrowly grazed past him.
Gao Yougan broke out in a cold sweat.
"That was close!"
Lin Yuan's voice sounded again.
"Senior Brother Li, don't pursue him!"
Li Xingba had just been about to press forward while the opponent retreated, but he immediately stopped.
Just as he withdrew his foot.
The jade seal before the Elucidation Sect Golden Immortal suddenly swept backward.
Had Li Xingba charged forward just then.
That strike would have almost certainly hit him.
"Junior Brother!"
Li Xingba's eyes lit up.
"Keep watching!"
Naturally, Lin Yuan did not hold back.
Innate Spiritual Perception was inherently adept at sensing fluctuations in aura.
Combined with the practical combat experience he had gained during the previous Golden Turtle Island Minor Tournament matches.
Though he could not defeat this Elucidation Sect Golden Immortal.
From his vantage point as an observer, he could more clearly detect the changes in the other man's magical power before each attack.
Which direction was dangerous.
Where the feint was.
Which position was best for retreating.
Lin Yuan kept calling out.
The Four Sages of Nine-Dragon Island had already coordinated seamlessly.
Now, with an additional guide outside the field.
Their fighting became increasingly smooth.
"Senior Brother Wang, press him from the front!"
"Senior Brother Yang, left side!"
"Senior Brother Gao, don't get greedy!"
"Senior Brother Li, seal off the rear!"
Four men surrounded a Golden Immortal and bombarded him in turns.
By the end, the Elucidation Sect Golden Immortal's face had begun to turn green.
Who exactly had the higher realm?
Why did he feel like he was the one being gang-beaten by opponents below his level?
What annoyed him even more was Lin Yuan.
This kid had the lowest cultivation.
Yet every sentence struck at a critical point.
Whenever he wanted to suddenly erupt and severely injure one of them first.
Lin Yuan called it out in advance.
Whenever he wanted to feign retreat and lure someone into pursuit.
Lin Yuan called it out again.
Whenever he prepared to use a magic treasure to create an opening.
Lin Yuan still called it out.
Several times, the Elucidation Sect Golden Immortal wanted to slap Lin Yuan to death first.
But the moment he shifted even a little attention toward him.
Wang Mo and the other three's attacks immediately became even fiercer.
He could not hit him.
Yet not attacking him was infuriating.
His blood pressure was through the roof.
"Intercepting Sect brat!"
"Do you only know how to hide in the back and shout?"
Lin Yuan grinned as soon as he heard that.
"Senior."
"You, a Golden Immortal, ambushed several of my Profound Immortal senior brothers."
"And now you want to talk to me, a Heavenly Immortal, about fighting fair?"
"How about you first suppress your cultivation to the Heavenly Immortal realm."
"Then I'll come out and duel you?"
The Elucidation Sect Golden Immortal: "..."
Wang Mo and the others laughed so hard that they nearly failed to follow up their attacks.
"Junior Brother!"
"Stop provoking him!"
"If you truly anger him, he might risk his life later!"
Lin Yuan was quite willing to take advice.
He immediately shut his mouth.
It felt good to talk back.
But if he truly provoked a Golden Immortal into burning his essence, his own side would be the ones in trouble.
They fought for another hundred exchanges.
The Elucidation Sect Golden Immortal finally confirmed one thing.
There was no chance for his killing trap to succeed today.
The four would not separate.
And Lin Yuan was there to warn them in advance.
Continuing to fight would only waste his magical power.
"I'll spare you today."
He suddenly activated the jade seal.
A vast expanse of Jade Clarity Immortal Light exploded outward.
Forcing Wang Mo and the other three back.
Then he turned and transformed into a streak of escaping light.
"Trying to run?"
Wang Mo instinctively prepared to give chase.
Lin Yuan's voice immediately rang out.
"Senior Brother."
Wang Mo halted.
A helpless expression appeared on his face.
"I know."
"I won't pursue him alone."
"Honestly."
"You're even more like a military commander than Wen Zhong now."
Only after seeing that all four had stopped did Lin Yuan truly relax.
He had originally been expecting the system's settlement.
He waited for a while.
His mind remained completely quiet.
The Fate-Reversal Prompt related to Wang Mo did not appear.
The smile on Lin Yuan's face slowly faded.
Sure enough.
It was not that simple.
That ambush just now was most likely only a dangerous point in Wang Mo's trajectory toward death.
Only avoided it once.
It was still far from truly surviving the death tribulation.
Wang Mo and the other three did not think that much about it.
After the battle just now,
they had thoroughly come to trust Lin Yuan's spiritual perception.
Especially Gao Yougan.
If that sudden sword qi had struck him head-on,
even if it did not kill him, he would have been seriously injured.
"Junior Brother Lin."
Gao Yougan walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
"Your perception is really useful."
"When we go out to fight in the future,"
"you'll be in charge of calling things out."
Lin Yuan wore a strange expression.
"Senior Brother Gao."
"Why do I feel like I've become a spotter?"
"What is a spotter?"
"Nothing."
Lin Yuan waved a hand.
"Just keep praising me."
Everyone laughed as they returned to the Shang Camp.
Not long after they left the valley,
on the West Qi side,
several Qi Refiners responsible for luring the enemy earlier had also returned to camp.
"It failed."
"The four of them stayed together the whole time."
"Especially that young disciple from the Intercepting Sect."
"Several times, he warned them in advance at crucial moments."
The tent fell silent for a moment.
Someone asked coldly,
"That Heavenly Immortal?"
"Yes."
"His cultivation is not high."
"But his spiritual perception seems exceptionally sharp."
Another person pondered for a moment.
"Wang Mo has the most impatient temperament, yet even he could be restrained by that boy today."
"If we use the same method again, it will likely be hard to make it work."
"Then we'll change it."
Their gazes fell upon the four names laid out on the table.
Wang Mo.
Yang Sen.
Gao Yougan.
Li Xingba.
Finally,
a finger slowly came down on the name Gao Yougan.
"This man's temper is even more volatile than Wang Mo's."
"Tomorrow, before the lines,"
"provoke him first."
The next day,
the two armies faced each other once more.
Before they had even formally clashed,
a mocking voice rang out from West Qi's ranks.
"Yesterday, I thought the Four Sages of Nine-Dragon Island had some real skill."
"Looking at you today, it seems you're nothing special."
Wang Mo and the other three had only just emerged from the Shang Camp.
Gao Yougan's face had already darkened.
The other side continued to shout.
"Four people ganging up on one."
"And you even need a Heavenly Immortal junior to warn you from behind."
"And you still dare call yourselves the Four Sages?"
"If I were you, I'd have shut myself inside some cave abode long ago, so I wouldn't come out and disgrace myself."
The veins on Gao Yougan's forehead throbbed.
"That bastard..."
Lin Yuan stood at his side.
The moment he heard it, he knew something was wrong.
It was far too deliberate.
Yesterday, he had just reminded them not to split up.
Today, they had immediately switched to provoking them before the lines.
If no one had planned this,
who were they trying to fool?
"Senior Brother Gao."
Lin Yuan had only just spoken.
Gao Yougan had already raised a hand.
"I know."
"Don't chase anyone alone."
Lin Yuan relaxed slightly.
It seemed yesterday's ambush had still had some effect.
But the other side clearly had not come merely to hurl a few insults.
A young Daoist directly rode a cloud out from their formation.
His cultivation was not particularly high.
He was roughly at the True Immortal level.
"I heard Gao Yougan has the hardest temper."
"Do you dare come out and fight me alone?"
Gao Yougan narrowed his eyes.
"A mere True Immortal dares to..."
Lin Yuan directly stepped sideways.
Blocking him from the front.
"Senior Brother Gao."
"Why would you handle such a small job?"
Gao Yougan froze.
Lin Yuan had already stepped onto the Qingxuan Sword and flown out.
"Junior Brother!"
Even Wang Mo failed to stop him.
Lin Yuan was not panicked in the slightest.
The very reason he had taken the initiative to go out was to keep Gao Yougan from falling into their trap.
They wanted to provoke Gao Yougan.
That meant their killing move was most likely designed around Gao Yougan.
Since that was the case,
he would simply switch people.
Let's see what you have prepared.
West Qi's True Immortal was also stunned.
The order he had received today had clearly been to provoke Gao Yougan into fighting.
Why had a Heavenly Immortal come out instead?
"Who are you?"
"Lin Yuan of the Intercepting Sect."
Lin Yuan held the Qingxuan Sword.
"Didn't you want a duel of Dao arts?"
"Come on."
The other party frowned.
"I challenged Gao Yougan."
"What?"
Lin Yuan smiled.
"I'm an Early Heavenly Immortal, and you're a True Immortal."
"Do you think my realm is too high?"
"How about I cripple a little more of my own mana?"
Laughter immediately rose from the Shang Camp.
Gao Yougan had originally been filled with rage.
Now, he laughed as well.
"Junior Brother!"
"Beat him up!"
The West Qi True Immortal's face darkened.
If he kept refusing,
it would make him look as though he was truly afraid of a Heavenly Immortal.
"Since you're seeking death,"
"then I'll grant your wish."
His mana abruptly erupted.
Lin Yuan showed no fear at all.
The Qingxuan Sword was drawn for the first time on a true battlefield.
Compared to the heaviness of the Thick Earth Sword,
the Qingxuan Sword's greatest traits were speed and sharpness.
Sword qi flashed.
It shot straight for the opponent's face.
The West Qi True Immortal had originally believed that his higher realm would let him suppress Lin Yuan with ease.
Only after truly exchanging blows did he realize
that Lin Yuan was extraordinarily difficult to deal with.
The Innate Spiritual Perception predicted attacks in advance.
Even when the occasional spell hit him,
the Blackstone Dao Body was absurdly tough.
And the sharpness of the Qingxuan Sword in Lin Yuan's hand made it impossible for him to ignore.
After more than a dozen exchanges,
they were actually evenly matched.
"Is this kid really a Heavenly Immortal?"
People in the West Qi camp also frowned.
Gao Yougan, meanwhile, watched with a broad grin.
"With Junior Brother's skills,"
"why would he need our protection?"
"Give him a few thousand more years, and he might even be able to protect us instead."
But Lin Yuan did not relax because of this.
Half his attention remained fixed on Gao Yougan.
Because that sense of real danger had never disappeared.
That True Immortal over there.
At most, he was the second layer of bait.
Just as the two clashed swords again.
Lin Yuan suddenly sensed a familiar aura rapidly approaching from the direction of West Qi.
Fire.
A spear.
And an extremely young yet overwhelmingly powerful immortal aura.
A name flashed through Lin Yuan's mind at once.
The next second.
A streak of fire had already charged into the battlefield!
"Get lost!"
The spear's shadow swept across.
The West Qi True Immortal who had been fighting Lin Yuan quickly retreated.
As the firelight dispersed.
A youth standing upon Wind-Fire Wheels and holding a Fire-Tip Spear had stopped in midair.
Nezha.
He really was an old acquaintance.
Nezha had clearly recognized Lin Yuan as well.
Back at Chentang Pass.
His master had forced him to apologize to Biyun.
Though he had indeed been at fault in that matter.
What truly made him remember Lin Yuan was that fellow's remark before his master—
"Then let's both call our parents."
And then Golden Spirit Holy Mother had actually come.
Whenever Nezha thought of it, his teeth itched.
"It's you?"
Lin Yuan raised a hand in greeting.
"Long time no see."
Nezha sneered.
"Back at Chentang Pass, you relied on Golden Spirit Holy Mother to back you up."
"Today, we're on the battlefield."
"No one will protect you."
Lin Yuan's expression turned somewhat strange at that.
"Nezha."
"Are you sure?"
Nezha frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Lin Yuan pointed behind him.
Wang Mo.
Yang Sen.
Gao Yougan.
Li Xingba.
Farther away.
There was Wen Zhong as well.
A group of Intercepting Sect disciples were watching this place.
"There might be even more people than last time."
Nezha's face darkened for a moment.
"Enough nonsense!"
The Fire-Tip Spear suddenly flared.
Nezha's strength far surpassed that True Immortal from before.
As he thrust out his spear.
Even the air seemed to be torn apart by flames.
Lin Yuan's Innate Spiritual Perception issued frantic warnings.
He could evade this strike.
Yet from the corner of his eye, he saw several auras within the West Qi formation quietly shifting as well.
Their target—
Gao Yougan.
Just as expected.
They wanted to use Nezha to hold him back.
Then continue luring Gao Yougan out.
Lin Yuan's thoughts raced.
But his body did not retreat.
Since they wanted to see whether he could withstand Nezha.
Then he would show them first.
The Blackstone Dao Body operated at full force.
The Thick Earth Sword instantly appeared in his hand.
The power of the earth continuously gathered beneath his feet.
Nezha's Fire-Tip Spear had arrived.
The spear tip collided head-on with the Thick Earth Sword!
Clang—!
A deafening crash rang out.
Firelight exploded.
The ground beneath Lin Yuan's feet shattered with a roar.
He was driven back more than thirty zhang by the tremendous force.
Both arms went numb.
His blood and qi churned violently within him.
But he ultimately came to a steady stop.
His chest rose and fell several times.
He did not fall.
Nezha stood where he was, gripping his spear.
But his eyes gradually widened.
"You're just a Heavenly Immortal..."
"Yet you're this tough?!"
"You're just a Heavenly Immortal..."
"Yet you're this tough?!"
Nezha stood atop the Wind-Fire Wheels, his Fire-Tip Spear held across his body, and his gaze turned truly serious for the first time.
Though he had not used his full strength in that strike, he had certainly not held back much either.
If an ordinary Early Heavenly Immortal dared to take it head-on, their protective immortal light should have been pierced through by now.
Yet Lin Yuan had merely been knocked back over a dozen zhang.
His blood and qi appeared to be churning fiercely, but there was not even an obvious wound on him.
Lin Yuan shook his numb arms, knowing full well what that meant.
The Blackstone Dao Body was indeed tough.
But Nezha was on an entirely different level from the Heavenly Immortals he had encountered during the Golden Turtle Island Minor Tournament.
This was Taiyi's personal disciple.
Magic treasures, cultivation techniques, divine abilities, combat experience—he lacked none of them.
If he truly believed that taking one spear strike meant he could go toe-to-toe with Nezha, then he might as well have drunk two pounds of fake liquor and forgotten his own name.
"Not bad."
But Lin Yuan did not sound the least bit intimidated.
"You've improved a little since I saw you at Chentang Pass."
Nezha's face instantly darkened.
"You still dare mention Chentang Pass?"
With a shake of the Fire-Tip Spear, countless spear shadows abruptly spread across the sky.
Flames surged like waves.
They swept toward Lin Yuan from every direction.
"Golden Spirit Holy Mother isn't here to stand up for you today!"
Before you continue