Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Four cultivators appeared outside the formation, each draped in a strange layer of white gauze. Black veils covered their faces, making their features impossible to discern.
"Who are you? What do you want?" the Iron Lady cried, furious and alarmed. Despite all their caution, they had still fallen into a trap. These four cultivators had likely evaded their divine sense thanks to that miraculous white gauze.
"What do we want? What a funny question, fellow Daoist," one cultivator said hoarsely, clearly disguising his voice.
"Hmph, cut the nonsense. You're turtles trapped in a jar now. Hand over the trial's Golden Ring obediently, or else...!" another cultivator said coldly. "Otherwise, don't blame us for showing no mercy!"
"..." Anger and alarm appeared on everyone's faces. Trapped inside the formation, they could do nothing and could only exchange helpless looks, unsure how to respond.
"Ah, fellow Daoists, we don't have the ring anymore," Li Xiaoya suddenly said. "The cultivators ahead already took our Golden Ring."
"That's right. Why don't we work together, fellow Daoists?" the Iron Lady chimed in.
"Hmph, do you take us for idiots? You entered Trial Mountain less than half an hour ago. You've been sneaking along invisibly the entire way and haven't clashed with any cultivators. The Golden Ring is on you, pretty boy. Stop trying to deny it," the first cultivator said, pointing at Li Xiaoya.
"!!" Everyone's expression changed drastically. They had been watched from the moment they entered the mountain.
"..." Li Xiaoya glanced helplessly at the others, then took the Golden Ring from his robes. "Since you've seen through us, there's nothing we can do. But you haven't collected all the gems yet, and there aren't many on my Golden Ring either."
"Hmph, don't worry. We collected enough gems long