(First update)
Below, seven or eight Nascent Soul Realm cultivators who appeared to belong to the Righteous Path had finally been overtaken by those demonic rogue cultivators. Surrounded on a small hillside and subjected to wave after wave of attacks, they were steadily losing ground and seemed close to breaking.
Tsk! Looks like they won't hold out much longer! Li Xiaoya had naturally noticed the scene, but he was not reckless enough to charge down and help. Over the years, he had witnessed plenty of chaotic battles over treasures like this. If they truly could not hold on, those righteous cultivators would most likely surrender the Five-Element Rainbow Ganoderma to save their lives. After all, however wonderful a treasure was, one had to be alive to use it. A free-for-all would inevitably erupt then, and that would be his best chance to act.
Many of the demonic cultivators taking part in the encirclement had the same idea. They were not exerting themselves fully, clearly conserving their strength for the struggle to come.
"Huh?" Li Xiaoya suddenly noticed that he was not the only one watching. Situated almost at the highest point along the basin's edge, he had a bird's-eye view of the entire basin, with nothing hidden from sight. Beyond the cultivators fighting below, several figures flickered atop a small hill farther away. They, too, seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Sure enough, events unfolded just as Li Xiaoya had expected!
Before those seven or eight righteous Nascent Soul Realm cultivators reached the end of their rope, they suddenly drew together into a circular formation. For a time, their defenses became as impregnable as walls of iron and a moat of boiling water, denying their attackers any advantage and bringing the battle to a stalemate. Of course,