Nascent Soul Self-Detonation

At those words, even the howling mountain winds on White Fox Ridge seemed to fall silent.

Nangong Yao remained expressionless.

Liu Xuan Yin and Jiang Bailu, however, felt their pupils contract slightly and cursed inwardly.

The other party knew full well that You Sha and the other demonic cultivators were dead, yet he still said such a thing. Clearly, he had no intention of handing over the Heavenly Dao Sect's disciples!

Nangong Yao frowned. "Sect Master Ji, since you already know that your fourth elder and the others have perished, why say such a thing?"

Ji Wucang narrowed his eyes and sneered. "Isn't that a rather biased thing to say, Sect Master Nangong? Are the lives of your Heavenly Dao Sect's disciples worth something, while the lives of my Great Evolution Demonic Sect's elders and disciples are worth nothing? You actually want your disciples back? Dream on!"

Nangong Yao's tone grew stern. "Do not twist the facts. Our disciples never provoked your Great Evolution Demonic Sect. You were the ones who struck first and abducted them. As for your fourth elder and the others, they laid an ambush within our territory. They brought their deaths upon themselves and have no one else to blame!"

"Hahaha! Don't lecture me with that useless reasoning and logic. I'll make myself clear today: stop dreaming of getting your Heavenly Dao Sect disciples back!"

Ji Wucang laughed, his cold, sinister grin nearly stretching to his ears.

The wind howled across the mountaintop, growing colder and colder.

Nangong Yao and Ji Wucang stared coldly at each other.

The elders on both sides likewise watched their opponents without blinking.

Like a bow drawn into a full moon, the situation could erupt at the slightest touch.

A moment later, Nangong Yao drew a deep breath, turned with his two elders, and prepared to leave.

Since they could not reach an agreement, there was no point in continuing the discussion.

They would deliberate further once they returned.

"Sect Master Nangong, do you think I'll let you leave unharmed?"

Just then, Ji Wucang spoke with a smile.

Nangong Yao stopped and turned his head. "What do you mean, Sect Master Ji? Do you think that bringing one more elder than I did gives you leave to overstep?"

Liu Xuan Yin and Jiang Bailu turned around and watched Ji Wucang's group intently. They were vigilant, but unafraid.

This group could not keep them here.

Still, they could not help cursing inwardly. The Demonic Sect truly was shameless.

"Hehehe. Our fourth elder, You Sha, cannot have died for nothing."

Ji Wucang smiled, then raised his hands and clapped.

One of the Demonic Sect's elders immediately sat cross-legged, took out a formation flag, silently recited an incantation, and thrust spiritual power into it!

Sensing something, Nangong Yao's expression shifted slightly, and he shouted, "Go!"

Liu Xuan Yin and Jiang Bailu's hearts tightened. They shot into the air alongside Nangong Yao, intending to fly away from White Fox Ridge!

Yet at that very moment, countless eerie, shadowy lights flared across White Fox Ridge, making the already gloomy ridge look even more chilling, like hell itself.

The eerie lights slithered like snakes, swiftly winding in from every direction. Soon, they intertwined and enveloped all of White Fox Ridge!

This sudden sight also alarmed several nearby cultivation sects. Their members hurried toward White Fox Ridge to see what had happened on the mountain, wondering whether some extraordinary treasure had appeared.

Meanwhile.

Nangong Yao and his two elders stood in midair, their escape blocked by the eerie, shadowy barrier!

"This is bad!"

Liu Xuan Yin shouted, then said gravely, "Sect Master, the Great Evolution Demonic Sect actually set up a grand formation in advance!"

Nangong Yao remained expressionless, but his fists slowly clenched, and his gaze darkened.

He had deliberately chosen White Fox Ridge because it was relatively close to the Heavenly Dao Sect, hoping to make the other party wary. He had still failed to anticipate that the Great Evolution Demonic Sect would dare act so brazenly.

Even less had he expected Ji Wucang to come here and lay down a grand formation in just three short days!

What a Great Evolution Demonic Sect! Their methods were impressive indeed!

There would likely be no peaceful resolution today.

Jiang Bailu spun around, pointed at Ji Wucang, and growled, "Despicable and shameless!"

Ji Wucang said nothing, but an elder behind him laughed sinisterly. "So what if we're despicable and shameless? We're a demonic sect to begin with. Don't expect to judge us by your righteous sects' rules!"

"You!"

Jiang Bailu was furious, but those words left him with no reply.

Suddenly, Liu Xuan Yin's tone grew anxious. "Sect Master, Third Elder, do you feel it? The spiritual power in our bodies is slowly draining away. It's very, very slow, but it really is draining!"

Nangong Yao and Jiang Bailu had naturally sensed it as well. They looked up at the grand formation, their expressions growing graver.

It had to be this demonic formation's doing.

This demonic formation was truly bizarre. They had never even heard of it before.

As expected of the first-rate Great Evolution Demonic Sect, its reserves ran exceedingly deep.

"Hmph. This is the Nether Snake Dragon-Suppressing Grand Formation. It cuts off everything. If cultivators trapped within it cannot escape, the longer they remain, the faster their spiritual power drains. All that drained spiritual power replenishes the Nether Snake Dragon-Suppressing Grand Formation. As one wanes and the other waxes, you will grow weaker and weaker, while the formation becomes ever more unbreakable. In the end, the formation's snake spirit will manifest and devour you!"

The Demonic Sect elder sitting cross-legged on the ground with the formation flag sneered.

Ji Wucang and the other two elders likewise revealed sinister smiles.

Hearing this, Nangong Yao and his two elders drew deep breaths. Even without the Great Evolution Demonic Sect elder's explanation, they could discern the formation's workings from what they sensed and the changes in it.

It truly was an exceedingly insidious grand formation!

"Second Elder, break the formation! Third Elder, hold them off with me!"

Nangong Yao immediately shouted.

They could not afford to delay. Ji Wucang and his group would never sit back and watch them break the formation, so they could only have one person work on it while the others held their enemies off.

"Yes!" Jiang Bailu answered, taking out a horsetail whisk.

Nangong Yao glanced at the Demonic Sect elder sitting cross-legged over there and transmitted his voice. "Second Elder, if you cannot break the formation, find an opportunity to seize that formation flag!"

Liu Xuan Yin nodded firmly.

Seeing this, Ji Wucang sneered. "Third Elder, come with me to face Nangong Yao and Jiang Bailu. Fourth Elder, just guard the fifth elder controlling the formation. Do not let anyone ambush him."

The Demonic Sect's fourth elder nodded. "Understood."

Right now, they did not need to defeat the Heavenly Dao Sect's three cultivators at all. Simply holding them here would suffice.

Given enough time, the three would run out of spiritual power and collapse without any further attack.

Boom!

The next moment, the two sides clashed!

All manner of spells flew in a dazzling flurry!

Powerful fluctuations of Nascent Soul aura shook White Fox Ridge, making the earth tremble and mountains shudder for a thousand li around.

Seeing this onslaught, Liu Xuan Yin burned with anxiety as he frantically studied the Nether Snake Dragon-Suppressing Grand Formation!

If only the sixth elder had come with them. Of everyone in the Heavenly Dao Sect, the sixth elder was the most skilled in formations. But they had never expected anything like this to happen.

The battle on White Fox Ridge was ferocious beyond measure. The spell light soaring into the sky and the Nascent Soul pressure terrified the nearby sect cultivators who had come to investigate, sending them straight back the way they had come!

Some who had arrived earlier and ventured too close were shaken into bloody mist before they could even flee!

This was no extraordinary treasure appearing. Nascent Soul old monsters were fighting here!

Time passed, breath by breath.

Now, every breath of time was immeasurably precious to Nangong Yao and his two elders.

The battle raged fiercely, and both sides had suffered injuries of varying severity.

Liu Xuan Yin's breathing grew rapid. Unable to find a way to break the formation, he gradually began to panic. He could not help looking toward the seated Demonic Sect elder controlling it, but when he saw someone guarding him, he feared there was no hope of seizing the formation flag.

Meanwhile, between the intense fighting and the formation's effects, the spiritual power within Nangong Yao and his two elders was draining rapidly.

If this continued, the consequences would be unthinkable!

Yet the smiles on Ji Wucang's group grew ever broader. It seemed they could do more than gravely wound Nangong Yao today. They might even keep him here for good!

"Sect Master! You and the second elder must go!"

Just then, Jiang Bailu growled, his horsetail whisk stained with blood.

Ji Wucang and his group's gazes sharpened as they stared at Jiang Bailu.

Nangong Yao and Liu Xuan Yin froze. Then, seeing Jiang Bailu's abdomen gradually swell, their pupils abruptly contracted!

"Third Elder! Don't!"

"If this continues, none of us will escape." Jiang Bailu smiled. "Sect Master, you said I cared only about Jingyao and not the other disciples, but those were thoughtless words spoken in my anxiety. Just now, I inadvertently said the wrong thing again. Although the master could not hear it, please apologize to him for me after you return to the sect... Sect Master, I often speak without choosing my words, but for the sect, I am willing even to die!"

With that, Jiang Bailu's abdomen rapidly swelled!!!

Nangong Yao and Liu Xuan Yin's eyes instantly reddened, and their entire bodies began to tremble!

"No, don't..."

At that moment, Ji Wucang and his group also turned pale!

They had never imagined anything like this would happen!

Ji Wucang roared anxiously, "Dispel the formation! Retreat!"

Whoosh!

The Nether Snake Dragon-Suppressing Grand Formation dissipated. Ji Wucang shot Nangong Yao a resentful glance, then fled beyond White Fox Ridge with his three elders!

Despite his grief, Liu Xuan Yin grabbed the stunned Nangong Yao and shot away as well!

The next moment.

Boom-!

A tremendous explosion erupted at the summit of White Fox Ridge. The ridge was abruptly razed to the ground, and an immense shock wave swept in every direction. For hundreds of li around, all things withered and were destroyed!

"Pfft!"

Nangong Yao, Ji Wucang, and the others had not escaped far before the blast caught them. Their bodies jolted in unison, and they spat out great mouthfuls of blood, all suffering serious injuries!

Such was the terror of a Nascent Soul's self-detonation when all consequences were cast aside!

Oblivious to their injuries, Nangong Yao and Liu Xuan Yin slowly turned around and stared blankly at the distant White Fox Ridge, now flattened to the ground.

Tears filled Liu Xuan Yin's aged eyes. "Sect Master, the th-third elder, he..."

Nangong Yao's vacant gaze slowly focused. His voice trembled, brimming with murderous intent. "Back... back to the sect!"