Ganging up

"You little bastard, you're courting death!"

Lü Ci was so furious his hair nearly stood on end. He wanted nothing more than to tear the brat into ten thousand pieces on the spot.

But before he could vent that fury, someone across from him was already burning with even greater rage!

"Fuck your ancestors! You still dare talk back?!"

Black Mountain wasted not a single word, roaring as he lunged forward first.

His mouth never stopped either, showering Lü Ci with a barrage of greetings heavily featuring his mother. His vocabulary was so rich that not a single insult repeated!

It was this old bastard!

If his brother hadn't been so capable, with so many tricks up his sleeve, they might still have been going mad in that Blood Pool until they died of exhaustion!

Red Wind was equally enraged. He let out an earth-shaking tiger roar, wind blades swirling wildly around him as he became a crimson blur and pounced.

This devious old bastard had nearly killed all three brothers. How could they possibly swallow that anger?

The demons beside Si Chen had long been itching to repay him. Now that both their big brothers had charged in, who cared about a gap in cultivation, or whether their opponent had a nascent soul?

Their eyes bulged wide as they howled and hurled themselves at Lü Ci, heedless of their lives!

For a moment, bears roared and tigers bellowed, boars charged and wolves raced, and demonic energy soared skyward!

"Avenge Brother Si Chen!"

"Charge! Kill this old bastard!"

Cries of "old bastard" echoed through the cavern in endless waves.

The sheer scale and momentum of the assault made even the furious Lü Ci's eyelid twitch uncontrollably.

He might have been a nascent soul cultivator, but facing the desperate attacks of two demonic beasts of his own rank, along with dozens of fearless demons charging in wave after wave, even he felt his scalp prickle!

The Gray-Robed Elder reacted swiftly, immediately pulling Young Master Fang back to the edge of the cavern, clearly unwilling to get caught in the melee.

Faced with so many demonic beasts, plus two powerful third-tier leaders, the elder had no choice but to proceed cautiously.

Young Master Fang's brows knitted slightly. They hadn't expected this turn of events, and uncertainty flickered in his eyes.

"Get out of my way, all of you!"

Lü Ci drove Red Wind back with a slash, but Black Mountain's heavy bear paw was already hurtling toward his face. He had to bring his sword back to block it, and the impact numbed his arm.

The more he struggled, the more viciously Black Mountain cursed. "Get out of your mother's way! I'll shove your head up your ass!"

Elsewhere, the two Core Formation elders who had followed Lü Ci were suffering as well.

"Watch out, Sect Master!"

Bang!

Elder Zhang had barely shouted before a Rhino Demon rammed him and sent him flying.

Elder Sun fared even worse. Three Wolf Demons entangled him at once, and blood immediately appeared on his arm. "This won't do! There are too many!"

Seven or eight second-tier demonic beasts surrounded them. Thick-skinned and tough-fleshed, the beasts endured their Sword Qi just to lunge in and take a bite.

Among those of the same rank, demons already held an overwhelming physical advantage. What chance did the elders have when they were so badly outnumbered?

The two struggled to fend off attacks from every side. Soon, several bloody wounds deep enough to expose bone marked their bodies, and their Daoist robes were torn to shreds.

Lü Ci was having no easier a time.

Black Mountain and Red Wind worked in perfect harmony, one heavy and powerful, the other swift as the wind. Every attack targeted his vital points.

His gaze toward Si Chen grew even more venomous, because Si Chen hadn't lifted a finger from beginning to end. He simply stood there quietly.

Yet Si Chen's attention had already left the battlefield.

His gaze settled on the Flood Dragon's mountainlike, coiled corpse, and the faint fluctuations seeping out from beneath it.

An instinctive yearning born of the Nine Tribulations Thunder Body drew him involuntarily, step by slow step, toward the dragon's corpse.

The closer he came, the clearer that sensation became.

Whatever is underneath, it must be connected to yang thunder!

When Young Master Fang saw Si Chen approach the Flood Dragon's corpse, his expression immediately darkened and shifted.

He quietly asked the elder beside him, "Elder Mo, are you confident you can keep Lü Ci alive?"

The Gray-Robed Elder naturally understood his young master's meaning...

If Lü Ci fell here, the two of them alone would have a hard time taking the treasure beneath the dragon's corpse from this youth and the assembled demons.

Elder Mo considered for a moment before saying, "That should be manageable, but once we intervene..."

"It doesn't matter." Young Master Fang cut him off. It seemed he, too, was determined to obtain whatever lay beneath the Flood Dragon's corpse.

At that, Elder Mo nodded and said no more. His figure flashed as he joined the battle, his sleeves billowing as a supple yet immense force intercepted the pouncing Red Wind.

"Where did this old fossil come from? Looking to die?!" Seeing this, Black Mountain immediately diverted half his cursing prowess toward Elder Mo.

Elder Mo acted as though he hadn't heard. His palm strikes were powerful and solid, receiving every one of Red Wind's attacks without yielding an inch. He was actually an expert at the nascent soul middle stage!

With this Gray-Robed Elder of the Nascent Soul Realm joining the fray, the pressure on Lü Ci dropped sharply. Elated, he seized the chance to knock aside Black Mountain's bear paw and called out:

"Thank you for your righteous assistance, Young Master Fang!"

"You're too courteous, Sect Master Lü. Since we're friends, helping you is only natural." Young Master Fang stood outside the fighting, his tone composed, as though he truly had stepped in upon witnessing an injustice.

Only then did Si Chen shift his gaze from the dragon's corpse to this so-called Young Master Fang. "You're going to interfere?"

At those words, Young Master Fang wore a perfectly measured smile of helplessness. "Fellow Daoist Si Chen, why such anger? Sect Master Lü is my friend, after all. I can hardly stand by and watch him die."

He was plainly worried about failing to obtain the treasure, yet he dressed it up in such lofty words.

Si Chen shook his head. After living on the Mountain of Ten Thousand Silences for over two years, he had grown increasingly averse to dealing with such hypocritical people.

He curled his right hand around empty air. Dazzling lightning instantly surged forth, condensing into a Thunderbolt Spear.

"Then please die as well."

Before his words had faded, the lightning spear had already turned into a bolt and shot toward Young Master Fang!

Young Master Fang hadn't expected Si Chen to attack without warning, let alone so decisively. His expression shifted slightly, and he darted aside, narrowly avoiding the lightning-swift strike.

The lightning spear slammed into the rock wall behind him, blasting out a shower of shattered stone.

"You dare!"

The last trace of that false smile vanished from Young Master Fang's face, replaced by a fierce look.

He drew a long saber with a reverse-handed motion, chilling cold radiating from it. Spiritual light flowed across its blade like rippling water, making it clear at a glance that this was no ordinary weapon.

He moved with tremendous speed, appearing before Si Chen in an instant, then swept his long saber across in a slash!

Si Chen neither dodged nor retreated. He curled his left hand around empty air, instantly forming another Thunderbolt Spear, and raised it like a short staff to block!

Clang-!

Lightning and saber energy collided violently, electricity spilling from the Thunderbolt Spear!

The scene Young Master Fang had envisioned-driving his opponent back with a single slash-never materialized.

The recoil transmitted through his blade was heavy and steady, leaving his wrist slightly numb. His pupils contracted in shock.

He was at the core formation late stage, and had tempered his body with his Lineage's secret medicines since childhood. His strength far surpassed others of his rank.

With this supreme-grade spirit artifact in hand, he could put up a fight even against an ordinary nascent soul early stage cultivator. Yet now he couldn't force someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm back even half a step?

In fact, in this clash of sheer strength, he had even fallen slightly behind!

Watching a battle and personally taking part were two entirely different things.

He had always assumed Si Chen had only made Lü Ci suffer earlier by relying on the Flight-Restricting Seal and the advantageous terrain at the entrance.

Only now, after crossing weapons himself, did he truly grasp the terrifying power concealed within that seemingly slender body, and the outrageously solid foundation beneath it!

This blue-robed youth was truly difficult to deal with!