The enormous banners fluttered precariously in the sky, their long tassels almost snapping off in the turbulent air currents.
The cultivators were being carried erratically through the clouds by the Duck Beast King, and it seemed they were about to follow the Duck Beast King's figure away.
The True Lord's face darkened, and a deep sense of regret flashed in his eyes.
This battle was intended to be fought with all our might, but this wretched creature was only concerned with survival and did not want to stay at the Pinglu Daoist Sanctuary, causing the True Lord's preparations to fall through.
At this moment, they made a move to leave, which is neither good nor bad for the Pinglu Daoist Sanctuary.
But will I still have the strength to fight back when I encounter this scourge again...?
Various thoughts flashed through his mind as he watched the Duck Beast King and his cultivators drift uncertainly in the sky.
The True Lord sighed deeply. When he looked up at the Heavenly Court, the enormous body of the Duck Beast King had already turned into a tiny dot under the sky.
This is something I'm not capable of handling...
Seeing that the Duck Beast King was determined to leave, and fearing a trap, the True Lord did not dare to force it to stay.
With a flick of his purple sleeves, his entire body appeared in the clouds, and he then silently chanted an incantation towards the enormous banner.
The magical Magic Power within him gradually flowed within, and he emerged with the True Lord's incantation.
Xu Long felt that the immense energy was rapidly circulating within the Banners Forming a Forest Formation.
It seems that the True Lord is slowing down the energy within the formation, allowing the Duck Beast King to leave on its own.
After a spell was chanted, the Duck Beast King in the sky felt lighter.
It discovered that the golden net that had imprisoned it had slowly begun to unravel.
The invisible golden patterns were slowly spreading out, and the binding force on his body also disappeared as the patterns vanished.
The banners amidst the clouds slowly came to a stop, and the cultivators below steadied themselves beneath them.
As the golden patterns receded, they followed their previous paths back onto the umbrella canopy.
The immense energy from before slowly withdrew from the formation, Xu Long felt the protection the banners provided for him was weakening.
At this point, the close connection among the crowd had been broken, and the True Lord removed the Banners Forming a Forest Formation.
The cultivators in the arena bowed with one hand to the True Lord in unison, paused slightly, and then said:
We have met the True Lord!
"Thank you all for your help, fellow Daoists. It's a pity we couldn't capture that Duck Beast King this time..."
The True Lord shook his purple robe in the air, indicating to the cultivators that there was no need for formalities.
When his gaze swept across the crowd, he deliberately paused in front of Xu Long.
Xu Long had already concealed his celestial Celestial Phenomenon, while Zhenjun, having noticed something amiss, had a strange glint in his eyes.
But this was immediately concealed in his eyes, and then he addressed the cultivators again:
"Haha! I must thank you all for this time, fellow Daoists. This old man..."
" Old Ghost Pinglu! One day, I will surely raze this place to the ground and avenge this humiliation!"
Before the True Lord could finish speaking, a mournful roar came from the sky.
The cultivators trembled upon hearing the voice, their fear barely concealed.
It was the voice of the Duck Beast King. When it came from the sky, the cultivators thought it had launched a surprise attack.
This greatly frightened the cultivators. After scanning the area with their True Spirit, they discovered that the Duck Beast King's body was not approaching.
Only then did the crowd calm down, though their eyes still showed signs of shock.
Seeing this, Zhenjun shook his head slightly. He didn't blame the cultivators for their embarrassing reaction, but rather that the Duck Beast King had left too deep an impression on them.
At this moment, his words were interrupted by the roar of the Duck Beast King, but the True Lord below was not annoyed.
Instead, with a flick of his wrist, the Thousand-Jun Tower rose up beside him in an instant, the precious pearl atop the pagoda bobbing up and down, its rays of light seemingly trying to reach out to the heavens.
The cultivators beneath the tower finally felt a sense of relief. At this moment, the True Monarch amplified his sonic waves and replied to the Duck Beast King in the heavens with a mocking tone:
"Hahaha! Why did Your Majesty leave without saying goodbye? Could it be that my Pinglu Daoist Sanctuary failed to provide adequate hospitality? If Your Majesty returns to the Pinglu Daoist Sanctuary, I will certainly come out to welcome you and ensure that Your Majesty does not leave disappointed!"
The True Lord refuted everything the Duck Beast King had said, and with a sly smile, he mocked the Duck Beast King, leaving him empty-handed.
Seeing the True Lord's relaxed and carefree expression, the cultivators in the arena finally calmed down again.
Although he was alone there, the True Lord's aura was enough to reassure people.
However, everyone only saw the True Lord's relaxed demeanor and did not notice anything amiss.
After the great battle with the Duck Beast King, the True Monarch's breathing was slightly disordered, and his gaunt face also showed signs of difficulty.
He did not show it in front of the other cultivators, leading them to mistakenly believe that the True Lord was truly unharmed.
The rolling sound waves reached the sky, but the circling Duck Beast King in the air did not fly into a rage upon hearing them.
Its narrow eyes carefully examined the two figures below, then a meaningful smile appeared in its eyes.
Pinglu Daoist Sanctuary will be trampled to the ground sooner or later!
Without retaliating against the True Lord, the Duck Beast King turned its nine heads and followed a direction in the sky.
Its wings unfurled once more, and its massive body rose gracefully into the air, a hurricane sweeping across the sky.
The small black dot in everyone's sight vanished instantly, leaving only a long, drawn-out cry in the sky.
Watching the Duck Beast King turn and leave, a hint of doubt flashed in the True Monarch's eyes. Was this wretched creature really just gone like that?
But now is not the time to investigate further, nor is it a place to linger in the air. The True Lord looked at the remaining cultivators and flicked his wide sleeves.
The Thousand-Jun Tower that had been rising in the air turned around in an instant, and a withered hand reached out, the seven-story pagoda landing steadily between the True Lord's palm.
After putting away the Thousand-Jun Tower, the True Monarch stood tall and looked down at the crowd of cultivators, his gaze lingering briefly on Xu Long once more.
Then, with a proud expression, he addressed the crowd:
"Gentlemen! Today, our Pinglu Daoist Sanctuary has achieved a great victory! Follow me into the main branch!"
"We will obey the decree!"
Upon hearing the True Lord speak, all the cultivators cheered.
Then, the leading cultivators all beamed with joy, as if they had heard something good.
This left some cultivators who were participating in the battle against the Beast King for the first time somewhat confused.
"Hahaha! Follow me, all of you!"
Seeing the crowd cheering, bustling with people, and beaming with joy, Zhenjun once again smiled with boundless pride.
His powerful voice echoed between heaven and earth, and the crowd below couldn't help but stare at his figure.
The demeanor of a Golden Immortal cultivator was fully revealed at this moment.
The True Lord did not explain why he was going to the main branch, but then waved his wide sleeves, signaling the cultivators to follow.
He turned around first and stepped into the Metal Moat and Boiling Rampart Formation.
Seeing that the True Lord had gone ahead, the cultivators followed him at the signal of the leader.
When Xu Long descended from the clouds, he discovered that the ferocious beast tide surrounding the Metal Moat and Boiling Rampart had mostly receded.