Sensing the demonic energy beneath Furong Peak, Ji Shiyou's expression changed.
Controlling the Yingyue Sword, he descended from the sky with Mingyue.
Upon landing, he saw Shi Li and Gui Zi standing together.
Both had their eyes closed, their faces solemn.
Disciples from their respective sects stood behind them, continuously launching attacks.
Yet, their faces were filled with terror, as if experiencing something dreadful.
Around them, dozens of black-clad figures formed a circle.
Demonic energy surged from these figures, their forms constantly shifting.
They merged their demonic energy together, neutralizing the attacks.
It appeared they were using a formation to trap the people from the Sword Sect and Hundred Flowers Palace.
At the foot of Furong Peak, hundreds of people lay listlessly, their complexions withered.
Judging by their attire, some were disciples of the Xianmen sects, while others were rogue cultivators. They were likely among the first to enter the mountain.
They had been attacked and captured by demonic cultivators, becoming prisoners.
"Hahaha, people from Jinwu Palace.
Three of the Five Great Sects have arrived, but where are the Tianyin Sect and Tiandao Sect?
Even if all five Great Sects were here, you still wouldn't be able to lay a hand on the treasure.
This treasure does not belong to you. If you covet it,
no matter who you are, there's only one word: Die!"
Just as Ji Shiyou was about to break the formation to rescue them, a hearty laugh echoed from atop Furong Peak.
Following the laugh, a red silhouette descended from the sky. It was a handsome young man.
He wore an eye-piercing red robe and held a blood-red oil-paper umbrella.
Despite his handsome features, his pale complexion,
accentuated by the red attire and umbrella, appeared incredibly eerie.
Coupled with the bloodthirsty glint in his peach-blossom eyes,
he exuded an almost demonic aura, clearly a demonic cultivator.
He recognized the uniforms on Mingyue and the others, identifying them as disciples of Jinwu Palace.
However, he showed no restraint, his tone arrogant.
His words conveyed utter disdain and contempt for the Five Great Sects.
"Fall back, activate the Golden Crown to protect everyone."
Ji Shiyou paid no heed to the arrogant Scarlet Water Demon Lord.
He whispered instructions into Mingyue's ear, then beckoned with his hand.
Mingyue watched as her storage bag appeared in Ji Shiyou's grasp.
"What are you doing?"
Mingyue asked nervously, her storage bag being her lifeline.
"Borrowing a magical artifact."
Ji Shiyou retrieved the Spirit Devouring Whip that Mingyue had extorted from him, then returned the storage bag to her.
He couldn't openly use the Yingyue Sword at the moment, and his own storage bag was with Mingyue.
With no magical artifacts on his person, he had no choice but to borrow from Mingyue.
"Don't break it!"
Mingyue couldn't help but caution, completely forgetting that the Spirit Devouring Whip originally belonged to Ji Shiyou.
She then stepped back and activated the Golden Crown atop her head.
Instantly, golden light erupted, enveloping herself and the Jinwu Palace disciples.
As she activated the Golden Crown, Ji Shiyou moved like lightning, his whip lashing out.
His target was not the Scarlet Water Demon Lord, but the formation trapping the people from the Sword Sect and Hundred Flowers Palace.
He had already observed a weakness in the formation that held Gui Zi and the others.
Therefore, he intended to break the formation first and rescue the people from the two sects.
Once Shi Li and Gui Zi were freed, they would become a significant aid to him.
Ji Shiyou attacked without a word, without any warning.
This caught the Scarlet Water Demon Lord off guard.
He had not paid any attention to Ji Shiyou at all.
His defenses were focused on Mingyue, who wore the Jinwu Palace uniform and a Golden Crown.
Given her attire and the Yingyue Sword behind her,
she was clearly the leader of Jinwu Palace. When he saw Mingyue activating the Golden Crown,
the golden light below Furong Peak shone brilliantly, creating a grand spectacle.
The Scarlet Water Demon Lord assumed Mingyue was about to unleash a powerful attack.
Thus, he mobilized his full cultivation, preparing for battle.
To his surprise, after the golden light subsided, it merely protected the Jinwu Palace members. There was no sign of an attack.
And the young girl he had overlooked, wielding a long whip, suddenly surged forward.
She instantly reached the Scarlet Water formation that trapped the Sword Sect and Hundred Flowers Palace.
Countless whip shadows flickered. He wanted to intercept, but it was too late.
The girl he had dismissed had broken the formation with a single whip strike,
shattering all the puppets he had conjured with the Scarlet Water Art.
"Little girl, this Lord underestimated you."
Seeing Ji Shiyou break the formation with a whip and rescue the people from the Sword Sect and Hundred Flowers Palace,
the Scarlet Water Demon Lord's face darkened. Gritting his teeth, he snarled.
He spun the blood-red oil-paper umbrella in his hand, and hundreds of scarlet water arrows flew out.
Like a swarm of locusts, they shot towards Ji Shiyou.
As if his back had eyes, Ji Shiyou suddenly turned around.
He flicked the Spirit Devouring Whip in his hand, creating a whip flower.
The whip flower enveloped all the hundreds of water arrows.
With a flick and a twist, the water arrows were sent flying back.
Seeing the water arrows returning to strike him,
the Scarlet Water Demon Lord spun his oil-paper umbrella, using it as a shield.
The water arrows vanished upon contact with the umbrella's surface.
At the same time, Ji Shiyou, wielding the Spirit Devouring Whip, surged forward.
He lashed out at the oil-paper umbrella, forcing the Scarlet Water Demon Lord back five steps.
"Who are you?"
The Scarlet Water Demon Lord's expression shifted slightly. His peach-blossom eyes regarded Ji Shiyou with confusion.
He had misjudged. This inconspicuous young girl's
cultivation was far stronger and her power deeper than he had anticipated.
But before he could receive an answer from Ji Shiyou, he felt sword shadows descending from the sky.
"Kid Ji, I'm here to help you."
A roar of anger simultaneously rang out.
It was Shi Li, who had broken free from the formation, unleashing his Qinghe Sword in a fit of rage.
Shi Li felt utterly humiliated. He couldn't believe that with his vast experience in the martial world,
he had been caught in a trap so easily.
He blamed his carelessness for coming to the foot of Furong Peak,
distracted by his conversation with Gui Zi, which led them both to lower their guard.
They had unexpectedly fallen into the formation meticulously laid by the Scarlet Water Demon Lord.
Not only was their cultivation suppressed, but their five senses were lost.
They could neither see nor hear.
They felt nothing. If Ji Shiyou hadn't broken the formation from the outside,
everyone from the Sword Sect and Hundred Flowers Palace would have perished here.
What angered him most was that he had also implicated Gui Zi and embarrassed himself in front of her.
This was paramount. Thus, the first thing he did after breaking free
was to seek retribution from the Scarlet Water Demon Lord, wishing to slay him with a single sword strike.
In his fury, he unleashed his most potent Qinghe Sword.
The Scarlet Water Demon Lord saw the myriad sword shadows, flickering and shifting,
like young reeds swaying in the water, constantly changing direction, making them impossible to defend against.
He tossed the oil-paper umbrella in his hand into the air.
As the umbrella left his hand, it immediately enlarged, transforming into the size of a house.
This seemingly fragile, oil-paper umbrella, which looked as if it could be pierced with a poke,
emitted a red light. It could grow or shrink, clearly a magical artifact.
It shielded his body impenetrably, blocking the myriad sword shadows.
"Elder Shi Li of the Sword Sect, Qinghe Sword? Not bad.
But under my Nether-Red Umbrella, it's not enough.
To speak arrogantly, even if the Sword Sect Leader, Sword Maniac, were to come personally,
his Mad Demon Sword would not be able to break the defense of the Nether-Red Umbrella."
Beneath the Nether-Red Umbrella, the Scarlet Water Demon Lord appeared unhurried,
a sneer on his lips and contempt in his eyes.
"He's not enough, add me!"
Another furious roar echoed. From the ground covered by the Nether-Red Umbrella,
the earth suddenly churned, and a osmanthus tree burst forth.
It then transformed into a beautiful middle-aged woman in yellow, Elder Gui Zi of the Hundred Flowers Palace.
Her face was a mask of frost, her beautiful eyes filled with menace.
With a point of her finger, hundreds of osmanthus wood swords appeared.
Like a swarm of bees emerging from their hive, they lunged towards the Scarlet Water Demon Lord.
The Nether-Red Umbrella was already defending against Shi Li's Qinghe Sword. Now, with the Scarlet Water Demon Lord's
hands empty, he had no means to evade and was about to be riddled with holes.