Instantly, the second and third bolts followed closely behind!
The other three, however, heard clearly, their faces filled with utter horror!
"You... you are..." a formation master?
Before they could finish speaking, the thick blades within the vortex in the sky doubled in number! They couldn't even complete their sentences!
Seeing this, the four hastily dodged. The big bearded man snorted disdainfully, waving his hand to shatter the blades with spiritual energy. Just as he was about to forcibly break through the formation, the spiritual energy he exerted proved useless. Instead, more and more figures descended from above...
Meanwhile, some smaller blades flew rapidly within this space. A careless brush would slice their skin. In just half a minute, all four were covered in wounds of various sizes.
Though not fatal, they were agonizing! Not to mention that by constantly evading, their stamina and spiritual energy would eventually run out...
Realizing this, everyone was stunned! The big bearded man was in an even worse state, as he had actively attacked the blades and the barrier. Most of the incoming attacks were directed at him, their power no less than the heavenly lightning that accompanied the advancement to Heavenly Dao powerhouses!
At this moment, they finally understood the true identity of the person they were pursuing...
A Heavenly Dao King at the age of forty! Someone recognized by the Heavenly Dao who controlled the temporal attribute of the domain! And that astonishing vanishing technique! Most importantly... she was a formation master!!
Ha! Such individuals were rare in the Upper Realm, yet today they had witnessed one firsthand!
Not only that, but their mission was to hunt down this very person? Haha, it was utterly ridiculous!
The big bearded man was shaken to his core, yet also burning with rage! Feeling powerless and unwilling! While dodging the attacks, he roared.
"You planned this all along! If that's the case, why did you keep running?"
The others also suddenly snapped back to reality. That's right, if the opponent possessed such a formidable killing formation, why did she run for so long and even get captured and severely injured by them?
Jin Bao'er, while healing, wasn't surprised by this question. Formation masters were rare in the Upper Realm, and they certainly wouldn't understand how formations were set up. She then opened her eyes and looked at them, her gaze icy.
"You're all about to die, yet you have so much to say!"
The big bearded man was furious, but he desperately wanted to know why, so he bellowed.
"Even if we die, you should at least let us die with understanding, shouldn't you? Otherwise, we won't be reconciled!"
Jin Bao'er paused, her gaze sweeping over the four before her eyes narrowed. Seeing their stamina depleted and spiritual energy about to be exhausted, she pondered for a moment before realizing something and moving slightly.
"Fools, of course, I was setting up the formation. Otherwise, why do you think I would have run? Such a massive绞杀阵 (Jiǎo shā zhèn - Killing Formation) naturally requires more formation points."
The big bearded man stopped upon hearing this. He truly didn't know this. The others were the same! Immediately, the big bearded man charged in front of the other three, unleashing his spiritual energy frantically to block all the blade attacks! His injuries quickly worsened!
Jin Bao'er watched them intently! She had long guessed their intentions, and a mocking expression flickered in her eyes.
Subsequently, the three slowly waved their hands, muttering incantations. But after a long while, there was no change around them!
At this very moment!
"No! Jin Lingdang is gone!"
The second one frantically searched his waist, but couldn't find the Jin Lingdang anywhere. The panic on his face intensified! The other two quickly searched as well, but found nothing...
The big bearded man panicked upon hearing this and, in his uncontrollable rage, began to berate the second one fiercely!
"Idiot! How do you keep track of things? Can't even handle this small matter properly?"
As he spoke, a massive wind blade descended, slicing off a piece of muscle from his arm...
"Ah!!"
A tragic wail echoed. Jin Bao'er remained unmoved. Seeing their utter panic, she finally extended her right hand, her gaze calm as she looked at them.
"Are you gentlemen looking for this?"
She wasn't foolish. The three of them were clearly strongest when controlling this Jin Lingdang, so how could she ignore it?
As for their previous actions, it was clear they intended to use the Jin Lingdang as a tool for self-protection. The worst outcome from the damage caused by the formation's attacks would be a loss of one cultivation level, which was nothing compared to their lives.
The four turned their heads in unison. Upon seeing the Jin Lingdang in Jin Bao'er's hand, they were absolutely furious! Their dark faces glared at Jin Bao'er, wishing they could kill her and then devour her!
However, Jin Bao'er remained unfazed. She flicked her wrist and sent a surge of spiritual energy into the spiritual vortex above her head!
Instantly, the vortex expanded dramatically, and the descending attacks multiplied exponentially! This left them with no time to even glare at her...
They darted around within, cursing Jin Bao'er, their pain evident but their despair absent!
Jin Bao'er, listening to their curses, pursed her lips slightly! Then she suddenly spoke.
"You don't think this formation will disappear with time or when its power is exhausted, do you?"
The fleeing figures paused abruptly, their expressions gradually stiffening...
Jin Bao'er, however, suddenly laughed, her laughter exceptionally sarcastic.
"Tch... disappointed, are we! As long as you don't die and your spiritual energy doesn't dissipate, this Killing Formation will never cease!"
This was the terrifying aspect of the Killing Formation! The more the formation was attacked, the more the attacking spiritual energy would be absorbed by the formation, thereby increasing the number and danger of the blades. The blades that descended, after dissipating, would be quickly reabsorbed by the formation...
Spiritual energy never dissipated, and attacks never ceased! Until the individuals within were slaughtered, or they found the formation's core and destroyed it, the formation would naturally disappear.
However, Jin Bao'er had deliberately chosen the location of the formation's core, making it impossible for the trapped individuals to see or reach it.
In just half an hour, the four had exhausted all their strength. When the first person's head was severed by the others, his body stopped moving and was instantly torn to shreds by countless fine blades.
Following closely, it was the second, then the third, until finally, the big bearded man let out a roar of unwilling defiance before his entire body was completely minced.
All four were dead, leaving behind only scattered fragments of flesh and some items that had burst out within the space...
Jin Bao'er retracted her spirit tree branches, and the formation vanished. She walked in and collected the spirit stones and some magical treasures from their hands. The remaining items with traces of blood and malevolent energy were utterly destroyed by her.
Once everything returned to its original state, she changed into new spiritual clothes and summoned Chu Tiancai and the other person. The weather was clear, and the sky was cloudless! Aside from some damaged mountain rocks and scattered flesh, stones, and pits on the ground, everything else was the same as when they had left.
The sect leader of the Refining Sect, Chu Tianlin, who was in the house, remained unaffected and continued his dedicated refining. Jin Bao'er, after a scan with her spiritual sense, felt a sense of melancholy but could also sense the increasingly pure aura of the Soul Slicer.
Unlike the aura of a semi-grade immortal artifact, it now exuded a power more akin to the pressure of a true immortal artifact!