The tone, demeanor, and expression…
Everything enraged the burly man, who impulsively lunged at her! Spiritual energy surged with his long saber, each blow unleashing tremendous force that carved deep pits into the ground…
Jin Bao’er felt a surge of danger, her expression grim! Relying on her slightly superior speed and the aid of her domain, she retreated continuously!
However, the burly man was no fool. After a few exchanges, he accurately predicted her position. With one hand gripping his saber to strike, his other fist slammed directly into Jin Bao’er’s abdomen…
A dense mass of red spiritual energy pulsed from his fist, amplifying the damage! The intense spiritual energy pierced straight through her body, its force vibrating the very air!
"Pfft…"
A mouthful of blood spewed out violently. Her face instantly turned ashen, her internal organs feeling as though they were shattering. Pain coursed through every limb and bone, draining much of her strength!
The burly man’s strike landed true, a fierce excitement flashing across his face. He had poured half of his spiritual power into that punch; Jin Bao’er would be crippled, if not killed!
"Brat! Running away? Why aren't you running now? Hah!"
With that, he threw another punch, and another, landing them squarely on Jin Bao’er’s abdomen! Watching her writhe in agony, his anger gradually found its release.
After two more blows, perhaps because she hadn’t let out a single scream of pain, he grew bored. He reached out to crush Jin Bao’er’s dantian!
But his hand was firmly grasped by a slender, pale finger with astonishing strength!
The burly man was shocked! He stared blankly at Jin Bao’er, meeting her dark, fathomless eyes. For some reason, a chilling fear suddenly washed over him…
Fear? Hah! She was just a dying woman!
He told himself this, yet the shock in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.
Jin Bao’er had lost much of her strength, but she knew the consequences of her dantian being destroyed! She had worked so hard to reach this point; how could she willingly die here…
A potent will to survive and seething rage filled her chest. The pain in her body stimulated her reason. Any slight movement brought unimaginable agony, a fate worse than death! Darkness swam before her eyes, and she could barely make out the burly man’s features…
Yet her hands still gripped his arm, resisting his attempt to crush her dantian!
No… she couldn’t die! She wouldn’t!
At this moment, an overwhelming desire to live almost consumed her consciousness. The fiery rage and stubborn will from the depths of her soul rapidly flooded her entire sea of consciousness…
Unseen by her, the talisman in her sea of consciousness, which had never shown any reaction before, suddenly stirred, rising as if caught in a breeze…
Pure white light emanated from the talisman, its immense spiritual energy slowly reviving. It flowed into her body, mending her damaged internal organs and replenishing her depleted stamina and energy!
Simultaneously, a light pink energy, upon contact, merged with the white light, creating a force that amplified, surging wildly within her…
Fen Bei sensed her distress and wanted to help, but found itself unable to break free. It dared not reveal itself forcefully, fearing it would harm Jin Bao’er’s sea of consciousness. Noticing the white light radiating from the talisman above the sea of consciousness, it also wished to assist, but it possessed no spiritual energy. Even the spiritual fluid within its shell had vanished after it gained sentience.
It felt… rather useless.
At this very moment, it failed to notice a piece of black iron it had brought out briefly gleam before becoming still once more…
Outside, as Jin Bao’er felt her internal strength surge, she quickly detected the talisman's activity. She wasn't overly surprised, but instead became even more wary of the burly man. After all, if he discovered this, he would undoubtedly slaughter her more ruthlessly!
However…
What did she see?!
At this instant, even she couldn't help but gasp in disbelief!
The burly man remained frozen in his stance and expression, even the beard that danced with his spiritual energy had ceased its movement!
The wind stopped… the spiritual energy froze!
She quickly turned her head and saw the three figures behind her also motionless. She could even clearly discern the expressions and subtle actions on their faces…
In an instant! She jolted awake and, regardless of who was aiding her, quickly broke free from the burly man’s grasp and lunged to snatch the golden bell from the second brother’s waist!
Don’t ask why she didn’t seize the opportunity to kill them. Given her current injuries, without a weapon and uncertain of when her strength would return, completing the formation was the most rational course of action. If she failed to kill them and they recovered, she would be the one to die.
Then, enduring the intense pain in her body, she hastily flew to the formation’s core she had chosen earlier, placed the still-wilting elven branch upon it, and began chanting…
At this very moment, time began to flow again!
The burly man felt a sudden lightness in his hand, and the blue figure vanished. A gentle breeze rustled, and he stared with disbelieving eyes. He quickly looked around, his gaze fixing on Jin Bao’er, and then he charged again, intending to slaughter her!
The other three shared the same sentiment. In the blink of an eye, the figure had vanished. No matter how cautious they were, Jin Bao’er had truly disappeared!
"Over there!"
As the burly man moved, the other three reacted and immediately surrounded Jin Bao’er once more! Although they didn’t know what had just happened, seeing that Jin Bao’er wasn’t escaping but instead performing some peculiar ritual, they couldn’t allow it to continue.
Just as the burly man’s saber was about to strike Jin Bao’er’s back, the elven branch vanished, and the beast cores placed in various parts of the mountain also disappeared simultaneously! A colossal power gathered in the air…
The formation… was complete!
The burly man felt his world spin before he was instantly transported to the ground, his three brothers sharing the same fate. Jin Bao’er, however, appeared over fifty meters away!
What happened again?
First Jin Bao’er suddenly disappeared, then they were inexplicably transported here. What was going on?!
At this moment, the four of them suddenly noticed a massive spiritual energy storm gathering above their heads, drawing in the power of almost the entire mountain range. They didn’t know what it was, but they didn’t wait to be passive. They tried to leave but found themselves trapped within a transparent barrier that held them firmly in place!
Jin Bao’er walked closer. Her blue robes, stained crimson with blood, looked particularly tragic, yet this did not detract from her current exquisite beauty and intense killing intent!
"I advise you all not to struggle, lest you lose even your bodies after death! How would I send you back to your sects."
With that, she sat down cross-legged and stuffed Spirit Gathering Pills into her mouth recklessly, accelerating the healing of her ruptured internal organs! Fortunately, she was still a physical cultivator, otherwise she would have been crippled long ago!
The burly man, hearing her words, became enraged. He hadn't fully processed what she said… just as he was about to curse, an immensely thick blade suddenly descended from the sky!
"BOOM!!"