This Is Not Our...

The Goat Masked figure swiftly turned and transformed into a rainbow streak, darting straight toward the Silent Bone Forest.

In just a few breaths, he had already returned to the forest.

His divine sense swept across the slightly chaotic scene before quickly lifting his gaze toward Li Xingtian, who still hovered in the air, drenched in blood and aura.

“Him?” the Goat Masked figure asked tersely.

“Him!” Donggua hurriedly nodded.

Once confirmed, the Goat Masked figure wasted no time—he flung Donggua aside with force before charging straight at Li Xingtian.

“Be careful! There’s also a Blood Qi cultivator at the Unity Realm!”

Donggua was thrown a considerable distance before barely steadying himself, then immediately shouted a warning.

“The Unity Realm expert might still be nearby.”

The Goat Masked figure heard him clearly but didn’t slow down in the slightest.

Whether it was an ambush no longer mattered—capturing this man first was the priority. Whether for threats or intelligence, Li Xingtian, still only at the Nascent Soul stage, was the best target.

Losses were inevitable; the best option now was to salvage what they could.

Besides, how likely was it that a Unity Realm expert would stick to a Nascent Soul cultivator like a bodyguard?

Seize the opportunity, seize the moment!

In the blink of an eye, the Goat Masked figure was right in front of Li Xingtian. His primordial power erupted as a massive hand swatted down at him.

Li Xingtian’s expression remained unshaken, watching the Goat Masked figure with the calm of someone holding all the cards.

Though it shamed him, he still shouted the prearranged signal:

“Master! Save me!”

A translucent sword seemed to pierce through the heavens, carrying boundless destructive force as it shot toward the Goat Masked figure.

Seeing the sword brimming with annihilating sword intent, the Goat Masked figure wisely chose not to test whose life was harder.

More importantly, behind the sword, a figure was rapidly closing in.

He twisted his body, throwing a punch at the blade to divert its killing edge.

“My beloved disciple, your master has arrived.”

Chu Xingchen’s voice rang out, though his figure didn’t stop beside Li Xingtian—instead, he pressed forward, suppressing the Goat Masked figure.

Li Xingtian watched his master’s back, unsure whether to feel embarrassed or moved.

The prearranged signal was undeniably humiliating for someone like him. Given his temperament, Li Xingtian would’ve preferred to say something like, “Go ahead, kill me if you dare.”

He had once refused this mortifying code phrase, but in the end, he couldn’t defy his master’s ironclad arrangements.

So he relented—what else could he do but obey?

Phrases like “Master, save me” were things Li Xingtian had only ever heard others cry.

Now that it was his turn to shout it… there was actually a strange thrill to it.

“A Unity Realm expert bullying a Nascent Soul disciple?” Chu Xingchen summoned his sword Wanban back with a flick of his wrist, then pursued the Goat Masked figure without hesitation.

“Good thing I, righteous and noble, happened to pass by—otherwise, such a heinous act would’ve been committed by scum like you!”

His translucent sword was as calm as still water, but the moment he swung it down, spiritual energy surged like rivers and seas, rolling forth in misty waves.

One glance was all it took for the Goat Masked figure to confirm—this was someone he absolutely couldn’t defeat.

Just standing there, Chu Xingchen exuded pure Daoist resonance, and the sight of Wanban alone sent a chill down his spine. Without even exchanging blows, he knew he stood no chance.

So when faced with Chu Xingchen’s annihilating slash, his choice was simple.

Run!

The Goat Masked figure’s primordial power surged like writhing sludge, tangling with the sword’s spiritual energy.

In terms of sheer scale, it wasn’t inferior to Chu Xingchen’s casually swung strike.

Though the quality couldn’t compare, primordial power excelled at entanglement.

If he could buy even a sliver of time, he could escape.

After all, both were Unity Realm cultivators—even if he couldn’t win, fleeing was always an option.

In the world of cultivation, speed meant survival.

This was practically a mandatory skill.

The Goat Masked figure’s gaze locked onto Donggua, and he shot toward her, arm outstretched to grab her and flee together.

But the next instant, his movements froze, and he turned his head in disbelief to the right.

His murky, viscous primordial power suddenly erupted with pure azure light.

In less than half a breath, it was completely dissolved and annihilated.

Chu Xingchen pressed forward, Wanban flashing as he slashed down, azure light blazing.

The Goat Masked figure twisted to block, channeling every ounce of his primordial power—but the moment their forces clashed, he was sent flying like a shooting star.

Chu Xingchen’s calm gaze swept over Donggua, who stood frozen below, but he didn’t bother slicing her into shredded melon. Instead, he continued his pursuit of the Goat Masked figure.

Even though Chu Xingchen was no longer present, Donggua’s divine sense still screamed in alarm, her body stiff as stone.

That soul-deep terror had robbed her of even the courage to resist.

She still couldn’t shake it off.

This wasn’t just a matter of cultivation disparity—it was like facing a natural predator.

Donggua’s pupils dilated, the sounds around her growing distant. Suddenly, she gasped for air like a drowning woman finally breaking the surface.

She breathed greedily, her chest heaving with fear.

“You alright, Fellow Daoist Donggua?”

The sudden voice snapped her back to reality. She turned stiffly to see Cui Hao standing calmly a short distance away.

The terror in her heart smothered her anger—she didn’t even have the energy to curse at him.

Cui Hao didn’t mind her silence and continued, “Thanks for your cooperation. Now, as a courtesy, I’ll remind you—you still have a chance to run.”

Donggua suddenly burst into wild laughter.

“Run? Where could I possibly run? You’ve won. You’ve won.”

Cui Hao shook his head slightly, gesturing toward Li Xingtian, who hadn’t moved but watched with unreadable calm.

“To be blunt, for us, you escaping would count as your victory. Dying doesn’t. Otherwise, you’d already be shredded melon.”

Donggua’s manic grin faded as she drew her flexible bone sword.

“Then what’s left to say? I’d rather die than let you win.”

Cui Hao sighed with mild regret. “Very well. Till we meet again, Fellow Daoist Donggua.”

As his words fell, Li Xingtian’s spirit treasure saber left his hand, an overwhelming tide of blood qi crashing toward Donggua.

Just as Donggua braced for death, her wrist was abruptly seized. Panic flared anew as she whipped her head to the side.

A figure in a pig mask had grabbed her, primordial power churning around them.

But instead of engaging Li Xingtian, the masked figure pulled Donggua along, darting away at incredible speed. Some unknown technique allowed them to briefly tear through space, vanishing in a flash.

Li Xingtian didn’t give chase. Aside from Daoist Yuyang and his master, many other top-tier cultivators lingered nearby.

This had to be his master’s deliberate allowance.

Cui Hao stood beside his second senior brother, watching the two figures flee into the distance.

He stretched lazily before turning to Li Xingtian.

“Second Senior Brother, you remember you’re supposed to put in a good word for me in front of Eldest Senior Sister, right?”

Li Xingtian's gaze also followed the departing Donggua, silent as if preoccupied with something.

"Who are you?"

Donggua suppressed the searing pain of rapid spatial traversal and forced out the question.

"Originally designated backup support," replied the pig-masked figure calmly. "The mission is doomed to fail. Now, the task is to keep you alive and bring you back."

Donggua ultimately didn’t ask where they were taking her, allowing the pig-masked figure to guide her through the shifting void.

However, the pig-masked figure soon halted, standing motionless as their eyes fixed on the distant Baili Liuyun.

Donggua followed their gaze, then froze in shock.

Stretching across a hundred miles, Baili Liuyun was now enveloped by a colossal formation that blotted out the sky. Even the faintest wisps of its aura radiated boundless annihilation.

Though invisible, several overwhelming energies pulsed outward without restraint—undoubtedly the work of the absolute pinnacle of cultivators.

Donggua’s voice trembled as she asked, "Is... is this our Dong Sheng Shen Zhou headquarters?"

Only core members knew the headquarters' location, and Donggua clearly wasn’t privileged enough to be among them.

Yet she never imagined the Dong Sheng Shen Zhou headquarters would harbor such terrifying power.

If even the outer barrier was this formidable, how overwhelming must the forces stationed here be?

Seeing the pig-masked figure remain silent, Donggua hurriedly added,

"With the headquarters’ might, we might still turn the tide and counterattack."

The pig-masked figure turned to her, their eyes flickering with uncertainty as they replied,

"This power isn’t ours."

"What?"

Donggua’s shock deepened.

But before she could question further, the formation shrouding Baili Liuyun suddenly activated.

In an instant—

The hundred-mile expanse of Baili Liuyun was utterly erased.

Donggua stared at the towering pillar of spiritual light erupting into the heavens.

No explanation was needed. She understood exactly what had happened.