The oriole is behind

The arrival of the Shadow Pavilion's main force was like pouring a bucket of cold water into a pot of boiling oil, making the already chaotic battlefield situation even more unpredictable.

Led by "Nightmare," several figures emerged from the thick fog like ghosts. Besides Kongkong'er, whose eyes were filled with madness, whom they had seen before, there were several others:

A gigantic man, as imposing as an iron tower, his bare upper body covered in twisted scars and bizarre tattoos, wielded a serrated machete the size of a door, exuding a suffocating, savage killing intent. He was the Butcher of the Shadow Pavilion—"Blood Butcher."

A woman with a lithe and graceful figure, dressed in a revealing purple gauze dress, her face veiled except for a pair of captivating, alluring eyes, stood there. Almost invisible, transparent threads were entwined around her fingertips, and as she moved, the surrounding air seemed to thicken. She was the Phantom of the Shadow Pavilion—"Thousand Threads."

There was also a short dwarf, almost completely hidden in a wide black robe, holding a crystal ball that constantly emitted colorful bubbles. He was muttering incantations, and an ominous aura of curses emanated from him. He was the Shadow Pavilion's sorcerer—"Misfortune".

These four, along with "Nightmare" and the strangely behaving Kongkong'er, constituted the core combat force of the Shadow Pavilion's operation. The moment they appeared, their eerie aura, a mixture of murderous intent, allure, and curse, sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

Nightshade's cold purple eyes swept across the entire scene, lingering briefly on the weakened Li Bai, the floating Origin Seed, and Yi Xing who was being nourished by the Origin Seed's energy, before finally landing on Mo Zun, whose face was pale. A cold smile curved her red lips.

"Lord Mo Zun, it seems your 'Ink of the Dark Night' isn't making much progress." Her voice carried a hint of mockery. "How about you hand over this Origin Seed and this place to our Shadow Pavilion? Perhaps we can consider leaving you with a complete corpse."

Mo Zun's gaze beneath his ghostly mask was so dark it was almost dripping with water. He never expected that, like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, the most troublesome Shadow Pavilion would be the one to arrive! Although he was in better condition than Li Bai at the moment, he was still quite exhausted. His "Bone-Corroding" magic weapon was destroyed, and "Thousand Machines" was injured. Facing the Shadow Pavilion members who were well-rested and whose strength was unknown, his chances of winning were uncertain.

"The Shadow Pavilion... is it going to get involved in this mess too?" Mo Zun's voice was hoarse, filled with suppressed anger. "You bunch of cowardly rats hiding your heads and tails?"

"Hehe," the alluring figure "Thousand Silks" chuckled, her voice sweet and seductive, "Lord Mo Zun is quite fiery. This Origin Seed is so wonderful, who wouldn't want it? Besides..." Her gaze flickered, glancing at Li Bai and Yi Xing, "I can also do a favor for... some potential stars, isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

Her words were pointed, both revealing her purpose in vying for the source seed and hinting at a possible "goodwill" extended to Li Bai or Yao Tian, ​​attempting to sow discord within the already fragile temporary alliance.

"The venomous snakes in the shadows always choose to bare their fangs when their prey is most exhausted; their promises are like a spider web, seemingly beautiful, but in reality deadly."

Du Fu's illusory figure shouted in a deep voice, seeing through the Shadow Pavilion's provocation and sinister intentions at a glance.

Pei Qinhu glared at Kongkong'er: "Traitor! How dare you show your face again!"

Kongkong'er merely licked his lips, his gaze greedily fixed on the Life Source Seed and the unstable Li Bai, chuckling, "Power... more power... all mine..."

Master Lu Ban quickly concentrated several defensive mechanisms around Yi Xing and Li Bai, and whispered, "The situation is not good. These people from the Shadow Pavilion are even more difficult to deal with than 'Night Ink.' They will stop at nothing."

Yang Yuhuan and Gongsun Li also joined forces with Pei Qinhu and Yang Jian to protect the core area. The poetic spirits continued chanting to maintain the seal, but they were clearly under immense pressure.

For a time, a delicate three-way standoff formed in the valley: the remnants of "Ink of the Night", the Li Bai and Yao Tian alliance, whose strength was damaged but who had the advantage of terrain (the sealing of the Poetry Soul), and the newly joined, covetous Shadow Pavilion.

Any rash action by either party could trigger a chain reaction, leading to a complete loss of control of the situation!

"Nightmare" seemed to enjoy the feeling of being in control. She leisurely toyed with the water droplet dart in her hand, her gaze shifting back and forth between Yuanzhong and Yixing. Finally, she looked at Yixing, her voice carrying a seductive tone:

"Young Master Yi Xing, we are well aware of your physical condition. The power of the Source Seed can save you. Rather than relying on these people who can't even protect themselves, why not cooperate with us? Our Shadow Pavilion can help you safely absorb the power of the Source Seed and cure your chronic illness. What do you say?"

This is blatant recruitment and sowing discord!

Feeling the gazes directed at him, Yi Xing took a deep breath, suppressing the tremors within him caused by the infusion of Origin Seed energy. He raised his head to meet "Nightmare's" icy gaze, his voice clear and calm:

“Thank you for your kindness. But I know that if you try to get something from a tiger, you will be devoured. I will cure my illness in my own way. As for the source seed…” He glanced at the crystal in the center of the lake that emitted a soft glow, and the phantoms around it that burned with poetic souls to protect this place, “It does not belong to anyone. It belongs to this world, to the heroic souls who gave everything for it.”

His refusal was decisive and clear, demonstrating his stance.

The expression beneath the "Nightmare" mask seemed to turn colder: "Stubborn to the end."

"Blood Butcher" beside her growled impatiently, his serrated cleaver dragging on the ground with a grating sound.

Mo Zun's eyes flickered, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Cooperating with the Shadow Pavilion was tantamount to making a deal with the devil, but right now…

Just as the tense standoff was about to freeze, no one noticed that Ming Shiyin, who had been secretly protected by Master Lu Ban's mechanisms and Yang Yuhuan's music and remained unconscious, subtly twitched his fingers on his knees. A faint, almost imperceptible glint of light flashed across the vermilion mark on his forehead.