The entire Lingyin Sect's mountain gate fell into a deathly silence; even the sound of the wind seemed to freeze.
More than thirty Nascent Soul cultivators stood in the void, their spiritual power as vast as the ocean, turning the entire sky into a somber, bluish-gray hue.
"Click—"
A guest's jade cup suddenly shattered, and the nectar dripped from between his fingers onto the ground, corroding tiny holes in the bluestone slab.
They had stood firmly behind Bai Ying, eager to watch her slaughter these Nascent Soul stage cultivators, but they never expected the truth to be like this!
No wonder these Nascent Soul stage experts dared to show up here!
With over thirty Nascent Soul stage cultivators, they could probably wipe out any sect with ease!
The cultivators who had come to congratulate the Lingyin Sect began to retreat, no longer daring to join in.
The passageway, which had been covered with a red carpet, quickly became empty, with people huddled together in the corners, even their breathing becoming cautious.
The robe of a Nascent Soul stage elder was tugged crookedly by the person behind him, but he didn't even have the courage to turn around and reprimand him. He just stared intently at the black-robed old man in the air—the gale brought up by the other party's casual wave of his sleeve had already cut the thousand-year-old cypress in front of the hall in half.
"Damn it!" someone suddenly swore, drawing stares from those around them.
The speaker was a young man in fine clothes, who was currently kicking the carefully prepared congratulatory gift under the table. The sound of the jade bottle shattering was particularly jarring in the deathly silent hall. "If I had known that Bai Ying was a paper tiger, why would I have bothered to bring three hundred years of Cold Marrow to curry favor? Now look what's happened, I've offended these evil stars, and I can forget about ever having a foothold in the cultivation world again!"
Although those around them did not echo their sentiments, their eyes turned venomous. Some secretly took out communication jade slips, intending to take advantage of the chaos to ask their sect for help; others clutched their storage bags tightly, calculating which direction to flee in.
Qi Haoyuan's Adam's apple bobbed, and his back was already soaked with cold sweat.
He mechanically turned his head to look at Bai Ying, only to find that there was a faint smile on Bai Ying's lips.
"Bai Ying!" The black-robed elder's sleeves billowed, and a long spear crackling with crimson lightning slowly materialized. "Today, you will pay for your crimes in blood!"
A commotion suddenly broke out outside the mountain gate.
Hundreds of disciples from various sects who had followed the thirty-odd Nascent Soul stage cultivators had blocked all exits at some point, and the "Slay" banners they held high fluttered in the strong wind.
"Wait, everyone!" A cultivator in brocade robes suddenly stepped forward; it was the Jade Void Sect elder who had previously fawned over Bai Ying. His face was now plastered with feigned apology: "My Jade Void Sect has no prior connection with the Spirit Hidden Sect. As for today's matter..."
Before he could finish speaking, a golden light suddenly shot out from his sleeve, severing the jade pendant at his waist that symbolized their alliance! The crisp cracking sound was like a signal, and in the blink of an eye, seven or eight more sects severed ties.
"You!" Qi Haoyuan's eyes were bloodshot, and his long sword hummed as it was drawn from its sheath.
Bai Ying gently pressed down on his wrist. Her gaze slowly swept over the changing expressions of the guests, finally settling on the Nascent Soul cultivator in the void: "With just these people?"
"Insolence!" the Nascent Soul female cultivator roared, nine ice shards materializing out of thin air. "The killing formation is broken; you, a mere Nascent Soul cultivator..."
The words came to an abrupt halt.
Because Bai Ying smiled.
That smile sent chills down everyone's spine—like a predator watching its prey fall into a trap.
"Who told you..." Her slender white fingers traced the scabbard at her waist, her aura rising with each word, "My killing formation has failed? Since you dared to come, you'll all stay here!"
"boom--"
The entire Lingyin Sect suddenly trembled violently, and countless spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground. Crimson light bursting from the cracks intertwined in the air, instantly forming a gigantic killing array covering an area of ten miles in radius. As the array patterns flowed, countless sword shadows could be vaguely seen floating and sinking within it.
"The killing formation is still there?" The black-robed elder's voice trembled, and the thunder spear in his hand clattered to the ground. This late-stage Nascent Soul expert was now trembling like a mortal: "This is impossible! This formation was clearly already..."
"It's already ineffective?" Bai Ying chuckled lightly, her fingertips tracing the crimson runes that had appeared at the array's core. The runes, as if alive, wrapped around her fingers, nuzzling affectionately. "Who told you my killing array could fail?"
"boom--"
The sky seemed to be torn apart by a giant beast, and blood-red lightning as thick as a bucket crashed to the ground.
The white marble steps of the Lingyin Sect's front hall instantly turned to dust, and the flying pebbles swept through the crowd like a torrential rain.
"Run! Run!" The crowd scattered like ants in a swarm. In their panic, some tore off their hair-binding jade crowns and charged toward the mountain gate with disheveled hair. Several Golden Core cultivators summoned flying artifacts, but were struck by the aftershocks of the lightning in mid-air and coughed up blood.
Even the thirty-odd Nascent Soul stage experts' expressions changed drastically. The bone banner of the leading black-robed elder trembled violently, almost flying out of his hand. He had already decided to leave this place.
Bai Di gripped the ancient tree trunk tightly, his fingernails scratching five bloody marks on the bark.
She had personally heard a cultivator in the Void Refinement stage say that Bai Ying's formation could only last for three days! At that time, Bai Ying herself had accepted it!
But why has this formation been activated again?
That's simply impossible!
The blood-red clouds churning in the sky were exactly the same as the celestial phenomena when the killing formation was activated, yet they sent chills down Bai Di's spine—something was wrong, something was very wrong!
Suddenly, her pupils contracted sharply.
She remembered that three days ago, when Bai Ying activated the killing formation, she had laid down a net that trapped all the cultivators within a hundred miles, so that not even a bird could escape.
But at this moment, Bai Ying allowed the panicked cultivators to escape, and the restrictions that should have sealed the space were now as if they were not working.
It was as if Bai Ying was deliberately waiting for these cultivators to back down and wanted them to leave!
I see!
"Wait!" Bai Di hurriedly sent a message to the Nascent Soul stage cultivators, "Don't leave! She's just putting on a brave face! This formation is fake! She's bluffing you. That killing formation has lost its effectiveness, don't believe her!"
The Nascent Soul cultivators, who were about to take off, suddenly stopped.
A hint of suspicion flashed in the black-robed elder's eyes. Suddenly, the taotie pattern on the bone banner opened its blood-red maw and swallowed the two fleeing sword lights: "Can you guarantee the words of a junior?"
Bai Di's fingernails dug deeply into her palms: "I swear on my Dao heart! If I am lying, may my Dao foundation be destroyed!" Her voice was filled with a morbid excitement, and her eyes were fixed on Bai Ying.
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