Lian Ping immediately gave chase.
Xie Man instinctively wanted to follow, but was held back by Du Rong.
Then, Lian Ping’s voice rang out from midair: “You all protect yourselves up there.”
Du Rong also said, “Let’s not drag them down.”
Xie Man stopped in confusion.
After entering the Secret Realm, she had felt her own weakness and helplessness too many times.
If only she had been more diligent in her cultivation earlier.
For the first time, Xie Man felt regret.
She turned her head and noticed Yu Juanshu’s figure had disappeared from their surroundings.
Du Rong noticed this as well.
His expression darkened.
Yu Juanshu had left without his permission!
Without Yu Juanshu, Du Rong suddenly felt a surge of unease in the air.
As long as Yu Juanshu was around, Du Rong knew deep down that as long as the other was alive, he himself could never die.
But now that Yu Juanshu was gone…
He led Xie Man further back into the forest behind Wangtian Cliff.
“We have to ensure our own safety first,” Du Rong said to Xie Man.
Xie Man didn’t pay attention to Du Rong’s words, her eyes filled with worry as she stared down into the valley beneath the cliff.
Meanwhile, Lian Ping was chasing after the Golden Core cultivator with a sour mood.
She noticed Yu Juanshu trailing closely behind her.
“What are you doing here?” Lian Ping frowned.
She and Li Yunxian were fighting against the Golden Core, and whether they were enough in number or not was one thing, but in Lian Ping’s view, Yu Juanshu’s level wasn’t enough to be of any help.
They would have to split their focus to protect Yu Juanshu as well.
“I can activate the Whip Martial Intent on the cliff,” Yu Juanshu said succinctly.
If he couldn’t help, he wouldn’t have followed them foolishly.
Lian Ping knew the Whip Martial Intent on that cliff was formidable. She glanced at Yu Juanshu but said nothing about him following; instead, she said, “Focus on the Golden Core. Don’t attack Ginkgo.”
“I understand,” Yu Juanshu replied.
Lian Ping vaguely felt something odd about his response, but by then she had already spotted the Golden Core’s figure and didn’t bother pondering such trivial matters.
The Golden Core sensed Lian Ping and Li Yunxian’s arrival.
He became even more irritated.
He simply wanted to play it safe, unwilling to fight Lian Ping.
But Lian Ping recklessly pursued him; a late Qi stage cultivator really thinking she could kill him was far too arrogant!
Moreover…
The Golden Core glared fiercely at Li Yunxian.
He swung his pair of war hammers down toward her again.
In front of her, Li Yunxian threw out a defensive Magical Tool.
Within a second, the tool shattered in response.
But this brief resistance slowed the Golden Core’s attack by half a beat, giving her ample time to escape.
This scene had already repeated more than twenty times.
The Golden Core couldn’t help but laugh angrily.
He had previously thought Ginkgo was honest, handing over everything to him.
But in truth… Hunters are Hunters. This guy was surprisingly good at hiding things.
Even so, no matter how well he hid them…
The Golden Core sneered, “Ginkgo, this valley is sealed. No matter how many Magical Tools you have, do you really think you can escape?”
He admitted Ginkgo truly lived up to his nickname—hard to catch indeed.
But unfortunately, luck was against him, and he had hidden in this place with no exits except up and down.
Li Yunxian didn’t listen to what the Golden Core was saying.
Her supply of defensive Magical Tools was indeed running low, but it was already enough.
She sensed Lian Ping had reached the designated spot.
She also glanced at Yu Juanshu, noticing his aura subtly linking with the Whip Martial Intent on the cliff.
She roughly guessed what he was trying to do.
But the Eight Directions Weapon Will within the Secret Realm was the foundation of its stability…
Li Yunxian recalled the words Su Wenjing had emphasized to her alone when she entered.
Well, it’s Yu Juanshu’s doing, none of her business.
Thinking this, Li Yunxian casually lured the Golden Core to the prearranged location.
The shocking Dao Intent of the blade struck down between Li Yunxian and the Golden Core, forcibly intercepting the Golden Core’s pursuit.
This blade momentarily stunned the Golden Core.
It was a strange strike—not aimed at him, nor at Ginkgo, but right in the middle of the two.
Any anomaly during a battle cannot be ignored.
The Golden Core sensed something ominous and immediately examined Lian Ping’s blocking Dao Intent.
It had momentum but no lethal move!
A trap!
Based on his past combat experience, the Golden Core immediately made his judgment without hesitation and chose to flee.
But it was already too late.
***
That brief moment of pause was enough for Li Yunxian to reach her position.
“Activate!” Li Yunxian shouted sharply.
Without hesitation, Lian Ping joined Li Yunxian, channeling their spiritual power into the formation.
The Trapping Formation instantly took effect.
The deceleration talismans hidden in the cliff spiraled rapidly around the Golden Core.
Suddenly, the Golden Core felt the vastness of the valley shrink down to a tiny point confining him.
His hands, holding the pair of war hammers, felt more like two chains gripping and dragging him underground.
His body felt as if a mountain pressed down upon his head.
What kind of Magical Tool was this…
The Golden Core struggled to lift his head and looked toward Ginkgo.
At the same time, he saw Lian Ping performing the same action as Ginkgo.
“You’re working together…” The Golden Core finally realized.
“Ginkgo!!!” His blood surged with rage as he roared furiously.
Li Yunxian paid no mind to what the Golden Core was thinking; those on her side knew their own business.
As a late Qi stage cultivator, she had sacrificed the entire duration of the Trapping Formation to bind the Golden Core.
Even with all these talismans assisting, it could only last ten seconds.
Every word wasted time.
There was no need for any pretense now.
She quickly switched from her Spirit Sword to the Xiayun Sword.
Li Yunxian said simply, “Kill!!”
The long-cultivated Sword Intent surged forth without reservation, heading straight for the Golden Core.
Where it passed, the surrounding light seemed to distort.
The Sword Intent that a Xuan Grade Top-quality Spiritual Sword could carry was vastly different from an ordinary spirit sword!
The Golden Core tried to dodge but was completely immobilized, forced to endure the strike with wide eyes.
He heard the sound of his defensive Magical Tool shattering.
He glared furiously at Li Yunxian.
He had never expected that Ginkgo, whom he had never taken seriously, could unleash a blow comparable to a late Jindan strike.
The next instant, Lian Ping’s blade slashed down on him.
His best defensive Magical Tool was already broken, and unable to move, the only remaining defense was a fragile paper-thin barrier.
The Dao Intent of “Opening Heaven and Splitting Earth” struck straight down on the Golden Core.
Flesh and blood tore open.
A horrifying wound appeared on his chest.
But the Golden Core blocked it with his bones.
Although the injury was terrible, it wasn’t fatal.
Lian Ping was stunned.
She hadn’t expected their combined attack to only inflict this much damage.
Li Yunxian, as someone who had fought a Golden Core, was not surprised.
She shattered over ten Spirit Stones to replenish her spiritual power.
In her plan, she had already prepared to follow up with more attacks.
But now…
Yu Juanshu, a half-beat behind them, suddenly raised his long whip swirling into the air.
The Whip Martial Intent connected sharply, channeling the Whip Martial Intent from the cliff’s Clone.
He swung fiercely toward the Golden Core.
The Golden Core’s eyes widened, feeling the terrifying Whip Martial Intent trembling his entire body.
The ten seconds had passed.
He could finally move.
His internal spells ran wildly as various items from his Storage Artifact poured out without restraint.
Lian Ping’s heart trembled watching the terrifying scene, where even she could no longer see the details inside.
It was the first time she had witnessed Clone-level power.
Though only a residual Whip Martial Intent.
Looking at the smoke and dust lingering in the valley, Lian Ping felt an ominous unease: “Is it over?”
Li Yunxian didn’t hesitate.
She shouted at Lian Ping and Yu Juanshu, “Go!! Quickly get out of here!!”
That bastard Su Wenjing, what the hell did he leave in the Secret Realm!!
At her words, Lian Ping and Yu Juanshu didn’t question and immediately soared upward with their fastest speed.
At this moment, they heard the Golden Core’s cruel laughter: “This Secret Realm… was a lie all along.”
“A massive death trap.”
“If that’s the case, why run? You gifted prodigies of the academies, you’re all coming with me!!”
The Golden Core threw everything out and barely survived the Clone Whip Martial Intent thanks to the Dao Intent of the Stone Lotus.
His tendons and bones were shattered.
But that was nothing.
As long as he lived, he could repair everything.
Through the Clone Whip Martial Intent, his divine sense directly perceived the true nature of this Secret Realm.
It was a completely artificial fake Secret Realm — a Magical Tool.
He saw the space outside the Secret Realm.
He saw the Hunters leaving the realm, only to be killed by Nascent Soul, Clone, or even possibly Unity Stage cultivators guarding outside.
He also saw the academy students who should have died, safe and sound.
This was a teaching apparatus the academies used to train their students.
This Secret Realm was a complete and utter lie.
These otherworldly beings were doomed to die the moment they entered.
The Golden Core recalled his initial joy when he obtained the Xuanwen Token, now finding it utterly ridiculous.
If he couldn’t survive, then no one would!
He wanted to take these academy prodigies down with him!
The Golden Core broke apart.
He sneered as he watched the three figures speeding away.
He chose to self-destruct.
He wanted to see if this Magical Tool, just damaged by the Clone Whip Martial Intent, could still protect the lives of these few people!!