The main issue was that these low and mid-rank cultivators could not fly. Even the three, Xue Qianzong, Ning Ying, and Yu Rong, could only barely fly at the forefront. Although they could sweep up the disciples below and fly away with them, the resulting consumption of magic power could prove fatal. If they were to suddenly encounter a powerful enemy, they would lose all initiative and place themselves in an extremely dangerous situation.
Thus, after advancing less than five li, Yu Rong was already fuming. Even with the three of them clearing the path, several disciples had still carelessly stepped into the enemy's traps. So far, without even seeing a single enemy person or beast, they had already suffered four casualties.
Along the way, forked paths would appear from time to time. They had already taken the wrong path twice, only to find it was a dead end and having to turn back.
"Fellow Daoist Xue, the forked paths are becoming more numerous. I think it's better to split up. This is just a waste of time. Whoever finds the entrance to the inner valley first can just use a voice transmission talisman," Yu Rong suggested, looking at the somewhat bloated procession.
"That would be playing right into their hands, allowing them to defeat us one by one!" Xue Qianzong shook his head firmly. Without being certain of Tianxingzi's condition, even he did not dare to proceed alone.
Ning Ying also agreed. She had no desire to lead a team by herself.
Just as Yu Rong was about to continue her persuasion, the space slightly behind and to the side of the three of them suddenly distorted, and a palm reached out.
Xue Qianzong was the first to notice. His expression changed, and he vanished from his spot.
At the same time, several screams shot into the sky, followed by a loud "Bang!"
Xue Qianzong's stern voice roared, "Lin Xinghe, where do you think you're going?"
A figure flew forward in the blink of an eye. Although his speed was not very fast under the no-fly restriction, it wasn't slow either. In a flash, he had flown more than thirty zhang. Behind him, Xue Qianzong's figure was already in pursuit. At the same time, he shouted to Ning Ying and Yu Rong behind him, "You two continue forward. I'll be right back."
In Xue Qianzong's mind, he only wanted to attempt a pursuit. After all, Lin Xinghe's cultivation was not as high as his. If he could catch up in a short distance, that would be for the best. Otherwise, he wouldn't chase relentlessly now. He wanted to advance steadily and attack all the way to the inner valley of the Falling Star Valley. At that point, the Falling Star Valley cultivators would have no choice but to show themselves. Then, they could concentrate their numerical advantage to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop.
But just as his words fell, he heard Ning Ying's sharp cry from behind him. "Lin Xinghe, you bully! You petty man!"
Then, Ning Ying, disregarding the consumption of magic power, swiftly overtook him and chased forward.
Lin Xinghe must have been hiding nearby with the help of the formation for a while. But instead of attacking the three of them, he had launched a sneak attack on several Foundation Establishment cultivators to the side of the procession. With his strength, and in a sneak attack, he had killed three Foundation Establishment cultivators in a single blow. And these three were all beautiful Foundation Establishment female cultivators from the Night Fox Clan. To top it all off, one of them even had a slight bloodline connection to Ning Ying.
This was Lin Xinghe's deep understanding of others' psychology. Turning a woman who was charming and beautiful just a moment ago into a pile of bloody, mangled flesh in the next would surely incite greater fury. What's more, he had killed three charming women at once. He just hadn't expected that among the three was one of Ning Ying's direct descendants.
Ning Ying was instantly enraged and didn't hear Xue Qianzong's words at all. In terms of cultivation, she was on par with Lin Xinghe. In her extreme anger, she instantly disregarded the consumption of magic power, her body erupting in a brilliant light as she gave chase.
Seeing this, Xue Qianzong frowned. In the next moment, he had made his decision. He also quickly made a choice and immediately sent a voice transmission to Yu Rong. "Fellow Daoist Yu, before that old ghost Tianxingzi makes a move himself, Fellow Daoist Ying and I will join forces to surround and kill Lin Xinghe. You lead the people and continue forward. We will be right behind you."
The three of them had been inside the Falling Star Valley's mountain gate for a long time now. And yet, the one to strike was still Lin Xinghe. This was quite thought-provoking. Tianxingzi was a Pseudo-Nascent Soul cultivator. Logically, he could have dealt with the three of them by himself. There was no need to hide like this.
Thus, Xue Qianzong was now thirty to forty percent convinced by the news Ning Ying had brought. The enemy must have been heavily injured. Otherwise, if Tianxingzi and Lin Xinghe attacked together, the three of them could only flee in disarray. Lin Xinghe had specifically used a sneak attack. Xue Qianzong and the others were well aware of the purpose: to separate them. But this also exposed the fact that Tianxingzi was heavily wounded.
When choosing a partner, Xue Qianzong naturally chose the stronger Ning Ying. He wanted to join forces to capture or kill Lin Xinghe first. But he couldn't let the enemy's trick succeed either.
'You want to lure away all the Golden Cores in one go? Dream on!' Xue Qianzong sneered under his breath.
Seeing this, Yu Rong was delighted. This played right into her hands. Her goal was clear: to lure Tianxingzi out and then get her revenge. She firmly believed the news Ning Ying had brought. In fact, Yu Rong trusted her own husband more. If he, together with Lie Changfeng, couldn't even heavily injure a peer like Tianxingzi, then his thousand years of cultivation would have been for nothing.
If this was really a trap, with her isolated and without support, Tianxingzi would surely attack her and her people. Where else could she find such an opportunity? Even if Tianxingzi was still powerful, Lie Changfeng had said he was injured, which was inevitable. As long as the enemy was not in his peak state, she would have time to self-detonate her Demonic Core. Even if she died today, she would drag Tianxingzi down with her.
Thus, the three quickly reached a consensus. Xue Qianzong and Ning Ying departed swiftly. This move by Tianxingzi was an overt plot. But if you ignored it, Lin Xinghe and Tianxingzi would just hide in the next location and launch continuous sneak attacks on the low-rank disciples until the enemy was provoked. This was the disadvantage of invading another's sect; a painstakingly managed sect was filled with deadly traps everywhere.
After seeing the two leave quickly, Yu Rong turned to a leading Pseudo-Core cultivator from the Cangyu Sect and said, "You all form groups of about ten and advance quickly. If you encounter a forked road, decide the direction yourselves. If you encounter danger, you can send out a distress signal, and I will rush over immediately. Whichever small team finds the entrance to the Falling Star Valley's inner valley first will be rewarded with a hundred Spirit Stones per person. Remember to inform me at once."
When the Cangyu Sect cultivators heard this, their eyes immediately lit up, and they all became even more excited.
Then, Yu Rong turned her face to the cultivators of the other three clans. "You can decide for yourselves. I imagine that if you are the first to find the entrance, or to kill an enemy cultivator, the benefits you receive will not be small."
They were here to plunder the cultivation resources of the Falling Star Valley. Yu Rong wouldn't give the slightest benefit to the cultivators of the other three clans. That was something for Xue Qianzong and the others to consider.
After saying this, she spread her arms and, like a great bird soaring through the sky, shot forward rapidly. She was already burning with impatience.
After hearing this, the cultivators of the three sects knew that this Golden Core cultivator was already enraged. What more could they say? Following Yu Rong's departure, they each began to find friends to form teams. There was no shortage of fierce and ruthless individuals among them. They too had long been impatient with slowly advancing with the large group. Many had long wanted to leave alone or with a few others. What's more, with three Golden Cores clearing the path ahead, before a full-blown chaotic battle broke out between both sides, even if they stumbled upon some benefits, they wouldn't get any of it. The enemies would have been dealt with by the three in front, and the storage pouches of the Foundation Establishment cultivators would also be collected by them.
Soon, the several hundred cultivators here split up. Many of them were seasoned adventurers and had their own crews. With just a glance, they had gathered together. But among them, there were also many who were mature and prudent. They would form teams of dozens, led by multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators, and advance together.
The Feng Family Ancestor stood quietly in a patch of grass that was like a small forest. The other cultivators were all hiding at a distance from each other. This was a flat area of thatch and reeds. The thatch was two to three people tall, forming a large expanse of reed marsh. In the middle of these reeds that swayed constantly with the wind, there was a small path, wide enough for about four people to walk abreast, that led in from the outside.
This was one of the defensive sectors the Falling Star Valley had assigned to the Feng Family Ancestor and the others. After searching the nearby area, Sect Master Wang of the Tingshan Sect still felt that this place was good for both ambush and retreat. The Feng Family Ancestor had no objections to this either. By setting up some simple restrictions within the reed marsh and using the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation to further isolate the enemy's Divine Sense probes, it would be an absolutely perfect spot for an ambush.
The Feng Family Ancestor and his group were now in the middle of a stretch of weeds that extended for several li. Searching such a large area would be better for wearing down the enemy. The enemy cultivators below the Golden Core level couldn't fly for long stretches and had to walk step by step. In the first few li of the reed marsh, the enemy would still search carefully, but by the time they reached here, their Divine Sense would be very fatigued, giving the Feng Family Ancestor and his group an opportunity.
To this end, the Feng Family Ancestor and Sect Master Wang had even repeatedly tried searching with their Divine Sense several times. In the end, they could only feel that the support from the Falling Star Valley's grand formation was truly powerful, able to perfectly assist them in setting up an ambush. Such a formation was something they dreamed of owning. If their own family could have such a grand formation, it would definitely deter many people from having ill intentions. But it was just a moment of envy, nothing more.
The wind blew ceaselessly through the reed marsh. The long reeds and thatch rose and fell, and only the "shaa, shaa, shaa..." sound could be heard, making the place seem exceptionally empty and desolate. After waiting for a while, a sense of loneliness had already started to grow in the hearts of many cultivators.
Just as the Feng Family Ancestor's group was getting impatient, the sound of footsteps finally reached their ears.
...…
…
Gao Sha was leading fifty-odd people through a stone-paved path, accompanied by three other Foundation Establishment cultivators. From time to time, they would use their Divine Sense to scan the tall, dense reeds and thatch on both sides.
"Damn it, these reeds are so thick and dense, and Divine Sense can't penetrate too far. This is a good spot for an ambush."
Gao Sha cautiously looked around and said to the cultivators around him. They were all cultivators from the Wind-Severing Clan, belonging to the mature and prudent batch. Gao Sha was the strongest combatant here, having entered the Pseudo-Core realm more than forty years ago.
"Gao" was not his surname; Gao Sha was his name. None of them here had a surname. In the Wind-Severing Clan, only those of noble blood had the qualification to bear the surname "Lie." For example, their Grand Elder, Lie Changfeng, was a descendant of the rare Black-Feathered Golden Eagle bloodline. Therefore, he was a Black-Feathered Eagle who could use "Lie" as a surname. They would all take pride in receiving a surname. For those of lowly blood like Gao Sha, if they wanted to obtain the noble surname "Lie," they had to condense a Golden Core. Only then could they prove that their bloodline was equally powerful and pass on this honor.
In recent years, Gao Sha had faintly felt that he was on the verge of condensing a Golden Core, just missing that final spark of opportunity for a breakthrough.
'This time, whether it's gaining insight between life and death in a battle with the enemy, or obtaining other opportunities in the Falling Star Valley, it's an excellent chance. It might allow me to break through to the Golden Core realm.'
Gao Sha thought to himself. This was a rare opportunity, and he had to seize it. He wanted to prove that a powerful force was sealed within his bloodline. Therefore, he was extremely vigilant and cautious as he advanced!