Xiao Lei was his third junior brother and considered a powerhouse within the Snow Moon Wolf Clan.
Just a moment ago, he had been pinned down by a surprise attack from a mere half-ghoul, only to be killed in a sneak attack by that middle-aged Confucian scholar. His master had only taken three disciples in total.
The Snow Moon Wolf Clan enjoyed long lifespans, and they had been together for over one hundred and seventy years, their bond profound. He could not possibly swallow this grievance.
However, the group had taken advantage of a pre-selected route to move too quickly. By the time they reacted, they were already a considerable distance behind.
Hearing Cui Ting's words, a wicked smile appeared on Ying Shisan's handsome face.
"Alright. In that case, I'll deal with the middle-aged woman. I want to make her die at the peak of ecstasy!"
As he spoke, the wickedness on his face intensified.
Previously, he was no match for the beautiful woman. But now that she had been wounded by Cui Ting and her strength was greatly diminished, he was seventy percent confident he could capture her.
Thinking of her voluptuous figure, which seemed ready to drip water with every sway of her hips, Ying Shisan felt a flame slowly ignite in his lower abdomen.
Cui Ting knew what Ying Shisan was thinking and couldn't help but feel contemptuous.
'There are several young women of celestial beauty right behind you, yet you're thinking about a matron. Truly depraved.'
But what he said was a dry laugh, expressing his approval.
"Hehehe... we have a total of five Foundation Establishment cultivators on our side. One of us can deal with their two heavily injured Foundation Establishment cultivators. The remaining four can split into two pairs to besiege one each. That way, we can end the duel more quickly."
"Oh, no, no, no. I'm more than enough to handle her alone. You should let them assist you. That middle-aged Confucian scholar is a Ghost Cultivator; who knows if he has a hidden Ghost Slave for protection. He's the most troublesome one right now!"
Ying Shisan immediately shook his head and refused, though his words were exceptionally noble.
Cui Ting cursed inwardly, 'Before I injured that woman, you didn't say anyone else was troublesome.'
As the two of them whispered at the front, the others behind them flew at full speed, their faces revealing vicious and savage expressions.
Ahead of them, the fleeing Sect Master Wang's beautiful brows were tightly furrowed.
"It's hard to shake them; they're following too closely!"
As she spoke, she glanced at the blue sky. Although she couldn't see the barrier, the No-fly Restriction here was giving her a headache.
Falling Star Valley's Sect-Protecting Grand Formation and its No-fly Restriction didn't distinguish between friend and foe; it suppressed everyone equally.
They had already dashed for more than five li, sparing no effort, but they were still being tailed relentlessly. They were now speeding across a gentle slope.
At this point, the two of them had no choice but to use Spirit Power ropes to tie the few Qi Condensation disciples and the three ancestors of the Feng Family together, dragging them along in the air. Otherwise, they would have long been caught by the enemy behind them.
This method continuously consumed their Spirit Power, but fortunately, the two of them took turns, allowing for some recovery in between.
"This is the only way. If we get surrounded, it will be absolutely impossible to break out again!"
The Feng Family Ancestor's breathing was somewhat ragged. There was nothing he could do.
Neither he nor Sect Master Wang mentioned the idea of one of them staying behind to intercept the enemy.
No matter how good the relationship between their two families was, it wouldn't extend to dying for the other at the final moment. Whoever stayed behind to block the enemy would face certain death.
At this moment, both of them tacitly avoided mentioning the matter of intercepting the pursuers and fell silent again, rushing forward.
Either they would face the enemy together, or they would flee together. The choice was actually quite simple.
By now, they had reached the top of the gentle slope, and their field of vision suddenly opened up. The Feng Family Ancestor's eyes lit up, and he spoke quickly.
"The mountain ahead is full of jagged rocks. After this road enters the mountain, it winds through it. If we pass through and then shatter the rocks on both sides of the path, we can block the road. Unless they are willing to expend a great deal of Spirit Power to fly over the restriction, by the time they catch up, we will be in a position to fight back."
Sect Master Wang's beautiful eyes were also fixed on the mountain ahead, and she immediately agreed. She had, of course, also seen the treacherous terrain of the mountain, especially how the path they were on had to wind around it. This was an excellent plan for escape.
"Good, that's what we'll do. Let's hurry over!"
Five breaths later, the pursuing Ying Shisan and his group also reached the bottom of the slope. Looking down, the expressions of the Foundation Establishment cultivators suddenly changed.
They saw the two people ahead of them suddenly erupt with a brilliant spiritual glow, their speed abruptly doubling. Although they weren't flying, their feet had already left the ground.
As they leaped, the rise and fall of the terrain sometimes sent them several zhang into the air before they were ruthlessly pressed back down. But the spiritual light around them only grew stronger, as if they no longer cared about conserving Spirit Power.
Often, a single leap would cover dozens of zhang before the tips of their toes would tap the ground to propel themselves forward again.
As a member of the Fox Clan, Ying Shisan was exceptionally intelligent. When he saw the lay of the land ahead, he was the first to react.
"This is bad! We can't let them get into that mountain! Otherwise, if they shatter the rocks on both sides of the path, it will take us a great deal of effort to break through!"
As Ying Shisan and his group had fought their way here, they had learned from captured cultivators that their enemies had a teleportation passage to return.
This was also why they had sped up their advance later on. It didn't matter if they couldn't find the entrance to the inner valley; if they could directly break through the temporary passage, that would be a fine choice as well.
This method was actually more dangerous. A temporarily opened passage was very unstable and could easily be destroyed from one end.
But it was, of course, the fastest way. As long as you could pass through the channel in a short amount of time, you could successfully enter the inner valley.
A vicious glint flashed in Cui Ting's eyes. His body suddenly lit up with streaks of white light as he began to levitate, shooting forward like an arrow.
Ying Shisan and the other three Foundation Establishment cultivators likewise abandoned the group of Qi Condensation disciples and charged forward with the force of a thunderclap, the Spirit Power in their bodies draining away like a tidal wave.
One group chasing the other, they skimmed along the undulating ground, leaving several long trails of light in their wake. Just three breaths later, Sect Master Wang's foot slipped as she entered the mountain path. With another turn, she was the first to disappear from sight, with the Feng Family Ancestor close behind, dragging the long Spirit Power rope.
This made Ying Shisan and the others behind them even more anxious. Their Divine Sense was heavily affected here, and they had already consumed a great deal of it earlier.
Compared to Spirit Power, Divine Sense was much more difficult to recover, so they couldn't keep their enemies locked down with it at all times.
Sect Master Wang had now leaped onto a boulder. Watching the Feng Family Ancestor lead the others quickly past below, she waved her jade-like palm, about to destroy this section of the mountain path.
Just then, a calm voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
"You all should hurry past. You don't need to worry about the enemy behind you."
Sect Master Wang's normally cold and beautiful face instantly showed astonishment. The movement of her hand paused, and she immediately released her Divine Sense without reservation.
As she and the Feng Family Ancestor advanced, although they didn't constantly scan with their Divine Sense, they would probe the area ahead at brief intervals.
They weren't the only ones who could ambush others here; it was entirely possible for someone to circle around behind them and set up a trap.
"Quickly, Fellow Daoist Wang, why haven't you made your move yet!"
The Feng Family Ancestor had already made several turns a breath ago, but he didn't hear the rumbling sound from behind.
He was alarmed and instinctively swept his Divine Sense backward, only to find Sect Master Wang frozen with one hand in mid-air, her face filled with shock as she looked around.
"Fellow Daoist Feng, stop! There's someone here!"
The Feng Family Ancestor was startled. As Sect Master Wang's words fell, a voice sounded in both of their minds simultaneously.
"I am a disciple of Falling Star Valley. Proceed quickly, and don't let the people behind you see that something is amiss and ruin my good work."
The Feng Family Ancestor was only momentarily startled. His composure was slightly better than Sect Master Wang's, and he made a judgment in a flash, immediately sending a voice transmission to her.
"Quick, follow this fellow daoist's words and get out of here! If they wanted to harm us, they wouldn't have bothered to warn us; they would have attacked long ago!"
Sect Master Wang was also decisive. Hearing his words, her figure flickered, and she rushed up the mountain.
The Feng Family Ancestor was right. If the other party had remained silent and attacked them from both front and back, even delaying them for a few breaths would have left them with no escape.
Besides, they had no idea how many people were lying in ambush here.
'This must be one of Falling Star Valley's defensive points.'
With this thought in their minds, although they moved rapidly along the mountain path, the aura around their bodies remained in a state of readiness, prepared to be unleashed at any moment.
They had been forced into this situation, making the worst possible choice, basically gambling with their lives.
Subsequently, the sound of several booming explosions came from behind them. The Feng Family Ancestor and Sect Master Wang were stunned for a moment, but they immediately understood.
They exchanged a glance, and both saw an "as expected" look in the other's eyes.
'This person's schemes are truly meticulous!'
Behind them, Li Yan, with a blank expression, quickly struck out a few times, causing some rocks to collapse. His figure then flickered and disappeared again, followed by several more loud bangs from within the mountain.
The trap Li Yan had painstakingly set up now required him to patch up some loopholes due to the arrival of these people.
Six breaths later, as the Feng Family Ancestor and Sect Master Wang descended from the other side of the mountain, shaken but unharmed, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At the same time, they were filled with admiration for the Falling Star Valley disciples ambushing them. Throughout their journey, they hadn't detected anything unusual on the mountain, let alone discover the people hidden within.
At this moment, Ying Shisan and the others were also nearing the mountain's peak. Hearing the loud rumbles from within the mountain, they couldn't help but feel annoyed.
'So that was their plan all along!'
Ying Shisan and the others thought hatefully. Soon, they reached the foot of the mountain. Ying Shisan, flying at the forefront, was momentarily stunned, and then a look of confusion appeared on his face.
The mountain path ahead was blocked by many large rocks and debris, but it wasn't completely sealed off. They only needed to slow down slightly to pass through.
With Ying Shisan's cunning mind, he vaguely felt that something was not quite right. He immediately released his Divine Sense and scanned the surroundings.
Just as he released his Divine Sense, Cui Ting and the other three swept past him. At the same time, Cui Ting spoke with dissatisfaction.
"Fellow Daoist Ying, can the combined Divine Senses of all of us not compare to yours alone? They are already as panicked as stray dogs and didn't have time to set up properly. We must pursue them quickly."
None of them were fools. During the chase, they had spared no Divine Sense in scanning their surroundings. Moreover, Cui Ting's cultivation was significantly higher than Ying Shisan's.
'They didn't manage to completely destroy the rocks on both sides to block the road. Could it be that they were in too much of a panic?'
Urged on by Cui Ting, this thought arose in Ying Shisan's mind, and his initial suspicion began to waver.
Cui Ting and the other four had already flown forward. After a slight pause, Ying Shisan saw that the four had quickly rounded a bend, but everything seemed under control. His gaze hardened for a moment, he waited one more breath, and then followed, dodging some of the rocks as he flew in.
Just like that, although there were rocks blocking the path, they reached the halfway point of the mountain after eight breaths.
By now, the unease in Ying Shisan's heart had finally subsided.
'Perhaps I was really overthinking it!' Ying Shisan thought.
Just as they ducked through a cave of shattered rock and advanced less than a zhang, a blinding silver light suddenly appeared before the five of them.
Following that, ten enormous silver swords abruptly materialized in the air. The moment they appeared, the entire area became incomparably cold, causing the pupils of the five men to shrink violently.