Half her body looked as if it had been pulled from a pool of blood, dripping with savage ferocity.

The wind rushing toward her felt like steel blades scraping bone. Jian Chou had anticipated that Gu Qingmei would have some killing move prepared, so she had only deliberately approached those two to test them, not expecting a formation disc to come crashing down immediately.

If not for her rapid reflexes and prior preparation, having originally positioned herself somewhat at the edge and not being completely trapped within the formation, she would likely be in the same state as the other two now.

However, even though she escaped quickly, she was still at the edge of the formation’s most powerful anchor point, forcibly enduring the immense pressure bearing down from above as she pulled half her body out. That sensation made Jian Chou feel as if she had undergone body refinement once more.

But…

She didn’t care at all!

What she possessed could be called the most formidable body among all Foundation Establishment cultivators!

Once she extracted herself from the formation, Jian Chou didn’t hesitate. As if she couldn’t see the blood covering half her body, she immediately stepped onto Ghost Axe and flew toward that mountain from the previous year!

The little marten crouched on her shoulder was momentarily stunned by Jian Chou’s ferocity, then burst into wild celebration the next moment.

“Awoooooo!”

It was almost like a victory cry.

Jian Chou couldn’t speak, but the little marten could.

Its shout was undoubtedly a declaration of victory. Holding the silver spoon, the little marten happily licked it once, then looked ahead with bright, gleaming eyes!

“Awoooooo!”

Right there!

Go for it!

Master!

Awoooooo, all the good food and drink are there!

As if hearing the little marten’s excitement, Jian Chou smiled slightly and directly suppressed the bloody taste rising in her throat.

If she was in such a miserable state, could those two be any better?

And there was still that poor monk.

The fierce wind continued to assault her face, but the bones in Jian Chou’s body were healing at a terrifyingly rapid pace. Just as she was about to bypass the formation, she suddenly pulled out her axe, and the battle disc immediately appeared beneath her feet!

Spin!

The spinning battle disc was not as large as that terrifying formation on the ground, but it was sufficient to divert some of the energy it was absorbing.

Moreover, precisely because she was near this formation, within the spiritual energy vortex it had gathered, the spiritual energy Jian Chou absorbed was more abundant than usual.

And this additional energy gave her the power to split mountains when she raised Ghost Axe!

Raised high!

The Ghost Axe traced a stunning arc through the air as it descended, its black shadow accompanied by ghostly wails and howls emerging from underground, carrying within its ferocity a pure power that stirred the heart.

Swoosh!

An axe shadow flew out!

Swoosh!

The axe shadow vanished, appearing in mid-air only ten zhang from the ground!

Swoosh!

It disappeared a second time, and when it reappeared, it struck directly into the earth!

Boom!

The moment the axe shadow hit the ground, the formation immediately blazed with intense light, a protective barrier preventing others from destroying the formation.

Crack, crack, pop, pop…

Lightning serpents emanated from the thunder spirit stone at the formation’s center, spreading to the outer barrier as if trying to resist external invasion.

Based on the texts Jian Chou had read in Yashan’s scripture pavilion, such a formation could be called the pinnacle of perfection.

Not only was it simple to operate, buildable through formation discs, but the power it could instantly concentrate was beyond imagination, not to mention this method of borrowing Earth’s power to oppress others. The greater the spiritual power, the more earth power could be borrowed. Even…

There was this thunder spirit stone serving as assistance and protection.

If Jian Chou had gone up to hack at it with her axe, she would certainly have been penetrated by these lightning serpents by now, if not dead, then severely injured.

What excellent methods!

The people from Kunwu truly all had excellent methods.

However…

It was still useless.

The fluctuations from Ghost Axe triggered the formation’s defenses, but the axe shadow itself was not aimed at the formation.

This was the drawback of hastily constructing a formation…

Boom!

The axe shadow struck the ground viciously!

A massive axe-shaped crater!

In an instant, reddish muddy water was sent flying like countless waterfalls!

Two spirit stones buried deep underground were finally displaced from their original positions by this axe strike—one shattered with a crash, the other flew outward. Both had left their original formation range!

Without sufficiently hard ground and protection, destroying a formation’s foundation was quite simple.

In just the blink of an eye, Jian Chou could see the formation’s protective light dim by three points!

“Ahhhhhhh…”

A series of high-pitched screams mixed with boundless fury erupted from the stone disc once more.

This voice sounded somewhat like Meng Xizhou.

But under extreme pain and pressure, it had become hoarse and distorted, carrying indescribable agony, utterly desperate…

After striking with the axe, Jian Chou barely paused. Without even glancing down at her feet, she immediately flew off again.

With Dijiang Guyu ahead, slightly damaging the formation to reduce the pressure on the two people inside was already the limit of what Jian Chou could do. If she wasted too much time here, she might miss her chance at Dijiang Guyu.

As for whether these two could wait for her to return and rescue them, that truly depended on fate.

Jian Chou felt her actions were beyond reproach, so she—

Pressed forward without hesitation, onward!

“Damn it…”

Gu Qingmei’s slightly distorted voice came from within the stone disc. Jian Chou heard it but did not react, even taking advantage of being near the formation where absorption was faster to increase her speed slightly!

Flying away!

Gu Qingmei, who had reacted a moment too late, finally stepped onto her sword to pursue, but sensing that the formation below had been damaged, she became even more furious!

Impossible!

How did this person manage to do that?

Anyone who could enter the Crimson Kill Minor Realm must be cultivators below Golden Core, and among them, even the most outstanding would at best be like Zhou Chengjiang, the former number one of Foundation Establishment. She had once crossed swords with this person and knew he definitely shouldn’t be this strong!

Moreover, Zhou Chengjiang later lost to Senior Brother Xie, so she had some understanding of his capabilities.

When had such a terrifying figure appeared among Foundation Establishment cultivators?

An inexplicable fear rose in her heart.

Regardless of why the formation had failed to trap this person, their target was Dijiang Guyu. What happened to those trapped people was of no concern to Gu Qingmei—she only wanted to obtain Dijiang Guyu!

Absolutely could not let it be stolen!

“Junior Sister, how are things?”

As if he hadn’t heard any sound from Gu Qingmei’s side for a long time, Xie Buchen, who was in Kunwu, finally asked through the communication spirit pearl.

Gu Qingmei gritted her teeth, already exerting her full effort, controlling the long sword beneath her feet to transform into a streak of light, racing alongside the green light on the stone disc!

Let’s see who arrives first!

At this moment, Gu Qingmei didn’t waste words.

She merely stared dead ahead, as if also watching the person hidden in mid-air by the Crimson Kill Minor Realm’s rules, transmitting through the communication spirit pearl: “Qingmei will bring back Dijiang Guyu for Senior Brother!”

As her words fell, Gu Qingmei looked at the ancient silver small bell on her left wrist and gently shook it.

“Ring, ring, ring, ring…”

The crisp sound immediately spread, and Gu Qingmei’s gaze became extremely cold.

The corners of her lips curved up, suddenly generating an indescribable surge of high spirits.

Who dared block her path?

No matter how great their abilities, so what?

She came from Kunwu, with profound foundations built over thousands of years. Just the various extraordinary magical artifacts on her body could crush them to death!

As this bell sounded, it immediately transmitted through the stone disc.

Jian Chou, still in rapid flight, heard it and felt something go “buzz” deep in her mind, as if something sharp was stabbing at her. In an instant, the Ghost Axe beneath her feet became unstable, and she nearly fell.

Countless illusions formed in her mind, making her feel as if she had fallen into a five-layer fog.

The little marten, holding the silver spoon and tightly grasping Jian Chou’s neck to prevent itself from falling, suddenly looked toward the stone disc emitting the sound with an almost savage expression!

Its originally bright black eyes instantly turned blood red!

In that moment, it looked like an enraged lion. Its mouth opened to an incredible size, revealing two rows of gleaming white fangs. Standing on Jian Chou’s shoulder with such a “gaping maw,” it let out an earth-shaking roar!

“Roaaaar—”

Waves of sound, splitting heaven and cracking earth!

All the spiritual energy in the entire Crimson Kill Minor Realm that had been converging toward the formation seemed to scatter for a moment under this heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar!

Countless plants on the ground were overturned by this mighty roar!

Rustle, rustle!

Grass overturned, trees fell, and soil flew!

The ground immediately revealed an ugly, dark brown color.

This sound was like the beast king of the jungle, like an ancient divine beast, furious beyond measure, its roar shaking the earth.

Even the stone disc that had been floating in the void seemed intimidated by such a sound. The light that usually extended one chi around it was compressed into a thin layer, like a membrane tightly pressed against the stone disc.

The power of a single roar!

“Ah!”

A scream came from within the stone disc.

Gu Qingmei, who had just been shaking the bell on her wrist, suddenly felt as if she had been struck in the chest by this mighty roar from within the stone disc!

For a moment, her entire consciousness became muddled and chaotic, with unbearable nausea and dizziness flooding in, along with fear emanating from her very core!

What was that thing?

What was that person carrying beside them?!

What kind of creature could possess such roaring power?

Gu Qingmei felt as if her head was about to explode from this single sound. She pressed her hands against her head and finally couldn’t control herself, letting out a scream. The flying sword beneath her feet immediately lost control, no longer able to continue forward flight, plummeting straight down from the sky!

Gu Qingmei, who had been speeding forward, immediately fell headfirst from the heights!

Within the Earth Binding Formation.

Meng Xizhou was nearly dead. To put it dramatically, he felt that the strength of suckling—which he had long forgotten—had been revived under such tremendous pressure.

Damn bear.

This woman from Kunwu was truly fucking ruthless!

She either didn’t strike, or when she did, she went for the kill.

Spicy enough, flavorful enough!

He must never give her a chance in the future, or he will torment her to death!

Constantly encouraging himself with these unreliable threats in his heart, Meng Xizhou’s fingers exerted force. “Crack!”—under the immense pressure, his finger bones directly snapped, protruding through skin and flesh. The white bone mixed with fresh blood truly looked like flowers blooming from white bones.

But in all his years of cultivation, Meng Xizhou had never seen such a sight on his own body!

How refreshing!

Even more refreshing than smashing through ice last time!

The formation’s pressure continued to increase. Meng Xizhou’s vision went black, about to lose consciousness.

However, just at this moment, a tremendous crash came from not far from where he lay.

A massive axe-shaped crater appeared ahead!

Two spirit stones that formed the formation’s foundation flew out in that instant!

Fuck!

Axe-shaped!

In that moment, Meng Xizhou’s focus wasn’t on “damn, the pressure finally lightened” but rather—

Truly a real man!

The formation wasn’t destroyed, but the absence of these two spirit stones broke the complete system. Meng Xizhou suddenly roared!

“Ha!”

His body suddenly rose!

Meng Xizhou managed to half-kneel on one leg, supporting his body with his long staff, clearly about to stand up!

Ring, ring, ring…

A series of urgent and sharp sounds rang out. Meng Xizhou immediately cursed “fuck your eight generations of ancestors, Gu Qingmei” in his heart, then his mind went completely chaotic, directly slammed down by the tremendous pressure of ten thousand jin above his head!

Bang!

His entire body collapsed back to the ground. Meng Xizhou simply didn’t have the strength to even move a finger.

“Roaaaar…”

A mighty roar finally came from within the stone disc.

Liao Kong’s situation was even more miserable.

His face, while not particularly handsome, carried the unique spiritual energy of a young monk.

At this moment, however, this face was deeply buried in the mud.

Not just his face, but his entire body seemed pressed down by something, forced hard into the earth.

Though the formation’s pressure had lightened, his injuries had already worsened.

Moreover, when the bell rang, his spirit was lost, leaving him with no strength to resist.

His entire body was bound by Earth’s power, as if he would be pressed into the ground forever!

Just then, a Lion’s Roar suddenly came from within the stone disc!

Boom—

In that instant, Liao Kong felt his spiritual platform clear. It was as if countless Buddhist chants resonated in his mind. This mighty roar was like a thunderous awakening, causing the chaotic Liao Kong to suddenly feel thousands of Buddha lotuses blooming on his spiritual platform!

His powerless hand, curled at his side, finally moved, then moved again.

Exert force!

He braced against the ground!

Liao Kong gritted his teeth. His face was covered with mud and blood, but this couldn’t conceal the benevolent Buddha nature in his eyes!

Swaying, swaying!

Liao Kong managed to stand up!

His monk’s robe was stained with countless filthy marks, but only his eyes looked ahead!

Ahead in the void.

Under the little marten’s roar, Jian Chou finally didn’t fall to the bottom. Though she still didn’t understand what had happened, in that instant, she became extraordinarily calm, directly forming another hand seal.

The little marten had already fallen from Jian Chou’s shoulder due to the tremendous impact of the descent.

Ghost Axe flew back beneath Jian Chou’s feet. The moment she rose again on the axe-riding wind, Jian Chou reached out and caught the little marten that was about to fall in mid-air. Together with Ghost Axe, which had broken through the clouds, they soared upward once more!

That strangely shaped mountain finally appeared completely before Jian Chou’s eyes.

Below the mountainside were countless caves, all carved into the stone walls, seemingly containing something densely packed inside.

Inadvertently, Jian Chou discovered a skeleton hanging at a cave entrance…

Above the mountainside was the shape of a giant pot. Looking down from above, there was a huge circular depression filled with vegetation. This looked like…

A pot that had been abandoned for a long time.

However, Jian Chou had never seen such a large pot before.

After steadying her composure, she felt something fluffy in her hand and looked down.

The little marten’s previously blood-red eyes from anger had returned to their black, watery state, looking at Jian Chou with slight grievance. One small paw held the tongue-shaped silver spoon inward, while the other covered its mouth as if afraid of opening it again.

“Wu…”

I really won’t dare open my mouth wide again next time—my image is ruined!

Jian Chou silently observed it for a long while, especially its mouth…

Now it knew to act dumb and cute with her, but when that mouth opened, it was like hiding a massive monster inside!

Forget it, everything could wait until after this was over for a proper “interrogation.”

She sighed, steadied herself, and seemingly calmly placed the little marten back on her shoulder.

The little marten holding the spoon and covering its mouth blinked its eyes, seeming to find this rather wonderful.

Eh, she didn’t pursue the matter!

How wonderful!

Without hesitation, it directly stuck out its tongue and licked Jian Chou’s neck!

In that instant, that fleshy, slippery, sticky sensation completely occupied Jian Chou’s neck!

Her entire body stiffened.

Turning her head, she met the little marten’s innocent gaze directly. Gritting her teeth, Jian Chou was about to reach out, grab it, and throw it down below, but unexpectedly, the little marten seemed to know it was about to face disaster. It quickly made an “ao” sound, then bounced on Jian Chou’s shoulder, pointing ahead with its small paw: “Wu wu wu!”

Jian Chou looked back in surprise.

She had been riding the axe and finally reached above this mountain range. As if crossing some boundary and triggering something, a massive pillar of light reaching to the heavens suddenly emerged not far ahead!

A lustrous green, like verdant lotus leaves, like warm, gentle jade.

A green leaf shape appeared on the light pillar, identical to the green leaf Jian Chou had previously seen on the killing disc.

Lines of ancient seal script, accompanied by eternal and prolonged sighs, appeared on the stone pillar.

“Heaven and earth in one ladle mixed, rivers and streams in one pot cooked!”

“Dijiang boils in the cauldron, ten thousand ghosts burn beneath!”

“Ultimate flavor indeed, ultimate flavor indeed!”