Whoosh
A faint trace of pale blue cloud aura streaked across the mountains, heading directly for a seemingly unremarkable peak shrouded in a light mist.
Without pause, it dove straight into the mountain and vanished from sight.
"It's Elder Yuquan! Hurry open the passage and let him in!"
The Ma Clan members, who had been trapped in the mountain for days steeped in fear and frustration, not daring to take a single step outside immediately lit up with joy. They anxiously urged the elder at the peak of Qi Refining to open the barrier.
The elder's face also lit up with delight. With a wave of the formation flag, he swiftly opened a gap in the protective array that had been blocking the pale blue cloud aura.
Since the day they fled Sanhuai Market in the dead of night after the ambush by Li Ye, the patriarch had gone into closed-door recovery and hadn't shown himself since. In the meantime, the entire situation had been held together by this one elder at the peak of Qi Refining.
If it weren't for the patriarch's explicit instructions, and the fact that there hadn't been any signs of pursuers from Mount Pingyang, the clan members might've already risked venturing out to investigate.
But now that another Foundation Establishment cultivator had arrived, even with the patriarch still in seclusion, they finally had someone to rely on again.
Even if that Li Ye dares show up, we're not afraid of him anymore!
The pale blue cloud aura passed through the opening and, in a flash, condensed into the form of a dignified-looking middle-aged man.
"Greetings, Elder Yuquan!"
Led by the Qi Refining elder, the Ma Clan members stepped forward and bowed in unison.
"At ease."
Ma Yuquan waved a hand and glanced around the crowd before quickly asking:
"I was summoned here in great haste how is the patriarch?"
"Elder Yuquan, ever since the ambush by Li Ye, the patriarch gave us some instructions and immediately went into seclusion to recover. He has yet to come out, so we're not entirely sure of his condition…"
The Qi Refining elder hesitated slightly before adding,
"But since the patriarch expressed the intention to retake the Chidi Mountains, I believe his condition shouldn't be too serious."
"I see…"
Ma Yuquan nodded slightly, his expression easing a little. He then walked over to the cave sealed by a thick wall of earth and called out loudly:
"Yuquan has arrived. May I ask if the patriarch is well?"
After a moment, a muffled voice slowly responded from within, and the thick wall of earth slid away to reveal the entrance of the cave.
"My injuries have mostly healed. Come in we have much to discuss."
Hearing this, Ma Yuquan's expression turned serious. He turned back to the others and instructed:
"I'll be speaking with the patriarch in private. Remain alert if anything unusual occurs, report immediately!"
The Ma Clan members quickly acknowledged his command.
With a nod, Ma Yuquan stepped into the cave. After walking a short distance, he took in the crude surroundings and couldn't help but frown slightly.
But soon, in the wider area of the cave, he caught sight of the seated figure of the Ma Clan Patriarch. Not daring to delay, he quickened his pace.
"Patriarch…"
As he stepped into the cave, Ma Yuquan was just about to bow to the elder when his expression suddenly changed.
In that very instant, the moment he entered, a formation trap was triggered sealing the cave and unleashing a surge of scorching fire towards him.
At the same time, the external formation set up by the Qi Refining elder underwent a dramatic shift. In perfect sync with the trap inside, the changes took hold.
Towering trees sprang up, interwoven with fiery vines, all bursting into flames. The entire mountaintop was instantly transformed into a blazing forest. With wood and fire enhancing one another, the formation's power rapidly surged to a solid mid-tier second rank!
Boom!
A pale blue cloud aura erupted and condensed into a swirling tide around Ma Yuquan's body. But this hurried defense was no match for a meticulously planned, full-force strike.
Fiery waves roared in from all directions, smashing the water aura to pieces and instantly vaporizing it.
Ma Yuquan held out for only a moment before the spiritual light protecting his body shattered, and even his enchanted robes were mostly burned away. He was flung from the cave like a scorched rag doll, crashing into the fleeing Ma Clan members.
Grievously wounded on the spot!
"Elder Yuquan!"
The Ma Clan shouted in panic, some rushing to help him.
But the falling fireballs from the sky, and the flaming vines and giant trees whipping through the battlefield, gave them no chance.
In the few moments since the formation was triggered, several clan members had already died.
They couldn't understand how this could happen this was supposed to be the formation personally assigned by the patriarch and set up by the Qi Refining elder! How had it turned against them like this?
"Patriarch! Elder Yuquan! Save us! I don't want to die!"
"What's going on?! Has Li Ye come for us?!"
The power of the formation was far beyond what a group of Qi Refining cultivators could handle. Trapped within it, they scrambled in panic but couldn't escape its range.
Like ants on a hot pan, they flailed helplessly in their final moments.
"That's not the patriarch… he's Li Ye!"
Only now did the Qi Refining elder realize what was happening. Pointing at the figure emerging from the cave, he screamed in shock.
"Took you long enough to figure that out. But it's too late."
Li Ye strode out calmly, his appearance shifting back to his original form with each step.
In one hand, he held a formation flag; in the other, a yellow sand gourd.
Under his command, the burning trees and fire vines continued their merciless slaughter of the Ma Clan, while also keeping Ma Yuquan pinned down.
Endless streams of yellow sand surged from the gourd, shifting unpredictably as they formed blade-like currents that swept through the battlefield, seeking lives.
Even though Ma Yuquan had been a Foundation Establishment cultivator for years and possessed far more spiritual power than Li Ye, the ambush had left him badly injured from the start. With such a disadvantage, he stood no chance.
Barely holding on, his jade bottle meant to release a condensed water essence was quickly overwhelmed by the sand. Death loomed close.
"All three of the Ma Clan's Foundation Establishment cultivators… killed by you alone. We underestimated you, Li Ye…"
Burned and mangled like a vengeful spirit, Ma Yuquan glared at Li Ye's unfamiliar face.
"Li Ye! My clan perished because of our greed but don't think you'll come out of this unscathed... Let's see how long you can keep control of that lava crypt!"
"The entire Ma Clan will be waiting for you down below!"
"Li Ye! I curse you may you die a miserable death!"
Desperate curses echoed from the remaining Ma Clan members.
BOOM! SWOOSH
A fireball slammed down, shattering Ma Yuquan's final defenses. A stream of sand pierced between his brows like a dagger killing him instantly.
With their last Foundation Establishment cultivator gone, and the formation now fully unleashed, the remaining Ma Clan members were wiped out effortlessly.
"So much pointless screaming… If you hadn't come after me first, I wouldn't have had to go to all this trouble pretending, setting traps, all just to wipe you out."
Expressionless, Li Ye shook his head.
As he gathered his spoils, he let the formation burn the Ma Clan corpses to ashes, leaving no trace behind.
As for Ma Yuquan's body that, of course, would be taken back to feed the Voidrealm Tree.
Sure, it was a little twisted bordering on the practices of demonic cultivators but the stronger the Voidrealm Tree grew, the more stable his domain would become.
And possibly, the more efficiently it would return benefits to him.
Compared to those rewards, moral concerns were meaningless.
With everything reduced to ash, Li Ye packed up his gains and drifted away without a trace.
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