High in the clouds, Huan Gui was fleeing with Taotie on her back. Her face was as pale as paper, and her eyes were bloodshot.
Behind her, Taotie had been injured to his very foundation by the agents of the Immortal Suppression Department and had fallen into a deep coma.
Hatred surged within her endlessly. For tens of thousands of years, she had remained wary of the Grand Tower; she hadn't even considered the arrival of the Immortal Suppression Department a threat.
Yet, never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that Zhen Wu—who had stood by their side for tens of thousands of years—would actually ambush and kill Ling Xu!
"All my vigilance over these years... was nothing but a joke."
Huan Gui's expression was bitter. The Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems had fallen apart. The disciples were scattered, and there was no telling how many would survive.
Even among the Four Great Leaders, one had betrayed them, and one was dead.
As for the remaining two—herself and Taotie—one was on the brink of death, and the other knew only how to flee, daring not to turn back and fight.
At that moment, Huan Gui's expression changed drastically.
As she crossed a lake, she abruptly halted in mid-air. Golden light flashed from the clouds above to the earth below, and formation arrays rose from all directions in the blink of an eye.
The lake's surface churned with waves; in a single instant, she had stepped right into a trap.
Surrounding the dense cluster of arrays, cultivators soared into the sky, all clad in black robes and wearing iron masks.
There were three hundred cultivators present: four at the Void Refining Realm, twelve at the Divinity Transformation Realm, and the rest ranging from the Golden Core to the Nascent Soul Realm.
Spirit Tools, Dharma Treasures, and talismans were unleashed in rapid succession—they had come well-prepared!
The Void Refining cultivator leading them wore no iron mask.
She was dressed in dark palace robes, her steps generating mist as if a banished immortal were descending to the mortal world.
She wore a golden crown, and a beaded curtain hung from her veil. Her aura was boundless—clearly, she was at the Peak of the Void Refining Realm.
"Consort Ji!"
Huan Gui's expression was grim. "You think you have the standing to stop me?!!"
The Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems had traded with the Grand Tower for many years, yet the number of people Huan Gui knew from the Grand Tower could be counted on her fingers.
Consort Ji was one of them.
This woman was truly ridiculous—an Imperial Consort of the Capital, yet she was selling her life for the Grand Tower.
"I heard Elder Sister went on quite a magnificent slaughter back at the Mountain. If Elder Sister were currently at her peak, I truly wouldn't dare to raise a hand against you." Consort Ji smiled radiantly.
"But what a pity... Elder Sister is riddled with injuries."
Before her voice had even faded, Consort Ji's expression turned ice-cold. "Kill her!"
No sooner had Huan Gui's words faded than she summoned eight clones.
Every one of them was riddled with wounds—some were even missing limbs, injuries they hadn't yet had time to regenerate.
Clearly, Qi Wunian was not someone to be trifled with, to have inflicted such damage upon her clones.
Launching an attack without another word was a move born of desperation.
The Grand Tower had come well-prepared; the longer she stalled, the more likely she would be ensnared by the trapping arrays, leaving her with absolutely no chance of survival.
In a flash, space warped, shifting the battle into the Void Dimension.
Layers of trapping arrays activated, and the Spiritual power of over three hundred cultivators poured down like a torrent.
Huan Gui was already a spent force; in less than 15 minutes, she was trapped in a hopeless situation.
However, right at that moment, the smile on Consort Ji's face suddenly froze.
Every single one of the three hundred or so cultivators paused in their actions, their gazes turning in unison toward the rippling distortion in space.
Anxious voices drifted to their ears.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Master must be nearby. I can smell the smoke on her, and the stench of blood coming from Taotie can't be fake!"
"Big Brother, did you graft a dog's nose onto your face?"
"Don't listen to Big Brother spouting nonsense. I suspect he secretly used some other method."
"Heheh, remember that mirror we used back when we messed with Nangong Yazhi? Eh, found it! Let's go in!"
"..."
The cultivators of the Grand Tower looked at one another in blank dismay, while Consort Ji blinked her eyes in surprise.
Within the Void Dimension, where the great battle was raging, the space rippled for a moment.
Then, a grotesque, stitched-together beast—looking like a mismatched chimera—burst in, dragging three lotus platforms behind it.
Three young men sat cross-legged on the three lotus platforms, putting on a mysterious act.
The person in the center was clad in white, with an ancient zither placed before him and a massive, burning divine talisman floating behind him.
The young man on the left had an innocent appearance, though his eyes held a trace of timidity, as if he were forcing himself to remain calm; a dozen Spirit Tools and Dharma Treasures were scattered behind him like a glowing halo.
The young man on the right wore green battle armor, his cunning gaze sweeping the surroundings as if selecting an opponent, licking his lips with a hint of excitement.
"The Azure Cloud Li Clan!"
"Disciple?!!"
Voices rang out one after another, mostly from the members of the Grand Tower.
These cultivators hailed from various sects and clans; those from regions near the Azure Cloud Prefecture naturally recognized the members of the Li family.
The other voice belonged to Huan Gui, who was trapped within the array.
Hearing the words "Li family," a trace of blank confusion flashed through her eyes.
She had no idea why this disciple of hers suddenly possessed the power of the Peak Divinity Transformation Realm.
She immediately gritted her teeth and shouted in fury, "Didn't I tell you to flee? What are you doing here? Get the hell out of here, now!!"
However, that disciple of hers paid no heed. He simply nodded at her and swept his gaze across the surroundings.
His demeanor showed none of the submissiveness he had displayed during his years at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
Huan Gui had never seen him so unbridled, casual, and playful.
"Tsk, tsk. What a grand display by the Grand Tower. Dispatching four Void Refining experts at the drop of a hat. Just which factions have your people infiltrated? It seems we'll have a lot to reckon with in the future."
"Azure Cloud Li Clan—The Three Thieves!"
Consort Ji, however, did not share Huan Gui's bewilderment.
On the contrary, her eyes were filled with grave seriousness.
During her years in the Imperial Capital, she had attended Li Chang'an's musical performances and was well aware of the Azure Cloud Li Clan, the new rising nobility of the Imperial Dynasty.
The members of the Li Clan were scattered across the various Great Grotto-Heavens.
If any of them suffered unjust bullying, the "Three Thieves" would inevitably arrive.
If their opponents were lucky, they would merely suffer the rule that "a thief never leaves empty-handed." But if they were unlucky... they would truly end up dead, with not even a bone remaining.
"Withdraw!" Consort Ji's expression was grim.
This command to retreat baffled the Void Refining cultivator beside her.
"Consort Ji, let alone these mere three from the Li Clan—even if their entire clan came here, what do we have to fear?"
"Obey the order!"
Consort Ji snorted coldly. Others might not be afraid, but she was.
The Li Clan held significant power in the Imperial Capital; even the merchant lineage of the Li Clan possessed the wealth to purchase powerful enemies to fight for them.
Years ago, in order to learn more about Li Chang'an, she had made contact with the factions that had been driven out of the Azure Cloud Prefecture.
A warning from those Azure Cloud experts remained fresh in her memory—
"If you are enemies, and a person named Li appears before you, do not hesitate—run!"
Consort Ji issued the order and turned to leave immediately, leaving the crowd of Grand Tower cultivators looking at each other in dismay.
But in that brief moment of hesitation...
The expressions of every single cultivator changed drastically.
They saw the Void Dimension ripple, and crimson flames began to spread like wildfire across the entire floor of the dimension.
In all directions, flowers bloomed one after another, radiating vigorous vitality and a medicinal fragrance that seeped into the soul.
Suddenly, a spinning, ink-black cube materialized within the space.
As a Nine-Tailed Fox leaped through the dimension, over a hundred figures stepped into the Void Dimension!
Li Tianyi frowned, gazing at the spot where Consort Ji had fled, and muttered, "You're smart, I'll give you that."
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