By now, Senior Brother Zhao's fight against Li and Zhang had reached its climax. Despite being outnumbered, he held his ground with solid fundamentals. His sword strikes were precise and ruthless, always managing to deflect the joint attacks of his two opponents.
On the other side, Hua Xuánzǐ was battling a male cultivator of equal rank with steady ease. Since she had barely expended any energy earlier, the two were evenly matched. She even had enough room to toss talismans now and then, disrupting his rhythm and gaining a temporary advantage.
But Senior Brother Qian was struggling. Already injured from a sneak attack, he was now facing an opponent one level above him. After taking another blow to the back, he gritted his teeth through a muffled groan and called out to Hua Xuánzǐ for help.
"Senior Sister Hua, cover me for two breaths. I need to take a healing pill."
Hearing this, Hua Xuánzǐ immediately adjusted her steps and moved toward him. She could not afford to let anything happen to him. If he fell, all the pressure would land on her and Senior Brother Zhao. Two against four—the odds would be grim.
At this point, she had completely written off the Wei siblings. She assumed the two had already fled, and honestly, she could understand. Self-preservation was natural. Given their cultivation levels, they probably couldn't help anyway.
But just as she closed within two steps of Senior Brother Qian, Yun Xi suddenly formed a lightning seal and launched a full-powered Thunderstrike. No restraint this time. The force of a ninth-level Qi Refining attack blasted the dagger out of Senior Brother Qian's hand and charred his left hand black.
"Ahhh!"
His scream halted the battle for a heartbeat. Everyone's movements froze. Hua Xuánzǐ's gaze sharpened as she caught sight of the dagger in his scorched hand. Realization hit her like a slap—his injury had been faked. He was trying to get close and ambush her.
If not for that hidden intervention, she would have taken a dagger straight to the heart.
"Despicable!"
She turned and slashed, ending Senior Brother Qian's life with a single blow. She didn't forget to collect his storage pouch, either.
Only then did Yun Xi turn to Zong Hao and say calmly, "Brother Zong Hao, it's our turn."
"Already ready."
Zong Hao had known from the moment he saw that attempted sneak attack. No wonder Senior Brother Li had managed to leave a mark undetected—Qian had covered for him. It was now clear that Qian had betrayed the team too.
Now that the truth was exposed, Yun Xi finally joined the fight. She had waited until sides were clearly drawn. There was no point jumping in until she knew exactly who was friend and who was foe. She wasn't about to offer help blindly.
The moment they entered the battlefield, Yun Xi threw out a third-grade array disk. This one was a trapping formation—she wasn't about to spare the ones who had tried to stab her in the back.
Zong Hao followed her lead. Together, they quickly eliminated the male cultivator who had been fighting Qian. Only then did they move to assist Senior Sister Hua.
Hua Xuánzǐ immediately called out in gratitude.
"Junior Sister Yun Xi, Junior Brother Wei, I owe you both a great debt. If I survive this, I swear I will repay it!"
"Senior Sister, let's finish this fight first," Yun Xi replied. "We'll help you deal with this one, then move to support Senior Brother Zhao. He's still facing two enemies. They might try something desperate."
"Agreed!"
Now it was three against one. Hua Xuánzǐ took the lead in offense, while Yun Xi continuously cast Gold Arrow, Fireball, and Thunderstrike techniques to harass the enemy. Zong Hao handled sneak attacks and finishing strikes.
Eventually, Hua Xuánzǐ drove her sword straight through the man's chest. He collapsed with unwillingness still in his eyes.
With a flick of her sword, she tossed the man's storage pouch to Zong Hao, then handed Yun Xi the one she'd taken from Senior Brother Qian.
"Senior Sister, you…"
"Take it. You both earned it."
Yun Xi smiled faintly. "Then I won't refuse. Thank you, Senior Sister."
"Come, we have to help Senior Brother Zhao."
Led by Yun Xi, the trio rushed toward the area where the formation had trapped the remaining enemies. Hua Xuánzǐ charged in with sword drawn. With her joining forces, the tide of battle turned quickly.
Junior Sister Zhang, realizing they were doomed, glared hatefully at the Wei siblings.
"This is all your fault!"
She pulled out a second-grade talisman from her robes and hurled it toward them.
Yun Xi's pupils contracted. She immediately controlled the array disk, isolating Zhang and the talisman within a separate space. An explosion echoed through the formation, shaking the entire battlefield.
Yun Xi winced as she looked at the spent low-grade spirit stones inside the formation, now reduced to dust. She quickly replaced them with nine more stones.
If she didn't earn this back somehow, it would be a huge loss.
Zong Hao rushed to her side. "Yun Xi, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she replied. "The one in trouble is her. Come on, let's grab her storage pouch."
She dissolved the spatial seal and walked over to collect her reward.
Meanwhile, Hua Xuánzǐ and Senior Brother Zhao were already moving. They beheaded the last opponent together—Senior Brother Li—ignoring his pleas for mercy. They took his storage pouch as well.
With that, the battle came to a close. Yun Xi adjusted the array disk, dissolving the spatial divisions and bringing the group together again.
Hua Xuánzǐ and Senior Brother Zhao looked visibly more relaxed. They both cupped their fists.
"Thank you for helping us. If not for you two, we would have fallen to their plot."
Yun Xi returned the gesture.
"You're too polite, Senior Sister Hua. I've always trusted your character. In the end, they were just greedy—unwilling to work, yet desperate to claim the largest rewards."
Hua Xuánzǐ sighed.
"This was our failure to judge people. I originally brought you on this mission, but you ended up saving us instead."
Senior Brother Zhao added, "Xuánzǐ, don't blame yourself. I was planning to tell you after this mission that I didn't want to team up with them again. It's not that I don't want to support our juniors, but they were just too greedy.
Honestly, I already saw warning signs during the last two missions. I didn't want to say anything because you were the one who brought them in."
Hua Xuánzǐ shot him a glare.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? You think I can't judge right from wrong? This was only a temporary team. We don't owe them anything. If they hadn't begged me to bring them, I wouldn't have bothered.
After this mission, I finally have enough spirit stones to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill. I plan to go into seclusion and break through."
Senior Brother Zhao shrugged. "Plans never keep up with change."
But at that moment, the array trembled again.
All four immediately turned to look outside—and collectively inhaled sharply.
"That's the second-tier Sand Mouse!"
"How did it wake up?"
"Junior Sister Yun Xi burned the Jinsha Grass near their nest to save you. That's what provoked it."
The beast possessed the strength of an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. It was now leading its horde in a direct assault against the array. Clearly, it knew the enemies were hiding behind the barrier.
Senior Brother Zhao frowned. "Junior Sister Wei, how long can your array hold?"
"As long as we keep feeding it spirit stones, it can hold indefinitely. But the longer we stay here, the more likely other beasts will be drawn by the commotion. We're already near the inner edge of the rear mountain. If a third-tier beast comes, my array won't hold."
Senior Brother Zhao nodded seriously.
"Junior Sister Wei, can your array divide space?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then let's draw in the Sand Mice little by little. Kill them in batches, and wear the second-tier one down using the formation!"