Su Yuxuan stared at Kong Xiangli and Black Soul Elder, her face turning pale. She wasn't very familiar with Kong Xiangli. But the aura of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment was unmistakable.

Black Soul Elder was one of the Misty Sect's formidable cultivators, his strength ranking just below those few late-stage Foundation Establishment elders. He was likely on the verge of breaking through to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Especially with his Human Emperor Banner, which contained two mid-stage Foundation Establishment souls as its main spirits, the dark miasma it emitted was terrifying.

Su Yuxuan truly hadn't expected Ye Chen to be pursued by these two. Had she known, she would have turned tail and run upon seeing Ye Chen. The ones chasing her were merely one mid-stage and one early-stage. Escaping from them with some tricks would certainly not be difficult.

But seeing Ye Chen, she thought to divert her troubles his way and join forces with him to eliminate these two elders, to avoid trouble later when returning to the sect. Instead, she had walked right into a trap...

"Senior Brother Ye, I think I can handle it myself, I'd rather not trouble you!"

Su Yuxuan was ready to flee decisively.

Ye Chen, with a sly smile, held onto Su Yuxuan's waist firmly and didn't let go: "Junior Sister, your words just now really moved me. We shall die together. Come at us together!"

Su Yuxuan gritted her teeth. She wanted to throttle Ye Chen right then and there.

Can't you be reasonable? I don't want to die, I still have vendettas to settle!

...

As Kong Xiangli and Black Soul Elder, filled with urgent fury, caught up to Ye Chen, they exchanged a glance with the Misty Sect elders blocking the other way. Despite some confusion about the situation, they straightforwardly declared, "Let's kill these two first!"

The two elders nodded in agreement. Although it was unclear why Black Soul Elder was aligning with a Green Cloud Sect elder, killing the duo aligned perfectly with their intentions: "The technique on Su Yuxuan is ours."

Black Soul Elder nodded, "Fine, I just want their souls. Two talented souls as the main spirits, my Human Emperor Banner will surely increase in power, perhaps even advancing to a top-tier magic treasure!"

Kong Xiangli, however, didn't care about these details. He just wanted Ye Chen dead.

The four of them spread out, effectively cutting off all escape routes for Ye Chen and Su Yuxuan.

...

The air was thick with killing intent.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, pondering whom to take down first. It was quite the coincidence to run into Su Yuxuan here. Afterward, he'd sift through these people's treasures and pick out the most valuable one to give to her.

Ye Chen was not the least bit panicked. But Su Yuxuan was terrified. They were both only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

Now, they faced three mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators and one early-stage cultivator, not to mention Black Soul Elder. Even though she was a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator and Ye Chen was exceptionally powerful, they were still outmatched in both number and level.

How were they supposed to fight this? It was a certain death scenario.

In her anxiety, Su Yuxuan quickly thought of something, her face lighting up. She secretly communicated to Ye Chen, "Earlier in the ruins, I obtained a token from the Boundless Demon Sect's Internal Affairs Hall. It's about ten miles in the direction I fled from. Later, Senior Brother, you make the first move to draw their attention. I'll strike at the early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator to create an opening, and we'll escape in that direction. Once we enter the Internal Affairs Hall, they won't be able to follow us immediately, and we'll have a better chance!"

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After hearing her plan, Ye Chen's lips curled up. Su Yuxuan was clearly planning to use him as cannon fodder. If things went as she said, she'd likely escape while he got surrounded. But meeting Su Yuxuan, a fifty-fold reward, wasn't an everyday occurrence. Hiding in the so-called Internal Affairs Hall for a few weeks and racking up rewards didn't sound too bad.

Thus, Ye Chen readily agreed. It had nothing to do with Su Yuxuan's bare feet.

Ye Chen launched himself towards Kong Xiangli with several majestic, purple-golden hands bursting forth from behind him. Kong Xiangli's face paled as he quickly put up a defensive spell, but he was still struck hard enough to turn genuinely pale this time.

However, Black Soul Elder and another elder immediately attacked Ye Chen. The Human Emperor Banner roared with dark miasma, enveloping Ye Chen. Another cultivator unleashed a crimson divine light, striking at Ye Chen's back!

At that very moment, Su Yuxuan transformed into a blood shadow, blasting furiously towards the only early-stage Foundation Establishment elder. The elder's face changed dramatically.

Su Yuxuan's reputation was well known, and being evenly matched in cultivation stages, he knew he was no match for her. Facing her directly could lead to serious injury, and even if they secured the technique, his share wasn't guaranteed if he was gravely wounded. Deciding it wasn't worth it, he didn't confront her head-on but instead retreated.

Su Yuxuan, in her blood shadow form, suddenly veered and dashed straight for the edge of the encirclement. She broke through the perimeter in an instant.

The faces of the pursuers changed.

Black Soul Elder immediately ordered, "Kill Ye Chen first! As for Su Yuxuan, once we return to the sect, I will naturally help you retrieve what belongs to you and make her pay."

The other elder hesitated, then gritted his teeth and joined the attack on Ye Chen.

...

Meanwhile, Su Yuxuan had run quite far, watching Ye Chen surrounded and besieged, relieved that no one pursued her. Since no one was after her, there was no need to hide in the Internal Affairs Hall waiting for death. She was about to choose a direction to flee from the battlefield.

However, in the next moment, Ye Chen, shrouded in dark souls and black miasma, suddenly erupted in a brilliant golden light.

A massive hand appeared behind the mid-stage Foundation Establishment elder and smacked him away. In the next moment, Ye Chen burst out of the encirclement with unimaginable speed, reaching Su Yuxuan's side: "Junior Sister, your plan was indeed excellent, everything went smoothly. Let's head to the Internal Affairs Hall to hide now!"

Su Yuxuan, watching the four pursuers closing in, her lips trembling slightly, wanted to curse.

Smooth my foot. I could have escaped on my own. How are you so fierce that you managed to break out? Are those four just useless?

But as the pursuers nearly caught up, Su Yuxuan had no choice but to clench her teeth and, along with Ye Chen, sped towards a grand hall in front of them. They quickly arrived at the entrance of the hall.

Su Yuxuan cast a resentful glance at Ye Chen, then at the four furiously approaching figures. With no other choice, she reluctantly tossed out a token.

Immediately after, she pulled Ye Chen and pushed open the doors. Thanks to the token, the defensive array of the Boundless Demon Sect's Internal Affairs Hall did not react, and the two managed to enter easily. They quickly slipped inside.

As the four pursuers arrived, they attempted to fly into the hall but were blocked by the array. Black Soul Elder launched an attack that shook the ground.

However, the Internal Affairs Hall remained undisturbed. Frustrated and gnashing their teeth, they could only watch helplessly as the two closed the hall doors and hid inside.

Kong Xiangli was seething with murderous intent. Ye Chen's luck was infuriatingly good. He glared at the other two Misty Sect elders. It was because of these two incompetents that Ye Chen had escaped. And the Foundation Establishment elder who had been knocked away by Ye Chen, facilitating his escape, was also shaken.

Ye Chen's magic was too fierce. It was simply too much to withstand directly.

"If you think you can do better, go ahead! And what's more, you're a Green Cloud Sect elder daring to glare at me? It's practically a death wish..."

However, infighting was avoided. Black Soul Elder explained Kong Xiangli's identity. Kong Xiangli was a spy sent by the Misty Sect to infiltrate the Green Cloud Sect. He was one of their own. After verifying his identity with the token, the other two put aside their hostility.

Kong Xiangli's expression darkened. "Ye Chen must die. The sect leader said, if Ye Chen dies in the Boundless Demon Sect ruins, Gu Yunyun will certainly come out to seek revenge. Gu Yunyun is the most likely elder in the Green Cloud Sect to breakthrough to the Golden Core stage. If she dies, the Green Cloud Sect won't last many more years. Without a Golden Core successor, our sect will easily swallow them up. So, we will stay here, find a way to break the array, and accelerate its failure! Ye Chen must die!"

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