The light flickered slightly, and two figures appeared.

On the left was a young cultivator, dressed in luxurious robes, with an arrogant demeanor and a domineering gaze.

He held a jade-bone folding fan, an image of a spoilt young master, but the spiritual pressure circulating around him was no fake, he was truly a Late-stage Nascent Soul.

On the right was an old man, with a gaunt figure, hooked nose, sinister eyes, wearing a brown long robe.

His aura was even more condensed and seasoned, fiddling with two jet-black beads in his hand, also a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator.

Both of them looked at Xu Ping with a detached appraisal and indifference, as if watching prey trapped in a snare.

"There’s really an ambush!"

Xu Ping felt his heart sink, but instead breathed a sigh of relief.

It’s better for the other party to reveal their hand than to keep hiding it.

Moreover, though the lineup was strong, it was still within expectations.

What caught his attention was that he had never seen these two late-stage cultivators in the Outer Sea.

And their clothing, demeanor, and even the subtle aura from their cultivation technique was markedly different from Outer Sea cultivators.

That extravagantly luxurious Moon Shadow Stone puppet was also something no Outer Sea force could produce!

So where did these two come from?

At this moment, Xuanmo True Monarch finally displayed a confident smile, and said loudly, "Fellow Daoist Xu, now that things have come to this, why resist stubbornly?"

"Considering the rarity of your divine techniques, if you willingly open your Divine Soul and let me set a restriction, I swear by the Heart Demon that I’ll spare you, and you’ll even receive great benefits in the future!"

Three late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, a unique Fourth-rank Upper-grade Puppet, all targeting Xu Ping.

It’s hard to imagine a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator could possess such divine powers like their sword array, avatar, puppet array, and soul manipulation techniques.

However, the soul manipulation technique he feared was tanked by the puppet, and as for the sword array and puppet army, they simply weren’t opponents for these three.

The young man in the luxurious robe snickered at this, lightly waving his fan with a tone full of superiority and condescension:

"Fellow Daoist Xuanmo is kind-hearted. Boy, did you hear that? Offering your soul imprint to serve us is your great fortune!"

"Otherwise, this place will be your tomb today!"

"At that time, not only you will die, but wasn’t there a flower-like Dao companion on your Blood Bone Island? What’s her name... Duan Shuang?"

"Tsk tsk, still a once-in-a-millennial Pure Yin Body Nascent Soul... I happen to lack a perfect cauldron!"

Speaking to this point, his eyes shone with an unabashedly lewd and greedy light.

His words ignited an explosive fury.

Xu Ping’s eyes flashed with strong killing intent: "Today, I will chop off your dog head!"

"Ignorant fool!" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The young man in luxurious robes was stunned by Xu Ping’s insult, then erupted in rage, shouting sternly.

In an instant, the three men and the puppet attacked simultaneously.

Xuanmo True Monarch unleashed a White Bone Banner, demonic qi surging into countless ferocious ghost heads charging forward!

The young man waved his folding fan, releasing countless sharp and space-splitting green wind blades.

The old man hurled two black beads, which grew into two mountains in the wind, crashing down with imposing might.

The Shadow Demon puppet merged back into the shadows, ready to strike a fatal blow.

Facing this destruction, Xu Ping’s eyes showed no fear, long prepared.

"Buzz!"

The Wood Spirit Avatar stepped out behind him, instantly taking control of seventy-three suspended swords.

The sword array erupted, chaotic sword light swirling, forcibly blocking most attacks.

Xu Ping’s main body slapped his storage pouch, releasing ten fearsome puppets emitting Fourth Rank Middle Grade waves, connecting to his aura and forming a battle array.

A massive energy pillar shot skyward, targeting the two black giant seals.

With his advancing Body Refining cultivation, he could now perfectly control four Fourth-rank Middle-grade puppets simultaneously.

Rumble!

The battle erupted in an instant.

Sword light, demonic qi, wind blades, giant seals, energy torrents... clashing madly, disintegrating.

The entire underground cave trembled violently, countless boulders collapsing, as if the end was nigh!

With the sword array and puppet army, Xu Ping could barely hold out, but was clearly at a disadvantage.

Sword light continually eroded by demonic ghost heads, the puppet army’s energy pillar crushed back by the two giant seals.

The young man’s wind blades cunning and vicious, constantly seeking openings in the sword array.

The elusive Shadow Demon puppet forced Xu Ping or his avatar to give their all in response, creating perilous situations.

If alone, facing such a deadly scenario, Xu Ping was ready to self-destruct his Wood Spirit Avatar, using the Soaring Dragon technique to forcefully break through and escape.

But he was not alone.

Just as Xuanmo True Monarch and the others thought victory was theirs, their assault became even more frenzied—

Another change occurred.

Whoosh!

A thick, devouring black mist surged from all directions, instantly enveloping the battlefield!

This mist was incredibly eerie, not only blocking sight but also greatly suppressing and devouring divine sense.

"What?"

"What’s happening?"

Xuanmo True Monarch and the others’ faces changed drastically.

They found their divine sense compressed into a terrifying range within the black mist.

Even their companions’ positions were unclear, their offensive slowing involuntarily.

Suddenly, two surges of pressure equal to or surpassing them erupted from the depths of the black mist.

One was ghostly and sinister, grievance souls wailing, as if the Nine Nether gates to hell had opened.