The leader in black with the red flag had just fled into the dense forest when a flash of cold light suddenly appeared underground.

"Zheng~"

Almost instantly, his body-protecting Dharma Shield was broken. He stared unseeing at the black feather piercing through his Dantian.

Behind the black feather was an almost transparent flesh tongue.

Gugu had sparred with Little Fire Spirit back then, and a hole was burned into the tip of his tongue.

Li Ji’an had embedded the trophy he acquired from True Man Hei Yu, while rescuing Xiao Changfeng in the Fire Domain, onto the tip of his tongue.

The black feather robe from True Man Hei Yu not only resisted the power of the Second Layer Fire Domain but was also incredibly tough. When Li Ji’an tallied the loot upon leaving the Fire Domain, much of the feather robe had already fallen off, yet he discovered its key feature.

The core of the feather robe was a one-foot-long sharp feather, not a common Magical Artifact but rather the feather of a Spiritual Bird.

The reason the feather robe, made with this black feather at its core, could withstand the extreme heat of the Second Layer Fire Domain is due to the icy sharpness emitted by the feather.

This black feather not only matched the material of supreme offensive Magical Artifacts but also contained a trace of vitality. Once embedded into Gugu’s tongue, it showed signs of taking root.

Now it was fully integrated.

The sharpness of the black feather conveniently made up for Gugu’s offensive shortcomings.

The mid-stage Foundation Establishment leader was killed instantly, leaving the other three early-stage Foundation Establishment Tribulation Cultivators in more fear, accelerating their escape, only to collapse on the ground three breaths later.

The colorless, odorless Soul-Devouring Powder had already infiltrated their bodies silently when they held the Array Flags to the front of the array.

A True Man of the Fake Pill concocted the third-tier poison, which these mere early-stage Foundation Establishment Junior Cultivators could not resist.

Once Gugu gathered the four corpses in one place, Li Ji’an activated the Faceless Mask with his Divine Sense and then absorbed the Essence Blood and Divine Soul of the opponents.

However, after absorbing two individuals, the Faceless Mask ceased to respond.

Upon inner inspection, the three blood slots were full; the first blood slot held the Essence Blood of Red Stone Wanderer.

Divine Sense touched the Essence Blood of the recently absorbed leader, causing a memory cluster to appear in the Sea of Consciousness.

Li Ji’an did not immediately access the memory. Instead, he first cleaned up the scene, asked Gugu to pack the four Storage Pouches and the Array Flags on the ground, and headed straight into the depths of the Spirit Village.

"Heavenly Four Evils? Hmm?"

Partway through their journey, he entered Gugu’s mouth and quickly browsed through the memory fragments. Li Ji’an raised an eyebrow slightly.

The four were not unsupported Loose Cultivators but legitimate Sect disciples.

They were outer sect disciples of the Fiery Sun Sect, who had once been ambitious, contributing much to the sect, repeatedly risking their lives. They were on the verge of earning enough contributions to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill when...

The Fiery Sun Sect was deceived by the Biyun Sect. They had just invested significant Spiritual Talent into the excavation of the Great Marsh Mountain range before encountering the Earth Dragon Flipping Over, sinking the relics into the Earth Vein, leading to a shortage of Spiritual Talent within the Fiery Sun Sect, making the acquisition of Foundation Establishment Pills a mere fantasy for outer sect disciples like them.

Later, a Spirit Vein emerged in this place, and the four decisively left the Fiery Sun Sect, hiding their identity, eager to claim a Dao Field here.

After joining a faction and failing to compete for the Dao Field, they directly became Tribulation Cultivators.

Unexpectedly, the Foundation Establishment Pill, which they couldn’t obtain after years of loyal service to the sect, was acquired within three years through robbery.

Following this, they were led by a Foundation Establishment boss, alongside cultivators increasingly coming and going between Celestial Origin Province and Cangyun State, allowing them to successfully establish a Foundation.

Naturally, besides superior sect cultivation techniques and sect magic, they possessed an unexpectedly acquired set of Four Symbols Array Flags.

During the Qi Cultivation Stage, when hosted by the four, it exhibited power equivalent to early-stage Foundation Establishment, and when hosted post-Foundation Establishment, approached late-stage Foundation Establishment power, while still serving as a Killing Array.

Though, after the four established their Foundation, they actually intended to reform.

But prior to the great righteous and demonic war, they couldn’t hide and were conscripted.

While at the frontline, for survival, they rejoined the Fiery Sun Sect, avoiding their fate as frontline cannon fodder.

Thereafter, relying on their Tribulation Cultivator experience and caution, they survived during the war.

Thinking they could finally retire safely back to the sect, surprisingly, they were still watched by the Sect Elders, who uncovered their past.

Fortunately, to their surprise, instead of being punished, they were allowed to continue acting as Tribulation Cultivators.

With the Fiery Sun Sect’s secret support, the four brothers thrived.

Additionally, they had a mission.

The ambush here was not for plundering Spiritual Talent, but specifically to ambush a certain group.

Several days ago, a steward from the Purple Bamboo Forest’s Qin Family brought a group to the Spirit Village Marketplace, receiving orders to ensure none of the Qin Family leaves the mountain alive.

As for Li Ji’an, he just happened to encounter them.

Their mission also included disciples from Biyun Sect besides the Qin Family members.

And the individual giving them the orders was True Man Fu, who had attended the Core Formation celebration.

Evidently, his negotiations with Biyun Sect a year ago fell through.

Shaking his head slightly, Li Ji’an used his Divine Sense to stimulate that trace of Essence Blood.

His entire being transformed instantly, resembling that person’s appearance, including aura, cultivation level... and memories.

"Huang Jie... I wonder if his Dao Companion can detect anything unusual?"

Moments later, Li Ji’an withdrew from the Faceless Mask, reverting to his disguised appearance.

After another hour, he arrived at the bustling Spirit Village Marketplace.

"Entry to Marketplace requires fifty taels of Spiritual Sand!" The gatekeeper remained expressionless, unchanged by Li Ji’an’s current disguise as an early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Though the marketplace lacks high buildings and walls, it is protected by a late Second Tier Grand Array.