Some people, while performing, tend to add their own unscripted drama. After all, opportunities to openly take advantage of someone named Li are rare. However, having finally seized such an opportunity to make a move, they might feel a secret satisfaction, yet also a faint unease. They might not even dare to prolong this feeling, actively seeking to move on, lest Little Yuan Brother genuinely get angry.

Zhao Yi swooped down, a claw aimed directly at the young man’s face. Runsheng arrived instantly, first blocking with a palm, then launching a punch. A sharp, explosive sound erupted as claw and palm collided. Zhao Yi twisted his waist, reversing his stance to evade Runsheng’s punch. Runsheng didn’t care about the intricacies; anything requiring thought was irrelevant to him. As long as he saw someone attempting to harm Little Yuan, he would rush to protect him, then beat the assailant to a pulp.

Zhao Yi clearly understood Runsheng’s formidable physique. After exchanging one move, he didn’t pause, his body twisting like a soaring dragon to bypass Runsheng and continue attacking the young man. Li Zhuiyuan stood still. Behind him, Tan Wenbin, harnessing the power of the Blood Ape, grabbed the young man’s shoulder and rapidly pulled him back. The young man’s feet left the ground, his gaze still calmly fixed ahead.

Tan Wenbin’s reaction speed was already very fast, showing almost no hesitation. But one was reacting to an attack, while the other had a pre-planned move, so Tan Wenbin was still half a breath too slow. Zhao Yi bypassed Runsheng’s obstruction and continued to press forward. At this rate, he was sure to catch up. Their eyes met, and Zhao Yi could see his own reflection in the young man’s calm eyes.

He had already planned how to naturally go easy once he caught up, so the young man would understand his good intentions. He also wanted to show the young man how much he had progressed after thoroughly integrating the Black Dragon’s Skin.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

But just then, Zhao Yi noticed his speed rapidly decreasing. Looking back, it was Runsheng, who had activated his energy gates, exerting a focused pull on him. This move puzzled Zhao Yi. Runsheng, usually so unrestrained in his movements, when did he become capable of such precise maneuvers? This momentary delay created distance between him and the young man’s face, which had been so close and which he had intended to lightly pat.

Zhao Yi frowned. This action had only completed its prelude; he hadn’t had time to execute the reversal. He didn’t want to genuinely cause a misunderstanding, making the young man think he was truly trying to trap him. Once a seed of doubt was planted, things could become complicated. Especially in today’s situation, his side had a numerical advantage and was well-equipped, truly having the opportunity to eliminate the young man.

No, he had to salvage this.

“Bang!” “Bang!”

Two accompanying coffins exploded, and Liang Yan and Liang Li burst out. One wielded a soft sword, the other a dagger. They bypassed Runsheng from both sides, pushing off the walls with their feet, increasing their speed further as they rushed towards Li Zhuiyuan. Tan Wenbin ignored them, continuing to pull Little Yuan Brother back.

“Yi Ya.”

Lin Shuyou leaped from behind Tan Wenbin. Before he even landed, he met the Liang sisters. A’You unleashed both his golden maces, aiming to intercept them. Liang Yan first wrapped her soft sword around a golden mace, then the soft sword split down the middle, revealing another soft sword like a silver serpent darting out, binding Lin Shuyou’s other mace. The elder sister exerted force, sword energy surging, willing to clash head-on with Lin Shuyou in his True Lord White Crane state, just to create space for her younger sister to continue her attack on the young man.

To their surprise, Lin Shuyou showed no panic. His vertical pupils merely flashed, and he opened his mouth towards Liang Li, who was about to successfully dart past him. A wisp of black smoke shot out, carrying phantoms of tridents, an irresistible force. Liang Li dared not take the spell head-on and had to switch from advancing to a side-roll. Her twin daggers flashed like lightning, shattering all the trident phantoms. After landing, Liang Li stumbled back several steps, her wrists tingling. The spell’s intensity was far greater than she had imagined. Had she chosen to ignore it, her soul would likely have been riddled with holes, and even if their leader was willing to use the “Heavenly Lantern” ritual to heal her, it would take a very long time.

Lin Shuyou exerted force with both arms. His two golden maces rang out, shattering the sword energy Liang Yan had attached to them. Liang Yan felt a stifling sensation in her chest and a sweetness in her throat. She had no choice but to release the soft sword binding the golden maces, then staggered backward. Having repelled both women, Lin Shuyou did not pursue. Instead, he retreated half a step, raising his arms and holding his maces horizontally, covering Little Yuan Brother’s retreat. At the same time, he looked between the two women towards Zhao Yi, who was being pulled back by Runsheng. True Lord White Crane slightly raised his chin, a look of arrogance on his face. For Lin Shuyou, demonstrating his progress in front of “Three Eyes” was akin to attending a grand banquet back home.

All of this happened in a flash. A sudden attack in a confined space should have put the opponent in disarray, but surprisingly, it was their own side that ended up in disarray. Zhao Yi could only mentally mutter, “Little Yuan Brother, you must be rational, absolutely not impulsive.”

Pulled by Tan Wenbin, Li Zhuiyuan retreated out of the tomb entrance. When they stopped, Tan Wenbin didn’t forget to push forward with his palm, adding a bit of force to help Little Yuan Brother counteract the momentum, allowing him to stand straight and steady.

“Boom!”

No longer holding back, Runsheng directly raised his Yellow River Shovel. The immense force caused the entire tomb to collapse instantly, sending dust flying everywhere. With his vision obscured, Tan Wenbin immediately switched to his hearing. Then, with a flicker, he moved to Little Yuan Brother’s right side. Two vines burst through the floor tiles, attempting to pierce the young man. Tan Wenbin, anticipating, grabbed the vines with his reddened hands. After locking onto the opponent’s position by sound, he fixed his solemn gaze in that direction, his features contorting into a terrifying expression!

“Hiss…”

Behind the dust, Xu Ming felt his head spin. He was confident he could withstand head-on attacks for a long time, but such assaults on his spiritual five senses left him helpless. He instinctively retreated, trying to escape the range of the opponent’s deterrence.

“Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!”

Fine, high-frequency footsteps came from the left, and a figure, like a sprinting leopard, approached. Li Zhuiyuan turned to look. Through the dust, Chen Jing’s figure emerged. He held a broken sword, its blade full of cracks, yet it exuded a malevolent aura. It must have been a weapon Zhao Yi specially found for him; a complete sword would be too long for the current Chen Jing.

Chen Jing’s timing for entering the fray was perfect, truly showing a natural sharpness and understanding. Moreover, as he ran, he had already begun building up his sword momentum, preparing for a satisfying strike. But when Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze fell on him, and he saw Li Zhuiyuan’s face, Chen Jing couldn’t help but cry out internally: “Little Yuan Brother…” Then, his footsteps faltered, his sword momentum dissipated, and his previous unwavering advance instantly turned into hesitant trepidation. Just one look made Chen Jing “abandon his armor and shield.” It wasn’t merely fear, but Chen Jing’s inner self would not allow him to strike Little Yuan Brother with that sword.

In this world, Chen Jing admired two people the most: Brother Yi ranked first, and Little Yuan Brother ranked second. The reason Brother Yi ranked first was solely because Chen Jing couldn’t overcome his own moral self-reproach.

Li Zhuiyuan beckoned with a finger. “Evil spirits are to be slain, not redeemed!” The talisman armor stood up, and General Sun descended.

In the past, the time required for a shaman to successfully invoke a deity depended not only on the shaman’s own qualities and relationship with the Yin deity but also on whether the summoned Yin deity was willing to take on the task, and even their mood at the time. Now, before Li Zhuiyuan performed the ritual, Generals Zeng and Sun had already prepared themselves. One could say, the two Yin deity lords had been waiting outside the tent, just waiting for the signal to act. The last time the three brothers possessed the three wooden figurines on the altar at the temple and got into a fight, it was because Generals Zeng and Sun hoped the “boy” would inform them in advance of future events, so they could prepare and adjust their state. The boy, however, replied, “Easy, first call me ‘True Lord White Crane’!” Then, the three brothers wrestled together and all fell off the altar.

However, even though the agreement wasn’t reached, and “True Lord White Crane” wasn’t heard, the boy still called out to them before entering the museum.

General Sun’s appearance from the side provided an excuse for Chen Jing’s earlier hesitation. It made Chen Jing’s abnormal behavior appear as if he had sensed danger from his side in advance and quickly retracted to defend himself. Zhao Yi had taught him many things, but acting was something that relied on stage experience. Li Zhuiyuan still had to cover for Chen Jing’s botched performance.

General Sun held nothing back, every move and stance was extremely powerful. Although Chen Jing had been greatly strengthened, he was still weak compared to the top-tier “Officer General Leader” figures. Furthermore, combat awareness wasn’t something that could be mastered by simply practicing in isolation. He was quickly pushed into a state of extreme disarray by General Sun.

“Pfft…”

General Sun parried, feinted, and then thrust, cutting a deep gash across Chen Jing’s chest. Chen Jing only managed to retreat a short distance in time, otherwise, he would have been cleaved in half by General Sun’s halberd. Injury, blood, and pain made Chen Jing’s eyes redden, igniting the fierce nature of his demonic bloodline.

General Sun displayed a disdainful smile. This slight boost wasn’t even worth His attention. Moreover, such a “doll” was fine if he kept his head, but if he got carried away, he would only die faster. Holding the halberd by His side and leaving His front exposed, General Sun actively enticed Chen Jing to attack. Although General Sun had descended onto the talisman armor once before at the main hall of the old Officer General Leader temple, this was His first official battle after joining the ranks of that lord. General Sun wanted to make it clean and decisive, performing well in front of that lord.

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at General Sun. General Sun sensed the young man’s gaze behind Him, mistaking it for approval and encouragement, and was immediately further invigorated.

“Roar!”

Chen Jing let out a bestial roar, his aura intensifying. General Sun’s smile widened, waiting for the opponent to charge so He could cleave him in half.

At the site of the collapsed tomb, where the dust was thickest, the battle continued. At this point, either Zhao Yi or one of the Liang sisters should have stepped forward to rescue Chen Jing. This child was Zhao Yi’s beloved treasure, crucial for this wave of events, and could not be lost. But… none of the three of them could get out right now. If no one came soon, this child would truly die.

To avoid putting too much pressure on Zhao Yi and his group, Li Zhuiyuan intentionally refrained from linking his companions with “red threads” (a symbolic connection for coordinated action), not directing their battle. They were all performing according to their individual abilities. Even though he had reduced the difficulty, the remaining difficulty still seemed a bit high. Moreover, there was a drawback here: because the “red threads” weren’t linked, Li Zhuiyuan couldn’t timely inform his companions when to create a “normal” opening for the performance.

However, it shouldn’t be a big problem. Li Zhuiyuan believed Brother Binbin should understand.

Tan Wenbin indeed understood. Although their relationship with Zhao Yi’s group was good, and they had experienced much together, this was “walking the river,” and whether to truly cooperate each time was always Little Yuan Brother’s decision. This time, Little Yuan Brother had made his decision: not linking the “red threads” meant Little Yuan Brother wasn’t going to get serious.

His keen five senses allowed Tan Wenbin to discern the situation between General Sun and Chen Jing. He immediately lowered his “deterrence,” weakening the pressure he was exerting on Xu Ming. Xu Ming immediately let out a roar and charged out. Tan Wenbin quickly retreated, coming to stand in front of the young man to protect him. Xu Ming did not attack here but continued forward.

Chen Jing, his blood boiling, charged towards General Sun, who swung his great halberd horizontally.

“Bang!”

Xu Ming knocked Chen Jing away, taking the halberd blow on his own back. Both quickly tumbled to the ground. Without delay, Xu Ming swiftly sat up, slamming his hands on the ground. Vines shot out, encircling them both, while tender sprouts grew from their wounds, initiating healing.

General Sun was furious and instinctively turned to glare at Tan Wenbin. If Tan Wenbin hadn’t failed to stop that person, He would have already slain one, securing His first kill after joining! Tan Wenbin met His gaze defiantly. General Sun had no choice but to turn back, not arguing further. The boy had told them that this one’s status was akin to a grand attendant beside the Emperor, someone to be friend, not offend.

*Sigh*, so be it. Let Me slay once more! General Sun wielded His halberd, continuously hacking at the vines in front of Him, pressing forward. Tan Wenbin followed closely, casting spells beside Him, periodically exerting his deterrence.

General Sun sensed something was amiss. Every time Tan Wenbin’s deterrence affected the opponents, and He launched an attack to break through the vines, the suppressive effect on the opponents would disappear. Then, the man would quickly regain awareness and re-establish his defenses. As for the other spells, they looked flashy but were actually very limited in power. They caused less damage to the vines than two casual strikes from Him and even disrupted His rhythm. What did this mean? Was he afraid of Him stealing glory, so he was intentionally slacking off? General Sun felt a surge of indignation. He truly wanted to let out a great roar to the heavens: *Did you see that? The supervising eunuch is framing loyal officials!*

This way, the delay became quite prolonged, and the first round of the Officer General Leader’s possession was about to end. General Sun was not flustered in His heart. With the young man’s control, the duration of the Officer General Leader’s ritual possession had been greatly extended. However, when He reached for His body, the three incense sticks and talisman needles, which should have been integrated into the talisman armor when it stood up and formed, were not there this time. They were definitely there last time! Was it forgotten in the rush? But that shouldn’t be; these things should have been prepared and paired in advance. Moreover, that lord could forcibly extend His possession for two more rounds with a spell, yet there was still no movement from that lord.

General Sun’s mind was filled with intense confusion, but His time was ultimately up, and He had to leave the talisman armor. The talisman armor transformed into a card, falling back into Li Zhuiyuan’s palm. The young man slightly shook his head, displaying a look of regret, as if to say, “This technique is good, but the time isn’t enough.”

General Sun’s departure allowed Xu Ming to breathe a sigh of relief. He immediately dropped his defenses, and taking Chen Jing, whose mind had now cleared, he plunged into an intense battle with Tan Wenbin!

Li Zhuiyuan took out formation flags from his backpack and began to set up a formation. This setup was a diversion. Before entering the museum, the young man had already grasped the underlying logic of this grand formation. With just a little effort, he could gain partial control over it. The reason for setting up the formation at this moment was simply to make himself appear… not so idle.

Li Zhuiyuan quietly activated partial formation permissions. He knew he was being observed, and now, he also wanted to see those observing him. Instantly, large cubic grids appeared above the young man’s head, each displaying a scene from the museum. In some grids, fierce battles were ongoing. In others, battles had already ended, bodies lay strewn, and the people standing within were curiously observing the scenes in other grids. There were also some quiet grids, where actual tourists were visiting, unaffected.

The essence of this formation was “shrinking space into an inch,” layering identical scenes between truth and illusion. Its purpose here should be to separate targets. This was a trap laid by Zhao Yi and his allies, deliberately luring those who wanted to hunt Zhao Yi, to encircle and kill them. This demonstrated their confidence in their own strength and a deep understanding of the “river,” which was why they intentionally escalated the situation to kill more people and earn more merit.

Within these grids, Li Zhuiyuan saw many figures he had previously seen in “Wangjianglou Square.” In the center of the many grids, there was a platform where five people stood or sat. It was unclear if they weren’t interested in joining the fray or if they had used up their quota, but these five were watching the entire show. The white-haired young man sitting at the front occasionally reached out to push and move, likely zooming in on scenes in some grids to observe details. If Zhao Yi hadn’t given him the formation permissions in advance, it might mean that the opponent’s formation skill was superior to Zhao Yi’s, allowing him to gain partial control over this grand formation, just like himself.

Li Zhuiyuan observed while continuing to set up his formation. Those outside who were observing him did not know that the grid he was in had already changed from one-way transparent to two-way. During his observation, familiar faces naturally attracted more attention. In one of the grids, Li Zhuiyuan saw Chen Xiyuan. She was fighting a man, completely suppressing him with her own power, pushing him into disarray. His defeat was only a matter of time.

It was quite absurd that Chen Xiyuan, as a descendant of Dragon King Chen, should actually be on the opposing side. Yet now, she was grouped with those chasing Zhao Yi under the Yu family’s Dragon King Order. To take a step back, even if it started as a misunderstanding, after fighting until now, Chen Xiyuan had long since opened her “domain.” How could the man fighting her, the people who had finished fighting in other grids and were now looking around, and the group watching from the platform, still not recognize Chen Xiyuan’s identity by now?

Everyone was intentionally letting the mistake continue. Even if Chen Xiyuan now loudly declared her identity and lineage, they would perceive her as collaborating with the Yu family, acting as an accomplice to evil, and thus an irreconcilable enemy. Nothing else, simply because her Chen family’s domain was so formidable. Although the Chen family had only produced three Dragon Kings, while other Dragon Kings subdued an era, the three Dragon Kings of the Chen family *crushed* their contemporaries.

Everyone was tacitly eliminating strong competitors on the river. This behavior was unexceptionable, because Chen Xiyuan herself had provided the opportunity. “I have the Zhao Yi connection, so I can take it easy. Why are you so passive about the river’s arrangements?” She probably prided herself on her powerful strength, giving her the confidence to be willful. But among the people who came this time – no, to be precise, among the allies pre-selected by Zhao Yi and mutually recognized by each other – there was not a single weakling. With her temperament, dying on the river would truly not be surprising. If there were no accidents, today would be her end.

On the platform, the white-haired young man turned and spoke a few words to those behind him. Among the four behind him, two directly shook their heads in refusal, while two others nodded somewhat helplessly. The man threw out a long cloth-wrapped object, then kicked it. Sections gleaming with cold light fell, automatically interlocking, forming a silver spear. The other was a woman, holding a colorful folding fan. She opened the fan, covering her nose and mouth, revealing only a pair of captivating phoenix eyes. The white-haired young man raised his hand and pulled. The two simultaneously leaped, directly entering Chen Xiyuan’s grid. From their lip movements, it could be seen they each said a sentence:

“Accomplice to evil, you deserve to die!”
“Abetting a tyrant, you must be slain!”

After simple declarations, the two charged into Chen Xiyuan’s domain. Chen Xiyuan’s domain immediately became turbulent and shaky, almost shattering. The situation rapidly deteriorated; there seemed to be no suspense left.

At this moment, the white-haired young man on the platform and the two behind him, including those observing in other grids, all turned their gaze to Li Zhuiyuan’s grid. The style of combat here was very different. To put it nicely, it was evenly matched. But when considering Li Zhuiyuan, who was setting up a formation, once the young man’s formation was complete, the situation would severely tilt.

The white-haired young man rubbed his chin: “Interesting. Setting up a formation within a formation. This young man has great talent for formations. I happen to need a page boy.” A masked woman standing behind the young man spoke, “We’ve seen the strength of Zhao Yi and his two maids. Even if we personally intervened, we might not be able to subdue them easily. Yet this group is evenly matched with Zhao Yi.” The man with a scar on his face next to the woman said, “I’ve been paying attention there. I can confirm Zhao Yi isn’t holding back; he genuinely can’t get through.” The white-haired young man smiled, “That’s quite normal. The interesting thing about this world is that true heroes can emerge from obscurity.”

The people on the platform could still confidently offer commentary. Zhao Yi, still fighting below, had no such leisure. He was the most familiar with Li Zhuiyuan’s team; in his spare time, he had often pondered methods to counter them. He clearly knew Runsheng’s strengths, but his weaknesses were also obvious: just avoid his direct attacks and use skill to deflect his force. Even if he couldn’t defeat Runsheng, he could bypass him and minimize his threat.

But today, Zhao Yi found that Runsheng was executing every move methodically and reacting incredibly fast, seemingly without needing to think. Runsheng had actually managed to tie him down; he couldn’t even bypass him! And Lin Shuyou, who combined close combat and spells with masterful skill, seemingly multitasking, had also single-handedly held back the Liang sisters.

“No, how long has it been since we parted ways? How have you all progressed so much?” In the past, although Zhao Yi knew he couldn’t win outright, his team could still contend with Li’s team, often complementing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Now, contend with what? He could tell that Runsheng, Tan Wenbin, and Lin Shuyou were fighting independently. This meant that the one surnamed Li hadn’t even used that secret art to direct them! The most infuriating part was that the one surnamed Li, the most threatening presence in the entire team, felt completely uninvolved throughout. Look at him, what’s he doing? He’s setting up formations like he’s planting rice seedlings, flag by flag. Ha ha, did *I*, Zhao Yi, replace the locks on the Ghost Gate of Fengdu back then?

Li Zhuiyuan had no time to empathize with Zhao Yi’s feelings. While others were focusing on him, he was focusing on Chen Xiyuan. Under the four-person siege, Chen Xiyuan was undoubtedly on the verge of defeat. Once defeated, those people would certainly not miss this “reasonable” opportunity to kill her. Logically, her death would also be good for Li Zhuiyuan; her threat was simply too great, not just in the future, but a huge immediate threat.

However, today, the reason he was playing along with Zhao Yi was to have this overt connection with Zhao Yi while also “washing” his own identity into something ambiguous. This way, they could integrate into both “black and white” sides—the positive and negative aspects of the Yu family—creating the foundation to seize the greatest gains in this “wave” of events. Although there had been no prior communication with Zhao Yi, this level of tacit understanding didn’t require explicit clarification. Therefore, this coordinated ambush today, he *had* to break. In the grids that hadn’t ended yet, besides his own side, everyone else was at a disadvantage. But this already showed their excellence. Among “his side,” the most outstanding one naturally had to be Chen Xiyuan.

“You can’t die. You have to be my ally.”

White-haired youth: “That kid’s formation is complete. It looks like we need to help Zhao Yi. Which two of you will go? Zhao Yi can’t have an accident; we’ll still need him later.” The masked woman and the scarred man nodded. White-haired youth: “Wait a moment, I’ll let you in right away… Hmm?”

Li Zhuiyuan’s formation activated, and the young man was enveloped by a black shadow, which continued to expand. This was a very orthodox formation, so orthodox it was almost boring, but it had one effect: concealment. In the darkness, the young man spread his right hand. The Black Dragon Spirit, condensed into a blood-colored formation flag, was gripped in his hand. He waved it, breaking the formation!

White-haired youth: “Not good, someone is destroying the foundation of this grand formation!” Masked woman: “Is it that young man’s formation?” White-haired youth: “No, it has nothing to do with him. His formation is simple and wouldn’t achieve such an effect. Besides, if he had such a method, Zhao Yi wouldn’t have lasted this long.” Scarred man: “Someone from the Yu family?” White-haired youth: “Most likely.” Masked woman: “Can you stabilize it?”

“Hah, a joke! Dream of breaking this formation from my end!” The white-haired young man held up a purple-gold compass in his right hand, and a luminous pearl in his left, his eyes turning white.

Zhao Yi, still playing cat and mouse with Runsheng, sensed someone breaking his formation. He was, after all, the core of the formation’s eye. However, he had concealed his true ability from that group, making them believe that maintaining the formation was his limit and he couldn’t interfere much further. He naturally knew who was breaking the formation, so he had even less reason to interfere. He could even secretly be malicious and help the one surnamed Li speed up the formation’s collapse, but Zhao Yi felt that would be uninteresting, like winking at a blind man, yielding no satisfaction.

Under the black concealment, Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze slightly narrowed. He sensed a strong resistance, consolidating the formation. That resistance was very fierce, charging head-on. The white-haired young man’s formation mastery was indeed superior to Zhao Yi’s. More importantly, he likely had excellent artifacts in his possession to empower him. Defeating him wasn’t difficult for Li Zhuiyuan, but those one or two formation artifacts did create significant difficulty for Li Zhuiyuan.

When normal people “walk the river,” who doesn’t bring out some handy tools from home? Doesn’t “heritage” manifest in this aspect? But precisely this kind of setup was something Li Zhuiyuan lacked. Some of the items on his person had been gradually collected from the dead during his “river walks.” Without the sponsorship of the Zhao family of Jiujiang, he couldn’t even build his own temple now.

Li Zhuiyuan’s palm misted with blood, enhancing the power of the formation flag in his hand. On the platform, the purple-gold compass in the white-haired young man’s hand spun rapidly, the luminous pearl shone brightly, and he said with a solemn expression, “The person breaking the formation has some skill, but he’s still… hmm?”

This was the second time in a short period that the white-haired young man expressed surprise, because he discovered that the opponent had changed from merely contending with him in strength to suddenly altering the frequency, high and low. Now, he could withstand it, but controlling the purple-gold compass and the luminous pearl in his hands became difficult.

White-haired youth: “Alright, I admit, his formation mastery is superior to mine.” The masked woman and the scarred man were surprised to hear this. They had known the white-haired young man for a long time and knew how arrogant he was, yet he admitted inferiority this time. White-haired youth: “He must have sensed that I have good formation artifacts empowering me. He’s no longer just targeting me, but specifically targeting these two artifacts in my hands. Hurry up and go down. I’ll open up other grid areas and have those who finished quickly go help. Kill everyone who was trapped here. I’m worried that any delay will lead to… Ah!”

The white-haired young man let out a loud cry. At this moment, the grand formation’s operating speed was fiercely suppressed by the opponent, almost bringing it to a halt. The purple-gold compass’s needle spun into a blur, the luminous pearl’s light intensified further, and the white-haired young man struggled to maintain the grand formation’s operation.

“It’s over, too late. He’s using the ‘suppress first, then raise’ tactic. The next step will surely be to rapidly increase the formation’s speed. I can’t hold it down anymore. If the formation’s core were with me, I’d be confident in stabilizing it. The Yu family used to be famous for beast taming, not adept at formations, let alone the current Yu family. Where did they find such an old formation master?”

Indeed, everything was as the white-haired young man expected. Li Zhuiyuan, after suppressing the grand formation’s operation to an extremely low state, forcibly pulled it up. The young man felt a stifling sensation in his chest, coughed repeatedly, his head reeled, and a trickle of blood flowed from his nose. Fortunately, the nosebleed stopped after a short while, meaning the young man had only just touched the critical pressure point. Unlike the last time he secretly swapped the locks on the Ghost Gate, this time it was an “open card” play, where both sides clearly knew what the other was doing. In this formation duel, the opponent had weapons, while the young man was bare-handed, so naturally, he had to pay a higher cost.

Originally, he wouldn’t have needed to. Because similar high-quality formation artifacts would certainly be found in “his own ancestral home” – those were the treasuries of two Dragon King lineages. He could go through the Qin family’s treasures, then the Liu family’s, and compare. Normally, he should have been the one wielding a plethora of good items to overpower others with equipment. Instead, he had ended up becoming an inspiring underdog.

The compass needle in the white-haired young man’s hand, after spinning at high speed, couldn’t slow down in time, and the luminous pearl’s light couldn’t be suppressed.

“Pfft!”

The white-haired young man spat out a mouthful of blood, his body slumped, but his eyes gleamed with excitement: “What a technique, I’ve seen it, I’m impressed!”

The museum’s grand formation completely lost control. Due to the excessively high operating speed, the environments within the various grids overlapped and became chaotic. At this moment, Zhao Yi’s allies, knowing that the grand formation was about to disintegrate, all passed through the gaps of the broken grids to Chen Xiyuan’s area. Everyone had a common goal: first, kill this Chen family woman.

Li Zhuiyuan’s previously arranged “rice-planting formation” collapsed in the turmoil of the grand formation. The young man wiped the blood from under his nose with the back of his hand and looked towards Chen Xiyuan. Through his efforts, Chen Xiyuan’s situation had actually worsened.

Originally, if Li Zhuiyuan wanted to leave, it would have been simple: he could open a back door and lead his companions to retreat calmly, as Zhao Yi’s side wouldn’t truly cling on relentlessly. But now that he had helped, blood had been shed, and his head ached. If she still died, wouldn’t that be a huge loss for him?

Li Zhuiyuan shifted his body. As the grand formation swayed precariously, he forcibly opened a gap in his own grid and entered the next one. He didn’t wait for his companions for three reasons: first, time was pressing; second, if he was alone, he could use the remaining grand formation to conceal his tracks, preventing his actions from seeming abnormal; third, some of his companions could lead the way. Li Zhuiyuan now had to blaze a trail for Chen Xiyuan. Whether she could ultimately escape alive would depend on her own fortune.

One by one, the broken grids were linked together by Li Zhuiyuan, leading a path directly to Chen Xiyuan’s area. Chen Xiyuan’s body had just fallen, completely soaked in blood. Despairing, she suddenly found the ground beneath her empty; a hole had appeared. Could this be heaven not abandoning her? She had no choice. She immediately let out a sharp cry, her shattered domain expanded again, and then she rapidly fell downward.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, “Quick reaction.” But those chasing her from behind were also fast. The young man could only close the “door” immediately after Chen Xiyuan entered a grid, but with the grand formation in a state of distortion and collapse, how could the door be firm? And even if the grand formation were intact, that group of people, if they put in their full effort, could break through the grids.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Doors closed, and doors were blasted open. Li Zhuiyuan clenched his right hand into a fist, repeatedly tapping his forehead. This group was truly fierce. Every time they broke through a grid, the young man’s head would spin, as if someone were using his head as a wooden fish to tap. Fortunately, even though Chen Xiyuan was severely wounded, the survival instinct she unleashed at this moment made her incredibly fast, and there was still time.

His current position was the “door of life” of the grand formation. As long as they reached this grid, they could completely break free from the formation’s constraints, like birds flying freely in the vast sky. Even if they still had to face pursuit afterward, there would be more ways to cope, and they could be more composed.

Zhao Yi gave Runsheng a look. Runsheng didn’t understand. Zhao Yi had no choice but to give Lin Shuyou a look. A’You saw it but dared not understand. Fortunately, at this moment, Tan Wenbin actively called out:

“Protect Little Yuan Brother!”

Runsheng and Lin Shuyou moderately held back this time.

Zhao Yi: “I’m going to kill you all!!!”

After shouting, Zhao Yi actively lunged forward. This time he didn’t escape; instead, he took the initiative, leading both sides to constantly switch battlefields, and began “jumping grids.” This was under the guise of fighting, to send them out.

Chen Xiyuan was fleeing towards this area. Blood had blurred her vision. This was the first time she had been so disheveled and in such a perilous situation since she started “walking the river” by “lighting the lamp.” In some ways, she was very much like Chen Jing. Chen Jing was too well protected by Zhao Yi, while she was too comfortable under the protection of her innate domain.

However, it was Zhao Yi who arrived first; he was, after all, the eye of the formation and had an inherent advantage here. Zhao Yi and Li Zhuiyuan were now separated by only one grid. Their gazes could penetrate the grid’s obstruction and see each other. Their eyes met again. Zhao Yi, while still entangled with Runsheng, took a moment to nod at the young man. Many people had been killed today, but the grand formation was broken. Many who should have been trapped and killed here would surely escape. Among them, there were not a few people deeply connected with the Yu family, perhaps even Yu family informants. After this “washing black,” people from the Yu family would surely contact them. Then, with both “black and white” sides serving them, they could “catch fish in muddy waters.”

Feeling that it was almost time, Zhao Yi actively opened the last barrier and arrived in Li Zhuiyuan’s area. To complete the act, Zhao Yi stared at Li Zhuiyuan and said sinisterly, “None of you will escape. Everyone who came here today must die!”

After speaking, Zhao Yi activated the Zhao family’s core technique. The “life and death gates” on his brow and chest linked up, and blue flames spread rapidly, with him at the center. His original intention was to cover Runsheng and the others’ departure from here, and also to give the one surnamed Li a boost. But Chen Xiyuan happened to charge over at this moment, heard Zhao Yi’s words, and saw the young man enveloped in blue flames.

Her first reaction was that the young man was a tourist visiting the museum today. If she had been given more time, or had been more composed, she would surely have realized something was wrong. Two encounters, one even here, while she was “walking the river and treading the waves”—how could it be such a coincidence? But she had no time now. Having burst out with secret arts to escape for her life, her consciousness was already blurring. She couldn’t think; all her actions were purely instinctive.

Li Zhuiyuan, while tapping his forehead lightly with his right hand, pointed forward with his left, guiding Chen Xiyuan’s direction. He could only do so much. She had to escape first, find a place to hide and heal. Afterward, he would go find her again. As for the blue flames released by Zhao Yi, to Li Zhuiyuan, who also mastered the Zhao family’s core technique, they were not a threat but a form of nourishment.

However, in Chen Xiyuan’s eyes, Li Zhuiyuan was about to be burned to death. Therefore, Chen Xiyuan, covered in blood and unable to attend to herself, unhesitatingly reached out and embraced the young man as she swept past, carrying him with her through the “door of life.”

Zhao Yi thought to himself: *Was this planned by the one surnamed Li? Brilliant!*

Behind them, Runsheng, Tan Wenbin, and Lin Shuyou, who had “fought” their way out and followed Zhao Yi’s steps to this grid, were stunned when they saw this scene.

“Little Yuan Brother was… abducted?”