Ding Yushan was then transported to a desolate, snow-swept mountain range. He appeared in a cave concealed by a formation, which was unguarded at the time. After confirming the situation on the other side, he quickly returned, and the other nine people finally relaxed slightly.
Then, all of them teleported over, and they began to scout the surrounding area.
Half a day later, they gathered again to consolidate all their findings and came to two conclusions. First, the teleportation formation was definitely a long-distance one; the travel time was not short.
The environment here seemed to match the terrain and features of the far north of the Jingtu Sect's territory. However, they didn't know the exact distance, as Lingtian Gate was already located in a remote northern region of the Jingtu Sect.
Second, the group from Nine Palaces Mountain had discovered a manor in one direction.
The seventh squad then deliberated collectively. After another round of discussion, they decided to see if the green-robed cultivator would appear in the manor, which would completely confirm that there was a problem with this place.
But when they investigated the manor, they found only about twenty cultivators inside, and the green-robed cultivator was indeed among them. They were about to withdraw and report back to Lingtian Gate.
But just then, two powerful pressures descended from the sky, scaring the ten members of Ding Yushan's team out of their wits. At the same time, a sky-shaking shout exposed their position.
They were quickly surrounded by the cultivators from the manor. Although there were only six Foundation Establishment cultivators in the manor, one of them was a Pseudo-Core cultivator, which made it impossible for them to escape.
After only a few rounds of exchange, the terrifying pressure from the distance had already drawn near. In their panic, they knew their luck had run out. It seemed their chances of survival were slim to none.
As Ding Yushan's team retreated into a house, he hastily activated the Ten-Thousand-Li Voice Transmission Talisman in his hand, while urgently telling everyone to cover for Ying Kai as he set up a formation.
In their hearts, they all knew that even with the protection of Ying Kai's formation, they were facing the pressure of two Golden Core cultivators. This meant at least two Golden Core cultivators were coming. Against the Demon Clan, even surrender would not be met with any mercy, unless the demons saw some value in using them.
Their trip was almost certainly a fatal one, but it is human instinct to survive. As long as it wasn't the final moment, they couldn't just sit and wait for death. Besides, the Ten-Thousand-Li Voice Transmission Talisman had been sent out at the first opportunity.
The moment their formation was complete, the Golden Core cultivators arrived with incredible speed. Though they hadn't reached the manor yet, with the power of a Golden Core cultivator, they launched an attack from dozens of li away.
That single strike instantly killed the three cultivators who were lagging behind and severely injured three others. One from Nine Palaces Mountain and two from Hualing Sect died on the spot. The other two Hualing Sect cultivators were severely injured, as was Ding Yushan's Third Junior Sister.
As soon as they escaped into the grand formation, Ying Kai immediately operated it at full power. But in just a moment, several more attacks landed on the formation. Ying Kai coughed up a large mouthful of blood after the second strike, and the formation nearly collapsed on the spot.
But just as the third strike was about to arrive, the newly arrived Golden Core cultivators outside suddenly stopped their attack and flew out of the manor again.
Next, a Pseudo-Core cultivator took over, leading the effort to break the formation. This made Ding Yushan and the others overjoyed, thinking that their voice transmission from a few days ago and the Ten-Thousand-Li Voice Transmission Talisman today had worked, and that the Golden Core cultivators from Lingtian Gate had arrived ahead of schedule.
But the next scene, which they observed clearly with their divine sense, left them greatly disappointed, though also surprised.
Fortunately, that unbelievably powerful Foundation Establishment cultivator eventually led the two Golden Core cultivators away, giving them a chance to live. But even now, Ding Yushan's group was in no position to break through the siege of the manor's cultivators.
At this point, only five of them could still use their magical power. The other side had six Foundation Establishment cultivators, including a Pseudo-Core cultivator. Their chances of winning if they went out were basically nil.
"The formation is about to be broken!" Ying Kai's face was extremely haggard. He was already injured, and the formation had sustained serious damage from the two blows of that Golden Core cultivator.
If not for the power of his damaged formation, it would have been broken long ago by this Pseudo-Core cultivator.
"Fellow Daoist Ying, is there anything we can help with? You must hold on for a while longer. The rescue from Lingtian Gate should be here soon. It's been over a day already!"
Ding Yushan calculated the time; the rescue team should be arriving soon. But how could he have known that this place was a full thirty thousand li away from Lingtian Gate, far exceeding the range of the Ten-Thousand-Li Voice Transmission Talisman.
Unless they could hold on for several more hours, the Golden Core cultivators from Lingtian Gate would only reach the rubble pile where they had first teleported, and then have to follow the trail to find them.
His voice had not yet faded when Ying Kai's body shuddered violently. He spat out another large mouthful of blood in a high arc, and his whole body immediately went limp.
In an instant, Ying Kai slumped to one side, unconscious. The ancient bronze, damaged formation plate in his hand also fell to the ground with a clang.
A few gusts of fierce wind howled in, accompanied by shouts of battle. Several faces with ferocious smiles appeared before Ding Yushan and the remaining two.
Ding Yushan and the other two cultivators were horrified, knowing that this was the moment of life and death. The leading Pseudo-Core cultivator was the first to pounce on Ding Yushan.
In that frantic moment, a sharp glint flashed in Ding Yushan's eyes. He glanced at his Third Junior Sister, who had fallen from her severe injuries, and was about to end her life first. In the cultivation world, the fate of a female cultivator who falls into enemy hands is extremely tragic.
But in a flash, he felt his breathing become difficult. A fierce gust of wind descended upon him, foiling his plan to turn and strike his Third Junior Sister. He had no choice but to turn back and block with the long brush in his hand.
At the same time, he heard a lewd laugh from the other side. "Hehehe, a female cultivator! Let me seal her first!" He saw a green shadow pounce towards his Third Junior Sister. Ding Yushan was greatly alarmed. While holding the long brush horizontally in front of him, he slapped his storage pouch with his other hand. A white light transformed into a wind-and-snow white wolf, instantly blocking the green shadow's path.
The green shadow paused, letting out an angry curse, and hastily clashed with the wind-and-snow white wolf. In that brief moment, Ding Yushan clearly saw the opponent's face—it was the green-robed evil cultivator they had been tracking.
Simultaneously, Ding Yushan felt a great force from the long brush that sent him staggering back two steps. His spiritual power erupted, and he barely managed to steady himself, but trickles of blood were already seeping from his mouth and nose.
"Yi, a mere Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet you can spare the strength to deal with someone else while fighting me? It seems you are the strongest one here."
Mi Heng had intended to severely injure this cultivator with one blow and then easily capture him. But the other party had actually taken a blow of fifty percent of his power, which annoyed him.
He, who had always prided himself on his cultivation, suddenly felt he had lost face. Although he had consumed a lot of spiritual power breaking the formation, it shouldn't have been this difficult to deal with a Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Leave, quickly!"
A sharp shout came to his ears. The only ones left with the strength to fight were Ding Yushan, his Fourth Junior Brother, and a disciple from Nine Palaces Mountain. The one who shouted was that disciple from Nine Palaces Mountain.
Seeing that his own senior brother had also fainted, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. Without any regard for the others, he charged out the moment the formation broke, trying to seize the last glimmer of hope before the enemy formed a complete encirclement.
Hearing his shout, just as Ding Yushan was being knocked back, his Fourth Junior Brother was also being surrounded by two Foundation Establishment masters.
There was little sentiment in the cultivation world; it was normal for everyone to fly their separate ways in the face of disaster. For that Nine Palaces Mountain disciple to urge Ding Yushan and the other to escape at the end was already a rare act.
As for the severely injured, there was no time to care for them now. Their fates were their own.
In the instant Ding Yushan was knocked back, he knew the situation was hopeless. Even if he fought with all his might now, his own chances of escape while being targeted by a Pseudo-Core cultivator were already extremely slim.
Sure enough, in a flash, the Nine Palaces Mountain disciple who had just flown out, his shout still echoing, flew back even faster, like a kite with a broken string.
In just a short moment, he had been hit by several vicious attacks. As he coughed up mouthfuls of blood, chunks of his internal organs sprayed out. His aura immediately weakened, and he fell heavily back to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
At the same time, several mocking voices rang out, "Leave quickly? The only place you're going is the Hall of Yama."
Another person from Nine Palaces Mountain, who was already severely injured but still conscious, had seen the martial brother he usually got along well with abandon him and their senior brother. His eyes immediately filled with a trace of hatred and despair.
He struggled to sit up, wanting to use his last bit of strength to self-destruct. But in an instant, he saw this martial brother fall heavily beside him, also on the verge of death. For a moment, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
All of this happened at the same time. Ding Yushan immediately assessed the final situation. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If the other side didn't have a Pseudo-Core cultivator, he might have been able to escape alone, albeit with heavy injuries.
But this was all just 'if'. He spun around on the spot and stood in front of his Third Junior Sister. Looking at her tragically beautiful face, he gave a faint smile.
"Since Senior Brother brought you out, then... now, how about Senior Brother takes you to the netherworld together?"
The severely injured Third Junior Sister, unable to circulate her spiritual power, had a look of despair on her face. But seeing her senior brother's gentle gaze, she suddenly smiled. She knew how tragic her fate would be if she fell into the enemy's hands.
Her Senior Brother had already done his best to block an attack for her. The enemy was numerous and powerful; there was no hope left.
"I... will listen to... Yushan's words. Then... let's go... what's there to be afraid of!" she said with difficulty, but the term "Senior Brother" she usually used suddenly changed.
This name was a secret she had held in her heart for many years, but had never dared to say out loud. Who was her Senior Brother? He was the future sect master, a cultivator with hopes of forming a Golden Core. She, on the other hand, might never form a core in her life, just a mediocre person.
Hearing his Third Junior Sister's words, a strange look flashed in Ding Yushan's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by a savage ferocity in his gaze. He had a naturally aloof personality, but he possessed an unyielding pride. Although he cherished his life, he had never thought of begging from another race. This was his mind-nature.
And just at that moment, a gray Spirit Talisman was rapidly expanding, descending upon Ding Yushan's head, giving the two no chance for further conversation.
Ding Yushan felt as if his whole body had sunk into a muddy swamp, making every move exceptionally difficult. At the same time, a gloomy voice sounded in his ear, "You can't even save yourself, yet you want to save others? How ridiculous!"
It was the Pseudo-Core cultivator who had let out a soft "Yi" earlier, appearing like a lingering ghost, giving them not a moment's rest.
Ding Yushan suddenly let out a long cry, the aura on his body surging violently. He shouted coldly, "My life and death have always been for me alone to decide!"