Wei Yang, a cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, struck with ruthless precision. One sword thrust followed another, forcing Zhang Ergou to retreat repeatedly.
Zhang Ergou swung his iron spear to block, deflecting the sharp sword energy.
"Heh, is this all an inner disciple is capable of? Not too impressive," Zhang Ergou taunted as he backed away.
"Sharp tongue. Next, I'll show you true peak Foundation Establishment power," Wei Yang sneered. He swung his longsword a few times, sending several sword energies towards Zhang Ergou in rapid succession.
Just as Zhang Ergou managed to block the fierce sword energies, a chill ran down his spine. He quickly dodged.
A bizarre thing happened. Although Zhang Ergou dodged, the attacking weapon seemed to have eyes and followed his movement.
"You've got some skill," Zhang Ergou turned to face it directly. It turned out to be an arrow that was tracking him.
He brandished his iron spear, creating afterimages, forming a massive defensive formation.
Clang!
Clang!
Arrows struck the protective shield with loud bangs. After being deflected, they shot out and pierced a giant boulder.
While Zhang Ergou was dealing with Wei Yang's attacks, the other three were not idle. They attacked from different directions.
Fire Spirit Fist!
Zhang Ergou's mind raced. Spiritual fire surged to his fists, and fiery fist prints flew towards the attackers.
One person, who charged too quickly, was directly hit by a punch. As he stumbled back with a muffled groan, he spat out a mouthful of blood. He appeared to have lost all fighting capacity.
Another, unleashing spells continuously, attempted to ambush Zhang Ergou while he was occupied with his teammate. However, Zhang Ergou backhanded him, striking him directly in the chest. The man then flew backward like a kite with a broken string.
Two quick moves, incapacitating two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, shocked Wei Yang and the remaining accomplice.
"The rumors are true, you brat. You indeed have some tricks up your sleeve," Wei Yang sneered and attacked Zhang Ergou from the front.
Seeing this, Zhang Ergou retreated. As the strongest cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment among them, Wei Yang's power was incomparable to the others.
Zhang Ergou could take advantage of the carelessness of the others for a surprise attack, but against Wei Yang, he had little confidence.
As he retreated, a sword suddenly thrust out from the side. If Zhang Ergou hadn't reacted in time, he would have been impaled.
Zhang Ergou, who had just retreated, abruptly halted his movement. With a peculiar sidestep, he not only dodged Wei Yang's frontal palm strike but also parried the sword thrust with his iron spear.
His iron spear continued its momentum, thrusting forward.
Puchi!
A sound of piercing flesh echoed. Zhang Ergou's Ghost Spear, Tian Wen, directly pierced the body of the disciple who had attempted the sneak attack.
With this, Zhang Ergou had incapacitated all of Wei Yang's helpers. They were no longer able to fight back.
"Zhang Ergou, I will cripple you!" Seeing another one of his men injured by Zhang Ergou, Wei Yang was enraged, and his attacks became even more ferocious.
His longsword transformed into a golden rainbow, illuminating the entire forest with a brilliant golden light. Judging by the aura alone, this move was no simple feat.
Zhang Ergou dared not be negligent. Wei Yang's spell was clearly a full-power attack. If he didn't take it seriously, the price would be heavy.
He casually held the Ghost Spear, Tian Wen, horizontally in front of him.
Clang!
A metallic collision resounded, sparks flying. However, the seemingly ferocious spell did not cleave through Zhang Ergou's Ghost Spear, Tian Wen.
Despite this, Zhang Ergou was forced to retreat repeatedly.
"Hmph! It's time to show you my true strength. Did you think I only knew how to defend?" Zhang Ergou roared and threw his iron spear like a javelin.
The iron spear shot directly towards Wei Yang.
Wei Yang smirked, swung his longsword, and knocked the incoming iron spear aside.
Before he could savor his victory, Zhang Ergou grabbed his arm and yanked hard. Wei Yang lurched forward.
Zhang Ergou sidestepped and kicked him in the posterior, sending Wei Yang face-first into the ground.
What followed was a one-sided slaughter. Wei Yang, caught off guard at such close range, didn't even have time to react before Zhang Ergou lifted him again.
At such close proximity, Wei Yang's attempts to cast spells were interrupted by Zhang Ergou.
Then came a barrage of punches, elbow strikes, and whip kicks, accompanied by roars. Wei Yang's body was tossed around in the air, unable to touch the ground.
The other inner disciples, now incapacitated, were dumbfounded. Was this still Wei Yang, the strongest among them?
It looked as though Wei Yang was being single-handedly thrashed by Zhang Ergou, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Wei Yang, however, was in misery. His body was completely out of his control. Only cultivators at the Golden Core stage could fly.
Foundation Establishment cultivators, no matter how powerful their combat abilities, could not remain airborne for extended periods without breaking through that threshold.
Yet, Wei Yang was being tossed around in the air, unable to land.
This was because Zhang Ergou's every strike hit a vital point on his body. More shamelessly, every time Wei Yang was about to land, Zhang Ergou would deliver a forceful kick, sending him back into the air.
Puchi!
Wei Yang had never suffered such humiliation in his cultivation journey. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his body tossed around in the air like a ball.
Just as Zhang Ergou was enjoying himself, a sharp sound suddenly rang out. It was one of the incapacitated disciples blowing into an unknown instrument.
Huh?
Zhang Ergou felt a sense of foreboding. Why would this person make such a sound for no reason? Was it a signal?
His guess was correct. When those searching the forest heard the sharp sound, they immediately converged on this location.
"Hmph! It seems they've found Zhang Ergou. We mustn't let anyone else get there first." The inner disciples who heard the sound all moved towards this area.
Jiang Tian, Zhuge Wen, Zuo Tian, and the others also heard the signal and immediately led their respective teams towards Zhang Ergou's location.
In an instant, the Beast Forest was filled with killing intent. Powerful auras converged, all heading towards Zhang Ergou.
"Let's go!" While Lin Yueru and others were still locked in battle with inner disciples, those disciples instantly withdrew from the fight upon hearing the sound, rushing towards the source of the signal without hesitation.
"What happened?" Not just them, Wang Teng and Xiao Qingyu encountered the same situation.
"Could it be that Zhang Ergou has been exposed? Are all these people heading towards him?" Wang Teng and Xiao Qingyu exchanged glances. They had coincidentally been teleported to the same location, so the two groups had joined forces.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go save Zhang Ergou."