"Everyone, work together to resist, or we will all die here!"
Sun Zhiqian was the first to step forward, channeling his spiritual energy to block the blazing flames falling from above the valley.
The other cultivators, seeing this, naturally understood the gravity of the situation and quickly unleashed their own techniques.
However, the cultivators trapped in the valley had long since exhausted their spiritual energy. How could they possibly resist now?
Despite each of them using their strongest moves, very few could actually help Sun Zhiqian!
"A bunch of ants."
Wu Zhixiong sneered as he walked out, observing the scene.
With every step he took, a flame would rise beneath his feet, creating a rather imposing spectacle.
When he reached the area above the formation, Wu Zhixiong took out a fiery red cloak from his storage bag.
With a casual wave, the cloak instantly expanded, covering half the valley.
"Not good, it's Wu Zhixiong's Blazing Heaven Secret Art!"
Sun Zhiqian's heart sank as he saw Wu Zhixiong's actions.
They had been old rivals for countless years, so they were quite familiar with each other's abilities.
What Wu Zhixiong was using now was his renowned ultimate technique!
"Hahaha, you know what's good for you!"
"Blazing Heaven, go!"
Wu Zhixiong roared with laughter and, with a sweep of his hand, unleashed a torrent of flames from beneath the cloak.
The flames cascaded down the valley, soon reaching the heads of Sun Zhiqian and the others.
Feeling the intense heat radiating from above, Sun Zhiqian became desperate and turned to the group around him.
"If you keep holding back, we'll all go together!"
Sun Zhiqian gritted his teeth, feeling utterly disappointed.
Although these people appeared to be out of spiritual energy, they were actually hiding their true strength.
Each of them was hoping to break through the Flaming Fire Sect's defenses on their own and then reveal their power to escape.
But if this continued, how could he and the few members of the Sun family by his side possibly withstand Wu Zhixiong's assault?
"Scoundrels, stop hiding your strength and attack together!"
The slightly more intelligent cultivators instantly realized the situation.
Indeed, if Sun Zhiqian died, they would have no hope of survival.
"Attack together! Thousand Blade Slash!"
"Thunderous Lightning Technique!"
"Killing Sword Art, kill!"
...
Immediately after, a series of varied techniques tore through the air, aimed at Wu Zhixiong in the sky.
"Tricks of the trade!"
Wu Zhixiong let out a cold snort at the chaotic barrage of attacks and, with a casual wave of his hand, summoned nine cultivators dressed in various attires above the valley, looking down.
Wu Qian also joined this group.
"Not good, it's the Ten Elders of the Flaming Fire Sect!"
"It's over, it's over. It seems Wu Zhixiong was prepared this time and intends to capture us all!"
"But why? Wu Quanguo reached the Half-step Nascent Soul stage, so killing us should be easy. Why would he resort to such a treacherous scheme?"
The cultivators at the bottom of the valley exchanged bewildered and worried glances.
Those who had come here were mostly seeking refuge with the Flaming Fire Sect, so they were quite familiar with its internal structure.
These Ten Inner Sect Elders of the Flaming Fire Sect were all top experts in the entire Northern River region!
It was a mystery how Wu Zhixiong managed to bring these ten experts into the secret realm.
After all, even though the Flaming Fire Sect was the host of the Southwestern Grand Competition, they could only bring a maximum of eight participants at a time.
"Heh, they officially withdrew from the Flaming Fire Sect and became retainers for a certain family, allowing them to participate in the competition under that family's name!"
Sun Zhiqian snorted, revealing the truth of the matter.
He himself had considered doing this before, but without any top experts to back him up, he didn't dare.
And before the Flaming Fire Sect took these actions, Wu Quanguo was still alive, so they didn't worry about offending other sects and forces.
Who could have imagined that after these people entered the secret realm, Wu Quanguo would die instead?
This meant that once the news of Wu Quanguo's death was revealed, the Flaming Fire Sect would face severe retaliation from all cultivation forces in the entire Southwest!
"Everyone, for the future of our Flaming Fire Sect, kill them!"
At this moment, Wu Zhixiong understood the critical nature of the situation and immediately commanded the ten individuals.
"Yes, Sect Master!"
The ten individuals cupped their fists in agreement and each drew their weapons.
"Blazing Fire Thousand Pounds!"
The ten men each occupied a position, conjuring a fire wall, which they then hurled down into the valley.
"Eight Gates Defense Formation, activate!"
However, as soon as these ten men made their move, a woman's clear voice suddenly rang out from the very top of the valley.
"Eight Gates Defense Formation?"
"Not good, Sect Master! This Eight Gates Defense Formation is the same formation that trapped and killed the Supreme Elder!"
The Twelfth Elder's pupils dilated in terror upon hearing this voice.
This voice was all too familiar to him. He doubted he could ever forget it in his lifetime!
If not for this woman, would he have ended up in his current state, neither male nor female?
If not for this woman, how could the Supreme Elder Wu Quanguo have been killed by a mere cultivator in the early Core Formation stage?
"What? They dare to come back?"
Wu Zhixiong was also surprised to hear the Twelfth Elder's words.
After hearing Wu Gang's report earlier, he had assumed these two had fled directly.
Furthermore, he believed that two elders who had accompanied Wu Gang were pursuing them, so in his eyes, these two would not dare to return!
Even if they had escaped the pursuit, they would surely have run as far away as possible.
Who could have expected that these two not only returned but also dared to set up a formation on the mountaintop to deal with them?
This was sheer audacity!
"Hahahaha! Everyone, our reinforcements have arrived!"
"Let's all work together to break this formation and escape!"
"The Flaming Fire Sect's Supreme Elder Wu Quanguo has been killed, which is why Wu Zhixiong is desperate to kill us, to prevent us from leaking this secret and seeking revenge!"
Seeing that Lin Chen and Zhang Ying had finally made their move, Sun Zhiqian burst into laughter, revealing the truth of the matter.
"What? Wu Quanguo is dead? How is that possible?"
However, upon hearing the news of Wu Quanguo's death, everyone was filled with disbelief and couldn't fathom its authenticity.
How could a Half-step Nascent Soul stage expert be killed so easily?
"Everyone, I, Sun Zhiqian, swear upon the ancestors of my Sun family, that everything I have just said is true!"
"As long as you all help me break this formation, we can all share the treasures of the Flaming Fire Sect once we get out!"
Sun Zhiqian said with a cold smile.