However, after the great earthquake, the Thunder Array didn't show any signs of collapse.

Instead, the array, inverted like a giant bowl of green light, roared like an enraged beast, emitting a thunderous bellow.

"Zzzzzzz"

Streaks of lightning burst forth from the array, transforming into several green thunder whips, lashing towards Yuan Ming and the two in the pit.

Yuan Ming hastily drew out his Cold Star Sword to wield in defense.

Elder Lu Shen pressed his hands against the ground, and as he rose, three earth walls sprung up around him, blocking the electrical whips.

Bai Ye also summoned a golden longsword that circled around him for protection.

After a round of thunder whip lashes, the lightning slowly stabilized again.

"Elder Lu Shen, how are you, are you all right?" He Wendao called out anxiously from outside, unable to see through the intense lightning.

"It's just a trapping array, I can break it with a wave of my hand," said Lu Shen as he exchanged glances with Yuan Ming and Bai Ye, snorting coldly.

"Fellow Daoist Bai Ye, can you discern the foundation of this array?" Yuan Ming asked, moving closer to Bai Ye.

"I don't recognize it—it seems not so easy to break. Did you just say there's something wrong with He Wendao?" Bai Ye shook his head, replying softly.

"His performance when facing the Second-level Demon Beast, and his timely retreat from the range of this trapping array, were both very abnormal," Yuan Ming said.

Upon hearing this, Bai Ye's expression immediately became even more complex.

Meanwhile, as the two of them conversed in whispers, Elder Lu Shen took out a Vajra Pestle as thick as a child's arm, its entire body a dark yellow color, shrouded in a hazy glow.

Elder Lu Shen held the Vajra Pestle in both hands, mana surging into his palms. The once-dull pestle suddenly shone brightly, emitting strong Earth Attribute mana fluctuations.

"Break!"

Elder Lu Shen roared and, with both hands gripping the Vajra Pestle, he violently smashed it into the ground.

With a thunderous landing, an even grander yellow light burst from the pestle, triggering the force of mountain collapses in an attempt to destroy the array beneath the ground.

Centered around Lu Shen, the ground shattered under this force, throwing up clouds of dust and debris.

Yuan Ming and Bai Ye were both affected, each conjuring their magical tools to defend themselves.

Through the rolling dust, the entire area within the array was left without a single inch of unscathed soil, as if churned by a plow.

Yet, beyond the array, there was absolutely no sign of damage.

Before the dust had fully cleared, the roars of thunder were heard once more, and thick as bowls, columns of lightning suddenly shot in from all sides, scattering the dust with their fierce glow, and striking Yuan Ming and his companions.

"Be careful," Yuan Ming quickly warned.

As he spoke, he raised his hand sharply, and a black inkstone flew out, rapidly enlarging to hover above his head, shielding him from the falling thunder columns.

After Bai Ye blocked the first thunder column, he was hit by a second one that followed closely, and was sent flying, half of his body scorched black, emitting wisps of smoke, obviously injuried.

Elder Lu Shen summoned a shining round mirror, managing to deflect the blasts from the thunder columns, but the surface of the mirror was severely damaged, half-ruined.

And the Great Array, far from showing any signs of damage, now had even more dense lightning than before.

"Elder Lu Shen, how are you?" the anxious voice of He Wendao came from outside.

"Strange, even with the full force of my top-grade magical tool, the Earth Burying Mallet, I can't cause any damage," Elder Lu Shen paused thoughtfully, then said.

"Perhaps Elder Lu's so-called Earth Burying Mallet isn't as potent as its reputation suggests. Why don't the three of you try working together? You might be able to break it with combined efforts," suggested He Wendao from outside upon hearing this.

Upon hearing this, Elder Lu Shen glanced at Yuan Ming and the fallen Bai Ye.

It took Bai Ye a while to stand up from the ground, and after coughing once, he turned his gaze to Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming suddenly spoke up, "Fellow Daoist He, go ahead, what's your condition? We can talk."

"No, no, no, you misunderstand. How about this, you all act simultaneously, attack the array together, and maybe it will work," He Wendao replied with a slight smile, then continued.

Seeing that He Wendao didn't state any terms, Yuan Ming realized the situation and shouted to the Shengye Sect disciples gathered in the distance, "Disciples of the Shengye Sect, listen! He Wendao is a spy; you must scatter and flee this place immediately, and do not return."

The disciples in the distance were bewildered, looking at each other, none of them moved.

"We won't leave, we must rescue our seniors," declared Xu Tian loudly.

"Right, Senior Brother Xu, we won't go," Luo Xing'er added.

The other disciples were even more perplexed, unsure of what to do.

Yuan Ming rebuked Xu Tian, "Xu Tian, your grandmother personally arranged for me to protect you, trust me. If you survive and return, tell your Aunt Qu Jiang that Ming'er failed to fulfill his filial duties. Leave immediately."

At Yuan Ming's words, Xu Tian's body shook, and he quickly realized who the Hagon trapped in the valley thunder array was. Luo Xing'er stared at Yuan Ming, incredulous.

Elder Lu Shen showed a flash of surprise in his eyes but quickly snapped back to reality.

"Shengye Sect disciples, heed my command, disperse and escape from this place immediately, anyone who disobeys will be treated as a traitor to the sect," Elder Lu Shen bellowed.

Upon hearing his command, the dozen or so Shengye Sect disciples scattered and fled in all directions.

Xu Tian gritted his teeth, grabbed Luo Xing'er, took out a talisman and slapped it, and with a flash of yellow light, they both disappeared underground.

Seeing this, He Wendao waved one hand, and a flying sword shot out from his sleeve, aiming at the escaping disciples. In an instant, several were injured and fell to the ground, but fortunately, most of the disciples had dispersed and still managed to flee the valley.

"Stop!" Elder Lu Shen's eyes were about to split with fury.

"He Wendao, accumulate some virtue for once," Yuan Ming said with a cold sneer.

"It would've been nice if you had cooperated a bit more. So many small fish slipped through the net, what a pity," He Wendao said, no longer pursuing the fleeing disciples, but walking to the edge of the Array with a gentle smile on his face.

"You're not alone, are you?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Trying to buy time is pointless, resign yourself to your fate, all of you are going to die here today," He Wendao said with a smile as he looked at Yuan Ming.

"The cultivators who mysteriously perished recently around Little Lake City, were they all lured and killed by you using methods like this?" Yuan Ming asked.

"You're giving them too much credit, they're not worth the effort on my part. You should feel honored," He Wendao responded.

"He Wendao, why are you doing this?" Elder Lu Shen shouted furiously.

"Elder Lu Shen's question reveals ignorance, doesn't it? It's normal in the Immortal Path of cultivation to kill for treasure, the virtuous will claim it. Why make such a big fuss?" He Wendao sneered in response.

"You…" Elder Lu Shen was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Where's your accomplice? They should be coming out by now, right?" sneered Yuan Ming, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Before the words had finished, two figures approached from the direction of the distant valley mouth.

One was a cold-looking young man in white, with pale skin and a white eagle perched on his shoulder.

The other was a tall, bald man, stout as a tower, his muscles defined as if carved by knives and axes, carrying a bronze giant sword that was one foot wide and five feet long on his back, exuding a sense of immense pressure.

"Fellow Daoist He, you've worked hard. This haul isn't bad, three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, plus a bunch of Qi Refinement Realm ones, enough for us to rest for some time," the young man in white laughed heartily.

"It's all thanks to Brother Sha Hao's exquisite Illusion Technique," He Wendao said. "Has the Flying Boat been stopped?"

"We were one step too late, as soon as the Array here was activated, the Flying Boat probably received Elder Lu Shen's transmission message and fled," said Sha Hao.

"So it fled, no matter. It doesn't affect Pu Zhengqing's illustrious reputation. Your bounty is going up," He Wendao laughed.

Upon hearing the names "Sha Hao" and "Pu Zhengqing," Yuan Ming was slightly startled.

Although he had never met this person, he knew the name. With a little thought about the previously encountered Illusion Technique, his identity wasn't hard to confirm.

When Biluo Cave fell, what was found in the Storage Ring of the Great Elder Xi Cangqiong didn't match up to his stature as a Sect Master.

As the direct disciple of Xi Cangqiong, Sha Hao, who had disappeared, was naturally the most likely person to inherit his legacy.

This also meant that the Soul Cultivator who was recently sponsored by the Loose Cultivation Association of Little Lake City with a bounty of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones was also his alias, and the earlier Illusion Technique came from his hand as well.

"It's a bit dull that there is no bounty on me to this day," the tower-like giant, who had a resonant voice, said at that moment.

"You can't be compared with Brother Sha Hao. That one called Hagon had some smarts about him, tried to negotiate terms with me, which was quite interesting," He Wendao pointed at Yuan Ming and said across the buzzing Array lights.

"Hagon? Sounds like he's from the Southern Border?" When Sha Hao heard this, he wrinkled his brows somewhat guardedly.

"Who cares where he's from? Why bother with all this fuss? Just kill him and talk later," the tower-like giant said.

"Alright! Better to avoid prolonged trouble," Sha Hao nodded in agreement and said, "Shi Dian, make your move."

"Okay." The tower-like giant named Shi Dian acknowledged, then took the bronze giant sword off his back and walked to an inconspicuous pile of rocks. He slid the sword into the crevice.

With a "sizzle" from the friction, half of the bronze giant sword sank into the ground, leaving only half exposed, the hilts embedded with a purple Spirit Stone that shone with light, pouring a continuous stream of Spiritual Power into it.

Yuan Ming's gaze sharpened, knowing that the Array Eye must be over there.

A piercing bird cry cut through the sky.

In mid-air, a black-winged bird, about a zhang in length, circled above. Shaped like a hawk, with a hooked beak and long sharp talons, its feathers were glossy black, interspersed with purple patterns—it was the Winged Bird named "Lei Yu" by Yuan Ming.

Lei Yu had just flown in from afar, and although its speed was lightning-fast, it was still too late. If it had been a little faster, perhaps it could have broken this Thunder trapping Array.

At the moment, Lei Yu dove towards the Array with its slender talons crackling with purple sparks.

"Huh?" Sha Hao exclaimed in surprise, "Go, catch it alive."

The White Eagle on Sha Hao's shoulder spread its wings and turned into a beam of white light, swiftly intercepting it. In an instant, they clashed in the air. Although Lei Yu was as fast as lightning, it was no match for the peak level 2 White Eagle, and in a blink of an eye, they disappeared into the distance.

After all, Lei Yu was still in its juvenile stage, and although it had been well cared for by Yuan Ming and trained in thunderstorm-prone areas, it was only at the strength of a level 1 demon beast. With the White Eagle and the trio of Sha Hao present, it was like a moth to a flame.

While Yuan Ming was contemplating a strategy, he suddenly looked up in alarm, only to see that in the center of the Thunder Array above their heads, a human head-sized green Thunder Ball was condensing, with lightning flashing inside and thunder roaring, containing a tremendous Spiritual Pressure.

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