Boom!!!
The moment Lin Yubai slammed his staff down, countless bolts of lightning erupted!
Innumerable thunderbolts shot into the sky, as if the entire world was filled with lightning. Fierce and surging fluctuations swept out in all directions!
Under the impact of these fluctuations, all buildings within dozens of feet collapsed. Even the residual formations of the mansion appeared in an instant, with vast, profound formation patterns emerging in mid-air.
It felt as if only a moment had passed, yet it also felt like dozens of breaths. As the blinding lightning gradually dissipated, a fierce wind suddenly howled, whipping up countless fragments of rock and dust that shot out in all directions.
"Suppress!"
Ji Yuan, within the raging wind, let out a deep roar. The Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower above his head immediately streaked out, and then magnificent rays of light descended.
The tower, only a few inches tall, swelled against the wind, growing to several feet in size. It then slammed down fiercely, directly crushing two fallen ones and trapping them within the lowest level of the tower.
As his eyebrows twitched, his gaze passed through the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower and fell upon the two fallen ones. A hint of complexity appeared in his eyes, a mixture of shock, surprise, and some confusion.
Despite his doubts, he immediately unleashed his spirit-devouring power to its fullest, relentlessly refining the dense death qi emanating from the two fallen ones.
In a short while, large patches of gray-white death qi rose, all transformed into pure spiritual energy. As for the harmful substances refined out, he deliberately collected them and stored them in a certain level of the tower.
"Take this!"
Lin Yubai suddenly shouted, and then with a flick of his staff, he sent one of the fallen ones flying towards Ji Yuan.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan immediately understood. With a slight shift of his thoughts, the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower flew into mid-air, and a void suddenly appeared at its base, emitting a powerful suction force.
The fallen one, already heavily wounded with its sturdy physique cracked, was drawn into the tower without any resistance, while the other two were placed on the bottom layer.
"Let's go!"
Ji Yuan scanned his surroundings and then said in a deep voice.
Before entering the inner city, Ji Changlin and the others had repeatedly warned them that if they encountered fallen ones, they should avoid combat if at all possible.
If combat was unavoidable, they had to end it as quickly as possible and leave the area, as it would inevitably attract more fallen ones.
As he spoke, Ji Yuan gently beckoned, and the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Tower immediately shrank back to its original size of a few inches, landing in his palm.
Lin Yubai also strode over quickly, grabbed his shoulder, and then transformed into a streak of lightning, soon blazing towards the perimeter wall of the mansion.
As soon as the two appeared, they saw several fallen ones pressed against the mansion's formation. The surging death qi emanating from their bodies, under the effect of the heavenly punishment power, caused openings to appear in the formation.
Only after the fallen ones passed through did these openings slowly close, leaving no trace behind.
Ji Yuan and Lin Yubai finally understood why there were several fallen ones within a mansion protected by a formation.
Who could have imagined that the death qi and the heavenly punishment power, working in tandem, could temporarily open a passage in the formation?
As soon as the few fallen ones entered the mansion, they spotted the two not far away and then charged towards them with murderous intent.
The gray-white death qi on their bodies erupted, and it surged towards them like a vast ocean. Wherever it passed, even the bricks and stones seemed to lose their color, their surfaces corroded and pitted.
Ji Yuan snorted lightly, holding the small tower in his palm. It immediately emitted rays of light, forming a curtain in front of him, blocking all the fallen ones.
"Faster!"
His expression shifted slightly, and he quickly increased the flow of magic power, almost being breached by the approaching figures.
Almost as soon as the words fell, several streaks of lightning flashed, and then Lin Yubai struck with his staff, forcing cracks to appear in the formation before them.
Such pure strength was already not much different from that of a pure martial artist, and it was difficult to tell whether it was his own strength or the enhancement from his staff.
With a few flashes of lightning, the formation before them was smashed open, creating a gaping hole. Lin Yubai then grabbed Ji Yuan's shoulder, and before the mansion's formation could fully activate, the two of them streaked out, disappearing from the area in a few blinks.
Amidst roars of anger, the mansion's formation fully activated, unleashing terrifying and powerful fluctuations. Even without its core, its might was still capable of easily heavily injuring cultivators of the third realm.
The two, who had already traveled half a mile away, instinctively looked back, a sense of dread rising in their hearts.
At the same time, their expressions sank as they realized that Ji Changlin and the others indeed had issues, and many things were being concealed or intentionally downplayed.
The might of formations like this, according to what they were told at the time, would pose no threat to cultivators of the second realm once the core was removed.
But now, it seemed far from what they had been told!
However, the two did not dwell on it for too long. After exchanging a glance, they left the area at their fastest pace.
Outside the inner city, Ji Changlin and the others stood like statues. Even after more than two hours, they showed no intention of leaving.
Based on their previous experience, even cultivators of the second realm with extraordinary means or powerful protective treasures would, at most, stay in the inner city for about two hours before being affected by the heavenly punishment power and transforming into fallen ones like themselves.
However, Ji Wenwen had mentioned that one of them held a special magical artifact that could easily refine death qi and even strip away the heavenly punishment power.
In that case, it was understandable that the two could persist for a longer time in the inner city.
Moreover, that Yin-Yang Cai Dao was truly important to them. For thousands of years, they had, more than once, deceived and enticed outsiders to enter, attempting to bring it out.
Suddenly, in the gaze of Ji Changlin and the others, two figures emerged from the inner city and rapidly approached them.
Undoubtedly, these two figures were Ji Yuan and Lin Yubai!
However, the group before them did not feel overwhelming joy. Instead, a somber atmosphere quietly permeated the air.
Including Ji Wenwen, the eight of them silently spread out, ready to block all possible escape routes.
Within about a quarter of an hour, the two arrived within a few dozen feet of them. Upon seeing the formation before them, their footsteps paused slightly, and then they quickened their pace without changing their expressions.
"Two young friends, this time took quite a bit of time, truly making us worry for a while."
Ji Changlin took two steps forward. Without moving his lips, his voice echoed in everyone's ears: "I wonder if you successfully found the Yin-Yang Cai Dao?"
His gaze swept over the two in front of him, immediately inquiring about the success of their mission, not bothering to ask if they had encountered any danger.
The attitude of this person now was no longer even pretending. His objective was very clear.
Ji Yuan's gaze swept across the surroundings, not hiding his actions at all. As soon as they stopped, several people moved silently, blocking their retreat.
"The item has naturally been obtained."
He was not surprised by this in the slightest, having anticipated it long ago. After a slight smile, he took out a sheathed small knife from his sleeve.
The moment this item appeared, a righteous aura flowed out, immediately suppressing the death qi from everyone around them back into their bodies.
"Very good, with this item, we can significantly cut down the death qi within us!"
Ji Changlin's cloudy eyes immediately showed a flicker of indistinct excitement.
As soon as he finished speaking, he wanted to step forward quickly and take the unsheathed small knife into his hand.
However, the young man opposite him subtly stepped back and withdrew his hand holding the knife, his eyes fixed on Ji Changlin with deep meaning.
"What's wrong, little friend?"
Ji Changlin was stunned at first, then his voice, tinged with a smile, rang out.
However, anyone could tell that a hint of impatience had crept into his tone.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
Ji Yuan chuckled, "If you want to get this item, you seniors will have to offer something in return, right?"
The implication was that he was asking for payment in exchange for the item in his hand.
But what in this world could be compared to a sage's item?
Even if this unsheathed small knife was merely something used to trim paper on a sage's desk, not even a commonly used item.
Even so, its value could be considered immeasurable. Even a treasure with eighteen layers of innate restrictions might not be worth two or three-tenths of it.
Such a sage's item, though not a powerful magical treasure and not made of rare materials, could still be used to suppress the fortune of a sect.
It could even increase the literary fortune of a Confucian academy, making the scholars under its tutelage quick-witted and their inspiration flow like a spring.
Ji Changlin immediately understood. His stiff face showed no expression, but a hint of threat emerged in his words.
"Two young friends, I still advise you not to be too greedy. The treasure vault of that mansion is already your reward."
His voice was not loud, falling lightly, yet it carried a hint of sharp killing intent.
However, Ji Yuan acted as if he hadn't heard the veiled threat.
As he heard the words, he repeatedly shook his head and then said with a hint of helplessness, "How can this be considered greed? You seniors must know the true value of this item."
"A mere treasure vault is far from enough to match the value of this item!"
"Furthermore, the intelligence you seniors provided was incorrect, almost leading us to ruin in the inner city!"
His gaze deepened, and his expression gradually turned grim. Facing the increasing killing intent, he responded without showing weakness, meeting it directly without fear.
Behind him, Lin Yubai took a step forward, faint arcs of lightning flickering around him, his eyes also flashing with a sharp killing intent.
"I advise you to think carefully, and then think carefully again."
Ji Changlin's tone grew colder, pointing to the several people beside him. "If you have any other intentions in mind, you might end up losing your lives here."
Faced with such a threat, Ji Yuan suddenly laughed, slowly raising the unsheathed small knife.