Shen Xian’s threat was an open declaration of war.

To suggest sabotaging the formation at a critical moment was not just arrogance—it was holding a knife to everyone’s throat.

The crowd naturally wouldn’t tolerate such an unstable variable.

Fury erupted instantly.

Shen Xian scanned the surrounding faces. Some were twisted in anger, others in apprehension. He didn’t care.

“Make an enemy of everyone?”

He chuckled softly, the sound dripping with mockery. Then, his expression snapped cold, his eyes sharp as daggers.

“It seems you are all planning to gang up on me.”

Qiu Ruoli raised a jade-like hand. Seven phantom white lotuses materialized around her, spinning with lethal intent.

“It is the duty of all to slay an Evil Cultivator!” she declared, her voice icy.

She hadn’t expected him to be so brazen. But this was better. No more schemes were needed—she could just kill him here.

“Well said!” Shen Xian clapped his hands, though his eyes remained devoid of warmth. “However…”

His tone shifted. “Have you all forgotten what we Evil Cultivators are best at?”

The crowd paused.

A wicked, dangerous curve lifted the corner of Shen Xian’s mouth.

“Running away.”

He leisurely dusted off his sleeves, as if preparing for a stroll. “If we weren’t masters of escape, we would have gone extinct long ago, wouldn’t we?”

It was a bluff. Shen Xian’s greatest weakness was actually his lack of movement techniques. If they swarmed him, he would have to face them head-on.

But they didn’t know that.

They only knew he was an Evil Cultivator. And in the cultivation world, Evil Cultivators were cockroaches—slippery, hard to kill, and vindictive.

The faces of the twenty-odd cultivators changed.

Qiu Ruoli’s expression flickered between rage and uncertainty.

She understood the subtext immediately. If a master of evasion decided to play the saboteur from the shadows, the Grand Formation was doomed.

Damn it!

This man was too troublesome.

Lei Yingjie frowned deeply, his mind racing as he weighed the pros and cons.

He knew Shen Xian wasn’t joking. Given his combat prowess and knowledge of the array’s weak points, they truly had no way to stop him if he decided to go rogue.

More importantly, this man was a Formation Master.

If he were just a brute, the formation’s backlash could handle him. But a Formation Master? He could dismantle their efforts with a single well-placed strike.

Especially while they were distracted by a Seventh-Order Demon Beast.

Shen Xian took in their hesitation, his internal sneer deepening.

Checkmate.

After a long silence, Lei Yingjie’s face suddenly relaxed into a friendly mask.

“Fellow Daoist, why let it come to this? We can discuss things properly.”

He had made his calculation: until the Seventh-Order beast was dead, this man could not be offended.

Shen Xian looked around the group, speaking unhurriedly. “My demands are simple. Either we distribute the risks fairly, or…”

He glanced meaningfully at the floating formation diagram. “Everyone relies on their own abilities in the chaos.”

Silence.

Deathly silence.

The other cultivators exchanged uneasy glances. No one expected a single Rogue Cultivator to corner the prodigies like this.

Lei Yingjie took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Fellow Daoist Wang makes a reasonable point. How about this: choose any position you fancy. I will not object.”

The crowd erupted in shock.

Qiu Ruoli looked at Lei Yingjie in disbelief.

He was yielding? To an Evil Cultivator?!

Shen Xian already had a target in mind. He pointed to an inconspicuous node on the diagram.

“I want the ‘Xun Position’.”

Lei Yingjie focused on the spot, and his pupils contracted sharply.

The Xun Position?

It looked irrelevant on the surface, but it was the central hub for the entire array’s spiritual power flow. More importantly, the backlash from the Lightning Tribulation was weakest there.

He really understands formations!

In that moment, Lei Yingjie confirmed it: the man before him was far more dangerous than he had imagined. If they kicked him out, the treasure hunt would fail.

“Alright,” Lei Yingjie agreed through gritted teeth. “As you wish, Fellow Daoist.”

Shen Xian nodded in satisfaction and walked toward the Xun Position.

As he passed Qiu Ruoli, he slowed slightly, tilting his head to whisper in a voice meant only for her ears.

“Holy Maiden, the next time you think of scheming against someone…”

His lip curled into a cold sneer.

“…make sure they aren’t someone who can crush you.”

Qiu Ruoli’s delicate frame trembled. Fury, hot and uncontrollable, threatened to erupt from her eyes.

Die! You deserve to die!

But she could do nothing. She had to stand there and watch as Shen Xian calmly walked to his chosen spot.

The rest of the cultivators were silent as cicadas in winter.

No one expected an Evil Cultivator to stand so firm against the prodigies and actually… win.

A thought took root in many minds: This Evil Cultivator is not to be trifled with.

Only Shen Xing watched Shen Xian with a thoughtful expression. His gaze drifted repeatedly to the blood-jade ring on the man’s index finger.

That is Lin Lang’s Storage Ring.

And now it was on this stranger’s hand.

Interesting.

Shen Xing decided he would need to pay extra attention to this “Fellow Daoist Wang” when the battle began.

Not long after, the positions were finalized.

Lei Yingjie addressed the group, his voice booming. “Everyone, we will begin a joint practice session in one hour to familiarize ourselves with the formation’s operation.”

Qiu Ruoli nodded slightly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

A practice session… perfect.

She glanced inconspicuously toward the Xun Position. Her Divine Sense slipped into her Storage Bag, settling on a specific bamboo container housing a Gu insect.

The humiliation of being forced to back down had turned into a raging inferno in her heart.

As the Holy Maiden of the Tianyao Sect, when had she ever suffered such disgrace? And to be threatened in public?

He must pay the price.

Qiu Ruoli formulated her plan.

When facing the Seventh-Order beast, she would have to prioritize the mission. But during the practice run? She could interfere with his spiritual flow. If she caused him to suffer a “mishap” and sustain heavy injuries now, he would be dead weight.

Then, she could use the “prevailing momentum” of the group to dispose of him properly.

A barely perceptible smile touched her lips.

When the backlash hits you, let’s see if you can remain so arrogant.

Lei Yingjie seemed to sense the tension shifting between Qiu Ruoli and Shen Xian.

He knew the Holy Maiden wouldn’t let this rest. But as long as it didn’t cause the formation to collapse, he didn’t care.

He shook his head and turned to check the array nodes. The most important thing was the Heaven-rank herb. Personal grudges were fine, as long as they didn’t cost him money.

One hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Lei Yingjie stood at the center of the formation eye, his purple robe fluttering without wind. The purple-gold gourd at his waist glowed with spiritual light.

“Everyone,” he announced solemnly. “The joint practice begins.”

Thirty beams of spiritual light erupted simultaneously. The runes on the formation diagram ignited one by one, linking the cultivators together.

The air grew heavy with oppressive thunder essence. Even breathing became difficult, the static charge leaving a numbing sensation on the skin.

Shen Xian stood at the Xun Position, feeling the river of spiritual power flowing through the array’s veins.

He quietly activated the [Void Reflecting Spirit Mirror].

His Soul Formation-level Divine Sense expanded invisibly, enveloping the entire area. He probed every detail, every fluctuation, ensuring no one with ulterior motives could launch a sneak attack without him knowing.

His firm stance earlier had undoubtedly painted a target on his back.

He had to be vigilant.

If anyone is foolish enough to try something now… I will make them regret being born.

Everyone took their positions, holding their breath and focusing their minds. The great array began to turn.