Upon reaching Foundation Establishment, spiritual energy erupted from the dantian like a geyser, saturating every cell and bone. The body became weightless, unbound by gravity. It was this transformation that allowed cultivators to walk on air without artifacts.

However, flight burned Qi. Even a Foundation Establishment expert could not stay airborne indefinitely during high-intensity combat. To conserve their reserves, the dueling experts had gradually drifted back to earth, turning the valley floor into a cratered battlefield.

When Qin Lu and Gu Can finally located Gu Yue, she was trapped in a desperate melee. She and Wu Zheng were fighting back-to-back against an Immortal Crane Sect Elder—a burly, square-jawed giant wielding a massive silver greataxe.

The giant was a meat grinder. Every swing of his axe carried the weight of a collapsing building.

“Sis! I’m here!” Gu Can bellowed.

The shout broke the combatants’ focus. Wu Zheng, his robes soaked in blood, looked at the two newcomers with desperate relief.

“Young friends! Help us, quickly!”

His voice cracked with urgency. It was humiliating for a Sect Leader to beg Qi Refining juniors for aid, but Wu Zheng had no choice. The axe-wielding giant was a monster. Wu Zheng had already taken a glancing blow to the ribs; even with his defensive artifacts, his breath came in ragged, bloody wheezes.

They were all grasshoppers on the same string now—if one fell, they all died.

Qin Lu and Gu Can didn’t hesitate. Sword and spear flashed as they charged into the fray.

The equation shifted instantly. Two Early Foundation Establishment experts and two peak-level Qi Refining elites now surrounded one enemy.

The pressure on the square-jawed Elder became suffocating. The four-pronged assault forced him onto the back foot, his silver axe swinging frantically to parry attacks from all sides.

Qin Lu moved like a phantom, regulating his strength with surgical precision. He skirted the edge of the giant’s reach, his [Seven Star Sword] darting in to hack at the enemy’s defensive barrier. Each strike chipped away at the shield’s integrity.

Boom!

Roaring in frustration, the Elder unleashed a horizontal sweep that cleared the immediate area. Seizing the momentary gap, he abandoned the ground and rocketed into the sky.

“Don’t let him escape!”

Gu Yue and Wu Zheng immediately launched themselves in pursuit.

Qin Lu and Gu Can were left standing in the dust, earthbound and blinking.

“Shit,” Gu Can muttered.

Qin Lu reacted instantly. He slapped his storage bag, retrieving the [Flying Cloud Paper]. He infused it with qi, and the artifact expanded into a floating platform.

“Get on!”

Gu Can leaped aboard, and the paper craft surged forward, chasing the retreating contrails of the Foundation Establishment experts.

The enemy was wounded. The tactical imperative was clear: strike while the iron is hot.

Unfortunately, reality was often disappointing.

The [Flying Cloud Paper] was a budget artifact. Its top speed was pathetic compared to true flight. The gap between them and the trio ahead widened with every second.

“Brother Qin,” Gu Can groaned, “this thing is slower than a turtle.”

“It cost me a few hundred Spirit Stones,” Qin Lu snapped, focused on the steering. “You get what you pay for. This is redline speed.”

“We’re going to lose them.”

“No,” Qin Lu said, eyes locked on the distant specks. “He’s bleeding. He can’t sustain flight for long. We’ll trail them and finish him when he lands.”

“Deal.” Gu Can grinned, clutching his spear. The taste of high-level combat had intoxicated him; he looked like an addict waiting for his next hit.

Qin Lu glanced at his friend and smiled, though his mind was racing.

The skirmish had been enlightening. The gap between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment wasn’t as insurmountable as the legends claimed. Or perhaps… the gap was smaller for him.

Could I take one of them solo?

He shook the dangerous thought away. No. That was a four-on-one beatdown. Don’t get cocky. Concealment is survival.

Boom—!

A thunderous explosion from the perimeter shook the air.

Qin Lu whipped his head around. His relaxed expression vanished, replaced by cold horror.

High above the forest, the translucent dome of the trapping array had been breached. Two figures in matching white robes shot through the hole they had just blasted open.

They were young, attractive, and radiating power. The man was handsome, the woman beautiful—a match made by heaven and earth.

But beauty didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were flying under their own power.

Two fresh Foundation Establishment experts had just joined the game.

“Who are they?!” Gu Can yelled. “How did they break in?!”

“The array is designed to keep people in,” Qin Lu cursed. “The external shell is weak. Anyone can break in if they hit it hard enough.”

The male intruder’s voice boomed across the battlefield. “Sect Leader You! Do you require assistance?!”

You Ye, who had been struggling against Li Qingdu, looked up with the expression of a drowning man finding a lifeline.

“Fellow Daoists! Help me! These are Wuji Sect dogs!”

“Wuji Sect?!” The newcomers’ faces hardened. The ancient feud between the sects erased any hesitation.

They drew their weapons and dove.

The handsome youth charged toward Li Qingdu. The beautiful woman banked hard, heading straight for the valley where Gu Yue was chasing the axe-wielding giant.

“Hahaha! Perfect timing!”

Seeing reinforcements, the fleeing giant stopped running. He let out a maniacal laugh, turning his silver axe back toward his pursuers. With a fresh ally at his side, the hunter became the hunted.

“Fuck,” Qin Lu hissed through gritted teeth.

His worst fear had materialized. Fighting in Dragon Tiger Sect territory meant enemy reinforcements were a constant threat. He just hadn’t expected them to arrive so fast.

“We have to go! My sister is in trouble!” Gu Can screamed.

Qin Lu didn’t need telling. He dumped his entire Qi reserve into the Flying Cloud Paper, pushing the flimsy artifact past its limits.

The situation in the valley had gone from advantageous to critical. Gu Yue and Wu Zheng had barely been stalemating the giant. Now, adding a second Foundation Establishment enemy tilted the scales toward disaster.

The aerial chase crashed into the forest below. Trees shattered as the combatants slammed into the earth.

Qin Lu steered the paper craft over the tree line, diving toward the chaos.

He arrived just in time to witness a nightmare.

Wu Zheng, exhausted and flanked, missed a dodge by a fraction of a second. The silver axe caught him.

There was a wet thud.

Wu Zheng’s head separated from his shoulders, spinning through the air in a spray of arterial crimson.

The headless body of the Xuanyang Sect Leader collapsed into the dirt.

Fallen in battle.