The escape speed of a Golden Core Cultivator far exceeds that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator by several times. Jiang Yuebai used all available escape techniques, activating both the Divine Concealment Talisman and the Turtle Breath Talisman to completely hide her form and traces.

The two Jade Pivot Thunders didn’t take their lives; the cultivators from the Upper Realm have truly thick heads.

Moreover, their search methods are quite sophisticated, as the Stealth Array proved ineffective, and that Golden Core Cultivator’s observational skills are also strong.

Having seen the old man, they pursued so quickly, and without hesitation struck out the second time, decisive and ruthless—a formidable opponent.

The sky grew increasingly dim, with dark clouds pressing down from afar, lightning flashing, and thunder roaring. The clouds seemed to mirror the ocean, with great whirlpools slowly churning, resembling the abyss of the netherworld, radiating overwhelming and terrifying pressure.

As she quickly approached, Jiang Yuebai felt her body growing heavier, as if under the oppressive force of a No-Fly Great Array, dragging her downward.

It seems the Kunxu Sea Trench is not far away. There are no other cultivators around, surely they have all descended to the Dragon Palace.

She still held a glimmer of hope to find True Monarch Fuyi to help her.

But rationally, she knew she couldn’t implicate True Monarch Fuyi and offend the forces of the Upper Realm on her behalf, especially when she was about to enter Divinity Transformation, a most critical moment.

People are always this contradictory: emotionally fearful, yet rationally strong.

Suddenly, a repressive and somber flute sound echoed across the land, filled with coldness like icy springs, layer upon layer pushing higher.

Jiang Yuebai’s Divine Soul wavered, nearly falling from mid-air as the surrounding seawater was swept up by the sound, quickly forming a giant water sphere spanning over ten miles.

The nearest distance was beyond the reach of a single escape technique.

Ning Zhiyuan stood suspended in mid-air, holding a jade flute, with all the water flowing toward his feet, sealing off an area of more than ten miles, including the deep sea below.

Ning Zhiyuan’s immense pressure emanated from within the water, making Jiang Yuebai feel as if she was being watched by a lion and oppressed by the five peaks.

"I know you’re hiding nearby."

Mu Linfeng’s voice came from a distance. Protected by Ning Zhiyuan, he hadn’t been injured in critical areas and had mostly recovered, now shouting around with a long spear in hand.

"All we want is one item on you. If you hand it over willingly, we’ll let you live. Alternatively, I’ll give you a chance. Our cultivation levels are similar; if you come out and duel with me, and if you win, we’ll leave immediately and never bother you again. If you lose, hand over the item. How about it?"

Jiang Yuebai didn’t make a sound. If she used an escape technique now, she would definitely cause a ripple through the surrounding water curtain, thus exposing her location.

Given the strength of a Golden Core Cultivator, locking onto her in an instant would be easy.

And this wasn’t just any ordinary Golden Core; this was someone capable of killing a late-stage Golden Core Sword Cultivator from the Mountain and Sea Building within a quarter of an hour.

"Jiang Yuebai, stepping out to fight me is your only chance. I’ll count to three; if you don’t appear, don’t blame my uncle for taking action himself. One!"

The flute sound continued, with Ning Zhiyuan’s brows furrowed, spreading his Divine Sense across every corner of the water curtain.

The previous injury required time to heal; otherwise, his foundation would be damaged, needing fifty to a hundred years to heal and nurture.

"Two!"

Time was of the essence; Jiang Yuebai didn’t know Ning Zhiyuan’s intentions, so her only option was to fight as she watched.

"Three!"

"Stop barking, I’m right here!"

The voice abruptly appeared behind Mu Linfeng. Eyes turning cold, he swung his spear swiftly, piercing through the form of Jiang Yuebai behind him.

Feathers scattered as the sound of thunder erupted like clouds, shooting from behind Mu Linfeng, with a chilling aura surging straight for his head.

Facing the crisis calmly, Mu Linfeng spun his spear, entwining azure brilliance in a crisscross, smashing into the spear shadows behind, erupting with layers of sparks.

Mu Linfeng retreated, eyes brightening, "You also wield a spear?"

Jiang Yuebai glanced subtly at Ning Zhiyuan high in the sky, the flute sound had ceased. Was he really just watching without interfering?

"Today, I’ll learn from you!"

Mu Linfeng gave a low shout, with a burst of azure light on his body, a sharp and formidable aura engulfing all around. An invisible force field collided with Jiang Yuebai’s spear momentum, sparks flying.

"Take this!"

With a sweeping motion of the spear, Mu Linfeng’s spear aura transformed into countless rotating Wind Blades, separating and converging to besiege Jiang Yuebai from all directions.

The fierce energy whistled and shook the air, with wind and thunder rolling through.

Unyielding, Jiang Yuebai donned Flame Armor, sweeping her spear with hands to stir layers of Fire Thunder, confronting Mu Linfeng head-on, while also contemplating strategies.

Fireworks scattered, thunder roared, and both matched strength for strength, with spear techniques equally matched.

Only, every time Jiang Yuebai attempted to imprint Fire Seals on Mu Linfeng, they were deflected by the azure jade light from his belt.

Moreover, the Earth Evil Fire’s detrimental effect on the Divine Soul was ineffective against him. Although he appeared arrogant and reckless, his spear techniques were superb, wielding it with exceptional steadiness.

The two fought fiercely, with Mu Linfeng’s form flashing endlessly, his spear snapping like a dragon, launching a frenzied and dense attack against Jiang Yuebai.

The immense pressure made Jiang Yuebai feel as if every blow was clashing against a mountain, a kind of weight she had never encountered before.

Are all cultivators from the Upper Realm like this? How dense must the spiritual energy there be?

Jiang Yuebai gradually slowed her offensive, allowing herself to fall into a disadvantage, enticing Mu Linfeng to pursue aggressively.

"You’re quite something!"

Mu Linfeng shouted lowly, his long spear transforming into a Little Green Dragon, and the surrounding spiritual energy was suddenly drawn in, causing the Little Green Dragon to whiz toward Jiang Yuebai.

Suddenly, white vines danced wildly at Jiang Yuebai’s feet, as she simultaneously summoned a mirror and an invisible fishing net.

The white vines swiftly as lightning, caught the green dragon and exploded into a sky full of pollen, instantly enveloping her and Mu Linfeng.

The Ice Hornless Dragon roared out from the Condensing Light Mirror, carrying a chilling aura, crashing into the green dragon and heading straight for Mu Linfeng’s face.

This series of unbelievably swift and dazzling attacks shook Ning Zhiyuan, who was observing from above, and he immediately waved his sleeve to stir up a gust of wind.

An emotionless Jiang Yuebai appeared next to Ning Zhiyuan out of thin air, releasing ninety-nine slender swords, with sword qi soaring into the sky.

The Sword Sky Puppet had been hidden in the shadows, guarding against Ning Zhiyuan’s intervention.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the high skies, silver brilliance shot out, and the pollen exploded over the sea.

Ning Zhiyuan’s protective qi shield was filled with slender swords, and as the dust below gradually dispersed, his pupils trembled immensely.

Mu Linfeng was covered in frost, entangled in white vines, with Jiang Yuebai piercing his chest with a spear.

The jade on his belt shattered, and with blood in his mouth and bulging veins, he desperately clutched Jiang Yuebai’s spear shaft—almost, the spear would have pierced through his throat.

Ning Zhiyuan struck in fury, drawing all the spiritual energy within a hundred-mile radius, which compressed and condensed swiftly before him, emitting a dazzling red light, and with Ning Zhiyuan’s arm swing, transformed into countless crimson sword auras.

Blotting out the sky and the sun, the targeted attack headed straight for Jiang Yuebai.

A crane’s cry sounded as the Taihe Umbrella suddenly opened above Jiang Yuebai’s head, with white light diffusing from the umbrella, and feathers shooting out to fiercely clash with the innumerable crimson sword auras.

Under the overwhelming pressure, the spiritual energy within Jiang Yuebai’s dantian was exhausted in less than three breaths, starting to consume the Five Elements Essence Qi.

Light and shadows streaked, and explosions reverberated endlessly.

Ning Zhiyuan pressed downward with a wave of his hand, with incomparably profound spiritual energy that Jiang Yuebai couldn’t compare to, exhausting the Five Elements Essence Qi in an instant, crushing the feathers on the Taihe Umbrella, while countless crimson sword auras fiercely bombarded Jiang Yuebai.

Ning Zhiyuan looked down indifferently, sweeping his gaze over Jiang Yuebai, with a hint of pity in his eyes.

"Had you not taken what you shouldn’t have, you could have been considered a hero. With your strength, you would not pale in comparison even in the Upper Realm."

The pain gripped her like flaying, as Jiang Yuebai’s vestment robe and Feather Scale Armor shattered inch by inch – fortunately, her strong body could still withstand for a moment.

Indeed, true Golden Core cultivators have a vastly different level of power compared to Foundation Establishment cultivators – not something she could easily challenge.

Gritting her teeth, Jiang Yuebai exerted all her might, both hands moving simultaneously, drawing out the last of her strength from the five Dao Platforms, as three sets of Leaf Hands in her Sea of Consciousness waved in unison.

Yellow sand swirled around her forming a shield, white vines grew wildly into a forest, a water dragon roared into the sky, meteoric fire rain plummeted down, and raging winds sliced like blades!

Boom, boom, boom!

The Five Dao Magical Techniques surged wildly, their fierce impact creating astounding destructive power, with a strong airflow carrying the force to destroy everything, instantly filling the interior of the water sphere, expanding outward rapidly.

Like a balloon bursting under pressure, the water sphere exploded, lifting immense waves.

Jiang Yuebai, covered in scars and panting heavily, half kneeled on the surface of the sea, her hairpin shattered at some unknown point, letting her black hair loose, with black mist swirling beneath her feet, and torrential rain pouring from above.

In the high sky, Ning Zhiyuan, with an iron face, dragged the heavily injured Mu Linfeng, the eighteenth Protective Gang Qi around him cracking – the last one he could currently activate.

Just a bit more and this woman, only at Peak Foundation Establishment, could have injured him; previously, she used a Thunder Pearl refined by a Nascent Soul Cultivator, this time it was her own ability – to Ning Zhiyuan, this was an exceedingly humiliating disgrace!

"Uncle, kill... kill her..." Mu Linfeng struggled to say.

Ning Zhiyuan coldly glanced at Jiang Yuebai, his gaze falling on the Lingzhi above her head, realizing in his heart that it was the Thousand Leaves Hand from the Immortal Ganoderma Clan, no wonder she could release multiple spells simultaneously.

"Who would have thought in this barren land I’d encounter an Innate Five Spirits Body? Though her body isn’t pure enough yet, it is more valuable than a Heavenly Stone."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuebai wiped the blood off her face and secretly began to form seals.

"You shameless old man, are you intending to possess me? Do you know how the previous ones trying to possess me had ended?"

Ning Zhiyuan’s face remained indifferent, his palm gathering spiritual energy once again.

Fearlessly, Jiang Yuebai lifted her face, and just as the crimson glow that sought to utterly subdue her surged near, a massive amount of black mist burst from the sea at her feet, swallowing her steps ahead.

Five Ghosts Blood Escape Technique!

The crimson glow pierced through the black mist; Jiang Yuebai was no longer at the original spot.