Out of instinctive dread of the unknown yet powerful magic tool and prioritizing his own safety, Qin Lie reflexively abandoned his efforts to continue suppressing Jiang Yifan.
Spiritual energy surged around him, instantly manifesting layers of flame shields and defensive barriers in front of him. He committed everything to his defense!
He didn't even have time to consider whether Duan Xianxing's blast would catch the nearby Jiang Yifan and the others in its wake.
Now!
How rich was Jiang Yifan's combat experience?
He would never miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
The moment Qin Lie shifted from offense to defense, Jiang Yifan forced out his final reserve of spiritual energy. He didn't attack Qin Lie; instead, he maneuvered a golden light shuttle he had prepared long ago, striking toward the inner sect disciple who had just recovered his wits with lightning speed!
Spurt!
That inner sect disciple never expected an attack from that direction. His protective spiritual light was instantly shattered, and the golden light shuttle pierced through his shoulder. With a miserable scream, he was sent flying backward!
Simultaneously, Suisui moved!
Having already received Li Nanzhu's command, its skeletal body disintegrated instantly, transforming into five pale bone chains that shot out like arrows. They precisely coiled around the waists of Jiang Yifan, Ling Suxin, Li Nanzhu, Duan Xianxing, and Feng Qingping!
"Go!"
Feng Qingping shouted sharply as she channeled the spiritual energy she had been gathering into the ground beneath her feet!
Buzz—!
A teleportation array pattern, which she had quietly carved into the ground with array flags and her own spiritual energy under the cover of the dust, suddenly blazed to life!
A gentle yet rapid spatial fluctuation instantly enveloped the five people connected by the bone chains!
This was the true purpose behind her and Ling Suxin's previous swap of positions!
She hadn't just done it to tie down Ye Gucheng; she had used the battle as cover to stealthily lay down this short-distance random teleportation array beneath everyone's feet!
As an array master, her control over formations had reached a level of perfection. By multitasking, she was able to sketch the array runes even while fending off Ye Gucheng's torrential attacks.
Suisui's previous harassment and diversion had bought her precious time and concealment.
Ye Gucheng had just steadied himself after his attack and was preparing to pounce again in a rage when he suddenly saw the blinding light of a formation igniting beneath the feet of the five opponents!
That familiar spatial fluctuation caused his pupils to shrink!
"A teleportation array?! When did..." he cried out in shock, his face filled with disbelief!
He hadn't detected any sign of them setting up an array! How was this possible?
To be able to lay down such a complex teleportation array silently while defending against his onslaught?
What kind of terrifying level of array mastery was this?!
Even Qin Lie, who had just realized in mid-air that he had been played and was about to give chase in a fury, saw the sudden burst of teleportation light. His expression changed drastically; he wanted to strike and intercept them, but it was already too late!
"Stop them!" Qin Lie roared, slamming down a violent fire dragon palm print from the air!
However—
The light flashed brilliantly! Space distorted!
The very instant before Qin Lie's palm print landed, the light of the teleportation array reached its peak!
The figures of Jiang Yifan, Ling Suxin, Li Nanzhu, Duan Xianxing, and Feng Qingping, along with the newly reassembled Suisui, blurred in the center of the formation before vanishing completely!
Boom—!
Qin Lie's fire dragon palm print slammed into the empty ground, blasting a scorched crater into the earth. Dust filled the air, but not a single person was hit.
All that remained were the fading ripples in space and the three people left behind: Qin Lie, Ye Gucheng, and their companion, their faces ashen and frozen in shock.
"Dammit!"
Qin Lie shook with rage. As a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator and the chief of the Beast Taming Sect, he had been led around by the nose by such tricks, only to watch them slip away right under his eyes!
Yet, after the anger, an indescribable and complex emotion rose uncontrollably in his heart.
It was admiration.
Though he was loath to admit it, Qin Lie had to face a fact: the coordination of those five from the Five Elements Dao Sect had been perfect.
From that female cultivator named Li Nanzhu using an unexpected and bizarre brush technique to interfere with Ye Gucheng, to Duan Xianxing's well-timed feint that drew all his attention.
Then there was Jiang Yifan's precise and ruthless strike to instantly wound an inner sect disciple and create a local advantage, and finally, the connection of the bone chains from that strange skeleton and the activation of Feng Qingping's teleportation array...
The entire process was seamless and fluid, with every link connected.
Everyone had done the right thing at exactly the right time, without a single moment of hesitation or error.
This kind of chemistry was not achieved in a day; it had to be the result of countless sessions of training and tests of life and death.
"Such a well-coordinated team, such a resolute will... The Five Elements Dao Sect has been silent for many years, but it seems they are not without talent."
Qin Lie sighed inwardly.
Especially... that female cultivator who laid the teleportation array—Feng Qingping.
Qin Lie's gaze turned deep as he began to carefully retrace every detail of the battle.
"That girl... I didn't seem to pay much attention to her before." He struggled to recall any information regarding Feng Qingping.
Before the team battle started, the most eye-catching member of the Five Elements Dao Sect was Jiang Yifan, while Feng Qingping had seemed to keep a low profile, following the team without standing out.
However, it was this seemingly unremarkable female cultivator who, in the battle just now, had displayed array mastery that made his heart skip a beat!
First was her multitasking.
While fending off Ye Gucheng's fierce attacks, she could still divert her mind to set up an array—and hide it so perfectly that neither Ye Gucheng, who was right there, nor a Nascent Soul cultivator like himself noticed a thing!
What kind of exquisite array control and concealment technique was that?
Then there was the random teleportation array. Although it was only short-distance, to successfully set it up in the heat of such intense combat and precisely teleport all five people away without any error required an incredibly deep understanding of spatial laws and stable construction power.
"Feng Qingping..." Qin Lie whispered the name, a hint of solemnity and curiosity flashing in his eyes. "To think the Five Elements Dao Sect was hiding such an array genius. Our previous intelligence was far too lacking."
He realized that the Five Elements Dao Sect might be far more troublesome in this team battle than they had anticipated.
...
Dozen of miles away, deep within an unfamiliar forest.
Space fluctuated as five figures staggered into view—the five from the Five Elements Dao Sect who had just teleported away.
Thud!
Li Nanzhu and Duan Xianxing, who had the weakest cultivation, collapsed directly to the ground. They panted heavily, their faces pale; clearly, the spatial pressure from the teleportation combined with their previous exhaustion had left them spent.
Jiang Yifan and Ling Suxin also had ragged breathing and barely managed to stay standing, though their faces were filled with the relief of having survived a brush with death.
Feng Qingping fared slightly better, but sweat stood out on her forehead. She quickly scanned the surroundings to confirm they were temporarily safe before letting out a sigh of relief. She looked at the others and offered a weary smile. "We did it... We're safe for now."
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