The scorched earth reeked of a pungent odor, with wisps of light grey smoke spiraling upwards.
The disciples of the Xuan Qing Sect stood in the formation, their mouths agape, speechless for a long time.
This was the most terrifying lightning tribulation they had ever witnessed.
Fortunately, the lightning tribulation targeted only one individual and did not affect them.
Otherwise, even with this exquisite defensive formation, it would not have been able to protect them.
They stared at the deep pit created by the lightning, their hearts filled with a mixture of shock and suspicion.
Under the celestial lightning with world-destroying power, that impostor must surely be dead beyond any hope of revival.
Many disciples slowly relaxed their furrowed brows, stiffly moving their hands and feet.
However, Wang Yi'an felt no joy of surviving the ordeal. Instead, his hair stood on end, his brow twitched violently, and an icy dread washed over him.
He stared blankly at the deep pit, unable to comprehend the source of his intense premonition.
At that very moment, Long Haotian, from afar, suddenly threw his head back and laughed, transforming into a streak of rainbow light. He arrived outside the defensive formation, observing the Xuan Qing Sect disciples within the formation with a peculiar gaze.
"Senior Brother Long, you..."
Qu Xiaoxiao felt profoundly uncomfortable under Long Haotian's stare. She opened her mouth to inquire about the reason, but was forcefully interrupted by Wang Yi'an's panicked, slightly contorted voice.
"Everyone be careful! This is not Senior Brother Long!"
Wang Yi'an's words poured cold water on the Xuan Qing Sect disciples, who had just believed they had escaped certain doom. A chill shot up from their feet to the crown of their heads.
What did Senior Brother Wang mean? They couldn't quite understand.
If this person before them was not Senior Brother Long, then who was it?
An answer they were unwilling to believe quietly surfaced in their minds.
Just as the Xuan Qing Sect disciples were taken aback, Long Haotian tilted his head towards Wang Yi'an, his lips curling upwards into a faintly mocking arc.
"I hate dealing with smart people."
Last time, he had been seen through by that woman with a single glance. This time, although he hadn't intended to hide his identity any longer, he was still exposed at first sight.
Long Haotian's words were tantamount to admitting his identity.
After a brief period of panic, the Xuan Qing Sect disciples were furious, veins bulging on their foreheads, their molars nearly ground to dust.
This was followed by an overwhelming wave of grief and indignation.
Senior Brother Long had protected them from the very beginning, not abandoning them until the last moment.
Yet, he had been killed by this monster before them and his body stolen.
"Kill him, I'll kill him!"
Chen Tao was the first to erupt.
Among this group, he had interacted with Long Haotian the most and stayed by his side the longest.
His initial intentions in approaching Long Haotian were not pure, but he later realized his mistake and became a true sworn brother with Long Haotian and Wang Yi'an.
Upon hearing of Long Haotian's death, a string of reason in his mind snapped violently.
His eyes turned crimson, and he struggled incessantly. The spiritual energy, which had been suppressed by Lu Zi'ang with spiritual power, erupted within his body, breaking free of its restraints.
The moment Chen Tao's spiritual power returned, his body moved like a thunderbolt, flashing out of sight.
"Senior Brother Chen!"
Lu Zi'ang instinctively tried to intervene but was stopped by an arm.
He looked at Wang Yi'an in astonishment. Wang Yi'an said nothing, but a fiery light flickered in his eyes.
"May all my fellow disciples take care."
Wang Yi'an smiled slightly, cupped his hands in greeting to everyone, and also vanished from his spot, leaving behind only a scorching aura.
"Senior Brother Chen, Senior Brother Wang..."
Qu Xiaoxiao, tightly hugging Hong Shengyi, collapsed onto the ground helplessly, tears streaming down her face.
She was the one who knew the situation of the three, Long Haotian, the best.
From the moment they used their spiritual power, they had one foot in the grave.
And by voluntarily leaving the defensive formation, they had essentially stepped into it with their other foot.
Qu Xiaoxiao watched as Chen Tao and Wang Yi'an were easily sent flying by Long Haotian with just two blows, and then looked at Hong Shengyi, unconscious in her arms, tears flowing freely.
How she wished she could go back to when she first left the sect. Back then, she was immature, disobedient, and mischievous, but Senior Brother Jin and the others were patient in tolerating and teaching her.
Back then, everyone was present, and they were carefree and laughing without a worry.
But now, she was all alone.
Inside the defensive formation, only Qu Xiaoxiao's soft sobs could be heard.
However, outside the defensive formation, dull collisions echoed incessantly.
Chen Tao and Wang Yi'an were already outmatched by Long Haotian. Furthermore, this monster attached to Long Haotian's body caused his strength to soar even higher.
Chen Tao and Wang Yi'an were like two moths drawn to a flame, knowing the outcome but still fearlessly charging forward.
After a few exchanges, Long Haotian grew weary of this uninteresting game.
He decided it was time to end it.
Therefore, as Chen Tao and Wang Yi'an charged at him once more, he directly waved his spiritual power, dragging both of them to himself.
"Ah!"
Chen Tao roared desperately, his body exhibiting an unnatural flush as the fire poison within him rapidly spread.
On the other side, Wang Yi'an's situation was largely the same.
However, his expression was not as frenzied as Chen Tao's; a faint smile lingered in his eyes.
Long Haotian's gaze shifted between the two men, finally settling on Wang Yi'an. He grabbed Wang Yi'an by the chest and asked fiercely, "What are you smiling about?"
Wang Yi'an, with his throat constricted, chuckled intermittently.
"I asked you, what are you smiling about!"
Long Haotian roared in anger, tightening his grip on Wang Yi'an's neck again.
"Cough, cough..." Wang Yi'an coughed laboriously, "So what if you've occupied... cough, Senior Brother Long's body, you're going to die..."
Long Haotian froze. He suddenly thought of something and lowered his gaze to the arm he was using to restrain Wang Yi'an.
Several conspicuous blisters had appeared on his arm without his knowledge, and they seemed to be festering.
It was then that he realized something was amiss with this body.
Recalling the memories of those cultivators, this body should be... poisoned?
Long Haotian frowned, deeply feeling that he could not waste any more time on these people.
He let out a sinister grin, raised his palm, and placed it on Wang Yi'an's head. Just as he was about to extract Wang Yi'an's soul, the ground began to shake violently, and a rumbling sound echoed from the sky.
He was stunned at first, then his face broke out in an expression of ecstatic joy.
The seal had been broken?
He could get out?
"Hahahahaha..."
The laughter abruptly ceased.
A speck-sized spiritual light, approaching his chest, forced him to dodge to the left. The Wang Yi'an in his hand was carelessly tossed aside.
"Senior Sister Xu! It's Senior Sister Xu who has arrived!"
"And Senior Brother Lu!"
"Senior Brother Wang and Senior Brother Chen are saved!"
When Wang Yi'an was captured, many of the Xuan Qing Sect disciples had shed tears, and some had even closed their eyes, unable to bear witness.
But at this moment, Xu Yi and Ji Buwang had finally arrived.
Upon his appearance, Ji Buwang engaged Long Haotian in combat, while Xu Yi hurried to Wang Yi'an's side to check his condition.
Before she could even begin, she was startled.
This was because Wang Yi'an's condition looked very grim.