After Kui Ling and Mei Hu left, Ye Ling did not act immediately but continued to hide in the shattered great cave.
According to Mr. Bai, all seven pillars were now out in full force. Besides Mr. Bai, Kui Ling, and Mei Hu, four other Seven Pillars had not yet appeared.
Ye Ling was not yet familiar with the other Seven Pillars. He needed to confirm the strength of all of them before he could formulate his next plan.
Ye Ling did not wait long in the shattered great cave before the remaining four Seven Pillars arrived outside.
Among these four Seven Pillars, there were two men and two women. One of them, a long-haired man wearing a mask, had an aura that fluctuated, and his spiritual energy was not running smoothly. Ye Ling guessed this was Tian Yun, the one Kui Ling mentioned was injured.
The remaining one man and two women, although their auras were not weak, were significantly inferior to Kui Ling and Mr. Bai, comparable to the full cultivation of the Primordial Yan King.
"It seems the standard for becoming a Seven Pillar is to have the strength of a Primordial King. Tian Yun is heavily injured, and the other three new Seven Pillars appear quite green. As long as I'm a little careful, they won't pose much of a threat..."
After confirming the strength of the remaining four Seven Pillars, Ye Ling's plan gradually took shape.
"Brother Tian Yun, it seems they have all gone to find the Primordial Wisdom King. Should we chase after them?" The three new Seven Pillars seemed to hold great respect for the injured Tian Yun, and they all spoke to Tian Yun.
"I didn't expect Tian Yun to be the core of these three new Seven Pillars. Could it be that I underestimated his abilities?" Ye Ling saw that the three new Seven Pillars were not as arrogant as Kui Ling and instead showed great respect for Tian Yun, and he secretly took note of this.
Tian Yun shook his head and said, "With Mr. Bai and Kui Ling making a move, it's enough to deal with the Primordial Wisdom King. Our main task is to guard the periphery of the virtual world and prevent the Primordial Wisdom King from escaping."
"Yes."
The other three new Seven Pillars did not refuse Tian Yun's orders. They scattered and guarded three corners of the virtual world, while Tian Yun stood alone at the entrance of the shattered great cave, showing no intention of leaving.
"This guy isn't planning on leaving?"
Seeing Tian Yun guarding the entrance of the great cave, Ye Ling found it quite troublesome.
This shattered great cave was clearly the entrance to the space where the Primordial Wisdom King was located. With Tian Yun guarding here now, and three other Seven Pillars nearby, Ye Ling did not believe he could deal with four Seven Pillars simultaneously at the moment.
Even if Tian Yun was heavily injured and the other three Seven Pillars were not strong, they all possessed the strength of a Seven King. Coupled with Mr. Bai, Kui Ling, Mei Hu, and Tian Ji, who harbored deep hatred for Ye Ling...
If Ye Ling were to make a move now, it would be no different from seeking his own death.
"I need to find a way to bypass Tian Yun and get to the Primordial Wisdom King."
The Primordial Wisdom King's location was the main battlefield now. With Ye Ling blocked outside, all subsequent plans could not be implemented.
Ye Ling's thoughts raced, and he finally set his sights on Barton, who was still locked in a fierce battle with Bei Ma in the virtual world.
Barton, who had finally gained the upper hand in his fight with Bei Ma, suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He looked sharply towards the shattered great cave in the sky, a vague sense of unease stirring within him.
"Why do I feel like someone is plotting against me?"
"I will tear you apart!!!"
As Barton was distracted, the frenzied Bei Ma charged at him again, catching Barton completely off guard.
Barton dared not be distracted any further. He refocused his attention on Bei Ma and concentrated on defending himself.
Although he had the assistance of the artificial intelligence created by Mu Bai, he could not afford to be careless when facing Bei Ma, who had been enhanced by Tian Ji. A slight mistake could lead to his utter annihilation.
Ye Ling, hidden among the data worms, observed Barton for a moment and murmured, "It seems Barton has adapted to fighting Bei Ma, but young people still need more trials. They cannot always remain comfortably in their comfort zones."
"Barton should understand my well-intentioned efforts."
With that, Ye Ling quietly activated the runes he had left within Barton, using them to emit a faint trace of his aura.
"Huh?"
Tian Yun, who was guarding the entrance of the shattered great cave, seemed to sense Ye Ling's aura and immediately locked his gaze onto Barton, who was locked in a fierce battle with Bei Ma in the virtual world.
"Those two... one possesses the aura of Tian Ji, and the other possesses Ye Ling's aura... Could it be that Ye Ling is also here?"
Tian Yun noticed Barton, his eyes narrowing slightly. He immediately instructed one of the Seven Pillars to guard the cave entrance and flew towards Barton!
A black light descended from the sky. Barton, who was struggling to withstand Bei Ma's assault, was suddenly grabbed by the head by Tian Yun and slammed heavily onto the ground!
*Bang!!!*
The ground shattered abruptly. Bei Ma was sent flying by Tian Yun's imposing aura, while Barton, who had transformed into a true dragon, was like a small snake, pinned to the ground by Tian Yun, unable to move.
Although Barton's cultivation was not weak, Tian Yun was, after all, a Seven Pillar who had participated in the Seven Kings War. Barton had no power to resist in front of Tian Yun.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... Barton, you're quite the showman!"
Ye Ling watched as Barton was firmly pinned by Tian Yun, tutting and sighing. Then he said, "Don't worry, your soul is protected by my life and death qi. Tian Yun cannot kill you. This is a great opportunity for you to break through your cocoon. Don't waste my painstaking efforts."
As he spoke, Ye Ling shifted his attention to the female Seven Pillar guarding the entrance of the great cave.
Unlike Tian Yun, Ye Ling saw through this female Seven Pillar's cultivation at a glance. He immediately activated his "World" power and wrote a short passage in special characters, causing the female Seven Pillar to momentarily lose focus.
And in that instant of distraction, Ye Ling tore open space and fled the scene, following Kui Ling's aura.
The torn space quickly healed. The female Seven Pillar, who had recovered her senses, saw no change in the shattered great cave and turned her gaze to Tian Yun.
On the other side, Ye Ling, who had traversed the spatial rift, transformed back into human form. His face was incredibly pale, indicating a tremendous expenditure of energy.
"Damn... causing a Seven Pillar to be distracted for just a moment consumed nearly thirty percent of my strength. It seems this move must be used with extreme caution in actual combat. Otherwise, forget about killing enemies; I might even end up sacrificing myself."
Ye Ling gasped for breath, then scanned the surrounding space. Confirming that it was filled with endless garbled code and that neither the Primordial Wisdom King nor any Seven Pillars were present, he quickly replenished his depleted strength and concealed his aura.
*Dong!!!*
At this moment, a huge impact sound came from afar, and Ye Ling also sensed an extremely terrifying and violent aura.
"It seems the Seven Pillars and the Primordial Wisdom King have started fighting. I need to hurry over and not miss this good show!"
Hearing the sounds of battle, Ye Ling immediately transformed into garbled code and sped towards the location of the battlefield!