Qi Hong walked to the side and sat down. He really didn't want to talk to Xiao Man anymore, for fear that he would not be able to resist strangling her. After all, this person's mouth never knew when to stop.
Xiao Man also lay still, rapidly circulating the true qi within her body to heal her injuries. She had to make a move before Zang Xu could fully activate the formation. Otherwise, if Qi Hong died, she would not survive either!
Just then, Xiao Man sensed a presence and looked over, only to see Du Niangzi and the others hiding not far away, trying to approach. Xiao Man slowly shook her head, signaling them not to act rashly. Zang Xu was a master at the peak of the Golden Core stage. If they confronted him, they would have no chance of survival.
Du Niangzi restrained the restless Shan Yun and signaled her not to act impulsively. Xiao Man had told them not to come closer, so they couldn't. If they messed up Xiao Man's plan, they wouldn't be able to save anyone and would end up losing their lives here.
At this moment, Zang Xu suddenly opened his eyes. Xiao Man was startled and quickly shouted, "Go!"
"Go? Can you escape?" Zang Xu sneered. Just as he was about to fully activate the formation, several fireballs were hurled at him. The fireballs carried a terrifying aura. Even though Zang Xu was skilled and bold, he had no choice but to leave his original position and dodge the fireballs.
"Zang Xu, come out and die!" Jun Fei'er and the others charged forward with their swords, looking as if they were going to fight Zang Xu to the death.
Zang Xu sneered, "Mere fireflies dare to compete with the sun and moon? Such arrogance!"
Meanwhile, a small figure, taking advantage of the distraction by Jun Fei'er and the others, silently approached the core of the formation.
Seeing that Jun Fei'er and the others had occupied Zang Xu, Du Niangzi and the others seized the opportunity to rescue Xiao Man.
Qi Hong, who had been watching the battle, saw that Zang Xu was not paying attention to him and immediately grabbed Xiao Man and ran. He didn't know why he was running with Xiao Man. He was a disciple of the Five Poisons Sect, and taking Xiao Man with him meant betraying the sect and abandoning the wealth and glory that were within his grasp.
"Xiao Qin, you are truly my nemesis!" Qi Hong shouted. "Because of you, the glory and wealth I was about to attain are gone!"
Xiao Man was also startled by Qi Hong's actions and seemed to have not expected him to do such a thing.
"If you put me down now and run, you might still have time."
"Time for what!" Qi Hong's voice was tinged with tears. "I must have been kicked in the head by a donkey to do something so foolish. You owe me compensation."
Xiao Man couldn't help but laugh. "Why should I compensate you?"
"Look at you, you captured me and threatened me earlier. Now I'm saving your life at the risk of my own, abandoning wealth and glory. Don't you owe me something?" Qi Hong was exasperated. He really couldn't bring himself to like this person.
"If you don't run, do you think you'll survive?" Xiao Man moved her limbs. Her body had already regained sensation. She immediately jumped off Qi Hong. "Shan Yun, Shi Lan, take him and get as far away from the formation core as possible." Su Dan Novels Network
"Boss, what about you?"
"I have to go back." Xiao Man looked at the ice plain. "Hurry up."
"After I finally saved you, you're going back to die?" Qi Hong grabbed Xiao Man. "Are you crazy?"
"Hurry up and go. I have to go back and help. Otherwise, none of us will be able to leave here alive." Xiao Man pushed the few people and quickly ran back. In the chaos, she seemed to see Xiao Qi's figure. She had originally asked Jun Fei'er to take Xiao Qi away, but since Jun Fei'er had returned, Xiao Qi must have returned too.
Jun Fei'er and Fang He, along with others, were far inferior to Zang Xu in cultivation and could only delay him for a short while. After a moment, they all fell. Zang Xu glanced in Qi Hong's direction, flashed his body, and instantly appeared in front of them. Du Niangzi was startled and instinctively threw out a handful of poisonous powder.
Zang Xu waved his sleeve, and the poisonous powder returned the way it came, spraying onto Du Niangzi and Shan Yun's faces. Both of them were immediately poisoned and fell to the ground, unable to move.
Zang Xu grabbed Qi Hong's shoulder and applied a little force. Qi Hong immediately cried out in pain. "Let me go, let me go."
"Let you go?" Zang Xu sneered. Like he was holding a chick, he dragged Qi Hong back.
As soon as they returned, Zang Xu discovered that Xiao Man and the others were trying to reverse the formation. His expression changed, and he attacked the two people at the center of the formation core. "Use the talismans Ze Fang gave you."
Xiao Man was slightly stunned and immediately produced the talisman Ze Fang had given her. The talisman instantly transformed into a shield. Zang Xu's full-power attack was actually repelled by the power emanating from the shield, and he fell to the ground in a sorry state.
Xiao Man looked at the inconspicuous shield. So Ze Fang had given her a talisman shield. She then looked at the repelled Zang Xu. This was likely a true treasure-level artifact, capable of withstanding a full-power attack from a peak Golden Core cultivator. Her gaze inadvertently swept towards Ze Fang, a hint of confusion in her eyes. However, the most pressing matter was how to deal with Zang Xu and survive. Other matters could be discussed later.
Zang Xu got up from the ground, a smear of blood at the corner of his mouth. He looked at the talisman shield in Xiao Man's hand with disbelief. "This is a talisman shield from the Heavenly Mystery Sect. What is your relationship with the Heavenly Mystery Sect?"
Xiao Man raised the talisman shield in her hand. "You intend to release the demon king suppressed in the Land of the Unknowable. Do you think the Four Great Sects would stand by and do nothing?"
"You are from the Heavenly Mystery Sect?" Zang Xu spat out a mouthful of blood. His white hair and eyebrows made him look as pale as a piece of paper. "Damn it! If it weren't for the Heavenly Mystery Sect back then, the Sovereign would not have been suppressed in the Land of the Unknowable."
Xiao Man's furrowed brow did not relax. Although this talisman shield was powerful, if Zang Xu went berserk, she might not be able to withstand him.
"Xiao Qi, is it done yet?"
"Just a little more. Try to stall him for some time," Ze Fang said calmly. This formation was too vast, and with his cultivation lost, reversing it and sending everyone in the secret realm out was not an easy task.
"Alright, I'll stall him." Xiao Man gritted her teeth and charged forward, using the talisman shield as a weapon.
Zang Xu laughed angrily. He had seen foolish people before, but this was the first time he had seen someone so foolish. With just a talisman shield, she dared to contend with him. Truly overestimating herself.
Zang Xu channeled his qi and struck the talisman shield in Xiao Man's hand with another fierce palm strike. Xiao Man was forced back more than ten steps by the force of the blow before she could barely stop herself.
"I don't believe you can break it!" Xiao Man charged forward again, looking as if she had no fear of death.
Zang Xu sneered repeatedly. His true qi circulated rapidly within his body, intending to shatter Xiao Man's shield with the next blow. However, as he struck out, Zang Xu felt a needle-like pain in his dantian. The condensed true qi instantly dissipated.
"What's going on?"
Xiao Man breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the poison she administered was taking effect. She had been confronting Zang Xu head-on, wanting him to circulate his true qi and accelerate the spread of the poison within his body. At this moment, Zang Xu's Golden Core was likely completely eroded.