Chapter 212: Fishing (2)

As the two third-tier demonic beasts withdrew wounded, the battle that had lasted over three hours came to an end!

All the demonic beasts retreated like a receding tide. Seeing this, some cultivators could hardly keep from collapsing to the ground.

The fighting lasted less than four hours, yet everyone felt as if they had been reborn!

The million demonic beasts kept bombarding without cease; even the third-tier grand formation sometimes had lapses in defense, at which point cultivators had to resist with all their might. Later, Tie Lanshan had no choice but to shrink the formation's protected radius by a hundred miles; even so, the situation was far from optimistic.

Fortunately, this all came to a temporary halt, and everyone seized the moment to regulate their breath, for no one knew when the next beast tide would erupt.

Just then, a shocking piece of news accidentally leaked out: Yun Luo's current pillar, a generation's heavenly pride, Wang Zhenren, had suffered grave injuries.

This news could be said to have added frost to the already tense atmosphere.

Changsheng Peak summit!

Inside Wang Ping's cave dwelling, Tie Lanshan, Master Liaoru, and a few others paced back and forth at the entrance.

Every face bore a hint of worry; Wang Ping's presence was to Yun Luo what a divine stabilizing needle is to the sea—once he is injured, the blow to morale cannot be underestimated.

Tie Lanshan sealed the news immediately, yet it still leaked out.

"Damn it! Who the hell leaked the news? Don't they know stabilizing morale is most important right now?"

Wang Ye swore while speaking.

Even though Master Liaoru usually has a good temper, he now wore a furious expression, and Zhang Zuo and Ouyang Hua also wore grim looks.

Obviously everyone was furious about the news leak, but Tie Lanshan, besides being angry, couldn't help recalling his conversation with Wang Ping on the summit of Tiangang Peak.

For no reason, his heart jumped—this news had leaked too fast and spread too wide. If he hadn't considered this, he wouldn't have thought anything wrong, but once he began to suspect, he immediately sensed something was off.

Someone was deliberately spreading the news, their purpose obvious. Tie Lanshan's gaze flicked toward the cave dwelling's door; recalling Wang Ping's blood‑stained appearance just moments before, he realized he could easily avoid the crowd and slip back into the cave to heal in secret.

Yet it seemed intentional—he showed himself outside for a brief instant.

The more Tie Lanshan thought, the more alarmed he became, even entertaining an absurd notion: could Fellow Daoist Wang Ping's injuries be feigned?

He quickly dismissed the thought; regarding Fellow Daoist Wang Ping, he knew his talent was extraordinary, and having broken through to Golden Core, his combat power could be even greater.

Yet slaying a single early third-tier demonic beast was already shocking; to withstand the siege of two mid third-tier beasts, not only inflict heavy damage but emerge unscathed, Tie Lanshan felt it was utterly impossible.

Snick! Snick! Snick!

Outside, a considerable number of Foundation Establishment cultivators had gathered, but they all stopped in front of the cave dwelling.

Tie Lanshan knew why everyone had come here, but it was hard to say whether any troublemakers were among them.

At the same time, Wang Ping took out his previous incarnation, placed it on the stone bed, and himself entered the Silver Magic Cube directly.

He had a premonition that cultivators would surely come to test him tonight. The cube's light flashed, piercing the mountain wall and appearing on Changsheng Peak summit; the Silver Magic Cube's invisibility could fool even a True‑Spirit‑level Unicorn Heavenly Thunder Beast, let alone lower‑realm cultivators.

Standing inside the cube, Wang Ping gazed down at the gathered Foundation Establishment cultivators, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly upward.

At that moment, Tie Lanshan was conversing with many cultivators; after about a quarter of an hour, they all seemed persuaded and dispersed from Changsheng Peak.

Time passed, and before long it was deep night; throughout Yun Luo, cultivators still patrolled from time to time, and at the edge of the third‑tier grand formation, a few shadowy figures furtively gathered together.

"Have you all lit the incense?" one of them sent a mental query.

"Sir! Rest assured! The beast‑attracting incense has been lit at all twelve spots; in half an hour it will draw the demonic beasts over, and then they'll be completely occupied!"

"Good! Everyone return to the mortal world! In an hour, put on your night‑hiding robes and gather below Changsheng Peak! Hmph! This time, the eight of us Golden Core cultivators will surely slay Wang Ping."

"Sir! Why not destroy the formation and lure the demonic beasts inside?"

"Idiot! If the formation is broken, do you think Wang Ping would die defending this spot? Remember what I just said—in an hour, gather below Changsheng Peak!"

"Good!"

"Received!"

………

Tonight's night seemed darker than usual; even with illumination flares, nothing beyond twenty meters could be seen.

All cultivators were taking turns on watch or meditating to regulate their breath, while the ordinary folk had already fallen into deep slumber.

Just then, the earth suddenly trembled, followed by low‑rumbling, sharp, or fierce beast roars rising and falling one after another.

All cultivators were jolted awake; one illumination flare after another shot into the sky, and soon large stretches of the Yun Luo mountain range's edge were brightly lit.

On the summit of Tiangang Peak, Tie Lanshan was regulating his breath when he was quickly startled by the beast roars; shortly after, cultivators came to report that a massive horde of demonic beasts was madly assaulting the grand formation, mainly on the east and west sides.

Soon, over a hundred Foundation Establishment peak cultivators gathered here; with no time for idle talk, Tie Lanshan swiftly issued orders, and roughly half of the cultivators were assembled on the east and west fronts to resist the demonic beast invasion.

After finishing his deployment, Tie Lanshan felt he might have overlooked something; turning his gaze toward Changsheng Peak, a sudden flash of insight crossed his mind.

Instantly, a dreadful suspicion arose in him; he immediately returned to the main hall, took a seat, and kept forming hand seals—he was about to unleash the Formation Fusion Technique!

After just three breaths, pain suddenly showed on Tie Lanshan's face; having merged with the formation, he became the formation and the formation became him, feeling the external demonic beasts' attacks as his own, but he had no leisure to feel the pain, extending his divine sense along the formation toward Changsheng Peak.

Meanwhile, below Changsheng, eight nearly invisible silhouettes gradually converged together.

They exchanged no words and swiftly flew up the mountain.

Wang Ping, seated cross‑legged on the peak, suddenly opened his eyes; a harsh glint flashed in his gaze, and he softly said:

"Finally, you've come!"

Under the cube's projection, the traces of the eight figures were laid bare.

"Heh heh! Eight Golden Core cultivators? Three late‑stage, five mid‑stage—you really think highly of me!"

Wang Ping's lips curled into a cold smile as he silently guided the Silver Magic Cube to the eight's unavoidable path, then expanded it to the utmost while covertly opening its entrance.

In the pitch‑black night, the eight concealed silhouettes rushed swiftly toward the summit.

Wang Ping remained seated cross‑legged above them, expressionless, watching the eight enter the cube one after another.

At the same time, Tie Lanshan's divine sense swept over, yet he detected neither the hidden person nor the concealed cube.

Wang Ping lifted his head, a faint warmth rising in his heart; thereafter, he turned his gaze toward the eight who had entered the Silver Magic Cube!