“


    “


    The next moment, all six members of her party rushed out of the ancient temple, returning to the wide clearing outside that was overgrown with tall grass.


    The ancient temple started collapsing behind them, and was reduced to rubble within a matter of seconds.


    Even during the collapse, dangerous-looking beams of energy could be seen escaping through the gaps in the rubble, shooting into the skies and piercing the clouds. Thankfully, that did not last long.


    As for Quan Hui’s party, all of them looked exhausted and even slightly unkempt. But as they exchanged glances, smiles subconsciously started appearing on each of their faces.


    “


    “


    “


    “


    “


    The party had indeed faced numerous traps and dangers inside the temple, but the treasures they found made it well worth the trip.


    And now that they were back out and basking under the warm sunlight, the party members could not help but feel a lot more relaxed.


    This successful venture felt especially rewarding after having spent a full day recovering from the injuries that they had suffered back at the Trident Lake.


    Fortunately, it did not pursue them as they tried to escape, only sending out a few more attacks after them. That said, those attacks were no joke as well, almost enough to take them out altogether.


    In fact, it could already be considered quite the miracle that they had managed to escape Trident Lake without losing anyone.


    Compared to facing that monster, challenging the ancient temple felt like a walk in the park!


    Quan Hui shook her head to clear those depressing thoughts. “We don’t have much time left. Let’s quickly recover before looking for more treasures!”


    “


    “


    Countless water droplets formed along the edges of the array before shooting inwards, turning into water arrows that headed straight for Quan Hui’s party that stood within.


    A small flame spread underneath his raised foot, making it seem as though the sole of his shoe was on fire. And with this burning sole, he stomped his foot down with great force.


    “


    That said, it was unthinkable for participants from the Flying Swords Hall to target them in such a manner. Not only were they a much weaker faction, but they also had no enmity with each other.


    It would still be possible if they had encountered each other and ended up in a conflict, but setting up a killing array in advance was simply ridiculous.


    “


    “


    With their shoulders leaning against each other’s, the two of them raised both palms to face the oncoming Yin Yang Sword Diagram.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The fire dragons let out a majestic roar as they slammed into the Yin Yang Sword Diagram, resulting in a huge explosion that sent out shockwaves in all directions.


    And with the disappearance of the Yin Yang Sword Diagram, the Yin Yang Sword Sisters who had been following right behind were quickly exposed.


    Still, the twin sisters did not slow their advance.


    Against the party of a core disciple of the Vermilion Bird Sect, it would be naive of them not to have expected at least this much.


    Watch the sides!” Quan Hui shouted upon noticing their confidence. “There has to be more than just the two of them!”


    Be careful not to get caught by them!” San Wanfan shouted, finally revealing his presence.


    “


    It was frustrating for her to admit this, but while they seemed to be holding up well, that was a temporary thing.


    If this battle dragged on, they would most likely be the first to expend all their essence energy. At that point, they would be no different from lambs to the slaughter!


    Of course, as core disciples of a sword-focused faction, they were no slouches when it came to close combat either.


    The four of them quickly started an intense exchange of close combat techniques, though it was clear that the Yin Yang Sword Sisters were at a slight disadvantage.


    “


    “


    “


    On the other hand, Quan Hui was not only alone, but her cultivation level was also the same as his – at the Peak Essence Physique realm.


    Be it in terms of numbers or cultivation level, they should have a clear advantage over Quan Hui. Yet they could not help but hesitate.


    After all, her terrifying combat prowess from their earlier encounter was still fresh in their memories.


    Coupled with her confidence in coming to face them alone, they had a foreboding feeling that even if they fought her together, they would end up being defeated instead!


    At the same time, the rest of Quan Hui’s party moved to engage San Wanfan and the remaining members of his party in direct battle.


    We let you off easy the last time, yet you still came crawling back,” Quan Hui said as her hands burst into flames. “This time, don’t expect us to show any mercy!”


    “Detecting heavy energy fluctuations and abrupt movement patterns. San Wanfan’s group is likely to have entered battle!” Zhao Yunxiao reported. “This appears to be a difficult one for them.”


    Most likely, they had commenced San Wanfan’s plan to engage Quan Hui’s party.


    That said, for them to find Quan Hui’s party as they had wanted, it was likely that their battle location was not far from that of their first encounter.


    Following Qin Biyu, another member of the Wei Group had already been eliminated with similarly serious injuries.


    Some might say that they were foolish for not activating their jade tablets earlier, and from the perspective of someone whose assessment would be greatly impacted should anyone die in the mystic realm, Zhao Yunxiao definitely agreed with those sentiments.


    But at the same time, Zhao Yunxiao could also understand their feelings to a certain extent, and thus felt a sense of admiration towards them for being willing to push their limits like this.


    After all, it was inevitable that they would be caught eventually. If it were so easy to toy with the Serpent Mammoth, it would never have been considered such a great threat in the first place.


    Zhao Yunxiao had suggested that they activate the jade tablets right before being caught, but he definitely did not expect them to push their limits to such an extent – only activating it after actually getting hit.


    The bad news was that out of the original five, only Nuo Qianling and Zhuang Chan remained.


    If she could not last long enough for Zhuang Chan to get through the black ice, then everything that they had done up till now would be for naught.


    And even if she could last long enough for Zhuang Chan to get through the black ice, Zhao Yunxiao could only hope that whatever was inside that black ice was worth all this trouble!


    As for their claim that it held an old companion’s remains, he did not believe it for a second.


    It was already the final day before the closure of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm. Surely there was no way that both groups would suddenly end up getting wiped out after having come this far?