Han Te emerged from the side, still in the guise of an elder with purple hair, his face adorned with a kindly smile as he said, "Let's keep it civil, everyone. No need to let things get out of hand."

In the blink of an eye, Xu Hei's side had gained two more allies.

The three members of the Ancient Tomb Sect were publicly provoked, and how could they possibly endure such an affront?

Ji Qing suppressed the anger in his heart and transmitted his voice, asking, "What should we do? Should we still make a move?"

"Hmph! I may have lost an arm, but my primordial spirit remains intact. Holding off that Night Owl is no problem! You two quickly deal with Xu Hei, then come to assist me. We can still fight. As for that rogue cultivator in the early Divine Transformation stage, I can handle him with just one of my refined corpses," Gu Xiao gritted his teeth.

Wei Wudao stared silently at Night Owl and his companions in the distance.

What infuriated him wasn't Night Owl's timely arrival, but the suspicion that this person had been hiding nearby all along, waiting for the right moment to strike, and he hadn't noticed at all.

No wonder Xu Hei seemed so fearless; this was the reason.

Seeing that neither group was willing to back down, Li Changge stepped forward and coldly shouted, "Gentlemen, let's focus on the task at hand. If we continue to bicker over personal grudges, we'll all end up trapped here! When that time comes, don't blame my sword for showing no mercy!"

Night Owl clasped his fists and said, "Since Fellow Daoist Li has spoken, let's put this matter aside for now."

He retracted the shadow from the ground.

Wei Wudao also cupped his hands and led his two companions back, retreating several thousand feet away.

Li Changge looked at Hua Qingyun and transmitted his voice, "Fellow Daoist Hua, I noticed you hesitated earlier. Is there more to this matter?"

Hua Qingyun hesitated for a moment but ultimately said nothing. She walked to the vicinity of the exit and began setting up a killing formation.

The others also started preparing to deal with the plants at the exit.

Xu Hei looked at the two people beside him and asked in surprise, "Why were you so slow to arrive?"

"We were delayed by treasure hunting. Oh, right, let me show you something."

Night Owl casually set up a barrier formation to shield them from the outside world, then took out an item.

It was a pitch-black, shiny fruit, only the size of a palm, covered in dragon patterns—the legendary Dragon Scale Fruit.

Xu Hei took a sniff and immediately felt his blood surging within him, an overwhelming urge to devour it, which left him astonished.

This instinctual desire to consume was something Xu Hei had never experienced before. His intuition told him that eating this fruit would greatly benefit him.

"Hehe, Dragon Scale Fruit, ten Supreme Spirit Stones for you," Night Owl chuckled.

"We're on the same side, and you're selling it so expensively?" Xu Hei glared.

"This treasure was obtained at the risk of our lives, and Fellow Daoist Han almost perished!" Night Owl pointed at Han Te.

Xu Hei glanced at Han Te in surprise, and the latter quickly put on a pitiful expression, indicating that he had nearly died.

In the end, after some bargaining, the Dragon Scale Fruit was sold to Xu Hei for eight Supreme Spirit Stones.

Unexpectedly, just after selling one, Night Owl took out a second Dragon Scale Fruit.

Xu Hei was speechless but had no choice but to grit his teeth and buy it. This way, the sixteen Supreme Spirit Stones he had obtained from killing Nie Feng of the Ancient Tomb Sect were completely spent.

Han Te got his wish and received half of the profits.

Night Owl then took out a ghostly flower that exuded a chilling aura and said to Xu Hei, "This Ghost Face Flower was also obtained at the risk of our lives. Special price, only three Supreme Spirit Stones."

"..." Xu Hei was stunned for a long time, almost spitting out blood, and decisively refused.

"I'm poor, goodbye."

Seeing that Xu Hei wasn't buying, Han Te immediately panicked.

Night Owl, however, remained unfazed. His eyes gleamed as he smiled and said, "Xu Hei, I suddenly remembered something. Don't you owe me..."

Xu Hei was taken aback.

"I'll buy it! I'll buy it, okay?" Xu Hei could only take out the Spirit Stones and purchase the Ghost Face Flower.

...

The group spent an entire day preparing before finally setting up the formation at the entrance.

With so much preparation, even if ancient beasts emerged, they could be trapped and killed by the formation and the combined efforts of the group.

They also made additional arrangements against the Demon Blood Vine, burying a Solar Essence Fire Thunder Pearl underground. Once detonated, even the Demon Blood Vine could be destroyed.

"Take action!" Li Changge commanded.

Everyone acted in unison, taking out projectiles and throwing them into the thicket at the exit, or using talismans for long-range attacks. In an instant, the chaotic thicket was ablaze with fire and thunder, shaking the earth, and countless evil creatures were startled awake.

A willow branch shot out from within, and a young man in plain clothes from the Tianhen Sword Sect activated his sword formation, slicing the branch into pieces.

A large group of wandering souls and fierce ghosts roared out, and Wei Wudao summoned the Eight Ghost Formation Flags, instantly absorbing them.

The Demon Blood Vine was also suppressed by the group's combined efforts with a crystalline mountain, and then they detonated the underground Solar Essence Fire Thunder Pearl, severely damaging it.

"This Solar Essence Fire Thunder Pearl is said to be crafted with Solar Essence Fire, extremely rare, with only three appearing at the trade fair," Xu Hei thought to himself.

To avoid internal conflict with the Ancient Tomb Sect, they positioned themselves on the far left, while the Ancient Tomb Sect was on the far right, with others in between.

Even if Xu Hei harbored thoughts of sabotage, he had no means to act.

An hour later, the outer plants had been cleared, and the Demon Blood Vine was mostly destroyed, retreating underground, its whereabouts unknown.

Subsequently, other ancient beasts appeared, such as a tree demon and a Yaksha King, both comparable to the late Divine Transformation stage, causing the group considerable trouble.

However, Wei Wudao proved to be quite capable, managing to suppress the Yaksha King single-handedly. Once the group dealt with the tree demon, the Yaksha King was no longer a threat and was defeated by their combined efforts.

During this time, Xu Hei refrained from using the Heavenly Demon Technique to avoid drawing attention.

Before long, the exit was within reach.

Like the passage they had come through, it was a narrow teleportation portal.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They had expended considerable effort along the way, and once they passed through this portal, they wouldn't have to deal with any more ghostly creatures.

But at that moment, a strong sense of danger suddenly arose in everyone's hearts.

"Ke ke ke, I've been waiting for you!"

A sharp, piercing voice echoed in their ears.

Li Changge, sensing a formidable enemy, immediately deployed thirty-six white light swords, forming a light gate behind him—his ultimate move, the Heaven's Gate Sword Formation!

The others simultaneously summoned their protective magical treasures, scanning their surroundings with alarmed expressions.

"Heaven's Gate Sword Formation? Heh, so you're a descendant of Tianyuanzi!"

A cold laugh came from the shadows.

Under the horrified gazes of the group, a withered, thick tree branch swept out from the darkness, striking the Heaven's Gate Sword Formation.

Li Changge's white light swords were shattered, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. The thirty-six flying swords merged into one, and he himself fused with it, becoming one with the sword. In a flash, he fled towards the portal.

The others also held nothing back, burning their primordial spirits as they rushed towards the exit.