Just as Fang Hao and the short-statured cultivator were still catching their breath—

Suddenly.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!

Five dazzling streaks of light shot in from all directions, each one filled with terrifying killing intent.

Crack…

The short cultivator reacted just a split second too late. His already badly damaged protective robe shattered instantly, and he was killed on the spot.

Fang Hao's figure flickered and vanished. When he reappeared, he was already next to the Blue Moon Grass. He snatched it and immediately turned to flee.

"Damn it! Where do you think you're going!?"

The gray-robed cultivator, who had been chasing him the whole way, shouted furiously as he and his companions gave chase.

In truth, they had only just arrived a short while ago. When they saw Fang Hao and the short cultivator fighting, they chose to hide and observe.

Thinking the timing was perfect, they had launched a surprise attack, hoping to take out both combatants.

But they hadn't expected Fang Hao to have hidden such a ghostly, powerful movement technique. Not only had he dodged their ambush, he even stole the Blue Moon Grass. Their rage knew no bounds as they grit their teeth and chased after him.

The gray-robed cultivator was at Dharma tier seven, while the other four were tier six.

Fresh from battle, Fang Hao knew he didn't have the upper hand. This place wasn't safe to linger, so he had used his top-tier movement skill to grab the herb and escape.

Orders from the Wang City Lord aside, just for the sake of that Blue Moon Grass, the five would never let him go.

Fang Hao fled ahead; they gave chase relentlessly.

"You can't escape! Even if you run to the ends of the earth, we'll catch and kill you!" came the shout from behind.

Fang Hao replied lightly, almost lazily.

"What if we run into some elite geniuses from the major cities? Will you still chase me then?"

The gray-robed cultivator abruptly halted, unable to answer.

Though stronger than Wu Yuqi's group, they still ranked low among the Three Hundred Cities of the Immortal Dynasty. If they encountered someone even slightly more prominent, they'd be the ones running for their lives.

At that point, chasing Fang Hao wouldn't even be a consideration.

Fang Hao didn't run in a straight line. Instead, he led them in circles, throwing out talismans and formation flags to disturb and confuse them.

It worked—they couldn't catch up for quite some time.

Soon, one of them noticed.

"Brother Lei, this kid is leading us in circles!"

"That's fine. At least the chance of running into other geniuses is lower," said the gray-robed cultivator.

"But we can't keep doing this. We need to end it soon."

Then a gaunt cultivator stepped forward. "Brother Lei! I'll use a secret technique. After that, it's all on you!"

He was ready to sacrifice himself. Secret techniques came with serious side effects—he'd be basically useless for a while. And in a dangerous realm like this, being powerless was close to a death sentence.

The gray-robed leader gave him a solemn nod. "Good brother! Don't worry. We'll protect you until you recover."

"Alright!"

The gaunt cultivator activated the technique. His cultivation surged from Dharma six to Dharma eight.

Now, he was five whole tiers above Fang Hao.

With that power-up, his speed skyrocketed.

Boom!!

He shot forward, leaving afterimages in the sky, and threw a powerful punch.

Fang Hao quickly sensed the strike and used another talisman to block it.

"Let's see how many talismans you've got left!"

The gaunt cultivator scowled and kept closing in.

They were getting closer, and the difference in strength was massive.

Unless Fang Hao used his secret technique to unleash the full power of his Sacred Body, he had no chance of winning in a direct confrontation.

But using that would leave him weak and vulnerable—far too dangerous in this place.

Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't use it.

Fortunately, he had prepared.

As he flew at full speed, he suddenly stopped.

The five chasers were stunned.

What was going on? Had he exhausted his strength? Was he surrendering?

Without hesitation, they surrounded him with smug grins.

"Run! Why aren't you running?"

Fang Hao's face was calm. "Why should I run? You're the ones who should run now."

"Huh? Hahaha…"

The five burst into laughter as if hearing a great joke.

"Five against one, and we completely outclass you in cultivation. We've got you surrounded. How can you say something that ridiculous? Are you crazy?"

Fang Hao didn't reply. He only smiled and took out a formation disk. A spell activated as he poured power into it.

Wum!!

Shhhhhh!!

The disk trembled, and beams of light shot upward from the ground. The beams connected into a massive cage around them.

"This... this is the Four Spirit Mountains and Rivers Formation!!"

"When did he set this up!?"

The five recognized it instantly. It was a famous formation across the Immortal Realm. Anyone with a decent cultivation had heard of it.

If they were just caught in it, they might break it with time.

But if someone was controlling the formation? Then even a formation master would struggle to escape, especially if they were under threat.

"I remember now! Earlier he was running us in circles and throwing all those talismans. He was secretly setting up the formation!"

"Damn it! What a sneaky bastard!!"

The gray-robed cultivator growled. "Enough talking! Break the formation—now!"

The formation had taken hold. Escape was impossible. Their only hope was to destroy it.

Just like that, the hunters became the trapped prey. The tables had turned completely.

Once the Four Spirit Mountains and Rivers Formation was complete, thick fog filled the area. Even divine senses were hindered.

Swish! Swish!

Sharp wind blades silently slithered in from all directions like hidden vipers.

Above them, dark clouds gathered, preparing a storm of lightning.

In moments, the five were separated.

While controlling the formation, Fang Hao also released a few puppets into the array, waiting for chances to ambush them.

The five were absolutely furious. Despite having far higher cultivation than Fang Hao, they hadn't even had the chance to fight him. He ran, trapped them, and now attacked from the shadows.

It was maddening.

"You coward! Come out and fight me like a man!!"

The gaunt cultivator, empowered by his secret technique, roared as he waved his long sword.

But his time was almost up. When the effect faded, he'd be the first to die.

He was desperate, panicking, and on the verge of collapse.

"I'm right here…"

Fang Hao's voice suddenly came from behind him.

Hot-headed, the gaunt cultivator spun and thrust his sword without thinking.

Pshhht!

His sword hit home. A coughing sound followed, and the faint scent of blood filled the air.

He smiled grimly—he'd struck something.

But when the fog cleared, he realized he had stabbed… a companion.

It had been an illusion.

The formation included basic illusion traps, but in his panic, he hadn't even considered that.

Now he had wounded an ally.

"AHHH!!"

The gaunt cultivator screamed at the sky, his eyes bloodshot, teetering on the edge of a mental breakdown.

"I'll take you with me!!!"

As the final seconds of his secret technique ticked away, he chose to reverse his true essence and self-destruct.

BOOOM!!!

The explosion from a Dharma eighth-tier cultivator was devastating.

Several formation flags were blown apart, shaking the formation's stability.

Even worse, two of his nearby companions were caught in the blast and killed instantly.

They hadn't expected that their deaths wouldn't come at Fang Hao's hands—or any other genius—but from their own comrade's self-destruction.