Ding Fan and several Spirit Severing Elders joined forces against a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator. Although Ding Fan and the others didn't use True Qi, the bandit, despite his cultivation at the Emergence Stage, found it impossible to attack them because Ding Fan's swordsmanship was incredibly unconventional.

Instead, while he focused on attacking his opponents, he ended up getting hit by some attacks from the others, leaving him somewhat disheveled and shocked. He never expected a group of ordinary people could push him into such a dire situation.

At this point, the bandits numbered just over thirty, with one Emergence Stage cultivator fighting against Ding Fan and his party, and the rest were cultivators below the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. The highest cultivation among them was only at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

The disciples within the Defensive Array of the Dayang Sect, upon seeing the Sect Master and others, immediately retracted the formation and joined the Sect Master in battling the bandits. At this time, the cultivators of Dayang Sect outnumbered the bandits by seven or eight times, leading several of them to restrain their own cultivation, using brute force to deal with a Nascent Soul Stage bandit.

The situation for the bandits quickly became dire; the cultivators of Dayang Sect, with sheer brute force alone, had already slain five or six bandits. When Wang Feng and his companion arrived and saw the scene, they were incredibly surprised, never expecting that the caravan people would be so fierce, having already slain several Nascent Soul cultivators.

Wang Feng and his companion were shaken.

What surprised Wang Feng and his companion the most was that Ding Fan and the others had actually cornered a well-known Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator. This was almost unbelievable! It's important to know that the opponent was a cultivator at the Emergence Stage, yet they were cornered by a few ordinary people using brute force. How could this be? Yet, it was a reality that existed before their eyes.

Very soon, Wang Feng and his companion joined the battle. Initially, they were somewhat apprehensive about those bandits, as many of them were Nascent Soul cultivators, making them difficult opponents. Furthermore, among them was a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator, which made Wang Feng and his companion consider retreating. However, when they saw that Ding Fan and a few ordinary people managed to trap a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator...

Their confidence surged. Perhaps although the opponents had somewhat higher cultivation, their actual combat abilities were quite weak. Still, Wang Feng and his companion did not dare target that Nascent Soul cultivator, choosing instead to attack those with lower cultivation than themselves, such as Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivators or those who hadn't yet reached the Nascent Soul Stage.

In the midst of the chaos, in no time, a few Nascent Soul Stage bandits were already killed. As for the Emergence Stage cultivator, although not slain by Ding Fan, he remained trapped and unable to harm them. For this Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator, especially regarding Ding Fan, it was quite astounding. Ding Fan was merely an ordinary person with no cultivation at all, yet his swordsmanship was so elusive that he couldn't deal with them at all, not even managing to touch the hem of Ding Fan's clothes. He was filled with shock, wondering if Ding Fan was genuinely just an ordinary person.

But this was merely the doubt of the Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator. If Ding Fan truly were a cultivator, he would likely have killed him long ago and wouldn't be engaging in this prolonged battle.

"Retreat!"

At this point, the shout came from the Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator, who swiftly retreated and headed straight for the mountain peak. The other bandits, hearing the Emergence Stage cultivator's call, immediately disengaged. Those who couldn't break free were promptly slaughtered by the disciples of Dayang Sect, but most of the bandits retreated promptly upon receiving the Nascent Soul cultivator's order.

There were now only about a dozen fleeing bandits left. Especially after Wang Feng and another Nascent Soul cultivator joined in, the slaying of bandits accelerated. Ding Fan watched the direction in which the bandits fled but did not send anyone to pursue them. Clearly, their choice was wise. Even though the opponents were cultivators, the Dayang Sect disciples, even without using their cultivation, had such a vast numerical advantage they could annihilate the bandits completely.

"Brother Fan, Elder Gao is still in the hands of the bandits!"

At this time, Wang Hu, somewhat anxious, spoke to Ding Fan. Naturally, the Dayang Sect wouldn't leave any cultivator behind. However, in such an awkward situation, secretive movement was essential, rendering open use of their cultivation unfavorable for dealing with the bandits.

Surveying the Dayang Sect disciples nearby with an encompassing gaze, Ding Fan saw that no one had been significantly harmed, the most severe injuries amounting to mere scrapes and bruises. Then, he turned his gaze once more to the mountain where the bandits had fled, deploying his Divine Sense for a thorough sweep. Ding Fan quickly gained some understanding of the peak—a terrain characterized by primitive jungle and treacherous paths, ideal for laying ambushes.

Frowning, Ding Fan knew that pursuing the mountain without their cultivation would likely lead them into an ambush, resulting in severe injuries to the sect members, far worse than their current state. However, as Ding Fan's Divine Sense scanned the peak, his heart was struck with terror. He discovered an extraordinarily dense concentration of Spiritual Energy, far surpassing even that found in the Wolong Mountain Range.

Soon, Ding Fan uncovered the bandit's lair. While close to the mountain range, it wasn't precisely on the peak, which puzzled him. Why wouldn't the bandits establish their base on the mountain peak with such a rich Spiritual Energy presence? Such energy would immensely benefit their cultivation, as the Spiritual Energy concentration was notably extraordinary. Even a very ordinary cultivator would immediately notice the overwhelming Spiritual Energy atop the mountain.

The peak, however, was quite elevated, and from Ding Fan's mid-mountain position, the Spiritual Energy was not easily detectable. Moreover, the dense energy seemed to be localized only at the peak, with the rest of the mountain lacking such abundance, contributing to Ding Fan's confusion.

Following his considerations, Ding Fan persistently observed the mountain top with his Divine Sense. There was undoubtedly something strange going on there. He couldn't comprehend why the bandits would overlook such a favorable cultivation site in favor of a less spiritually rich location nearby. Might there be a powerful Yuan Beast claiming it as its territory? This suspicion crept into Ding Fan's thoughts.

Yet, as he continued his observations, Ding Fan made a significant discovery. There indeed were formations atop the peak. His eyes narrowed as, through Divine Sense, he confirmed the presence of a Concealment Formation, seemingly a vast formation from Ancient Times, of exceptionally high rank, one that even current High Level Formation Masters might find difficult to replicate.

Even Ding Fan's Divine Sense couldn't see the entirety of this Concealment Formation. Though this Ancient Formation was powerful, it was evidently quite old and somewhat damaged. This was a significant discovery for Ding Fan, who felt a tinge of excitement and curiosity. For such a large Ancient Formation to exist, there must be something very precious within.

At this moment, Ding Fan looked in the direction of the mountain top, a slight smile forming at the corner of his mouth...

Wang Hu looked at Ding Fan's expression, somewhat baffled, not understanding what was happening to his elder brother. Why was he smiling at the top of the mountain? Wang Hu, a bit worried, gently nudged Ding Fan and whispered with concern:

"Brother? Brother?"

At this moment, many disciples of the Dayang Sect saw the sect leader in this way, feeling deeply puzzled, clearly not understanding what their elder brother was doing. At this time, Elder Gao had already been captured by the bandits, and they didn't know what to do.

At this moment, Wang Feng and his companion witnessed Ding Fan's demeanor and felt a wave of disdain, thinking he was just bluffing.

"Hmm?"

Ding Fan was interrupted by Wang Hu's call, but felt quite satisfied and immediately said to Wang Hu:

"Inform the team at the back, we're heading up the mountain soon. Now everyone follows me up the mountain to rescue Elder Gao!"

Upon hearing Ding Fan's words, Wang Hu was taken aback and looked at Ding Fan, worriedly asking:

"Brother, considering the other side's strength, I'm afraid we aren't their match with our current power."

Everyone heard Wang Hu's words, echoing the concern in their hearts. After all, from the previous battle, many cultivators had suffered minor injuries. They had so many people on their side while the opponents were only a dozen or so. Now, charging into the bandits' lair would obviously not be easy, and they were likely to sustain serious injuries.

At this moment, the other elders felt shocked and worried as they looked at Ding Fan. There were doubts in their hearts, but the sect leader's response was very resolute, as if he was very confident. However, since they couldn't use their cultivation, how could they possibly be a match for those bandits? At this moment, the elders' eyes were filled with questions as they looked at Ding Fan.

"Humph! Truly boastful! To think of heading to their death voluntarily! It's sheer folly!" At this time, the black-clothed youth sneered with a mocking smile upon hearing Ding Fan's words.

"Since Ding Fan insists on going up to rescue that Elder Gao, it has nothing to do with us." The handsome man quickly found a reason to distance himself from the situation so that the two of them wouldn't be constrained by it.

"Exactly! Do you think brute strength alone makes you a match for cultivators? It's utter nonsense!"

The black-clothed youth immediately echoed with a disdainful expression.

Ding Fan heard their words, smiled lightly, and indeed found he didn't really need them. Just as he was about to speak, his Divine Sense suddenly detected a large group of cultivators descending the mountain, and among them was a Spirit Severing Initial Stage cultivator and a Nameless Emergence Stage cultivator. Ding Fan was somewhat startled by the bandits' considerable scale.

Yet, in front of Ding Fan and the Dayang Sect, they still seemed inadequate. Ding Fan calmly said:

"If you're leaving, you better do it quickly, or don't blame us if you lose your lives by accident!"

Wang Feng and his companion were taken aback by Ding Fan's words, their faces turning to anger as they glared at him, shocked. They hadn't expected Ding Fan's attitude towards them to be so impolite, such a stark contrast from before. It was almost unbelievable! Actually, it was quite laughable. Did he think a bit of brute force made him their match?

Even though the other side had more people, if they wanted to swiftly take down the opponent and escape quickly, the two of them could still manage. After all, both were Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivators, outstanding even among the bandits, although not considering those at the Emergence Stage.