Gu Banzhuang’s words made the atmosphere grow noticeably heavier. No one had expected Lin Xun to be this cunning. “But mobilizing a clone would also weaken his true body, making him easier to kill.” Li Henshui said after a thought, “Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll lead a group together with Banzhuang and the others. Brother Luohong, you’ll take the rest and head in another direction.” Yun Luohong said nothing, but Gu Banzhuang immediately objected. “It’s better if I move with Brother Luohong and his group.” Li Henshui’s expression darkened. “You don’t trust me?” Gu Banzhuang smiled sweetly and replied in a gentle voice, “Brother Henshui’s strength alone is more than enough to handle anything. On the other hand, if Brother Luohong and I work together, we can ensure nothing goes wrong.” As she spoke, she tossed a piece of a pitch-black beast horn. “This is the life bone of a single-horned beast. With this treasure, you’ll be able to track Lin Xun’s aura.” Li Henshui caught it, turned it over in his hand for a moment, then snorted coldly. “Very well. Let’s see who manages to hunt down that little bastard’s true body!” With that, he turned and led his men away. “Brother Luohong, shall we get moving too?” Gu Banzhuang asked coyly. Yun Luohong glanced sideways at her. “You really can’t tell which direction Lin Xun’s true body went?” Gu Banzhuang gave a faint smile, “It’s true I can’t tell for certain, but I can still make a reasonable guess. With Brother Henshui’s strength, they should have no trouble killing one of Lin Xun’s clones. Meanwhile, you and I can work together to slay his true body. That way, all of his fortune will fall into the hands of our two clans.” Yun Luohong’s expression didn’t change, “If you dare to scheme against me...” Gu Banzhuang quickly cut in, “I swear, I wouldn’t dare harbor such thoughts.” Yun Luohong nodded silently, and without another word, led the Yun Clan’s cultivators forward. Gu Banzhuang followed close behind with her group, but a faint smile tugged at her lips. She had not told Yun Luohong that the direction Li Henshui was heading toward was the one most likely to hold Lin Xun’s true body! Her reason for doing this was simple. She was deeply wary. She had learned a great deal about Lin Xun’s feats and had long recognized him as an extremely dangerous foe. At first, she had indeed planned to combine everyone’s strength to deal with Lin Xun. However, when she noticed his aura fleeing in two separate directions, she realized that he most likely had detected their pursuit. In this situation, the safest strategy was to have Li Henshui and the others test Lin Xun’s strength first. In other words, she planned to kill with a borrowed knife. As for the so-called fortune on Lin Xun...she didn’t care at all. Even if they managed to seize such a fortune, it would ultimately be handed over to the Donghuang Clan. The Donghuang’s Four Clans would never even have the chance to lay a finger on it! As for whether Li Henshui might blame her later, she wasn’t particularly concerned. She had already made it clear that there was no way to tell which direction Lin Xun’s true body had gone. During the pursuit, a member of the Li Clan couldn’t help but speak up, “Elder, don’t you think Gu Banzhuang might have another agenda?” However, Li Henshui just chuckled, his eyes glinting. “That sly woman may have plenty of tricks, but she wouldn’t dare betray us over something . If my guess is correct, the one we’re chasing is most likely just one of Lin Xun’s clones.” “Elder, if that’s the case, then even if we kill Lin Xun’s clone, we gain nothing. Isn’t this all just a waste of time?” The Li Clan members all showed looks of frustration and indignation. “Don’t worry, Lin Xun is no easy opponent. In my view, there’s no way Gu Banzhuang and the others will be able to kill him anytime soon.” A flicker of pride crossed Li Henshui’s face. “But we’re different. Once we’ve dealt with his clone, we can regroup with Gu Banzhuang and the others. And if she really dares to claim all the credit...well, we’ll see whether our Li Clan is willing to accept that.” His words instantly put everyone at ease. The black beast horn in Li Henshui’s grip suddenly began to buzz with a strange vibration. His eyes flashed sharply as he raised a hand. “Prepare for battle!” The group immediately halted in midair. This was a vast, undulating mountain range, shrouded in drifting celestial mist that floated like clouds between heaven and earth. At a glance, it seemed boundless and desolate. Guided by the horn’s sensing, Li Henshui immediately cast his gaze toward the depths of the mountains, where a low, barren peak stood. It was bare and unremarkable. However, as an Emperor Ancestor-level cultivator, he sensed a faint, nearly undetectable fluctuation of restriction power! It was extremely subtle, almost formless. Without the beast horn’s guidance, even Li Henshui would’ve doubted whether he could detect the faintest ripple of restriction power. “Everyone, stay alert. Even if this is only a clone, we absolutely can’t take it lightly. We mustn’t let the boat capsize in the gutter.” Li Henshui warned via voice transmission. As he spoke, he quietly unstrapped the massive two-meter-long axe from his back, gripping it with both hands as he began to circulate his qi to its peak. Nineteen Li Clan cultivators stood around him. Each was a battle-hardened veteran, steeped in blood and war. Without needing any orders, they had already begun circulating their cultivation silently. With that command, Li Henshui shot toward the depths of the mountain range. The others followed close behind, moving swiftly and soundlessly through the void like a pack of shadows. Unfortunately for them, all this was being watched by a pair of eyes. Thousands of miles away, deep beneath a river, Lin Xun sat in silence. An array plate hovered in his hand, casting a curtain of light that clearly displayed the figures of Li Henshui and his men. “It’s time for the first harvest.” Lin Xun quietly rose from the bottom of the river, his eyes deep and unfathomable. At first, after receiving Cang Fusheng’s warning and becoming aware of the looming murderous calamity, he had opted for a strategy of misdirection. He first had his true body and clone act separately to create confusion for the enemy and divide their forces. By doing so, he could significantly weaken their overall threat. Googlᴇ search novelꜰire.net What he set up now was a trap. On a quiet peak deep within the mountains, he laid down a restriction array and left behind a wisp of will to act as bait. Meanwhile, he hid at the bottom of a river thousands of miles away, using the array plate to communicate with the formation and monitor every move of the enemy. If the enemy’s numbers were overwhelming, he would retreat without hesitation. However, if their strength posed no great threat, then this trap would become the true murderous calamity, delivering a fatal blow! Clearly, in Lin Xun’s eyes, Li Henshui’s group posed no serious threat. Therefore, he decided to close the net! Thousands of feet from the foot of the low peak, Li Henshui and his group silently came to a stop and spread out in a wide arc, sealing off all escape routes. “When I give the order, strike the mountain with full force. Understood?” Li Henshui sent a voice transmission, his eyes flashing with killing intent. At this moment, he felt a mix of nervousness, excitement and anticipation. Even if the target was most likely a clone, it was still Lin Xun, the ruthless figure who had once made the Nan Clan suffer a crushing defeat. The surrounding Li Clan experts all nodded solemnly, ready to strike. Taking a deep breath, Li Henshui suddenly swung the two-meter-long axe in his grasp. A blinding arc of axe light surged upward. It stretched for thousands of feet, tearing through the sky with a roar. Wrapped in a tide of green lightning, vast and majestic, it came crashing down upon the low peak. Even before the attack landed, strange and eerie visions erupted into existence. The chanting of divine scriptures and the wails of ghosts echoed throughout the void. One could imagine how terrifying this strike was. At the same moment, more than a dozen Li Clan experts leapt into action. The world descended into chaos, engulfed in a torrent of destruction. Blazing dao arts erupted in every direction, intertwined with the overwhelming might of Emperor-grade weapons, surging like a heavenly river breaking its banks and flooding from all sides. From a distance, it seemed as though the sky and earth had been set ablaze! There was no way to describe the devastating might of this all-out attack. The mountain disintegrated in an instant, reduced to endless ashes. The surrounding world collapsed into ruin, as if erased by the hand of heaven. A thunderous roar shook the nine heavens, echoing across all directions. A raging torrent of power surged like a landslide and tsunami, threatening to wipe out the boundless mountains and rivers. After a long while, the billowing clouds of dust and smoke began to dissipate. “With an attack like that, forget a clone, even Ancestors would be obliterated instantly. No one could possibly survive it...” Li Henshui said, the corners of his lips curling faintly. Then, in the very next instant, that smile froze on his face. His spirit sense swept across the area. The low peak that was once shrouded in restriction power had indeed been annihilated, and even the earth beneath had been blasted into a vast, bottomless abyss. Despite that, there wasn’t a single trace of Lin Xun. Even if he had died, some remnants of him should have remained Now, the ruined land was nothing but emptiness! “Elder, it doesn’t seem like Lin Xun’s clone was ever there.” One of the members of the Li Clan finally muttered, unease thick in his voice as all of them began to realize the same thing. “But this black beast horn clearly pointed to this location...” Li Henshui frowned and flipped his palm to reveal the black horn gifted by Gu Banzhuang. It was at that moment—Buzz! The black horn suddenly let out a violent buzz, as if it had been triggered by some unknown force. Then came a shrill scream that pierced through the air. A Li Clan cultivator standing nearby abruptly exploded without warning, flesh and blood splattering in all directions, and body and spirit utterly obliterated! This was a seasoned Ninth Realm Ancestor who had won nine consecutive victories in Defending the Ring. His cultivation was deep and profound, far beyond the reach of most ordinary supreme Emperors. Yet even someone like him was caught off guard and died instantly! The suddenness of it sent chills down the spines of Li Henshui and the others. Their scalps tingled as a wave of dread swept over them. They realized something was very wrong. Before they could even react, another terrifying change erupted on the scene.