Unexpectedly, after noticing Jin Bao'er, the man gathered all his strength and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Fellow Daoist, run!"
She regained her senses and turned around, sprinting away without a moment's hesitation. The monster beast behind them also noticed Jin Bao'er; it abandoned the young man without a second thought and gave chase to her instead. Drool flew everywhere from its jaws, and the greed in its eyes could not have been more obvious.
After sprinting for a while, the young man finally realized that the massive creature had shifted its target. He paused for a moment, instantly understood the reason why, and with a drastic change in expression, hurriedly followed in their direction. Compared to a rough, sturdy man, the monster beast clearly preferred the taste of a delicate, teenage girl.
Jin Bao'er was speechless to be chased by the monster beast for no reason. She knew that running blindly was not a solution—her stamina would eventually run out. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck her; she began to set up a formation while circling around as she ran.
After completing three laps, the formation flared with intense light. A pale white radiance instantly trapped the giant monster beast inside. The beast, blinded by the chase, didn't notice the barrier and slammed headlong into the spiritual wall, collapsing in a dead faint after a thunderous crash.
The young man, who had just caught up to Jin Bao'er, stared at the scene, his eyes filled with astonishment. To think that someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage could set up a formation while sprinting for their life...
"Are you a formation master?"
Only while speaking did he notice the incredibly refined features of the young man before him. Alchemists and formation masters were rare these days, and those with real talent were usually arrogant and aloof. He had never expected to encounter one himself.
Jin Bao'er glanced up at him. She realized the beast was merely hungry and not prompted by anything this man had done, yet she still felt no affinity for him. If not for this guy, she wouldn't have wasted so much spiritual power and stamina.
Seeing the young fellow Daoist turn to leave, Li Qingjiu hurried to follow, a joyful smile plastered on his face. If he could have a formation master helping him along the way, surely nothing would go wrong!
"Hey, hey, slow down, Fellow Daoist! I am Li Qingjiu of the Xiaoyao Palace. Thank you for the rescue just now. May I ask your name? You can just call me A-Jiu..." (A ten-thousand-word monologue omitted here!)
An incense stick's worth of time later, even someone as cold and detached as Jin Bao'er had reached her limit. Her face turned visibly dark; the man beside her was still chattering away, his punchable demeanor truly testing her patience.
"Enough! My surname is Jin..."
She compromised. It wasn't that she was intimidated by the young man's Half-step Golden Core cultivation; it was simply that she realized she couldn't shake him off and couldn't bear to hear any more of his rambling.
Although he only obtained a surname, Li Qingjiu was still very satisfied! He told himself, *I knew it—my personal charm is truly limitless!*
Half an incense stick of time later... the incessant chatter reaching her ears made Jin Bao'er feel as if her head were about to explode. The cold aura radiating from her body began to spike.
Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed from behind, followed by a faint tremor in the ground. As time passed, the sound became deafening. Jin Bao'er realized something was wrong; she turned around just in time to see three figures, chased by a swarm of monster beasts. Even worse, those three were running directly toward Jin Bao'er! They were clearly trying to shift their disaster onto her.
Seeing this, Jin Bao'er's expression darkened. She turned and began to sprint, moving twice as fast as before. Li Qingjiu followed suit, complaining incessantly as he ran.
"This is madness! I’ve done nothing but run from monster beasts all day! And now there are so many of them; if this keeps up, I won’t be killed by the beasts, I’ll be exhausted to death..."
Jin Bao'er was speechless, turning her head to glare at him angrily. That finally made the young man shut his mouth, though he wondered to himself why he—who clearly had a higher cultivation level than this youth—felt such an instinctive urge to obey.
Among the three being hunted by the swarm, a woman in red soon noticed Jin Bao'er and a scheme instantly formed in her mind. While running, she pulled a talisman from her storage space, a flash of malice crossing her face. After a surge of spiritual power, the talisman vanished.
In the middle of her dash, Jin Bao'er suddenly felt a chill down her spine. She instinctively looked back to find that the previously enraged swarm of beasts had shifted their target, charging directly toward her! The intensity of their pursuit made it look as if Jin Bao'er had stolen their husbands.
The three pursuers, as if they had just narrowly escaped death, leaned against a large tree, panting and watching the show. The woman in red looked on with arrogant vindictiveness.
The swarm of beasts pursued relentlessly. Jin Bao'er and Li Qingjiu were driven into a corner, drawing arrogant laughter from the woman in red.
"You brat, why don't you beg this young lady? Maybe I'll be merciful and let you off!"
Jin Bao'er sensed something was wrong. Her eyes turned cold, and she ran straight toward where the woman in red was standing. As someone who was half-adept in talisman arts, how could she not have sensed the anomaly on her person?
Seeing Jin Bao'er drawing closer, the woman in red's expression shifted, panic becoming increasingly evident. The other two men were also scared half to death, blaming the woman in red even more in their hearts.
However, they had no energy left to run. They could only try to trap Jin Bao'er, forcing her to bear the brunt of the monster swarm's fury. The two men exchanged glances and simultaneously pulled out several stones, intending to set up a formation to pin Jin Bao'er down and stop her from approaching them.
Soon, white light flashed before Jin Bao'er, forcing her to stop in her tracks. She was now less than ten meters from the trio. Realizing they intended to use her as a scapegoat, Jin Bao'er was finally angered, her inner coldness deepening.
A second later, just as the swarm of beasts was about to pounce and tear Jin Bao'er's slender body to shreds, a look of triumph and anticipation gradually appeared in the eyes of the woman in red. The other two men also showed a sliver of regret, but mostly cold indifference.
But then, Jin Bao'er moved. With a flick of her fingers, she shattered the formation and leaped onto the tree in a single motion.
In an instant, the hundreds of monsters bared their blood-stained fangs and lunged directly at the defenseless trio.
Screams and wails rose and fell, only to vanish into the swarm of beasts.
In the distance, Li Qingjiu was stunned. He had been trying to help distract the beasts, but all of them seemed fixed on Jin Bao'er, completely ignoring his efforts. He had even given up just moments ago; after all, they were just new acquaintances, and he wasn't someone who would sacrifice his life for others. He had only felt it a pity to lose a genius at formation arts.
However, the situation had suddenly reversed. The three had reaped the consequences of their own actions, while the youth landed safely on the tree, watching everything with cold eyes, without a trace of hesitation or fear.
Li Qingjiu suddenly recalled something his father had told him: those who can truly become powerful in this world are few and far between. Talent is important, but whether one can go the distance depends on their temperament and their wits.
He thought he finally understood the meaning of those words.
At that same moment, far away in the Diyun Sect, a middle-aged man looked at the shattered soul lamp before him and flew into a rage.
"Who! Who killed my disciple!"
After some time, the swarm of beasts finally dispersed, leaving behind only the stench of blood on the ground—not even bones were left behind. One could see just how miserable the trio's end had been.
Jin Bao'er dropped down from the tree. Her gaze shifted to the west, where the setting sun reminded her of one thing: the Muling Flower would bloom completely at the moment of sunset.