Chapter 135: The Battle for the Elixir

"Indeed, Brother Zhou speaks wisely."

As soon as that person finished speaking, several others around him chimed in with agreement.

Consequently, public indignation flared, and the array was shaken even more violently, the dense light barrier gradually growing thin.

At this rate of attack, in at most another short half-hour, it should be possible to breach it.

Unfortunately, none of the people present had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, making it impossible for them to sustain their strongest techniques for long. Coupled with mutual distrust—as everyone needed to hold back some hidden cards to guard against sneak attacks—the onslaught soon weakened as it became unsustainable.

"Damn it, these useless trash."

The young man in white inwardly cursed. Exchanging glances with his companions, all of them wore expressions of helplessness.

The white-clothed youth and his companions had been the lucky first wave to discover this spiritual vein. Alas, relying solely on the four or five of them was completely insufficient to break the array and its restrictions, which was why they had called upon nearby trial-takers to join forces.

Originally, their group was the strongest among the crowd, and once the formation was shattered, they would definitely have been able to seize the lion's share.

However, the reality was clearly different from what he had envisioned, leaving the youth surnamed Zhou filled with nothing but disappointment.

Fortunately, the commotion here was quite substantial. After a moment, the ethereal lights of more trial-takers approached from the distant sky, and in particular, one of the groups seemed to have quite a considerable number of people.

As they drew closer, they were immediately captivated by the spiritual flowers and grasses on the hill. Someone couldn't help but exclaim in wonder, "Cloud Frost Flower, Tower Valley Grass, Blazing Sun Cloud Ganoderma... Heavens, so many precious spiritual herbs. Brother Xu, we're going to be rich."

Hearing that person rattle off the names of several precious spiritual herbs in one breath, the youth referred to as Brother Xu also revealed a look of delight, while the face of the youth in white turned rather unsightly.

This was because his expanded spiritual sense probed and discovered that the fellow called Brother Xu was actually a Foundation Establishment stage expert.

Although this person was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, the five of them combined still couldn't defeat him—such was the suppression of realms. The crucial point was that the other side also outnumbered them.

With the addition of those seven or eight people and the few other waves currently hurrying over, breaking the array was absolute certainty. Yet with that Foundation Establishment expert Brother Xu around, just how much could they hope to snatch?

Regardless of what the white-clothed youth was thinking, the handsome youth surnamed Xu, who was likewise dressed in white, withdrew his gaze from the hill and said indifferently to the people around him, "Fellow Daoists, what are you standing around for? Make your move. Once the array is broken, whoever grabs it gets to keep it."

"Understood, Brother Xulingzi."

As soon as those words fell, the several people who had accompanied him responded in unison, each driving their magic tools to bombard the array.

It turned out that this handsome youth was none other than the Xulingzi that Xu Gong was searching for. Yet there was no sign of Xu Gong around him; evidently, he had not yet managed to arrive and rendezvous with him.

Having been overshadowed and having his thunder stolen, the white-clothed youth surnamed Zhou and his companions felt displeased and did not immediately join the attack. Seeing this, the corners of Xulingzi's mouth curled up slightly as his voice turned cold:

"I state this in advance: since fellow Daoists are united as one, when the array breaks shortly, everyone will rely on their own abilities to seize the opportunity. However, if anyone intends to reap the rewards without putting in the effort, do not blame me, Xu, for being impolite."

Xulingzi's words were crystal clear: while the spiritual plants and herbs inside the array were ownerless items, if someone didn't contribute during the breaking of the array and still dared to compete for them afterward, he would strike against them.

While speaking, Xulingzi unreservedly released the oppressive might of the Foundation Establishment stage, causing the expressions of everyone outside the hill to change abruptly.

The Foundation Establishment stage and the Qi Condensation stage were simply not on the same level. Even a massive siege by numerous cultivators at the Great Circle of Qi Condensation might not necessarily secure a head-on victory against a Foundation Establishment expert.

No one doubted Xulingzi's resolve, nor would anyone take his threat as blowing wind. Including the three or four newly arrived individuals and the group led by the youth surnamed Zhou, they all exchanged bitter smiles before fully unleashing their attacks upon the array's light barrier once more.

Lu Yin retreated to the periphery, likewise joining the assault on the formation. Yet at this moment, she actually felt somewhat more at ease.

With so many experts present, the threat posed by the Luan brothers was hardly worth mentioning. The only pity was that her elder brother Lu Fang and Chu Xin'er still had not arrived by now.

The few individuals accompanying Xulingzi were not all members of the Xu family; some were merely acquaintances she had encountered along the way, who then formed a team with him to seek protection.

Regardless, their cultivations were not weak. Coupled with the fact that Xulingzi himself was in the Foundation Establishment stage, the damage they could inflict with their participation was several times greater than before.

Boom, boom, boom~~

Aura rippled outward, the array shuddered violently, and cracks quickly surfaced across the barrier.

Finally, with a loud *bang*, the natural restriction enshrouding this hill dissolved into wisps of spiritual light and vanished. Without the barrier obstructing them, everyone's face was filled with joy.

Xulingzi was the fastest. With a flash of his escaping light, he appeared before several thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, reached out, and pulled them up by the roots.

The instant Xulingzi deposited the spiritual herbs into his storage pouch, the number on the jade token at his waist rapidly shifted, jumping straight from 69 to 118. Sensing this, Xulingzi wore a smile that reached his eyes, and he swiftly dashed toward several other rare spiritual grasses.

With treasures right before their eyes, the others were hardly going to stand around watching. They rushed forward one after another to begin plundering.

The hill was small, and with dozens of people scrambling within it, friction and conflict were naturally inevitable.

"Hand it over! I found this Seven-leaf Purple Vine Flower first."

"Bah! What use is it that you found it first? What I, your grandfather, get my hands on belongs to me..."

Without agreeing after a few words, two young men immediately erupted into a fierce battle. Elsewhere, a purple-robed maiden was also trading fatal blows with a male opponent, rendering the scene utterly chaotic.

While some had explosive tempers and could tolerate no sand in their eyes, others possessed deep and scheming minds. They refused to bicker over immediate gains, prioritizing the collection of as many spiritual herbs as possible.

Take the Luan brothers, for instance; these two fellows were exceptionally slippery. They never collided head-on with anyone else, and even if they had a verbal dispute over competing for a spiritual herb, they would endure it for the time being, retreating elsewhere to continue digging.

Before long, not a single spiritual flower or grass remained upon the hill, leaving behind only a pockmarked, cratered earth.

Knowing that her cultivation ranked near the bottom among the crowd, Lu Yin was not particularly greedy. After unearthing only a few ordinary spiritual herbs with respectable age on the periphery, she quietly retreated to the side.

However, Luan Zhong, who had been watching for an opportunity all along, was not about to let her off so easily. With a sinister chuckle, the fellow quickly closed in on her.

"Hand them over, or don't blame us for being impolite."

"Hand over what? If you want to rob me of my spiritual herbs, just say so outright. This lady doesn't owe you a thing."

Seeing Luan Zhong reaching out with malicious intent while Luan Ping quietly cut off her escape route, Lu Yin's face turned unsightly as she let out a cold snort, while anxiously gazing around in the hope of attracting someone's attention.

Yet the previous bouts of spellcasting had not yet concluded, and several others had already started bickering and rolling up their sleeves to fight over spiritual herbs, leaving the scene in utter disorder.

Aside from Xulingzi in the distance, who merely frowned and glanced sideways at the Luan brothers' actions, everyone else turned a blind eye, causing Lu Yin's heart to sink down to the bottom.