"Xiao Xiao, Qiao Ying, we need to leave here quickly!"
"Tu Jian seems to be acting strangely... He clearly knows that my true energy can penetrate spatial barriers, yet he didn't warn his subordinates, the Six Hell Hounds. It even looked like he intentionally let them be killed by me..."
"He might be plotting something!"
Ye Feng lowered his voice and spoke quickly to Xiao Xiao and Qiao Ying beside him.
"Alright!"
...
"Lin Ba Sen!"
At this moment, Tu Jian boomed at Lin Ba Sen, whose face had turned green.
Lin Ba Sen's eyes narrowed. Green light surged from his hands as he rapidly formed a series of profound seals, then slammed them onto the ground.
"Buzz!"
A massive wave of green light erupted from Lin Ba Sen, spreading outwards. In the distance, towering trees grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, their branches forming peculiar archways like doorways.
"Hoo!"
Lin Ba Sen gritted his teeth and roared, his wood-elemental arcane energy surging, emitting an intensely blinding green light. He then plunged into the ground, radiating outwards.
"Gurgle~ Buzz~ Gurgle~!"
The green light instantly reached the trees Lin Ba Sen had just conjured. The doorways formed by the branches flashed with green light, revealing arcane runes.
Almost simultaneously, dense points of fluctuation appeared in the distant void, originating from the doorways of Lin Ba Sen's trees.
"Wala~ Jieha~"
"Ugh! Ah~!"
"Quacka~"
"Ah!"
A string of bizarre and unpleasant sounds followed, interspersed with human gasps and screams.
"Big brother, it's goblins! So many goblins are suddenly falling from the sky! Those are the circles formed by the branches of those big trees... They seem to be teleportation arrays!"
Xiao Xiao exclaimed loudly to Ye Feng after observing with her telescope.
"What does Tu Jian want with bringing goblins here?"
Ye Feng's brow furrowed deeply.
"Damn humans, I'll skin you alive!"
At this moment, Ilidari and Fita roared. The space around their bodies slightly distorted. All twelve of their bloodshot eyes were filled with ferocious expressions, and their six mouths bared their teeth as they rose up, about to charge at Ye Feng.
But in that instant, two dry, withered hands shot out, piercing through Ilidari and Fita's backs in the blink of an eye. It was Tu Jian, who had moved from behind them...
"Puff!~ Chirp!"
"Puff~ Chirp chirp!"
Ilidari and Fita's blood gushed out from their chests and backs like burst fire hydrants...
"Wh... What?"
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone, including Ye Feng. Even Ilidari and Fita, the Six Hell Hounds, looked on in disbelief.
They twisted their heads, their eyes wide with shock, and stared at Tu Jian. "You... What are you doing?"
"Guess!"
Tu Jian sneered, tightening his grip. He instantly crushed Ilidari and Fita's hearts. After spewing a mouthful of blood, their bodies went limp and fell to the ground with a "thump!"...
Until the moment of their deaths, Ilidari and Fita couldn't comprehend why Tu Jian, an ally, would strike them down... Their eyes remained wide open in death, a look of utter bewilderment...
"What... What's going on? Did they have a falling out?"
Bing's voice was filled with confusion, her expression much more relaxed.
Although she didn't know why Tu Jian had done this, two immensely threatening three-headed hellhounds with spatial powers had indeed died...
"Princess Bing, don't let your guard down. Tu Jian is extremely cunning!"
Shui Ling chimed in, her expression serious.
Ye Feng was also filled with caution. Judging from their previous encounter in the ancient ruins, Tu Jian was not only cunning but also a meticulous planner...
"Hua Xin!"
"Now!"
Tu Jian licked the blood on his hands, looked towards a collapsed pillar, and called out sternly.
Then, his eyes narrowed, and earth-yellow light emanated from his body. The soil around him instantly turned into clay, rapidly forming figures that surged towards Ye Feng and the others...
"Ye Feng, this is Tu Jian's 'Conception.' It's a technique where Tu Jian utilizes his earth-elemental arcane energy to its extreme. By acquiring substances like blood, arcane energy, or scent from others, he cultivates puppets that he can directly control!"
"These puppets not only look almost identical to their originals, but their combat power is said to be on par, or even surpass, their originals!"
Bing explained to Ye Feng as she dealt with a golden-tier three earth puppet charging at her.
"Oh, I know!"
Ye Feng nodded slightly, destroying a clay figure. Tu Jian had used this technique before in the ancient ruins...
At this moment, Hua Xin, dressed in a colorful long robe with a fair face and yellow hair at his temples, emerged. He also formed profound seals with his hands and slammed them onto the ground.
"Rumble!~"
"Bang~ Crack~ Crack crack!"
A flash of golden light swept through, causing the entire ground to tremble violently. A large amount of metal pierced through the ground, instantly impaling many who couldn't dodge.
"Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!"
"Keng keng klang!"
The various metals piercing the ground melted rapidly in the air, then condensed into numerous flying daggers, arrows, and spikes that shot towards Ye Feng and the others...
"Keng keng!"
"Clang, boom!"
"Whoosh~ Chirp! Swish!"
Ye Feng, Xiao Xiao, Qiao Ying, Bing, Shui Ling, and Li Shu dodged and blocked, occasionally engaging the clay puppets spawned by Tu Jian's 'Conception'...
"Bing, do you know what happened to Yue Yan?"
"The City Lord's mansion was leveled, three of her four arcane masters rebelled... and she's gone missing?"
Amidst the rain of metal daggers and arrows, Ye Feng asked Bing with some bewilderment.
"I don't know what happened to Sister Yan either, but she must have her own plans!"
Although Bing looked confused, her words conveyed strong confidence and trust in Yue Yan.
"Bang!~ Rumble!~"
As Bing finished speaking, the ground began to shake even more violently, as if an earthquake had occurred. The ground split apart and extended rapidly outwards...
"Rumble!~"
"Quacka~ Quacka!~"
"Wala~ Jieha~"
The intense ground tremors and the sounds of collapsing buildings were accompanied by the peculiar calls of goblins, which grew more and more dense...
"Sister Bing, is Hua Xin trying to destroy all the buildings in Arcane City by causing this massive earthquake?"
Xiao Xiao asked Bing after defeating a golden-tier three clay puppet.
...