There were multiple paths to ascend the True Yuan Lonely Mountain.
With a supreme treasure on his person, the route Duan Liufeng chose was faster than the one Chu Feng had taken.
Though this path was quicker, it was also far more difficult. Duan Liufeng's own abilities were not the issue — his greatest problem was that he was not, in fact, a junior.
At that moment, Duan Liufeng lay on the ground, shrouded within a sphere of white light.
His face was as pale as paper, and cold sweat poured off him like rain. Even the sound of his breathing betrayed how feeble he had become.
He looked as though an invisible mountain had crushed him into the earth.
And the source of his suffering was none other than that white radiance — a punishment formation, one designed specifically to target people like Duan Liufeng. Non-juniors who had dared to trespass upon this ground.
"Elder Duan."
At the sound of that voice, Duan Liufeng cracked open his eyes with great effort.
But when he saw the person who had appeared nearby, no joy surfaced on his face.
It was Zuoqiu Youyu.
"Elder Duan, don't worry. I'll get you out of there right away."
Zuoqiu Youyu stepped forward and spoke.
"Youyu, I'm fine. There's no need to concern yourself with me."
"You should focus on reaching the summit and finding that elder from our sect," Duan Liufeng said.
He knew that if the Sect Master had brought Zuoqiu Youyu here, then Zuoqiu Youyu must already know the purpose of this trip.
"Elder Duan, you don't look 'fine' to me at all. If this continues, your life could be in danger."
"There's no rush to go find our sect's elder."
"Let me get you out first."
As Zuoqiu Youyu spoke, he unleashed a martial technique and struck at the formation.
The technique appeared to be probing the formation's defenses, but the residual force fell squarely upon Duan Liufeng.
Several motes of martial power struck Duan Liufeng's body.
Wherever those motes of light passed, blood quickly welled up.
"Elder Duan, how is this possible? With my level of cultivation, how could I possibly wound you?"
"Could it be that here… both your body and your cultivation have been suppressed?"
Zuoqiu Youyu asked with an expression of surprise.
"Zuoqiu Youyu, you did that deliberately."
"If I'm not mistaken, you have no intention of saving me at all. You want me dead here, don't you?"
"But let me warn you — don't underestimate me. I have a means to contact the Sect Master. If you kill me, the Sect Master will know," Duan Liufeng warned in a stern tone.
"Ha ha ha ha ha…"
But after hearing those words, Zuoqiu Youyu showed not the slightest alarm. Instead, he burst into laughter.
"Elder Duan, I'm not underestimating you at all. You are the foremost of the Ten Sleeping Dragon Elders of our Sleeping Dragon Martial Sect. Your abilities are probably not far below my grandfather's."
"Without this formation, you could erase ten thousand of me in the blink of an eye. How could I possibly deal with you?"
"But as it happens, this formation exists right here. And it just so happens to be targeting you."
"I, Zuoqiu Youyu, either don't act at all — but once I do, I never hold back."
"Don't bother trying to scare me with the Sect Master. Even if you do have some way to notify him, today your life is mine regardless."
"Actually, Elder Duan, don't blame me."
"There was never any grudge between us. It's just that Chu Feng killed my brother, and I must eliminate him. You just happened to get caught in the crossfire."
"So if you want to blame someone, blame Chu Feng."
Whoosh.
The moment those words left Zuoqiu Youyu's mouth, his expression turned vicious. A cold light flashed, and he produced a Supreme Armament in his hand.
Not only that — his Thunder Mark and Thunder Armor manifested simultaneously.
His cultivation surged from the third rank of Martial Emperor all the way to the peak of Martial Emperor.
With that level of cultivation further bolstered by a Supreme Armament, Zuoqiu Youyu's strength at that moment was tremendous.
But even so, he did not strike rashly.
Instead, a vast torrent of martial power gathered within his body — he was preparing a Supreme Forbidden Martial Technique.
He dared not be careless. He wanted to finish Duan Liufeng off in a single blow.
But then, without warning, a blade of lightning slashed toward Zuoqiu Youyu from beside him.
That lightning blade was ferocious beyond measure. Nothing in its path could withstand it — even space itself was cleaved apart as it passed.
And it was blindingly fast. By the time Zuoqiu Youyu realized what was happening, the lightning blade had already reached him and struck him squarely.
Splat.
Blood erupted into the air. Zuoqiu Youyu was not only sent flying — he was sliced cleanly in two.
When his body hit the ground, it lay motionless. Not a trace of breath remained.
He… was already dead.
But even so, the raging lightning showed no mercy. Rather than dissipating, it expanded in area and split into countless bolts that continued to hammer down upon Zuoqiu Youyu's remains.