The night passed without incident.
At the first faint light of dawn, the cultivators silently materialized above the "evil cultivators' lair."
"Is this the place?" Fairy Purple Spirit gazed down at the small, dark island below with some puzzlement, scanning it several times.
The island was truly tiny—only a few li across at most. Rather than calling it an island, it would be more accurate to call it a massive reef.
"That's right. Not only did the 'Gold Cicada Bees' track them here, but two elders also came separately to confirm—the people going in and out are indeed those evil cultivators," Madam Fan said softly from the side.
Hearing this, the purple-robed woman nodded silently, all doubt leaving her mind.
However, this location was clearly only a temporary base for their enemies.
Not only was the island pitifully small, but the only defensive formation above it was an extremely simple minor illusion array—not nearly enough to stop anyone.
"Slaughter them all!"
And so, at Fairy Purple Spirit's frigid command, Old Monster Chihuo let out an eerie laugh from within the black clouds. Several roaring bolts of thunder-fire rained down, easily sweeping the formation clean. Then the cultivators charged straight down without further ceremony.
The commotion of the broken formation evidently alarmed the people on the island.
After several piercing shrieks, forty to fifty streaks of multicolored light shot up from the island—a large group of cultivators surged upward to meet them, led by three Core Formation cultivators. When they saw the Mysterious Sound Sect party before them, they were momentarily stunned.
But before they could react, Madam Fan had already shouted "Attack!" and released a silver wheel artifact, charging forward to strike first.
The other cultivators, seeing this, wasted no time and unleashed their own attacks.
Instantly, multicolored light erupted in every direction across the sky, and piercing shrieks filled the air.
Since Han Li intended to get his hands on the Heavenly Lightning Bamboo, he naturally couldn't very well hold back. He and Qu Hun casually released their own treasures, circling five or six Foundation Establishment cultivators with the aim of wiping them out in one fell swoop.
With Han Li and Qu Hun's Core Formation cultivation, dealing with a few Foundation Establishment cultivators should have been effortless. But something surprising happened.
The moment these four or five Foundation Establishment cultivators realized that Han Li and his companion were Core Formation cultivators, their expressions changed drastically. Then, one after another, they tore through their clothing as their bodies surged in size, transforming into the Evil Spirit form that Han Li knew all too well. The sight nearly made his eyes fall out of his head.
However, though the transformed fighters' speed and power had surged dramatically, Han Li was no longer the Foundation Establishment cultivator he once was. After holding out for only a short while longer, they were reduced to ash by Han Li's Green Radiance Sword and Qu Hun's Primordial Chaos Bowl.
Only then did Han Li notice that these people's transformation seemed to differ from the Evil Spirits of the Dark Fiend Cult—not only did they not need to chant incantations or form cocoons to transform, but their bodies also hadn't condensed Blood Condensation Five Element Pills.
This left Han Li completely bewildered, and his suspicions only deepened. What exactly was the connection between these bandits and the Dark Fiend Cult?
But he quickly composed himself and focused his gaze on the other areas of the battlefield.
Now was not the time for contemplation—if someone caught him off guard and launched a sneak attack, that would be the ultimate injustice.
Yet what he saw only made the knot of mystery in his heart grow larger.
He watched as nearly ninety percent of these evil cultivators—all at the Foundation Establishment stage—unleashed the Evil Spirit transformation technique, forming into small groups and fighting with desperate ferocity!
The three strongest among them, all Core Formation cultivators, had already been dragged into the black clouds by Old Monster Chihuo's magic and trapped within, unable to break free. The continuous booming from inside the clouds suggested they were barely holding on.
With that, the remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators were decimated in moments under the combined onslaught of several Core Formation and a dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Mysterious Sound Sect. Yet those still standing showed no fear whatsoever, fighting on as though death held no terror for them.
Their savage ferocity took even the Mysterious Sound Sect cultivators—who had been showing no mercy—completely by surprise.
But just then, a furious, piercing shriek rose from below, so powerful that it made the ears of every Mysterious Sound Sect cultivator ring, their faces all draining of color.
"What are you waiting for?! Finish them off quickly! The troublesome one is coming!" Old Monster Chihuo's sharp voice rang out from within the black clouds. Only then did the cultivators snap to their senses, hastily urging their treasures and artifacts to press the attack.
However, the island's defenders, hearing the shriek, rallied with renewed vigor. Their resistance grew even more stubborn, and for a time, no further gains could be made.
Meanwhile, several gray-white streaks of light shot up from the island and arrived in the sky within moments.
The cultivators ceased their attacks and watched warily as five new Core Formation opponents flew toward them.
At their head was a middle-aged man with an iron-blue complexion. Though his features were well-proportioned, his face was now twisted with murderous intent. And from the fluctuations of magical power radiating from him, his cultivation was far beyond the other four's—he appeared to be a late-stage Core Formation cultivator. The remaining four were merely ordinary early-stage Core Formation cultivators, though they too glared at the Mysterious Sound Sect party with burning fury.
"Who are you people, daring to slaughter disciples of my Concealed Fiend Gate?! I will make you pay for this in blood!" The middle-aged man surveyed the few remaining disciples on the field, his expression vicious and cold.
Hearing these words, everyone was stunned.