“Fellow Daoists, this formation leads directly to the secret passage. I’ll go first.” The foreigner surnamed Yuan smiled, raising his hand to cast a spell onto the teleportation array below.
A flash of white light erupted from the formation, and the foreigner’s figure blurred before vanishing without a trace, leaving only the motionless puppet statue behind.
“Brother Yuan is truly ingenious, setting the teleportation array inside a puppet,” the green-skinned man chuckled, stepping forward with a wide stride. He similarly activated the formation with a wave of his hand and was instantly teleported away.
“Brother Han, please go ahead,” the foreigner within the red light glanced at Han Li and surprisingly yielded precedence.
Han Li was slightly taken aback but showed no expression as he nodded and stepped forward.
The teleportation was instantaneous. Han Li felt no discomfort before abruptly appearing in a dim cavern.
Glancing around, he saw that the cavern was small, only about ten zhang in size, with a glowing crystal embedded in the ceiling, illuminating everything clearly. On one side of the cavern wall was a square passageway, roughly a zhang in height.
The big-headed foreigner and the green-skinned man stood nearby, the former staring intently at a formation disk in his hand, his eyes flickering with thought.
Han Li stepped out of the teleportation array. Moments later, white light flashed again, and the red-light foreigner appeared.
Seeing everyone assembled, the big-headed man raised his head and smiled, about to speak when a deep rumbling echoed from all directions. The entire cavern trembled slightly, and everyone’s expressions darkened.
“We mustn’t delay. Let’s leave immediately. The city’s barrier won’t hold much longer,” the green-skinned man urged anxiously.
“Indeed, time is running short. I’ll release the restrictions on the four city gates to let others escape first,” the big-headed man said solemnly, tossing the formation disk into the air. His hands moved swiftly, casting multicolored spells that vanished into the disk.
Moments later, the disk emitted a low hum, its surface shimmering before exploding with a *bang*, disintegrating into nothingness.
The other three were stunned. Self-destructing a magical artifact—this was clearly more than just lifting restrictions.
“I’ve activated a self-destruction formation beneath Greenlight City. In one hour, the entire city will be reduced to ashes,” the big-headed man chuckled, noticing their shock.
“A self-destruction formation?” Han Li’s heart chilled. This man was truly ruthless!
Though most enemies had fled toward the city gates, many ordinary mortals and hidden cultivators remained inside. Now, they would all perish with the city.
The other two foreigners exchanged surprised glances but had no time to react before the big-headed man summoned a yellow light and shot toward the passage.
Han Li and the others immediately followed.
Aboveground, the city’s protective barrier suddenly opened massive holes over each gate, each a hundred zhang wide. The gathered foreigners transformed into streaks of light, fleeing like shooting stars.
Some burrowed into the earth, others vanished into the grass—masters of earth and wood escape techniques. Most, however, rode flying artifacts, speeding away at low altitudes.
Almost as if prearranged, they scattered in small groups, avoiding mass formations.
High above, the silver “island” of the Horned Race leaders noticed the exodus. The island shimmered, releasing thousands of massive white two-headed eagles.
These eagles, clad in simple white armor, had razor-sharp talons and moved as fast as Golden Core cultivators. They dove upon the fleeing masses.
Next, hundreds of black canoes emerged, each carrying silver-armored warriors. Though slower than the eagles, they still outpaced most escapees.
Finally, seven or eight winged golden flood dragons soared from the island. With a single flicker, they vanished and reappeared miles away, their speed astonishing.
As the three waves of pursuers descended, panic spread among the fleeing foreigners. The weakest were quickly overtaken, torn apart by the eagles or sliced apart by the warriors’ silver blades.
The winged flood dragons, however, ignored the weaklings, targeting only the strongest escapees.
Meanwhile, in a secluded valley ten miles from the city, an ordinary-looking stone wall exploded with a muffled boom, revealing a dark hole.
Four figures shot out—Han Li and his companions.
Though no pursuers were nearby, they remained cautious, scanning the area with their spiritual senses.
“The Horned Race hasn’t reached this area yet. Let’s split up now—staying together will only make us easier to track,” the green-skinned man said eagerly.
“Agreed. But before we part, I have one request,” the big-headed man hesitated, glancing at the others.
“A request? What is it?” the red-light foreigner asked, puzzled.
Han Li and the green-skinned man also looked at him curiously.
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