Liu Lanyi's expression hardened and she immediately gave chase. So the Soul-Swapping Pearl really was here. The moment it saw her though, the pearl turned tail and bolted, looking thoroughly spooked.
Maybe it had already been hunted by other beast cultivators.
The pearl streaked ahead like a shooting star, darting freely through the rooms. Its speed was insane.
Naturally, it drew the attention of countless beast cultivators.
To them, who'd scoured this place without finding anything, this pearl was like fortune falling from the heavens. No one was about to give it up. Everyone rushed after it, shoving and colliding as fierce fights broke out.
Liu Lanyi got swept into the chaos too, fighting and chasing at the same time. Her cultivation wasn't strong enough to dominate, but her mastery of formations gave her an edge. At least it didn't slow her pursuit.
Boom!
Bang!
Explosions thundered across the palace, shaking the walls as the battle cries spread far and wide.
Others rushed over, including Gong Ye.
The instant he arrived, his eyes locked on the fleeing Soul-Swapping Pearl. His gaze lit up. The pearl he'd hunted for years with no results was right here. What a stroke of luck, an unexpected gift that fell right into his lap!
Then he spotted Liu Lanyi in the crowd, and a sneer tugged at his lips.
Those two women had schemed all they wanted, but in the end, they couldn't stop him from getting the pearl.
As long as he secured it, he'd have an eighty percent chance of surviving the toughest hurdle of ascension. So, the Soul-Swapping Pearl? No one was taking it from him. This pearl was his, no matter what.
A sharp light flared in Gong Ye's eyes. In the next instant, his aura exploded outward, pressing down on everyone nearby.
The beast cultivators who'd been brawling so fiercely froze under the crushing weight of his might. Some even plummeted from midair, unable to withstand it.
Terrified, they looked up and recognized him at once.
This was a peak Mahayana expert, someone completely beyond their ability to resist.
Liu Lanyi saw him too and her heart sank. The trace of White Tiger blood in her veins surged, breaking the oppressive force as she staggered back to her feet. She darted toward the Soul-Swapping Pearl, desperate to snatch it before it slipped away again.
"Heh…"
Gong Ye chuckled coldly. His figure blurred and appeared ahead of her. He reached out toward the pearl.
With him here, where did Liu Lanyi get the courage to fight over it?
Yet just before his hand closed around the pearl, an attack slammed into him, forcing him back.
A shadow surged forward—it was the Peacock clan's Patriarch.
Every strike he unleashed was brutal, each one aiming to take Gong Ye's life. He didn't even care if he got hurt himself. His ferocious assault drove Gong Ye back step after step until the two clashed head-on.
The shockwaves tore through the palace, forcing the nearby beast cultivators to scatter for their lives.
But instead of retreating, Liu Lanyi braved the chaos and sprinted after the pearl. Her fingers nearly brushed against it when a force struck her full on, blasting her into the ground. She spat blood as her body trembled.
The Snake clan's Patriarch had arrived, and the sight of the pearl left him unable to stay idle. He wounded Liu Lanyi and immediately lunged toward the pearl. Gong Ye caught everything out of the corner of his eye.
Determined to guard the Soul-Swapping Pearl, he charged straight for it.
The Peacock Patriarch seized the chance, striking him from behind.
"Pfft!"
Blood sprayed from Gong Ye's lips. But he used the momentum to propel himself closer to the pearl, his hand outstretched.
"Presumptuous!"
The Snake Patriarch roared and revealed his true form, striking at Gong Ye with lethal force.
In an instant, three Mahayana powerhouses were locked in a brutal melee, none willing to back down.
The pearl itself dodged away amidst the chaos, as if it truly had sprouted a mind of its own.
"Cough…"
Liu Lanyi swallowed a pill and struggled back onto her feet. Her gaze lingered on the three fighting figures, but her focus never left the pearl. She knew if she touched it now, she'd immediately draw the fury of all three.
So she could only wait, biding her time in the shadows until they destroyed each other.
Rumble!
The palace shook violently as blasts kept tearing through the rooms. Furniture and decorations were reduced to rubble.
Even Liu Lanyi couldn't escape the shockwaves, fresh wounds piling on her body.
From a distance, beast cultivators watched in awe. For her to stay that close without fleeing, wasn't she afraid the three would kill her by accident?
…
Time raced on. In just half a stick of incense, all three combatants were wounded.
The Peacock Patriarch proved terrifying, pinning Gong Ye down completely. His five-colored divine light devoured nearly all of Gong Ye's attacks.
The only thing Gong Ye could rely on was his fists and feet, but the Peacock Patriarch's movement techniques were too elusive. Gong Ye could hardly land a blow.
With the Snake Patriarch joining in, Gong Ye was pushed into a hopeless disadvantage.
The humiliation burned in him. He never imagined the Peacock Patriarch would be this strong, restraining him so thoroughly that he couldn't even wound his opponent. It was maddening.
"Bah!"
He spat blood, frustration boiling inside. Why had everything been going wrong lately?
Nothing worked out. No matter where he went, he ran into crises. This had never happened before. Unease gnawed at his chest, a sense that something was spiraling beyond his control.
But his gaze returned to the Soul-Swapping Pearl. He had to get it. Not only to ascend, but to prove his Luck was still intact. Even if obstacles appeared, treasures always ended up in his hands. That was enough.
Yet just as this thought took root, a familiar figure entered the hall. The face he loved and hated, the one that made his teeth grind, stepped into sight. Gong Ye's chest tightened and dread seized his heart.
Because in only a few days, Song Wanníng's cultivation had already reached the early Unity stage, nearly at mid Unity.
The last time they'd met, she'd only been at late Out-of-Body. She hadn't faced her tribulation yet, but her advancement was already guaranteed. Her speed was so monstrous it made even him jealous.
For beast cultivators, breaking through took ages. Why was it so easy for humans?
It was unfair!
Sometimes Gong Ye wondered why fate had dumped him here as an abandoned snake instead of letting him be born human.