Driving the Tiger to Devour the Wolf

Though the human-faced owls possessed formidable strength, their intelligence was low. Relying purely on brute force to weather the lightning, there was no way they could unravel such an intricate restriction. It was fortunate indeed; otherwise, the spiritual herbs like the Xuanwen Huangjing would never have survived to this day, long since lost to the birds' bellies. The spiritual herb Yunyouzi had set his eyes upon was called the Nine Splendors Azure Frost Grass. Having harvested the Xuanwen Huangjing and sealed it into a jade box, Qin Sang went searching for the Nine Splendors Azure Frost Grass. Hearing rumbling peals of thunder echoing from the back mountain, he knew Shangguan Lifeng was in the middle of gathering the Blood-Dripping Ghost Mushroom. The seven spiritual herbs were the Blood-Dripping Ghost Mushroom, Nine Splendors Azure Frost Grass, Xuanwen Huangjing, Mist-Enveloping Grass, Spirit Jasper Tree, Blue Dew Epiphyllum, and Ice Spirit Fruit. Their values varied, though not by an insurmountable gulf; in ancient times, none were considered exceptionally precious spiritual herbs, falling far short of something like the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid. Moreover, their medicinal properties differed, each having its own specific emphasis. For those in dire need of a particular effect, even a slightly less valuable herb would be far more important than the rest. However, protected by restrictions and left untouched for ages, every single one had reached a thousand years of age. Add to that their extreme rarity in today's cultivation world—some having even gone extinct—and they had naturally become treasures fought over by all. The Blood-Dripping Ghost Mushroom was the most valuable among the seven. Qin Sang, Yunyouzi, and Ge Yuan each had definite targets, while the scholar in white dared not contest Luo Xingnan for it. Qin Sang recalled what the scholar in white had transmitted earlier. "This one asks for nothing more than that Ice Spirit Fruit." The Ice Spirit Fruit ranked lowest in value among the seven herbs; that man was indeed not greedy in the slightest. The Nine Splendors Azure Frost Grass bore three long, sword-shaped azure leaves resembling three sharp blades. A layer of morning frost seemed to cling to the foliage, swirling with faint moonlight and exuding a delicate herbal fragrance. When it came to knowledge of spiritual herbs, Qin Sang was still inferior to Yunyouzi and had no idea what kind of elixir the Nine Splendors Azure Frost Grass was used to refine. Still, having secured the Xuanwen Huangjing, Qin Sang was thoroughly satisfied and cared little for anything else. What he had to consider now was how to safely depart with the herb. With his previous experience, Qin Sang harvested the Nine Splendors Azure Frost Grass considerably faster. By now, the distant battle had grown markedly fiercer. Knowing the Golden Ring Formation could not hold down the human-faced owl forever, Qin Sang hurriedly stored the Nine Splendors Azure Frost Grass into a jade box, then rushed straight toward the location where the Blue Dew Epiphyllum grew. The Blue Dew Epiphyllum, the Ice Spirit Fruit—four spiritual herbs in total were now in his hands. He and Shangguan Lifeng returned to the battlefield one after the other. Shangguan Lifeng presented all three spiritual herbs he had collected. Luo Xingnan tossed the Spirit Jasper Tree back to Shangguan Lifeng and stowed the other two away. With an impassive expression, he watched Qin Sang hand over the spiritual herbs to Yunyouzi and the others, making no further move. "Fellow Daoists, strike with all your might! Trigger the Golden Ring Formation's greatest power to trap the human-faced owl for three breaths' time, then descend the mountain immediately. Under no circumstances must you delay!" Yunyouzi shouted as he poured spiritual power frantically into his brass hoop. The hoop he controlled was similar to the transparent jade of the Four Clouds Divine Restriction—it was the core of the entire Golden Ring Formation. Sharing a common fate at this juncture, no one dared hesitate upon hearing Yunyouzi's warning—not even Luo Xingnan. They immediately joined Yunyouzi in driving the Golden Ring Formation with everything they had. The seven brass hoops encircled the human-faced owl, trembling ceaselessly with crisp metallic chimes. Immediately following that, countless phantoms abruptly erupted, trailing streaks of yellow light that engulfed the human-faced owl. Merging together in midair, these phantoms formed a massive, solid bronze ring that bound tightly around the demon bird's body. The human-faced owl shrieked frantically, but in the short term, it could not break free from the bronze ring's restraint. "Go!" Yunyouzi instantly recalled the Golden Ring Formation, turned, and fled toward the base of the mountain. The others refused to lag behind. Seven streaks of escaping light, varied in hue, moved at roughly the same speed. Because there was sufficient time, Yunyouzi and Luo Xingnan had deliberately paced themselves, and Qin Sang had not brought out his Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman either. The streaks clearly separated into two groups: Shangguan Lifeng and Luo Xingnan flew together, while the scholar in white closely followed Qin Sang's group, clustering around Yunyouzi. Both sides subconsciously opened a gap between them, keeping to themselves. All the way until they arrived back before the restriction, Luo Xingnan made no hostile move. It appeared as though Luo Xingnan had accepted this outcome. At the final moment, they had caught sight of the ferocious form of the human-faced owl pursuing hot on their heels, but the instant they entered the restriction, the piercing shrieks vanished from their ears. The human-faced owl had not followed them in, bringing slight relief to everyone's expressions, though none could let their guard down entirely. Traversing the restriction faster than they had entered, the exit lay just ahead. So long as they crossed the territory of the hook serpents, they could leave this place. Before anyone could find their footing, Luo Xingnan cast them a cold glance. Without a word, he took Shangguan Lifeng and suddenly shot forward in an explosive burst of speed. In that instant, his speed reached its peak. Aside from him, the others were all at the early Foundation Establishment stage; by all conventional logic, no one could possibly outpace him. Luo Xingnan's intentions were plain for all to see: he was copying Yu Kong's stratagem of driving the tiger to devour the wolf! More than half of the hook serpents had been killed or wounded, and one of the king hook serpents lay mortally wounded. If the group cooperated fully, relying on the Golden Ring Formation, it would not be difficult to escape without prematurely alerting the serpents. It could have been a happy conclusion for everyone. Yet Luo Xingnan was clearly not satisfied with obtaining only two spiritual herbs! Unlike Ge Yuan's shock and fury, Qin Sang and Yunyouzi showed not the slightest panic at the sight; instead, they sneered coldly at Luo Xingnan's actions. No matter how fast Luo Xingnan was, could he possibly match Yunyouzi's spirit bamboo flying boat? *Whoosh!* A beam of light shot out from Yunyouzi's palm, swelling upon meeting the wind to reveal the true form of the spirit bamboo flying boat. "Quick—" Yunyouzi and Qin Sang flashed onto the deck. Just as they were about to urge Ge Yuan and the scholar in white to hurry aboard, a familiar piercing shriek suddenly sounded above their heads. Startled, everyone jerked their heads upward. They saw the restriction above churning violently, and from within the barrier, a massive dark shadow was actually forcing its way through! It was none other than the human-faced owl! The human-faced owl squeezed through layer upon layer of the restriction with difficulty. Though its flesh appeared distorted under the barrier's pressure and its cries carried notes of pain, it had sustained no severe injuries. The feathers across its body gleamed brilliantly, shining with a strange luster—it was precisely this luster that protected it from being harmed by the restriction. That the restriction here could not contain the human-faced owl left everyone deeply astounded, but they immediately realized this was very likely an intentional arrangement by the cave abode's master. After all, the human-faced owl was a guardian spirit beast raised by the cave abode's master. Looking down from above, the human-faced owl let out screech after screech. With eyes brimming with earth-shattering killing intent, it glared viciously at Qin Sang and the others—it bore an irreconcilable hatred for the villains who had stolen the herbs and wounded it. And this was not yet the worst of the situation. What caused everyone even greater panic was that, as the owl's piercing shrieks reverberated through the space, the ground began to tremble. In the abyss ahead, a wisp of red mist drifted upward, accompanied by an eerie hissing sound. A sound with which they were all too familiar. Without Luo Xingnan needing to lift a finger, the hook serpents had already been awakened by the human-faced owl!