Ambush

"I left a hidden restriction at the entrance. It's been tripped," Yunyouzi said softly. "Unlike the human cultivation world, demon cultivators below the Transformation stage need Emperor Flowing Dew to fully awaken their sapience. "In the Heavenly Demon Mound, Emperor Flowing Dew is held in the hands of the demon kings, so those Demon Core stage demon cultivators who have awakened sapience are basically under their command. Very few are like human cultivators, where rogue cultivators can exist even at the Core Formation stage. "This demon cultivator is very likely a confidant of a demon king and followed them into the Inner Hall, which is why he was able to arrive so quickly. "The sneak attack by the Sin Abyss has had too great an impact. Turmoil is about to engulf the three domains, and the Heavenly Demon Mound can no longer remain aloof. Those demon kings must have wanted to reach Heavenly Mountain as early as possible to seize more treasures, so they didn't linger in the Outer Hall..." The sneak attack by the Sin Abyss had presented them with an opportunity, but it had brought variables as well. Qin Sang looked up at the cliff top, his eyes turning cold. He retrieved a Xutian Thunder from his iron thumb ring, but Yunyouzi gripped his arm to stop him. Yunyouzi shook his head gently and said in a low voice, "We don't know this demon's strength yet, nor how many have arrived. This isn't the place to fight. I need to leave a hidden mark first to scout out his cultivation before we decide." With that, Yunyouzi glanced around and suddenly dove into the deep pool. The waters of the deep pool parted before him automatically. His movements were extremely careful to prevent any lingering aura. They had acted this way throughout their journey, guarding against precisely this kind of situation long beforehand by cleansing away all traces of their scent and aura, unconcerned about being tracked by any demon cultivator entering behind them. Yunyouzi remained in the deep pool for a moment before parting the waters to emerge, having left behind some unknown hidden measure. "Let's break the restriction!" Yunyouzi said, "We can't afford to hesitate from here on. We must advance at top speed. If this demon's cultivation is formidable, it's still unknown how much use the Xutian Thunder and Flying Yaksha will be. The blast radius of the Xutian Thunder is too small, and the Flying Yaksha's strength is limited. We might need to make use of an ancient restriction to scare him off." Qin Sang knew Yunyouzi was right. Although these methods of his could indeed pose a threat to a Demon Core stage demon cultivator, they carried severe limitations and required careful planning to be effective. His understanding of the ancient medicinal garden and ancient restrictions was far inferior to Yunyouzi's, so he followed Yunyouzi's lead implicitly. The Flying Yaksha opened a pathway, and without pausing, Qin Sang and Yunyouzi immediately leaped through. With ancient restrictions barring the path ahead and pursuers at their back, Qin Sang and Yunyouzi moved even faster than before, not daring to stop. They broke through layer after layer of ancient restrictions at their quickest pace, delving ever deeper into the ancient medicinal garden. They still headed straight for the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit without yielding their course or evading. Not to mention the unknown dangers lurking in the restrictions elsewhere, there was only a single Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit. Evading would be tantamount to handing it over on a silver platter. After breaking through four ancient restrictions in succession, they arrived on a ridge covered with wild flowers. Yunyouzi came to a halt. Suddenly smiling faintly, he said in a relaxed tone, "It's a golden eagle demon beast. If I remember correctly, its cultivation is only in the early Demon Core stage, and it's wounded. Nothing to worry about!" Qin Sang did not dare let down his guard and quickly asked, "Only one golden eagle demon?" "Indeed," Yunyouzi nodded. "It was far too chaotic during the Sin Abyss's ambush, and Brother Qin wasn't in the formation, so you surely didn't notice. When the Sin Abyss departed, they shattered a corner of the Lesser Beichen Star Element Formation, which happened to be where the demon cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Mound were stationed. The demon cultivators suffered heavy casualties, and every survivor was injured. I remember this golden eagle demon beast. Its cultivation is limited, so we won't even need your Xutian Thunder. In a moment, we can easily trap it using the power of an ancient restriction." Right then, the two conferred briefly before continuing forward. ... The ancient medicinal garden spanned a vast expanse, containing many large spatial pockets sealed off by layers of ancient restrictions. Mountain ranges undulated, lush and green with vegetation. It was a scene teeming with vitality. Suddenly, a piercing eagle's cry rang through the air, immediately followed by the startling appearance of a streak of golden lightning. In an instant, the golden lightning flashed across several mountain peaks and abruptly landed upon a protruding boulder, revealing its true form—a golden eagle! The golden eagle folded its wings. It was extraordinarily magnificent, with fierce, piercing eyes and golden plumage that gleamed over its entire body as though coated in gilt. Yet it was not as colossal as ordinary golden eagles, whose adult wingspans could reach over a dozen zhang. With its wings spread, it was roughly the size of a human body. Nonetheless, the eagle's aura was exceedingly powerful, and its eyes were exceptionally lively, sparkling with the light of wisdom that no ordinary beast could possess. Perched upon the rock, it stared intently at the mountain ravine ahead. A moment later, a strange glint surfaced in the depths of the golden eagle's eyes. Opening its beak, it spat out a bolt of lightning. Thunder reverberated across the mountains. This was true lightning, condensed from the eagle's demonic power—terrifyingly potent and unimaginably swift. To its surprise, when this bolt of lightning fell above the ravine, it met an obstruction. *Boom!* An Eight Trigrams pattern manifested amid a resounding boom, clearly an embodiment of the ancient restriction's power. The golden lightning struck dead center against the Eight Trigrams pattern, yet failed to shake it in the slightest before dissipating. The next moment, an abrupt change occurred! The Eight Trigrams diagram suddenly spun at blinding speed. A pinpoint of golden light flashed at its center, immediately shooting out an identical bolt of lightning straight back at the golden eagle. The ancient restriction had actually reflected the golden lightning, and its power was double what it had been before! A flicker of disdain crossed the golden eagle's eyes. With a single flap of its wings, it shattered the lightning. Then, with a shake of its body, countless feathers detached from its frame and shot forth like volleys of sharp arrows. In an instant, an overwhelming barrage of golden light engulfed the Eight Trigrams diagram. With a crisp crack, a tiny fissure split open across the Eight Trigrams diagram, and an instant later, a speck of golden light seized the opportunity to slip through. Immense pressure still lingered within the gap of the Eight Trigrams diagram. Its muscles and bones throbbing with pain under the squeeze, the golden eagle braved the pressure and forced its way through. Unexpectedly, the moment its head emerged on the other side of the ancient restriction, a beam of white light suddenly plummeted from the heavens. The white light looked gentle, carrying no terrifying aura. Yet for some reason, the golden eagle felt a chilling, heart-palpitating sensation from within it. At this moment, half of the golden eagle's body was still trapped in the ancient restriction. It had never expected to encounter an ambush here. With a startled screech, the golden eagle reacted with extreme speed, spitting out a bolt of lightning from its beak while its physical body, as though released from some seal, swelled rapidly in size. Its bones creaked and ground under the strain. As its size skyrocketed, a wound exposed at the base of its left wing ruptured once more, spurting a spray of fresh blood as the reek of copper filled the air. This was an old wound, ripped open again under the crushing pressure of the ancient restriction. The injury on its body had been left by the shrapnel when the Lesser Beichen Star Element Formation shattered, an injury so severe it had nearly claimed its life. Swallowing numerous spirit pills had proved useless, and it had only improved after seeking the aid of a demon king. Now, this internal trauma was worsening again. Screeching loudly, the golden eagle fell into a furious rage. Ignoring the flare-up of its wound, it snapped its wings wide, forcibly tearing open the fissure in the ancient restriction with the sheer physical strength of its flesh. In an instant, the golden eagle tore itself free from the ancient restriction.