Chapter 3397: Plotting

Judging by its aura, it was clearly a mid-grade, seventh-tier creature.

The golden giant ape was about to attack the Tiger Phoenix Butterfly when a powerful spatial force immobilized it, rendering it completely unable to move.

The Tiger Phoenix Butterfly gently flapped its wings, causing ripples in the void. A large void, several zhang wide, appeared, with fierce winds swirling. A powerful suction force emerged, pulling the golden giant ape uncontrollably into the void, where it was instantly torn into a pile of scrap metal.

The Tiger Phoenix Butterfly gently flapped its wings and flew back to its nest.

"After all this time, it can't still be mid-grade!" the red-robed elder said, puzzled.

"That's about right. The first time I discovered it was over twenty thousand years ago. This Tiger Phoenix Butterfly must be a descendant of the one I found! Even if it's still a mid-grade, seventh-tier creature, it shouldn't be underestimated," True Monarch Jinhong analyzed.

"Ordinary formations can't trap it; we can only distract it. I'll go distract it, and you two can break the restriction," the red-robed elder suggested.

The Tiger Phoenix Butterfly was proficient in spatial abilities, so ordinary formations couldn't trap it. If True Monarch Jinhong were to distract the Tiger Phoenix Butterfly, he would definitely refuse. The young woman in the green dress was only at the early Fusion stage; she'd likely be killed by the Tiger Phoenix Butterfly in a single encounter. Therefore, only the red-robed elder could go distract it.

True Monarch Jinhong nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he frowned and lightly pointed his right hand towards the void behind him. A golden light shot out, heading directly towards a certain spot in the void.

A whooshing sound filled the air as a huge, yellow-painted fist flashed out, shattering the golden light and heading straight for them.

"Who's there!"

The red-robed elder's expression darkened. He slapped his right hand towards the void, and countless red flames materialized, meeting the incoming attack. With a tremendous roar, both attacks canceled each other out, sending waves of air rolling.

Two men and one woman appeared. They were quite large in stature, clearly barbarians: two were at the mid-Fusion stage, and one was at the early Fusion stage. Leading them was a burly man in yellow, with a full beard and bulging muscles. This was Zhe Lei, a mid-Fusion stage cultivator.

"Barbarians!" The red-robed elder's expression darkened.

Thousands of zhang underground, a centipede puppet remained motionless. Wang Zongque held a green spherical bead in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed.

"When did the barbarians start following us? I didn't even notice," Wang Zongque said with a frown.

The ground began to shake violently, as the barbarian and human cultivators had engaged in battle.

"Zongque, can we get through?" Wang Yi'er asked.

"No, I've tried. The restriction is blocking it. Otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to go through the ground," Wang Zongque shook his head and said.

"No matter what, we are enemies with the barbarians. Let's help them out! This way, it'll be easier to ask them their purpose," Wang Rumeng suggested. They had no grievances with these three Fusion-stage cultivators, so helping them wouldn't hurt. She didn't know that one of them was True Monarch Jinhong; otherwise, she wouldn't have said that.

"Wait, one person stood by, doing nothing, and two human Fusion-stage cultivators were killed." Wang Zongque's expression darkened.

On the ground, the red-robed elder and the young woman in the green dress lay motionless, their faces filled with disbelief. True Monarch Jinhong was unharmed. Zhe Lei's expression was strange; he hadn't expected True Monarch Jinhong to stand by and do nothing.

"You're not human?" Zhe Lei asked, puzzled.

"I am, but I'm not with them," True Monarch Jinhong honestly admitted. It was three against three, and they were no match for the barbarian cultivators. Since that was the case, it was better to cooperate with the barbarians. Anyway, he hadn't attacked them, so it wasn't a breach of his oath.

"What are you doing here? Answer honestly, or don't blame us for being impolite," a slender young woman in a green dress pressed.

True Monarch Jinhong didn't conceal anything and briefly explained what had happened. He wanted to live, so he could only tell the truth.

"Nine Nether Moon Lotus!" Zhe Lei's eyes lit up. This was a spiritual item that could assist Fusion-stage cultivators in breaking through to the Mahayana stage, and they had actually stumbled upon it.

"Exactly. To get the Nine Nether Moon Lotus, we first need to distract the Tiger Phoenix Butterfly. One of you can distract the Tiger Phoenix Butterfly, and the other two and I will go pick the Nine Nether Moon Lotus. Without me, it will be very difficult for you to pass through the restriction. If you don't believe me, you can try. You can also try soul-searching me; I have a way to self-destruct before you can do that. If you don't believe me, you can try," True Monarch Jinhong said slowly.

"You're not their companion! Honestly explain your origins," Zhe Lei said in an undeniable tone.

"I am True Monarch Jinhong. They are indeed not my companions; I simply met them on the way and was coerced by them. I can't acquire the Nine Nether Moon Lotus alone. Since I've encountered you, and they are no match for you, I'll cooperate with you to eliminate them. Doesn't that show sincerity?" True Monarch Jinhong did not tell the truth.

"As a fellow human, you just watched them die?" Zhe Lei was incredulous.

"For me, acquiring the Nine Nether Moon Lotus is paramount; everything else is secondary. Let's stop with the nonsense; are you in or not?" True Monarch Jinhong said gravely.

Zhe Lei and the other two communicated telepathically and agreed. The young woman in the green dress went to distract the Tiger Phoenix Butterfly, while Zhe Lei and the other two picked the Nine Nether Moon Lotus.

Zhe Lei and the other two cast spells to hide themselves. The young woman in the green dress brought out a shimmering green banner, releasing a large expanse of green flames that shot towards the canyon. With a tremendous roar, the canyon was engulfed in green flames, with fire soaring into the sky.

The void rippled, and the Tiger Phoenix Butterfly flew out from it. The young woman in the green dress reacted quickly, waving the green short ruler in her hand, which transformed into specks of green light and vanished. The Tiger Phoenix Butterfly gently flapped its wings, burrowing into the void and disappearing.

The canyon was engulfed in green flames, as two tiny white spheres flew out from underground outside the valley and entered it. A scream came from high above. The young woman in the green dress was sucked into a void several zhang wide, where she was annihilated by a powerful spatial force. Her body transformed into a shimmering green sphere, which then shattered.

A green light illuminated the void a hundred li away, revealing the figure of the young woman in the green dress, her eyes filled with terror. She transformed into a long green rainbow and sped away with great speed. The Tiger Phoenix Butterfly gently flapped its wings, burrowing into the void and disappearing.

Dozens of li away, Zhe Lei and the other two lay behind a large yellow boulder, their expressions varied.

"A mid-grade, seventh-tier Tiger Phoenix Butterfly is already so troublesome. If we encounter a high-grade, seventh-tier one, we won't even be able to escape!" a burly man in a green shirt said with a frown.

"Let's go, quickly cross the valley. Hopefully, there isn't a second Tiger Phoenix Butterfly," Zhe Lei urged. The burly man in the green shirt flew to the entrance of the canyon. He shook his sleeve, and a gust of green wind swept past, causing the flames to flicker wildly and then extinguish. He cast a defense on himself and carefully entered the valley. Not finding a second Tiger Phoenix Butterfly, he let out a sigh of relief, took out his communication disk, and contacted Zhe Lei, telling them to come over.

Zhe Lei and True Monarch Jinhong flew into the valley. Since the burly man in the green shirt had confirmed there was no second Tiger Phoenix Butterfly, they didn't bother casting defenses on themselves; it wasn't necessary. If there really were a second Tiger Phoenix Butterfly, defenses would be useless, as its spatial power could annihilate them. Zhe Lei, in particular, could withstand even mid-grade Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasures; as long as there wasn't a seventh-tier Tiger Phoenix Butterfly, nothing else could threaten him.

The three of them quickly passed through the canyon. A desolate open area appeared before them, with a high peak visible in the distance.

"Once we cross this open area, we'll reach our destination," True Monarch Jinhong said excitedly. Back then, he had chased Wang Changsheng, intending to seize the Soul Shaking Gong to deal with the Tiger Phoenix Butterfly. Without the Tiger Phoenix Butterfly, the restriction wouldn't stop them; it would just be a bit troublesome.

The burly man in the green shirt released a completely green leopard. The green leopard dashed forward. Thunder roared from high above as a thick gray lightning bolt descended from the sky, striking the green leopard. Simultaneously, a surge of gray flames erupted from the ground, heading straight for the green leopard.