The sixth-layer cultivator turned his head slightly, eyes flicking toward the only other survivor at the same realm.
"…Join forces," he said quietly. "We take it down together. Split the gains."
The other didn't hesitate. A short nod.
"Agreed."
"Then don't hold back," the first continued, voice hardening. "Activate everything—defensive tools, talismans, barriers. Don't leave a single opening. That unseen accomplice of his is the real threat."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Buzz.
Qi surged.
A translucent, earthen-yellow barrier unfolded around one of them, layered and dense, runes rotating slowly across its surface—a high-tier earth-grade defensive talisman, its power steady and profound.
Beside him, a different shield snapped into place. This one was solid, almost tangible—interlocking plates of condensed qi forming a hovering bulwark etched with ancient patterns.
A defensive spiritual tool.
No—more than that.
The fox froze for half a breath.
Then its eyes lit up.
"Haha!" it laughed, tail swaying despite the tension. "Oh, you two are rich ones!"
It pointed lazily with a claw.
"You—high-tier earth-grade defensive talisman."
Its gaze slid to the other, pupils narrowing, excitement sharpening its grin.
"And you…"
A low whistle.
"…a defensive spiritual tool."
It leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming brighter.
"No—wait."
The fox chuckled, delight written across its features.
"Yours is top-tier."
For the first time since the lightning faded, greed outweighed amusement in its expression.
"Well then," the fox said softly, weapons humming as they lifted around it, "this just turned from a hunt into a harvest."
The fox's smile didn't waver.
But inwardly—
That top-tier barrier…
Its thoughts sharpened, calculations flashing one after another.
Cracking that won't be easy. Not quickly.
It subtly tried to guide the pill again—just a nudge, a lure—
Too late.
Both sixth-layer cultivators moved at the same time.
"Now!"
The one on the left snapped his wrist, talismans fanning out like a deck of cards. Each was etched with dense, overlapping runes—sealing, suppression, severance. Spiritual light flared as he bit his thumb and smeared blood across one.
"Earthbind—Lock!"
The talisman ignited midair, slamming into the ground. Runes spread outward in a web, the earth below the fox rumbling as invisible restraints clawed upward, seeking to seize its movement and disrupt its qi flow.
At the same instant—
The other cultivator hurled down formation flags.
Six of them.
They pierced into the ground in a perfect hexagon, snapping into place with a sharp thrum. Lines of light connected them, rising into the air as a layered formation unfolded.
"Sixfold Suppression Formation," the formation master said coldly. "Activate."
The air thickened.
Pressure crashed down from all directions, space itself feeling heavier, more resistant. Qi circulation slowed, every movement demanding more effort, more control.
The fox's weapons trembled slightly as the formation began interfering with its divine sense.
The talisman master didn't stop.
Another talisman burned.
Then another.
Blades of compressed wind tore through the air, followed by chains of light meant to bind—not kill, but restrict.
"Don't let it move freely!" he barked. "Force it into the formation!"
From within its layered barrier, the fox finally exhaled.
"So that's how you want to play it…"
Its eyes flicked upward—calm, sharp, dangerous.
The fox let out a soft chuckle, voice carrying clearly despite the crushing pressure of the formation.
"I honestly thought you'd wait," it said lightly, eyes flicking between the two.
"Watch as I killed one of you… then decide whether to run or finish off the last."
Its smile widened, sharp and knowing.
"But working together? Smart choice."
A pause.
"…Just a bit too late."
With a casual flick of its wrist, the fox tossed a pill toward the formation master, the small object spinning lazily through the air, glinting under moonlight.
The formation master's pupils shrank.
A pill—?
At that exact instant—
BOOM.
Something invisible slammed into his barrier.
Sparks exploded outward as the air itself tore, the impact ringing like metal struck by a hammer. The formation master staggered half a step, breath hitching in surprise.
"What—?!"
For a single, fragile moment, his focus fractured.
And formations did not forgive lapses.
The glowing lines connecting the flags flickered.
Just once.
That was all the fox needed.
Its eyes flashed.
A jade-green blade screamed through the air, moving not with speed—but certainty. It slipped through the brief instability like a knife through silk and cleaved straight through one of the formation flags.
CRACK—!
The flag shattered, runes exploding into fragments of light.
The formation howled as feedback tore through it.
Lines of light snapped, pressure imploded inward, and the entire structure collapsed violently, a shockwave blasting outward as the remaining flags were ripped from the ground and sent spinning uselessly into the forest.
The formation master coughed blood, thrown backward, his barrier dimming as backlash ravaged his meridians.
The fox floated there, suddenly unburdened, all pressure gone.
It tilted its head slightly, looking almost… disappointed.
"Formations are delicate things," it said calmly.
"You really shouldn't blink while maintaining one."
Behind the formation master, water rippled.
Something unseen shifted its weight.
And the fox's smile returned—slow, predatory.
"Now," it continued, eyes sliding back to the talisman master,
"shall we talk about who goes first?"