The Demonic Cultivator In Zombie World
Chapter 374: Put on a Show of Weakness

Ximen Changqing smiled. "Fellow Daoist Xiao, your move was brilliant! Qiu Wanhong took her people directly to find Chu Xuan. She never expected we would turn back halfway and return to the Cold Ironwood Forest."

Xiao Xian laughed heartily. "Qiu Wanhong isn't stupid, just blinded by her rage. She couldn't see through it in the heat of the moment. We'll quickly take over this Cold Ironwood Forest, and from now on, it will be ours!"

Ximen Changqing added, "But there's a formation set up by Qiu Wanhong in this place. And there are still quite a few Crazy Dragon Valley's Foundation Establishment cultivators inside."

Xiao Xian waved his hand dismissively. "What Foundation Establishment cultivators? When we entered, there weren't any. They've probably perished under the attack of the ancient beasts by now."

Ximen Changqing nodded with a smile. "I see."

Xiao Xian approached the entrance of the forest, calling out anxiously, "Fellow Daoist Qiu has been in a deadlock with that demonic cultivator. She was almost seriously injured, so she asked me to bring more puppet beasts to her! Do you have any spare puppet beasts?"

At once, a dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators rushed out in a panic. These Foundation Establishment cultivators had come to the extraterritorial battlefield mostly to do hard labor. If they wanted to survive, they could only rely on Nascent Soul cultivators for protection. If anything happened to Qiu Wanhong, they wouldn't survive either. The leader of the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators bowed respectfully to Xiao Xian.

"Senior Xiao, we still have some puppet beasts left from Qiu Master. We will give them all to you."

Saying this, he took out a storage bag, ready to hand it over.

Xiao Xian smiled and took the bag, but then asked casually, "Are there any cultivators left in the forest?"

The Foundation Establishment cultivator was puzzled but didn't ask further. He simply shook his head. "Everyone is here."

Xiao Xian nodded with a smile. "Good, good."

With a casual flick of his hand, a magic tool sliced through the air, instantly cleaving the Foundation Establishment cultivator in front of him into two halves. Ximen Changqing sighed quietly but also had to act.

In the blink of an eye, all the Crazy Dragon Valley Foundation Establishment cultivators had fallen in a pool of blood. Before long, the Nether Crocodiles, drawn by the scent of blood, swarmed the area. In less than a quarter of an hour, the Cold Ironwood Forest was in new hands.

...

Meanwhile, Qiu Wanhong still had no idea what had transpired in the forest. She had already led four Nascent Soul cultivators from Crazy Dragon Valley and arrived outside the great spirit stone mine. Standing on the hill, she could see the situation at the mine. She planned to wait for Xiao Xian and the others to arrive.

However, after waiting for a long time, no one showed up. A sense of unease began to rise in Qiu Wanhong's heart. Her previous rage-induced fog had cleared, and now she realized something was wrong.

"Something's wrong… we've fallen for Xiao Xian's trap!"

Qiu Wanhong ground her teeth in fury. She should have realized earlier that Xiao Xian had never intended to help her. The Nascent Soul cultivators from Crazy Dragon Valley looked at each other with urgency.

"What should we do now? Should we return to the forest?" one asked.

Qiu Wanhong glanced at the great spirit stone mine. "No," she said, her voice firm. "If we try to go back now, we'll be intercepted by Xiao Xian and the others. Time will only drag us deeper into the trap. We'll be surrounded by the Nether Crocodiles and other ancient beasts. We have no choice but to move forward. We must seize the great spirit stone mine!"

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"Yes!" the other cultivators responded, nodding in agreement.

Qiu Wanhong growled, her voice like a battle cry, "Follow me and charge! Let's avenge Junior Brother Long!"

With a sweep of her hand, several Nascent Soul early-stage puppets and dozens of Golden Core late-stage puppets materialized around her. Although her own cultivation had slightly declined, putting her at the level of a Nascent Soul first-layer cultivator, she was confident that with so many puppets, she could still take the mine.

Whether Xiao Xian was involved or not didn't matter. The difference lay only in the casualties. She glanced at her junior brothers and sisters, stepping back a half-step. A cold, detached thought crossed her mind—perhaps higher casualties wouldn't be a bad thing after all.

Suddenly, a blazing fiery shield rose up, enveloping the entire great spirit stone mine like an inverted giant bowl.

"An array this large?!" The Nascent Soul cultivators from Crazy Dragon Valley were taken aback.

Such a massive Nascent Soul-level formation would consume a vast amount of spirit stones, even without being activated!

"This formation is called the Eight-Directions Burning Fire Array," Qiu Wanhong said, her sharp eyes recognizing it at once. "Though it combines both offense and defense, its defensive power is weaker compared to other Nascent Soul-level formations. However, the spirit stones required for it are far greater."

Qiu Wanhong had lived long enough to recognize the array. She bellowed, "Kill! Even if he controls this mine, the amount of spirit stones he has won't last long! This formation can't be sustained forever!"

She quickly cast a spell, sending a surge of golden dragon energy crashing into the fiery shield. Her four Nascent Soul companions immediately followed suit, unleashing their own spells. The puppet beasts, relentless in their attacks, hammered at the formation without pause. The fiery shield rippled violently under their onslaught. After an hour of intense assault, the shield finally began to flicker and dim, gradually fading until it was completely gone.

Just as Qiu Wanhong was about to give the order for her juniors to charge forward, a sudden cry sounded from behind. She turned to look. To her surprise, two figures emerged from the darkness, drawing closer.

"It's Shang Xingchen from the Heavenly Infinite Sect," she muttered. "I recognize him. He was on the Reincarnation Divine Sect's bounty list! The other one must be Wei Ji! These two are here to help Chu Xuan!"

Her expression darkened, eyes flashing with fury. "Leave these two to you," she commanded her companions. "I'll deal with Chu Xuan!"

"Understood!" her subordinates responded quickly.

The four Nascent Soul cultivators from Crazy Dragon Valley immediately charged toward Shang Xingchen and Wei Ji, their movements swift and calculated.

Qiu Wanhong, with a wave of her hand, summoned all her puppets and stormed into the great spirit stone mine.

Shang Xingchen couldn't help but shake his head.

Wei Ji whispered, "Shouldn't we lend a hand to Fellow Daoist Chu?"

Shang Xingchen smiled lightly. "No need. He's just playing a part."

Wei Ji blinked in confusion. "Playing a part?"

Shang Xingchen chuckled softly. "You still don't quite understand Chu Xuan. If he wasn't pretending to be weak, do you think Qiu Wanhong would charge into the mine?"

Wei Ji's spine instantly stiffened.

"Good lord. That's so ruthless!" he thought, his admiration growing.

...

Inside the great spirit stone mine, it was pitch black. Only the faint glow from sporadically glowing ores on the walls provided slight illumination, casting long shadows that stretched across the winding corridors.

The rock formations in the Heavenly Metal Battlefield had been solidified over hundreds of thousands of years, making them incredibly tough and dense. Even Nascent Soul cultivators found it hard to penetrate with their spiritual sense—the detection range was severely suppressed in this environment.

In the mine, this problem was even more pronounced.

Qiu Wanhong walked cautiously through the labyrinthine tunnels, suddenly feeling like a blind and deaf mortal. Danger seemed to lurk in every direction. She regretted her decision to venture into the tunnels alone. But there was no turning back now. If she couldn't seize the great spirit stone mine, she'd have no way to return to the Cold Ironwood Forest. It was now a fight to the death.

"Devil, show yourself!" Qiu Wanhong hissed, her voice cold and venomous. She quickly performed a sealing gesture, causing two small shields to appear beside her, ever vigilant for any strange movement.

Just then, a mocking laugh echoed through the corridor ahead.

"Come out because you tell me to? Wouldn't that be terribly embarrassing for me?"

A shadow flashed quickly past her, almost too fast to track.

Without hesitation, Qiu Wanhong quickened her pace, charging toward the sound. She sent a powerful spell hurtling forward, yet when she reached the spot, there was nothing.

The passage was empty, silent.