As Wang Teng’s voice fell, more than a dozen Boulder Demon Apes, led by the disciples of Duanjin Academy, ran toward Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing.

Ye Qingchen watched the approaching apes, and his pupils contracted unconsciously.

When the Boulder Demon Apes arrived at the battlefield, they first looked at the corpse of the Boulder Demon Ape King on the ground, hesitating for a moment. Then, they smelled the blood of their king on Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing and began to attack them in a frenzy. Meanwhile, the disciples of Duanjin Academy seized the opportunity to quickly disengage from the battle and gather by Wang Teng’s side.

Ye Qingchen knew that facing so many Boulder Demon Apes would be a bitter fight, especially with Wang Teng and his group watching greedily from the sidelines. Although the academy’s rules forbade disciples from harming each other, it was clear that Wang Teng’s group intended to divert this calamity, using the Boulder Demon Apes to kill him. With this in mind, Ye Qingchen grabbed Zi Xing’s hand, intending to use the Fire Spirit Charm Shadow to escape.

But just at that moment, a burst of colorful light suddenly appeared around them. A formation woven from nature’s spiritual energy blocked their path.

A Fourth-Rank Trapping Formation? Ye Qingchen frowned, not expecting that a formation had already been set up here.

"Ye Qingchen, this is a points feast specially prepared for you by our Young Master Wang. Isn’t it a bit rude of you to leave just like that?" Feng Yuan appeared before Ye Qingchen with a cold sneer, taunting him.

It turned out that, following Wang Teng’s arrangement, Feng Yuan had been hiding nearby and secretly setting up the trapping formation. After entering Duanjin Academy, Feng Yuan had received guidance from a master and had become a Fourth-Rank Array Master. All the while, Ye Qingchen had been completely preoccupied with fighting the Boulder Demon Ape King and had failed to notice Feng Yuan’s subtle movements. After secretly setting up the Fourth-Rank trapping formation, Feng Yuan had signaled the other Duanjin Academy disciples. Those disciples, also acting under Wang Teng’s orders, had located other Boulder Demon Apes in the area. Upon receiving Feng Yuan’s signal, they led the apes toward Ye Qingchen’s location. Once the Duanjin Academy disciples were clear of the formation’s range, Feng Yuan activated it, intending to trap Ye Qingchen and prevent his escape.

Having done all this, Feng Yuan approached Wang Teng’s side. Eager for credit, he reported, "Young Master Wang, everything you asked for has been taken care of."

Wang Teng nodded. "Well done. You will control the formation. The rest of you brothers, rush in to snatch the points the moment you see a Boulder Demon Ape about to be killed."

"Alright!" the disciples of Duanjin Academy shouted in unison, their faces filled with excitement.

Wang Teng watched Ye Qingchen with a cold smile and said, "This fellow thinks too highly of himself. We’ll just keep attracting more Spirit Beasts to exhaust him while we sit back and rake in the points. Let’s see how long he can last!"

A disciple of Duanjin Academy voiced his concern. "But Young Master Wang, that guy is only at the fourth level of the Martial King Realm. I’m afraid he won’t last long, will he?"

Feng Yuan shot the disciple a disdainful glance and retorted, "What does it matter to us whether he can hold out? It would be for the best if he dies at the hands of those Spirit Beasts!"

"True!" Wang Teng’s gaze fell upon Zi Xing, his eyes filled with undisguised possessiveness. "However, Zi Xing cannot die. It would be an unforgivable waste for such a beauty to die here."

Zi Xing’s allure far surpassed that of even the most beautiful maidens of the Wang Family. If he could make her his woman and bring her back to the Wang Family, the prestige would be immense. Wang Teng’s words provoked a round of hearty laughter from the crowd.

Inside the formation, confronted by the obstruction of the Fourth-Rank trapping formation, Ye Qingchen drew upon his knowledge of formations and hastily activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul, searching for a weak point. However, the Boulder Demon Apes had already surrounded them, leaving him no time to carefully observe the formation and figure out how to break it.

Zi Xing was overcome with anxiety, but she refrained from disturbing Ye Qingchen. Instead, she raised her longsword and did her best to block the Boulder Demon Apes’ attacks.

Ye Qingchen sighed. He knew that if he didn’t deal with these Boulder Demon Apes first, breaking the formation would be impossible. Reluctantly, he gave up on examining the formation and joined Zi Xing in the fray.

Facing the onslaught of so many Boulder Demon Apes, combined with the restrictions of the trapping formation, the effectiveness of his Fire Spirit Charm Shadow was almost negligible. Ye Qingchen was holding up, but Zi Xing, having already unleashed her potential earlier, was showing signs of exhaustion and found her strength failing her against the siege. Ye Qingchen knew he had to go all out now; otherwise, the situation would only grow more perilous.

With this thought, Ye Qingchen sent a sound transmission to Zi Xing, "Senior Sister Zi Xing, those people aren’t leaving because they plan to reap the rewards of our labor. Points don’t matter anymore. For now, just focus on dodging the Boulder Demon Apes’ attacks. I’ll try to injure a few of them. If I’m not mistaken, when those people see an injured ape, they’ll rush in to steal the kill. That will be our chance to break free from this predicament."

Zi Xing nodded. At this point, she had no choice but to trust Ye Qingchen’s plan.

After speaking, Ye Qingchen immediately used his Fire Spirit Charm Shadow, materializing an afterimage in his place. He then unleashed the full power of his Shadow-extinction Sword Technique. Although the Boulder Demon Apes possessed intelligence comparable to humans, the sight of their king slain by a human had driven them into a temporary frenzy. When the afterimage appeared, they failed to notice anything amiss and continued their attack on it.

Seizing this opportunity, Ye Qingchen deployed his Shadow-extinction Sword Technique. A hidden wave of Sword Qi swirled behind one of the Boulder Demon Apes and struck heavily toward its back.

Hmm? That brat’s movement technique and swordsmanship...

Wang Teng had naturally witnessed the exchange. The combat power Ye Qingchen had just displayed far exceeded his expectations. But seeing a Boulder Demon Ape on its last breath, he simply waved his hand at his subordinates. A disciple from Duanjin Academy immediately charged into the formation, slashing his blade at the injured ape.

DING!

The already dying Boulder Demon Ape collapsed. With a flash of white light, the points were absorbed by the Duanjin Academy disciple’s token. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Damn it! How shameless!" Watching this unfold, Zi Xing stomped her foot in anger, her pretty face turning ice-cold.

Ye Qingchen had anticipated this. When the Boulder Demon Ape was killed and its points were stolen, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he became even calmer. At a time like this, anger would solve nothing. It would only cloud his judgment and potentially lead to a fatal mistake. The more critical the situation, the more crucial it was to remain calm to find a way out.

Without pausing, Ye Qingchen changed direction and went after another Boulder Demon Ape that was charging toward them. After succeeding, the Duanjin Academy disciple was let out of the trapping formation by Feng Yuan.

Following the same method, Ye Qingchen steadily injured one Boulder Demon Ape after another. As expected, each one was finished off by a disciple from Duanjin Academy. As the number of apes inside the formation dwindled, the pressure on Zi Xing lessened considerably. At Ye Qingchen’s signal, she rejoined the battle.

With his own pressure greatly reduced, Ye Qingchen attacked until only three Boulder Demon Apes remained. Then, he stopped using the Shadow-extinction Sword Technique. The continuous use of the technique was incredibly draining. With only three apes left, it was the perfect opportunity to recover his Spiritual Power and stamina.

Besides, by no longer using the Shadow-extinction Sword Technique, Ye Qingchen had another goal: to deceive Wang Teng, Feng Yuan, and the others. He wanted them to believe he was exhausted and no longer capable of using his powerful Martial Techniques.