With a furious shout, the gaunt man skilled in spellcraft rapidly changed the seals in his hands. One exquisite spell after another shot out from his fingertips. The burly man charged forward like rolling thunder, his aura fierce and oppressive. The slender woman's figure flickered in and out of sight like a ghost.

In an instant, the three formed an encirclement, pouncing towards the Sect Master and Leaf Gray.

The Sect Master flipped his palm, and several small flags appeared out of thin air. "Go," he uttered in a low voice.

The small flags flew in all directions, vanishing into the void.

"Rise!" the Sect Master shouted again, the spiritual power around him surging violently. Instantly, a transparent, semicircular light curtain enveloped the main hall. Mysterious Spirit Patterns flowed and swam across its surface.

The spells cast by the gaunt man slammed into the light curtain, causing ripples to spread across it. The burly man's body crashed against it, immediately shattering several of the Spirit Patterns. The flickering figure of the woman also became visible; her face and hands were covered in strange, painted patterns that obscured her original features, making her appear ghost-like. She held a dagger, flexible as a spiritual snake, and with a fierce slash, even more Spirit Patterns shattered.

"An array formation!" The gaunt man's eyes narrowed. The intelligence reports had not mentioned Arthur Lockridge being proficient in array formations, but judging by his speed in setting it up, he had undoubtedly mastered the essence of the Array Path.

"Three breaths!" the burly man roared, meaning they could break the formation within three breaths.

After all, this was a defensive array hastily set up by the Sect Master. Being able to block three cultivators of similar cultivation for three breaths was already a remarkable achievement.

As he spoke, the burly man sank his Qi into his Dantian and slowly threw a punch. It seemed extremely slow, but as his fist moved forward, his arm continuously swelled and thickened.

Inside the array formation, the Sect Master paid no attention to the three outside. Instead, he grabbed Leaf Gray and moved to the center of the dilapidated hall. There stood a crystal-like pillar, about the height of a person and the thickness of a bucket.

"Put your hand on it and channel your spiritual power!" the Sect Master commanded in a low voice.

Although Leaf Gray didn't know the purpose, he understood that the Sect Master wouldn't harm him. He quickly did as instructed. The moment his palm covered the crystal pillar and he channeled his spiritual power, the figure of the Sect Master standing before him began to blur.

He couldn't help but feel a sensation of growing increasingly distant from this world.

"Once you're inside, find a place to hide immediately. You must survive! And also... never tell anyone you are a disciple of The Vermilion Guild!" The Sect Master looked at him, his eyes filled with a look of guilt.

Leaf Gray opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't hear his own voice. The Sect Master's figure before him grew increasingly blurry, and along with it, the entire world began to fade.

When he regained his senses, the Sect Master was gone, and even his location had changed.

Crack...

The array formation shattered. The moment the burly man broke the formation, he charged with full momentum towards the Sect Master and threw a punch, thinking to himself, "Got him!"

In the next instant, a violent wave of air swept through, reducing the already dilapidated hall to ruins, with only the crystal pillar remaining unscathed.

The burly man's eyes abruptly constricted. He stared at the Sect Master, whose upper garment had burst apart, revealing clearly defined muscles, and who had caught his fist single-handedly. The corner of his eye twitched violently. "How is this possible?"

It was widely known that The Vermilion Guild's Arthur Lockridge followed the path of a Spell Cultivator. But looking at him now, how could this be a Spell Cultivator? This was clearly a Body Cultivator!

Moreover, the cultivation level Arthur Lockridge was displaying now was far from what the intelligence reports had suggested.

"The mission has failed! The intelligence was wrong! Retreat!" the gaunt man skilled in magic arts shouted loudly.

The slender woman, who had already pounced near the Sect Master, didn't hesitate in the slightest. Her figure rapidly retreated. The mission target was already gone; continuing a life-and-death fight with Arthur Lockridge was clearly not worthwhile.

Crack!

Accompanied by a muffled groan, several bones in the fist held by the Sect Master were crushed. The burly man was tough, actually not crying out in pain. However, in the next moment, a fist came at him from an unexpected angle, smashing hard into his chin.

The burly man soared into the air, stars flashing before his eyes.

"How dare you provoke the tiger and expect to leave unscathed?" The Sect Master's eyelids lowered slightly. As he finished speaking, he was already in midair, delivering a powerful side kick.

With a thud, the slender woman, who had already concealed her figure and was fleeing into the distance, was kicked out of her stealth. She screamed as she plummeted towards a mountain peak below.

The Sect Master raised his hand again, and a rope-like treasure shot out, winding towards the gaunt man.

******

A short while earlier.

On the Flying Dragon Ship, inside a cabin, Leo Sterling sat upright. Kneeling before him was a chubby figure—Morgan Sterling. This guy was pinching his own ears with both hands, wearing an expression of pitiful misery.

Leo Sterling slammed the table, furious. "You wretched brat! Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Morgan Sterling said aggrievedly, "I only gave that Oneleaf Gray a little guidance so he'd choose Elder Lockridge's The Vermilion Guild."

"Then do you know this violates the Alliance rules?" Leo Sterling grew even angrier.

When Morgan Sterling had advised Leaf Gray and Dawn Fielding, he hadn't avoided others. Although no one else knew what they were talking about, many people had seen them together.

After investigation, it was easy to trace the incident back to Morgan Sterling.

Over the years, Elder Lockridge had undertaken many missions with The Firmament Palace, rescuing many enslaved people. But among those rescued who possessed cultivation aptitude and talent, very few ultimately chose The Vermilion Guild when selecting a sect, let alone choosing it exclusively.

This time, there was actually an exception.

Leo Sterling felt something was amiss, wondering if someone had secretly advised them. Upon investigation, it turned out it was his own family member.

"What do we do now? Should you deal with me according to the Alliance rules, Uncle?" Morgan Sterling looked at Leo Sterling, his small eyes blinking.

"You wretched brat! If it weren't for your mother's sake, I'd slap you dead!" Leo Sterling said, raising his hand as if to strike. Morgan Sterling couldn't help but shrink his neck. Seeing that Leo Sterling's palm didn't actually come down, he smiled again.

Looking at his cheeky grin, Leo Sterling grew even more furious. He fumed for a while by himself, then spoke, "Fortunately, you still knew your limits. That kid only has a single-leaf aptitude; he won't achieve much in the future. According to Elder Lockridge's intention, he'll find an opportunity to send him to another sect for cultivation later. Let's hope this doesn't cause any trouble."

Morgan Sterling frowned. "Uncle, The Vermilion Guild hasn't accepted any disciples for thirty years. If they don't accept any soon, according to the Alliance rules, the entire sect will be abolished. Elder Lockridge and Shijie Naia Evan are both good people. I just couldn't stand by and watch, which is why I advised that Oneleaf Gray. But Uncle, what exactly happened back then? Why do those people want to suppress The Vermilion Guild to this extent?"

"Don't ask about things you shouldn't know. Remember, these waters are deep, not something a Cloud River realm cultivator like you can meddle in. Stop acting on your own initiative in the future."

"Yes!" Morgan Sterling quickly assented, knowing that he had passed this ordeal. He gracefully started to rise from the ground.

"Who told you to stand up?" Leo Sterling lifted his gaze.

Thud...

Morgan Sterling knelt back down promptly and decisively.

Leo Sterling gave him a displeased look and was about to scold him further when suddenly he frowned and looked down at the ring on his thumb. In the next instant, his expression changed dramatically. He stood up abruptly and rushed out hurriedly!

Dozens of breaths later, a streak of light landed in the mountain wilderness, revealing the figure of Leo Sterling, who had rushed over at high speed. After receiving Elder Lockridge's message, he hadn't delayed in the slightest.

Looking around, the mountain wilderness was in disarray, everywhere bearing traces of a great battle.

The corpse of a burly man lay to the side, a large hole torn in his chest, as if killed by a single punch. On the other side, a woman covered in ghostly patterns was embedded in a mountain face, her body twisted and folded unnaturally. Another person was being stepped on by Elder Lockridge, his skull shattered, brains scattered on the ground.

Elder Lockridge was bare-chested, waves of energy rolling around him, his spiritual power steaming.

Leo Sterling couldn't help but twitch the corner of his eye.