With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

Just as the second companion of the true disciple was seriously injured and fell to the ground, the formation was about to collapse, and everyone was on the verge of collapse.

"roar--"

A deafening roar came from not far away, the savagery and majesty contained in the sound causing the entire body of water to tremble.

However, the roar lasted only half a second before abruptly stopping, as if it had been severed by a sharp blade.

Lin Ye endured the soreness and numbness in his arm, glancing at the distance out of the corner of his eye.

The towering male aquatic ape, standing like an iron tower, was frozen in the water, its body covered in crisscrossing wounds, the blood staining the surrounding water red.

Most shockingly, a long sword pierced through its fist-sized left eye, penetrating its entire skull and emerging menacingly from the back of its head.

Elder Ning Wuji succeeded!

The strongest water ape was killed by him with a single, swift blow.

This sudden turn of events instantly reversed the battlefield situation.

The other two aquatic monkeys clearly sensed their leader's death; a flicker of terror and madness flashed in their scarlet pupils.

Before everyone could catch their breath, the two demonic beasts simultaneously changed direction, abandoning the nine elders who were besieging them, and rushed towards the blooming jade lotus in the middle of the river like arrows.

"They want to destroy the Jade Lotus!" Liang Feiyu, quick-witted and agile, saw through the monster's intentions at a glance, and his voice, like a booming bell, echoed across the river.

"Don't even think about it!" Everyone's hearts tightened. They didn't care about resting or catching their breath. They frantically circulated the remaining internal energy in their bodies and rushed forward again, desperately entangled with the two fleeing water apes.

This was a fierce tug-of-war.

Although the monsters went mad after losing their leader, their survival instincts allowed them to unleash their last potential. They wielded their jade staffs with impenetrable force, constantly repelling any approaching warriors.

If Liang Feiyu and Ning Wuji hadn't immediately returned to reinforce and forcefully intervened with their formidable strength as Acquired martial artists, they would likely have paid an even greater price to annihilate the enemy in this battle.

In the end, with the help of the two Supreme Elders, the remaining two Water Apes, a mother and her cub, were successively overwhelmed by the chaotic swords and completely buried at the bottom of the river.

Two top-tier elders were seriously injured and unconscious, two true disciples were also seriously injured and groaning in pools of blood, and one true disciple died, his body torn in two and slowly drifting with the current.

After this fierce battle, the team was forced to suffer further losses.

In order not to delay the journey, Liang Feiyu made a quick decision and arranged for an elder with remaining cultivation and in good condition to escort the five seriously injured people back to the boat moored in the secluded bay to recuperate, along with a disciple who was less seriously injured.

After all, this place is several days away from where the ship is, even at full speed. Sending these seriously wounded men back alone with their broken bodies would be tantamount to suicide.

However, it would be even more counterproductive to have the main force take them along.

Razer's open hours are limited, and every moment is precious. Bringing a group of wounded soldiers will only severely hinder the exploration progress and cause us to miss opportunities.

Therefore, the streamlined team continued to venture deeper into the island.

At this moment, only two Acquired martial artists, six first-class elders, and the last two true disciples remained in the group, one of whom was Lin Ye.

Liang Feiyu also suggested that Lin Ye and the other person return to the ship together.

However, Lin Ye politely declined this offer.

My purpose in entering Lei Ze has not yet been achieved. If I turn back now, this trip will be meaningless.

Although dangers may arise as we continue to explore, overall, this place is safer, given the presence of two acquired martial artists.

In contrast, the hidden ship, though seemingly safe, actually harbors hidden uncertainties.

Who can guarantee that the hidden anchorage will never be discovered by other forces?

Even if there are no treasures on the ship, if a powerful team happens to pass by and sees it, they might take the opportunity to clean it up to prevent future troubles.

With this in mind, Lin Ye made up his mind and chose to continue traveling with the team.

Over the next few days, the team continued their exploration of the island's dense forests.

Although they never encountered a monster as terrifying as the Water Ape again, their gains were quite limited, mostly consisting of low-level spirit beasts.

However, the good news is that the minor injuries sustained in the previous battle with the Water Ape have been completely healed after these few days of nourishment from the spirit beast meat, and everyone's condition has returned to its best.

That day, as the team parted a thick patch of vines, a cleared area suddenly appeared before them.

The ground was littered with messy footprints, the broken grass and trees had not yet fully recovered, and there was even a faint, unfamiliar smell of smoke in the air.

"It seems that other factions have already landed on this island."

On this day, Lin Ye and the others climbed a towering ancient tree again, using the dense foliage to conceal themselves, while also looking around to observe the surrounding movements.

Suddenly, Lin Ye's gaze sharpened as he vaguely saw a large group of figures engaged in fierce combat in a clearing in the distance.

The area was dusty and filled with people; though they were far apart, one could still make out the glint of swords and the movements of figures.

After whispering among themselves, the group unanimously agreed that a fight of that scale could not possibly be an ordinary conflict; there must be some treasure that had appeared, prompting both sides to fight to the death. If they arrived too late, the treasure would likely have already been divided up.

So the team immediately set off, heading in that direction at full speed, lest they miss the opportunity.

When they were still some distance from the battlefield, Lin Ye and the others slowed down, hid in the woods, and quietly approached.

At this moment, the shouts of battle, the clash of weapons, and roars from the front still rose and fell, clearly indicating that the battle situation was still unclear. The group decided to hold back for now, waiting for both sides to fight to a standstill before reaping the benefits.

However, just as they were holding their breath, the sound from afar abruptly stopped without warning.

"Oh no, they have hidden sentries!" Liang Feiyu's expression changed, and he whispered.

Everyone immediately realized that although the two groups were fighting to the death, they had still sent out men to set up scouts around the area to monitor any movement.

Their approach had clearly been detected by the sentries, which is why the fighting suddenly stopped; both sides had obviously become alert.

With things having come to this point, there was no point in hiding any longer. Liang Feiyu waved his hand, and the group stopped concealing their movements. They activated their inner energy and rushed towards the battlefield like the wind.

Only then did Lin Ye truly see the full picture of the battlefield.

Several corpses lay scattered on the ground, their blood soaking the soil, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

In the center of the battlefield, two groups stood facing each other, the atmosphere tense. They had just experienced a fierce battle, and neither dared to make a move.

At this moment, the eyes of both groups turned to Lin Ye and his group, who were rapidly approaching.

Lin Ye and the others stopped and kept a certain distance from the battlefield to observe carefully.

Both groups had only about ten people left, roughly the same number as their own side.

Lin Ye's gaze swept across the battlefield and suddenly fixed on a tree not far away.

It was a giant tree that required two people to hug. The trunk was broken in the middle, and the clean cut showed that it was not broken by an external force, but was split open instantly by some extremely strong force.

His eyes narrowed; such destructive power could only be achieved by a martial artist who had acquired their skills later in life.

However, it is unknown how many Acquired martial artists each side has, but there are at least two, otherwise the other side would have been defeated long ago.