After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

Upon hearing Zheng Yan's words, the group of low-level martial artists trembled with fear after hearing Lin Ping's words. They all gathered around him, their teasing and joking gone, replaced by sheer terror.

"Mr. Lin, we believe you! Luckily we were slow to set off and didn't make it up the mountain, otherwise we'd probably be trapped by now!"

Some people were so anxious that they stamped their feet as they looked at the winding mountain road that disappeared into the clouds.

"But many of our fellow disciples and friends rushed up the mountain early this morning, and they're all trapped inside. What are we going to do?"

Several elderly men with white hair stroked their beards in the crowd, their expressions indifferent.

"Hmph, it's all because of greed. Knowing that the opportunity wouldn't be publicized, they still stubbornly rushed forward. It's only right that they suffer a bit and learn a lesson."

"If we force a rescue, the Illuminati will be lying in ambush, and we'll be dragged down with them. It's not worth it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zheng Yan stepped forward, his brows furrowed, and retorted loudly.

"Seniors, you can't say that!"

"They're just eager to break through their cultivation levels, their greed is a bit too strong, but they have no intention of harming anyone. How can we just stand by and watch them die?"

He turned to look at Lin Ping beside him, bowed and clasped his hands in a respectful manner, his tone earnest.

"Mr. Lin, please help rescue the people on the mountain. If you are willing to come up the mountain, I, Zheng Yan, am willing to follow you closely and do whatever you are asked!"

Lin Ping turned his head to look at Zheng Yan. The young man was kind-hearted and righteous, and he did not turn a blind eye to the selfish thoughts of others. Lin Ping secretly admired him. He still had a faint look of fatigue on his face, maintaining the disguise of being depleted of vital energy.

"You've got some nerve. The mountain is teeming with danger, filled with countless Illuminati monks and modified assassins. Going up there is like facing certain death. Aren't you afraid?"

Zheng Yan patted his chest, his back ramrod straight, and there was no fear in his eyes.

"With Mr. Lin here, what do I have to fear! Even if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire, I'll go with you!"

"Alright." Lin Ping nodded slightly, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes. "Then you shall come with me. Everyone below the mountain shall wait where you are and not approach the area within the mountain's array without authorization."

The group of martial artists immediately responded and obediently guarded the foot of the mountain, not daring to move even a step rashly.

Lin Ping gently patted Zheng Yan's shoulder, and the two of them leaped up, riding the mountain wind towards the summit. Lin Ping deliberately restrained most of his inner strength, making his movements appear slightly unsteady, as if his blood and qi would surge after a short while. In the eyes of the Illuminati spy watching from the shadows, he was simply considered to be weak and not a threat.

As we broke through layers of mist and reached the summit, a dense, blood-red aura assaulted our senses.

The entire mountaintop was shrouded in a dark red array barrier, and within the light curtain, martial arts masters from the Zhou, Yu, and Yang families were all trapped.

The earth's malevolent energy surged continuously from the ground, and countless black-clad sacrificial cultivators surrounded the area, launching a barrage of attacks with various magical artifacts and steel blades. Streams of sharp energy crashed against the protective aura shields of the various martial artists.

The Zhou family head, his clothes torn and blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth, struggled with all his might to erect a barrier to protect his clansmen behind him, his breathing heavy and labored.

"This formation is too evil; it's draining our martial arts energy. If this continues, everyone's souls will be extracted and sacrificed!"

The young master of the Yang family swung his sword to cleave through the attack of a cultivator, his arm burned by the baleful aura, his skin swollen and festering, filled with despair.

"Having heard of the miraculous medicine, I rushed up the mountain, but now I'm trapped in a deadly situation. It's too late for regrets!"

The Yu family members huddled back to back, their protective barrier already as thin as a cicada's wing, on the verge of being pierced by the array's malevolent energy.

Outside, dozens of alloy-modified assassins stood in formation, their shoulder-mounted pulse cannons glowing with energy, their cold mechanical eyes fixed on the people inside the formation, waiting for the warriors' true energy to be exhausted before reaping their souls in one fell swoop.

Standing beside Lin Ping, Zheng Yan's heart tightened as he witnessed the horrific scene before him. He whispered, "Mr. Lin, the situation is dire. The senior members of each family are all on their last legs!"

Lin Ping glanced indifferently at the people struggling within the light screen, then his gaze fell upon the large number of Illuminati cultivators who were stationed on the high platform at the heart of the formation. On the platform, several deputies were manipulating the formation, their hands constantly forming hand seals and continuously activating the power of the earth's veins.

"A bunch of clowns."

Lin Ping stepped forward slowly and gently pushed the blood-red light screen with what appeared to be a weak push.

To outsiders, he appeared weak and frail, but the moment his fingertips touched the barrier, a vast and boundless golden aura exploded out!

A deafening roar!

The thick, blood-red array instantly cracked open, dispersing most of the malevolent energy that lingered in the mountains.

The assistants controlling the formation shuddered, spitting out blood. The hand seals controlling the formation instantly collapsed, and the formation's operation suddenly became sluggish.

"Who is it?! How dare you break my earth vein trapping formation!" A black-clad cultivator on the high platform roared angrily.

The Zhou, Yang, and Yu families trapped inside the formation were all stunned, unable to believe what they were seeing.

"This formation is incredibly sturdy; how could it have been broken so easily?"

"Look down the mountain! It's Lin Ping! Lin Ping is here!"

Life rekindled in everyone's eyes, and their previously scattered energy and spirit returned to normal.

The Illuminati spies hiding in the shadows were shocked to see this. They quickly took out their communication paper discs, used their fingertips to send a message back to the dense forest behind the mountain, informing Xiaoyuer that Lin Ping had already climbed Mount Tian and broken through a layer of the trapping formation.

Lin Ping turned to look at Zheng Yan beside him and whispered, "You stay here and help the martial artists from all sides retreat through the gap. Don't let the scattered evil energy damage your meridians."

Zheng Yan solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Rest assured, I will definitely handle it well!"

Before he could finish speaking, several deputies on the platform, enraged, waved their hands and gave orders.

"All assassins, step forward and kill Lin Ping!"

Dozens of heavily armored, modified suicide soldiers stepped forward in unison, the sound of metal scraping against metal was extremely piercing, and pulse cannons fired one after another, with beams of scorching light shooting straight at Lin Ping's body.

Lin Ping neither dodged nor evaded, but simply turned slightly to the side, seemingly raising his hand casually, and several condensed bursts of energy shot out.

Bang bang bang!

The sound of explosions echoed across the mountaintop.

The incoming pulse shells all exploded in mid-air. The alloy shells on the chests of the modified suicide soldiers at the forefront were instantly dented and deformed. Their heavy bodies were sent flying backward and crashed heavily onto the rocks. Mechanical parts were scattered all over the ground, and they lost their ability to move on the spot.

Seeing this, the remaining assassins felt a sense of fear and their attack slowed down.

The martial artists in the formation were dumbfounded. They had heard rumors that Lin Ping was exhausted and on his deathbed, but now they realized that it was all an illusion.

The Zhou family patriarch exclaimed in disbelief, "The rumors circulating outside are all a smokescreen; Mr. Lin's cultivation level remains unfathomable!"

Seeing the assassins suffer repeated defeats, an Illuminati deputy gritted his teeth and personally led several Foundation Establishment cultivators down from the platform. His body was enveloped in a dense, bloody aura, and his poisoned longsword was aimed straight at Lin Ping's head.

"Arrogant brat, today I will sacrifice your life to the earth's veins!"

Lin Ping didn't move his feet, but merely raised his palm slightly, and his powerful true energy swept in all directions.

Before the charging cultivators could even get close, they were violently thrown back by the powerful shockwave, crashing heavily against the array's rock wall. The sound of bones breaking was clearly audible, and they had no strength left to get up.

In a short time, most of the cultivators and assassins lying in ambush on the perimeter were killed, and only a handful of people remained on the high platform controlling the formation.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zheng Yan directed the trapped martial artists to evacuate in an orderly manner through the gap in the array. Many martial artists bowed and paid their respects as they passed by Lin Ping, filled with guilt and gratitude.

"Thank you, Mr. Lin, for disregarding past grievances and coming up the mountain to save our lives. We were ashamed that we had previously misunderstood that you had taken the opportunity for yourself."

Lin Ping remained calm and waved his hand dismissively: "It's unimportant. Get down the mountain and away from here as soon as possible. The danger here has not yet been eradicated."

Just as everyone was retreating and the situation seemed to be stabilizing, a dark, malevolent pillar of light suddenly rose into the sky behind the mountain, shooting straight into the clouds.

A chilling pressure, far surpassing that of all the cultivators present, enveloped the entire Tianshan Mountain.

Zheng Yan felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively stepped in front of Lin Ping, nervously looking towards the source of the malevolent aura.

Lin Ping's eyes suddenly darkened, the feigned weariness in his eyes vanished completely, and his sharp, piercing gaze was revealed without reservation.

"Little Fish has come in person."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiaoyuer's maniacal laughter echoed from the distant horizon. His mechanical right arm creaked as he led a large group of elite cultivators and high-level modified assassins rapidly toward them.

"Lin Ping, you ruined my grand sacrifice plan! Today, this summit of Tianshan will be your burial ground!"