Therefore, in almost an instant, many people remembered Zhou Gucheng, the reticent cultivator who was extremely young yet coldhearted.
As soon as Zhou Yan exhaled, he knew his attack would miss, but he didn’t rein in his power because once he withdrew his assault, the Ancient Evil Spirit could keep using this method to make him, Zhou Yan, act as the executioner who slaughtered everyone here.
But if he didn’t pull back his attack, only the green-clothed woman would die.
Of course, withdrawing this attack would leave Zhou Yan unharmed, but it would also expose many flaws.
And these flaws were incredibly fatal!
Therefore, Zhou Yan never considered withdrawing his attack; instead, he moved even faster, charging toward the woman.
Panic flashed across the woman’s face, seemingly aware of her imminent death. Turning her back to Zhou Yan, she revealed an eerie smile. Then, with a sudden press of her jade arm downward, she activated something terrifying that resembled a protective canopy.
The thing appeared suddenly, casting out a beam of bright light with extreme speed and dazzling brightness, like a startling thunderclap. Not only did it irritate Zhou Yan’s eyes in an instant, but the Evil Spirit, too, was pierced by the light in that split second, causing its body to convulse violently.
Thunderclouds churned as the Ancient Ghost roared but didn’t descend into madness. Instead, it breathed heavily and said in anger, "Damn it, I knew this thing was annoying, but I didn’t expect to fall for it even with preparations!
Alright, there’s no need for anyone to make a move anymore! You’re all useless to me, and I won’t target you. I might even let you enter the Core Land! What I ask of you is to help me capture this man!
Capturing him and devouring his Bloodline will be enough for me to evolve. Your Bloodlines aren’t as good as his and are almost of no use to me now!"
The Ancient Ghost, from being hit by the light to finishing its speech, was then continuously struck by countless attacks.
The cultivators who had come here were by no means useless, each with numerous trump cards and endless attacking methods.
Having witnessed the formidable power of Zhou Yan, and Zhou Yan had declared this a fight to the death, most cultivators launched their attacks with little to no reservations!
Especially Zhou Gucheng, his Ancestor Thunder Sword Skill was simply defying the heavens. A bolt of Thunder Light struck down, churning Heaven and Earth, paralyzing the falling snowflakes until they hung still.
Thus, after enduring the bright light and the numbness from the Thunder Light, in a single exchange, the Ancient Ghost was hit repeatedly, spewing clouds of dark energy.
"Still trying to sow discord?"
"Can you even trust such a thing?"
"You think we would turn on each other over such a lowly trick?!"
Some cultivators already started to speak dismissively, but their eyes flashed with an unusual and fanatic, sinister light.
Such fierce gazes were akin to the eyes of a hissing snake.
It seemed as though they didn’t believe such things would happen, but in reality, quite a few cultivators were tempted.
But at the same moment, Zhou Yan’s body suddenly stiffened; a treasure like a Soft Whip suddenly bound him.
Then, the Ancestor Thunder Sword Light that had previously attacked the Ancient Ghost eerily shifted away from it and, as if by Instantaneous Movement, struck Zhou Yan’s body directly!
Consequently, Zhou Yan’s body immediately became numb, once again falling into that shackled state he had first experienced within the Ancient Array of the Zhou Family.
A thought flashed in Zhou Yan’s mind, a trace of inexplicable enlightenment flickered in his eyes, but he merely symbolically stimulated a wisp of Flames to break a bit of the paralysis, seemingly somewhat helpless.
Such shackles, he had endured once before, and now he could break them with just a whiff of Purple Flame Breath! Even the Soft Whip could be refined by the Purple Flame!
But he didn’t do so because he wanted to know—to know a result he had already derived.
"Alright, he has been restrained, I hope you keep your word."
Zhou Gucheng, carrying a pitch-black long sword, came out and spoke with an indifferent voice.
At this moment, all the cultivators also stopped, some looking at Zhou Gucheng with a mix of surprise, peculiarity, and disbelief, as if questioning why Zhou Gucheng would do such a thing.
"Hehehe—very good, very good, you really do keep your word. Rest assured, although my true form is an evil spirit, I also possess wisdom and will do as I say."
The evil spirit, having spoken, turned its sinister gaze onto the human-shaped Zhou Yan, who was completely restrained.
Then, with a surge of dark aura, it swirled directly around the space where Zhou Yan’s body was, swiftly creating a black hole, poised to devour him.
At this point, Zhou Gucheng spoke up again.
"Hmm? What else do you have to say?"
The black hole, nearly devouring Zhou Yan, but everything was frozen in place.
"First, I’ve helped you suppress him, allowing you to succeed. Therefore, entry to the core land of the City of No Tears is a must for me, but not so many need to enter."
Zhou Gucheng stated his terms with an impassive demeanor.
"Fine! That’s easy! Here, apart from those who cooperate with me, you choose who dies, and they will die!" The Ancient Ghost readily agreed.
"Second, spare Zhou Yan’s life for now. You may take his essence blood, but his body must remain!"
"That is for certain. We agreed upon these terms at the outset, and I won’t make a mistake!"
The Ancient Ghost spoke once again.
The dialogue between the two caused all the cultivators present to grow increasingly uncertain and alarmed.
It appeared that these two had already reached an agreement beforehand, so this... this series of events then...
Reflecting on this, many cultivators realized they had fallen into a terrible predicament that had been calculated in advance.
Gongcheng Diewu frowned slightly at this moment; stepping forward, she spoke with some displeasure, "Zhou Gucheng, what is the meaning of this?"
"What is the meaning, Butterfly Dance Fairy? Can’t you see for yourself?" Zhou Taiting said with a smile.
"Of course, she doesn’t understand because she would never anticipate that much," Zhou Yuntian said with a cold laugh.
"Alright, do it," Zhou Gucheng said and then glanced over at Zhou Yan.
It was a look of indifference, tinged with an inexplicable emotion.
Though it was all just a fleeting moment.
But... that one look, while perhaps unnoticed by others, was still sensed by Zhou Yan, who was pretending to be trapped.
Then, Zhou Yan understood. Because he understood, his soul trembled at that moment.
He dared not think too much about it, for fear of a disaster!
But he had no choice but to suppress the shock within his heart.