Outside the sect gate.
The second-dog army advanced slowly.
"Haven't you eaten enough? Why are you walking so slowly?" The second-dog was obviously displeased with the marching speed.
"Brother Ha, these ancient ruins usually contain dangerous formations, mechanisms, or traps," the leader of the five-person group quickly explained. "We shouldn't rush in."
"Yes, Brother Ha. My master mentioned it before," the three spirit beasts chimed in. "It's quite dangerous."
"Is that so?" The second-dog tilted its head. "Alright, then you guys follow behind with sister fox. I, Brother Ha, will clear the path for you."
With a 'whoosh,' the second-dog sprang onto the ground, panting and ready to charge.
"Brother Ha, be careful," the little fox reminded him, worried.
"Got it," the second-dog replied, and shot off in an instant.
The five-person group and the three spirit beasts said nothing.
What a touching gesture for the older brother to clear the way for his younger siblings!
Long live Brother Ha!
*Crunch.*
Not long after running a few steps, the second-dog stepped on a protruding stone slab.
"Swish swish swish!"
Countless arrows suddenly shot out from the surrounding buildings, flying fiercely towards the second-dog!
These arrows not only had strange speeds but also carried terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations.
The space along their path was even distorted and torn!
Anyone with knowledge would likely have wet themselves in fear upon seeing them!
Soul-piercing arrows!
Arrows specifically designed to deal with cultivators at the Void Refinement realm.
Forget being hit by them; even a graze would instantly turn a Void Refinement cultivator into a dried husk!
The leopard demon and the giant python in front of the crystal screen were dumbfounded!
That stone slab was so obviously protruding. No one with even a tiny bit of sense would step on it.
Back then, they had even mocked those who designed such traps, thinking they must be crazy!
Who would have thought that today, it would actually be triggered!
The giant python even felt a pang of regret.
With the Soul-piercing arrows unleashed, that little thing was surely as good as dead.
Alas.
They had planned to capture it later as a pet to alleviate boredom…
However, what happened next completely bewildered it…
The second-dog's ears twitched, and its small body, about a foot long, moved agilely.
Up and down.
Forward and backward.
Repeatedly jumping.
…
After a series of contorting maneuvers, not a single one of the tens of thousands of Soul-piercing arrows hit its mark!
The second-dog was quite pleased.
This was really fun!
So it lowered its head and began to rummage on the ground.
It remembered stepping on something earlier, which then resulted in these fun projectiles appearing.
Soon, the second-dog found it!
"This is it!" With a spinning somersault, the second-dog landed its rear on the stone slab it had stepped on earlier.
Unfortunately, nothing happened…
With a flash, the second-dog darted around the stone slab, studying it closely.
It extended its dog leg and patted it.
Nothing happened.
"Bang bang bang!"
Its dog leg hammered it repeatedly, but still nothing.
"Woof woof woof!"
The second-dog let out an annoyed roar.
The second-dog felt it was being polite by finding it amusing; how dare it refuse Brother Ha's face now?!
Little brother, you're quite brave, aren't you?
"Awooooo!"
The second-dog, with its backside in the air, began to gnaw at the stone slab!
As stone fragments flew, half of its body was buried underground.
A few seconds later, only its hindquarters remained visible outside.
"Awooooo…" Occasional dissatisfied roars from the second-dog could still be heard from within.
The five-person group and the three spirit beasts were even more touched!
Brother Ha was truly a model older brother!
Not only did he trigger the trap for them, but he also personally destroyed it!
To have such an older brother, one could die without regret!
About ten seconds later, the second-dog emerged, covered in stone shards and dust.
It squatted at the edge of the pit, turning its rear towards the hole it had dug.
"Puff puff puff!"
A pile of stone fragments sprayed into the pit from its rear.
"It's safe here now, let's go!" the second-dog called out and continued forward.
The second-dog led the way, with the other subordinates following at a safe distance.
As they entered a narrow alley, the second-dog triggered a formation.
Five massive boulders materialized out of thin air, forming a sealed space with the ground.
Mysterious rune lights flickered incessantly on their surfaces.
Then, the five boulders moved towards the second-dog.
The leopard demon and the giant python in front of the crystal screen stared intently!
We admit your speed was unexpectedly extraordinary when you dodged the Soul-piercing arrows.
But now, with this sealed death trap, surely you're finished!
They knew very well that the designers of these formations had left no escape route.
Once triggered, it was designed to kill you!
Certain death!
Hearing the commotion, the second-dog tilted its head.
This game didn't seem as fun this time, did it?
The boulders, though seemingly slow, moved incredibly fast. In the time the second-dog was stunned, they had completely closed in.
Surely it's dead this time?!
It's definitely dead?!
The giant python and the leopard demon eagerly anticipated.
The walls and the boulders slowly separated.
The second-dog lay alone on the ground.
That last move had completely flattened it into a meat patty.
It was currently in an extremely bizarre, distorted state.
The leopard demon and the giant python breathed a sigh of relief.
Oh my, it's finally dead.
Otherwise, with that little thing's speed, if it had really broken through to our side, we would have been helpless against it.
"Brother Ha!"
"Brother Ha!"
All the subordinates were terrified and immediately prepared to rush forward!
Who would have thought that the all-powerful Brother Ha would die like this!
Sadness, pain, self-reproach, and other emotions instantly welled up in their hearts, on the verge of erupting!
Suddenly.
The second-dog, flattened into a meat patty, twitched its nose.
It took a deep breath, and its body puffed up like a balloon!
In the blink of an eye, the second-dog was standing there, perfectly fine!
"This is somewhat interesting," the second-dog expressed its satisfaction. "Don't rush over yet; I want to play some more."
The little fox and the others, whose suppressed grief and pain had just vanished, felt it dissipate instantly…
It was like holding back a hiccup that had reached the throat.
It felt rather strange…
The second-dog leaped and frolicked, patting and biting everywhere, but it couldn't trigger the same situation again.
After their bewilderment, the leopard demon and the giant python jolted!
What in the world is this creature?!
That formation earlier, even we wouldn't be able to withstand it, yet this little thing emerged unscathed?!
No, we absolutely cannot let it in!
With that thought, the leopard demon reached out and made a few adjustments on the crystal screen.
The boulders retracted again, pressing down towards the second-dog.
However, after retracting, they stopped moving.
The leopard demon and the giant python breathed a sigh of relief.
Even if we can't crush it, we'll trap it here and see how it escapes!
They knew very well that these boulders and that section of ground were all made of fifth-tier Azure Netherstone!
Even a cultivator at the Void Refinement realm wouldn't be able to damage them in the slightest!
"Brother Two, you watch this area," the giant python hissed, flicking its tongue. "I'll go deal with those things near the coffin; I have a feeling these guys are a bit strange."
"Alright, be careful then," the leopard demon nodded.
The giant python flashed and disappeared.