Although consumed by rage and dizzy from burning his life force, Wang Teng could faintly see a glimmer of hope. After all, with Ye Qingchen having dealt with a Spirit Beast, the pressure on him had lessened significantly. He finally had time to take out a Spirit Pill and swallow it, slowly recovering his spent energy.

Ye Qingchen had long since activated his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to observe Wang Teng’s state of mind. Sensing the rekindled hope within him, Ye Qingchen couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.

The hope you feel now is merely the groundwork for the greater despair you’ll experience later.

Zi Xing, watching from the side, said worriedly, "Ye Qingchen, Wang Teng is Vice Dean Wang Tong’s nephew. I’ve heard the Vice Dean treats him like his own son. If he really dies here, you must be careful of Vice Dean Wang Tong coming after you."

Ye Qingchen nonchalantly shook his head. Seeing his casual expression, Zi Xing grew even more anxious. "Ye Qingchen, the academy forbids disciples from killing one another. But with Vice Dean Wang Tong’s status, he has countless ways to deal with a single disciple like you. You mustn’t be careless!"

Ye Qingchen smiled, sensing Zi Xing’s genuine concern, and reassured her, "The old man won’t meddle in disputes between us disciples. But if things escalate to the level of a Dean, he certainly won’t sit by and do nothing."

Zi Xing looked at Ye Qingchen in surprise, then nodded thoughtfully. She recalled Elder Yang’s overbearing attitude toward Vice Dean Liu in the Training Mountain Range. It seemed even someone with Vice Dean Wang Tong’s status wouldn’t dare to act out of line in front of Elder Yang. Still, a direct attack is easy to dodge, but a hidden one is hard to defend against. If Vice Dean Wang Tong really decided to plot something in secret, Ye Qingchen would be defenseless.

Seeing that Zi Xing was still worried, Ye Qingchen added with a smile, "Sister Zi Xing, rest assured, I will be careful. Besides, I’ve already offended Wang Teng so thoroughly. Do you really think a man of his character wouldn’t seek revenge later if I let him go now?"

Zi Xing sighed. Ye Qingchen was right. Even if they spared Wang Teng, Vice Dean Wang Tong would still come looking for trouble on his nephew’s behalf. All they could do was be cautious and take things one step at a time.

While Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing were speaking, Wang Teng once again endured an injury to gravely wound one of the Spirit Beasts. Ye Qingchen flashed back into the Formation and finished it off with a swing of his sword.

Now, only four Spirit Beasts remained in the Formation. Although they were the four strongest of the original six, the pressure on Wang Teng had been cut nearly in half. With fewer beasts, he had more room to maneuver and could more easily dodge their attacks.

Wang Teng gulped down Spirit Pills, already plotting his revenge against Ye Qingchen once he escaped this predicament.

Just then, instead of leaving the Formation’s range, Ye Qingchen took out the Ten Thousand Laws Formation Flag and began chanting an incantation.

Wang Teng had no energy to spare to notice Ye Qingchen’s actions, but Zi Xing saw everything clearly.

The two Purple Lightning Breakthrough Civets, which had been trapped in a separate Formation, were now being moved—Formation and all—toward Wang Teng. A moment later, the two trapping Formations merged into one.

Not only did the combined Formation’s intensity increase dramatically, but more importantly, Wang Teng—who had just painstakingly dealt with two Spirit Beasts—now faced a pair of Purple Lightning Breakthrough Civets at nearly their full strength. Furthermore, the combat power of the Purple Lightning Breakthrough Civets was considered top-tier, even among cultivators at the Peak of the Martial King Realm.

After arranging all this, Ye Qingchen slipped out of the Formation and sat down beside Zi Xing again, leisurely watching Wang Teng’s new battle unfold.

Only then did Wang Teng experience true despair.

If his initial despair had been tinged with a sliver of hope—the hope of holding on until his teammates arrived—his current despair offered only one path to survival: begging Ye Qingchen for mercy.

Wang Teng knew that even if he begged, Ye Qingchen would most likely not spare him. But humans fear death. As long as there was the slightest chance, he didn’t want to give up. After such a prolonged battle, even with the constant help of Spirit Pills, his recovery couldn’t keep up with his expenditure. Wang Teng was at the end of his rope. Because he had been recklessly burning his life force to use his Secret Technique, his mind was completely muddled. If not for his sheer will to live, he would have collapsed long ago.

"Ye Qingchen, if you let me go, I’ll agree to any condition!" Wang Teng shouted, his voice hoarse. Humiliated, tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

Ye Qingchen chuckled and shook his head. "What are you talking about? I haven’t done anything. In fact, I just helped you get rid of two Spirit Beasts. Aren’t you satisfied?"

Zi Xing scoffed, "Hmph! When you were stealing our points and our Spirit Beast Eggs, did you ever imagine you’d end up like this?"

The humiliation from Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing felt like a thousand arrows piercing his heart, but for the sake of survival, he pleaded, "I’ll return the Spirit Beast Eggs to you! Just please, dispel the Formation!"

Ye Qingchen burst out laughing. "Don’t talk about returning them. Later on, you could just claim we coerced you into giving up the Spirit Beast Eggs. I’m not falling for that."

Wang Teng gritted his teeth and said with grim determination, "I, Wang Teng, swear that I am giving the Spirit Beast Eggs to Ye Qingchen of my own free will. This is unrelated to any other matter, and I will never go back on my word."

Ye Qingchen nodded. "Since you’re so sincere, then hand over the Spirit Beast Eggs."

While fending off the Spirit Beasts, Wang Teng quickly pulled off his storage ring and threw it to Ye Qingchen, not caring what else was inside. Every extra moment he fought the Spirit Beasts increased his chances of dying to them.

Ye Qingchen caught the storage ring. Probing it with his Divine Sense, he indeed found six Spirit Beast Eggs resting quietly in a corner.

Wang Teng was struck by a Spirit Beast again. He spat out a mouthful of blood and yelled frantically at Ye Qingchen, "I’ve given you the Spirit Beast Eggs! Hurry up and take down the Formation!"

Ye Qingchen looked at Wang Teng with a troubled expression. "But didn’t you just say giving me the Spirit Beast Eggs was unrelated to anything else? If it’s unrelated, why should I help you?"

"You!" Overcome with rage at Ye Qingchen’s words, Wang Teng spat out another mouthful of blood.

Ye Qingchen watched him and blinked. "However, I’m a kind person at heart. Since we’re fellow disciples, I can’t just stand by and watch!"

Hearing this, hope reignited in Wang Teng’s heart, and a smile finally broke across his face.

However, his smile froze instantly when he heard Ye Qingchen’s next words.

"Give me an hour. I’ll see if I can try Breaking Formations for you!"