In the valley, two tsunami-like auras collided in the middle of the spiritual spring, causing a suffocating pressure to appear within a range of one kilometer.

A scene of ice and fire spread out in all directions, forming a restricted area in the valley.

Comparing the valley and the area around the willow tree king, the latter was like a peaceful scene, while the former was like the prelude to a disaster.

At this moment, most of the factions on Mist Island had already learned of the masked man’s past deeds. They had also found out that the disciples of the large factions had retreated in advance.

All of them realized the seriousness of the matter.

Should they leave or stay?

Unlike the willow tree king, which could not be moved, the fight between these two human experts was equivalent to a moving disaster.

If they continued to go after the remaining willow tree cores on the island, they would die on the island if they were hit by the aftershock of the battle.

On the sea, a small boat carrying a few people was heading towards East Sea province.

Within the range of a few kilometers, there were many other ships that were heading in the same direction.

“This is a once-in-three-years opportunity. Are we just going to give it up?”

“That’s right. How many such opportunities are there during one’s golden age of martial arts cultivation? Even if one obtains the willow tree core three years later, the chances of one breaking through then might not be higher than they are now.”

“But do you dare to stay? Even the disciples of the large sects have made arrangements to leave early.”

“Sigh!”

All that was left were their long sighs.

Immediately after, someone comforted him. “In any case, it’s better than losing one’s life.”

Some of the people who had retreated with the disciples of the large sects had left the island regretfully.

To these factions who had left the Mist Island in advance, the outcome of the battle had nothing to do with them. At the same time, the trip to Mist Island was basically over.

On the sea near the island, a few middle-aged men and women were standing on a rock.

Not far away, there were many factions with the same goal as them. Everyone consciously followed the coastline and maintained a certain distance from each other.

“Many factions have retreated in advance. I’m a little panicked.”

“According to the records from the past decade, when the battle with the willow tree king started in the center of the island, there were still many willow trees that had not been discovered. This time, there will be even more. Let’s wait and observe the situation.”

“But a battle at that level is not something we should get close to.”

“Let’s wait a little longer. If the situation isn’t right, we’ll escape into the sea and retreat.”

With these middle-aged men and women as the representatives, a large group of factions that were still reluctant to leave Mist Island spread out and stayed by the sea near the island.

If the situation was bad, the battle between the sect master of the Kunshan Sect and the masked man would further expand to the entire Mist Island. In that case, they could only rely on their own luck to try and evacuate.

If the situation developed in a good direction and the battle was kept within the valley, they could still go onto the island to search for the willow trees.

In the rainforest deep inside the island, a small group of people was traveling quickly.

“Hurry! No one has stepped into the forest in front of us yet.”

“Give me a moment. I’m too nervous. My brain is running out of oxygen.”

“Isn’t it the same for everyone? Hang in there a little longer. With great risk often comes great reward. How things go in the future depends on our luck today.”

“Alright, I’ll go all out. I’ll either pave my future or die on Mist Island.”

A small number of factions took advantage of the fact that their competitors were either retreating or observing the situation to risk their lives and continue searching for the willow tree cores on the island.

Although their competitors had decreased by more than half, the danger they faced was also increased by 10 times or even 100 times. After all, it was equivalent to making a move under the nose of the Kunshan Sect’s sect master and the masked man.

If they were hit by the aftershock of the internal force explosion during the battle, ordinary warriors would either die on the spot or be severely injured.

Just as the factions participating in the competition for the island’s resources made their own choices, the expression of the sect master of the Kunshan Sect, Lu Zhenshan, gradually turned solemn. He was no longer as confident as before.

The deaths of the four court heads were already a fact. The questioning earlier was more of a test. Both sides had already engaged in a spiritual battle involving their auras.

However, he did not manage to gain the upper hand in terms of his aura. This meant that regardless of who was stronger or weaker, the two of them were at least on the same level.

This way, it would be much more difficult for him to kill the other party by himself.

“You’re pretty good, but that’s even more reason that I can’t let you live.” Lu Zhenshan’s gaze narrowed, and his expression became unprecedentedly serious.

At the same time, a vast amount of internal force was released from his body, causing his entire body to be bathed in a seven-colored light. This was a manifestation of the fusion of the seven internal forces from the Five Labors and Seven Wounds Fist Technique.

In Chen Yiming’s eyes, after Lu Zhenshan fused seven types of internal force, the resultant internal force appeared as an armor covering his body. However, compared to the internal force that had only changed in form, the strength of the fused internal force was dozens of times stronger. This was a qualitative change caused by the fusion of internal forces.

Using houses as an example, the internal force of an ordinary warrior was like a pile of sand on the ground. After the transformation, the internal force was like a house made of mud.

The internal force after the fusion of internal forces of different attributes was like a house built with reinforced concrete.

There was a qualitative difference in the strength of the sand pile, the house made of mud, and the house built from cement. Under normal circumstances, it was a gap impossible for a qualitatively weaker internal force to overcome.

“Seven-colored light!”

All the people in the rainforest, on the sea near the island, and even those on the ships more than 10 kilometers away from the island clearly saw the phenomenon that had appeared in the direction of the valley.

From the light, one could sense a power that surpassed all else. Without a doubt, this was the peak that countless people in the warrior realm were pursuing.

“Let’s evacuate from Mist Island as soon as possible!”

There were still factions searching for the remaining willow trees in the rainforests on the island. Some of them were trembling and discussing with their companions with shaking voices.

At this moment, all their courage from before had dissipated. This was what the weak humans were really thinking when facing a crisis comparable to a natural disaster.

“Five Labors and Seven Wounds Fist!”

Lu Zhenshan’s figure suddenly flashed, and he appeared in front of the masked man at the speed of light.

Chen Yiming naturally wouldn’t just sit back and wait for death to come to him. A longsword formed from his strength-based internal force appeared in his hand. The longsword was made up of nine small meteors, and the strange patterns on it shone with a brown light.

The brown light emitted an overwhelming pressure that was like that of a meteorite from outer space. To a certain extent, it even overshadowed the seven-colored light. This was something that a normal human like Lu Zhenshan could not imagine.

With the enhancement from his talent, his internal force had increased by dozens of times. Chen Yiming could now fight someone of a higher level than him.

“Boom!”

The Five Labors and Seven Wounds Fist collided head-on with the sword formed by the strength-based internal force. It was as if a huge bomb had exploded on the ground.

The impact formed by the internal force collision turned into countless sharp swords that shot out in all directions. Everything in their path was mercilessly cut apart.

In addition, the shock wave from the explosion formed a ring that continuously expanded and collided with the rock walls of the valley.

An endless amount of rubble exploded like a huge firework, and the entire valley was instantly razed to the ground.

In the rainforest on the island, “Be careful! Dodge carefully!”

Facing the large amount of rubble that was flying over, someone noticed that there were fragments of internal force hidden within them and shouted to their companions.

Some of these internal force fragments were formed by Chen Yiming’s strength-based internal force, while the rest were formed by Lu Zhenshan’s internal force from his Five Labors and Seven Wounds Fist.

Although the fragments were only as small as a fingernail, due to the difference in the strength of their internal force, no matter which one it was, they would be crippled if they came into contact with it.

In the middle of the small lake in the willow tree king area, “Things are getting out of hand,” Ye Jianyuan whispered. He waved his left hand gently, and a large number of internal force fragments were stopped by an invisible barrier.

These internal force fragments, which had lost their owner’s control, were weapons for killing those at a lower level. However, they were not a source of concern for Ye Jianyuan, who was at the same level. He could easily get rid of them.