Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

"Junior Sister Zhao, where did you go?"

"Thank you for your concern, Chief Yan. My wounds were torn open during the day's battle. A new dressing and re-bandage will do the trick."

"Hmm." Yan Bipo didn't focus on Zhao Ying, but was eager to break through the barrier and obtain the ruler. He was just going through the motions. He asked a question in the midst of his busy schedule, but he didn't really care about Zhao Ying's physical condition.

Zhao Ying seemed a little guilty under the question, but remained calm on the surface and showed no sign of anything amiss. Both of them seemed to have completely ignored Li Ergou, treating him like a tool or a backup plan, someone they only remembered when they needed him.

However, Li Ergou is not as simple-minded and honest as he seems. In fact, he is very clever and good at hiding his sharpness. Otherwise, everyone would not regard him as a fool who only grows muscles and not brains. Now, at a critical juncture, he is about to break through the barrier and a deadly battle is about to break out.

Li Ergou also wanted to secure his own future. As the saying goes, smart people like to bet on both sides, especially when it comes to matters of life and death. No smart person would really gamble everything. Those who dare to gamble like that wouldn't live to be over a hundred years old; they would have died a violent death long ago.

As Zhou Qingfeng walked out of the cave, Li Ergou's voice came from beside the cave entrance.

"The four young masters of the Sword Tower, you've been hiding your true strength quite well."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng paused, calmly turning his head to look at Li Ergou, who was leaning against the mountain wall three steps away. At this moment, Li Ergou was no longer the simpleton he once was. Although he still looked like a brainless brute, his face was full of shrewdness, and his eyes had become extremely sharp.

“Interesting.” Zhou Qingfeng’s lips curled into a smile as he looked directly at the big, clumsy man in front of him for the first time: “You’ve been hiding it quite well, even fooling me. If you hadn’t revealed yourself, probably no one would have known that you were the one hiding the deepest.”

Li Ergou said coldly, "These days, those who pretend to be stupid live longer. Fourth Young Master, I heard everything you said to Zhao Ying."

Zhou Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, completely unfazed, and asked with a smile, "And then what do you plan to do? Report Yan Bipo?"

Li Ergou shook his head slightly and said indifferently, "No, at first I just wanted to talk to you and leave myself a safe way out, but after seeing you talking to Zhao Ying, I knew that Yan Bipo was bound to lose. So, I decided to betray you and help you kill Yan Bipo."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng raised an eyebrow and chuckled as he scrutinized Li Ergou: "You're too good at pretending. I don't believe you."

Li Ergou crossed his arms and leaned against the mountain wall, glancing sideways: "Your struggle with Yan Bipo was caused by the Yan Sha Demon Spirit. It has little to do with me. If it weren't for his status as the chief disciple of the Incense Path, I would not have obeyed him."

"That's fine. He bullies me all the time. Of course I'll seize any opportunity to get revenge. I don't need you to believe me, nor do I need you to sign any secret agreement with me. All I need is your word: after I break through the barrier, I will prove my sincerity with my actions."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng stroked his chin and said, "Okay, what do you want?"

Li Ergou said earnestly, "First, please spare my life and take me away from here alive. Second, I need a heart of great arrogance. I only need this one material to advance to the next level. I'm sure this won't be a problem for you."

Zhou Qingfeng pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly: "No problem."

Upon hearing this, Li Ergou's expression relaxed. He nodded to Zhou Qingfeng, then resumed his simple and honest demeanor, and took the lead in walking back to the altar at the summit along the long cliffside passage. Zhou Qingfeng stood there, lost in thought for a long time, looking up at the scarlet moonlight overhead.

The outcome is already decided. In this life-or-death struggle, before the battle has even officially begun, Yan Bipo has already lost.

A precise backstab from within one's own camp—even with Iwa's incredible strength, there's no way he can turn the tide.

The next morning.

At this point, everyone had only six hours left.

With the last statue in place.

The group scanned their surroundings, searching for any trace of the Sky-Piercing Ruler.

With a crack, the jade platform split open, revealing a jade lid that popped out from the perfectly sealed platform. A ruler the size of a key shimmered with iridescent black light in the sunlight, instantly drawing everyone's attention. The atmosphere became quite subtle, and everyone's breathing quickened.

"Junior Sister Zhao, seize the Heaven-Escape Ruler!" Yan Bipo gave the order without hesitation. "Er Gou, follow me and hold them off!"

"Yes, Chief Yan." Zhao Ying's eyes flickered, she had not yet decided which side to side with, but no matter which side she ultimately side with, the Escape Ruler was the only key and opportunity to leave this place, and she had to seize it if she could. At that time, with the Escape Ruler in hand, she would decide which side to side with based on the situation.

Yan Bipo and Li Ergou blocked Zhou Qingfeng and Jin Wei's path, giving them no chance to get close to the Sky Piercing Ruler.

Zhao Ying instantly vanished into his own shadow. The next second, a hand reached out from under the shadow of the jade platform and snatched the Sky-Piercing Ruler. Then, he leaped out of the shadow and knelt on one knee on the head of the Star-Picking Statue in the due north direction.

Upon seeing this, Yan Bipo laughed loudly: "We've won! The outcome is decided! Tian Xingyi, Jiang Yunjian, if you want to live, obediently hand over the Yan Sha Demon Spirit, and I might consider letting you live. Don't resist to the end, otherwise, you'll only face death."

Zhou Qingfeng said coldly, "Is that so, Chief Yan? Aren't you being a little too happy? You probably haven't grasped the situation yet, so who really won between us? Monk Wuliang, if you don't come now, when will you?"

"Amitabha." A voice rang out, and a monk dressed in a pure white kasaya and holding a golden staff slowly walked out of the cave. He lightly touched the ground with his toes and quickly crossed the cliff passage to reach the altar. Then, facing the crowd, he bowed with one hand and said, "This humble monk Wuliang greets all fellow practitioners."

Upon seeing this, Yan Bipo was startled, but quickly recovered and a mocking smile appeared on his lips: "Tian Xingyi, is this the backup plan you left? It's a pity that the Escape Ruler is already in our hands. What can you do if you call in reinforcements? Three against three, the advantage is still with us."

"Is that so?" Zhou Qingfeng, with his hands behind his back, suddenly shouted coldly, "Why aren't you making a move!"

"Crack!" Li Ergou stealthily crept up behind Yan Bipo, grabbed Yan Bipo's throat and crushed it instantly. With his eyes bloodshot, he used the evil secret technique 'Blood Absorption Technique' to frantically absorb Yan Bipo's blood and magic power.

These are Li Ergou's two hidden trump cards, concealed for many years. Everyone believes his greatest strength lies in head-on close combat, but in reality, his greatest strength is...

The Fiend-level Invisible Assassination Technique and the Fiend-level Blood Absorption Technique.

Of these two techniques, the former allows one to silently sneak up behind an enemy from out of sight and launch a backstab.

The latter can absorb all of another's life force and magical power and turn it into his own. Although he will consume as much as 90% of it during the absorption process, and only 10% of the life force and magical power can be returned to himself, it is enough for Li Ergou to go further on the path of cultivation.

The combination of these two techniques is invincible; otherwise, with the resources he possesses, it would have been impossible for him to cultivate 500,000 coins of magical power in just one hundred years.

Now that the crucial moment has arrived, Li Ergou didn't hesitate to deliver the fatal blow: "Chief Yan, let Ergou send you on your way!"