Watch out! Something's wrong with this guard.

Senior Sister Li remained silent for a moment after hearing this before saying, "If our guess is correct, then someone is deliberately setting a trap, using bait to catch fish. The monsters on our path may have indeed been periodically eliminated by someone else. But why would they do that? Selling information would only increase their competitors, wouldn't it?"

“Who knows?” Lu Yunshi shrugged. “But I suggest we wait. If I’m not mistaken, there might be quite a few people watching from the shadows. If we make the first move, we’ll just become cannon fodder.”

"It's just a Purple Cloud Vine, is it really worth going to such lengths? I think you're overthinking it." Zhang Quan snorted coldly, but his body naturally leaned against the tree trunk and waited.

"However, the Purple Cloud Vine is not fully mature yet, so it's alright to wait a little longer."

Sensing the extreme displeasure in Zhang Quan's tone, Lu Yunshi smiled slightly.

"It is junior brother who has made a fool of himself in front of senior brother. However, junior brother only has these worries because of his low strength. Senior brother is strong and naturally would not think too much. Otherwise, senior brother would definitely be very cautious, wouldn't he?"

"You don't need to tell me that." Zhang Quan smiled arrogantly. This kid's words were actually quite pleasant to hear. No wonder he could still stick to Miss Lu even after being pestered for so long. This was something he could learn from.

Upon seeing the ingratiating smile on Lu Yunshi's face, Lu Yunxi felt a surge of nameless anger rise within her. Without caring whether there were other people around, she coldly retorted.

"Hypocritical person! Truly disgusting."

After saying that, as if the sight of Lu Yunshi's face made her feel nauseous, Lu Yunxi turned around and walked to the other side of the big tree to rest.

Seeing that Lu Yunxi suddenly got angry, Lu Yunshi was also confused, but he didn't say anything. He just lowered his head and started thinking about other things that could ensure his safety.

However, in Zhang Quan's eyes, his behavior looked like a disappointed look after being scolded by Lu Yunxi. For some reason, Zhang Quan spoke up before Senior Sister Li.

"Junior Brother Lu, there's no need to take it too seriously. Miss Lu is just like that. You must have said something wrong to upset her."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Quan seemed to realize something and immediately withdrew his gaze from Lu Yunshi.

Damn it! Am I possessed? Why am I comforting this kid?

Lu Yunshi looked up when he heard this and saw Zhang Quan, who was deliberately pretending that he hadn't said anything. Although he was surprised, he still said something.

"Thank you, senior brother."

About half an hour later, the three of them hid in the shadows and saw that the Purple Cloud Vine had reached the edge of maturity.

"It's time to make a move. If you don't, I think that Iron Flame Rhinoceros will swallow the Purple Cloud Vine whole. I don't think anyone is lying in ambush here. You're just guessing. If we lose our chance because of this, I won't let you off the hook." Zhang Quan couldn't contain his temper and wanted to make a move immediately.

"Senior brother, please calm down. There are people who will be even more impatient than us." Lu Yunshi's eyes flickered slightly as he stared intently at the Purple Cloud Vine that grew in the mud untouched by dust.

At this moment, beside Senior Sister Li, Lu Yunxi's gaze was unusually not fixed on the Purple Cloud Vine, nor on the Iron Flame Rhinoceros. Instead, she was staring blankly at a certain place. Noticing her friend's strangeness, Senior Sister Li also looked in the direction of her gaze, but saw nothing but a bunch of weeds and wildflowers.

Just then, a surge of spiritual energy rose and swirled from the Purple Cloud Vine, a sign of its imminent maturity. In just a dozen breaths, the Purple Cloud Vine would truly be ripe.

"They're almost cooked, why aren't you moving?" Zhang Quan looked at Senior Sister Li and Lu Yunxi, only to see that the two of them were both calm and showed no intention of making a move.

“Junior Brother Lu’s guess is reasonable and well-founded. It won’t hurt to bear with it a little longer,” Senior Sister Li said with a shrug.

The main reason was that Lu Yunxi hadn't made any moves, so she felt she didn't need to rush.

"Damn it! I can't take it anymore..."

Zhang Quan gave a low shout and was about to rush forward, but after taking only half a step, eight people suddenly jumped out from about thirty meters to the left of the four men.

Upon seeing the figure suddenly appear, Zhang Quan's excited mind immediately calmed down, and he pulled his body back, which had already rushed out halfway.

"Those people...aren't they the same ones we saw before entering Tiger's Mouth Abyss?" Senior Sister Li blinked, suddenly realizing that she had actually encountered the people who rushed out before, and couldn't help but be a little surprised.

There were eight people rushing towards the Purple Cloud Vine, but they were not in one team. Instead, there were two teams of four people on each side, two of whom were at the late stage of the Spirit Gathering Realm and six of whom were at the early stage of the Spirit Gathering Realm. They all rushed towards the Purple Cloud Vine at top speed.

Such a fierce aura naturally attracted the attention of the Iron Flame Rhino, which had been lying in wait for a long time. The Iron Flame Rhino immediately let out a low roar, and the flames on its body rose from its surface, turning into a stream of flames that rushed towards the eight people along with the sound waves.

The two groups, who had been locked in a fierce confrontation, immediately stopped attacking each other when they saw Tie Yanxi move, and instead took action to deal with the surging flames.

"Om~~~"

The Iron Flame Rhino let out a low roar, its scorching aura instantly evaporating the surrounding moisture. Two plumes of hot air shot out from its black iron horn before it swiftly charged forward.

The terrifying force shattered the ground with each step, and the force continued to increase with each charge. If one were to be hit by this force, even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would likely not survive.

Seeing this, the six mercenaries naturally dared not underestimate it. Their spiritual energy surged from their bodies, and instead of dodging, they tried to work together to block the Iron Flame Rhino's charge.

However, at that moment, one member from each of the two teams suddenly stopped and broke away from their teammates, running wildly towards the unguarded Purple Cloud Vine.

The two looked surprised when they saw each other's actions, seemingly not expecting that the other would have the same idea.

But the next second, the two started fighting, using their most powerful techniques to deliver the final blow. In the end, one of them was faster, trading injury for life, and killed the other with a palm strike.

After killing his only enemy, the man quickly ran towards the Purple Cloud Vine, despite his internal injuries.

"No, he's about to get it." Seeing this, Zhang Quan couldn't hold back any longer and was about to make a move.

However, at that moment, the mercenary, who had approached within ten meters of the Purple Cloud Vine, suddenly froze. Before the barely suppressed smile on his lips could dissipate, he collapsed to the ground, quickly losing his breath. Upon closer inspection, a silver arrow pierced through his chest, which was the cause of his death.

Seeing this, Zhang Quan swallowed hard, only then noticing that two more people had appeared in the arena. One of them was holding a crossbow, and it was his action that had caused the mercenary to fall before the finish line.