Chapter 953: Using a Trap Formation Against Ye Mo

After the woman escaped, Luo Youping spat blood. Zhang Chengfeng also fled the formation, but lacked the strength to fight. Fei Cijiang lay paralyzed, unable to resist.

Luo Youping glared at the unopened rink with annoyance, drew a massive sword, and approached Zhang Chengfeng. Fear etched Zhang Chengfeng's face. He stammered, "Brother Luo, please! I'll relinquish everything in my storage ring."

Luo Youping shook his head. "Fool! Had you not held back, I would have breached this wall already. Your continued existence is a liability. Die!"

"No! Zhou Yushuang escaped. Killing me will alert the Zhang family," Zhang Chengfeng pleaded.

Ignoring him, Luo Youping turned to Ye Mo, who emerged from the shadows. Seeing Ye Mo's mere Golden Core Stage 2 cultivation, Luo Youping exclaimed, surprised, "A Golden Core Stage 2 cultivator? How did you evade my spirit sense?"

Despite Ye Mo's low cultivation, Luo Youping hesitated to attack. Ye Mo's ability to track them undetected indicated exceptional skill. Furthermore, Luo Youping was significantly depleted.

Before Ye Mo could speak, Zhang Chengfeng cried out, "Brother Ye! You're here! You've reached Golden Core Stage! Brother Ye, save me! I'm Zhang Chengfeng!"

Ye Mo glanced at Zhang Chengfeng, replying flatly, "City Lord Zhang. What a coincidence."

"Brother Ye, we're both from River State City! Please save me!" Zhang Chengfeng fawned desperately, his essence blood severely depleted.

Luo Youping's eyes flickered. "Dao Friend Ye, if you're Brother Zhang's friend, I'll let him go."

"Yes, yes! We're friends! When Brother Ye opened his shop in River State, I visited!" Zhang Chengfeng blurted, desperate.

Ye Mo shook his head. "What a waste of a good face. You took a face-preserving pill from me for free when I first opened my shop. I should be thankful you didn't attack me then, right? And when Sister Li was forming her nascent soul, you wouldn't lend me spirit stones. And when my China Pharmaceuticals was destroyed, where were you? City Lord Zhang, I wish I could help, but I can't find a reason to."

Zhang Chengfeng's face paled. He snarled, "Ye, even in death, the River State Zhang family won't let you go! They'll kill you and your family!"

Ye Mo shook his head. Zhang Chengfeng's threat was illogical; he wasn't intimidating Luo Youping, but focusing his anger on Ye Mo instead. And he hardly feared the minor Zhang family.

"Enough noise," Luo Youping declared, beheading Zhang Chengfeng with his sword.

Ye Mo telepathically retrieved the storage ring.

Luo Youping watched, his expression souring at Ye Mo's audacious collection of the spoils. He said nothing, instead turning his attention to Fei Cijiang.

Fei Cijiang, witnessing Zhang Chengfeng's death, felt a chill. He looked at Ye Mo. "Brother Ye, I'm Fei Cijiang of the Hidden Sword Sect. Save me, and I'll repay you with my life."

Ye Mo sneered. "So many familiar faces. I planned to find you later, but you came to me. I was interested in a stone stool at the Nanshan market, bought by the wealthy and snobbish Mr. Fei. I was threatened, how else would I know it was you? Fei Cijiang. Mr. Fei."

"You—it's you!" Fei Cijiang trembled, then suddenly exclaimed, "The key is on you!"

Ye Mo produced a rusty sword. "True, but there's no reward. Now, let me borrow your storage ring." With a wave of his hand, Fei Cijiang's finger and ring were severed and vanished into Ye Mo's Golden Page World.

Fei Cijiang stared, dazed. After a moment, he exclaimed joyfully, "So you're the one with the key?! We can enter the ancient ruin now!"

Luo Youping casually decapitated Fei Cijiang.

Ye Mo calmly addressed Luo Youping. "You're wrong. I can enter the ruins, not 'we'."

Luo Youping, stunned, glared coldly. "You want to fight? You're a mere Golden Core Stage 2! Even depleted, killing you would be trivial."

Luo Youping began laying out a trap formation, carefully placing formation flags. Though confident of victory, he meticulously prepared.

Ye Mo watched, sneering inwardly. This was Luo Youping's usual tactic, and it amused Ye Mo to see it employed against him.

Luo Youping, joyfully finishing the formation, said, "Brother Ye, collaborating on the ancient ruin would be far more advantageous. If you agree, you can choose three items first."

Ye Mo sneered. Luo Youping was ruthless. If not for his depleted cultivation, he would have attacked already.

Though confident of victory, Ye Mo was unsure if he could avoid injury. Luo Youping might possess a devastating, one-hit-kill technique, like Ji Zhiyuan.

Ten minutes later, Luo Youping, triumphant, threw the controlling formation flag. "You're too naive! Thanks for bringing the key."

But Ye Mo snatched the flag before it reached the formation. As Luo Youping watched, baffled, Ye Mo threw out his own formation flags, instantly transforming the trap formation into a reversal formation.

Luo Youping understood. Ye Mo's formation skills vastly surpassed his. The youth's mastery was astonishing. He had studied formations for over two centuries, reaching only Level 3. Yet Ye Mo, with a few flags, reversed his formation, clearly a Level 4 or even Level 5 master.

Luo Youping's face drained of color. He had tried to trap a master formationist with a trap formation.

"Let me go! I'll give you everything!" Luo Youping pleaded, while simultaneously unleashing his massive sword and a dark yellow, umbrella-like magical artifact.

Ignoring the pleas, Ye Mo activated his formation. A yellow ray stopped the umbrella.

Luo Youping, seeing the futility of begging, attacked Ye Mo's formation. His sword nearly breached the yellow light ray.

Ye Mo was shaken. Luo Youping’s formation skills were exceptional. Even depleted, his attack surpassed that of a Golden Core Peak cultivator. A few more strikes would break the formation.

Without hesitation, Ye Mo unleashed Zi Xu. The Illusion Cloud Division Strike sent a torrent of purple sword rays toward Luo Youping.