William Harris was truly struggling to hold back his laughter; this Grace Morgan was just too savage—no one could stand her.

Grace Morgan said, “I’m warning you… keep your hands to yourself!”

Brian Brooks was at his wit’s end with her and could only lower his voice and say, “Can you call me something else? Otherwise, Old Brooks will have no face left to show anyone…”

Grace Morgan didn’t really want to push Brian Brooks too far either. Once this guy lost his mind, he was like a mad bear—truly terrifying. She grinned and said, “Alright, how about Little Brooks then?”

Little Brooks!

Brian Brooks was annoyed—why was this woman so difficult?

Suddenly, William Harris turned around and shouted, “Come out!”

There was utter silence behind them. Brian Brooks said, “No one’s there!” He felt nothing could escape his sharp eyes.

“Old Brooks, hit that tree!”

Brian Brooks swept his large hand across his waist, and in an instant, a gigantic axe appeared in his hand—so huge it was the size of a cartwheel, emitting a faint silvery glow. The top of the axe was engraved with the head of a strange beast, its mouth wide open and full of sharp teeth. The beast’s head seemed almost alive, roaring from the axe’s surface.

Moonwheel Axe!

This was Brian Brooks’s signature weapon.

With a casual swing, Brian Brooks didn’t even approach the tree—he slashed at it from fifty meters away.

Suddenly, a beast’s head made of light shot out, surrounded by a ring of radiance. A series of explosions followed as the ring of light rolled forward like a wheel, instantly crushing everything in its path.

“Boom!”

The massive ancient tree was shattered to pieces by a single blow. Immediately after, a man burst out laughing as he soared into the air, calling out mid-flight, “Mr. Harris, you’re still as sharp as ever! Haha, I won’t play with you guys anymore…” In a flash, a fierce wind swept up, and the man was gone.

Mr. Turner!

William Harris gnashed his teeth. He rarely had enemies, as William Harris was always mild-mannered—at least on the surface—but he hated this guy to the core.

Brian Brooks exclaimed in surprise, “It’s the Butcher!”

Mr. Turner’s nickname was the Butcher. If Chu Fengchen was no good, then this man was a lunatic—a true madman, a ruthless killer with blood on his hands.

Grace Morgan frowned and said, “Well, all five are here. I didn’t expect the Butcher to be hiding here…”

She was referring to the five top experts in today’s cultivation world, representing the highest level of power.

As expected, no master would ignore this ruin!

Chapter 8: Entering the Outer Perimeter

William Harris said, “That guy was hiding behind us, planning to pick up the scraps. Everyone be careful—this lunatic will do anything. If he ambushes you, you won’t be able to take it.”

Brian Brooks swung his giant axe carelessly and said, “If the three of us surround him, he won’t escape. We’ll slaughter him!”

William Harris replied, “If the Butcher were easy to kill, he’d have been chopped into mincemeat long ago.”

Brian Brooks said, “Just don’t let me run into him in the ruins, or I’ll hack him to death!”

Grace Morgan couldn’t help but mock, “You’ll kill him? Can you really? If Mr. Harris and I don’t step in, who knows who would win or lose!”

For once, Brian Brooks was smart—he just grunted and didn’t argue with Grace Morgan. He knew he was no match for her in a war of words, so he simply stayed silent.

Grace Morgan finally scored a win and was pleased, so she stopped teasing Brian Brooks.

William Harris glanced at Grace Morgan, the meaning clear: bullying again!

Grace Morgan giggled to cover her embarrassment. She dared to mock Brian Brooks, but wouldn’t dare say anything harsh to William Harris.

Suddenly, a loud rumble sounded, and the entire ground shook violently. The defensive formation let out a series of crisp cracking sounds, so continuous they merged into one, sounding quite frightening.

Cracks began to appear in the ground, and some large trees toppled with a crash as the earth shook, dust billowing everywhere—a scene of chaos.

All the cultivators were both surprised and delighted. This meant the great formation of the ruins was starting to collapse. If they could find a weak spot, they’d be able to get in!

Every cultivator was waiting—waiting for the formation to reveal a flaw.

But a few had already found a weak point. With just this tremor, they could enter.

William Harris suddenly said, “Old Brooks, throw an axe in this direction! Make it count!”

He pointed to a spot at the base of the defensive barrier.

The light there was clearly dim, the red glow almost gone.

Brian Brooks said, “I got it, I got it! Aha!” He raised his hand and hurled the Moonwheel Axe.

William Harris and Grace Morgan both quickly retreated—this guy’s Moonwheel Axe was no joke.

“Boom!”

With that blow, a crack was blasted open. William Harris shouted, “Get in! Quick!”

The three of them darted inside like lightning. At that moment, the formation still had some power left, and as soon as they entered, the crack closed up.

Two cultivators dropped down from the sky. Seeing someone had gotten in, they tried to sneak in as well, but the crack closed before they could squeeze through. At that moment, someone appeared silently—it was Mr. Turner, who had been scared off by Brian Brooks’s axe earlier.

The two latecomers were startled when they saw Mr. Turner, as he had appeared so suddenly.