The sounds of battle shook the heavens as seventeen or eighteen people formed a wide circle, entrusting their backs to those beside them. In this moment, elites from nearly a dozen sects had fused into a single whole.
Demon beasts fell one after another, while the warriors unleashed their Zhenyuan with reckless abandon.
As the stench of blood spread, the demon beasts were driven into a frenzy, attacking as though they had gone mad, heedless of their own lives. This group of people had originally been more than capable of handling fifty-some demon beasts, but the arrival of
With a scream of agony, a warrior narrowly avoided having his chest torn open by a fifth-rank demon beast. Blood gushed from the wound — he hadn't died, but the injury was severe.
He was quick-witted enough to immediately fall back, retreating into the protective circle formed by the others. Those nearby hurriedly closed the gap he had left behind.
"Can you control any of them?" Yang Kai asked Zi Mo in the midst of the chaos.
"I'm trying, but it's incredibly hard!" Zi Mo gritted her teeth, unleashing killing strikes while simultaneously releasing her Soul-Controlling Insects. But the demon beasts were all dashing about at full speed, and the insects simply couldn't get a lock on them.
It took roughly the time it would take an incense stick to burn before Zi Mo managed to control fewer than five demon beasts. And once those five were under her control, they didn't last long before being cut down by the attacks of the other beasts.
As time wore on, as Zhenyuan was spent and more warriors were wounded, the situation grew increasingly perilous.
"What do we do?" Zi Mo was drenched in sweat from anxiety. After such a long fight, only thirty demon beasts had been killed, and most of those were only fourth-rank. The fifth-rank demon beasts that still lived were the ones capable of threatening everyone's lives.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and held firm. On his end, he had no fear of being overrun — with his full strength unleashed, no demon beast could even approach him.
After a moment's thought, he called out: "Everyone, conserve some of your Zhenyuan! If it becomes absolutely necessary… fly away! But remember — no one leaves ahead of the others!"
Han Xiaoqi's voice rang out: "Just give the orders! We'll follow your lead!"
Ye Han spoke with some worry: "But what about you? You're only at the Separation-Union Realm…"
Everyone else could fly. Yang Kai was the only one who couldn't. Once it came to that, he would surely be torn apart by the demon beasts.
"I'll carry him," Zi Mo said, her expression ice-cold.
Several people, while fighting, glanced at her in surprise.
But this was no guaranteed solution. Warriors at the Zhenyuan Realm could indeed fly, but their speed wasn't particularly fast, and it consumed enormous amounts of Zhenyuan. If the demon beasts gave chase, they would only fall into greater danger.
The white-hot battle continued unabated. Warriors were wounded one after another, retreating into the large circle as everyone gradually contracted their defensive perimeter. Meanwhile, the demon beasts suffered countless casualties as well.
After a brief lull, as though rallied by a final burst of strength, the demon beasts suddenly intensified their assault. Everyone scrambled to cope, exhausted beyond measure.
Yang Kai's expression remained calm and measured. He observed the situation while weighing his options, calculating the most opportune moment to withdraw.
Just as he was deep in thought, several demon beasts suddenly launched a desperate flanking attack. Zi Mo and
The two women's expressions changed drastically. In an instant, ice flooded their veins.
They were already struggling desperately, stretched impossibly thin — how could they possibly have the reserves to deal with fifth-rank demon beasts?
Rely on others? Don't even think about it. Everyone had their own enemies to face. Even Yang Kai was no exception! If these two fifth-rank demon beasts landed their attack, death or crippling injury was all but certain.
In that moment of terror, Yang Kai ignored the demon beast right in front of him entirely, allowing it to lunge at him and tear at his flesh. His expression turned utterly grave, his brow creased with intense concentration. Yuan Qi surged forth from both palms with ferocious power.
Left hand — White Tiger Seal. Right hand — Divine Bull Seal. The two seals fused as one.
A beam of dark light shot forth.
The Beast Slave Seal — striking one of the fifth-rank demon beasts dead center.
Immediately, that fifth-rank demon beast bared its fangs and turned savagely upon its companion beside it. The two beasts erupted into combat with each other in an instant, and the crisis facing Zi Mo and Leng Shan dissolved without a trace.
Still shaken, the two women glanced at Yang Kai, a flicker of gratitude passing through their eyes.
Each of them, at one point or another, had entertained thoughts of killing Yang Kai. It was only by a twist of fate that he had turned the tables and placed them under his control instead.
Over these days of traveling together, both Zi Mo and Leng Shan — though outwardly compliant — had harbored the unceasing desire to kill Yang Kai and sever the brands in their minds. That desire had never diminished, not even in this very moment.
But there was no denying it: Yang Kai risking his own safety to save their lives had stirred something deep within them. Compared to their own fellow sect members, this boy who had enslaved them, tormented them repeatedly, and shown not the slightest shred of mercy somehow seemed more dependable.
"Damn it!" Yang Kai cursed. In that brief moment of distraction, the demon beast in front of him had managed to rip a chunk of flesh from his body. The wound wasn't grave, but blood streamed down freely. He let out a furious roar, Yuan Qi surging wildly as he struck with devastating force, every blow lethal.
Like a single thread pulling on the entire tapestry, the failed ambush by the two fifth-rank demon beasts seemed to drain the fight out of every beast on the battlefield. After one more wave of attacks, some of the demon beasts began to flee.
In the span of barely half a cup of tea, all the demon beasts had scattered. Those that hadn't escaped lay dead upon the ground.
The warriors stood in place, gasping for breath in great heaving gulps. Every single one of them was drenched in blood, their appearances haggard beyond measure. Looking out over the carpet of demon beast corpses, they all felt the lingering echo of having narrowly cheated death.