Apart from the slightly salty sea breeze drifting gently over the small hill, the surroundings were utterly silent. This only set the minds of the few people on the hill more at ease, and they boldly closed their eyes and entered meditation.
Time flew by. After a shichen, the group had recovered most of their Magical Power, and their complexions looked much more normal.
The middle-aged cultivator opened his eyes, took stock of the men and women around him, and immediately issued his command without hesitation: "Let's go — we can't stay here any longer! Those things will probably be on us soon." With those words, he was the first to leap to his feet.
Although the Qi Condensation-stage men and women were somewhat reluctant to leave, they dared not linger. They likewise ended their meditation, pulled out their magical artifacts, and prepared to take to the air together.
But just at that moment, shrill cries erupted all over the sky above the small island, and portions of the milky-white thick fog began to roil and churn violently.
"This is bad!" The middle-aged cultivator's face changed drastically.
The other men and women turned deathly pale in an instant.
From within the thick fog overhead, over a dozen massive gray strange birds shot out.
These birds were roughly a zhang in size, with fleshy red crests atop their heads, sharp beaks and talons, and a faint azure glow radiating from their entire bodies — a thoroughly vicious and ugly appearance.
The moment they appeared, they did not immediately swoop down toward the island below. Instead, they swiftly circled in the air and then scattered, instantly blocking the cultivators' escape routes. They appeared to be very skilled at coordinated action.
Seeing this, the middle-aged cultivator's heart sank to the very bottom.
"Go — quickly, into that forest! When there's a chance, we split up and flee!" He had some experience dealing with avian demon beasts and immediately signaled the others to dash toward the nearby forest.
The remaining men and women, their wits thoroughly scattered, raised no objections. They likewise drove their artifacts and followed after him.
The strange birds in the sky then let out a raucous, piercing shriek and began closing in from above, slowly converging on the group with them at the center.
Seeing the demonic birds act this way, the men and women grew even more panicked, pushing their flight speed even faster. In the blink of an eye they reached the sky above the forest and plunged downward.
An unexpected scene unfolded at that very moment!
The instant the five flew close to within three zhang of the forest canopy, a burst of emerald-green radiance suddenly flashed. Their vision went bright, and after a bout of dizziness and disorientation, they suddenly found the scenery before them had completely changed.
The original forest was gone. In its place stood an entirely unfamiliar mountain range, and astonishing spiritual energy washed over them.
"This is an illusion formation!" The most striking-looking among the three female cultivators — the one dressed in blue brocade — cried out in astonishment.
"Could there be other fellow cultivators here!" the brawny young man exclaimed with delight.
"Perhaps! Regardless, this is a chance for us to survive. I hope this illusion formation can fool those hawk-kites!" The middle-aged man was also greatly surprised, murmuring in a low voice.
Hearing his words, the others could not help but glance upward toward the top of the illusion formation.
At that moment, the vicious birds circling in the air suddenly lost their targets, and a wave of commotion rippled through them. But after exchanging a few shrill calls, they continued pressing downward without changing course.
"No! It seems the eagle-kite beasts aren't affected by these illusions. Head toward that mountain range quickly — I sense restrictive barriers there. There may really be other fellow daoists present." The middle-aged cultivator spoke with a grim face, then streaked forward in a flash of escaping light.
The remaining men and women exchanged uneasy glances, their faces taut with tension, and pursued him without hesitation.
But after flying only a short distance, a layer of white light barrier that had materialized out of nowhere blocked their path.
Seeing this, the middle-aged cultivator was not alarmed — instead, he grew delighted.
He immediately reached out, and a voice transmission talisman appeared in his hand.
Murmuring an incantation under his breath, he raised his hand with a flick, and the talisman transformed into a streak of firelight that vanished into the barrier in the blink of an eye.
The others stared at the scene in alarm, not daring to utter a single word.
Moments later, those dozen or so monstrous birds finally flew into the illusion formation. Having locked onto their targets, they lunged from every direction with reckless ferocity, their wings beating as they trailed a piercing, blinding azure glow.
The middle-aged cultivator's expression darkened. He cast a glance back at the white light barrier behind him, gritted his teeth, and issued a few quiet orders.