Those crimson bats flew fast. In no time at all, they were nearly upon them. Their eyes were blood-red as well, and upon spotting their prey, they let out harsh, cackling cries, baring razor-sharp fangs. Over a thousand blood bats beating their wings in unison brought a gust of foul, iron-tinged wind that sent Tang San and Hu Liena's bodies swaying.
Tang San moved with blinding speed. He whipped the rope free from around his waist, hooked it behind him across Hu Liena's midsection, then looped it back and cinched it tight around his own belt. In an instant, the two were bound together—whether they wanted it or not, their bodies were pressed firmly against one another.
Their hips and backs were flush, but neither of them harbored the slightest idle thought. Every shred of their focus was locked on the blood bats drawing ever closer.
Hu Liena bore no resentment toward Tang San's actions. She understood—he was using their combined weight to counteract the wind. Two people anchored together would hold far better than one.
And then, almost immediately, she felt the man at her back plant himself like an unmoving mountain. The swaying stopped entirely. With her back pressed to his, she steadied along with him, and her mind could settle into sharp concentration.
In Tang San's left hand, the Clear Sky Hammer had already materialized into his grip. With the five-hundred-jin hammer at the ready, added to their combined weight and Soul Power control, the wind—no matter how fierce—could not budge them an inch.
With Tang San eliminating that worry, Hu Liena's spirit surged. The killing intent stored within her body erupted outward in a sudden wave, reflecting coldly off the surface of her short sword. She drew a deep breath, and her eyes gradually shifted to a pale pink. Her soul skills may have been suppressed, but that did not prevent her from releasing her Martial Soul.
The blood bats in the air seemed almost sentient. Rather than rushing to attack, they circled rapidly, forming a ring around the two of them. Now, blood bats hovered in every direction—above, below, front, and back—ready to strike.
Tang San flicked his fingers, and a sliver of cold light shot forth, aimed straight at the nearest bat.
But the creature's body swayed mid-air with a subtle dodge, and the flying needle passed right through empty space.
Tang San's heart tightened. Hu Liena had already murmured in a low voice, "Bats aren't like ordinary birds. They possess a special, acute sensitivity—they can easily read incoming attacks. It's an ability that even spiritual power can't interfere with. Unless your speed exceeds the very limit of their reaction, it's nearly impossible to land a hit."
Tang San nodded. He knew this as well. "Leave that to me. When they start attacking, just focus on protecting yourself."
"Understood." There was no room for lengthy discussion. Hu Liena agreed immediately, her focus unwavering. If Tang San hadn't been here, the mental pressure alone would have already been unbearable. In a place like this, with no solid ground beneath their feet, agility was completely useless. Facing such an enormous swarm of blood bats—it was already a death sentence by any reasonable measure.
And judging by the reaction speed those bats had shown in dodging Tang San's attack, they had to be some rare, mutated breed. Their speed and offensive capability were both top-tier—and they might very well carry lethal venom as well.
Perhaps Tang San's flying needle had ignited the blood bats' fury. In the next instant, dozens of bats from the innermost ring lunged directly at them.
It was then that Hu Liena suddenly felt a cool sensation spread across her back, followed by a wave of familiarity she had sensed before. A layer of pale blue light bloomed outward from in front of her, expanding at breathtaking speed. In the blink of an eye, it had spread to encompass a fifty-meter diameter.
The dozens of blood bats that had been hurtling toward them found their formations thrown into disarray. A few even collided with each other mid-air.
What was happening? Before Hu Liena could process it, several dozen streaks of cold light had already shot from Tang San's hand. One needle per bat—not a single one wasted. Each needle pierced through a bat's eye and embedded itself directly in the brain.
A string of shrill, anguished screams followed. The leading wave of blood bats plummeted downward like falling meteors into the abyss.
After a moment of stunned silence, two words rose unbidden from the depths of Hu Liena's heart, nearly escaping her lips. "A Domain."
Yes—the blood bats' special ability was beyond the reach of spiritual power to disrupt. It relied on ultrasonic waves, something that could not be countered by mental energy alone. But there was one power they feared above all others: a Domain.
Within a Domain, their unique ability was suppressed. And it was precisely under those conditions that Tang San could so easily destroy them with nothing more than ordinary flying needles.
Hu Liena's body trembled slightly.
"Don't move." Tang San's low voice cut through the air, and Hu Liena immediately stilled herself. She knew this was not the time to ask questions. But even with all her intelligence, she could not make sense of what Tang San had just displayed.
A Domain—how could it possibly exist on him?