Chapter 42: Escape!

In the sky, that anomaly writhed even more violently, and the red lines grew brighter.

The consequence was that batches of cultivators began to fall.

Those who did not die were left trembling, unable to even stand steadily.

"Wuuuu... wuuuu..."

Suddenly, a strange sonic wave rang out.

Following this sound wave, the red lines in the sky began to emit a buzzing hum.

For a moment, the two types of sound waves intertwined, leaving Chen Lin dizzy and lightheaded; he stumbled and fell to the ground.

Zhao Zhengyuan and the Xia sisters were in the same state, and even Ye Jingyun’s body swayed precariously.

This was because the red lines on their bodies had been severed; the cultivators still tethered to the red lines were in an even more miserable state, their bodies continuously exploding into clouds of blood mist.

Yet, this blood mist did not fall to the ground; instead, it was all swallowed by the eerie red lines, causing them to expand once more.

"Not good, that anomaly is about to take shape! Run!"

Seeing this scene, Yu Yuehai let out a scream unlike any he had ever uttered. He slapped his storage bag, pulling out several talismans and throwing them to Chen Lin and the others.

"These are Wind-Splitting Talismans! Accelerate immediately, quick!"

With that, his figure blurred, and he grabbed Ye Jingyun, dashing away like a bolt of lightning.

The Wind-Splitting Talisman was a high-grade First-Order talisman that could increase speed upon use. Without a word, Chen Lin slapped a talisman onto himself and transformed into a streak of light to chase after them.

The Xia sisters were not slow either, following closely behind.

Only Zhao Zhengyuan hesitated for a moment before activating his talisman.

"Hmph!"

While flying at high speed, Yu Yuehai suddenly let out a cold snort.

"What is it, Senior Brother?"

Being pulled by Yu Yuehai, Ye Jingyun did not consume much mana and still had time to observe their surroundings.

"It's nothing, just a clever little ant who thinks too highly of himself."

Yu Yuehai's words were nonsensical, but Ye Jingyun did not press him further.

The group began to sprint through the desolate mountains and forests.

Suddenly, a powerful surge of mana appeared, and a massive flying sword swept past them from not far away, instantly overtaking them.

This flying sword also flew close to the ground; although many people were standing upon it, it was extremely agile, weaving around giant trees like a spiritual serpent.

A voice drifted from the receding flying sword: "Fellow Daoist Yu and Pavilion Master Ye, be careful! That anomaly has already taken shape and is currently in its metamorphosis stage. It won't be long; leave the controlled area as quickly as possible. Do not delay!"

As the flying sword drifted further away, the voice grew fainter, yet it could still be heard clearly.

In a daze, Chen Lin seemed to see a familiar figure, but he could not be certain.

With a grim face, Yu Yuehai snorted coldly, "Han Yuhe actually managed to refine this Cloud-Fire Sword; his escape speed is indeed quite fast."

His tone seemed to hold great disdain for the person who had spoken.

However, as soon as the words left his mouth, he slapped his storage bag and produced a small, pitch-black boat.

Once thrown to the ground, the small boat immediately expanded to over ten feet in length. Yu Yuehai was the first to grab Ye Jingyun and leap onto it.

"Everyone, get on! Fast!"

At his command, Chen Lin and the others hurriedly boarded. The flying vessel immediately turned into a streak of black light, skimming across the ground as it fled into the distance.

If one were to look down from high above at this moment, they would see that the entire Kaiyuan City had turned into a wasteland. Most of the cultivators inside had been sucked dry like mummies, though many had escaped from different directions, fleeing for their lives by various means.

The largest group was heading in the same direction as Chen Lin and the others.

This was because this direction was relatively flat, whereas the other three sides were surrounded by towering mountains and heavy concentrations of demon beasts, making escape difficult.

These people were weaving through the air using various magical artifacts, carving out multicolored streaks of light.

None of them were tethered by red lines; they were likely disciples of the five great families.

Among them was a flying vessel that was not only large but also protected by a layer of light, looking like a glowing giant fish in the dark sky.

With no obstacles in the air, the vessel flew at extreme speeds, passing over Yu Yuehai and the others in the blink of an eye.

"The Blue Family's Water-Rhyme Spirit Boat... how do they dare fly so ostentatiously? Aren't they afraid of being targeted by that anomaly?"

Seeing the vessel, Ye Jingyun couldn't help but ask in confusion.

Based on her knowledge of the Blue Family, their Patriarch would likely not act so irrationally.

"Heh, perhaps they believe their high-grade spiritual tool-level vessel has sufficient defense. Arrogant fools!"

Yu Yuehai offered his critique and then ignored everything else, focusing on maneuvering the small boat through the mountains and forests.

Because it was night and they dared not fly too high to avoid obstacles, they were soon left behind by the streaks of light in the sky.

However, instead of being anxious, Yu Yuehai actually slowed down, eventually coming to a complete halt.

"Senior Brother, what's wrong?"

The others did not dare to speak out of respect for Yu Yuehai's authority; only Ye Jingyun voiced her concern.

Yu Yuehai did not answer. Instead, he turned back toward Kaiyuan City with an unusual expression on his face.

The phantom of the anomaly still existed, but it was unclear whether it was recovering from injuries or, as the Han family members had said, undergoing metamorphosis, as it had become very quiet.

The red lines had vanished from the sky.

"Heh, it seems these five great families are still too cowardly. Then, let me lend you a hand!"

Yu Yuehai sneered.

Then, under the bewildered gazes of the group, he pulled out the formation plate from before.

He enlarged it and threw it to the ground. With a wave of his hand, five large spirit stones were installed into the grooves.

Following the same method, he pressed the sphere into the center of the formation plate.

However, this time he did not spray essence blood, nor did he require Chen Lin and the others to transfer their mana.

Once the operation was complete, Yu Yuehai gave a low shout, "Rise!"

The formation plate was activated.

The spirit stones shattered, and the runes formed blades of light.

No one knew what Yu Yuehai was doing this for. Chen Lin glanced at Ye Jingyun, only to find that she was also looking on in confusion.

He felt a sense of impending doom, yet he did not know where the danger would come from.

At this moment, he could not leave the group to run alone, nor would Yu Yuehai allow him to leave; he could only brace himself and wait to see what Yu Yuehai's true intention was.

"Stop him! Quick, or we're all going to die!"

Just then, Zhao Zhengyuan, who had been trailing at the very back, suddenly shouted loudly.

Then, Chen Lin felt a massive aura erupt from the man. At some unknown point, an axe-shaped magical artifact had appeared in his hand. The great axe, glowing with a cyan light, swung down toward Yu Yuehai's head!

The turn of events was extremely sudden. By the time Chen Lin and the others reacted, the axe was already above Yu Yuehai's head.

What surprised Chen Lin even more was that Zhao Zhengyuan's cultivation level was not at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, but the late-stage!

"Senior Brother, watch out!"

Ye Jingyun let out a startled cry. With a lift of her hand, a deep blue flying sword manifested out of thin air, clashing with the giant axe.

Seeing this, Chen Lin sighed inwardly. With Ye Jingyun's ninth-layer Qi Refinement cultivation and the fact that this flying sword was clearly high-grade, Zhao Zhengyuan was likely finished.

At the same time, he secretly blamed Zhao Zhengyuan for his recklessness; wasn't acting at a time like this just seeking death?

It would have been much better to wait until they were out of danger to act; that way, he could have even created an opportunity to use the Thunderbolt Pearl.

But in the next instant, he was stunned on the spot!