Chapter 58: Mutation

In the distance, Wei Tong and the others, who had just gone off to hunt down the demonic cultivators, were sprinting toward the altar with expressions of sheer terror, as if something were chasing them. The group that had been the hunters only moments ago had suddenly become the hunted.

Upon hearing this news, the crowd surrounding Gu Liangshan froze in place.

"Not good! There really is a Foundation Establishment demon lurking here. Everyone, retreat!" Sensing a terrifying pressure emanating from behind Wei Tong's group—a pressure far exceeding that of any Qi Refinement cultivator—Lu Yunfei realized the situation was untenable. He shouted to the crowd and attempted to retreat along the path they had come.

As soon as Lu Yunfei finished his shout, the old rogue Shi Mofeng had already gained a head start, bolting toward the exit of the valley. The old man had completely abandoned the cautious attitude he displayed during the battle; the moment it was time to flee, he became incredibly proactive.

"Haha, if you think you can leave now, I'm afraid it's too late!" Taking advantage of the crowd's momentary daze, Gu Liangshan and the purple-clad demonic cultivator had already moved ahead to block their path of escape.

Seeing Shi Mofeng attempting to flee, Gu Liangshan released his Soul-Gathering Banner, intending to entangle him desperately. Unexpectedly, the old man grew fierce; he unleashed two high-grade spiritual talismans in rapid succession, forcing Gu Liangshan back, and then sprinted toward the mountain pass without looking back.

Just as Shi Mofeng reached the mouth of the pass, a sinister laugh suddenly echoed from the sky: "Junior, you've killed so many of my disciples, yet you think you can leave so easily? Are you not giving me enough respect?"

With a grim expression, Yang Wuqi, riding atop a gourd dharma treasure, soared over the heads of the crowd. Moments later, he had caught up to Shi Mofeng and stood directly in his path.

After a few laughs, Yang Wuqi's withered hands released a burst of black mist, instantly sweeping Shi Mofeng into the air. A moment later, a blood-curdling scream rang out. Shi Mofeng fell from the black mist into a nearby patch of grass, motionless, his fate unknown.

Lu Yunfei and the others, who were mid-flight, witnessed this terrifying scene and panicked. They came to a sudden halt, not daring to take another step forward.

Shi Mofeng was, after all, an eighth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator. No one expected him to be so utterly defenseless against this Foundation Establishment demon. The terrifying power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator gave Song Qingming and the others—who had never seen such strength in action—a massive shock.

They had not realized the chasm between Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment was so vast. Even if their dozen or so Qi Refinement cultivators attacked simultaneously, they would stand no chance against this demon in a direct confrontation.

Seeing Gu Liangshan and the other demonic cultivators closing in from behind, Lu Yunfei steeled his resolve and shouted to the group, "Do not be afraid! Charge forward together and scatter! Escape individually—anyone who makes it out must immediately inform the sect so they can avenge us in the future!"

Everyone understood the reality of the situation: their best chance of surviving a Foundation Establishment demon was to gamble on their own luck.

If their dozen or so members fled in different directions, the demon could, at most, catch two or three people. Someone would surely be lucky enough to escape.

As soon as Lu Yunfei finished speaking, the dozen or so people beside him quickly chose their respective escape routes, darting forward like arrows.

Song Qingming and a few other cultivators hesitated for only a moment, nearly missing the chance to flee. Just as they prepared to follow the others, the approaching demonic cultivators reached them and quickly became entangled.

The situation for Lu Yunfei and those who had managed to break away was also dire. Yang Wuqi produced a bell dharma treasure and shook it several times in the air. A piercing demonic sound erupted, causing the fleeing cultivators to suffer splitting headaches, forcing them to clutch their heads and stop in their tracks.

Several cultivators with lower cultivation levels even began to bleed from their facial orifices, completely unable to move forward.

"Ah!"

Another scream rang out. An unlucky cultivator had been killed by a single axe blow from the purple-clad demon who had caught up from behind. The purple-clad demon had been suppressed by Yang Wuqi during their previous fight and had been feeling stifled; seeing his master intervene to block the group, he reacted quickly, finally venting the pent-up frustration in his heart.

If the group remained blocked by the Foundation Establishment demon, even if he was busy controlling his dharma treasure and couldn't strike directly, the Qi Refinement demons following closely behind would eventually claim their lives.

Seeing this, Lu Yunfei could no longer worry about those behind him. He released a high-grade defensive talisman to temporarily block the sonic attacks from Yang Wuqi's bell and surged forward again using his magic power. This high-grade talisman was expensive and was his last line of defense; in his desperation to survive, he could not afford to be stingy with his precious resources.

Generally, the effect of a high-grade talisman is several times stronger than a standard high-grade defensive treasure. With the talisman active, Lu Yunfei was able to withstand the attacks of Yang Wuqi's second-grade treasure for a short time, finally regaining the ability to flee.

After pushing himself to run for another hundred feet, he finally escaped the range of the bell's sonic attacks. Just as Lu Yunfei thought he was nearing safety from this nightmare, Yang Wuqi, who was operating the dharma treasure in the sky, noticed him.

Seeing someone attempting to slip away, Yang Wuqi decisively stopped his spellcasting, retracted the bell, and flew toward Lu Yunfei.

As the terrifying aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator descended, Lu Yunfei turned to see a mass of black mist only a few yards behind him. He hurriedly raised his defensive treasure to block the strike, but a massive skeletal arm suddenly lunged out from the black mist, seizing his treasure.

The defensive treasure was a white jade tablet of mid-grade quality. Under the grasp of the skeletal hand, it instantly lost its spiritual essence, reverting to a mere three-inch jade piece that fell on the ground in front of Lu Yunfei.

Seeing the skeletal hand lunging again, and with no other effective defensive means left, Lu Yunfei could only activate his body-protecting shield. Knowing that even his dharma treasure couldn't stop the skeletal hand, he realized his shield would be useless, but he had no choice but to act on instinct.

The shield was quickly shattered by the skeletal hand. Lu Yunfei closed his eyes in despair, only for a streak of green light to fly across the sky from the other side, instantly slicing through the skeletal hand. The hand was severed into two pieces and fell before him.

A green flying boat appeared above Lu Yunfei. Looking up at the three women on the boat, Lu Yunfei felt a profound sense of relief that he had survived.

"With Martial Aunt Liu personally here, we are finally saved..."