Liu Xing sensed the qi emanating from the group before him. He realized that the first and second rows consisted of people with vast amounts of qi. While not as immense as Xia Juetian's, they were likely at the Core Splitting realm. The rest were at Lock Opening realm, standing quietly like soldiers prepared for war.
Leading them was a cultivator with white hair. He wore red and black robes, with a golden sash at his waist. The qi radiating from him was like staring at the sun with bare eyes—so vast it was almost blinding. His skin is white and youthful, yet he exuded an ancient aura, like a thousand-year-old tree.
As Liu Xing approached, several people turned their heads. Some nodded at him, while those in the front rows snorted, as if they saw mere trash.
Yang Zhaoyan didn't turn his head but beckoned Liu Xing with his arm.
Liu Xing walked between the cultivators of the Yang clan and soon arrived right behind Elder Yang Zhaoyan. From this close, Liu Xing felt the air charged with power around him, as if his power could lash out at any moment.
"My name is Yang Zhaoyan. Thank you for escorting our princess back," he said as he looked at Liu Xing.
Elder Yang Zhaoyan looked like a man in his thirties. A patch of white beard adorned his chin, his eyebrows were sharp as swords, and his eyes were clear. His face was flawless, and Liu Xing would even describe him as handsome.
"You're welcome," Liu Xing said, bowing slightly.
"I heard you came here to warn us and this empire about frightening spirit beasts."
On the way from the flower hills, Liu Xing had told Yang Liangyu great details about the spirit beast that killed Xia Juetian. He described their ability to steal bloodlines and use them, along with everything he knew about them, except for information about Wei Yi, because once again, he still had no proof that Wei Yi was behind those spirit beasts. He wanted Yang Liangyu to spread information about these spirit beasts within his clan, and it seemed that his plan had worked.
"Yes, they're dangerous. If allowed to roam too long, I'm afraid they would raze this empire to the ground."
Yang Zhaoyan nodded. "Spirit beasts like that need to be killed as soon as possible. Unfortunately, they came at a bad time. Or from their perspective, the perfect time."
"Would you help me subdue them later?"
He nodded. "I would help, but only if I can survive this whole ordeal."
After he said that, Liu Xing heard a rumbling sound from afar. He snapped his head to the front. He thought this terrain of many little rolling hills, like green waves, would be used to maneuver in a fight. But it would only stand for several seconds before a high-realm cultivator used a large-scale attack and flattened it all.
Soon, he saw a group of people flying and running as if their lives depended on it. This group consisted of three people: two flying and one running. The two flying were women, they are using swords to propel themselves at full power. Their faces were covered in sweat, their red and yellow robes disheveled. One woman was drenched in so much blood that she looked as if she'd been dipped in a well of it.
The running man wore a red robe with a golden crane on it. His black hair was short, and a red line crossed his face diagonally. Whether it was a line of blood or a scar, Liu Xing couldn't tell. But he knew that this man, probably Yang Jinyan, was terrified, his face pale and beads of sweat falling from his chin, and Liu Xing understood why.
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Behind them came an abomination. It stood almost five meters tall, with long gray fur that swayed wildly as it ran. Its face was that of a dog, but its ears were so long they looked like ribbons. Its red eyes stared wildly at the fleeing cultivators, as if furious about what had happened. Yellow fangs jutted from its mouth, and on its large forehead, several heads protruded with eyes either so wide they looked ready to pop out or smiling so widely they resembled those of madmen. There were five heads, and seeing the red at the base of their necks, they had probably been beheaded before being glued to its forehead. This abomination had four feet: its two front feet were too long, like human hands, while its rear feet looked like a dog's. As it ran, it slapped the ground and making the earth surge like water. Its gait looked unbalanced, yet it was still fast and dangerous.
From the qi he felt, Liu Xing knew this thing was at the very least as strong as Xia Juetian. Its qi felt like a dark, ancient ocean threatening to devour him. While the amount of qi it had wasn't as much as Xia Juetian's, it still felt dangerous.
"Prepare!" Yang Zhaoyun shouted.
The clansmen behind Liu Xing began to unsheathe their weapons.
The three fleeing cultivators soon came closer, and Elder Yang Zhaoyun extended his hands. Suddenly, the barrier around the clan revealed itself. It looked like a white, milky wall, as if mist had solidified to protect the clan. Three holes suddenly appeared in the wall, and soon, the two women and the man passed through. The elder swung his hand, and the holes closed.
The two women landed abruptly on the ground in front of him and the elder, while the man stumbled and fell before getting up and walking toward the elder.
The three of them looked disheveled and panicked. The man was at the Core Splitting realm; Liu Xing didn't know how many cores he had, but he didn't have a terrifying aura like Xia Juetian, but he was still stronger than Wei Gang. The woman who was drenched in blood from head to toe was stronger than the man, while the last woman was also a Core Splitting cultivator, but she only felt slightly stronger than Wei Gang. All in all, Liu Xing thought that the strongest of them, the woman drenched in blood, was at least at Core Splitting realm and had three cores.
"Elder Yang Zhaoyun, it's bad, really, really bad!" the woman that was slightly stronger than Wei Gang shouted.
After she said it, the spirit beast arrived at the wall, banging its two long hands against it and roaring. Its roar was a mix of goat, cow, and a growling human.
"Where are the rest? When will they come back?" Elder Yang Zhaoyan asked.
"Elder, I'm sorry," Yang Jinyan's red eyes began to glisten, as if holding back tears. "Only the three of us survived. The rest are dead. Elder Yang Meiyue, Elder Yang Fengrui, Elder Yang Tianlei, Elder Yang Yanrong, and all the people who came to me—they died!"
After he said that, Elder Yang Zhoayan and the rest of the clansmen's eyes widened. Some even jumped from their positions, as if they'd heard the sky had turned black and the ocean purple.
"What are you talking about? Three Sun Refining cultivators, dozens of Core Splitting cultivators. You say all died? Only you three survived? Is this some kind of joke?"
"No, elder," the woman drenched in blood said. "We underestimated Yang Lihuo's force. That bastard not only usurped the throne and betrayed the clan, but he also colluded with a demonic cultivator. His force is growing steadily as we speak with the help of this demonic cultivator. That demonic cultivator is also formidable, at the peak of the Sun Refining realm. Only half a step before he fully becomes Sun Collapsing realm."
The spirit beast slammed its body against the barrier. The sound was as loud as a thunderclap, and Liu Xing worried it would break through.
The other woman said: "Not only that, they also betrayed their allies. The Hei Clan, Wu Clan, and the entire army are now turning into that." She pointed at the giant ghost beast that had begun to pound the barrier with its two hands while standing on its hind legs. Its howling and growling made the air tremble.
Hearing all of this, Liu Xing's heart began to race. The Yang clan members behind him started murmuring, and even Elder Yang Zhaoyan's eyes widened. This news was big, too big! When he arrived at the clan compound, he had assumed that there were two factions, but now the other faction was gone, transformed into some kind of spirit beast and human hybrid. They have all become abominations!
"Only Yang Lihuo and that demonic cultivator Wei Yi remain. It seems they intend to transform us into some kind of spirit beasts and control us to conquer the world," the blood-drenched woman added.
Hearing this, Liu Xing's already wide eyes grew even wider.
"What? Did you say Wei Yi?" Liu Xing asked the drenched woman.
As he spoke, Elder Yang Zhaoyan, Prince Yang Jinyan, and the two women suddenly turned their heads toward him. Their expressions were surprised, as if they had forgotten about his presence.