Atop the lofty cliff, a blaze roared towards the heavens. The body of the colossal beast was now a dark silhouette engulfed in the flames, seemingly on the verge of turning into ashes. However, the pressure radiating from the cliff was far from diminishing. Illuminated by the fire, Yu Ci could even see the beast shaking its head and quivering its fur within the inferno, completely unscathed.
Narrowing his eyes, Yu Ci focused intently on the fiery glow of the cliff. The storm clouds in his heart finally dissipated, pierced by the tongues of flame. His doubts were no more:
Ghost Beasts!
This creature was a dominant force within Sky Rift Valley and also the pet abandoned by the legendary Rakshasa Ghost King. It had always lived in Sky Rift Valley, but for some unknown reason, it had appeared here, two thousand miles away from the valley.
What an old acquaintance! Ever since witnessing its earth-shaking illusion technique in Sky Rift Valley, which killed thousands of demons, Yu Ci had not heard any news about it for four to five months. Time flew by quickly, and the situation in Sky Rift Valley had greatly changed. He wondered if the appearance of Ghost Beasts here had any connection with the changes there.
At that moment, Yu Ci recalled an incident. Back in Sky Rift Valley, when he was with Ye Tu, they had encountered a disturbance similar to the one last night. The birds of prey and ferocious beasts in Sky Rift Valley had also been thrown into chaos, and the instigator was none other than the Ghost Beasts atop the cliff.
At that time, he only thought of the Ghost Beasts as an unmatched force. It was only later that he understood that the roar of the Ghost Beasts carried an illusionary power that induced agitation in all living creatures. Even the demons that had crossed the boundary could not escape, let alone the relatively weaker creatures in the valley.
One only needed to look at the cultivators lying at the bottom of the valley to understand that the roar of the Ghost Beasts was still formidable. However, the thunderous roar could not last forever. Gradually, it turned into a low growl suppressed in its throat. Wrapped in flames, the Ghost Beasts seemed to glance down but made no further move.
From Yu Ci's perspective, it seemed that the Ghost Beasts had another target on top of the cliff. After announcing its presence with a roar, the giant creature turned around and disappeared.
Did it leave?
Not understanding the abrupt end of the incident, Yu Ci had no time to think further. He quickly checked on Elder Chu and others. Upon initial examination, all of them were unconscious but not in immediate danger. Without further delay, he started moving them towards the dock.
Six people lay in the valley. Yu Ci had to move them into the mountain before the Ghost Beasts returned. Fortunately, the entrance to the dock was open.
Cultivators were extraordinarily strong. Yu Ci carried two people in each hand and hoisted the remaining two onto his shoulders, running towards the tunnel. Halfway there, he saw Zhou Hu and Feng Zhao, who had been taken in the day before, rushing out.
They had also noticed the drastic changes outside and rushed out to help. Yu Ci could clearly see the traces of blood under their noses. The shockwave from the roar of the Ghost Beasts had penetrated the thick rock layer, causing damage to the cultivators inside the dock!
Inside the mountain belly was not entirely safe, but it was still better than the outside.
While the three men were busy transferring the injured, Yu Ci suddenly heard a groan from his side. The person had regained consciousness, "You're strangling me, you damn boy, put me down!"
"Elder Chu?"
Both Yu Ci and Zhou Hu were relieved, especially Zhou Hu. Elder Chu was arguably the most important figure in the dock. If anything happened to him, Yu Ci might be the one to bear the brunt, and as for Zhou Hu, as a full-time guard, the consequences would not be so pleasant.
The two men breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Elder Chu struggled to get down, his face bloody but his spirit still surprisingly good, even better than Zhou Hu and Feng Zhao.
The old man first looked up at the cliff top, but could not find the culprit who had knocked him out. He could only shake his head and say, "That was close. Luckily, I used the Soul Transfer Technique in time, transferring the attack on my Divine Soul to my physical body. Otherwise, being so close, I might have been obliterated."
Elder Chu was indeed a master of the Divine Soul path. The "Soul Transfer" technique, which could transfer an attack on the Divine Soul to the physical body, was an incredible secret technique. Yu Ci was hearing about it for the first time. However, Elder Chu's gaze then turned to him:
"What about you? How did you withstand that soul-shaking impact?"
The old man was puzzled, and so was Yu Ci: when had he become resistant to the Illusionary Power of Ghost Beasts? Everyone outside the mountain belly, including Elder Chu, the master of the Divine Soul path, had collapsed at the roar, except for him. All he had was a ringing in his ears, and he didn't even have a Heart-Tugging Horn in his mouth!
"Brother Yu is a disciple of the Lichen Sect, it wouldn't be strange if he had some secret method. Elder Chu, let's go inside quickly!"
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Zhou Hu handed the unconscious people to Feng Zhao to take inside, and reached out to pull Elder Chu. He was shouldering a great responsibility and dared not take any risks. However, Elder Chu was stubborn, waved away Zhou Hu's hand, and stood at the entrance of the tunnel, insisting on an explanation from Yu Ci.
At this moment, there was a roar like thunder from behind the cliff, even without the soul-shaking power, one could still feel the ground slightly trembling. Even separated by a mountain, people could still feel the unique power radiating unchecked from the Ghost Beasts.
Where did all these troubles come from!
Thinking that the Ghost Beasts could return at any time, Yu Ci cursed under his breath and reacted. His hands were not idle, so he simply bumped into the old man. Caught off guard, he pushed him into the tunnel.
The old man staggered and finally steadied himself, turning around to curse. However, there was a sudden loud noise from the top of the valley, and debris and soil fell down, rustling, making people wonder if half of the valley wall was about to collapse. In the noise, a blurry figure was thrown from the opposite valley top, heavily smashing into the other side of the mountain wall, directly sinking in.
The light in the desolate valley suddenly brightened as the colossal figure of Ghost Beasts leaped out from the hundred-foot-high cliff, tracing a clear arc in the air. The beast's body was wreathed in raging flames, dyeing its fur an eerily beautiful crimson hue.
With a thunderous crash, Ghost Beasts collided with the opposing mountain wall. The impact caused large chunks of the cliff wall to peel off, plummeting down and landing near the entrance of the tunnel. The scattered debris flew into the tunnel, creating a clattering noise.
"Move, quickly!"
Without further ado, Zhou Hu forcefully dragged Elder Chu into the belly of the mountain, while Yu Ci covered their rear, finding the mechanism to close the tunnel entrance. As the massive rocks sealing the path rolled down, a cloud of dust exploded in the valley. That was the target of Ghost Beasts, struck down from a great height, severely injured but still struggling to stand.
A weak but still resilient aura pulsed out, causing Yu Ci's eyebrows to twitch. If he wasn't mistaken, this was a Golden Elixir Stage demon!
Using the Golden Elixir to classify the level of demons might not be entirely accurate, but it did illustrate their power. Unfortunately, power is always relative. The low growl of Ghost Beasts echoed from afar, accompanied by the whistling wind. Its massive body didn't slow down, plummeting with great speed.
With a resounding thud, it seemed like the valley floor jumped. Blood splattered everywhere immediately.
That demon was formidable, escaping the mountain-like pounce of Ghost Beasts at the last moment at the cost of one leg. It howled and fled to the side, surprisingly towards the tunnel entrance.
Yu Ci realized the danger and quickly retreated. Then, the massive rock sealing the path blocked his view.
With a muffled crash, the demon collided with the edge of the sealing rock. Through the unsealed gap, one could still see its grey-black claws. But the next moment, a violent tremor seemed to shake the mountain's belly, and the half of the claw suddenly flew out. Blood sprayed into the tunnel, and then the tunnel was completely sealed, and the outside of the mountain belly suddenly fell silent.
"Boy,"
Elder Chu's furious roar was cut off halfway, abruptly ending. He finally realized the imminent danger. Inside the mountain, everyone held their breath and listened to the outside movement.
From the sealing rock, the fine sound of friction could be heard. Ghost Beasts seemed to be interested in this rock, lightly brushing it with its claws or fur. Its low growl echoed in its throat, sounding even more muffled through the rock.
Everyone inside the mountain, including Yu Ci, hoped that this giant creature would lose interest quickly and leave. But before the thought had finished forming, a thunderous roar pierced the cliff wall and rolled in.
Being penetrated by the sound wave in the narrow tunnel, Yu Ci felt as if his scalp was about to explode. He retreated back into the dock hall, only to see chaos. Zhou Hu and Feng Zhao, and even the cultivators who had come to help, were all unsteady. Some had fainted directly, while those with higher cultivation levels like Zhou Hu managed to sit on the ground to resist, their faces twisted in pain and veins bulging on their foreheads.
The roar was secondary; what was truly terrifying was the impact of the Illusionary Power on the Divine Soul within the roar. Yu Ci had no doubt that if the Ghost Beasts roared twice more, eighty percent of the Cultivators within the mountain would lose their sanity.
Aside from him, the only one who remained somewhat composed was Elder Chu. The old man’s face grew increasingly pale, yet his eyes were bright, his mind clear, and he remained unflustered.
Yu Ci glanced at him, but before he could speak, another tremendous shock came. The Ghost Beasts did not roar again, but instead crashed heavily against the cliff wall. Inside the tunnel, there was a "crack" sound, indicating that the tunnel mechanism had been damaged and locked due to the external force. This was a safety measure, but it was meaningless to the Ghost Beasts, who couldn't enter the tunnel in the first place.
While he was thinking, there was a "sizzle" sound on the rock, as if hot oil had been splashed on it. Yu Ci's heart jolted, and he turned to look, only to see a flame suddenly lighting up at the end of the dark tunnel. The flame flickered, twisting and deforming, seeming to seep slowly through a crack in the cliff wall. The light was initially a normal orange-red, but as the volume of the light increased, the orange-red color gradually faded, replaced by a chilling grey-white color, with a hint of iron blue within.
The grey-white flame rolled and evolved, gradually forming a silhouette. Yu Ci and Elder Chu both saw it clearly - it was the enormous face of the Ghost Beasts!
What was going on?
Yu Ci couldn't figure it out, but he knew that the situation was urgent!
Yu Ci knew he could not delay any longer. He decisively took out the Heart-Tugging Horn from his Storage Ring and threw it to Elder Chu: “Save whoever you can, put it in your mouth.”
“Heart-Tugging Horn, you have such a thing... Is that a Ghost Beast outside?”
The old man seemed to understand something, and shouted loudly. Yu Ci wished he could kick him, but then he heard the old man shout: "If I have this thing, I can set up a formation to temporarily shield the Divine Soul impact!"
Yu Ci was slightly stunned, then turned to look at him. His gaze swept over the people scattered around the room, and after thinking for a moment, he suddenly grinned and said:
"Good!"
Before his words fell, he moved his mind and the Fish-Dragon that was hiding in a corner of the mountain suddenly sprang out. It squeezed out of a ventilation hole and sped away at its top speed. In just a few moments, it arrived in the middle of the valley.
At this moment, the huge body of the Ghost Beasts was fully in its sight.
Yu Ci gritted his teeth, his body suddenly lunged forward. He did not go through the tunnel, but instead crashed into the thick rock layer next to it. Without any hindrance, his body disappeared into it and was gone in an instant.
Elder Chu was stunned for a moment, then saw the Ghost Beasts, which had already turned its entire head into a flame, suddenly opened its huge mouth and let out a earth-shaking roar.
That wasn't a roar, it was a piercing howl!
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