Immortal Path Space

Chapter 358: Temporary Refuge

The mountain cave was spacious, with several branching tunnels inside, providing ample space for over a thousand people without feeling crowded.

Moments ago, the group was being pursued by a flock of demonic birds, and many of them had chased into the mountain cave. However, at this moment, the cultivators were relentlessly hunting them down, causing the demonic birds to screech and panic.

After being relentlessly pursued by these foul creatures for so long, and with the loss of hundreds of lives, everyone was simmering with anger. Now, they had the perfect opportunity to vent their frustration on these isolated demonic birds.

As they took refuge in the mountain cave and activated the defensive array, numerous demonic birds were about to catch up. But they were stopped in their tracks by a massive boulder that suddenly appeared at the entrance.

Naturally, these creatures were unwilling to let their prey escape after chasing them for so long. Some of them rammed directly into the large stone blocking the entrance.

After the boulder was struck, it emitted concentric ripples. It turned out that the massive stone was not physical but an illusion created by the formation.

Seeing their attacks seemingly having an effect, the demonic birds redoubled their efforts to charge at the cave entrance.

Inside the cave, the people were exhausted after killing the demonic birds that had followed them. After continuous intense battles, their spiritual energy was depleted, and they were mentally fatigued.

Wang Hong took only a brief rest and then approached the cave entrance. He instructed Wen Lan to lead a dozen people to guard the entrance and observe the situation outside.

"East Master, the demonic birds have been continuously attacking the formation at the entrance. It's unlikely it can hold for much longer!" Wen Lan reported to Wang Hong as he approached.

"How about this? Should I dismantle the energy cannon from the Flying Boat and set it up here to blast them a few times?" Wen Lan had been itching for revenge after being chased by the demonic birds all the way.

"If we launch an attack on the demonic birds outside now, it will only attract more of them. I suspect that the Beast Tide from behind will catch up shortly, making things even more troublesome. Right now, we can only reinforce the formation and defend passively," Wang Hong replied. He then took out a small bottle and handed it to Wen Lan. "If you're feeling frustrated, you can spread this at the entrance."

"Alright!" Wen Lan took the small bottle and walked toward the formation at the entrance. Although he couldn't kill the demonic birds personally, poisoning them was still a good solution.

Wen Lan stood at the cave entrance and discreetly released the contents of the small bottle outside the formation. Then, with a surge of spiritual power, the bottle shattered into pieces.

A faint black smoke emanated from the broken shards, spreading around the cave entrance under the influence of the demonic birds' energies.

The demonic birds remained oblivious to the Devouring Spirit Poison dispersing around them. They continued their relentless assault on the formation at the cave entrance.

Wang Hong set up several additional layers of formation at the entrance and left Wen Lan in charge of replenishing the spirit stones. Even if the demonic birds maintained their current attack rate, they would be busy for an entire day.

"East Master, we've counted the numbers. Here's the tally," Luo Zhongjie handed a jade scroll to Wang Hong, who glanced at it.

Wang Hong was in charge of five strongholds this time. Originally, the combined forces of these five strongholds amounted to around thirty to forty thousand people. However, at this point, only slightly over a thousand remained, including his own subordinates. Among them, the Qi Cultivation stage members suffered the most significant losses, with only about forty left out of the initial eighty. The Foundation Building stage cultivators had fewer casualties, with only a few injured. Despite the fierce battles today, most of the enemies were low-tier Demonic Beasts, making it challenging to kill a Foundation Building stage cultivator.

Currently, Wang Hong had over a hundred Foundation Building cultivators under his command, including his own eighty followers.

During their retreat, many of the people he had recruited from the Treasure Hunters had seized the opportunity to escape the battlefield on their own, eager to get away from the danger.

As Wang Hong and his group hid in the mountain cave, the outside world had become a sea of demonic beasts. What they had seen at the defensive line earlier was only a small part of the Beast Tide. The Beast Tide was converging from various directions towards the Qingxu Sect's defensive line.

The first line of defense, which was meant to stop the demonic beasts, crumbled instantly. In some areas, the demonic beasts had even broken through the defenses before Wang Hong's group.

Countless demonic beasts surged like a tidal wave, quickly engulfing the area behind the first defensive line. The cultivators who had retreated from there were now struggling in the midst of this sea of demonic beasts.

Feng Chang, a seasoned Treasure Hunter, had a wealth of experience in escaping life-threatening situations. After Wang Hong ordered the retreat, Feng Chang had fled with a few trusted individuals.

He had even looked back and sneered at Fu Li, who had been following Wang Hong. Feng Chang had thought that following Wang Hong would lead to returning to the battlefield, which he considered foolish.

However, Feng Chang hadn't gone far before a group of demonic birds caught up with him, trapping him in an endless onslaught. Due to the overwhelming numbers of demonic birds, he couldn't even move forward.

Soon, crawling demonic beasts caught up to him, and within moments, there was nothing left but a pile of flesh, with no trace of a human form.

Qi Shaoqing and Shi Fei had been relatively lucky initially, as they hadn't been immediately surrounded by demonic beasts.

When the Beast Tide first arrived, they quickly evacuated from their stronghold and then merged their forces, heading rapidly toward the direction of the second defensive line. Unfortunately, they hadn't gone far before they encountered another group of tens of thousands of demonic beasts, forcing them to take a detour.

After that, they changed directions several times, but each time they encountered large numbers of demonic beasts. It seemed that the density of demonic beasts was increasing.

"Junior Brother Shi, it seems we've been trapped within the Beast Tide. The situation is urgent. How about we join forces and try to break through to find a way back?" Qi Shaoqing proposed when they found a temporary safe spot.

"Agreed. Senior Brother Qi, please lead the way."

Shi Fei understood that further delay could lead to everyone's demise. Moreover, their two groups had not suffered losses as great as Wang Hong's, and now that they had merged, they had over thirty thousand people, including more than five hundred Foundation Building cultivators. With their combined strength, there was a chance to carve a path through the Beast Tide.

"Fellow Daoists, today we face life and death, and everyone must follow my lead. Charge with me!" Qi Shaoqing stood atop a high rock and shouted to the over thirty thousand people below. He then turned and led the way forward, leaving the cultivators with a resolute and towering figure to follow.

At that moment, Qi Shaoqing seemed larger than life in the eyes of the others.

Shi Fei wasted no time and followed Qi Shaoqing's lead. The others began to follow, although some straggled behind, hesitant to face the danger head-on, hoping to let others lead the way while they reaped the rewards later.

Such individuals were always present, no matter the circumstances.

Qi Shaoqing and Shi Fei charged forward, and a massive group of tens of thousands of demonic beasts approached them head-on. Qi Shaoqing and Shi Fei exchanged glances and slightly adjusted their direction, accelerating towards the left and right flanks of the approaching demonic beast horde.

[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]