The Soul Absorbing Great Array collapsed, countless rune fragments flying in the air.
They shimmered with a lustrous glow on their surfaces, containing the purest dark essence within.
After several rounds of offense and defense, Vilitan could no longer control them effectively. The dangerous rune storm trembled in place, with fragments occasionally erupting.
They were as thin as cicada wings and weightless. Some were intercepted by Yin Zhongxiu and others, some embedded into tree trunks, and some rune fragments pierced through rocks, embedding themselves into the earth.
There were also rune fragments that, after leaving the storm, encountered no resistance. They traversed the strange night of West Mountain wantonly, and after an unknown period, slowly drifted down before a towering mountain cave.
Like a withered leaf falling onto a calm lake, stirring a ripple.
Then, in the dark and silent mountain cave, a great demon of Lord rank slowly opened its eyes.
The eyes floated in the pitch-black cave, as large as lanterns, with pupils of an eerie fiery red, surrounded by a green glow.
It gazed at the rune fragment that had fallen at its cave entrance, sensed the familiar yet strange aura within, and then let out an enraged tiger roar.
"Roar!"
The Lord's fury shook the mountains and forests. Countless strange demons and great demons sensed the Lord's anger and began to flee in panic.
The colossal tiger demon emerged from the cave, its back's leather armor scraping against the rocks above the entrance, emitting a sharp and chilling sound.
Under the moonlight, its body was a pale yellow, covered in pure black patterns. Four sharp fangs grew symmetrically, each over two meters long.
"Invaders."
The tiger demon's lantern-sized eyes were filled with savage ferocity.
This place belonged to him. Long before the strange night descended, this area had always been under his control, and no other creatures were allowed near.
And after the strange night, he had become a Lord-level great demon of the fourth stage, gaining intelligence and becoming the true king of beasts, with no creature daring to challenge him.
But now, someone had invaded his territory with abnormal abilities, and it smelled like… humans? The humans he detested.
Recalling how his family was hunted by hunters when he was young, the tiger demon could no longer restrain itself. Following the dark guidance, it roared and charged towards the direction from which the fragments had flown.
He would tear apart everyone in that direction.
The terrifying tiger roar echoed throughout the mountain forest.
Birds were startled, great demons fled, strange demons trembled, and the entire central region fell into chaos.
Yin Zhongxiu, who was still hesitating whether to abandon the wounded and escape with Yan Yu, swallowed back the words in his throat.
He exchanged a glance with Yan Yu, then turned his head away in resignation.
"Now we don't have to debate who should run."
"A Lord-level great demon, none of us can escape."
Yan Yu held his sword and closed his eyes slightly.
Although he did not agree with the statement, he did not refute it.
Everyone had heard that tiger roar.
So even Tuoba Xiaorong and Bai Pu, who had insisted that Yin Zhongxiu and Yan Yu leave first, fell silent.
Originally, their position was extremely perilous. It would take at least an hour to retreat from the central region of West Mountain to Bu Luo City.
During this journey, they did not know how many strange demons and great demons they would face. An ordinary second-stage, even at peak condition, had slim chances of survival.
Therefore, without considering the pursuit of the black-robed old man, theoretically, only Yin Zhongxiu and Yan Yu had a chance to escape.
One was a top-tier third-stage, with formidable strength, and the other was as fast as lightning, with ordinary strange demons unable to touch his clothes.
But now, a shocking tiger roar had come from the core region of West Mountain. The demonic beasts in the central region were all fleeing in panic, clearly indicating that the fourth-stage tiger demon was about to descend here.
Could Yin Zhongxiu's strength contend with a Lord?
Could Yan Yu's speed escape its domain?
Bai Pu, in a state of disarray, used a strip of cloth to stop the bleeding from his thigh, which had been cut by a rune fragment. He stared blankly at the direction of the Soul Absorbing Great Array, his mind in turmoil.
Mentioning the Lord, he suddenly understood.
He had been puzzled before as to why such a peculiar sacrificial array existed, one that was not only capable of offense and defense but also absorbed abnormal abilities.
Now he finally understood. The array set up by the other party was actually a miniature domain. Each abnormal ability user's domain was different, some offensive, some defensive, with various forms, but essentially the same.
Within a certain range, it provided immense enhancement to a specific aspect of oneself… This was clearly an array extrapolated from a fourth-stage domain.
If a small array was so terrifying that it forced Yin Zhongxiu to throw away his spear, how powerful must a true Lord be?
Unlike the confusion and despair of others, Xu Mu, standing on the mountaintop, descended calmly, stepping on wind elements.
He felt no ripples of fear due to the imminent arrival of the tiger demon.
If there was any emotion, it was a hint of fighting spirit.
The少年's boots stepped on the soft soil, about fifty paces away from Vilitan.
"Should we leave?"
Charles saw that Gray-White Eyes remained as calm as ever, even showing a hint of fighting spirit, and had no intention of escaping. He couldn't help but worry and cautiously reminded him.
Although his current strength was more than double what it was at the second stage, this was a fourth-stage Lord. Direct confrontation would definitely be disadvantageous, as the Lord's domain would make up for all the differences between them.
Moreover, the commotion tonight was too great. The strange night of West Mountain was about to enter its most terrifying period. Who knew what even more terrifying things might lurk in the mist.
He hadn't brought his grenade launcher tonight, so it was a bit dangerous.
"Don't worry, I won't fight that stupid tiger."
Xu Mu's Gray-White Eyes returned to their calm state. He indeed did not believe he was a match for the Lord-level tiger demon.
However, he was confident that he would not be killed, nor even injured, and could escape with ease.
After all, he had been a frequent visitor to the core region even when he was at the second stage.
The reason he stood there was for Vilitan.
He needed to know what other trump cards the other party had, and what their limit was.
Then, he would find a suitable opportunity to kill him and seize the Heavenly Book.
Vilitan sensed Xu Mu's gaze and became anxious.
His plan had failed, all thanks to him, yet he could not act recklessly.
Because the Lord-level tiger demon was clearly heading this way, perhaps his array had provoked that Lord-ranked great demon.
But since he dared to set up these things in West Mountain, he naturally had a backup plan for escape. Vilitan was not particularly nervous; he had a teleportation array nearby, which could only carry him alone.
A Lord-level tiger demon could not keep him.
But what was the use of merely escaping?
Vilitan clenched his fist in anger. If not for this swordsman, he would have become a Lord by now, and would not have such unnecessary trouble because of that tiger!
But then, he calmed down.
According to his estimation, the Lord-level great demon would arrive here in sixty seconds.
He only needed to escape into the prepared teleportation array in the mist three seconds in advance to survive.
And during this time, he could still control the collapsing rune storm for one last hunt.
Who to kill?
Yin Zhongxiu, who had destroyed his scepter, and Yan Yu, who had stabbed him with a sword.
Or the Gray-White Eyes, who had ruined his path to advancement and stood fifty meters away from him.
Vilitan's face twitched slightly. If he didn't have to consider whether he could kill him, he would definitely choose Xu Mu.
But unfortunately, he had already made such a choice once.
He did not intend to kill Xu Mu; the other party's speed was too great, and if he insisted on retreating, even a Lord could not keep him.
And if he rashly provoked this eccentric guy, it would be endless trouble.
After all, the other party had been watching from the sidelines, waiting to reap the benefits.
That guy had been coveting his Heavenly Book for a long time!
Just as Vilitan was about to make up his mind to control the rune storm, Yin Zhongxiu had already preempted him, using his abnormal ability to attack.
The old man's face showed a solemn expression. He waved his sleeve, and the runes instinctively defended.
With just one move, Yin Zhongxiu, who was attacking ferociously, was repelled dozens of steps.
"So weak?"
Just as Vilitan was surprised, the familiar frost sword intent flashed again.
This time, he dared not harbor any侥幸的心态, because just now, his meridians had been severed by that sword.
His cultivation method originated from the continent of Xiya.
Therefore, meridians were useless to him, otherwise, he would be a cripple now.
Thus, he was very cautious about this sword and immediately used all his runes to protect himself.
But Yan Yu only flashed past him.
Vilitan froze for a second, then saw Yan Yu, who had somehow climbed onto the mountain behind him, picked up the unconscious man holding double axes, circled around, and retreated to his original position.
Yin Zhongxiu also took the opportunity to pick up the discarded spear from the ground.
They were only trying to save someone.
Vilitan then realized he had been tricked.
"You guys are too disrespectful of me." The old man's expression was furious. He retrieved his scepter from afar, then swung it violently. "Don't leave, I will make you pay!"
A fierce voice came out, the storm swirled, and countless rune fragments shot out in all directions.
Yin Zhongxiu and Yan Yu had just returned to their original positions, and immediately stepped forward.
Standing side by side, one with a sword and the other with a spear, they blocked all the flying runes.
Clang clang clang clang...
Yan Yu's expression was blank. Alone, he drew a precise sword net in front of him. Sparks flew, and all incoming runes were deflected by the sword.
Yin Zhongxiu did the same. His damaged spear was swung and spun in the air, forming a barrier. Any attack that touched the barrier would be dissolved by the Yin attribute.
However, his speed was still somewhat lacking, and he did not have mental abilities, so he quickly sustained several wounds of varying depths.
The people behind them took pills and recovered with all their might, trying to help in some way.
"Damn it!"
Vilitan's neck turned red, his face flushed as if he was about to suffocate.
There were too many runes, like a forest and a sea, and they were very unstable. He was controlling them with great difficulty.
"I'll say it again, you can go first."
Sweat dripped from Yin Zhongxiu's forehead, and his lips were pale from exhaustion. This was not the first time he had said this.
He knew clearly that these second-stage wounded soldiers would have a hard time tonight, but he couldn't abandon these subordinates who had fought alongside him through thick and thin.
"We leave together, we can all go back safely tonight."
Yan Yu replied indifferently.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" the man said angrily, "Now is not the time for the damn 'live and die together'. You are very important to the First Department, you must live."
"However, there is someone you must guard against. The incident three years ago was done by the Deputy Commander, but you shouldn't blame him, he was also for the sake of the Department..."
Yan Yu stared blankly at the man in front of him. He hadn't expected Yin Zhongxiu to value him so much, even willing to sacrifice his life for him to leave.
"The incident three years ago..." Yan Yu pondered for a moment. He had actually forgotten what had happened.
In his world, there were only two things: one was cultivation, and the other was searching for relics. Joining the Demon Extermination Department was just a casual act.
He didn't care what others had done to him. As long as it didn't endanger his life, nothing else mattered.
Yan Yu looked at the man in front of him and suddenly sighed.
Just now, while he and Yin Zhongxiu were cooperating to save someone, he had sensed two abnormal ability fluctuations in the shadows over there.
One of them gave him the feeling of a rushing river, sharp and imposing. Just a glance would make him feel a sting.
With just a thought, Yan Yu knew that the other person's cultivation path was similar to his, only that person's realm was higher; he should be a third-stage cultivator.
That person was naturally Xu Mu. He was discovered by Yan Yu, but because his face was obscured by shadows, Yan Yu did not immediately recognize who he was.
But what truly made Yan Yu believe that none of them would be in danger tonight was the other person hidden in the darkness.
That sharp aura was indeed powerful, but it might not be a match for the fourth-stage tiger demon. However, the other person was different.
He gave Yan Yu the feeling of a deep pool hidden in the mountains, harmless on the surface, but unfathomably deep. Once he made a move, the pool would transform into a vast ocean, engulfing everything in its wrath.
What was that person's realm? Lord, or higher?
Yan Yu did not know, but he was certain his perception was not wrong. The person's aura was very approachable, and facing that great demon, he would definitely make a move.
"You might not perceive it, but actually, in that mountain..."
Yan Yu suddenly came back to his senses and was about to explain to Yin Zhongxiu, but was interrupted by a female voice.
"Uncle!"
A clear and pleasant female voice sounded from the woods behind them, and the members of the Demon Extermination Department turned their heads simultaneously.
Boom!
Pale yellow energy spread out, and the dense bushes suddenly parted to the sides.
Then, dozens of abnormal ability users stepped out from within the halo of light.
They all radiated terrifying abnormal ability fluctuations, so intense that it made everyone's breathing difficult.
Yin Zhongxiu took a glance and recognized many acquaintances.
"Wu Ye, Liang Shanping, Jin Jiao, Lin Yan..." Looking at these familiar figures one by one, Yin Zhongxiu was somewhat shocked. These were all the pillars of the towns in the Domain of Strange Night, all peak third-stage abnormal ability users!
And… Yin Shui'er was also among them.