Unexpected

Two great demons converged before the valley. The giant bear roared, the earth and mountains shuddering beneath its heavy strides. The golden eagle took flight to dodge the giant bear's charge. Golden glints flickered in its eyes as it peered into the distant mountain forests, seemingly noticing something. Seeing that the giant bear was still relentlessly aggressive, it let out an angry cry toward it. Alerted by the golden eagle, the giant bear turned its massive, dark head. Its fury flared even hotter, convinced that shameless thieves had plundered the treasures of its domain. For a time, the golden eagle streaked through the sky while the giant bear hurtled across the ground. Earth quaked, ancient trees snapped, and winds swept away clouds—the two great demons moved at shockingly comparable speeds. Furthermore, at the giant bear's roars, demon beasts from the surrounding area began converging upon them, the nascent shape of a beast tide gradually forming. In the distance, Qin Sang and his companions, who were fleeing in streaks of light, also noticed the commotion from the great demons. "Not good. That golden eagle's divine abilities are extraordinary—it must have discovered the traces we left behind. We're exposed." Kong Yun landed atop an ancient tree and gazed backward. Across the firmament, a bolt of golden lightning tore through the layered clouds, sweeping straight toward them. On the ground below, dust and smoke billowed; there was more than one great demon. "The deep valley originally lay within the territory of a demon bear. I don't know where that golden eagle came from, but it is likely no weaker than the bear. Both are late Demon Core stage great demons—extremely troublesome." Immortal Aunt Yue had been injured after being blasted by the true demonic qi, but after taking medicinal pills, her injuries had been suppressed. "It will take several hours to escape the island from here. We can hardly avoid intruding upon the territories of other great demons along the way, and a few fierce battles will likely be inevitable. Given our strength, as long as we aren't swallowed by a beast tide, escaping shouldn't be difficult. Only Su Nü's cultivation is too weak; a casual strike from a great demon would kill her on the spot. We cannot allow her to fall into such danger..." Now that they were exposed, there was no longer any need for concealment. While conferring, Qin Sang and the others burst from the dense forest, their evasion lights cleaving through the air as they flew with all their might. The demon island's tranquility had been shattered. Trapped deep within this demon den with great demons hot on their heels, Qin Sang and his companions dared not pause for an instant. Qin Sang activated his Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman, steadily expending his true essence. Among the four, his cultivation was the weakest and his reserves of true essence were the smallest. Fortunately, this was not yet a critical moment that required fleeing for his life at all costs, so he did not need to push the secret talisman to its limits. Gripping a spirit stone, Qin Sang was able to keep pace with the others. Mountains and rivers receded swiftly beneath their feet. Any reckless demon beasts that charged at them along the way were easily dispatched. The biggest problem was the golden eagle and giant bear relentlessly pursuing them from behind. Both possessed formidable speed and endurance, and the distance between them was steadily closing. In this chase, more than four hours passed in the blink of an eye. Through some unknown divine ability, the golden eagle suddenly closed a substantial portion of the gap. Qin Sang and the others were tempted to turn and kill the golden eagle first, but the beast was extremely alert. Keeping a safe distance, it spat thunderbolts and shot golden feathers to harass them incessantly, causing immense irritation. They saw the golden eagle sending out signals, likely summoning great demons from elsewhere in an attempt to encircle and hunt them. Therefore, although their combined strength surpassed that of the golden eagle and the giant bear, they dared not stop to fight. These two great demons were cunning by nature and heavily armored with thick hide and flesh; killing them quickly was impossible and would only waste precious time. As time went on, Qin Sang and his companions suffered heavy depletion of their true essence, while the endurance of the golden eagle and the giant bear was also put to the test. Neither side could maintain their peak speed indefinitely. Even so, their pace remained rapid, leaving all the congregating demon beasts far behind. With less than two hours remaining before they could escape the demon island, they suddenly heard an eerie whinny from nearby, sounding like the neigh of a horse. Immediately after, a streak of white light lunged out from a flank—it was a celestial horse. "Another Demon Core stage great demon!" Old Man Zhushan cried out in surprise. The group brought their evasion lights to an abrupt halt. They watched the celestial horse ride atop clouds toward them, which greatly raised the spirits of the golden eagle and black bear behind them. After the great demons communicated through calls, they closed in to surround and slaughter them. At the edge of their vision, demon qi surged into the heavens; yet more great demons were drawing near. "A decision must be made! My strength should be somewhat greater than that of you three Fellow Daoists, so I must be the one to hold the rear. Fellow Daoist Zhushan and Fellow Daoist Kong, assist me in tying down these three great demons. Daoist Qingfeng, your evasion technique is the finest—conserve your strength, find an opportunity, and leave immediately with Su Nü. We shall rendezvous outside the island." Immortal Aunt Yue handed Su Nü over to Qin Sang. The treasure was still in her possession, so she had no fear that Qin Sang would fail to protect Su Nü with all his might. Qin Sang had not expected Immortal Aunt Yue to truly stay behind to cover their retreat and entrust Su Nü to him. On second thought, however, even if she stayed behind, the likelihood of losing her life was slim. In truth, their strength was formidable, and they did not fear demon beasts; it was only that carrying Su Nü held them back like someone hesitating to pelt a rat for fear of smashing the vase beside it. Once he left with Su Nü first, the others would be able to fight without restraint. They quickly finalized their plan. By then, the celestial horse and the other demons had already struck. The golden eagle and giant bear were both top-tier great demons, while the celestial horse was slightly weaker. The moment the two sides clashed, a fierce battle erupted. Protecting Su Nü and shielding her from the shockwaves, Qin Sang spotted an opening. Sword light and flood dragon soul shone in brilliant harmony around him as an ultimate burst of speed erupted from his body, breaking through the encirclement in an instant before he sped away. The three demons were not foolish either. Seeing Qin Sang flee, they became convinced that the treasure was on him and immediately abandoned their other targets. Immortal Aunt Yue hurriedly ordered them blocked. Her thread-like magic treasure had already recovered, and it coiled toward the three demons with extraordinary tenacity, while Old Man Zhushan and Kong Yun also struck with all their might. It was the right choice for Immortal Aunt Yue to stay behind; the golden eagle and giant bear were fiercely arrogant and exceedingly powerful, and only a peak Core Formation stage expert like her could hope to hold them back. Having shaken off the three demons, Qin Sang bolted toward the island's periphery without looking back. Su Nü glanced back at the battlefield behind them, then looked at Qin Sang in his hooded cloak, her lips pressed slightly together. Fortune was on their side, and they encountered no further great demons blocking their path. Qin Sang fled all the way to the edge of the demon island in one breath. Looking back, demon qi soared into the heavens across the isle, a veritable dance of demons; the original tranquility had been completely shattered. Even now, the black clouds at the island's center were still faintly visible. He cast a swift glance around. Seeing that Immortal Aunt Yue and the others were still trailing behind, he lingered no longer. After verifying his bearings, he flew toward the agreed-upon direction. Su Nü was very well-behaved and did not utter a single word, saving Qin Sang a great deal of trouble. Beyond the island, demon beasts had also been drawn by the anomalies. Waves rose and fell across the ocean surface. Qin Sang cleaved a path with his ebony sword and finally shook off the swarm of beasts. Just when he thought they were finally safe, three streaks of light appeared out of nowhere not far ahead, hurtling straight toward them. They were clearly the evasion lights of immortal cultivators flying on swords—three strangers. "There are still surviving immortal cultivators nearby?" Qin Sang was taken aback, his brows furrowing slightly. The newcomers had already spotted them and were flying straight for them at no slow speed. Qin Sang brought his evasion light to a halt and shielded Su Nü behind him. In secret, he gripped the Primordial Concentric Rings in his hand. With a gentle tap of his finger, the ebony sword flew into the air, pointing forward and unleashing its sword qi without reserve—a clear display of hostility to warn the approaching cultivators. The streaks of light flew before them and halted at a distance, revealing three figures. Looking at Qin Sang and Su Nü, they too wore expressions of complete surprise.