Before the rubble had finished falling, the two Demons at the front had already scrambled over the collapsed rocks and were chasing the five of them on all fours.
Su Yu did not stop. He swung the Cold Abyss Sword backhanded.
A streak of sword qi skimmed across the stone, and both Demons immediately lunged aside. One was a little too slow; half its foreclaw was sliced off, and it shrieked as it crashed into a stone pillar, sending showers of stone chips tumbling down.
Still, that strike widened the distance between them again.
The five withdrew from the Stone Forest and reached the barren slope they had passed earlier. The terrain here was open, with their original route behind them. Even if things went wrong, they could retreat at any time.
Xiao Yue turned around and lightly knocked his fists together.
"Out here, we don't have to hold back for their sake anymore, do we?"
"Watch the right flank."
Before Shen Ningshuang had finished speaking, the Demons charged out of the Stone Forest.
There were five in all.
The four in front varied in height, but the last stood twenty feet tall, with thick bone armor covering its shoulders and back. It did not move quickly, yet every step crushed the stones beneath its feet. As its chest and belly heaved, they could even hear its heavy breathing.
Xiao Yue glanced at it, his expression growing more serious.
The heavy footsteps they had heard earlier had come from this Demon.
"I'll take the big one."
Shen Ningshuang darted forward, the surrounding air surging with her and forcing back the foul wind rushing toward them.
She unleashed her half-step venerable aura without restraint.
The towering Demon seemed to sense the threat as well. It abruptly raised its head and let