Crisis Descends [Please Read On]

"Ershan, you go in front. Dashan and I will take the sides. Jiadong, you bring up the rear. Everyone else, stay in the middle."

At Zhao Kun's command, everyone stepped onto the Chain Bridge.

With so many people on the bridge and the wind blowing, the chains swayed gently.

Yu Xiaoshan wasn't bothered at all. Gripping his short blade, he followed behind his second brother.

Zhao Cuilian, on the other hand, was afraid of heights. Her pretty face had gone pale, and her whole body was tense. She could barely control her limbs, and could only move forward slowly with her mother supporting her.

Tiezhu's Wife held one child's hand in each of hers, following close behind.

Compared with Zhao Cuilian, she was clearly much calmer. She simply clutched the children tightly.

Zhao Kun saw it all, but didn't offer any help. Instead, he watched the river below with wary eyes.

Even though the Qi Refining Realm cultivator was right across from them, there was still some distance between them. If danger suddenly struck, he wouldn't be able to protect everyone.

To put it bluntly, with so many people on the bridge, even if a Water Demon really appeared, it couldn't swallow them all at once.

At a moment like this, the quicker someone was to spot danger and dodge, the better their odds of survival.

Besides, compared with the chance of being swallowed whole by the Water Demon, the possibility that its appearance would spark a panic, leaving people to shove one another off the bridge, was much greater.

In such a situation, the most important thing was to protect yourself and your loved ones nearby.

And theirs wasn't the only group taking such precautions. Almost everyone crossing the bridge was doing the same.

But their small group had one person at Blood Change and two at Fetal Movement Major Accomplishment. Among the groups around them, having even one person at Fetal Movement Major Accomplishment was considered pretty good.

So as long as they stuck together, their odds of surviving would be far better than everyone else's.

As it happened, they made it to the opposite bank without encountering any danger.

The moment Zhao Cuilian's feet touched solid ground, her legs suddenly gave way, and she toppled sideways.

Yu Dashan, standing to her right, reacted quickly and caught her.

Zhao Kun reached out too, but failed to catch her. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

"Little Sister, you really need to work on your courage. You're scared stiff just crossing a bridge."

Zhao Jiadong stepped onto the bank right behind them. With the tension finally easing out of him, he couldn't help teasing her.

"Move along. Don't block the way."

Zhao Kun glared at him. He might have grown up, but he still had no sense of what was going on around him.

How could he, her father, not understand his daughter's feelings?

He had even brought it up with Old Man Yu before. Old Man Yu hadn't refused, but he thought Zhao Cuilian was still too young, and Yu Dashan was at a critical stage. He planned to wait a couple more years.

Besides, it also depended on what Yu Dashan himself thought.

The two families were close, and Yu Dashan had practically watched Zhao Cuilian grow up. It wasn't that he only thought of her as a little sister; he was simply a little slow on the uptake when it came to this sort of thing.

Aside from tending the Spirit Field, he spent nearly all his time cultivating. That was why he'd reached Fetal Movement Major Accomplishment so quickly and even undergone Blood Change once.

If his family hadn't found that Rare Species, perhaps a few years from now, when Yu Dashan had reached the limit of his progress, he might have married Zhao Cuilian and started a family.

But now, even if he truly felt that way, he could only push those thoughts aside.

After helping Zhao Cuilian to the side, Yu Dashan let go and turned to look back the way they had come.

After crossing the great river, home suddenly seemed much farther away.

The Black Annihilation Wind Disaster hadn't arrived yet, but Yu Dashan couldn't keep the worry in his heart at bay.

Aside from praying silently, it seemed there was nothing he could do.

A deep sense of helplessness engulfed him.

For the first time, he hated himself so much.

If only he'd worked harder before. If only his aptitude were better. If only he'd already reached Perfection of Fetal Movement.

Then his father wouldn't have had to stay behind this year, and their whole family could have gone to the Blessed Land together.

He could have traded that Rare Species for an Immortal Destiny and broken through in the Blessed Land.

But now, everything seemed too late.

"It'll be all right."

Yu Ershan came up beside him and spoke softly.

"Mm."

Yu Dashan drew a deep breath and nodded firmly.

It was a little late, but he hadn't lost every chance to make up for it. Over the next three years—no, he'd do it in even less time—he would reach Perfection of Fetal Movement.

"Look! What's that?"

Just then, someone nearby cried out in alarm.

Yu Dashan and the others instinctively looked over. A dark shape had appeared in the White Wave River, swimming upstream against the current.

As more and more people cried out, the shadow in the river rapidly grew larger, soon taking on the shape of a small mountain.

"A Qi Refining Realm Demonic Beast—the Water Origin Turtle!"

Yu Ershan drew a sharp breath.

The Water Origin Turtle was a common kind of aquatic turtle, but ordinary ones were usually only one or two meters long.

Only one at the Qi Refining Realm could grow to a dozen meters across and look like a small mountain.

And it wasn't just any ordinary Qi Refining Realm Demonic Beast.

As everyone got a clear look at the Water Origin Turtle, an overwhelming aura surged forth. Though they were more than a hundred meters away, it still pressed the breath from their lungs.

At the same time, the Qi Refining Realm cultivator who had been sitting in the carriage appeared before them.

He wore a blue robe and looked to be about thirty. Tall and upright, he stood on the bank, his face grave as he watched the Water Origin Turtle swimming rapidly upstream.

As for the Chain Bridge, it was now in complete chaos. People shoved against one another, each refusing to give way.

Those on the far side tried to retreat.

Those on this side were desperate to flee to shore.

Only the people in the middle of the bridge were trapped, unable to move in either direction. Despair showed on many of their faces.

"Immortal Master, please hurry and drive that Demonic Beast away!"

Suddenly, someone in the middle of the bridge shouted.

At his words, the Qi Refining Realm cultivator merely shot him a cold glance. The man jolted as though struck by lightning. Whether someone behind him had shoved him with all their might or not, he was sent straight off the bridge.

Through it all, he seemed possessed, not reacting in the slightest.

Quite a few people saw what happened and shrank back in fright.

A person at Fetal Movement Major Accomplishment had just "died" like that.

But no one dared speak up.

In the time they'd wasted, the Water Origin Turtle had come within thirty meters of the Chain Bridge. At such close range, almost everyone could see its millstone-sized head, jagged and ferocious.

Its blood-red eyes were especially terrifying, gleaming with a cold, bloodthirsty light that sent chills down their spines.

"Back! Hurry!"

Without a word, Yu Ershan pulled Yu Xiaoshan back, while warning Yu Dashan, Zhao Kun, and the others beside them.

They'd made it to shore, but who could guarantee the bank was safe?

Even without Yu Ershan's warning, Yu Dashan was already retreating. But since he was facing the White Wave River, he clearly saw the Water Origin Turtle suddenly open its mouth.