Escape!

In the sky, the monstrosity writhed even more violently, and the red lines grew a little brighter.

As a result, cultivators fell in wave after wave.

Even those who had not died trembled so badly they could barely stand.

"Woooo..."

Suddenly, a strange sound wave rang out.

The red lines in the sky began to hum in response.

For a moment, the two sound waves intertwined, leaving Chen Lin dizzy and reeling. He staggered and fell to the ground.

Zhao Zhengyuan and the Xia Sisters fared no better, and even Ye Jingyun swayed unsteadily.

They were only this fortunate because the red lines attached to them had been severed. The cultivators still connected to those lines suffered far worse, their bodies bursting one after another into clouds of blood mist.

Yet the blood mist did not fall to the ground. Instead, the bizarre red lines devoured it all, swelling once again.

"This is bad! That monstrosity is about to take form! Run!"

At the sight, Yu Yuehai cried out in unprecedented alarm. He slapped his Storage Bag, took out several talismans, and tossed them to Chen Lin and the others.

"These are Wind-Riving Talismans! Use them to speed up, now!"

With that, he darted forward, pulling Ye Jingyun along as he shot away like lightning.

The Wind-Riving Talisman was a Tier 1 Upper-Grade Talisman that increased speed when used. Without another word, Chen Lin slapped his talisman onto himself, then became a streak as he chased after them.

The Xia Sisters were just as quick, following close behind.

Only Zhao Zhengyuan paused, hesitating for a moment before activating his talisman.

"Hmph!"

As he raced forward, Yu Yuehai suddenly gave a cold snort.

"What is it, Senior Brother?"

With Yu Yuehai pulling her along, Ye Jingyun was not expending much mana and still had time to observe their surroundings.

"Nothing. Just a little ant who thinks himself clever."

Yu Yuehai's remark came out of nowhere, but Ye Jingyun did not ask any further questions.

The group began racing through the desolate mountain wilderness and forest.

Suddenly, a powerful surge of mana appeared. A gigantic flying sword swept past nearby, overtaking them in an instant.

The flying sword also skimmed close to the ground. Although many people stood on it, it remained remarkably agile, winding around the towering trees like a spirit snake.

A voice drifted back from the receding flying sword. "Be careful, Fellow Daoist Yu, Pavilion Master Ye. That monstrosity has already taken form and is now undergoing a transformation. It won't take long. Leave the area under its control as quickly as you can. Don't delay!"

As the flying sword drew farther away, the voice grew fainter.

Even so, they heard every word clearly.

Through his daze, Chen Lin thought he glimpsed a familiar figure, but he could not be sure.

Yu Yuehai's face darkened. He snorted coldly and said, "So Han Yuhe really did finish refining that Fire Cloud Sword. It certainly lets him run away fast enough."

His tone seemed full of disdain for the man who had spoken.

Yet as soon as he finished speaking, he too slapped his Storage Bag and took out a pitch-black little boat.

The little boat immediately expanded to over ten feet long when he tossed it onto the ground. Yu Yuehai was the first to leap aboard, pulling Ye Jingyun with him.

"Everyone aboard! Hurry!"

At his command, Chen Lin and the others hurried aboard as well. The Flying Boat immediately became a streak of black light and shot into the distance, also skimming close to the ground.

Had someone looked down from high above at that moment, they would have seen that all of Kaiyuan City had become a field of ruins. Most of the cultivators inside had been sucked into desiccated husks, but quite a few had escaped in different directions and were fleeing for their lives by every means available.

The largest number were heading in the same direction as Chen Lin's group.

This was because the terrain in that direction was relatively flat. Towering mountains surrounded the other three sides, teeming with monster beasts and making escape difficult.

These people rode all manner of magical tools through the air, leaving trails of multicolored light.

None of them had red lines attached to their bodies. They were presumably also members of the Five Major Families.

Among them was a Flying Boat that was not only large but also covered by a light barrier, making it look like an enormous glowing fish in the dark sky.

With no obstacles in the air, the Flying Boat traveled extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, it passed over Yu Yuehai's group.

"The Lan Family's Water Rhyme Spirit Boat? How can they dare fly so brazenly? Aren't they afraid of drawing that monstrosity's attention?"

Seeing the Flying Boat, Ye Jingyun could not help voicing her confusion.

From what she knew of the Lan Family, its patriarch should not have done something so irrational.

"Heh. Perhaps they think their Upper-Grade Spiritual Tool-level Flying Boat has strong enough defenses. Arrogant fools, nothing more!"

After offering this assessment, Yu Yuehai paid no more attention to the others and focused on steering his little boat through the mountain forest.

Because it was dark and they dared not fly too high, they had to dodge obstacles. Before long, the streaks of Escapist Light in the sky left them behind.

Yet Yu Yuehai showed no anxiety. Instead, he went slower and slower until he simply stopped.

"Senior Brother, what's wrong?"

The others were too intimidated by Yu Yuehai's authority to speak. Only Ye Jingyun asked.

Yu Yuehai did not answer. Instead, he turned to look toward Kaiyuan City with a peculiar expression.

The monstrosity's phantom form was still there, but whether it was recovering from its injuries or undergoing the transformation mentioned by the Han Family member, it had become extremely quiet.

The red lines in the sky were gone as well.

"Heh. It seems the Five Major Families are still too timid. Then let me lend you a helping hand!"

Yu Yuehai gave a mocking laugh.

With that, under everyone's bewildered gazes, he took out the Array Disk from earlier once more.

After enlarging it and tossing it onto the ground, he waved his hand, and five Large Spirit Stones settled into its slots.

Repeating the earlier procedure, he pressed the sphere into the center of the Array Disk as well.

This time, however, he used no blood, nor did he ask Chen Lin and the others to supply mana.

Once his preparations were complete, Yu Yuehai gave a low shout. "Rise!"

The Array Disk activated.

The spirit stones shattered, and the runic inscriptions formed a sword of light.

No one knew why Yu Yuehai was doing this. Chen Lin glanced at Ye Jingyun, only to find her looking equally bewildered.

He kept feeling an ominous premonition, yet he had no idea where the danger would come from.

He could not leave the group and flee alone at this point, and Yu Yuehai would never let him go anyway. He could only steel himself and wait to see what Yu Yuehai was planning.

"Stop him! Hurry, or we'll all die!"

Just then, Zhao Zhengyuan, who had remained at the very back, suddenly shouted.

Chen Lin then felt a tremendous aura erupt from him. At some point, an axe-shaped magical tool had appeared in Zhao Zhengyuan's hand. Wreathed in azure light, the huge axe cleaved straight down at Yu Yuehai's head!

The attack came so suddenly that by the time Chen Lin and the others reacted, the axe was already above Yu Yuehai's head.

What shocked Chen Lin even more was that Zhao Zhengyuan's cultivation was not at the mid Qi Refinement realm at all, but at the Qi Condensation late stage!

"Senior Brother, watch out!"

Ye Jingyun cried out in alarm and raised her hand. An Azure Flying Sword materialized out of thin air and clashed with the Giant Axe.

Seeing this, Chen Lin sighed inwardly. With Ye Jingyun's Qi Condensation Level 9 cultivation and her clearly upper-grade flying sword, Zhao Zhengyuan was probably finished.

At the same time, he silently reproached Zhao Zhengyuan for his recklessness. Wasn't attacking now simply courting death?

How much better it would have been to wait until they were out of danger. That might even have given him an opening to use his Thunderbolt Bead.

But in the next instant, he was stunned where he stood!