Demonic Beast

The five Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the sky looked like fish dangling from hooks, twitching and flailing in midair.

They tried every means they could think of to sever the red lines, but nothing worked.

In the distance, many members of their families were still rushing toward them like moths into a flame.

Their families' unity was on full display, but it accomplished nothing. They only became nourishment for the monstrosity, allowing its already feeble shadow to recover little by little instead.

"All members of the Han Family, heed my command! Leave this place at once! No one is to come back to rescue me!"

The Han Family patriarch, a middle-aged man who looked like a scholar, bit the tip of his tongue and bellowed the order.

His voice echoed through the night sky, filled with despair and tragic resolve.

Immediately afterward, another elderly man with a ruddy face shouted, "Members of the Zhang Family, do not come any closer either! Leave at once and find somewhere to rebuild the family! Never set foot in this region again!"

The other three patriarchs promptly issued their own orders, their voices resounding through the night.

At this point, they knew they had no hope of surviving. Their younger family members in the Qi Condensation Realm had even less chance of rescuing them.

Death was only a matter of time.

In the distance, the members of all five families wore anxious expressions, but none dared continue charging forward.

"Go! If you don't leave now, it'll be too late! Go! Go!"

Han Yuhe, the Han Family patriarch, watched two more of his grandchildren being devoured by the red lines and roared in fury.

"Go!"

The Han Elder controlling the enormous flying sword, Han Yuhe's younger brother, clenched his teeth so hard they shattered. His face livid, he made his decision, and the sword shot into the distance in a streak of light.

The members of the other families also chose to retreat, their faces filled with anguish.

Their families still had to be rebuilt, their bloodlines carried on. There was no point in all of them dying here.

Besides, they had made countless preparations for this escape and sacrificed most of their family members. If they all died here, everything would have been for nothing.

Watching this parting of life and death from below, Chen Lin's emotions rose and fell. The tragedy moved him, yet he also felt a little envious of their familial bonds.

In this world, he would probably never have such bonds himself.

"Senior Brother, we should leave too! The monstrosity can't be killed! If we don't go now, it'll be too late!"

Ye Jingyun's voice rang out, and Chen Lin and the Xia Sisters also turned to look at Yu Yuehai.

"Ah!"

Yu Yuehai merely sighed.

Then he took out a pitch-black bottle. After running his fingers over it briefly, he opened the lid with a resolute expression.

A wisp of black smoke drifted out of the bottle.

In the blink of an eye, it formed the illusory figure of a monster.

The shadow churned constantly, making its true appearance impossible to discern, but waves of terrifying power emanated from it, making them tremble.

Under the influence of that aura, Chen Lin felt as though his divine soul had frozen solid. Never mind moving-even his thoughts began to slow.

Apart from Yu Yuehai, the others were hardly any better off.

"Heh heh! I'm finally out! Lowly human, you dared imprison me! Now become this demon's feast of flesh and blood!"

The churning shadow gave a sinister cackle, then lunged at Yu Yuehai.

Yu Yuehai's expression remained unchanged. A black round bead the size of the pad of his thumb appeared in his hand, and he squeezed it hard.

Nothing happened to the bead, but the churning shadow let out a miserable scream. Its form shook violently, as though it might collapse at any moment.

"Do one thing for me, and I'll give you back your freedom. Otherwise, I'll scatter your soul right now!"

With that, he made as if to squeeze the black bead again.

"All right, all right! Stop squeezing! I agree! What do you want?"

The demonic shadow hastily begged for mercy. Then his body went still, as though he had sensed something, and he demanded furiously, "What did you do to my physical body? Why is it inside that monstrosity?"

A moment later, he added in alarm and doubt, "You're not asking me to deal with that monstrosity, are you? That thing can't be killed! Sending me won't do any good!"

"Hmph. I'm not asking you to kill it. You only need to strip its different spirit out for me. Bring those five cultivators back as well, and I'll let you leave!"

Yu Yuehai glanced at the scene in the sky, his tone somewhat urgent.

"Then I'll have to think about it. Monstrosities are troublesome. Losing its different spirit won't kill it, but it'll have to condense another one. It'll definitely fight me to the death. Besides, you're a fickle fellow. How do I know you'll let me leave?"

The demonic shadow voiced his doubts as he churned.

"That's no problem. I can swear an Inner Demon Oath that I'll let you leave afterward!"

Yu Yuehai immediately swore an Inner Demon Oath, making Chen Lin grimace.

The oath rolled off his tongue far too smoothly. His wording and tone were exactly the same as when he had sworn one to Chen Lin. Clearly, he had done this plenty of times.

Could an oath like that really bind him?

Although Chen Lin did not know how Yu Yuehai evaded the Inner Demon Oath, he knew that the oath he had previously made Yu Yuehai swear was no different from a fart. It was utterly useless.

Of course, he was not foolish enough to warn the demonic shadow.

The demonic shadow hesitated, then immediately began churning again. "Fine, I'll trust you this once. Wait for my good news!"

With that, he turned into a streak of black smoke and vanished instantly.

This was Chen Lin's first time seeing a so-called demonic beast. The original owner's memories contained no detailed information about them either, and the sight left him inwardly marveling.

This thing really is sinister. And this world is bizarre enough to have every kind of thing imaginable.

The demonic shadow had only just vanished when a series of muffled sounds came from the monstrosity's phantom image in the sky. Then, with a bang, it exploded again.

Immediately afterward, a pitch-black creature appeared out of thin air.

The creature was enormous. It was too far away for them to make out its features, and black qi churned all over its body. It also seemed to be holding a lump of something white.

"Hmph. To think a mere monstrosity required This Venerable One to act in person. Once I get my Origin Demonic Orb back, I'll devour every last one of you!"

After that irritated mutter, the demonic shadow turned into a cloud of black mist, swept up the five patriarchs falling from the severed red lines, and returned to Yu Yuehai's side.

"I've brought back what you wanted. Give me back my Origin Demonic Orb!"

The demonic shadow shook himself, dumping the five utterly weakened men onto the ground. Then he presented the white mass of qi he carried to Yu Yuehai and spoke in a low voice.

"Good! As expected of a powerful night demon, your abilities are truly formidable. Here's your orb!"

Delight shone in Yu Yuehai's eyes as he sealed the white mass of qi inside a container, then tossed the black round bead in his hand toward the demonic shadow.

"Heh heh heh! This demon is finally free again! Lowly humans, I'll... Aah! What are you doing? You treacherous human! You dare violate your Inner Demon Oath? Just wait for the Lord Inner Demon to devour you!"

Amid a series of agonized screams, the demonic shadow turned back into a wisp of black smoke. Yu Yuehai drew him into the same bottle as before and closed the lid.

Once the demonic shadow had been sealed away, the pressure on Chen Lin and the others immediately eased, and they returned to normal.

The patriarchs of the Five Major Families also staggered to their feet.

Han Yuhe, the Han Family patriarch, was the first to bow. "Many thanks to Fellow Daoist Yu and Pavilion Master Ye for coming to our aid. We will remember this life-saving kindness until our dying day and repay you generously!"

The other four also bowed, their faces showing the relief of having survived a calamity.

"Hahaha! You're too kind, fellow Daoists. But there's no need to wait until later to repay me. Now is the perfect time!"

Yu Yuehai laughed, then suddenly struck!