Suddenly—
An Changyan's voice came through his Optical Computer, urgent and mixed with the low growls of beasts and the clang of blades striking.
"We're under attack! It's a group of unknown creatures! There are so many of them!"
Chen Beixun abruptly swung around, and the long white staff on his back scraped against the stone walls on either side because of its length.
Screee—
A sound like cat claws scraping across a blackboard echoed through the passage, shrill and piercing!
Boom!
Chen Beixun stomped hard on the Gold Cloud Shuttle. White mist burst around him, and a white blur shot out of it, vanishing in an instant.
"Hold on! Fall back to where we started!" Chen Beixun shouted into his Optical Computer.
At the same time...
*******
"They just keep coming!" Moluo gripped his battle axe, his eyes wide and fierce as a wrathful guardian deity.
Moluo swayed aside to dodge a wolf-like creature lunging at him, then raised his battle axe high and brought it down, wrapped in boundless fury.
The heavy blow landed on the wolf-like creature's head.
In an instant, thick blood sprayed from its skull.
Suddenly—
Ghostly blue phosphorescent flames flickered to life in the darkness. Their light revealed strange species that were ancient, loathsome, and slowly dying out.
The creatures looked grotesque. Some resembled a blend of deer and fish; others looked like two wolves fused back-to-back with an octopus. They were even stranger than the offspring of Crete and Pasiphae.
The monsters snarled, poised to pounce in the shifting light.
The group stood on the lower steps, while the monsters crowded the upper ones.
"Universe Level Three, Universe Level Seven..."
"Was this World Lord running a breeding program? Why are there so many?" An Changyan said.
Thick blood flowed down the steps, mixed with scraps of flesh and bloody pulp. It was revolting.
"Disgusting!" An Changyan stepped back in distaste. A deep, grotesque wound ran from her ear to her cheek. The pain and the blood creeping toward her feet made her increasingly irritable.
Normally, a Universe Level cultivator recovered quickly. Unless the injury was severe, it would heal in no time.
But An Changyan's wound was healing at an absurdly slow pace, as though some substance were interfering.
"We've killed so many of them that these things finally don't dare come closer," one of the guards said.
An Changyan glanced at him, then said, "Fall back to our starting point!"
"Get a few people to cover the rear with me!" Moluo said.
Suddenly—a sound like liquid splashing came from the darkness. The monsters surged forward with it, rolling toward them like a tide.
"Damn it!"
The group braced themselves. They understood that the creatures came from the darkness, whether from ahead or behind.
The dark-gold staff behind An Changyan sent out 27 golden little swords, which formed three Golden Illusion Swords.
Gold was the very embodiment of strength and yang!
Brilliant golden streaks of light pierced through the darkness, churning up waves of blood.
Their tactics were simple: the Controllers took the lead in attacking, while the martial artists formed a ring around them to keep them safe.
"There are too many!" cried a thin Controller.
Without weapons that could cause widespread damage, they were at a serious disadvantage against monsters attacking through sheer numbers!
An Changyan furrowed her brow.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Another 27 golden little swords flew out from behind her.
The second level, 'Sky Piercing Style,' required nine illusion swords to form a true sword. It was a hundred, even a thousand times harder than the first level.
An Changyan could now use the second level of the 'Sky Piercing Style,' but she still needed to hone her control.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Another 27 golden little swords flew out from behind her.
Under An Changyan's exquisite control, nine illusion swords fused into a single golden true sword!
Boom!
A golden sword arc tore through the darkness, sweeping across the battlefield without rival!
The 'Yan Shen Armament' was incredibly difficult to wield, and mastering it in a short time was exceptionally challenging. For a Star Level cultivator, being able to wield just two swords already made them one of the best among their peers in the Universe Country.
An Changyan's eyes turned bloodshot. She gritted her teeth and fought to maintain control with all her strength. The wound tore open from the strain, and blood gushed out.
"Chen Beixun, hurry! I really can't hold on much longer!" An Changyan prayed over and over in her heart.
This kind of attack consumed an enormous amount of mental energy, and no one could withstand that drain for long. An Changyan was nearing her limit, and her face had gone visibly pale.
But she kept going.
"Your Highness!"
Seeing this, the guards around An Changyan were deeply moved. They all roared and fought with everything they had.
With life and death on the line, they were already fighting like mad. Their spirits rallied, and they unleashed even greater strength.
Boom!
A sound like the collapse of heaven and earth erupted!
Crimson vines shot toward them, sweeping through the monsters in the darkness as if nothing could stand in their way. Each strike shook the ground!
"The Demon Island Vine!"
The group was overjoyed, and their morale soared!
"You're here." An Changyan finished speaking and collapsed. Tears welled in her eyes, though it was hard to tell whether they came from relief at surviving or something else.
"Your Highness!" Several guards rushed to her side, frantic with worry.
Whoosh!
A figure suddenly darted into view.
"She fainted?!" Chen Beixun crouched down, took a small bottle of special powder from his Space Ring, and sprinkled it over An Changyan's wound.
"Ah!!" An Changyan cried out in pain and clawed frantically at her face.
Chen Beixun quickly restrained her hands, soothing her again and again. "Bear with it! It'll be over soon!"
"Painkillers!" Chen Beixun frantically searched his Space Ring.
"Damn, I forgot! I never use painkillers myself!"
"I didn't bring any!" Chen Beixun pulled An Changyan into his arms, then called to the others, "Does anyone have painkillers?"
"Ugh! Ugh!" An Changyan whimpered in agony, kicking wildly.
"I have painkillers!" A tall guard handed Chen Beixun a black pill.
Chen Beixun checked it with his mental energy, then took the pill, crushed it into powder, and sprinkled it over An Changyan's wound.
"Phew..." An Changyan half-closed her eyes and panted.
"It works pretty fast!" Chen Beixun exclaimed in delight, then said, "All right, get ready to retreat."
"Yes, Your Highness!" everyone answered in unison.
*******
Under the Demon Island Vine's cover, the group retreated to the chamber they had started in.
Back in safety, everyone looked as though they had narrowly escaped death.
Chen Beixun sat in a corner on the southwest side of the wall, with An Changyan asleep in his arms.
Suddenly, he called out to the crowd, "Moluo!"
Moluo jumped, then hurried over to Chen Beixun and respectfully asked, "What are your orders?"
Chen Beixun thought for a moment, then asked, "How many casualties?"
"Eight severely injured, one lightly injured!" Moluo replied.
Chen Beixun nodded, then said, "Send me your Universe First Bank account number. You can decide how to divide the money later."
"Huh? I couldn't possibly accept that!" Moluo said, first taken aback.
"You deserve it!" Chen Beixun said in a low, firm voice.
"Mm..." An Changyan murmured softly, seemingly disturbed by their conversation.
Chen Beixun stroked her cheek and sent a voice transmission to Moluo. "Let's keep it down."
Moluo nodded.
"You deserve it," Chen Beixun transmitted.