"Sorry, I miscalculated."
Yu Ci was practically half-carrying Gan Shizhen as he raced wildly up the cliff face.
The female cultivator gave a soft sound, so brief it was impossible to tell whether it was a response or a moan.
No one had anticipated the ghost beast's power. Yu Ci had, but he had made the mistake of measuring others by himself. He had forgotten that Gan Shizhen was not like him, capable of disregarding the invasion of Rakshasa Illusory Power. Thus, the female cultivator had been struck the moment the ghost beast's howl rang through her ears. Though her intelligence had not been lost, the blow to her soul was not something that could be dispelled in a moment.
Still, her condition was better than the others'. Behind them, the demon with the crystal embedded in its forehead let out a piercing shriek. Though Yu Ci could not understand it, he could readily interpret it as the most venomous of curses.
Before the curse had faded, the ghost beast and that demon collided head-on. Perhaps the paralysis delivered by the Five Thunder Talisman had yet to wear off; the demon's method of shedding force was clumsy beyond measure. The impact drove it straight into the cliff wall. From dozens of zhang away, Yu Ci could feel the tremors below—and there was more than one.
The ghost beast had charged in after it.
It had been barely more than ten breaths since he lured the ghost beast here, yet the formidable alliance of three Core Restoration demons had already fallen apart. The sheer decisiveness of it was startling. The ghost beast now faintly possessed the imposing air it had shown when it fought hundreds upon thousands of demons that day. It seemed absorbing Rakshasa Illusory Power truly was nourishing—at least