"What happened?"
"The demons broke through the barrier of the void and charged in!"
"So there weren't fewer demons on the other side-they'd all come over here!"
"This is bad! There are too many! Fall back, fall back!"
Countless demons poured out of the vortex.
Among them were wild wolves, Demon Spiders, Dwarf Demons, Ratmen, and Ape Demons that Fang Qianyuan had seen before.
There were also Blood Ants, Acid Ants, Giant Ants, and Scorpion Bugs he had never seen.
All manner of goat spirits, ox monsters, and deer beasts appeared as well, each grotesque in its own way.
These demons included mutated beasts, spirits, and even spirit creatures corrupted by demonic qi.
But the most eye-catching of them all was undoubtedly the enormous figure that had broken through the vortex.
It was a giant beetle as large as a building, clad in a reddish-brown carapace, charging in with the crushing force of thunder.
Amid violent tremors, several Gray Wolves blocking the vortex were knocked flying. Their masters, along with the other Transformation Dao disciples, hurriedly retreated, staring in horror at the immense beetle demon.
Close behind it came countless smaller beetles roughly a foot long and similar in appearance, as well as some beetle demons over ten feet long.
"Iron-Armored Demon Insects?"
"Impossible! Aren't those low-level Second Transformation demons? How could they grow so huge?"
Cries of alarm rose one after another as disciples with considerable experience exterminating demons exclaimed in disbelief.
Fang Qianyuan noticed that traces of panic had crept onto all their faces.
"They aren't Second Transformation Iron-Armored Demon Insects. They're Third Transformation Kunlin Insects! And that biggest one is probably a mutated insect king!" Ye Tianming said gravely.
"What transformation is the insect king at?" someone asked.
"I can't tell yet, but I'm afraid it's above Seven Turns!" Ye Tianming said.
"What?" Everyone was startled.
Above Seven Turns meant it surpassed the highest cultivation level of any disciple present.
Such a demon would undoubtedly be difficult to handle.
Wu Longjie hurriedly shouted, "Everyone, fall back! Form a circle around the Teleportation Array and defend in place!"
Ye Tianming glanced at him but voiced no objection. Instead, he was the first to follow the order.
The others fought off the demons as they retreated, only stopping when they reached the Teleportation Array and joined the rest.
Ye Tianming said, "Form two circles. The teams that haven't fought yet will hold the outer perimeter. Everyone else who can summon spirit creatures, summon them and stand ready."
Soon, a brilliant streak of silver light flashed.
A Silver-Armored Blade Mantis over ten feet long leaped straight out of the crowd and landed among the demons. Its two enormous blade arms swung fiercely, forming a crescent moon brimming with murderous intent before it.
The three giant wolves at the front were cut in half at the waist before they could react.
The other demons did not halt as ordinary creatures would have. Instead, their ferocity erupted, and they lunged forward even more viciously.
Whoosh!
The Silver-Armored Blade Mantis swiftly dodged, swinging its blade arms again in a slashing crescent.
Amid flying flesh and blood, several more Giant Ants collapsed where they stood, spraying bodily fluids.
One of the experts among the disciples had made his move.
"Senior Brother Kong is mighty!" the disciples cheered, sending their own spirit creatures into battle.
At the same time, several Transformation Dao disciples raced like the wind through the enemy ranks, constantly killing low-level demons.
But the Kunlin Insect King soon arrived.
Despite its immense size, it was every bit as nimble as the smaller Demon Insects. Its enormous mandibles resembled long halberds. With a dip of its head and an upward thrust, it ripped open the belly of a Gray Wolf directly in its path. The entire incarnation collapsed, its blue-green spirit essence dispersing like smoke.
It attacked like an enraged bull, thrusting upward with its huge mandibles.
Besides those, its first pair of forelimbs resembled a scorpion's great pincers, long and sharp.
Although it had yet to use them, their appearance alone made it clear that anyone caught in their shearing grip would be more likely to die than survive.
"The insect king is coming!" a disciple at the front said nervously.
"Don't panic! I'll keep it occupied!" Senior Brother Kong, who had summoned the Silver-Armored Blade Mantis, took the initiative and directed his spirit creature to leap over.
He possessed Seven Turns cultivation and specialized in spirit creatures. His Silver-Armored Blade Mantis was high-grade, giving him formidable combat strength. Sure enough, he drew the Kunlin Insect King's attention and lured it aside.
Yet countless demons still hurled themselves madly at the disciples. Their defensive line was like a fragile wall battered by towering waves.
"This can't go on. There are simply too many demons. No matter how many we kill, there's no end to them!" Wei Wen said with a frown.
He was not fighting at full strength. Following orders, he had withdrawn to the second line and was supporting the battle with just a few Gray Wolves.
This consumed little energy or spirit essence and posed no burden for the moment.
But he could see that the demons far outnumbered them. Aside from the insect king, whose strength exceeded Seven Turns, there were also numerous demon leaders between the fourth and sixth turns.
Sooner or later, the disciples fighting on the front line would tire and suffer injuries.
Once their formation was torn open and those behind could not relieve them in time, heavy casualties would begin.
The efforts of Senior Brother Kong and the others could only maintain the situation for a while, not change the outcome.
Sure enough, before long, several Seven-Star Demon Spiders, Dwarf Demon chiefs, Rat Kings, and other demons with cultivation of Seven Turns or higher appeared one after another, and the situation grew perilous.
With startled cries from several disciples, people finally began getting injured. Their spirit creatures were bitten and pierced in succession, collapsing on the spot.
The thing everyone feared most had happened after all.
To pile frost upon snow, Senior Brother Kong's forehead also began to bead with sweat. "I can't hold on much longer!" he shouted in panic. "Can someone help me?"
Fang Qianyuan frowned and looked over. At some point, several horrifying claw marks had appeared on the Silver-Armored Blade Mantis's smooth body, streaked with multicolored venom that had eaten coin-sized pits into it.
Its spirit essence began leaking out like blood.
Although the Silver-Armored Blade Mantis was a powerful, high-grade spirit creature, it was still considerably weaker than the Kunlin Insect King. Forced to retreat repeatedly while other demons attacked it from the sides, it had been at a disadvantage all along.
Despite Senior Brother Kong's best efforts, it had held out for fewer than a hundred breaths before inevitably beginning to suffer injuries.
A spirit creature's incarnation is formed from spirit essence. Once weakened past a certain point, it will collapse and vanish. In severe cases, even its soul will scatter, leaving it unable to return to its host's body to recuperate.
This Silver-Armored Blade Mantis is in grave danger indeed.
Fang Qianyuan thought to himself.
"I'm coming!" Ye Tianming shouted in a deep voice, finally making his move amid a faint silver glow.
He seemed to have been waiting for an opening all along. As the Kunlin Insect King slashed the Blade Mantis with the spikes on its pincered forelimbs, he suddenly vaulted over the enemy horde and charged beneath its belly.
Riiip!
Sharp Claw Gang tore through the insect's belly. In an instant, the Kunlin Insect King was wounded!
But the blow did not kill the Kunlin Insect King. It had not even inflicted a serious injury.
The Kunlin Insect King was simply far larger than Ye Tianming. It endured a wound that could have torn an ordinary Demon Insect in half.
Not only that, the blow enraged the Kunlin Insect King, and blood-red light suddenly erupted from its body.
"Demonic essence gang baleful intent!"
A flicker of surprise crossed Ye Tianming's eyes. He hurriedly crossed his arms before his chest, only to be sent flying backward as though riding clouds and mist.
He had actually been blasted away.
Uncontrollable cries of alarm rose from the crowd.
"N-ninth-transformation cultivation?"