As soon as he finished speaking, the Thousand Bamboo Sect disciple raised his hand and released a pale yellow bamboo boat. He swiftly jumped aboard and soared away through the air behind him.
The other disciples of the Vajra Temple and the Thousand Bamboo Sect below were also startled.
In those few moments, they too heard repeated sounds of air being cleaved from the distant horizon. At first, the noise was faint, but it immediately swelled into an unbroken rumble, as though thousands of troops and horses were charging toward them.
At that, the disciples of both sects scattered like startled chickens and dogs.
Some followed the man in the air, releasing flying magical artifacts and soaring away.
Others took out talismans, slapped them onto themselves, and burrowed straight underground.
Several Vajra Temple monks simultaneously formed hand seals and chanted the Buddha's name. Pale silver scriptures appeared in the surrounding air, and their figures vanished on the spot.
Instead, the demon beasts remained rooted where they stood, seemingly unable to understand why their powerful opponents had suddenly fled.
The next moment, a dense swarm of Demonic Path flying boats swept in from the distant horizon. Most were the Black Soul Sect's stark white bone boats, but there were also other Demonic Path spirit boats bearing the emblems of the Mara Sect, the Joyful Bliss Palace, and others.
Behind these flying boats, black vapor churned and rolled. Within it, a Giant White-Bone Skeleton could faintly be seen seated on a massive white-bone chair.
By then, the Demonic Path disciples aboard the flying boats had also spotted the fleeing Vajra Temple and Thousand Bamboo Sect disciples. More than ten spirit boats immediately gave chase.
As they passed over the demon beasts below, a dozen or so Demonic Path disciples leaped from the