Rescue

The mountainside plunged almost vertically downward, covered entirely in rock. Wherever his divine sense could probe, there was nothing but rock. The gorge itself was filled with white mist that blocked divine sense; he could neither see nor sense anything within it.

At that moment, Zhou Yong's heart went cold. He tossed Flame Tiger onto the ground and looked down at the mist beneath his feet. He told the elders accompanying him, "Wait for me up here. I'll go down and look. If I haven't returned in two hours, Elder Zhang, take everyone back to the sect. Don't worry about me."

"Sect Master, you can't go down there! Let's go back and think of another way!"

"Sect Master, it's too dangerous. You can't go down!"

"Sect Master, we should consider this carefully and make a long-term plan!"

The elders did everything they could to stop Zhou Yong from risking his life down there. No human or demon beast that had entered Misty Canyon had ever emerged. As he was the master of the Righteous Qi Sect, the elders dared not let him descend under any circumstances. If something happened to him, the Righteous Qi Sect would become a host of dragons without a head.

"Say no more. Xue’er’s cultivation is low, and we don’t even know whether she’s alive. I must find her and bring her back," Zhou Yong said coldly.

"Sect Master, why not let me go down first and scout the way? You can decide what to do once you hear from me," Elder Liu Mingtao, whose cultivation was at the middle stage of Spirit Transformation, said to Zhou Yong.

Even in the face of such peril, an elder was willing to risk his own life. This showed how greatly the Righteous Qi Sect's cohesion and overall strength had changed under Zhou Yong's leadership.

"Hmph! You dared capture my grandson in the Demon Beast Forest? Not one of you will leave!" A cold snort rang out, followed by an icy growl.

An imposing presence rushed toward them from afar. At the same time, a shadow appeared within Zhou Yong's line of sight, and a surge of energy instantly enveloped Yan Zhan, whisking him toward the dark figure.

Before Zhou Yong could react, Yan Zhan had already been rescued. The dark figure then appeared before Zhou Yong with Yan Zhan in tow.

Only then did Zhou Yong see that the figure was a short old man with a face covered in brown whiskers, a broad forehead, and large eyes. He was most likely the grandfather Yan Zhan had mentioned-the Flame Emperor Demon Sage.

Judging by the aura radiating from him, this man had at least entered the Mahayana Realm. Zhou Yong, currently the strongest cultivator in the Righteous Qi Sect, was only at the Late Spirit Transformation Realm, an entire major realm below the Flame Emperor Demon Sage. Zhou Yong and the elders all raised their guard.

"Senior, I am Zhou Yong, master of the Righteous Qi Sect. I have no intention of offending you or the Demon Race! My daughter came to the Demon Beast Forest to train, but your grandson Yan Zhan pursued her without cause, forcing her deep into the forest, where she fell into Misty Canyon. We ventured this far only to rescue her. Please forgive our rash intrusion." Knowing he could not contend with the Flame Emperor Demon Sage, Zhou Yong humbled himself as he spoke. He also made a point of mentioning the Righteous Qi Sect, hoping the Flame Emperor Demon Sage would refrain from attacking.

"Grandfather, I told them I was the young master of the Crimson Flame Tiger Tribe, and I even invoked your illustrious name, but this fellow from the Righteous Qi Sect showed you no respect at all. You must avenge this insult for me!" With his grandfather backing him, Yan Zhan immediately grew arrogant.

"So what if you're the master of the Righteous Qi Sect? You dared venture deep into the Demon Beast Forest without permission. Not only did you show contempt for my mighty Crimson Flame Tiger Tribe, you even tried to kill my grandson. Today, all of you will die here!" the Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage said viciously.

"Senior Scarlet Radiance, wait! Please show mercy. We will withdraw from the Demon Beast Forest immediately." Seeing that the Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage was about to strike, Zhou Yong hurriedly called out to stop him.

"Junior, you captured my grandson, and now you think you can leave so easily? Dream on! All of you will stay here today!" The Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage scoffed at Zhou Yong's request, then locked his divine sense onto Zhou Yong and the others.

The moment Zhou Yong saw the Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage lock onto them with his divine sense, he knew they could no longer escape unscathed. He sent a message to the elders through his divine sense. "I'll do everything I can to hold the Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage back. Don't worry about anything else-just run. Get back to the sect. He wouldn't dare pursue you all the way there."

"No, Sect Master! We'll form an array and hold him back. You leave first!"

"That's right! The Righteous Qi Sect can survive without us, but it cannot survive without you, Sect Master!"

"Stop arguing. The gap between your strength and his is too great. You cannot hold him back. Rather than all of us dying here, let me delay him so as many of you as possible can escape. Don't make needless sacrifices." Zhou Yong knew that even he could not be sure how long he could hold the Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage back. The elders at the Early Spirit Transformation Realm and middle stages of Spirit Transformation could not withstand even a single blow from him. Only by staying behind himself could he give them a thread of hope.

Besides, he still had the Sect Master Secret Art. Although its aftereffects were severe, it could double his strength, which should allow him to resist for a little while.

With that thought, Zhou Yong issued orders to the elders through his divine sense. "When I say run, flee toward the outskirts with everything you have. Don't spare your Spiritual Power. Unleash your strongest methods. Whether you escape will depend on your fate." Without waiting to see whether they would obey, he poured all his Spiritual Power into the Top-Grade Spirit Sword in his hand.

"Senior Scarlet Radiance, since there is no room for compromise today, forgive my offense." With that, he activated his spirit sword, sending a streak of sword light slashing toward the Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage.

Seeing that Zhou Yong had dared strike first rather than bare his neck and await death, the Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage's eyes flashed coldly. He looked at Zhou Yong with contempt, raised his palm, and thrust it forward. A howling blast of palm wind shot toward Zhou Yong's sword light.

Faced with the Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage's effortless palm strike, Zhou Yong gave it no further thought and drove his spirit sword forward without hesitation. A brilliant streak of sword light cleaved through the void, illuminating the darkness as it slashed toward the Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage. The tremendous power within it seemed capable of slicing heaven and earth apart, and its Sword Qi was so fierce that even the air seemed to tear. Then the sword light collided with the palm wind.

Boom! A tremendous blast rang out, as though heaven were collapsing and the earth were splitting apart. Shock waves spread wildly, engulfing everything nearby in dust. Even from far away, the lingering force could be felt, enough to make hearts tremble.

Meanwhile, the moment Zhou Yong slashed his sword at the Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage, the elders abandoned their hesitation. They immediately mustered all their Spiritual Power and unleashed their strongest, fastest movement techniques, riding their swords toward the outskirts of the Demon Beast Forest.

When the dust settled, Zhou Yong had been driven back several steps. Although he showed no sign of defeat, it was already clear that his strength was falling short. The Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage, meanwhile, remained where he stood, unchanged and utterly unruffled. He narrowed his eyes at Zhou Yong as though examining a toy, then glanced at the elders fleeing toward the outskirts. His cold gaze was one no one dared meet.

The outcome of this battle was already clear, but this was only the beginning.

Then the Scarlet Radiance Demon Sage gave a cold snort and pointed at the fleeing elders. A streak of Spiritual Power shot from his fingertip, hurtling toward them.