Cao Yuan's figure flickered repeatedly. Within a few breaths, he had swept onto a towering tree at the edge of the woods and looked down from above.
He saw that the Netherworld Demon Spider, Lin Changsheng, and the others were still standing where they had been, seemingly unable to stop him from leaving.
He could not help breathing a sigh of relief, inwardly counting himself lucky.
Yet before he had finished exhaling, a foul wind suddenly rushed into his face, carrying a heart-stopping chill.
"What the hell is that?"
Cao Yuan's heart clenched violently, and fright nearly sent his soul flying out of his body.
He abruptly darted left. His protective spiritual light instantly flared, forming a faint golden barrier that tightly enclosed him.
But his ambusher was far too fast. Clearly, this attack had been planned well in advance, and Cao Yuan had no time to dodge.
With a thunderous bang, a tremendous force slammed into his protective spiritual light. The golden glow shattered instantly, scattering like glass.
Cao Yuan felt an enormous force crash into him. His whole body shook as though struck by lightning, blood sprayed wildly from his mouth, and he flew backward like a kite with its string cut.
The tree beneath him was not spared either. The force of that single punch blasted it apart, sending wood chips flying as it collapsed with a crash.
Cao Yuan tumbled several times through the air before finally managing to steady himself and land on the devastated ground.
His face was deathly pale, blood stained the corners of his mouth, and his eyes brimmed with shock and fury.
"Who was that? How dare you ambush me!"
Cao Yuan roared and scanned his surroundings, trying to find his attacker.
He saw a figure standing where he had stood