At Death's Door
The terrifying howls continued, and the earth trembled incessantly, as if mountains were about to collapse!
The stone walls inside the cave were also crumbling, with dust constantly falling down. Not only that, even the array at the entrance was showing unusual activity.
All of this foreshadows that something terrible is about to strike them.
"What's happening outside? It sounds like a beast tide has broken out!" A cultivator from the Taotie Gate asked cautiously, but as soon as he uttered those words, many people present instantly changed their expressions.
They all felt a chill run down their spines, and their noses seemed to be instantly filled with the smell of blood.
Even though few of the people in the cave had personally experienced the beast tide, they still knew a little about how terrifying it was.
If they are unlucky enough to encounter this, it's uncertain whether they can escape this calamity, given that all the high-level cultivators are out on the move!
No one answered the cultivator's question; they simply gripped their Law Artifact tightly, prepared to be teleported out of the small world.
Shen Yu, who was standing to the side, noticed the pale faces of everyone and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, quietly shrank into a corner. He didn't want to die with these people; he was waiting for them all to die so he could take the opportunity to use a self-inflicted injury trick on Sang Ying!
"Everyone, don't panic. I'll go out and see what's going on. If we encounter any problems, even if Senior Sister and the others haven't returned, I'll lead everyone to fight our way out!" Fortunately, at this critical moment, Bai Kejin, who had been left in the cave by Sang Ying due to his unhealed injuries, stepped forward.
The young swordsman still looked sickly, but he had acquired some of his senior sister's imposing presence.
No sooner had these words been spoken than someone else stood up.
The other party only had the Foundation Establishment Realm and was holding a spatula in his hand. Bai Kejin quickly recognized that this was one of Yun Tun's junior brothers.
"Fellow Daoist, your injuries are still not healed. Before you left, Fellow Daoist Sang entrusted you to our care. How can we let you go out and risk your life alone? Although we are culinary cultivators, we are still cultivators. We will go with you!"
"Yes, let's go together!" Several more people stepped forward.
Then, as if their blood had been ignited by them, the people inside the cave gripped their Law Artifact and stepped forward, shouting that they wanted to follow them out to find out what was going on.
Bai Kejin looked on with a mixture of emotion and helplessness. He quickly advised, "Everyone, please calm down. I only intend to go out and investigate the situation; I don't need so many people right now."
He thought for a moment, then chose the few chefs who had first offered to accompany him. Seeing the disappointment on the others' faces, Bai Kejin comforted them, "The situation outside is unclear, and the cave shows signs of collapse. So please find a safer place before Senior Sister and we return, and take good care of yourselves!"
Bai Kejin's words successfully persuaded everyone. Although the other cultivators regretted not being able to go out with him, they also took Bai Kejin's concerns to heart.
Ten Thousand Daos Born's disciple was the first to speak, "Senior Brother Bai, rest assured, we will definitely protect ourselves."
The Taotie Gate wasn't to be outdone. "Hey, putting everything else aside, our cooks are experts at escaping for their lives!"
Finally, the junior disciple of the Jingshui Buddha stepped forward. "This humble monk has mastered a tracking technique. You may leave some personal belongings behind so that we can ascertain your location and understand your situation."
Bai Kejin and the young Buddhist monk exchanged a glance, their eyes conveying a deep meaning to each other.
"In that case, I'll trouble you, fellow Daoist." Bai Kejin casually handed over a jade talisman, which the Buddhist cultivator accepted without hesitation.
The two didn't exchange many words throughout, but everything was understood without being spoken.
Hearing this from a distance, Shen Yu glanced over, but couldn't discern anything amiss from the two's actions.
The group of people who were about to go out took out their belongings and handed them to the Buddhist monk.
Bai Kejin then gave his fellow disciples some more advice on taking good care of themselves. Only then, amidst everyone's worried gazes, did he pass through the numerous arrays at the cave entrance and leave this refuge.
However, as soon as they stepped out, they were so shocked by the sight before them that their hearts trembled.
The once lush forests in the distance collapsed one after another, kicking up plumes of smoke and hiding those massive figures in the dust.
A deafening "moo" suddenly rang in their ears, and what appeared before them was a giant bull with a bluish-black body and sharp scales!
"Primordial Azure Ox!" The cooks immediately called out the name of the Demon Beast, their eyes filled with barely concealed fear.
The robust and powerful Primordial Azure Ox charged wildly, destroying almost half of the forest under their feet.
Looking at the terrifying scene, Su Fuyun couldn't help but recall the time when she was chased by the Primordial Azure Ox.
These mindless, stupid beasts were ultimately driven by her. At this moment, she felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
But her smile had barely formed when Chi Yan, oblivious to her tact, spoke up to provoke her, "Our Mara Gate suffered considerable losses trying to capture that young Primordial Azure Ox. Are you sure that by following this path, we can send some of the disciples from those three sects out of the small world?"
Su Fuyun raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of smugness in her voice. "Of course I'm confident. Just you wait and see!"
She knew perfectly well the effects of the tracking powder she had given Shen Yu. And how could that junior cultivator from the Seven Emotions Pavilion dare to lie to her?
"Since you're so confident, then you can deal with this Primordial Azure Ox yourself." Chi Yan waved to the people behind him, and soon a Mara Gate disciple came forward carrying a bag.
The low-level Demon Beast pouch was no match for the high-level Demon Beast. The young ox struggled incessantly, as if it could puncture the Demon Beast with just a little more force.
A soft, delicate cry came from the bag, which made the Primordial Azure Ox below even more restless.
"I'll do it!" Su Fuyun knew that Chi Yan still didn't trust her, which was perfect, as it would make it easier for her to claim all the credit for herself.
She snatched the bag containing the baby Primordial Azure Ox, intending to shoot the cub in public as soon as it broke through the cave where Ten Thousand Daos Born and the others were hiding, letting its blood splatter on the disciples of the three sects!
However, Su Fuyun's plan was destined not to proceed so smoothly. Almost the instant he discovered the Primordial Azure Ox, Bai Kejin took out a packet of medicinal powder from his Storage Bag and handed it to the few chefs.
"This is beast-repelling powder, which works similarly to Beast-Luring Powder. Sprinkle the powder around the cave to buy the other fellow cultivators some time to leave. Then, choose one person to come out and explain the situation outside to them."
"Then what are you going to do?" The head chef immediately sensed something was wrong.
Bai Kejin silently focused his gaze on the distant herd of beasts, his voice filled with determination. "I need to sneak over and investigate. The Primordial Azure Ox isn't Demon Beast that migrates on its own. For them to riot like this, something bad must have happened."
He wanted to investigate this matter thoroughly for Sang Ying!
Everyone could see Bai Kejin's determination, and they knew they couldn't persuade this young swordsman.
So as soon as he left, the chefs began to act according to Bai Kejin's instructions.
Bai Kejin left behind a lot of beast-repelling powder. The kitchen cultivator leader not only sprinkled it all around, but also planned to save some to smear on the other cultivators.
After estimating the number of Primordial Azure Ox, the rest of the group hurried back to the cave, intending to lead the others to break through the stone wall behind the cave and escape from there.
None of the cultivators raised any objections, and they all sprang into action. They knew that even with layers of arrays set up inside the cave, and even with beast-repelling powder covering their bodies, the Primordial Azure Ox, as a sixth-tier Demon Beast, was beyond the reach of these things.
A small rumble came from a corner of the cave, barely noticeable amidst the mournful bellows of the Primordial Azure Ox.
But even such a slight movement did not escape Su Fuyun's notice.
"See, I told you I hadn't come to the wrong place!" She looked at the group of cultivators fleeing in panic in the distance and slowly curled the corners of her lips.
Chi Yan did not respond, but a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes as well.
With the help of Su Fuyun's concealing magical Law Artifact, they quietly approached Ten Thousand Daos Born and his group.
Soon, they found the perfect angle, an angle that would kill the group of cultivators.
"Now, the show is about to begin!" Su Fuyun suddenly exerted his strength and threw the Demon Beast bag high into the air.
The cultivators felt a sudden darkness above them as the Demon Beast pouch fell straight down on them. At that moment, they had no idea what fate awaited them.