Chapter 159

Chapter 159

Not long after the cultivators retreated, the beast tide arrived at the marsh.

The demonic beasts that formed the beast tide had crimson red eyes and without hesitation, they trampled over the swamp lizards as they chased in the direction where the group of cultivators had fled. Although the swamp lizards were the dominant creatures in this area of the marsh, they couldn't withstand so many demonic beasts. They all submerged into the swamp to avoid being trampled by the beast tide.

The tremors caused by the beast tide grew closer and closer. The fleeing cultivators turned back to look, and their scalps tingled with unease at the sight.

Compared to the small-scale beast tide that had pursued Mu Ziming when they first encountered him, this beast tide consisted of tens of thousands of demonic beasts. There were those flying in the sky and running on the ground, covering the sky and earth as they approached.

There were less than two hundred people here, and even if there were experts at the level of Yuanzong, they wouldn't be able to withstand so many demonic beasts.

Seeing this scene, the cultivators who had originally wanted to use flying devices to escape immediately gave up on the idea.

Although the speed of flying devices was fast, their targets were too large, making them easy to notice by the flying demonic beasts in the sky. They would become the first target of the demonic beasts' attacks.

Unable to use flying devices, the group could only fly away using their tools.

"Quickly, let's go!"

Qin Hongdao shouted, instructing the cultivators at the Yuanshen realm to lead the way while she brought up the rear. She released her divine sense without restraint, searching for a safe place to avoid the beast tide.

Given their small number, it was unwise to face the beast tide directly. The best course of action was to find a safe place to hide and avoid the beast tide.

Everyone exerted themselves to run forward, with the approaching beast tide behind them.

"Chirp chirp!"

Despite the growing commotion behind them, the ground shaking, and a thick tension permeating the air, affecting everyone's emotions and tightening their nerves, Wen Qiao still heard the "chirp chirp" calls coming from below amidst the chaotic sounds.

Wen Qiao poked her head out from Ning Yuzhou's arms and quickly spotted the large ball of fur following the fleeing cultivators.

Just like when they first met, the large ball of fur rolled along the ground, not slowing down in the slightest. It couldn't fly, and its limbs were hidden under its thick fur. From a bird's-eye view, it truly looked like a rolling ball of fur.

At this moment, all the cultivators were flying with their tools, either high or low, rushing forward. This made the non-flying large ball of fur on the ground seem pitiful as it followed them.

However, the large ball of fur didn't consider itself pitiful. It stayed close to Ning Yuzhou and chirped happily when Wen Qiao looked at it. Its blue eyes were particularly watery, like sapphires embedded in its white fur.

After hearing its chirping, Wen Qiao fell silent.

She really hadn't expected that this large ball of fur was actually looking for her.

Qin Hongdao's divine sense expanded outward, searching for a safe place, but she didn't ignore the situation on the ground. Naturally, she noticed the large ball of fur rolling alongside them and said in surprise, "What is this?"

With her reminder, the other cultivators also noticed the large ball of fur and were equally astonished.

Although the large ball of fur didn't resemble a demonic beast, no one doubted its nature. After all, there were millions of types of demonic beasts in the world, and it was said that during ancient times, there were many species of demonic beasts that cultivators didn't even know about.

The disciples of the Red Sky Sect told Qin Hongdao about how it had bravely defeated a ninth-rank swamp lizard and played tricks on Fairy Liu Yun earlier.

After hearing about the large ball of fur's feats, Qin Hongdao felt that this large ball of fur was quite powerful. However, she didn't do anything.

Looking at the large ball of fur now, the sharp quills that could pierce through the scales of a ninth-rank demonic beast had transformed into soft silver-colored long fur. Although its fur was somewhat dirty due to the recent days of rough living, it didn't detract from its cuteness. More importantly, it was an existence capable of playing tricks on both a ninth-rank swamp lizard and a cultivator at the level of Yuanzong, demonstrating its strength. Seeing it follow them, the others didn't object; instead, they welcomed it.

Especially the disciples of the Red Sky Sect, who liked this large ball of fur very much.

Although they didn't know where this large ball of fur came from or why it wanted to help them, if it hadn't appeared in time and helped them fend off the ninth-rank swamp lizard and Fairy Liu Yun, they might not have been able to hold out until Qin Hongdao arrived.

The disciples of the Red Sky Sect saw that the large ball of fur continued to follow them. At first, they were worried that it wouldn't be able to keep up and considered helping it, but they were also concerned that it might misunderstand and think they meant it harm. What if it turned into a giant spiky ball and attacked them?

However, after observing for a while, they found that although it was a large ball of fur, its movement speed wasn't slow. It steadily followed them and didn't fall behind even when they sped up.

This ball of fur was truly remarkable.

The beast tide had already reached within a mile behind them.

Everyone had no intention of paying attention to anything else; they just wanted to find a safe place before the beast tide arrived.

However, as they looked around, they saw a flat plain. Even if there were mountains, they were short hills, and there was simply no place to hide that could block the beast tide. This made everyone very nervous, and they could only continue to rush forward, trying their best to shake off the beast tide behind them.

Wen Qiao nestled in Ning Yuzhou's arms, feeling the approaching beast tide behind her.

She had been injured by Fairy Liu Yun's Flowing Cloud Silk. Although she had taken spirit pills and honey ointment, her injuries were still severe and wouldn't heal anytime soon. She could only let Ning Yuzhou carry her as they fled.

Fortunately, the disciples of the Red Sky Sect and Qin Hongdao took good care of the two of them, protecting them and ensuring they didn't fall behind.

If it weren't for Ning Yuzhou insisting on carrying his wife himself, someone else might have already taken them separately.

Yi Xuan was also injured, but as a cultivator at the Yuanshen realm, he could still hold on and didn't need to trouble anyone else. He closely followed them.

Sheng Yunsen was tense about the beast tide behind them while also paying attention to the injured. Seeing Yi Xuan's pale face, he couldn't help but worry again.

"Watch the road, don't get distracted," Yi Xuan said.

Sheng Yunsen leaned closer to him. "Second Senior Brother, do you want me to carry you?"

Yi Xuan glanced at him without saying a word.

It was clear that he didn't believe him.

Suddenly, Wen Qiao summoned the Stone Golden Python Whip and flicked it, coiling up the large ball of fur that had been rolling along the ground and following them.

Without any resistance, the large ball of fur was wrapped up and brought onto the flying sword.

It stuck to the other end of the flying sword like a large ball of fur, causing the others to worry slightly. Would this large ball of fur turn into an enormous spiky ball and injure Ning Yuzhou and the others?

"Little Junior Sister, you guys be careful," Sheng Yunsen called out worriedly.

Although he was grateful to the large ball of fur for helping them earlier, this ball-shaped demonic beast was of an unknown species. Why did it help them? Moreover, those quills were a bit too powerful, so they had to be cautious.

As everyone was worried, the big ball of fur stuck to Ning Yuzhou's flying sword chirped happily at Chui.

Neither Chui nor Ning Yuzhou spoke.

After observing for a while, everyone noticed that the silver-white fur on the ball didn't turn into spines, and they finally relaxed.

The beast tide was getting closer.

Cultivators fleeing occasionally looked back and saw the horde of various demonic beasts with blood-red eyes chasing them like they had lost their minds. They were horrified again and, without caring about wasting Yuan Spirit Power, used all their might to escape.

"Chirp chirp~"

Seeing the beast tide closing in, the ball of fur stuck to Ning Yuzhou's flying sword chirped again.

Unfortunately, everyone was busy escaping for their lives and couldn't bother with the chirping ball of fur. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't understand what it was saying.

Only Chui understood the meaning of the ball of fur.

It told her that it knew of a safe place nearby where they could avoid the beast tide.

After leaving the valley of the Immortal Spirit Flower, the ball of fur had been wandering outside and was quite familiar with the surroundings.

Chui thought for a moment and decided to have Senior Sister take them there. She immediately sent a telepathic message to Qin Hongdao: "Senior Sister, head southeast. There is a stone forest there, and beneath the stone forest are caves where we can hide."

When Qin Hongdao heard her words, she was taken aback for a moment before turning around without hesitation and telling other cultivators, "Everyone, head southeast. There is a stone forest there."

Qin Hongdao led the way toward the southeast.

The other cultivators, busy with their escape, didn't have time to think much and followed Qin Hongdao when she turned around.

However, after running for a while, all they could see was a low hill, and there was no sign of any stone forest.

Moreover, the beast tide was now less than three hundred feet away from them.

"Senior Qin, where is the stone forest?" someone couldn't help but ask anxiously.

Under normal circumstances, no one would dare to question someone like Real Person Yuanzong Qin Hongdao so rudely, but this matter concerned their lives, so who could care about such things?

Qin Hongdao's expression turned slightly cold as she said calmly, "It's just ahead, still a little distance away."

Although others still had doubts, the beast tide behind them left them with no choice. It was too late to change direction, so they could only follow Qin Hongdao nervously.

They did, however, blame Qin Hongdao somewhat. If they couldn't find a hiding place soon, they would be engulfed by the beast tide, and it would be impossible to survive amidst tens of thousands of crazed demonic beasts.

Qin Hongdao ignored those people. She had unconditional faith in her junior brothers and sisters, and she didn't doubt Chui's words at all. Even though she still couldn't see the stone forest Chui mentioned, she had no complaints and still believed in her completely.

Fortunately, just as the beast tide was only a hundred feet away from them, they finally saw the stone forest.

When they got a clear view of the stone forest, the cultivators present were once again filled with despair.

This stone forest was only one li in size and could only be called a small stone forest. How could it withstand the beast tide?

Before reaching the stone forest, Qin Hongdao's divine sense probed the stone forest and quickly found the stone cave Chui mentioned.

Beneath the stone forest was a different world, all naturally formed stone caves, and there were even many of them, with passages that crisscrossed in all directions, perfect for resisting the beast tide.

She said joyfully, "Everyone, there are stone caves beneath the stone forest. Let's go in quickly."

Everyone was overjoyed. With these stone caves, stopping the beast tide wouldn't be a problem.

A group flew into the stone forest and soon saw some entrances to the stone caves hidden within, large and small.

They chose a not-so-large stone cave and flew in.

After all the cultivators entered, Qin Hongdao, who was at the rear, moved a large boulder to block the entrance, then caught up with the people who had entered the stone cave and went deeper underground with them.

Not long after they entered the stone cave, the beast tide finally reached the small stone forest.

Those hiding in the stone cave could feel the vibrations coming from the ground. The terrifying vibrations made it clear that the demonic beasts must have flattened the stone forest on the surface, and some smaller demonic beasts and flying creatures had followed and flown into the stone caves, heading towards where they were.

Fortunately, these demonic beasts had fallen into madness and had no intelligence left. After destroying the stone forest on the surface, they continued forward.

The cultivators hiding in the underground stone caves killed the demonic beasts that had intruded from other entrances.

There weren't many intruding demonic beasts, and they weren't strong, so they were easy to deal with.

Although there were eighth- and ninth-grade demonic beasts in this beast tide, they were too large to break in and only went straight ahead.

The disciples of the Red Sky Sect escorted the injured to a safe stone cave deep inside for rest.

Ning Yuzhou laid out a soft blanket on the ground and carefully placed Chui down. "Chui, how are you?"

Chui, pale-faced, smiled at him. "I'm feeling much better now."

Ning Yuzhou caressed her pale face tenderly and lowered his eyes.

The others also found places to sit and waited for the beast tide above to pass.

The stone cave where they were located was very deep below the ground, but they could still feel the vibrations of the beast tide passing by, feeling both terrified and fortunate that Qin Hongdao had led them to this cave, allowing them to escape safely.

It wasn't until the vibrations above subsided that the tense spirits of everyone finally relaxed.

After confirming their safety, everyone hurriedly checked on the injured.

Those injured were the ones who had come into contact with the red mist Fairy Flowing Cloud had scattered earlier, causing red rashes all over their bodies. They had scratched the rashes open, and their bodies were covered in blood, looking quite terrifying.

Earlier, they had been busy escaping and hadn't had time to tend to these people. Now that they were safe, they hurriedly took out detoxification pills and stuffed them into their mouths.

However, after a while, these people's conditions didn't improve. The red rashes kept growing back after being scratched open, showing no signs of subsiding.

"What should we do?"

"What kind of poison is this?"

"We never expected that Lady Flowing Cloud, a righteous cultivator, would use poison."

...

In desperation, they asked the Qingyun Sect disciples who had escaped with them.

The Qingyun Sect disciples looked bewildered. "We don’t know either. We’ve never encountered this before."

"Could it be one of Senior Apprentice Uncle Cen’s strange pills?"

Cen Baicao of the Qingyun Sect was a heavenly-grade alchemist. It was said that he liked to research strange pills using unorthodox methods. If this was something he created, it would be normal for ordinary detoxification pills to be ineffective against it.

In the end, they could only turn to Ning Yuzhou.

They had all heard of Ning Yuzhou, the prodigy from the Red Sky Sect, and believed that he might be able to help. Ning Yuzhou was straightforward and provided them with several detoxification pills made from honey fat. Sure enough, after those people took the pills, the red rashes on their bodies began to fade.

Soon after, Qin Hongdao, who had been guarding the rear, returned.

Qin Hongdao glanced around the stone cave and noticed that it was quite spacious, with several smaller caves inside. The Red Sky Sect disciples were resting in one of these smaller caves.

Upon seeing her return, the cultivators who had questioned her earlier rose to their feet with embarrassed expressions, thanking her for her assistance. They felt uneasy, worried that Real Person Yuanzong Qin Hongdao might be angry with them.

Qin Hongdao was a straightforward and open person and wouldn’t hold a grudge over such a trivial matter. "There’s no need to thank me. If you must thank someone, thank my junior apprentice sister. She’s the one who told me about this place."

The group then went to thank Wen Qiao.

Nie Shenxuan asked with a smile, "We’re lucky to have Miss Min. How did you find this place?"

During these days, they had been traveling together but had never been here before. They were curious as to how Wen Qiao had discovered it.

"I came here before," Wen Qiao replied succinctly.

Everyone understood and quickly accepted her explanation.

Although it seemed like the beast tide had passed, none of the people present were in a hurry to leave. They found a spot to sit down and rest, and soon began discussing the recent beast tide.

"Do you think the demonic cultivators caused this beast tide again?"

"I think it’s possible. I’ve never heard of a beast tide occurring in the Thousand Islands Secret Realm before."

"That’s true. When we met Fellow Daoist Mu from the Qingyun Sect and the others, didn’t they say it was the work of the demonic cultivators?"

"But the previous beast tides were small-scale. This time, there were tens of thousands of demonic beasts. If the demonic cultivators really did this, what method did they use to make so many demonic beasts go berserk?"

Typically, a beast tide formed when demonic beasts lost their minds due to certain reasons and headed towards a specific destination. Along the way, they destroyed any living beings or plants they encountered, causing immense destruction.

These demonic beasts, lacking consciousness, didn’t feel pain and relentlessly advanced and killed. They were very difficult to deal with, and the biggest headache for cultivators was dealing with beast tides.

However, every appearance of a beast tide had a reason. It was usually due to certain heavenly treasures or driven by demonic cultivators, rarely caused by humans. If the group of demonic cultivators could indeed create a medium-sized beast tide, the consequences would be terrifying.

The faces of those present turned solemn.

They were all disciples of prestigious sects in the Sacred Martial Continent and deeply despised demonic cultivators. They were also concerned that if the demonic cultivators mastered the means to control demonic beasts, it would be detrimental to the righteous forces.

Qin Hongdao had only recently joined up with them and had been busy fighting Lady Flowing Cloud earlier, so she wasn’t aware of the situation. Hearing their conversation now, her expression also became serious.

Every time the Thousand Islands Secret Realm opened, some demonic cultivators would infiltrate it. However, the scale of the demonic cultivators’ actions this time was unprecedented. They could suspect that perhaps the demonic cultivators intended to take advantage of being inside the secret realm to kill the disciples of various righteous sects, weakening the righteous forces.

There was no doubt that the demonic cultivators were capable of such actions.

Compared to robbing the heavenly treasures they obtained from the secret realm, directly killing the elite disciples of the righteous sects and reducing their strength would be more beneficial to the demonic cultivators.