147: You Jianfeng

The little beast nodded with great human-like intelligence, quickly running into the distance, stopping from time to time to look back and see if the Bald Woman was following.

The Bald Woman was full of surprise and tentatively followed it for a few steps. The little beast led the way in front, and the two of them walked one after the other through a forest until the Lishen Tree was before their eyes.

The Bald Woman looked up, her eyes suddenly widening, and she gasped. She saw countless Demonic Beasts poking their heads out on the Lishen Tree, their gazes fixed on the battlefield not far away.

She even saw many Rank 4 and even Rank 5 Demonic Beasts among them.

"Beast Roar!"

The Bald Woman immediately understood what had happened. The battlefield they had chosen was too close to the Lishen Tree, and the scent of blood drifting over had stirred the Demonic Beasts' instincts.

The Bald Woman scooped up the little beast and ran into the distance without looking back, screaming frantically, "Senior Brother, run! It's a Beast Roar!"

"Awooo~~!" Behind them, ten thousand beasts roared in unison, their heavy, deafening cries shaking the air.

Tu Wanshan turned his head abruptly, his heart skipping a beat. Oh no, he had forgotten about this!

"Run!"

Tu Wanshan could no longer care about anything else. His mana surged wildly within him, and a foul-smelling blood mist rose up around him, engulfing him. Within the churning blood mist, a two-zhang tall figure with red hair and four eyes sprinted out, holding a blood-red saber that looked like a toy in his hand.

Tu Wanshan manifested his Dao Body, clearing the way ahead regardless of the mana consumption, and the crowd behind him followed as he fled.

Ma Changjie, hiding in the shadows, frowned deeply, his thoughts racing as he considered whether to go all-in.

If he could intercept Tu Wanshan and the others here and wait for the beast tide to strike from behind, they would surely die under the pincer attack, and the saint child token would be within his grasp.

However, doing so would undoubtedly put himself in danger as well; the beast tide wouldn't care who he was and would tear him apart just the same.

In the distance, the trees fell in unison like dominoes, the earth trembled slightly, and the stampede of ten thousand beasts kicked up thick dust.

No one knew how many Demonic Beasts lived on the Lishen Tree; there could be ten thousand, or far more.

Ma Changjie pursed his lips and turned to flee. In the end, he didn't dare to take the risk; the Beast Roar was simply too terrifying.

...

Meanwhile, Xu Sanyan's brows were unusually filled with a trace of anxiety. He looked down at the compass in his hand, and its longest needle pointed firmly straight ahead.

"Detour." Xu Sanyan made his decision and led the group to go around, but the rainbow light shooting into the sky indicated their position at every moment.

As the sky brightened, Xu Sanyan sat cross-legged, holding two Spirit Stones in each hand to recover his mana, while Xiang Tan and the others leaned against the trees, exhausted, to rest.

No one spoke; everyone seized the time to recover their energy. Having traveled all night with their nerves on edge, even with their cultivation and Physique, they felt fatigued.

Xu Sanyan stood up abruptly, his eyes fixed on the depths of the dense forest; he heard someone coming.

A group of people came rushing from the distance. The man in the lead wore black. Seeing that there were only nine people on Xu Sanyan's side, he paused for a moment, then his face filled with great joy. "Hahahaha, heaven helps me!"

Xu Sanyan saw that there were only eleven or twelve people approaching, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid of encountering a large group like Qi Liang's; if he were besieged, even with his strength, it would be dangerous.

Both sides relaxed simultaneously, seemingly looking down on each other.

"Who are you?" You Jianfeng stared at the rainbow light radiating from Xu Sanyan, a glimmer of greed flashing in his eyes.

Xiang Tan leaned in and whispered, "He is You Jianfeng, ranked eighth among the 'Ten Heroes'."

Chi Yu was dead, and Xiang Tan had taken his place. Although she didn't know as much as Chi Yu, she recognized the prominent figures in the Sect.

Xu Sanyan nodded slowly.

"Hand over the saint child token, and I can spare your lives." You Jianfeng stepped forward slowly, applying psychological pressure on Xu Sanyan.

He recognized every single person among the "Ten Heroes," but Xu Sanyan was not among them. In his view, this person must have had incredibly good luck to have stumbled upon a saint child token.

You Jianfeng was excited; he hadn't expected to obtain a token so easily.

"Heh." Xu Sanyan shook his head with a light laugh. His figure flickered, and he appeared before You Jianfeng, bringing his ruler down on his head.

This ruler was extremely useful, and when combined with the "Lu Family Refining Spirit Strength," it had miraculous effects. Xu Sanyan found it increasingly handy to use.

"Hmph, overestimating yourself!" You Jianfeng snorted coldly. A nobody actually dared to strike at him first; he was truly courting death.

"Ah!" The thought had barely flashed through his mind when You Jianfeng felt a sharp pain in his Divine Soul, as if a red-hot blade had been forcibly driven into his crown. He couldn't suppress a scream, yet he managed to grit his teeth and use his long sword to block the ruler.

"Are you from the Lu family?!" You Jianfeng's face twisted, the intense pain causing his eyes to turn crimson, yet he did not collapse.

The Lu family was most famous for their arts of the Divine Soul, which You Jianfeng had naturally heard of, hence the question.

"Oh?" Xu Sanyan was slightly surprised. This person's will was truly firm; very few people could withstand his surprise attack.

One had to know that after his experience in the Soul Realm and practicing the "Soul Condensation Technique," Xu Sanyan's Divine Soul was far more solid than other Cultivators of the same Realm. Previously, Palace Madam, who was ranked seventh, had been unable to resist after taking one strike from him. He hadn't expected You Jianfeng, who was ranked eighth, to hold on. It seemed the so-called "Ten Heroes" had some padding in their reputations.

"I am your father!" Xu Sanyan couldn't be bothered to talk nonsense with him. Veins bulged on his left arm as he threw a fierce punch at You Jianfeng's chest. You Jianfeng shifted his legs, dodging the fist at the very last moment. The fist grazed his clothes, and the fine silk was instantly torn to shreds.

Seeing You Jianfeng at a disadvantage, the opposing group unleashed their various methods and rushed forward. Xiang Tan and the others naturally wouldn't stand idly by; they leaped forward, and the two sides engaged in a chaotic battle.

You Jianfeng flipped his wrist, and his long sword danced in a sword flower. The incredibly sharp blade flashed with a cold light, stabbing straight down from above at the top of Xu Sanyan's head.

Reflected through the blade were Xu Sanyan's narrow eyes, filled with cold intent. He inverted his ruler, just in time to catch the tip of the sword.

The two locked eyes. You Jianfeng opened his lips, and suddenly, a one-inch long golden sword flew out from his mouth, shooting straight at the center of Xu Sanyan's forehead.

A hidden sword in the mouth! This move was unexpected; no one could have imagined that someone would use their mouth to launch an attack.

At the critical moment, Xu Sanyan used all his strength to dodge. The golden light grazed Xu Sanyan's temple, leaving a smear of blood.

Failing to kill with one blow, You Jianfeng seemed to feel regret. Guided by his mana, the golden light circled around and attacked again from behind, silently and eerily.

"Hmph!" Xu Sanyan snorted coldly. This type of attack relied on catching the opponent off guard. Now that he was prepared, how could he let it succeed again?

As the golden light struck, it was as if Xu Sanyan had eyes in the back of his head; he twisted his body, dodging the small sword, and simultaneously swung his ruler, which whistled through the air as it struck toward You Jianfeng's neck.