55: Chapter 55 Zhao Ruoan: I will take you out.

Zhao Ruoan led three female Disciples, his figure turning into a blur in the rainforest.

The terrifying roar grew closer and closer, and the ground beneath their feet kept shaking.

Before they had run a few miles, a series of shrill screams and spiritual power explosions came from the forest ahead.

Zhao Ruoan's footsteps paused for a moment. Without the slightest hesitation, he changed direction and rushed over.

Passing through a patch of slippery bushes, the sight before them made the three female Disciples gasp.

Seven or eight Disciples of the Qingxuan Sect were surrounded by nearly thirty Yao Beasts in a small clearing. Everyone was injured, their spiritual power was exhausted, and they were putting up a final cornered struggle.

"It's Senior Brother Wang and the others!" Senior Sister Liu recognized the person in the lead.

"It's over. With so many Yao Beasts, going over there is just sending ourselves to death." Another female Disciple's voice trembled.

Zhao Ruoan ignored their despair and calmly stepped forward.

He walked very slowly, but every step seemed to tread on a unique rhythm, and the Qi around his body began to rise steadily.

Those besieging Yao Beasts also discovered him as a new target, turning their directions one after another. Crimson beastly pupils locked onto this human walking alone.

"Roar!"

An Earth-Splitting Bear, the largest in size, stood up on its hind legs, beat its chest, and let out a deafening roar, pouncing over with a bloody stench.

Zhao Ruoan flipped his wrist.

His long sword left its sheath.

A clear sword hum drowned out the wind, rain, and thunder.

He didn't execute any exquisite sword techniques, but simply swept his sword horizontally toward the front.

A half-moon-shaped, brilliant sword Qi left the sword and swelled rapidly against the wind.

Wherever the sword Qi passed, space produced a slight distortion.

Whether it was vegetation, rocks, or those pouncing Yao Beasts, they were all split into two.

The Earth-Splitting Bear rushing at the very front had its huge and tough body neatly cut off from the waist in an instant; its upper body was still in mid-air, while its lower body had already crashed to the ground.

The sword Qi's momentum did not diminish as it swept across the entire beast horde.

Puff, puff, puff—

A series of dense cutting sounds rang out.

Nearly thirty Spirit Gathering Realm Yao Beasts, under this single sword strike, were none spared, all being cut in half at the waist.

Blood and internal organs mixed with the rainstorm, turning this clearing into a Shura field.

A single sword strike cleared the field.

The entire place was dead silent.

Those seven or eight Qingxuan Sect Disciples who had already resolved to die were all petrified on the spot.

What did they just see?

Is this damage something a human can dish out?

"Let's go."

Zhao Ruoan sheathed his sword and spat out a single word to the crowd.

"It... It's Senior Brother Zhao Ruoan!"

Finally, someone recognized him, their voice cracking with excitement.

"It really is Senior Brother Zhao! We are saved!"

The ecstasy of surviving a disaster instantly submerged everyone.

After identifying the direction, Zhao Ruoan immediately led this temporarily cobbled-together team to continue evacuating toward the periphery.

Along the way, they encountered several more waves of fellow Disciples surrounded by Yao Beasts.

Every time Zhao Ruoan struck, it was overwhelmingly destructive.

Either sweeping horizontally with a sword or splitting the sword light.

Not a single Spirit Gathering Realm Yao Beast could survive a single move under his hands.

His sword was fast to the extreme and sharp to the extreme.

Gradually, the Disciples following behind him went from the initial three to ten, twenty, and finally gathered more than thirty people.

With more people, the commotion became larger.

In the midst of the beast tide, this was no different from a torch in the dark night, frantically attracting the surrounding Yao Beasts.

Zhao Ruoan also sensed that something was wrong.

The strength of the Yao Beasts they encountered was steadily climbing.

From the initial low-tier Spirit Gathering Realm to the middle-tier, and later even several ninth-layer Spirit Gathering Realm Yao Beasts appeared.

Although they were still resolved by his single sword strike, this was an extremely dangerous signal.

Dragging it out like this, attracting big guys from the Spirit Sea Realm or even the Spirit Pill Realm was only a matter of time.

He could mow down Spirit Gathering Realm ones like grass and touch upon Spirit Sea Realm ones, but if a Spirit Pill Realm one came, everyone would really have to lie down here neatly today.

"Everyone, restrain your Qi, follow closely behind my footsteps, and don't fall behind!"

Zhao Ruoan's voice turned cold, filled with majesty.

The more than thirty Disciples behind him had witnessed his Divine Might all the way, and had long regarded him as a deity, obeying his every word.

The speed of the entire team increased once again.

However, just as they were about to rush out of this dense forest and see the relatively gentle slopes on the periphery...

"Roar—!!"

A terrifying roar came from the depths of the mountain range.

This roar was completely different from the screeches of all previous Yao Beasts.

The coercion contained within it, like a substantial mountain, heavily pressed down on everyone's heart.

Thump! Thump!

Over half of the Disciples in the team were shaken by this coercion on the spot, their blood and Qi surging, their legs turning soft, and they collapsed directly to the ground.

The remaining Disciples also had pale faces and shaky bodies.

"It... It's a Spirit Sea Realm Yao King!"

A relatively knowledgeable Disciple used all his strength to say these words, his voice filled with endless fear.

It was over.

In everyone's heart, only this single thought remained.

The newly-risen hope was crushed into complete smithereens at this moment.

"Senior Brother Zhao... You should hurry and leave!"

Senior Sister Liu, who was rescued first, struggled to stand up, her face full of determination.

"With so many of us, the target is too big and will only drag you down. With your strength, breaking through alone is definitely not a problem!"

"Right! Senior Brother Zhao, don't worry about us!"

"You are the Sect's hope and cannot perish here! We will cover your rear!"

For a moment, all the Disciples chimed in to persuade him.

From the bottom of their hearts, they did not wish for such a peerless Prodigy like Zhao Ruoan to be buried in the beast tide because of a group of burdens like them.

Zhao Ruoan turned around and glanced at the crowd.

He shook his head, his tone calm.

"Stand up, all of you."

"Merely a Spirit Sea Realm, it hasn't reached the point where you need to seek your own death."

"I said I would take you out, and I will definitely take you out."

More than thirty Disciples were stunned.

Merely a Spirit Sea Realm?

Senior Brother, do you call this mere?

That is a terrifying existence capable of opening up a Spirit Sea and turning spiritual power into liquid!

But looking at Zhao Ruoan's calm face, their hearts that had fallen into an ice cellar somehow ignited a faint flame once again.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Heavy footsteps came from far to near, and every step down made the earth vibrate violently.

A giant ape, three zhang high, covered all over with pitch-black scales and bearing a ferocious single horn on its head, parted layers of rain curtain and appeared before everyone.

Evil-Horned Mad Ape!

Among Spirit Sea Realm Yao Beasts, it was a top-tier race known for its strength and berserk nature!

Its pair of blood-red giant pupils stared fixedly at Zhao Ruoan at the very front of the crowd, and the tyrannical aura emanating from its body made the surrounding rainwater seem to freeze.

Zhao Ruoan also truly felt a fatal threat.

This fellow was much stronger than he had imagined.

"Roar!"

The Evil-Horned Mad Ape did not give anyone time to react. It opened its bloody mouth and let out another wild roar.

This time, it was no longer pure coercion, but a sonic wave attack mixed with demonic power.

Hum—

The air vibrated violently, and a visible ripple spread outward.

The Disciples behind him were struck as if by lightning one by one, clutching their ears and falling to the ground in agony, blood seeping from their seven orifices.

Zhao Ruoan bore the brunt of it, but his figure only swayed slightly.

He could no longer wait.

Driving Tianxing Step to the extreme, his figure left a blur in place, and he actively rushed up to meet that giant ape.

"Hum—!"

The long sword drew two brilliant trajectories in the rainstorm, and the spiritual power within his body poured into it frantically.

Fifth-Order Sword Intent erupted without reservation!

Two huge sword beams over ten zhang long, left and right, intersected and slashed toward the Evil-Horned Mad Ape's head.

Facing this attack strong enough to cut through mountains, the Evil-Horned Mad Ape not only did not dodge, but instead let out an even more excited roar.

Its fists, larger than millstones, wrapped in ink-thick Demonic Qi, fiercely blasted out against the two sword beams!

Rumble!!!

The sword beams and the demonic fists collided violently in mid-air.

A deafening loud noise instantly drowned out all sounds.

The terrifying energy aftermath turned into a ring-shaped shockwave, sweeping away in all directions.

Wherever it passed, whether it was thick trees requiring armfuls to embrace or hard rocks, they were all blown away and torn to pieces!

Those Disciples who had fallen to the ground were also blown about haphazardly by this fierce wind, rolling far away.

When they raised their heads in a disheveled state and looked toward the center of the battlefield...

Everyone saw a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

That Senior Brother who was still in the Spirit Gathering Realm in their eyes was now using a single person and a single sword to head-on shake a top-tier Spirit Sea Realm Yao King without falling behind.