Chapter 53 Encirclement and Suppression of the Fallen Demon

Yun Bai moved like a phantom, weaving between the bone spikes, every dodge precise to the millimeter.

Yun Bai knew his cultivation was insufficient; as a Middle Stage First Realm Cultivator, he had to avoid the brunt of its attacks and try his best not to clash head-on with the creature.

Captain Zeng Fu chose a completely different style. He roared, his long blade igniting with crimson flames like a burning shield. Every slash carried the force of a thousand jun, parrying the incoming bone spikes head-on. The sound of metal clashing was deafening!

Among the Xinyue Hall teams, Captain Zeng Fu had a widely known nickname: "Bald Leopard." It referred to how swift and agile Captain Zeng Fu was when wielding his great blade, much like a leopard.

The two worked in perfect coordination, step by step leading the Demon Monster toward the predetermined position.

"Prepare Spirit Power!" Captain Zeng Fu's Divine Sense echoed through the entire team.

After completing a round of Spirit Power suppression, Li Ying and Fu Lianchuan moved like agile mountain goats, rapidly traversing the jagged rocks and the edges of the slippery swamp. Their movements in reloading the Spirit Gun projectiles were so fast they left only afterimages.

They had to race against time to reach the preset firing points on the flanks.

"Preparation complete!" Li Ying replied. By this time, she and Fu Lianchuan had reached the Demon Monster's flanks.

"Three... two... one..." Captain Zeng Fu began the countdown.

As soon as Yun Bai heard the captain's countdown, he immediately coordinated with him and retreated.

Upon seeing the two detestable Cultivators besieging it retreating, the Demon Monster assumed they had given up on hunting it. But how could it let them off so easily?

Roar!

It gathered all its strength and chased after Captain Zeng Fu, who had the highest cultivation.

Seeing that Yun Bai was far enough away, Captain Zeng Fu made a decisive call and shouted, "Fire!"

The second round of Spirit Power suppression arrived.

Within a mere minute, the two Jin-style Spirit Guns wielded by Fu Lianchuan and Li Ying poured over two thousand projectiles onto the Demon Monster!

The projectiles, carrying terrifying kinetic energy converted from Spirit Power, struck the Demon Monster's massive body like countless angry wasps!

It knocked the Demon Monster off balance, giving Yun Bai and Captain Zeng Fu a chance to catch their breath.

Surprisingly, the Jin-style Spirit Guns were completely unable to penetrate the Demon Monster's hard outer shell!

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft—!

The dense sound of impacts was like a beating drum! Countless blinding sparks erupted instantly upon the Demon Monster's black exoskeleton, which was harder than refined steel! Some projectiles struck the thick bone armor head-on, leaving shallow pits before embedding themselves deep within; more were deflected by the hard, curved surfaces, emitting shrill screeches as they scattered everywhere like ricocheting bullets!

Rocks struck by ricochets exploded with a boom, sending rubble raining down. Thick tree trunks were snapped in half, sending wood chips flying. The swamp suffered the worst; as the projectiles drilled into the viscous mud and water, they kicked up filthy sprays over a person's height, ruthlessly popping countless bubbles of decay filled with toxic miasma.

Hiss, hiss, hiss—!

The lethal, foul-smelling miasma mixed with the Demon Monster's own poisonous mist, causing the concentration to soar instantly. Visibility blurred in an instant, and the thick, ink-green toxic fog rolled in, swallowing the figures of Captain Zeng Fu and Yun Bai.

Although the faint barrier formed by the barrier talisman barely blocked most of the toxic miasma, that nauseating stench—like rotting entrails mixed with sulfur—still penetrated every nook and cranny, drilling into their nasal cavities!

"Cough, cough, cough... ugh... Fu Lianchuan! Li Ying! Aim better, for heaven's sake!" Captain Zeng Fu choked, coughing violently, his eyes stinging and watering as he couldn't help but roar.

This environment was simply adding insult to injury.

The Demon Monster moved extremely fast during the skirmish, and many of its joints were very flexible, allowing it to frequently perform unexpected movements.

This made it almost impossible for those at a distance to aim at the Demon Monster's weak points.

Unless they could bind the Demon Monster—and that was exactly their plan! The most critical part was for Du San to set up the Mo Sect's secret "Moshou Luogu Formation," while the others were responsible for luring the Demon Monster into the center of the Formation.

Although the Spirit Guns could not inflict substantial damage on the Demon Monster, the impact force forced it to retreat repeatedly, inching it closer to the location of their preset "trap."

Taking advantage of the moment the Demon Monster was parrying the Spirit Gun projectiles, Yun Bai and Captain Zeng Fu hurriedly took out new barrier talismans and applied them—it was simply too stinky!

For the brief moment the barrier talisman's effect had worn off, they had felt dizzy and lightheaded.

The smell soon reached Fu Lianchuan, Li Ying, and Du San.

Li Ying reminded them, "If you still feel like you're suffocating from the stench, you can take another Heart-Clearing Pill!"

Du San was also being fumigated to the point where he was about to vomit stomach acid. While busy with the complex work of setting up the Formation, he cursed, "How many years of farts has this old Demon Monster been holding in!"

The second round of Spirit Power suppression ended.

Captain Zeng Fu and Yun Bai rushed forward again to engage the Demon Monster.

The Demon Monster charged left and right, but it was merely the death throes of a trapped beast. Under the skilled coordination of the team members, the Demon Monster unknowingly approached the center of the trap!

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Twenty zhang!

Fifteen zhang!

Ten zhang!

Just when they were a few zhang away from the range of the Formation, the Demon Monster suddenly stopped its pursuit and raised its head, letting out a piercing screech. The sound was unlike any of its previous roars; it carried a certain special frequency.

"Not good! It's summoning something!" Captain Zeng Fu's expression changed drastically.

Almost simultaneously, a dense sound of flapping wings came from the sky. Dozens of Demon Birds of various shapes and sizes flew in from all directions. They were not large, but every single one possessed sharp claws and beaks dripping with venom.

Oh no! Everyone's expression changed drastically.

They had considered all possible scenarios regarding the Demon Monster, but they had never considered the threat from the sky. Hanze Ravine was surrounded by cliffs on three sides, a closed-off terrain. Although birds of prey circled high above, they rarely ventured deep into the narrow, crowded valley floor! This sudden aerial threat instantly disrupted all their deployments!

"Form a defensive Formation! Protect Old Du!" Captain Zeng Fu shouted, but it was already too late.

According to the plan, a Formation Master needed at least one melee fighter to guard them closely while setting up a Formation.

However, in order to "push" the Demon Monster into the trap, Fu Lianchuan, who was responsible for protecting Du San, had to constantly shift positions, always maintaining a straight line of "Shooter-Demon Monster-Formation Core," using the impact force of the Spirit Gun to precisely guide the Demon Monster's direction. At this moment, he was over a dozen zhang away from Du San, who was exerting his full effort at the critical node of the Formation!

The flock of Demon Birds split into three groups: one group pounced on Du San, who was setting up the Formation; one group harassed Fu Lianchuan and Li Ying; and the largest group concentrated their attacks on Captain Zeng Fu and Yun Bai.

The attacks of these Demon Birds were extremely tricky and vicious! They never clashed head-on, but instead utilized their aerial advantage, like maggots on bones, launching surprise attacks from tricky blind spots! Their targets were extremely clear—eyes! Throat! Back of the neck! Joints! Every place where armor was weak or difficult to defend!

"Get lost!" Yun Bai shouted sharply. The long sword in his hand danced into a screen of light, instantly shredding three diving Demon Birds!

But more Demon Birds seemed endless.

A silent Demon Bird, shaped like a giant bat, used the dense fog and the cover of its companions' corpses to suddenly spring out from an absolute blind spot in Yun Bai's vision—the shadow of the swamp below. Its sharp claws, glowing with a ghostly blue toxic light, slashed fiercely across the outer side of Yun Bai's thigh!

Rip!

His soft armor was torn instantly, and blood splattered.

A piercing, burning pain and a sensation of numbness immediately spread from the wound! It was poisonous!