Chapter 163 — Fierce Battle

Xiao Yichen's brows drew together. Instinct told him that something was very wrong with Lu Xueling's mood. He was just about to go and ask when, suddenly, from the ranks of the beast-demons ahead, another roar went up. Moments later, with thunderous, pounding feet, the black torrent came charging once more, relentless as mountains and seas. And this time, mingled among the ferocious beast-demons were several colossal beasts of enormous bulk, baring fangs and brandishing claws as they charged toward the righteous path.

In an instant, the righteous cultivators rose to their feet one and all. Brilliant treasures soared into the sky, once again forming the vast wall of light.

Xiao Yichen was at once drawn to it. His earlier misgivings about Lu Xueling were clean forgotten. At this moment, in everyone's eyes there was only that black torrent, rushing from far to near with a roaring howl, bearing the breath of death as it came surging on.

It was like a thunderclap in a place of silence, rending heaven and earth. This time the thunderous roar burst forth as the black torrent crashed against the dike of light. The pressure of death seemed in an instant to grow heavier by several degrees. Shattered bones and flesh fell once more like fine rain, and torn bodies were flung high into the air, impaled upon sharp, piercing claws.

The colossal beasts that had joined the fray far surpassed the ordinary beast-demons in fighting power. The treasures of ordinary righteous cultivators struck them and had no effect at all. And when these monsters' claws swept past, in an instant there was a sea of blood and a wind of gore. In the blink of an eye, the righteous cultivators, caught off guard, had several breaches forced open by these seven or eight colossal beasts at the fore. The whole curtain of light tottered on the verge of collapse, straining desperately.

High above, the faces of Yun Yifeng, Master Pu Cheng, and the others all changed. Yun Yifeng frowned and looked toward Dao Yan Zhenren, only to see that Dao Yan Zhenren wore a solemn expression, gazing down at the battle below. Screams drifted up one after another, and the corner of his eye seemed to twitch faintly—yet somehow, on his placid face there was in the end no expression at all, not a word, not a sign.

Yun Yifeng withdrew his gaze, was silent for a moment, and looked down the mountain once more.

The fighting grew fiercer still. The righteous disciples above the Cloud Sea all knew that the critical moment had come. Every one of them fought with all their might, staking their lives on the struggle—and most, by now, were screaming hoarsely, hysterically, in voices scarcely different from those of the beast-demons. Perhaps, even for cultivators, when faced with the brink of life and death, there was not so great a difference from these beast-demons after all?