Consolidating Forces

In the latter half of the night, by the time Yang Linghu and Pan Yin arrived, only a scene of utter devastation remained.

They had intended to come and persuade this person one last time, but they were ultimately a step too late.

Judging by the residual Qi of techniques lingering in the settlement, a fierce conflict must have erupted here earlier.

Unfortunately, it had ended with the complete annihilation of the cultivators. Not a single soul survived.

Severed limbs and broken bodies lay strewn across the ground. Not a single cultivator had been left intact.

The leading disciple of the Carefree Sect suffered the most gruesome death.

Only the upper half of his torso remained, his body ending abruptly at the chest. The rest of him was completely gone.

His face was frozen in an expression of absolute terror and despair.

Given the ragged bite marks at his waist, he had likely been brutally devoured alive by the monster while his life force still flickered and his mind was still clear.

Pan Yin, who had accompanied Yang Linghu, furrowed her brows at the tragic sight. A grave expression settled over her features.

She had exchanged blows with this Carefree Sect disciple before, fighting him to a draw. An ordinary Fourth Layer cultivator would never have been his match.

His miserable death and the utter destruction of this settlement could only mean one thing: the monster's cultivation had reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Gathering.

Judging from the traces left behind, the monster had departed some time ago after obliterating the camp.

Its tracks pointed directly toward another clan settlement.

It would not be long before that place suffered the exact same apocalyptic fate.

Thinking of this, her gaze toward Yang Linghu softened with renewed gratitude.

If he had not stepped forward to unite the scattered cultivators, the Pan Family would have undoubtedly met the same destructive end.

Moreover, his foresight had been impeccable. As soon as Jin Qiang's settlement was attacked by the clone monster, Yang Linghu immediately began consolidating and relocating the three major settlements.

That effort was now in its final stages. Over three hundred cultivators from the three camps had already gathered at the exit of the Black Snake Hidden Cache.

As long as they waited three more days for the Black Snake Hidden Cache to open, everyone could flee this place at once.

For a Rogue Cultivator to possess such vision and courage was truly rare.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, once we leave the Black Snake Hidden Cache, do you have any intention of staying in Qiulu to establish yourself?"

On their journey back, Pan Yin felt the stirrings of recruitment and extended an invitation to Yang Linghu.

"The Boundless Desert is vast and resources are scarce. Cultivating the Dao alone is an arduous path. If Fellow Daoist is willing, you can join my Pan Family. I guarantee we will provide support for your cultivation."

"I thank Fellow Daoist Pan for the kind intentions, but I am naturally averse to restraint. Besides, the crisis is far from over. Let us discuss such matters after we have safely left this place."

Yang Linghu's words served as a polite refusal.

His true motivation for stepping forward to unite the cultivators and persuade the three settlements was actually quite simple: to ensure the safety of Zhao Qi and Liang Yi.

He had volunteered to lead this group, so it was his absolute responsibility to bring them back to Song Mountain unharmed.

Everything he did was merely to preserve the living strength of the cultivators trapped within the Black Snake Hidden Cache.

First, it would deny the monster nourishment and delay its advancement.

Second, even if it managed to break through to the Sixth Layer of Qi Gathering, the remaining cultivators could use their sheer numbers to suppress it.

This would give more people a chance to escape, rather than simply becoming fuel for its cultivation.

He still held two Mountain-Splitting Talismans in reserve. As long as the monster had not reached the late stage of Qi Gathering, he possessed the means to strike it down.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang is right. We must prioritize the matter at hand!" Pan Yin replied, her expression turning serious.

Half a day later, the two returned to the entrance of the Black Snake Hidden Cache.

By now, the cultivators had been divided into different formations based on the techniques they practiced. This ensured they wouldn't accidentally injure one another while maximizing the destructive power of their combined arts.

The following two days were entirely peaceful. No unusual movements disturbed the forest.

But Yang Linghu knew the truth: the monster had merely hidden itself away to break through to the next realm.

Sure enough, on the seventeenth day after the secret realm opened, during the second watch of the night, a terrifying roar echoed from the deep woods, making everyone's blood run cold.

Immediately after, the ground began to tremble.

Over a dozen Bright-Lamp Talismans were thrown into the air, their light revealing countless red glimmers flickering within the dense jungle.

Those were not the glow of spiritual treasures, but the crimson eyes of the clone snake-men!

"The Third Layer of Qi Gathering! All of them!"

Upon sensing the cultivation base of the incoming clones, panic rippled through the crowd. Many were only at the First or Second Layer; facing such powerful enemies, fear was inevitable.

If the mere clones were already at the Third Layer, just how terrifying was the main body now?

Just as dread threatened to break their ranks, a figure leaped out from the crowd of cultivators. He charged headlong into the forest, violently tearing a path through the enemy lines three times over.

When Yang Linghu returned, he was gripping the severed heads of three clone snake-men.

"Fellow Daoists! We stand at the precipice of life and death! We must not fall into disarray!"

As he spoke, he threw the heads to the ground and mercilessly crushed one under his boot. "These snake monsters look intimidating, but they are nothing more than mindless beasts! I, Zhang, may not be talented, but today I will stake my life against them to forge a path to survival! Are you willing to stand with me?!"

"We are!"

"If we cower, we die! If we run, we die! We might as well fight to the bitter end!"

"Well said! Let's slaughter these stinking worms!"

Yang Linghu's rousing words ignited their morale, and right at that moment, the tide of clone snake-men launched their assault.

Leading by example, Yang Linghu charged at the very front of the formation. Pan Yin, Jin Qiang, and the others followed closely behind.

The monster's main body was still excessively cautious. Even though it had broken through to the Sixth Layer of Qi Gathering, it continued to send its clones forward to test their defenses.

Yang Linghu kept several Talismans concealed in his sleeves, his spiritual sense maintaining absolute vigilance.

In the darkest depths of the forest, Dou Hong concealed his aura, lying flat against the earth as he waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.

He had once been a cultivator himself, so he knew that disciples from major Sects always possessed life-saving trump cards.

The deep, gaping wound on his shoulder was proof of that. Two days prior, during his assault on the second settlement, a cultivator had struck him with a secret technique.

It was a dark flame art. A searing, fiery pain still radiated from the gash, and the burnt flesh was proving excruciatingly difficult to heal.

That exchange had been dangerously close. If he had not reacted quickly and the flame had struck his head instead, his life would have been genuinely forfeit.

"I'll use the clones to grind away their Spiritual Qi and exhaust their hidden methods. Then, the moment the exit is about to open and their guard finally wavers, I will strike and feast upon them!"

His clones crashed against the cultivators' formation from all directions. The grueling defensive battle raged on for an entire day and night.

When the morning of the third day finally dawned.

The surviving cultivators suddenly sensed violent fluctuations of Spiritual Qi not far behind them.

"The exit is opening!"

"Thank the heavens! The number of snake monsters has dwindled. We're going to survive!"

Yet, just as the fragile light of hope bloomed in their hearts, a massive, horrifying figure burst from the treeline.

Its speed was imperceptible. Blurring into a mere afterimage, it zeroed in on its primary target: Yang Linghu.

A brutal sweep of its tail tore through the air. Accompanied by a mist of blood, Yang Linghu was sent flying backward like a broken kite, crashing deep into the woods.

Immediately after, Dou Hong unhinged his monstrous jaws and unleashed a piercing, ear-shattering shriek.

"Haa-!"

The sonic attack instantly ruptured the cultivators' focus, causing their Seas of Consciousness to violently tremble.

Seizing this moment of incapacitation, the beast twisted its colossal body and commenced an utter massacre.

The absolute power of the Sixth Layer realm was nothing short of Dimensional Suppression within the Black Snake Hidden Cache. The cultivators trapped here possessed no strength to resist; they were effortlessly crushed and ground to dust.

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