"Such lowly ferocious beasts, yet they dare claim to have the level of a Super Divine Beast," Di Xiao sneered. Suddenly, he stood up. "I want to see for myself what exactly is happening here."
Di Xiao simultaneously transmitted a message to Lin Xiao: "Once I get out, I should be able to gain her trust further. Then we can carry out the next step."
Lin Xiao nodded without a change in expression.
The King of Spirit Beasts truly lives up to its title. Its cunning is unfathomable. However, he was beginning to feel a headache brewing.
Yun Jin's ability to rally people was far too strong. She had already gathered quite a few followers. Yet, in terms of numbers, they were still far outnumbered by the ferocious beasts. Those who left the city still faced extreme risk.
Lin Xiao's gaze flickered slightly. In truth, this worked to his advantage. If these people suffered heavy casualties outside the city, the blame would fall on Yun Jin for stirring up the crowd and making poor decisions.
A small maneuver could easily ruin her reputation among mid- and lower-tier cultivators.
"Thank you for your assistance, Senior Di," Yun Jin said.
Di Xiao nodded. "A trivial matter."
A ripple of unease passed through the crowd. These cultivators were unsure how to feel.
Di Xiao was a spirit beast, not human. Even he had stepped forward, and they…
Suddenly, many of them resolved their doubts.
"Time is almost up," Yun Jin heard the reminder from Zi Mo Xiāndì in her mind.
She nodded. "The cage is about to open. I will go first."
She selected a teleportation array and stepped into it. This time outside the city, Yun Jin did not team up with anyone. Acting alone was far more efficient for a rescue. A flash of white light, and in the next instant, she had arrived outside the city. She landed in a dense forest.
Faintly, she could hear the roars of beasts echoing in the distance.
"System," Yun Jin commanded. "Create a map covering a thousand miles. Mark the cultivators' positions with red dots."
Immediately, a dense cluster of red dots appeared on the map. Even within this forest, there were several cultivators hunting. Yun Jin was about to make her move when suddenly…
The originally clear sky turned dark. Black clouds instantly filled the heavens. A terrifying pressure radiated from the depths of Sky City, spreading outward in all directions.
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes.
The cage!
It had opened.
"Howl!"
At that moment, a deafening roar rang out. Even from a distance, the sheer energy within that roar made hearts tremble.
A cultivator paused mid-hunt, visibly uneasy. "What is that? What's that sound?"
"It seems pretty far from us," another companion replied.
"No need to worry too much. Even if there is danger, it's probably in other areas. This is a safe zone," a third added.
With their experience outside the city, that seemed reasonable.
They nodded and continued.
"Still, I feel uneasy. We've done well today. Perhaps we should head back first?"
"Fine."
"Yeah, I feel a little unsettled too."
They quickly agreed to use their teleportation talismans and return.
However, when they tried, they froze.
"This… something's wrong? The teleportation talismans aren't responding."
"We… we can't go back?"
"Impossible!"
"I spent a fortune on these talismans."
"Try again!"
Panic truly set in this time.
From the depths of Sky City, a strange voice echoed.
"Go, hunt to your heart's content. Before, they hunted you. Now, it is your turn to hunt them. This world is fair, after all."
A strange, mischievous laugh rang from the city.
On a vast plain, a colossal cage stood.
Its gates were wide open, and countless ferocious beasts swarmed outward.
In the midst of a maniacal laugh, a light shone beneath the beasts' feet, and they vanished into thin air.
"This isn't right."
"This is completely wrong."
"Did anyone else notice the beast roars in the forest have suddenly multiplied?"
One voice trembled.
"I… I noticed it too."
"I feel like something is approaching us."
"What is it!"
"Don't panic. Prepare your treasures. Be ready to fight!"
The seven cultivators were close friends. They had entered outside the city for resources before, and today's harvest had been excellent. They teamed up once again.
This was their third expedition. The previous two times had yielded rich rewards, and this time was no different. They should have left by now. But just a few moments too late, dozens of ferocious beasts with glimmering dark green eyes emerged from all directions.
These beasts were far stranger than ordinary ferocious beasts.
Some had claws growing atop their heads.
Some could spit their own tails from their mouths.
The combinations were bizarre and chilling.
Most frightening of all was the aura radiating from these beasts. Even a brief sensing caused involuntary tremors in the heart. This aura was far stronger than ordinary ferocious beasts. Green eyes glared from every direction, dozens in total.
The seven were surrounded, their skin crawling with fear.
"Strike first! Clear a bloody path!" one shouted decisively.
The others drew their treasures and weapons. The moment they attacked, the beasts counterattacked.
"Die!" one yelled, swinging his sword at a beast's head.
Yet the beast remained unscathed. It shook its head and suddenly bit down on the flying sword.
In the next moment…
Crack!
It swallowed the entire sword whole. It licked its lips, looking insatiable.
The cultivator froze in shock. That was his life sword! Gone just like that? Pain surged through his heart, and he spat a mouthful of blood.
The beast opened its jaws wide again.
The cultivator felt despair. His life treasure destroyed, his body grievously injured. He came to hunt, but now he was being hunted.
As he closed his eyes to accept his fate, the expected pain never came.
The terrifying beast roars faded almost instantly.
Confused, he opened his eyes.
In front of him stood a white-haired woman.
The ferocious beasts lay dead on the ground.
That iconic white hair…
"Sect Master Yun…" several murmured.
Yun Jin glanced at them calmly. "The ferocious beast surge has begun. Outside the city will become their hunting ground. Many cultivators are forming teams to rescue others. I will continue saving others. Clear the corpses here and follow the trail I leave. We will meet in the center of the forest."
She spoke briefly, then vanished ahead.
The seven stared at the piles of beast corpses, stunned.