He was finally out—
Jiang Lu looked at the elderly man standing before her. He wore a black robe with gold embroidery on the cuffs and collar, and held a golden staff tightly in his hand.
His white hair fluttered under the influence of his magic power, yet his face was devoid of any elderly wrinkles.
A spell cultivator!
One of the strongest Daoist cultivators in the cultivation world.
Among the hundred arts of cultivation, they reigned supreme.
Powerful spell cultivators did not need to rely on external items; they could use any medium in their surroundings to launch attacks.
However, the prerequisite for entry was having powerful mental strength and magic power, which placed high demands on one's spiritual root.
She had never expected to meet a spell cultivator under such circumstances.
The staff in his hand constantly emitted waves of white light, which sustained the protective barrier around them.
Upon seeing him, Fu Yao walked over excitedly, her tone filled with respect.
Elder An had finally appeared, but why had he set up a barrier? Was there something wrong with this magical beast?
“Elder An.”
Elder An nodded, then looked at the violent magical beast outside the barrier, his tone sinking slightly.
“This magical beast's strength is close to Tier Six. I am no match for it alone. Take care of the disciples and have them recover their strength immediately while we wait for the other elders to arrive.”
Hearing this, Fu Yao's expression grew tense.
Elder An was a cultivator in the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm, yet he said he was no match. Just how terrifying was this magical beast's strength?
She immediately turned around to arrange for the injured disciples to take elixirs and recover.
“Junior Brother Ren, how did you find it?”
She then stood before a youth and asked.
This was Ren Haotian, the third direct disciple of the Shangyang Sect.
Ren Haotian sat cross-legged, slowly lowering his hands as he exhaled. Feeling his spiritual energy constantly recovering, a sense of relief flashed in his eyes.
Seeing Fu Yao approach to question him, he immediately stood up, bowed, and replied, “Senior Sister Fu, it happened like this.”
“When we entered from the dense forest, it was supposed to be a normal trial. The demon beasts we encountered at first were fairly standard. But later on, we noticed new spiritual plants appearing at regular intervals, so we went to harvest them. However, as we walked, we ended up losing our way.”
“Then we arrived here and found that the aura in the area was vastly different from before, and everything was incredibly quiet. I had a faint, ominous premonition.”
“After that, we accidentally stumbled into the magical beast's cave. It was cultivating inside at the time, and we disturbed it, which is why it's been chasing us.”
After saying this, Ren Haotian felt utterly helpless. They were simply too unlucky. Besides, the team he led was only here to make up the numbers. Who could have expected them to find it faster than the disciples who actually had the mission?
Hearing this, everyone was left somewhat speechless. Was this what they called an accidental success?
“Master, you have to be careful!”
Chi Li's voice sounded a bit guilty. It strongly suspected that the magical beast had looked at its master earlier because the aura of the spiritual orb on it and that smelly dragon hadn't been completely concealed yet.
Sensing the unnatural tone in Chi Li's voice, Jiang Lu's gaze toward the magical beast deepened.
Could it be that her two spirit beasts had taken this magical beast's spiritual orb?
This... was truly a twisted twist of fate.
At this thought, Jiang Lu immediately gripped her spiritual sword, staring unblinkingly at the violent magical beast outside the barrier.
Her divine sense frantically searched her space for anything she could use to fight it. Her strength was low, so she could only look for other methods.
The sky gradually darkened. The magical beast's hideous, massive paws slammed violently against the glowing white barrier like a torrential downpour.
Every single blow carried a deafening rumble, instantly denting large sections of the thick energy wall. Fine cracks spread rapidly from the points of impact, and the entire barrier shuddered violently, its flowing light flickering as if it would shatter into pieces the next second.
Elder An stood at the very front of the barrier, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his staff. His back teeth ground together with a creaking sound, and hot sweat rolled down his temples, soaking his greyish-white beard.
His spiritual energy was constantly being overdrawn, his chest heaving rapidly. His gaze was locked tightly on the cracking barrier, anxiety churning in his heart.
The surrounding disciples held their breath, none of them daring to make a sound. Everyone gripped their weapons, their backs taut like drawn bowstrings as their gazes converged on the magical beast and Elder An.
Everyone anxiously hoped in their hearts that the other elders would rush to their aid as soon as possible. The barrier wouldn't hold for long. Once it broke, every cultivator present would become food for this magical beast.
Moreover, even if they joined forces with the elder to defeat this magical beast, it would only be a Pyrrhic victory.
In the shadows...
There were quite a few demon beasts watching them greedily.
“If only we had an array master, then Elder An wouldn't have to struggle to hold on all by himself,” a disciple suddenly said.
“Why is that?” Jiang Lu asked, looking at him in confusion.
“Fellow Daoist, you probably don't know, but arrays can trap enemies and also save ourselves. In a situation like this, if we set up a defensive array, we could easily wait for reinforcements while inside it without lifting a finger,” the disciple explained.
Jiang Lu looked surprised. It could actually work like that!
Then, on second thought, it did make sense. It all depended on how the array was used.
It was as if a door to a whole new world had opened for Jiang Lu. If that was the case, then not only arrays could be used this way; perhaps she could experiment with the other hundred arts as well.
Suddenly—
A cracking sound echoed from the barrier. Hearing it, Jiang Lu looked up along with everyone else.
The magical beast's previous blow had used all its strength, smashing a crack right through the entire barrier!
She immediately looked at Elder An, only to see that his aura was weak and unstable, seemingly having reached his limit.
Jiang Lu secretly cried out in dismay.
The magical beast was currently on the verge of explosive rage. If the barrier couldn't hold and Elder An ran out of magic power, they would be in grave danger.
Of course, whatever one feared most was bound to happen.
The magical beast struck again, and with a violent shudder, the barrier shattered completely.
Everyone immediately retreated in panic.
Elder An spat out a mouthful of blood. He swung his staff to unleash a blast of magic power at the magical beast, then staggered back several paces.
Fu Yao immediately rushed forward to support him, her eyes filled with worry.
“Elder An!”
“Don't worry about me, set up the formation quickly!” Elder An barked, pushing Fu Yao's hand away.
Fu Yao nodded in response. Then, holding her sharp blades, she pointed them at the magical beast.
“Disciples, form the formation!”
With that, everyone immediately scattered. Jiang Lu watched them and quickly retreated to the side.
Looking at the busy crowd, her left eyelid twitched wildly. What should she do? She had a terrible premonition.
Then, her gaze collided with the magical beast's.
Jiang Lu: ...
Magical beast: !!!
The instant their eyes met, the magical beast bared its teeth and pounced straight toward Jiang Lu.
She had the aura of its spiritual orb on her!
It was this human who had ruined its plans!
How detestable!
Jiang Lu immediately turned and bolted!
She was doomed!
This wave was coming right for her!
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