Chapter 33: The Top Experts of the Three Sects Observing
The other three also turned and fled upon hearing this!
At this moment, no one cared for one another; survival came first!
Sofia, somewhat panicked, raised her hand to summon a lotus platform, intending to fly away.
Only cultivators at the ninth tier or above in the 'Immortal Path' could fly freely; others had to rely on flying treasures.
Leo happened to sprint near her, glanced at her, and yanked her down!
"What are you doing?!" Sofia cried, startled, frowning in reprimand.
"Look above you!" Leo ignored her and left this remark while continuing to flee.
Sofia looked up and realized many others were trying to escape using flying treasures.
Countless cultivators dashed into the sky atop flying swords, gourds, and more, frantically fleeing from the terrifying 'Beast Tide'.
However, among the beasts were not only terrestrial creatures but also birds overhead!
Moreover, these flying creatures were the vanguard of the 'Beast Tide'!
Indeed, the cultivators who just took to the skies didn't get enough speed before they sensed a murderous aura coming at them. They turned back only to see countless massive birds and snakes flying toward them, mouths dripping with blood, claws bared to attack!
The air was filled with screams as the sky seemed to rain blood, with severed limbs and appendages falling sporadically!
Sofia was shocked, retracting her lotus throne as she looked at Leo.
By this time, Leo had already led Reina to run dozens of meters away, leaving everyone far behind.
Sofia quickly stretched her long legs to catch up.
This Leo was something special; if she continued following him, maybe they'd have a glimmer of hope!
"Hahaha, you ants brought this upon yourselves!"
Mo Xiang's domineering and deranged laughter echoed from above.
From the delight in his voice, Leo could deduce that many cultivators were already dead!
"Those old dogs from the three families, let's see who dares save them; who dares make a move, and it will be war against my Lan Yuan Kingdom!"
Mo Xiang bellowed, venting his rage.
This was his way of hitting back after the three families' top experts claimed to have no authority over these cultivators; by unleashing the 'Beast Tide,' they also had no authority to interfere!
Who would have thought this old demon king had such a trick up his sleeve! He had summoned so many beasts!
Beasts differ from the demon clan and fall more under the category of wild animals: low intelligence and lower bloodlines.
(However, even if Mo Xiang had called upon his demon king bloodline, commanding so many beasts is not easy! A 'Beast Tide' of such scale could obliterate even a small nation!)
Another possibility was the Baize embryo!
He likely used Baize's bloodline to command the beasts within a thousand miles!
Above the mountain's edge, three transcendent-looking old men stood suspended in mid-air.
"Who would have thought Mo Xiang had this hidden card!" The skeletal old man in the center exuded a murderous aura.
He was an elder from the Justice Alliance! Xu Di.
Beside him stood two others: a luxuriously dressed Confucianist in a blue robe and an old man in coarse white pajamas, hailing from Confucianism and the Hidden Valley, respectively. Neither of them cared how many cultivators would die beneath the 'Beast Tide.'
The elder from the Hidden Valley scrutinized the Confucian master meanwhile contemplating the events surrounding the scholar Zhong Haoran, who had recently infiltrated the Hidden Valley...
After all, wherever there are disciples of Confucianism, significant events usually follow, and he was curious about the reasons behind their involvement in seizing this rare opportunity of the auspicious beast's manifestation.
"Bai Fang, Xu, I can understand your moral outrage; the majority of what lies below are human cultivators."
"But why are you so anxious? You seem too impatient!"
The elder of the Hidden Valley spoke with a mischievous tone not only in his unusual clothing style but in his overall teasing manner.
The elder of Confucianism, Bai Fang, was taken aback, retorting, "Naturally, I am also distressed for my human cultivators; unlike you, Shi Wuleng, who is so cold-hearted!"
Shi Wuleng expressed disdain but refrained from further commentary.
Xu Di, the elder at the center of the Justice Alliance, remained silent, thinking about how those two old adversaries were at it again.
Not that he knew of the plan to send Zhong Haoran from Confucianism; he simply thought it was another bout of sparring between those two old enemies.
Bai Fang continued to look towards the forest, and from this angle, he saw the vanguard of the 'Beast Tide' kicking up massive dust that stretched hundreds of miles, sweeping across the forest outside Wuzhifeng.
Wherever the 'Beast Tide' raged, trees fell; cultivators managed to mount a counterattack, yet they rapidly fizzled away!
Furthermore, countless ferocious beasts circled above, heading even further out to pounce on isolated cultivators!
While beasts may not be particularly strong on average, their fearlessness and teamwork made them formidable!
Bai Fang's heart sank; if things went poorly, not only would he be unable to retrieve Baize's essence blood to heal Ying Yan, but he might lose Zhong Haoran as well!
And the worst part was that he couldn't step in to save him!
Zhong Haoran, you must survive… or how am I supposed to explain this to your master!
He extended his powerful consciousness, anxiously searching the entire forest for Zhong Haoran's location...
Reina wasn't fast enough, so Leo simply picked her up and raced through the forest.
His spiritual sword activated behind him, ready to strike down any approaching beasts!
As Leo ran further, the chasing beasts began to dwindle.
The cultivators spread out in a fan shape to flee, causing the 'Beast Tide' to scatter further.
Leo slowed his pace until he finally stopped.
Reina curled up in his arms, pulling at his clothing with her eyes tightly closed, clearly nervous.
Feeling Leo slow, she opened her eyes.
"It's okay now, Reina, you can get down."
However, as soon as Leo set Reina down, he sensed something approaching from behind!
The spiritual sword surged forward with a flash of sword intent, clearing the grass around them in a sweep!
"It's me! Sofia!" A panicked voice called out from behind a tree, and Leo promptly controlled his spiritual sword.
Sofia slowly stepped out from behind the tree, looking somewhat rattled.
The fierce attack she had just faced was terrifying, even for a Golden Core cultivator!
And his reaction was too quick; after such a long trek, how could he still maintain such control over the sword?
If she had been just a second slower, he might have severely injured her with that sword!
"It's you?" Leo replied in confusion, looking at Sofia, then his gaze turned strange.
At this moment, Sofia had completely lost the aloof demeanor she had when they first met, now looking utterly disheveled!
Her elegant hero attire was torn and tattered, with rips made by branches and claw marks from beast attacks, leaving bloodied wounds.
Her once graceful skirt was now shredded, exposing her toned thighs clad in riding pants, and her top bore multiple tears, revealing patches of white skin.
Even her front clasp had come undone while running; two pale "half-spheres" heaved with her breath.
It was clear she wasn't doing well physically; she was red-faced and panting heavily after struggling to keep up with Leo.
The thin veil that concealed her face fluttered in the wind, vaguely revealing her stunning features.
Feeling Leo's gaze, Sofia hastily tugged her clothing to cover her chest tightly: "What are you looking at, you pervert!"
This Leo, despite speaking grandly about principles, was still a lecher!
Her face flushed, and she recalled the scenes from the reflective ball she had seen.
As for why she bought that reflective ball, who knew…
Leo hesitated, grabbing Reina's hand and turning to leave.
Now she would surely be out of view.
But as soon as he turned around, he heard a ripping sound behind him.
It sounded like fabric tearing. Sofia had pulled her already worn-out clothes so tightly that they had been ripped apart!
Leo instinctively turned his head, only to hear a shrill scream behind him: "Don't turn around!"
"Reina, this sister didn't say anything about you; you can turn back…" Leo said to the equally startled Reina.
Reina turned to see:
"Sister, what happened to your top?"
"Reina, can you lend your clothes to this sister?"
Leo pulled out a set of spare clothes from his storage ring, standing still, feeling quite anxious.