"Damn it!"
Luo Zhiyuan cursed in frustration, shouting, "Junior brothers, run! I—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the Golden Leopard King struck out with a thunderous swipe of its paw!
Its attack was nothing like the regular leopard demons.
The massive paw pad was larger than half of Luo Zhiyuan's body!
Each of its claws was as sharp and curved as a scimitar, each one dozens of centimeters long!
The sharpness could tear through gold and stone!
The force behind it could shatter anything in its path!
Clang!
Luo Zhiyuan barely managed to block the blow with his weapon.
But.
The sheer power of the strike sent him flying like a ragdoll, hurling him into a large tree with a loud crash!
At this moment, the Golden Leopard King coldly cast its gaze on Lin Li and the others.
"Hmph…"
It let out a low, rumbling sound, like the deep groaning of a bellows, and then began walking leisurely toward the group.
At that instant!
Everyone's hearts jumped into their throats!
"Damn it! I'll fight you to the death!"
One of the Xuantian Sect outer disciples, who had reached the peak of Qi Refinement and was just one step away from acquiring a Foundation Establishment Pill to break through, let out a furious cry.
He gathered all his strength, covering his weapon in a shimmering layer of spiritual energy, and stepped forward, using a mystical footwork technique to charge at the Golden Leopard King!
But.
The Golden Leopard King didn't even glance in his direction.
It simply flicked its tail, almost lazily…
Whoosh!
The sound of the air splitting was louder than the crack of a whip!
The leopard's tail, thicker than an adult's arm, moved with such speed that it became a blur. It struck the Qi Refinement peak disciple before he could react.
Snap!
The sound was louder than fireworks exploding!
This time.
The disciple didn't fly back like Luo Zhiyuan had.
He didn't even have the strength to be knocked back.
Instead…
He exploded in mid-air, reduced to a cloud of blood mist, his body falling to the ground like a broken kite!
There was no collective gasp.
Only dead silence.
The horrifying scene etched itself deeply into everyone's minds.
No one even had the energy to express their shock.
Only despair, fear, helplessness, and a sense of overwhelming weakness…
These emotions filled everyone's hearts.
Finally.
A voice, hoarse with terror, broke the silence: "Even a senior brother at the peak of Qi Refinement couldn't withstand a casual swipe of the Golden Leopard King's tail?"
"We're doomed…"
"When will the elders from the sect arrive to save us?"
A sense of hopelessness enveloped the group.
Even Lin Li began to slowly back away, trying not to draw attention.
"There are still quite a few people here," Lin Li thought. "I can use them to keep the Golden Leopard King's attention, while Luo Zhiyuan continues to harass it. If I slip away quietly, I might have a chance. Even if I can't escape, I just need to buy some time… The sect's reinforcements should arrive soon."
With that in mind, Lin Li began to edge toward the dense forest on the left.
"At least he's not foolish enough to confront it head-on. He's showing some cleverness," Ye Fan thought with satisfaction. "If his luck holds, he might actually have a chance to escape."
At that moment.
A crazed, frenzied scream shattered the silence, sending chills down everyone's spines!
"Waaaaaahhh!"
Everyone looked toward the sound.
They saw Luo Zhiyuan, blood dripping from his forehead, his body battered and bruised, clutching his sword. His hair was disheveled, and his entire body radiated a fierce aura. His tattered clothes and hair billowed in the surge of energy around him.
"I've been fighting you for so long! You may only be at the peak of Foundation Establishment, but your combat strength rivals that of many newly advanced Core Formation cultivators. If the sect's elders don't arrive soon, I doubt you'll let me live, will you?"
The Golden Leopard King, though unable to speak, emitted a low, rumbling laugh, its eyes gleaming with intelligence.
Luo Zhiyuan took a deep breath, his eyes wild but forcing himself to calm down. "How about we strike a deal?"
"You let us go, and when the sect elders arrive, I'll ask them to spare you and let you leave Xuantian Sect's back mountain."
"You should know that our sect's elders have placed a barrier around the back mountain. External monsters can enter, but those already inside can't leave."
"You've worked hard to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment. But as long as you stay in this back mountain, you won't be able to escape."
"After all your years of cultivation, do you really want to die when the sect elders come to cleanse the mountain? Isn't that a waste?"
"Listen to me. If you let us go, you'll have a chance to leave this mountain…"
Luo Zhiyuan's words struck deep.
Many of the Xuantian Sect outer disciples thought to themselves that if they were the Golden Leopard King, they might just accept such an offer.
But.
Contrary to their expectations.
The Golden Leopard King gathered its demonic energy, forming large characters in the air before it:
"Trust a human's words? Laughable! In the end, I'll still die!"
As the characters appeared, Luo Zhiyuan's expression changed drastically. Before he could respond, the characters exploded into a cloud of demonic mist!
In an instant, everything was enveloped in a grayish-purple fog, reducing visibility to just a few meters.
At that moment.
All anyone could hear were the sounds of intense combat, followed by a sudden scream.
Then, silence.
"What… just happened?"
"What happened to Senior Brother Luo?"
"Could it be…"
"Don't jinx it!"
The outer disciples of Xuantian Sect huddled together, trembling as they whispered among themselves.
"Where's that newly admitted disciple who saved us earlier?"
"I don't know."
"Did he… slip away during the chaos?"
As they speculated, a pair of massive golden eyes, larger than copper bells, began to materialize in the mist behind them.
And then.
"Roar!"
With a gust of foul-smelling wind, the Golden Leopard King roared.
Amid the disciples' terrified screams, the beast opened its jaws and swallowed three of them in one bite.
Puchi!
The sight was so horrific that even those watching felt their hearts stop.
At that moment!
"Halt!"
A sharp, powerful voice, filled with righteous energy, rang out: "You beast! How dare you harm the disciples of my sect?!"
"Prepare to meet your end!"
Suddenly.
A brilliant light pierced through the gray-purple fog.
In the sky, a radiant white pearl shone brightly.
Clearly, it was this pearl that had dispersed the demonic mist!