Outside the dark perimeter of the forest, Yu Xiaotang's gaze was icy as she stood perfectly still, her attention focused on the invisible interface only she could perceive. On the system map, the red marker representing the Soul Devouring Demon Bat stood out with blinding clarity against the shadowy background of the terrain.
She rapidly analyzed the data provided by the system, her mind processing the streams of information at high speed. The creature was at the mid Nascent Soul stage. It specializes in sonic waves and mental attacks, and its physical defense was relatively weak compared to its other attributes. The core weakness lay at the soul core where the wings connected to the torso. The information was frighteningly detailed, exposing the hidden vulnerabilities of the ancient beast.
"All disciples, listen up. Form the Hehuan Mind Bewildering Formation and interfere with its perception at full power," Yu Xiaotang commanded. "The enemy's cultivation is mid Nascent Soul. Granny Hua, focus your attacks on the wing root. Elder Xue Shouren, restrain it from the flank. You must cripple it." Her voice rang out through voice transmission with precise clarity, carrying a chilling killing intent that demanded total obedience.
Since it couldn't be killed instantly without risking high casualties, it had to be severely wounded and driven off before it caused even greater destruction to the team.
The disciples guarding outside the forest trembled when they heard the target's true cultivation level, but Yu Xiaotang's commands had already become instinct. They moved immediately, forming the array as radiant lights surged skyward, transforming into a dense glowing mist of pink spiritual energy that swept toward the demon bat.
Inside the forest, Granny Hua and Xue Shouren felt their hearts shake violently when they received the order. A mid Nascent Soul Soul Devouring Demon Bat was a terrifying prospect. But with the arrow already loosed from the bow, there was no turning back now. Both elders erupted with their full strength in an instant, their auras flaring to their limits.
"Die, you vile beast!" Granny Hua shouted sharply as her Nascent Soul spiritual power poured without restraint into the jade hairpin artifact in her hand. The hairpin blazed with dazzling pink light and transformed into a shocking arc of radiance, thrusting with all her might toward the demon bat's left wing root. Wherever it passed, space itself rippled faintly from the intensity of the strike.
Xue Shouren roared as well, the blood aura around him igniting like solid flames that scorched the air. He directly activated a secret art that boosted his combat strength. His blood red hands swelled several times in size, slamming down from the right with a heaven rending, earth shattering force that shook the ground. He was aiming straight for the demon bat's head and torso, forcing it to take the blow head on so it couldn't evade Granny Hua's attack.
At the same moment, the light mist of the Hehuan Mind Bewildering Formation descended through the trees. This formation excelled at confusing the mind and disrupting the perception of powerful enemies.
The demon bat's movements stalled for an instant as the mist clouded its senses. A trace of irritation and confusion flashed through its massive crimson eyes. With a wet tearing sound followed by a violent crash, Granny Hua's jade hairpin struck first, piercing into the demon bat's left wing root.
Yet at the moment of contact, a layer of bizarre black runes surfaced at the wing root, forming a protective barrier that canceled most of the attack's power. The hairpin only sank half a foot deep before it stalled against the creature's bone, failing to shatter the soul core directly as intended.
At the same time, Xue Shouren's massive Blood Hand slammed solidly into the demon bat's side. It let out a howl filled with pain and fury that rattled the surrounding trunks. Forcing itself to endure Xue Shouren's strike made its blood churn violently, and the injury at its wing root sent unbearable agony surging through its form. It completely snapped, its animal rage taking over.
The demon bat whipped its head around, its crimson eyes locking onto Granny Hua as it spat out an extremely condensed black sonic wave from its maw. This attack was no longer an area blast like before. It compressed into a thin, lethal line, moving at an unbelievable speed toward the elder.
"Watch out!" Xue Shouren shouted. Granny Hua's expression changed drastically as she sensed the danger. Feeling the terrifying soul force contained within that attack, she retreated at full speed while summoning a shimmering brocade handkerchief in front of her.
With a shrill tearing sound, the black sonic ray struck the handkerchief. Spiritual light flared wildly as the fabric let out an overwhelmed ripping noise. Granny Hua let out a muffled groan as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, her divine sense struck like it had been smashed by a heavy hammer. Her defensive artifact was damaged, its surface marred by the strike.
"Entangle it. Don't let it attack again," Yu Xiaotang's cold voice rang out once more, leaving no room for doubt or hesitation.
Through the system, she saw it clearly. The defensive restriction at the demon bat's wing root had been weakened by Granny Hua's strike. To break it completely, repeated attacks on the same spot were needed to shatter the core.
"Form the binding array," Granny Hua commanded, enduring the pain as she ordered the disciples to shift their positions.
Several Golden Core disciples grit their teeth and poured out their power into the mist. The pink mist transformed into chains of light that wrapped around the demon bat's wings and talons. While it couldn't truly trap a mid Nascent Soul demon beast for long, it drastically limited its movement speed and maneuverability.
"Again. Hit the left wing root!" Xue Shouren seized the opening and burned his blood essence once more. His palms came together and transformed into a massive blood blade that carried an unstoppable momentum as it cleaved once again toward the injured wing root. He was creating a perfect opening for Granny Hua to strike.
Sensing lethal danger, the demon bat struggled madly, unleashing sonic waves and slashing with its claws. Two Golden Core disciples who couldn't dodge in time were instantly struck hard and sent flying, their bodies severely injured by the force. But with its movement restricted by the chains of light, it couldn't completely evade Xue Shouren's desperate strike.
With a thunderous crash, the blood blade struck the wing root again. The black runes flickered violently and dimmed significantly under the pressure. The demon bat released a shrill, miserable scream as nearly half its left wing was severed, hanging by a thread of flesh. Its aura plummeted instantly as its vitality leaked out.
"Now!"
Granny Hua's eyes flared with sharp light. Ignoring her injuries, she poured all her remaining spiritual power into the jade hairpin. The hairpin hummed with a high-pitched vibration as its speed skyrocketed, stabbing once more toward the nearly shattered defensive point at the wing root. With a wet piercing sound, the jade hairpin finally broke through the defense and plunged deep into the region where the wing root soul core lay hidden.
The Soul Devouring Demon Bat released the most agonized howl since the battle began, its massive body convulsing violently as the core was pierced.
But it was still a mid Nascent Soul demon beast, a creature with terrifying vitality. Driven by extreme pain and the threat of death, it erupted with its final strength, shattering the light chains around its body with a burst of dark energy. Its ruined flesh wings flapped madly, whipping up a storm of chilling wind as its enormous form turned into a streak of black light. No longer willing to fight, it fled desperately toward the deepest part of the Yin Soul Wood Forest at an astonishing speed.
"Chase it!" Xue Shouren's eyes were bloodshot as he moved to pursue.
"Don't chase a cornered enemy," Yu Xiaotang's cool voice stopped him immediately, her tone flat and final. On the system map, the red marker representing the demon bat was rapidly dimming as it fled into a region deep within the forest marked as extremely chaotic and labeled as a high risk zone.
"The forest depths are unknown, and there could be traps hidden in the mist. It's already heavily wounded. It won't recover without decades of rest. Our objective has been achieved. Clean up the battlefield and withdraw immediately."
Granny Hua and Xue Shouren exchanged a weary glance. Looking at the demon bat's escape route, the wrecked battlefield, and the injured disciples, they forcibly suppressed the urge to pursue. The Young Sect Master was right. A dying counterattack from a mid Nascent Soul demon beast was far too terrifying, and the depths of this forest felt deeply wrong to their senses.
Inside Yu Xiaotang, an intense unwillingness surged as she looked at the dark wood.
The Soul Nurturing Wood Core was crucial for nourishing her Primordial Soul and strengthening her divine sense. It had been right within reach, only for this sudden Nascent Soul demon bat to ruin everything. Was she really going to give up just like that?
Her gaze swept across the system map as she searched for a way to bypass the demon bat's escape route and safely approach the area where the Soul Nurturing Wood Core was located. But on the map, the region in the demon bat's fleeing direction had become violently chaotic and extremely dangerous, marked in a deep crimson. It was clearly not a benevolent place for the living.
"Granny Hua, Elder Xue Shouren…" Yu Xiaotang began to speak, intending to order them to recover briefly and then cautiously probe from the side, to see if they could detour around the demon bat and retrieve the Soul Nurturing Wood Core when a sudden disruption occurred.
[Warning.]
A cold system alert sounded, sharper and more urgent than ever before.
[High intensity energy fluctuations detected. Location, northwest direction approximately four hundred fifty li away. Energy level, Nascent Soul. Quantity, at least three. Intense battle in progress. Fluctuations are violent and rapidly expanding.]
At the same time, the northwest corner of the system map was instantly flooded with a blinding crimson light and began flashing nonstop. Almost simultaneously, a deep, muffled boom echoed faintly through the air despite the distance of over four hundred li.
Even the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly from the force of the distant event. Immediately after, a powerful and chaotic surge of spiritual energy swept in from the northwest like a gale. It was freezing cold, razor sharp, and rampaging with fury. Spiritual energies of countless attributes collided and annihilated each other in madness.
The fluctuation was so strong and so clear as it rippled across the horizon. Not only did Yu Xiaotang sense it through the system, but even Granny Hua and Xue Shouren, who had just survived a brutal battle and hadn't yet steadied their breathing, changed expressions sharply and looked up toward the northwest at the same time.