Chapter 45: Into the Stone Crack

Behind them, the beast tide raged. Around them, the rock walls had split apart, and boulders lay everywhere. The space left to move shrank by the moment.

The Fire-Repelling Pearl’s light dimmed. Its power was fading fast. Scorching fire spiritual energy pressed in from all sides, until even breathing felt hot.

Sweat beaded on Yan Li’s forehead. Most of her spiritual power was gone. Yan Shu stirred restlessly in her arms, their small face flushed red from the heat. A vague murmur escaped them.

Then a red-scaled python darted out from the rubble. Its thick tail whipped toward the two with a fierce gust.

Yan Li’s flying sword slashed out and collided with the tail. The huge backlash shook her body, and she staggered back two steps.

She barely steadied herself when a deafening roar erupted.

A flame-horned rhino charged in with a bellow. Its massive body was like a moving hill, crushing every rock in its path as it bore straight down on them.

Xuan Shiyan’s eyes turned sharp. He swung his black sword with full force, and a dark arc struck the flame-horned rhino square in the forehead.

Clang! Sparks flew.

The rhino tilted its head. Its charge did not slow. It came on just the same.

The two did not dare meet it head-on. They dodged to either side at once.

Rumble!

The flame-horned rhino could not stop in time and slammed into the mountain ahead. A huge section of rock wall collapsed. Rubble poured down.

It roared again and again, its thick limbs stamping wildly. Broken stone flew as it slowly tore itself free from the rubble.

Yan Li’s heart sank.

In another moment, the flame-horned rhino would charge again. With how little spiritual power they had left, they could not hold it off.

Then Yan Li’s gaze fell on the collapsed rock wall.

A narrow stone crack appeared behind it, just wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways. It was half hidden among the rubble.

The crack was so narrow that the flame-horned rhino’s huge body could never enter. If they got inside, they would no longer be caught between the rhino and the beast tide.

“Over there!”

Xuan Shiyan followed her gaze and understood at once.

The two forced back the beasts lunging at them. While the flame-horned rhino was still turning its huge body, they both darted toward the stone crack.

The crack was almost within reach when the ground shook violently.

A crimson-armored rock lizard over three zhang long charged in with a roar. One sweep of its giant tail smashed a large stretch of rubble to powder.

Dark red scales covered its body and gleamed like metal. Its claws flashed with dark gold light. Demonic energy churned around it. It was already half a step into the third rank.

Its scarlet-gold vertical pupils locked onto the two. It opened its mouth and spat out a blazing wave of fire.

“Careful!”

Xuan Shiyan’s expression changed. A black sword arc met the fire wave head-on.

The fire wave burst apart, but the searing heat rolled over them as a wave of hot air. Their protective spiritual light trembled violently, and they were forced back several steps.

The crimson-armored rock lizard roared. Its huge body lunged up, claws wrapped in burning demonic fire, and smashed down at their heads.

Xuan Shiyan gritted his teeth and swung his sword to meet it. Black sword and claws collided hard.

A terrifying force far beyond a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s poured down through the blade. His arms went numb, and he was thrown back several zhang. When he landed, his chest heaved, and a sweet, bloody taste rose in his throat.

The crimson-armored rock lizard only paused slightly before it attacked again.

Behind him, Yan Li’s flying sword shot out. A silver-white sword qi cut precisely into the rock lizard’s neck.

But that strike, enough to cut through a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s body, left only a shallow white mark on its scales.

Enraged, the rock lizard roared and abandoned Xuan Shiyan, turning to lunge at Yan Li.

Yan Li leaped back, barely avoiding its claws.

But Yan Shu in her arms was shaken by the fierce wind. Their breath caught, and a thin, weak whimper escaped them.

She instinctively held Yan Shu tighter. In that instant, the crimson-armored rock lizard lunged again, claws tearing through the air straight for her face.

Xuan Shiyan’s expression changed drastically. “Senior sister!”

His black sword became a dark arc and cut toward the lizard’s flank. But the blade struck its scales, threw off a string of bright sparks, and was repelled.

Then a giant tail swept in. He raised his sword to block. The web between his thumb and index finger split open at once, and blood ran down the hilt.

The crimson-armored rock lizard grew more frenzied. Firelight swelled in its mouth. A second fire wave was ready to burst.

Yan Li’s heart sank. Even her flying sword’s full strike could not break its defense. If this dragged on, all three of them would die here.

She drew a deep breath. Still holding Yan Shu tighter, she spun the spiritual power vortex in her dantian wildly. The last of her spiritual power poured into her flying sword like a broken dam.

The sword strike she had just comprehended, she unleashed without reservation.

The flying sword hummed softly.

Countless sword intents returned to a single edge.

Just as the crimson-armored rock lizard opened its mouth to spew demonic fire, the silver-white sword light shot in like a meteor piercing the sun, straight through its mouth.

BOOM!!!

The sword qi exploded inside the lizard’s mouth.

The crimson-armored rock lizard let out a deafening shriek. Its huge body was thrown backward and crashed through a large section of rock wall. Several scales on its chest burst apart, and dark red blood sprayed out. A few flame wolves that had lunged from behind were also thrown back by the shockwave.

Dust exploded outward. Rubble scattered like a rainstorm.

The flying sword gave a soft cry and trembled back into her sleeve.

The sword strike had drained all the spiritual power in her dantian. Yan Li’s face went pale. Her body swayed sharply. She staggered half a step before barely steadying herself.

Before the dust settled, more than ten flame wolves came up over the rubble from both sides.

Xuan Shiyan had already flashed in front of Yan Li. His black sword swept out. Dark light flashed past. The two flame wolves at the front howled and flew backward.

The sword force did not end. He flicked it back in a reverse cut. A red-scaled python that had tried to sneak in from the side was beheaded on the spot. Its body twitched and fell. Blood sprayed.

He grabbed Yan Li’s arm. “Go!”

Using the gap left by the crimson-armored rock lizard being blasted away, the two retreated toward the newly opened stone crack.

Yan Shu, who had been curled in Yan Li’s arms all along, chose that moment to wail. The heartrending cry echoed through the valley.

The ten-plus flame wolves that had just been forced back all froze. Their scarlet beast eyes fixed on Yan Shu at the same time. Low howls rose and fell.

Several flame wolves began pawing the ground restlessly. Drool dripped from their mouths.

Yan Li’s expression changed. She shielded Yan Shu and quickened her retreat. Xuan Shiyan’s black sword wove a rearguard behind them.

The crack was only a few steps away when more than ten flame wolves lunged at once.

The flame wolf in the lead kicked off the rock wall and shot through the air. Its claws went straight for Yan Shu in Yan Li’s arms.

Xuan Shiyan’s pupils shrank. He stepped sideways and blocked Yan Li.

The flame wolf’s fangs bit deep into his left arm. Blood sprayed instantly.

He grunted and stabbed his sword back into the wolf’s throat. The tip came out the back of its neck. The wolf twitched a few times, released its bite, and its corpse crashed to the ground.

Yan Li’s expression changed. Xuan Shiyan’s left arm was a bloody mess. His sleeve was torn open. Mangled flesh showed beneath.

“Junior brother!” Yan Li reached out to support him.

“Retreat!” Xuan Shiyan grated out. His right hand shoved Yan Li’s back, pushing her and Yan Shu into the crack. He followed right after and slipped inside.

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