“Catch them, the Venerable Lord has great rewards…”
A demon cultivator captain shouted, leading his men in pursuit of Chen Ping and Wu Hao.
Chen Ping, seeing this, carried Wu Hao and staggered through the mountain forest in desperate flight.
Wu Hao’s wounds were still seeping blood, the warm liquid soaking Chen Ping’s back, each step feeling like treading on knife edges.
He had to evade the demon cultivators hot on his heels while protecting the unconscious Wu Hao on his back, his spiritual energy already depleted by more than half in the previous battle, now sustained only by sheer determination.
“Don’t run! Surrender obediently, and I might let you die a quick death!”
The demon cultivator captain’s roar came from behind, black demonic energy spreading through the woods like venomous snakes, several sharp demon blades whistling past Chen Ping’s shoulder, splintering nearby tree trunks to pieces.
Chen Ping gritted his teeth, not daring to look back, merely channelling his remaining spiritual energy with all his might to quicken his pace.
The direction to Cloud Mist Valley lay ahead, but the demon cultivators’ pursuit grew ever closer, on the verge of encircling him, his heart sinking inch by inch, could it really end here today?
At that moment, a deafening beastly roar erupted suddenly from the side!
Over a dozen beastkin cultivators clad in animal hides and wielding bone spears burst from the dense woods.
Leading them was a burly bear clan cultivator, his body covered in thick brown fur, the bone spear in his hand gleaming with icy chill, he bellowed fiercely at the demon cultivators: “You bunch of cowardly demon whelps, daring to run rampant on my beast clan’s territory!”
“It’s the beast clan!” Chen Ping exclaimed in shock and delight, a spark of hope flashing in his eyes.
The demon cultivator captain’s face darkened upon seeing the beastkin cultivators: “Suicidal beastkin, daring to block our path? Kill them!”
Dozens of demon cultivators immediately turned, lunging towards the beastkin cultivators.
The bear clan leader roared in fury, charging first, his bone spear thrusting savagely at a demon cultivator’s chest.
The demon cultivator hastily blocked with his demon blade, a crisp clang resounding as the blade was knocked flying, before he could react, the bear clan leader kicked him to the ground, the bone spear piercing his throat in the next instant.
“Kill!”
The other beastkin cultivators launched their assaults as well.
Wolf clan cultivators moved with agile grace, darting like phantoms among the demon cultivators, their bone knives reaping lives relentlessly;
Fox clan cultivators unleashed illusions, plunging the demon cultivators into disarray, creating openings for their comrades. In an instant, the woods filled with flashing blades and swords, beast roars mingling with the demon cultivators’ agonised screams.
Chen Ping knew the beastkin cultivators were buying them time.
He took a deep breath, shouting to the bear clan leader: “Many thanks, brothers! We have urgent matters, these demon cultivators are in your hands!”
The bear clan leader glanced back at him, grinning to reveal sharp fangs: “Friend Chen, go without worry! As long as we draw breath, we won’t let these demon whelps catch up to you! Remember, live well, the task of rebuilding the Sixfold Heaven and eradicating these demon cultivators rests on you!”
It was clear this bear clan leader knew Chen Ping and Wu Hao, which was why he had emerged to aid them.
Yet he also understood that in the current Sixfold Heaven dominated by demon cultivators, stepping forward to help Chen Ping could only end in death.
Chen Ping’s eyes instantly welled with tears.
He nodded vigorously, no longer hesitating, carrying Wu Hao and sprinting wildly towards Cloud Mist Valley.
He dared not look back, for he knew each glance would add another layer of guilt to his heart, those beastkin cultivators could have stayed hidden and uninvolved, yet for their sake, they chose to fight to the death against the formidable demon cultivators.
The sounds of battle behind grew fiercer, occasional agonised cries from the beastkin cultivators striking Chen Ping’s heart like heavy hammers.
He clenched his fists tightly, nails digging deep into his palms, blood trickling from between his fingers.
