"Yu Xiaoshan has been transferred..."
Inside the alchemy room, a flicker of thought crossed Li Ye's eyes.
Ever since Elder Yu personally explained the current situation a few days ago, Li Ye had returned to his residence, dismantled all the formations he had set up, and had practically been living in the alchemy room ever since.
The sheer number of alchemy tasks he received now far exceeded even the peak of the conflict between the Purple Profound Sect and the Flying Feather Sect in the past.
From this alone...
Whether it was due to the actual massive consumption of resources at the front lines holding back the demonic race, or Elder Yu using her authority to stockpile a large amount of pills through issuing missions for personal gain
Either way, the current situation was more dangerous than she had let on.
Yu Xiaoshan's silent departure only further confirmed this. It wasn't until today, when Li Ye handed over a freshly refined batch of pills and found a new person receiving them, that he realized the handover had changed.
"Luckily, I've always been preparing got quite the stash of pills and talismans already…"
Li Ye mused carefully. In his heart, he had already made up his mind to flee.
As for whether the Purple Profound Sect would later accuse him of desertion
He could only say: that even if they did, he had to survive first before anything else!
"But where can I even go? It's been so long without any word most likely, the Li clan's patriarch has already met a grim end..."
"And Senior Brother Qu and the others… sigh!"
He felt a wave of conflict.
Given the current circumstances, even those smaller sects and clans he had previously considered were no longer safe options.
Did this mean he had to flee to the territories of another country?
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Suddenly, deafening explosions echoed outside.
The defensive formations Li Ye had placed around the alchemy room went off wildly in alarm.
He instantly stood up. Even though the elixir inside the cauldron lost control and burned into ash, he had no time to worry about it. After confirming through the wards that there was no immediate danger outside, he pushed the door open.
"...What the"
Li Ye's pupils contracted as his expression twisted with shock.
Under a blanket of black clouds, the marketplace's defensive formation had been fully activated. Trees and toxic mists emerged, unleashing all-out attacks on the incoming enemy.
The targets?
A horde of distorted figures once human cultivators now bearing grotesque black scales, horns, or claws, looking like zombified monsters.
Their numbers were immense. The toxic mists seemed to have little to no effect on them, and they charged the barrier like rabid beasts.
Even as the formation wiped them out in waves, it still couldn't stop the steady, unrelenting advance of these demonic puppets.
They weren't casting any spells or techniques, but the sheer number of bodies piling on still made for a terrifying force.
What truly made Li Ye's blood run cold was the sight behind them of a smaller group of clearly more terrifying true demons, each with a hideously twisted appearance.
Most of them were low-level demons in the Qi Condensation realm, but several were Foundation Establishment demons!
This kind of force was something the Zimo Forest Market absolutely could not withstand...
Though Li Ye wasn't yet able to fully analyze a Tier-2 formation, even he could see from the bombardment that once the poison mists of the Mysterious Wood Maze Array were depleted, and the spiritual foundation of the forest's trees ran dry, the formation would collapse to below Tier-2 and wouldn't last long after that!
At first glance, this demonic force might look weaker than the Flying Feather Sect coalition from before
But that time, they had prepared. This time, they were caught completely off guard!
Li Ye's expression turned grim.
"Damn it! I knew Elder Yu's words were full of holes, but this is a whole ocean of BS! It's enough to drown a guy!"
He had only just begun to sense that the situation was worse than he thought, and hadn't even had time to make his move.
Yet the demons had already come knocking!
Not even a single messenger had escaped to send a warning proof of just how fast the demons were advancing. Who knew how bad things already were in the rest of the Huan Kingdom?
What a complete nightmare!
Without hesitation regardless of how the elders were deploying people, Li Ye activated concealment talismans and lightfoot charms one after another. He also used that breath-hiding technique he had once bought from a roadside stall, minimizing his presence.
In a flash, he slipped over the wall and out.
"The demons came too fast they haven't fully surrounded the market yet. I'll head for the other side and blend into the crowd. Once the formation breaks, I'll bolt."
Skirting around others, Li Ye moved swiftly through the compound and out the perimeter. He had already taken off his Purple Profound Sect robes and replaced them with an ordinary black cloak. A wide-brimmed hat with a face-covering veil now hid his features.
With layered concealment, no one could sense his cultivation level let alone recognize who he was by his aura.
Merging into the chaotic crowd was effortless.
He moved quickly through the streets.
All around, people cried for help. Some used the chaos to loot and steal.
Even Purple Profound Sect disciples, seeing the puppet horde crashing into the formation, realized how dire the situation was. They no longer held any regard for discipline or defending their territory. They had become just more desperate people in the mob.
Li Ye passed by them all with an unchanging expression.
As long as they didn't block his escape
Their fates had nothing to do with him.
....
"The formation is about to break!"
Elder Yu gripped the formation core token tightly, her gaze locked on the true demonic army that had arrived outside the barrier, now that the horde of demonic puppets had mostly been expended.
Her eyes narrowed on the three Foundation Establishment demons.
Even though they were somewhat suppressed by the local realm's laws, their numbers and bizarre demonic techniques still made them formidable. If she had the formation fully intact to maneuver with, she might have stood a chance. But with the enemy's relentless tide draining the array's strength, she had no spare power to mount a proper defense.
She had no means left to hold them back!
That thought brought her to a decision.
Sweeping her divine sense across the elder's manor and the surrounding area, Elder Yu paused in surprise.
"That brat's already fled!"
She couldn't sense even a trace of Li Ye not a single hint of his presence. Even now, she couldn't help but let out a dry, bitter laugh.
"So be it. If he's made his choice, then it's no longer my concern…"
"Ji Qing, oh Ji Qing... if only you had your disciple's caution, you might not have fallen to the demons..."
Thinking of her old friend whose tragic death had only recently been confirmed Elder Yu sighed softly. At the same time, she concealed her figure and began to flee in a different direction, even as she pushed the formation to its absolute limit, unleashing its final burst of power on the incoming demons!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh
The separate sealing arrays throughout Zimo Forest released all restrictions. The Mysterious Wood Poison Mist Formation squeezed out every last ounce of its strength!
With a thunderous roar, the array collapsed entirely, unleashing a surge of roots and branches drenched in remaining toxic mists. Like crashing waves, they smashed into the demonic army.
The oncoming wave of puppet-like demonized cultivators was annihilated. The leading Qi Refining demons were also caught in the blast and many were killed on the spot before the array's energy finally exhausted itself and dissipated completely.
"Kill them!"
The three Foundation Establishment demons roared with twisted, bloodthirsty expressions. With a bellowing war cry, they led the remaining demonic army in charge!
…
"The formation's down! Run for your lives!"
Someone shouted from within the crowd.
The people who had already been gathering on the other side of the market desperate to escape ever since the demons appeared at the gates immediately unleashed whatever means they had, surging forward in a frantic stampede to flee.
Li Ye, now disguised and riding a flying disc he had looted off a fallen Flying Feather Sect disciple long ago, blended into the crowd and soared off quickly. He picked a direction away from Yan Yang Mountain and accelerated, fleeing as fast as he could.
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