The so-called danger was hundreds, even thousands, of bronze chiyous.
The dim, 황색 sky turned deep red because of their arrival.
It was a dreamlike scene, like the glow of a sunset, but no one had the leisure to admire it, for it signaled death.
"Run!"
Fang Jia shouted in panic.
Immediately after, over fifty异人, including Xu Mu, began to run without the slightest hesitation, using the strong winds in the space to their advantage.
Their direction, of course, was opposite to that of the bronze chiyous.
"What in the world did they do? So many of them, it's as if all the bronze chiyous on the battlefield have come!"
Nan Feng, riding on the back of a blue bird, felt the surging demonic energy and his eyelids began to twitch uncontrollably.
The reason they could easily kill the previous bronze chiyou was due to their numerical superiority; it did not mean the creature was weak. The fact that it had been able to trap them all in place with its own strength was enough to prove the power of this demon beast with divine beast blood.
Killing one required planning, so what about ten or a hundred?
Nan Feng's face turned pale. He estimated that there were at least three hundred bronze chiyous covering the sky behind them.
Such a formation could even contend with a domain lord. Xu Mu's swordplay might not be effective.
"I'd like to know that too," Xu Mu said, his face grim. He turned back and roared, "Yan Yu, what the hell did you do!"
Xu Mu's figure weaved through the broken walls and ruins. Many lords couldn't keep up, but he could still feel the increasingly scorching wind behind him.
This meant that the bronze chiyous were closing in on them!
"We stole their eggs while the bronze chiyou flock was sleeping."
"The plan was going smoothly, and we had already escaped for hundreds of meters. But at the last moment, one of the eggs suddenly hatched on its own."
Yan Yu transmitted his thoughts through his divine soul, his cold voice laced with a touch of emotion:
"As expected of a descendant with divine beast blood. It possessed the strength of a second-stage being right after it was born."
"It cried out, and that attracted an entire flock to chase us."
"We sensed someone over here and thought we could seek some support. We didn't expect to run into you."
"Listen to me, thank you," Xu Mu's forehead suddenly developed a few dark lines after hearing the explanation.
It was common knowledge that the nobler the bloodline and the more powerful the demon beast, the more difficult it was for them to reproduce.
This was common sense in the cultivation world. Some demon beast flocks might not even produce a single offspring in their entire lifetime. For descendants like the bronze chiyou, with divine beast blood, reproduction must be incredibly difficult.
Otherwise, they would not have been unheard of for centuries.
"You stole the eggs they painstakingly laid, just for some points? How stingy!"
"Besides, with so many bronze chiyous, how am I supposed to provide support? Am I supposed to draw my sword and kill them all!"
Xu Mu was furious. He hadn't felt any danger initially because Fang Jia had said the other party was not a domain lord.
Now, with so many bronze chiyous, they were even more troublesome than domain lords!
Yan Yu nodded upon hearing this:
"Yes, that's what I thought."
"In terms of raw strength, these bronze chiyous are not particularly powerful. It's just that their speed is too great, and they fly too high. Ordinary methods are useless against them, but a sword can."
"However, I alone cannot intercept them, and my cultivation level is not high enough. But if it were you, with these dozens of lords assisting you, the chances of victory would be very high."
Xu Mu's expression froze.
He was to be the main attacker, with others providing support?
He was only at the second stage!
"My situation is a bit special right now, and I'm not convenient to act. Do you have any other solutions? They're getting closer!"
Xu Mu transmitted after a moment of hesitation.
Yan Yu's brow suddenly furrowed upon hearing this. Why was Xu Mu inconvenient to act?
Unable to figure it out, he suddenly accelerated, turning into a blue streak and arriving not far behind Xu Mu.
Such speed immediately caught the attention of many lords.
"So fast!"
Xu Mu was also surprised, thinking that Yan Yu truly lived up to his reputation as the fastest man in Unfallen City. To have such speed at the third stage was truly terrifying.
Yan Yu's voice was grave as it entered Xu Mu's ears:
"If we continue to run like this, most of the people here will be caught within five minutes. Almost no one will survive, so we must gather together before there are any casualties!"
Xu Mu listened and then roughly estimated that it would take at least twenty minutes to return to the Ninth Stone Cave.
Moreover, even if they could return to the Ninth Stone Cave, with so many great demons circling above, they wouldn't be able to climb the cliff and would not receive the protection of the safe zone.
Although he himself was confident that he could escape before the bronze chiyous caught him, and the lives of Nan Feng and the others were of no concern to him.
The problem was that Yin Zhongxiu was also behind them.
Xu Mu gritted his teeth. Yin Zhongxiu had stood up for him countless times. If he just left like this, what would be the difference between him and a cowardly villain?
Seeing Xu Mu hesitate, Yan Yu spoke again:
"I know of a treasure that has appeared in an underground mine a hundred miles to the southwest."
"I had intended to approach it before, but I was driven back by many great demons. Since there's nowhere else to go now, why not use the 'drive wolves to devour tigers' strategy and risk it for that treasure!"
Xu Mu's eyes narrowed slightly. Drive wolves to devour tigers?
It was too dangerous, but it seemed like the only way.
So he gritted his teeth and no longer hesitated:
"Everyone, stop! If we keep running like this, we'll be caught sooner or later!"
"These bronze chiyous are too fast. No one can escape by running alone, and we might encounter other great demons along the way."
"The only way is to gather together and resist. I know a place where we can avoid pursuit. It's to the southwest. We'll retreat while fighting, and only then will we have a chance!"
"The Alliance Leader is right. If we keep running like this, we'll be caught sooner or later. Everyone, stop quickly!"
Changsun Wuji was the first to respond to Xu Mu. He also realized that running was futile and they had to find another way. So, as soon as Xu Mu spoke, he immediately led the lords of the Changsun family to rush in that direction.
"The Alliance Leader is right. The flying speed of these bronze chiyous is too fast. Running alone is useless."
"At this point, we must choose to believe the Alliance Leader. His strength is evident for all to see, and he will surely save us!"
"Yes, everyone, please believe in the Alliance Leader!" Nan Feng, on the blue bird's back, also shouted loudly and flew towards Xu Mu.
The reason he said this was simply that he discovered the blue bird's speed was no match for the bronze chiyous, and escape was impossible.
Besides, he didn't believe Xu Mu would risk his own life. After all, the future of this genius was far more important than the lives of these rogue cultivators. He wouldn't die easily.
Thus, in just a few seconds, over eighty异人 had gathered around Xu Mu.
They surrounded him, each emanating terrifying power, but compared to the overwhelming demonic energy that was pressing down, it seemed quite weak.
"Everyone, pay attention. In about five seconds, we will directly confront the bronze chiyou flock. Since we are outnumbered, try to adopt a rotating defense."
"Time is short, so there's no specific arrangement. In short, those on the outermost perimeter must do their best to attack. When you feel you can't hold on, quickly retreat to the inside, and rotate in this manner."
"The first wave of attacks is coming. Everyone be careful!"
Xu Mu's voice was gradually drowned out by the fierce cries of the bronze chiyous. The feathers, like knives, flew like arrows. Occasionally, a chiyou would dive down, its claws like knives, but they were all blocked by the domains erected by the outermost异人.
Demonic energy filled the air, and a great battle was imminent.
As everyone moved together, their speed was significantly reduced, but it was still faster than ordinary people running.
Fang Jia stood on the inside, very close to Xu Mu. After some calculation, he realized that the chance of survival on this journey was still slim. He couldn't help but ask:
"Alliance Leader, how far is that place you mentioned?"
Xu Mu recalled Yan Yu's description, calculated slightly in his mind, and then replied:
"Not far."
"At this speed, it will take about three days to arrive."
"Three days?!" Fang Jia's face immediately turned the color of a pig's liver upon hearing this.
Three days. If their power was inexhaustible, it would be fine. But the problem was that although they were lords with abundant energy, they would also get tired.
Unlike those fierce demons, who could fight for ten days and a half-month in a single battle or chase. Under such high-intensity consumption, they could last for at most two days, and that was under ideal circumstances.
"If that's the case, forgive me for being blunt, Alliance Leader, but we probably won't make it there."
Fang Jia's face was grave because, while he was speaking, one cultivator had accidentally had his domain broken by several bronze chiyous and was seriously injured.
But less than a minute had passed.
"As long as we minimize mistakes, there's a chance."
Xu Mu looked around, and his divine soul power, like a vast ocean, enveloped every corner of the area. His gaze suddenly sharpened, and he roared:
"Shen Juran, take half a step back, and strike your saber at three o'clock to the upper right!"
Upon hearing Xu Mu's command, the swordsman hesitated for a moment. Because if he could sense it, stepping back half a step would mean being pierced through the thigh by a furiously descending arrow.
And it was precisely in this second of hesitation, when he didn't step back and strike, that a cultivator had an arm torn off by the claw of a chiyou, with blood splashing onto him!
"Ah!!!"
Hearing the scream, Shen Juran turned back in shock.
It wasn't because of the other person's injury, but because he realized that the arrow he had worried about being hit by moments ago had been knocked away by other arrows coming from who knows where.
This meant that if he had followed Xu Mu's command, not only would he have been unharmed, but the fellow cultivator wouldn't have lost an arm!
Seeing that person still being torn apart, Xu Mu frowned and spoke again:
"Nan Feng, throw three punches forward, then after a gap of 0.5 seconds, slash diagonally upwards to the left!"
Nan Feng, though skeptical of Xu Mu in his heart, showed no hesitation in his actions and threw three consecutive punches at the bronze chiyou in front of him.
Boom!
The terrifying force struck the bronze chiyou, shattering its steel-like bones. In intense pain, it quickly let go of the异人, no longer attempting to kill him, but instead trying to escape.
However, its escape route had already been seen through by Xu Mu.
After throwing three punches, Nan Feng drew his saber without hesitation.
He didn't slash towards the upper right where the bronze chiyou was escaping, but instead followed Xu Mu's instructions and slashed towards the upper left.
"Wrong?"
Nan Feng was astonished, but before the thought could fade, the bronze chiyou suddenly changed direction and instantly appeared in front of his saber's path.
"Crack!"
The saber cut through its body, cleaving it into two halves.
Thus, the first bronze chiyou died.
"Such strong perception!"
Someone in the inner circle exclaimed in surprise. They hadn't expected Xu Mu to be able to perceive the movements of this bronze chiyou.
"No, this isn't perception; it's pre-judgment!"
Fang Jia was even more shocked. He knew this wasn't mere perception, but astonishing computational power, or rather, precognition!
"Nan Feng, retreat three steps and strike to the right."
"Zhang Tianling, jump up one meter in two seconds and strike your sword towards one o'clock, six o'clock, and directly above you!"
"Bai Gugu, attack one meter to the upper left, then immediately retreat four steps..."
"Li Donglin, watch your back, your domain is about to break!"
Xu Mu's words rained down, and the named异人 all followed his instructions.
As a result, the sabers and swords accurately struck the bronze chiyous, and the raging winds or arrows were either evaded or blocked.
The people, facing perilous situations and retreating, couldn't help but look at Xu Mu with shock and confusion.
The precise command for each individual, and all of them correct.
This couldn't be explained by mere strong perception alone.
How exactly did he do it?
But no one could provide an answer, and Xu Mu had no time to explain it to them.
Because, it was like drawing a map with a pen at Widow Sun's place.
It was a familiar feeling. Gray-eyed used this body to do similar things before, so sometimes he also gained the same ability.
As for why it suddenly became muddled, Charles couldn't provide an answer, and he himself naturally couldn't explain it. So, all he could do now was to focus intently and minimize casualties.
After all, he was the Alliance Leader.
Xu Mu narrowed his eyes, controlling the entire situation. Then he suddenly sensed something and his voice turned cold:
"One hundred and eighty-five steps away, everyone hold your breath in advance and prepare to cross the river!"
...