Chapter Sixty-Two: Nangong Lingyue Sets Out to Rescue

Within the miniature world of the ruins, Lin Qingyun was fleeing at full speed.

Behind him, a white wolf king five meters in length led over a hundred wolf demons in pursuit. The white wolf king was only a step away from becoming a true demon, its power rivaling the pinnacle of a human Foundation Establishment cultivator at the ninth level of the Lute Heart Realm.

Fortunately, it was not part of a powerful demon beast clan—it appeared to have mutated on its own. Though it commanded a pack numbering in the thousands, ninety-nine percent were no more than ordinary wild wolves. Of the remainder, a hundred or so had reached the level of demon beasts, but most were below the fourth level of the Lute Heart Realm.

“You’ve got some nerve. If I weren’t afraid of attracting the attention of those monsters guarding the entrance, do you really think I’d have trouble dealing with the likes of you?” Lin Qingyun cursed under his breath, but he could only continue his desperate escape.

He had dashed into this world at the very last moment as the tribulation lightning dissipated, employing every concealment art he knew to slip away from the entrance. His original plan was to hide deep in the mountains, for Lin Qingyun knew that while others might be fooled, the Desert Wind King, Nangong Aoshi, would surely be able to track him down.

That was why Lin Qingyun had changed his strategy and caused Nangong Aoshi to attack him. Lin Qingyun had once reached—and even surpassed—the heights Nangong Aoshi now occupied, so he understood all too well: if Nangong Aoshi wanted to find him, even hiding hundreds of miles deep within the ruins would be in vain.

Yet unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived, he attracted the attention of this mutated white wolf king.

“There’s great fortune to be found over there. Aren’t you eager to break through?” Lin Qingyun sent out a wave of spiritual intent, knowing that this creature could understand him.

He dared not slaughter indiscriminately here for fear of drawing the million-strong demon horde at the entrance, among which were several beings whose power nearly matched that of the legendary Zhu Yan.

If he drew their attention, things would become truly dire.

“You are the legendary human. Capturing you comes first,” the white wolf king replied resolutely, refusing to venture near the entrance and intent on capturing Lin Qingyun.

Although it ruled thousands of wolves and was once the most powerful creature in this region, the sudden appearance of the passage had unleashed a million demon beasts, many far stronger than itself. The terrifying lightning tribulation near the entrance only convinced it further to stay away.

Hearing himself called the legendary human, Lin Qingyun could only sigh inwardly. Of all things, he had run into a beast king with brains—what a nuisance.

Originally, Lin Qingyun could have relied on concealment, certain that as soon as the tribulation faded, Nangong Aoshi would locate him. But now, forced into flight, he had no choice but to plunge ever deeper into the ruins, hoping to shake off the white wolf king.

“In that case, you’re courting death,” Lin Qingyun threatened once more, casting a glance back toward the distant entrance. By now, he was far enough away that even the local powerhouses on par with Zhu Yan would be hard-pressed to notice him.

He could not keep running—if he delayed much longer, rescue might truly be out of reach.

With that, Lin Qingyun reversed his Seven Star Steps, his body whirling against the laws of motion as he suddenly retreated. A flying sword shot past the white wolf king, striking at several burly demon wolves behind it. At the same moment, his dagger flared with light as he stabbed for the wolf king’s heart.

Yet even in the midst of its relentless pursuit, the white wolf king had been on guard. With a howl, it spat a blast of white mist, as sharp as a flying sword.

The sword qi Lin Qingyun unleashed collided with the wolf king’s breath, exploding with a resounding crash.

The white wolf king twisted in midair, briefly hovering as it snapped at Lin Qingyun.

But the clever beast had not anticipated that Lin Qingyun would not even attempt to dodge. As its fangs closed in on his throat, Lin Qingyun simply raised his left arm.

The wolf king’s jaws bit down, but its teeth barely pierced the skin and flesh, unable to sever Lin Qingyun’s arm. By now, Lin Qingyun’s body was nearly as strong as a Soaring Cloud Realm cultivator—how could he be easily maimed?

With a sickening sound, Lin Qingyun’s dagger plunged toward the wolf king’s heart.

To his surprise, the wolf king’s body twisted with the flexibility of willow in the wind; its tail whipped around, intercepting the dagger like a weapon.

The dagger, a high-grade magical artifact, cleaved through half the wolf king’s tail in an instant, empowered by Lin Qingyun’s spiritual force.

Not even pausing to howl in pain, the wolf king curled up and rolled backward, retreating.

Lin Qingyun was just about to give chase when seven or eight demon wolves, each as powerful as a mid-tier Lute Heart Realm cultivator, hurled themselves at him.

A single kick sent one wolf’s skull exploding; a punch shattered another’s bones and organs; a slash of the dagger split a giant wolf in two.

When fighting his peers, Lin Qingyun had to hold back, abiding by various rules. But against these demon beasts, he had no such qualms.

He had hesitated before only to avoid drawing attention, but after being chased for a hundred miles, he now unleashed his full might, killing with thunderous efficiency.

The white wolf king sensed Lin Qingyun’s terrifying power, yet could not bring itself to retreat, for it felt that devouring this human might allow it to break through and become a true demon.

As things stood, it was but a beast king—its clan demon beasts in name only, still at the bottom of the hierarchy.

With a howl, the white wolf king issued its command. More and more demon beasts poured forth, hurling themselves at Lin Qingyun heedless of danger.

Whenever Lin Qingyun tried to pursue the wolf king, it stayed at a safe distance, dodging with uncanny agility. With the constant interference from the surrounding demon beasts, Lin Qingyun found it impossible to land a killing blow.

“Clever, aren’t you? Hoping to exhaust me? A pity you’ve chosen the wrong opponent. Very well, I’ll play your game—kill!”

It was as if a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators and several thousand Qi Refining initiates were besieging a peak Foundation Establishment master. Ordinarily, any cultivator below the Soaring Cloud Realm would be overwhelmed by such an onslaught.

But Lin Qingyun was the exception. His body was nearly at Soaring Cloud strength, his reserves of liquid spiritual energy vast—consumption was no concern. A war of attrition would get them nowhere.

Meanwhile, the wolf king watched for its chance, hoping to strike when Lin Qingyun finally wearied.

At the entrance, tens of thousands of avian demons filled the sky, divided into several domains. Two peerless beings ruled one sector, while the other three were commanded by overlords on par with Zhu Yan.

All eyes were on the vortex of the passage. Unlike those outside who could see the tribulation clouds dissipate, these beings relied on sensing whether lightning or earthfire energies still seeped through.

A monstrous roar split the air as a terrifying creature called Zheng sent hundreds of demon beasts charging toward the vortex.

A cry rang out, part feline, part tiger—a nine-tailed lynx, its five true tails joined by four more of condensed power. Should it ever form nine true tails, it would be an unrivaled force.

With its command, thousands more demon beasts surged forth.

A dragon’s roar, cold as winter, echoed next—a frost flood dragon, its entire body radiating chill, seventeen or eighteen meters long, gave its own order.

One after another, the demon beasts charged forward.

But the moment they crossed the threshold—whether massive and powerful, stealthy, or winged—they were all hurled back. Some were merely repulsed, others’ bodies exploded outright.

The overlords of this miniature world interrogated their surviving underlings, demanding answers.

Yet the demon beasts and clans were baffled. They had simply charged out, felt nothing, and were sent flying back.

Unwilling to accept defeat, the overlords commanded again—tens of thousands of demon beasts and clans rushed the passage.

“Ready?” On the other side, Nangong Aoshi, the Desert Wind King, spoke as he watched the passage. He could not enter himself, but he could see what unfolded on the other side. As the demon horde surged, he told Nangong Lingyue to prepare.

“We’ll strike together this time; use whatever means you wish.”

Previously, Nangong Aoshi had single-handedly repelled all demon beasts and clans attempting to break through. But with such numbers now, and with his daughter to send in, he called for everyone’s assistance.

With his order, the cultivators unleashed their power. Some obliterated the invaders on the spot; others blasted them back through the passage.

Nangong Aoshi, simultaneously fending off the onslaught, seized a unicorn-like demon beast over a dozen meters long, slew it, and tore open its belly.

Nangong Lingyue, perfectly attuned to her father, slipped inside the carcass.

“Kill!” In that instant, the Desert Wind King unleashed a raging hurricane. Countless demon beasts exploded, thousands more were swept back through the passage.

Not only that, Nangong Aoshi infused traces of his soul into some of the returning demon clans, making it seem as if the shockwaves of his spirit had slain or grievously wounded them.

In such a miniature world, had it not been for that earlier special occurrence, Nangong Aoshi alone could have suppressed everything at the passage.

Thunder resounded, beasts hurtled back or exploded upon return, some streaking like meteors for dozens of miles.

The nine-tailed lynx, Zheng, the frost flood dragon—all these overlords wore expressions of terror. Even the faintest remnant of soul force clinging to the ruined demon beasts horrified them.

It was as if ants had glimpsed the might of an elephant. They sensed the threshold of the Great Demon Realm, yet even that was no higher than the Radiant Sun Realm.

Nangong Aoshi, the Desert Wind King, was a superlative existence who had surpassed the Radiant Sun Realm—a feudal king among the Lords of China, one of the supreme powers of the age. Under his deliberate intimidation, the nine-tailed lynx, Zheng, and the frost flood dragon were all cowed.

Yet their fear was mixed with burning greed and unwillingness.

Like Zhu Yan before them, these overlords had long since reached the limits of this miniature world. Once, there was no hope of advancement, the world’s laws suppressing them, but now everything had changed.

Though they could not calculate the passage’s cycle as precisely as Feng Shouyi, they sensed that the gateway would not remain open forever. Like Zhu Yan, they possessed the strength and cultivation to break through, but had been shackled by the world’s rules. Now, with hope in sight, they were driven to madness.

Fear quelled them for a moment, but longing drove them to frenzy.

What began as a gathering of a few demon beasts and clans now became an overwhelming surge as all the denizens of the miniature world converged on the passage, more and more attempting to break through.

Clearly, both Desert Wind King Nangong Aoshi and Minister Feng and General Qin were all too familiar with this phenomenon. The reactions triggered by opening a miniature world were nothing new to them.

Otherwise, Nangong Aoshi would have already intimidated the overlords into handing over Lin Qingyun.

But now, the demons were driven mad—like mortal emperors who, after ruling for countless years and facing death, finally discover the hope of immortality; they would stop at nothing to seize it.

Amidst this frenzy, the unicorn beast blasted furthest from the passage staggered to its feet, dazed and battered, uncertain of direction. Summoned demon beasts ignored it, for its body was nearly shattered and it teetered on the brink of death, left to stumble away alone.