Ying Yuankai trembled as he spoke, "He mentioned Qing Yue Elder! Could it be that Le Shimei is in the woods?!"
The male disciples behind him shouted angrily, "What shimei?! Run! Why are you just standing there?!"
Ying Yuankai was still hesitating when several male disciples grabbed him and flew off. Just then, the Great Demon burst into laughter again and said in a deep voice, "So many little mice hiding outside? Might as well all come over and entertain me!"
Everyone felt as if an invisible, enormous hand had seized them. Thick, domineering Demon Qi tightly bound them, leaving no room for resistance. Dizzy and disoriented, they were all dragged into the woods by the Demon Qi and thrown violently onto the ground.
Li Fei was in excruciating pain, struggling for a long time before she could barely prop herself up. Across from her stood a monstrous creature several zhang tall, resembling an ape. Its golden eyes gleamed with intelligence, and its body was covered in shimmering white fur from head to calves—except for its long, large feet, which were fiery red.
What was this? An ape demon?
The disciples lay scattered across the clearing, groaning in pain. Opposite the monster sat a woman as serene and elegant as an orchid—Le Cailing. She paid no attention to the others, her gaze fixed solely on the ape-like monster. On her lap rested a peculiar-looking guqin, seemingly carved from some creature's bones, with five blood-red strings that produced a chilling melody.
The guqin's sharp notes played several more dissonant segments, neither song nor tune, only evoking a sense of desolation and coldness. The ape demon seemed annoyed. With a single slap of its massive palm on the ground, the earth trembled violently, sending dust flying everywhere. Yet Le Cailing remained seated calmly, her slender fingers lightly plucking the strings. Waves of music flowed like a tide, parting the dust three zhang in front of her, leaving her untouched.
By now, the other disciples had managed to struggle to their feet. Upon seeing the monster clearly, they instinctively huddled together. Li Fei silently cast multiple Bronze Wall Techniques and Invisibility Spells, shielding everyone.
When Ying Yuankai spotted Le Cailing, he immediately exclaimed softly, "It really is Le Shimei!"
The male disciples behind him snapped, "This is all because you were so slow! Now look what's happened!"
Ying Yuankai retorted angrily, "She's our fellow disciple! How can we just abandon her?!"
The others shook their heads and sighed. "Even if she is, so what? How are we supposed to save her? There's no way we can take this thing on together! If this girl wants to fight it alone and die, should we just join her in death? Let's find the right moment to retreat!"
As the male disciples argued incessantly, Su Wan quietly tugged at Li Fei's sleeve and whispered, "That's the Ferocious Beast Zhu Yan. There's no way the few of us can handle it."
Even this usually fearless girl was backing down for the first time ever.
Li Fei had heard of Zhu Yan—a legendary Ferocious Beast that brought calamity. Though not as infamous as Taowu, it was still an incredibly formidable creature. Against it, perhaps twenty disciples working together might stand a chance, but with just a few of them, it would be suicide.
Ying Yuankai clearly understood the disparity. Though unwilling, he knew that life was more important than beauty. No one knew why Le Cailing had sought out Zhu Yan alone, but none of them wanted to be dragged into this magical combat.
They began retreating quietly, preparing to flee on their clouds, when Zhu Yan suddenly laughed coldly, "You think you can leave after coming here?"Everyone suddenly felt something binding them again, their bodies involuntarily being pulled back. Zhu Yan let out a surprised "Huh?" and with a swift grab, caught Li Fei before she could dodge. He squeezed her tightly, causing her chest to churn with pain as her qi and blood roiled. Unable to bear it, she cried out in agony.
Her vision blurred as Zhu Yan's massive face appeared before her, his golden eyes studying her intently before he murmured, "How strange. What are you?"
Li Fei shut her eyes and refused to answer. Enduring the excruciating pain, she forcefully channeled her spiritual energy. Suddenly, countless golden spikes erupted from her body, piercing deep into his palm. Howling in pain, Zhu Yan released her immediately. Seizing the moment, Li Fei summoned her white cloud. The shrill sound of the bamboo whistle rang out once more as a dazzling flying sword came whistling toward them. It feinted before Zhu Yan, shaving off a patch of his pristine white fur. Using this opening, Li Fei swiftly glided dozens of zhang away, her clothes instantly drenched in cold sweat.
This Ferocious Beast was terrifyingly powerful!
Zhu Yan chuckled darkly, eyeing the flying sword dancing around him. "Now this is interesting!"
With a sudden motion, he effortlessly snatched the sword out of the air. Lei Xiuyuan immediately withdrew his technique, causing the blade to dissolve into golden light and vanish between Zhu Yan's fingers. Seemingly displeased, the beast fixed his golden gaze on Lei Xiuyuan, then glanced back at Li Fei before suddenly pounding the ground in laughter. Without warning, he lunged forward, his massive body hurtling toward Lei Xiuyuan.
Lei Xiuyuan transformed into a streak of golden light, but the sharp whistle of wind above warned him of the incoming strike. He rolled aside just as Zhu Yan's enormous palm slammed down with a thunderous crash, shattering multiple layers of the Bronze Wall Technique. The sheer force sent Lei Xiuyuan skidding over a dozen zhang away. He landed in a crouch, his back streaked with blood—Zhu Yan had still managed to wound him.
Li Fei threw out a Healing Net while Deng Xiguang and Su Wan rushed to assist. Vines lashed out, and fiery dragons and lotuses surged forward, forcing Zhu Yan back several steps.
Su Wan, noticing Ying Yuankai and the others standing dumbstruck, snapped in fury, "Are you all just going to stand there?! Cowards!"
Ying Yuankai flushed with shame. Seeing Zhu Yan relentlessly pursuing Lei Xiuyuan, he suddenly roared, channeling all his spiritual energy to summon a translucent barrier half a man's height. Caught off guard, Zhu Yan tripped over it, and with another deafening crash, the barrier shattered into dust. The beast's massive body tumbled far back.
The group immediately unleashed Wood Element Immortal Techniques—entangling vines—while golden arrow rain and fire lotuses were hurled without restraint, as if spiritual energy was limitless. Zhu Yan's snowy fur was scorched in large patches, the agony driving him into a frenzy. With an enraged bellow, he turned and charged again. Li Fei summoned another barrier, this time mid-air. Unaware, Zhu Yan crashed headfirst into it and staggered back once more.
Lei Xiuyuan had already summoned his Mystic Sword. It shot forth like lightning, piercing one of Zhu Yan's eyes before emerging from the other. Blood poured down the beast's face as he howled in agony. At that moment, Le Cailing began playing her qin nearby. Her music was hauntingly cold and sharp, infused with Immortal Technique, grating on everyone's nerves.
Ying Yuankai shouted urgently, "Junior Sister Le! Stop playing! Zhu Yan is blinded—come help us finish him off!"She seemed oblivious, her fingertips trembling slightly as a sharp, high-pitched note suddenly burst forth. Deng Xiguang, still weak from his recent injuries, immediately bled from his ears and nose under the assault of that piercing sound. The other disciples also suffered immensely, yet no matter what they said to her, it was as if she couldn’t hear them. The music flowed relentlessly, sharp as blades and piercing as spears. Zhu Yan, bewildered by the melody, spun in place, his snow-white fur being shaved off strand by strand, falling like snowflakes.
Suddenly, Zhu Yan snapped back to his senses. His eyes had been blinded, and his mind was wracked with unbearable pain, his fury indescribable. This time, instead of charging, he slammed his palm into the ground with tremendous force. The earth cracked instantly, and a dozen trees as thick as three men embracing were uprooted effortlessly, hurled toward the group like mere toothpicks.
Everyone scattered to evade, but the maddening music continued to harass them, disrupting the flow of their spiritual energy. Li Fei suddenly soared on a cloud, landing beside Le Cailing. Without a word, she kicked the qin away.
Le Cailing’s face was frosty as she stared at Li Fei, her gaze razor-sharp.
Li Fei snapped, “If you won’t help, at least don’t sabotage us!”
Le Cailing retorted coldly, “Zhu Yan was mine to hunt alone. Who asked you to interfere?”
“Now that we’re involved, what’s the point of saying that?” Li Fei met her gaze unflinchingly. “This isn’t just your fight anymore!”
After a long, tense standoff, Le Cailing turned to retrieve her qin, clearly intending to leave. The disciples were outraged—how could the instigator abandon them in the midst of battle?
Lei Xiuyuan descended in a flash of golden light behind her and unceremoniously grabbed the back of her collar. “You lured this beast here,” he said coolly. “And now you think you can just walk away?”
Le Cailing, who had never been treated so rudely—especially by a man—flared with rage. “Let go!” she spat.
The moment the words left her lips, her face drained of color, and she froze in shock.
Lei Xiuyuan was about to leave when he sensed movement behind him. He dodged just as Le Cailing struck out with her palm. While Zhu Yan was still rampaging, this girl had turned her fury on her own allies.
Li Fei intercepted the blow. “Have you lost your mind? Attacking your own sect members!”
Le Cailing’s voice was icy. “This scoundrel has ruined my cultivation! This is an unforgivable offense! Step aside!”
Su Wan, too, was incensed. “What nonsense is this? Would you dare say such things in front of Qing Yue Elder?”
Le Cailing trembled with emotion, her voice breaking between laughter and tears. “In front of Master? In front of Master, I’d kill him even faster! The third level of my Melodic Immortal Technique required three years of silence toward men! And now, in one moment, he’s destroyed it all! Could any of you bear such a thing?”
Li Fei gasped. Ruined her cultivation? So her refusal to speak to male disciples was part of her Melodic Immortal Technique training?
“What happens if the technique is broken?” she murmured. “Does she lose all her cultivation?”
Ultimately, it was Le Cailing who had lost control and spoken. Her earlier actions had been infuriating, and Lei Xiuyuan had merely done what everyone else wanted to. But a broken technique sounded serious—what if she lost all her cultivation? That would be disastrous. And how would they explain this to Qing Yue Elder?Lei Xiuyuan glanced at Le Cailing: "At most, you'll need to retrain for three years. It's not as severe as having your techniques completely destroyed."
Le Cailing's face turned livid with anger: "Three years isn't time? Can you give me back those three years?"
As the commotion continued, Zhu Yan, who had been blinded, suddenly stopped moving and became eerily quiet. The half-dead disciples immediately grew wary, gathering together once more. Even Le Cailing had no choice but to stand with them, seething with resentment.
Ying Yuankai and Li Fei erected the Bronze Wall Technique, while everyone else formed hand seals to summon their white clouds, ready to flee at the first sign of danger.
Zhu Yan slowly raised his head, blood streaming from his eyes. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and let out a long, mournful howl. The piercing sound nearly shattered everyone's eardrums—covering their ears did nothing. Their spiritual energy refused to circulate, leaving them in agony. The howl lasted for what felt like half a cup of tea's time, until Deng Xiguang collapsed, the first to faint from the strain.
The disciples were already pale from the howl, and now they found themselves unable to summon their clouds to escape. Their spiritual energy was completely immobilized. The surrounding miasma and demon qi surged like a tidal wave, scattering their energy in the blink of an eye.
This sensation was all too familiar to Li Fei. The Academy's restricted area was precisely like this—so dense with miasma that no Immortal Techniques could be used. But here and now, the miasma was countless times more potent. The sudden, overwhelming miasma acted like an invisible giant hand, pressing most of the disciples to the ground before they could even utter a sound, knocking them unconscious instantly.
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