Chapter 79

At the headquarters of the Asura Sect, a hundred peaks stood tall, connected by suspension bridges. Every ten peaks formed a cohesive unit, dividing the area into ten major zones. From an aerial view, one could see that the outer seven zones formed a circle, while the inner three zones stood in a triangular formation, like stars surrounding the moon, guarding the center. These inner three zones were the core areas where the inner disciples resided, the heart of the sect's power.

The outer disciples focused on training and development, but the inner core disciples were the ones who emphasized combat strength, intimidating smaller sects or handling the Asura Sect's disciplinary matters. Almost all such tasks were carried out by the inner core disciples.

In one of the three core zones, a young girl sat cross-legged on a peak, her body pulsating with a powerful aura. The robust energy continuously refined her muscles and bones. She looked to be in her early twenties, and the surging energy within her indicated that she had reached the tenth level of the Body Tempering stage. Just one more step, and she would reach the Meridian Unblocking stage, transitioning from external to internal cultivation, beginning to unblock her meridians.

"Damn it!!" A voice filled with anger suddenly echoed from a nearby room. Hearing this, the girl quickly opened her eyes, her figure flashing as she ran into the adjacent room.

Inside the room, a young man's face was contorted with intense anger and a murderous intent. He also appeared to be in his early twenties, and a terrifying killing aura emanated from him. The girl, at the tenth level of the Body Tempering stage, could barely stand steady next to him. Her delicate face showed shock. "Master, what happened?"

Official disciples of the Asura Sect were entitled to have a personal attendant to take care of their daily needs, allowing them to focus on cultivation. This girl, at the tenth level of the Body Tempering stage, was merely a servant to another disciple?

"The longevity lamp has gone out," the young man said, his face cold and his eyes filled with a chilling murderous intent.

Turning his gaze, he saw that the oil lamp on the table, which had always been lit, had indeed gone out. The longevity lamp was a special magical tool that could be linked to a person's life. Once the linked person died, the lamp would extinguish.

"Master Ming!" The girl's face paled as she looked at the extinguished longevity lamp.

"Go and investigate. Find out who Master Ming has met and what he has done in the past few days. No matter who the murderer is, I will make sure they have no place to hide!" His eyes glinted with a fierce light, and the girl nodded solemnly before turning to leave.

As the demonic beasts of the three major clans rampaged, hundreds of disciples fled in panic. Zhuge Xiang and his group also had to escape. However, Zhuge Xiang suddenly spoke up, "Everyone, listen to me. I remember there's a river about 150 miles into the forest that runs directly through the heart of the Wolf Clan's territory. With the demonic beasts of the three clans in full rebellion, we might have a chance to delve deeper into their territory."

Zhuge Xiang's suggestion made Zhang Kuang and the others stare at him. At this moment, seeing the demonic beasts in rebellion, their first thought was to escape. But he was thinking of raiding the heart of the demonic beasts' territory while they were vulnerable?

"This idea is not bad. The sudden increase in the Wolf Clan's numbers is indeed unusual. It seems to have grown rapidly in a short time. Perhaps by delving into the most sensitive area of the Wolf Clan, we can uncover the reason," Lu Yuling nodded, her expression thoughtful.

The Asura Sect could tolerate about 20,000 wolves, but once this limit was exceeded, they would be culled. However, this wolf pack numbered over 50,000, far exceeding the limit. How had this not been noticed before?

The additional 30,000 wolves would take at least ten years to breed, even with the abundant spiritual energy in the Endless Mountains. It was not easy for ordinary wolves to become demonic wolves, and it was impossible for the issue of the wolf population to go unnoticed for ten years. Therefore, it could only be that the number of demonic wolves had increased rapidly in a short time.

Since Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling agreed, Niu Geng and Hua Nongying naturally had no objections. Zi Xiang looked at Zhuge Xiang. Although the opportunity was rare with the demonic wolves' rear defenses weakened, the danger of the journey was evident. After a moment's thought, Zi Xiang gritted her teeth and said to Zhuge Xiang, "If you all go, I can't stay behind. Besides, our lives are linked. If anything happens to you, hiding in the sect's headquarters won't help."

Zi Xiang's words clearly referred to the life-bound charm, but Niu Geng and Lu Yuling looked at Zhuge Xiang and Zi Xiang with surprise, not understanding their relationship. Especially Lu Yuling, who knew Zi Xiang better, but since they did not wish to reveal it, no one pressed for details.

Zhang Kuang's spear trembled, his red hair and eyes filled with defiance, looking very eager. "Ha, your suggestion is excellent."

Clearly, this was not the time for idle chat. After reaching a consensus, they didn't need to consult a map. Zhuge Xiang had already memorized the direction of the river. They turned and ran at an angle toward the river. The demonic beasts of the three clans focused on the large group of disciples, and only five eagles swooped down to intercept Zhuge Xiang and his group.

The eagles diving from thousands of meters high were a formidable sight, but how could Zhuge Xiang and his group be so easily defeated? Although these five eagles were two-star demonic beasts, with the help of the Heart Enlightenment effect, Lu Yuling immediately brought out her mechanical puppet. The bear-shaped puppet stood like a massive shield in front of Zhuge Xiang and the others.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud...

The continuous impact sounds were like small meteorites crashing from thousands of meters high. However, Lu Yuling's mechanical puppet, brought from the Ice Maiden's tomb, was made of materials that these two-star demonic beasts could not damage, even if it couldn't fully utilize its combat power due to ordinary spirit stones.

The eagles collided with the puppet as if hitting a stone mountain. Although the impact forced the puppet back a few steps, the eagles themselves were left dazed.

Zhuge Xiang and the others would not let this opportunity pass. The large puppet's bear paws opened, grabbing the wings of two eagles and slamming them to the ground. The eagles' cries of pain echoed as they were left spinning and unable to fly.

With his spear in hand, Zhang Kuang leaped onto the back of an eagle, ready to strike, but Zhuge Xiang stopped him.

Jumping onto the back of an eagle, Zhuge Xiang grabbed the eagle's neck with one hand and raised his other hand, infusing it with energy. He then struck the eagle's back, causing it to cry out in pain.

"Fly! Follow my instructions!" Sitting on the eagle's back, Zhuge Xiang clamped his legs around the neck and held onto the feathers with one hand, attacking with the other. Despite its struggles, the eagle could not shake him off.

Seeing Zhuge Xiang's actions, Zhang Kuang and the others understood his intent. Taming the eagle was a good idea; having it as a mount would indeed be much more convenient.

The eagle struggled fiercely in the air, but Zhuge Xiang held his ground, continuously attacking. After a moment, the eagle suddenly let out a sharp cry, ignoring Zhuge Xiang on its back. It flapped its massive wings and sped toward a large rock nearby, crashing into it with full force.

"Oh no!" Zhuge Xiang's face changed, and he twisted his body, leaping off the eagle's back and landing steadily on the ground. The eagle, however, crashed into the rock, its brain splattering as it died.

Zhuge Xiang's face turned pale. He had not expected the eagle to prefer death over submission. Was it the eagle's pride that prevented it from yielding, or was the hatred of these demonic beasts toward humans so deep that it surpassed their own lives?

Continuous system prompts sounded, indicating the gain of experience. Seeing that the eagle had chosen to die, Zhang Kuang and the others understood that taming it was impossible. They decisively killed the remaining eagles and continued their escape on foot.

One hundred and fifty miles was not far, but it was not close either. Fortunately, with the effect of Zhuge Xiang's Speed Boots, the entire group's speed increased by 20%, and they quickly escaped the sight of the demonic beasts. After a long day of intermittent travel, they reached the riverbank as night fell, guided by the sound of flowing water.