vstars Chapter 83 Combat
Chapter 83 Combat
The words weren't spoken loudly, but everyone in the group listened intently.
Duan Heisi and Miao Wuniang, who were originally walking in the middle, slowed down at the same time. After exchanging a glance, they became alert and reached for their weapons.
Xue Zhen walked in front, and when he heard the outer disciple's words, he first frowned, then sneered, turned around and waved to the group: "Making a fuss over nothing!"
"Isn't it good that there are no monsters here? It means this area has already been cleared out beforehand, making our journey easier."
As soon as Xue Zhen finished speaking, another outer disciple responsible for scouting the way suddenly froze.
He raised his hand and pointed to the dense thicket of bushes on the slope, his fingers trembling.
"Senior Brother Xue! Look there! Over there..."
Xue Zhen walked forward impatiently and glanced in the direction he was pointing.
Then, he froze.
A pair of eyes lit up from the bushes.
It was scarlet, no bigger than a mung bean, nestled among a patch of dark green tangled grass, staring at him intently.
Before Xue Zhen could even warn them, another pair of eyes appeared next to those eyes.
Then came the third pair, the fourth pair, the fifth pair...
Scarlet lights appeared one after another from the bushes, the crevices of the rocks, and the hollows of the dead trees.
Densely packed, layer upon layer.
It stretches from the foot of the mountain all the way up to the mountainside.
The entire hill seemed to have suddenly opened countless eyes, covering the hillside, numbering in the hundreds or thousands.
The entire mountain forest was plunged into a suffocating silence.
"Mountain...mandrill."
The outer disciple who was leading the way finally spoke, but his tone sounded as if someone had choked him.
"They're all mandrills—"
In an instant, the previously lively atmosphere froze completely.
Wu Liang hurriedly pulled out several talismans from his pouch, preparing to fight the enemy.
"How can there be so many..."
His face was filled with terror, and he kept repeating the same sentence.
Duan Heisi's face was cold and stern. He didn't say a word, but just gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
Unconsciously, he stepped back to block Miao Wu Niang.
"Didn't the mission statement say there would be at most a few dozen Yaoshanxiao...?"
Chen Bai gasped.
This was the first time he had ever seen so many demonic beasts appear before him.
A rough count revealed that there were over a thousand of them!
One of the outer disciples suddenly turned around and ran away.
He had barely taken three steps when Xue Zhen grabbed him by the back of his collar.
Anyone who leaves the formation will be killed without exception.
Xue Zhen's voice was as cold as if it had been chilled to the bone.
His face was ashen, the veins on his forehead throbbed, and his eyes betrayed his fear.
But he knew even more that it was probably too late to run away now, and his only hope of survival now rested on Yao Ye.
He tossed the outer disciple back into the group and turned to look at Yao Ye.
"Young master! What should we do next?!"
Yao Ye sat upright on the tiger's back, his face ashen, and did not answer.
Originally, he thought this mission was just a matter of going to the mission location and taking care of a few dozen mountain demons. It was extremely simple, and Yao Ye didn't even need to lift a finger. Xue Zhen, that lackey, would take care of it for him.
However, what he saw before him was a slap in the face.
Dozens of mandrills? Ha! Open your dog eyes and take a good look!
The monsters that appeared before them, covering the entire mountainside, numbered clearly around a thousand! They were impossible to count! Dozens of them were not even a fraction of the number of monsters in front of them, while their side only had a mere dozen or so people.
Ants can kill an elephant.
Even the weakest one-legged mandrill undergoes a qualitative change once it gains numerical superiority. From being as few as a lone wolf or two, no better than a village dog, to forming a beast tide and becoming like a madman, it's hard to believe they are the same kind of monster.
"If we can safely return to our tribe this time, we must find the person who gathered this intelligence!!"
Yao Ye thought through gritted teeth.
The bronze mirror artifact in his hand hummed as he gripped it, its surface reflecting the countless scarlet eyes covering half a hillside. The usual composed smile that had graced his lips was now gone.
"What's the panic!" Yao Ye frowned, lowered his voice, and ordered, "Have someone set up an array. They're just mere mountain demons; what use are they if there are many of them!"
Then, he patted the head of the demon tiger he was riding.
"roar!"
The demonic tiger immediately understood and let out a furious roar.
An invisible sound wave, containing the powerful aura of a ferocious beast lord, spread throughout the area for miles around the mountain range.
Without any hesitation, it unleashed the oppressive aura of a mid-stage Nascent Soul demon beast, attempting to scare away this group of timid mountain demons.
However, after pausing for a moment, the group of mandrills acted out of character, showing no fear whatsoever. Instead, like worker ants in an ant colony, they remained silent, watching the uninvited guests gather in increasing numbers.
The mandrills, one by one, leaped swiftly from the bushes, squeezed out of the cracks in the rocks, and poked their heads out of the holes in the dead trees.
The rows of scarlet eyes closest to the foot of the slope began to move forward. At first, slowly and tentatively, then faster and faster.
The withered branches and pebbles were trampled by countless tiny feet, making a dense rustling sound, like an invisible downpour suddenly pouring onto a pile of dead leaves.
Chen Bai stood on the left side of the group, silently gazing at the distant mountain peaks.
There was no fear or panic on his face.
I've practiced Taoist arts countless times before, and now it's finally time for real combat.
An barely suppressed excitement surfaced in Chen Bai's eyes.
His spiritual sense, comparable to that of the late-stage embryonic breathing realm, instantly enveloped an area of several dozen feet in radius, allowing him to clearly see every blind spot of the mountain demons hiding nearby, in order to prevent any sneak attacks.
"They're here..."
Chen Bai gazed at the swarm of mandrills approaching like a tide in the distance and let out a long breath.
They had already decided in their minds which methods to use to deal with the situation.
"The four mid-stage Nascent Soul beast spirits are one of our trump cards, but it's not advisable to use them for now... A few Taoist techniques combined with magical artifacts are enough to deal with these mountain demons."
Thinking this, he looked at the crowd in front of him.
Surrounded by a group of outer sect disciples, Yao Ye was issuing orders: "Quickly set up the 'Azure Silk Pulling Array' to restrain them!"
Upon hearing this, the four outer disciples dared not delay and immediately summoned their jade cones, which they then used to pin the cones around them.
Just a few breaths later, countless blood-red threads appeared, forming a semi-circular wall of death.
"Wang Yuan, Fang Zheng!"
"Yes, Senior Brother Yao. What are your orders?"
The two who answered were the Lingjian Sect disciples who had previously used Taoist magic to deal with the black-scaled water python.
"You two quickly unleash the 'Ten Thousand Blades Grinding Qi Sword Spell' and attack the area where the demonic beasts are gathered. Don't be stingy with your true qi... Afterwards, retreat together with the others who set up the formation." As Yao Ye spoke, he tossed each of them a "Jade Pearl" from his sleeve. The pearl was filled with spiritual energy and could be used to quickly restore a cultivator's true qi.