Immortal Path Space

Chapter 408: Retreat

Wang Hong had lost track of time while in Space when suddenly he felt a strange sensation, as if his physical body outside was sensing something.

He exited Space and found that dozens of Transmission Talismans were floating around in his quiet chamber, each one touching a small formation in front of him.

With a wave of his hand, one Transmission Talisman flew into his grasp, and Luo Zhongjie's anxious voice echoed from within.

"East Master! The defenses in the north and west sides have collapsed, and the two Golden Core Elders have ordered a retreat!"

He stood up abruptly, pulling all the other Transmission Talismans to him, each one carrying the worried voices of his subordinates.

"East Master! Hurry out! It's getting too late!"

"East Master, others have already started retreating; everyone is waiting outside for you."

"The Demonic Beasts have breached the defenses!"

Wang Hong didn't have time to tidy up his chamber. His figure flashed as he burst through the chamber door.

The city walls were now left unguarded, and many Demonic Beasts were scaling the walls and heading toward them.

"Retreat! All those in the Qi Cultivation stage, cram into the Flying Boats. Those in the Foundation Building stage, use your artifacts to fly. Let's go!"

Wang Hong didn't waste time on idle chatter; he immediately organized the retreat.

They only had three Flying Boats left, and while some in the Qi Cultivation stage had fallen in battle, there were still nearly two thousand people. Crowding into these three Flying Boats exceeded their capacity by tenfold, but no matter how cramped it was inside, it should be faster than trying to escape on foot.

However, in such tight quarters, their combat effectiveness was severely compromised.

The three Flying Boats were already airborne, hovering above. Luo Zhongjie arranged for people to board while forcibly squeezing them in.

Once all those in the Qi Cultivation stage were inside, there was hardly any room to move, even lifting one's feet wouldn't make them fall to the ground.

Maintaining combat effectiveness in such a crowded space was nearly impossible.

The three Flying Boats quickly ascended into the sky, heading in the direction of Qingxu Sect, with over two hundred Foundation Building cultivators surrounding them.

Wang Hong rode on Little Peng's back, flying above the others.

Little Peng flapped its wings gently, keeping pace with the Flying Boats below.

Their departure from the East Zhou Trading Company was slightly delayed due to Wang Hong's presence.

The two senior elders, Gu and Chu, had already led other cultivators in an earlier retreat, leaving a message for him, hoping he would catch up quickly.

"East Master! How about I go back and take care of those small Demonic Beasts behind us? I can just use a few flaps to kill them. All you need to do is reward me with one of those fruits we had last time, the Jade Ginseng Fruit."

Little Peng had been craving the taste of the Jade Ginseng Fruit ever since they last had it and wanted a chance to impress and hopefully get another one.

"Sure, you've improved your endurance. But do you realize there are probably millions of Demonic Beasts behind us? Will you be okay?"

Although their current location wasn't the primary target of the Demonic Beasts, there were still likely hundreds of thousands pursuing them from behind.

Noticing that Little Peng's intellectual level was roughly equivalent to that of a child, Wang Hong added, "Little Peng, there are tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands behind us."

Seeing that even figures like Gu Yuan and Sloppy Old Daoist, both in the Golden Core stage, didn't dare to stay behind and hold the line, but instead chose to follow the group, it was clear how dire the situation was.

Based on recent communications, it seemed that Little Peng had little grasp of such numbers. Wang Hong continued, "Little Peng, go and give it a try, but be careful. If you manage to handle them, I'll reward you with a Jade Ginseng Fruit like last time."

"More numerous than the hairs on your body, and some of them are as strong as Chu Elder. Are you still going?" Little Peng realized it had exaggerated and shrunk its neck.

"Hahaha! I was just joking!"

They continued their flight forward, occasionally encountering flying Demonic Beasts from behind, all of which were swiftly dealt with by Little Peng.

Most of the cultivators defending the third line of defense were in the Qi Cultivation stage, and they had to rely on the Wind Control Technique to keep up with the group on the ground.

With Wang Hong's group's speed, they quickly caught up with the main force ahead.

Sloppy Old Daoist saw Wang Hong and his group approaching and welcomed them.

"Nephew Wang, your timing is perfect. I would like to ask you to help us and do your best to ensure that these Qi Cultivation stage disciples make it back alive."

They were currently in a retreat, not yet in full-scale escape mode. If everyone only looked out for themselves and left these slower Qi Cultivation stage disciples behind, they would surely be killed by the pursuing Demonic Beasts.

Wang Hong agreed, as he didn't want to see these lower-tier disciples perish at the hands of the Demonic Beasts if he had the ability to help.

They then slowed down to match the pace of the main force.

They still had several days of travel ahead to reach Azure Void City. After a full day of continuous travel, even Foundation Building cultivators couldn't endure it. As they stopped to rest, they immediately went into meditation to recover.

The cramped Flying Boats held two thousand Qi Cultivation cultivators, and this rest allowed them all to stretch their limbs.

The other cultivators in the vicinity were perplexed by the peculiar sight of people intermittently coming out of these relatively small Flying Boats. They couldn't fathom how these boats could accommodate so many individuals.

After a brief rest, during which they only managed to recover some of their Spiritual Power, they set off again. Time was of the essence, and they couldn't afford any delays.

After several days of continuous travel, they were now nearing Azure Void City. They encountered more and more Demonic Beasts along the way.

Suddenly, a violent surge of Spiritual Qi ahead of them grew stronger and closer. There seemed to be a large-scale battle occurring in the direction of Azure Void City.

"Everyone, accelerate!" Gu Yuan shouted, and everyone rushed toward the source of the disturbance.

Wang Hong, riding Little Peng, led the way, and soon they arrived at the battlefield. There, a group of cultivators was being pursued by Demonic Beasts. This group consisted of approximately three to five hundred Foundation Building cultivators.

The Demonic Beasts behind them were numerous and formidable, and they had already encircled the group, forcing them to fight desperately to break free.

Wang Hong could see that many of these Foundation Building cultivators were covered in blood, indicating that they had been in a fierce battle for a long time.

Among them, there was only one Golden Core cultivator, who appeared severely injured but was still bravely fending off attacks from two third-tier Demonic Beasts.

Without hesitation, Wang Hong joined the battle on Little Peng's back, while Gu Yuan and Sloppy Old Daoist also charged forward.

In the midst of the encirclement, a robed cultivator with torn clothes exhibited a numb expression as he squeezed out his last reserves of Spiritual Power. He struggled to control a trident, which he swung towards one of the Demonic Beasts.

The trident emitted a faint blue lightning, but perhaps due to exhaustion, it only managed to strike one of the third-tier Demonic Beast's front limbs.

While it didn't land a fatal blow, the lightning on the trident still numbed the entire body of the third-tier Demonic Beast, causing it to lose control of its bodily functions.

[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]