C15 Crisis!

The tentacle monster's body was cleanly sliced in two, reminiscent of a perfectly cut piece of jade, split by a celestial blade. The lingering dark demon aura around it began to fade away. Lei Boshi was the first to act, eagerly rushing to the creature's side to collect the spoils of war.

"Not bad, we've made quite a haul this time. A General Level Residual Soul, and all of this... this is all money..." Lei Boshi exclaimed with excitement as he harvested parts from the demon's carcass. His aged face quivered with emotion, a sight that made Liu Feng look upon him with some disdain.

The truth was, the most valuable part of a demon was usually its soul. The flesh, especially of a tentacle monster reduced to tatters, was worth far less than the Residual Soul. But what kind of man was Lei Boshi? He was the epitome of thriftiness, never missing an opportunity to benefit from any situation.

Behind him, Qin Wu and Ai Xinran kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, on the lookout for any other demons that might be lurking. They paid no mind to Lei Boshi's scavenging, clearly accustomed to his behavior.

Liu Feng did the same, scouting the area with vigilance. Outside the Verge of Serenity, danger was a constant threat, and the saying was far from an exaggeration. A land that seemed barren and quiet, where not even birds would deign to leave their droppings, could erupt into a violent beast tide without warning.

The beast tide referred to the mass movement or assault of the Demon Tribe across territories, sometimes involving not just one tribe, but several.

"Alright, we're loaded up. Let's head out," Lei Boshi said nonchalantly as he packed the spoils into his waist pouch.

They had barely taken a few steps when a chilling presence enveloped them, fear etching itself onto their faces. Liu Feng was the only one who remained unaffected; his cultivation was too weak to detect the demon's aura.

"Run!" Lei Boshi shouted, but before he could finish, the sky turned ominously dark. A blanket of Shadow Bats swept over, blotting out the sun and plunging the day into night. These creatures typically thrived in darkness, and their sudden emergence was peculiar. Yet, there was no time to ponder this anomaly, as survival was the only thought on everyone's mind.

Swarming Shadow Bats extinguished the hope of survival, casting everyone into an abyss of terror. Minds froze, leaving a void of blankness, and Liu Feng was no exception. Despite the bone-chilling cold, sweat streamed down his face relentlessly.

"Boom!" The heavens roared, dark clouds teeming with infinite arcs of purple lightning, flickering intensely as if heralding the arrival of the Thunder God.

"Thunderstrike—Divine Wrath!" Lei Boshi gazed at the blackened sky, swarmed with Shadow Bats, and with a swift downward motion of his index finger, he summoned the storm!

The thunderclouds formed in an instant, their presence dominating the atmosphere with electrifying might. Lightning, thick as pillars, crashed down from the sky. In a flash, carrying the force of annihilation and wrapped in endless purple light, they shattered the Shadow Bat's veil!

The sky was left painted in strokes of black and purple.

"Plop, plop, plop..." Shadow Bats plummeted like a macabre rain of black droplets, a sight both horrifying and mesmerizing.

"Split up! Head for the Verge of Serenity passageway!" Lei Boshi's lightning had decimated a swath of Shadow Bats, inciting the wrath of the demons and drawing most of them away. In such dire straits, survival hinged on separation.

"Uncle Lei!" Liu Feng called out to Lei Boshi, who was engulfed by the Shadow Bats. As one bat fell to the lightning, another swooped in its place, relentless in their assault.

Lei Boshi, though frugal, was a good man. By drawing away the majority of the demons, he had given Liu Feng cause for concern.

Qin Wu let out a cold laugh. "Move it, kid. Captain Lei can handle this. Don't slow him down." With those words, Qin Wu melded into the shadows and vanished, employing the Shadow Escape once more. The old trickster had fled again!

"Come on." Ai Xinran grabbed Liu Feng, urging him to run.

As they fled, Shadow Bats persisted in their pursuit. Ai Xinran conjured a protective blue Shelter of Water, while Liu Feng seized the moment to unleash a fiery dance.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Endless cascades of fire danced with the dark sky.

Then, the sky returned to its original blue hue.

While running on the road, bracing against endless dangers, Ai Xinran suddenly spoke, "Don't hold it against Qin Wu. He once held back his team, and ultimately, his girlfriend was devoured by a demon while trying to save him. That's why he's changed."

That explains it. No wonder he has such an odd personality, always snapping at me.

"He probably sees in you what he used to be, so..." Ai Xinran trailed off, but Liu Feng got the message and nodded.

"Don't worry. I won't dwell on it."

As they spoke, they had been running for quite some time. However, the sight ahead made Liu Feng's pupils constrict.

A swarm of Shadow Bats had encircled the sky ahead, seemingly in search of the arcanist.

"Get down." Ai Xinran pressed Liu Feng to the ground from behind with her small hand, clearly aware of the impending threat.

A Shadow Bat, wings beating slowly, glided over and hovered directly above Liu Feng and Ai Xinran, frightening Liu Feng to the point where he dared not even breathe.

With a piercing shriek, Shadow Bats from all around started to converge on their location!

Ai Xinran and Liu Feng knew they'd been spotted! This time, they were in deep trouble!

Biting her lip, Ai Xinran looked resolutely at Liu Feng and said, "You run first. I'll hold them off for a bit."

Liu Feng shook his head without hesitation. A flame sparked to life in his hand, offering him a sliver of comfort. "Do you really think I could make it out alone? We're in this together."

This marked Liu Feng's third encounter with a demon.

Fleeing was pointless now; they had to carve a bloody path to survival!

Gods or demons, nothing would stand in their way!

In Liu Feng's spiritual world, the fire element surged wildly, continuously channeling Magicka to him. The fire lady could sense Liu Feng's peril. His blood raced faster, his heart pounding fiercely.

An endless surge of fire Magicka welled up from within his heart. The sky overhead was awash in a deep crimson hue, reminiscent of a dying sunset. It was the flicker of the last candle, feeble and faint, yet it never surrendered! It would battle to the very end, clawing for that sliver of hope, fighting for a future!

"Fire Dance!" Flame Bursts erupted violently, striking the faces of the Shadow Bats, bursting forth in a fierce display!

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!"

The roaring of the flames filled the air. Instead of evading, the Shadow Bats launched into an even more frenzied assault, fearless in the face of death!

The demon world was far more merciless than that of humans. If a military order was as unyielding as a mountain, then the edicts of the top-level demons were as absolute as the heavens!

Among the slave-level demons, the Shadow Bat was the weakest. Their rule of survival was to overwhelm with numbers! They would rather die than yield!