Boom! Boom! Boom!
With the marketplace formation shattered, the demonic army stormed in, wantonly slaughtering and burning everything in sight. They devoured cultivators' flesh and blood on the spot or absorbed the negative emotions released by the terrified crowds to refine their demonic arts.
Many people didn't even have time to flee. Once caught, they became resources for the demons' cultivation breakthroughs.
Some, if one could call it "lucky" or "unlucky," weren't killed on the spot, but were captured alive intended to be brought back, corrupted by demonic energy, and twisted into puppets.
A fate worse than death!
Amidst the continuous rumble and screams behind him, Li Ye's gaze was cold and composed.
Though he deeply loathed what the demons were doing, facing such terrifying enemies, even he could barely guarantee his own survival how could he possibly afford to intervene?
If one day he grew strong enough, perhaps then he could resist the demonic tide. But for now, his only priority was staying alive.
The first wave of escapees had begun to scatter. From what his released gu insects had observed, no one seemed to be pursuing him specifically.
He immediately tossed out a second-grade Windwalking Talisman drawn on beast-hide. As the talisman activated, a gust of wind enveloped him, dramatically boosting his speed as he surged far ahead of the other fleeing cultivators.
At that moment, his speed nearly matched that of a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator.
But before he could get far just two mountain ridges awaya large net suddenly shot out from the forest nearby, aiming straight for his head.
The timing was flawless.
Even with the enhanced speed granted by the talisman, Li Ye's spiritual sense barely picked up the threat just moments before it struck.
He sharply dropped in midair, narrowly avoiding the full hit, though the edge of the net still tore his robes and bamboo hat. A protective charm activated just in time, allowing him to narrowly escape.
But right then, a heavy bronze hammer flew upward, angling perfectly with his dodge trajectory coming at him from below!
This time, he couldn't avoid it.
His blood surged. Under his robe, his skin took on a dense, ivory hue. Though the protective charm's barrier shattered instantly, the hammer struck him square in the chest and abdomen, sending him crashing down into the forest below.
"Hahaha! Big brother, I recognize this guy he's the stationed alchemist at the Zimo Forest marketplace. No wonder he had a second-grade escape talisman… Looks like we caught ourselves a big fish!"
"Worth the risk we took setting up this ambush, waiting for survivors escaping the city!"
Voices of surprise and glee echoed out. Li Ye's brows furrowed, his expression turning grim.
The sudden demon invasion had already thrown all his plans into chaos. Now he had to flee in disgrace, and on top of that, he'd just run into a group of scavenging bandits who knew about the attack beforehand and were lying in wait to rob escaping cultivators.
Even though that earlier strike hadn't injured him…
The way things were unfolding had truly ignited a fire in his heart!
He stood up at once, stomped down, and retreated a step in a flash dodging the follow-up attempt to net him again.
With a glance, he spotted two burly men looking quite similar closing in from both sides.
"Kid! You've run into the Huo brothers. Better give up now and hand over everything you've got!"
One was mid-stage Qi Refining, the other late-stage...
They seemed to have some physical cultivation, but their blood and qi levels weren't nearly as strong as his...
A cold glint flashed in Li Ye's eyes. Without hesitation, he flung out a Sunfire Fireball Talisman, aiming straight for the younger brother who had just spoken.
At the same time, his Blackwood Sword turned into a streak of black light and shot toward the more composed older brother.
His skin transformed again into that dense ivory tone hard yet flexible, brimming with raw power as he charged forward like a rampaging elephant!
"Hmph! Just a measly fireball talisman… wait, something's off!"
The younger Huo brother, wielding a high-grade copper hammer, struck out to smash the fireball.
But as it got close, the blazing heat far exceeded what a normal fireball talisman should emit. His face immediately changed.
Boom!
A wave of orange-red flames exploded outward, blowing away the spiritual energy imbued in the copper hammer and knocking it to the side with scalding heat.
Just as the elder Huo brother moved to assist, the Blackwood Sword slashed toward him, forcing him to dodge and defend missing the crucial opportunity.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At that moment, Li Ye charged forward with the force of a rampaging elephant.
The younger Huo brother was still scrambling to retrieve his bronze hammer but had no time to react before Li Ye slammed into him with brutal, ferocious force.
Crack!
The sound of bones shattering echoed instantly. The younger Huo brother flew backward like a broken sack, blood gushing from his mouth, smashing into a large tree before collapsing to the ground his fate uncertain.
"Second Brother!"
"You dare kill my brother?! You're dead meat!"
The elder Huo brother's eyes turned blood-red in an instant. He flung his net at Li Ye while hurling a high-grade golden brick in the same breath. At the same time, he pulled out a stack of talismans and scattered them like falling petals, activating them all at once.
Li Ye's expression remained unchanged.
He summoned the Radiant Pearl, pouring spiritual power into it to create a glowing barrier. Then, with a wave of his hand, he forcefully pulled the heavy bronze hammer lying nearby into his grip.
Whoosh
The Blackwood Sword streaked through the air, tangling with the incoming net, and both fell to the side.
As for the flurry of talismans, with his level-two expertise, Li Ye could identify each with just a glance.
One was a high-grade Fire Serpent Talisman, while the rest were all of the mid or low-grade.
After being absorbed by the Radiant Pearl's barrier, they posed no real threat, especially considering his current ivory-hardened skin could likely tank them unaided.
But why bother blocking at all?
Shielded by the glowing barrier, Li Ye kicked off the ground and retreated at high speed.
Though the Elephant Armor Force Technique wasn't known for agility, its explosive strength allowed him to burst forth with surprising speed.
Ice spikes, wind blades, and other spells all missed their mark. Only the agile fire serpent managed to follow.
Li Ye turned and flung the Radiant Pearl to intercept the blazing serpent, while the golden brick came crashing down from above.
He didn't flinch.
His blood surged, and with a mighty swing, he smashed the bronze hammer into the incoming brick.
Clang!
The two heavy weapons collided with a burst of sparks and a muffled boom.
The golden brick was sent flying backward, and the force nearly knocked the hammer from Li Ye's grip.
Seeing this opening, the elder Huo brother pulled out a mid-grade magic sword and prepared to strike.
But just then a faint, high-pitched buzzing echoed in his ears.
Unbeknownst to him, dozens of tiny, jet-black insects with a metallic sheen had crawled onto him and were now gnawing at his flesh, boring into his body!
The searing, bone-piercing agony brought him to the ground, howling and thrashing, desperately trying to swat the bugs away.
But how could he possibly stop the ones already inside him?
In just moments, the pain twisted his face into a grimace before freezing entirely. His body burst open, blood gushing everywhere dead on the spot.
Bzzzz
One by one, the Iron-Eating Gu crawled out of the corpse and flew back into a jade vial in Li Ye's hand.
"This Gu is truly effective for ambushes. If I had more of them, even head-on battles wouldn't be a problem…"
Li Ye commented with satisfaction.
He thoroughly looted the Huo brothers' corpses, then tossed out a fireball talisman to destroy the bodies completely.
In the distance, new demonic movements seemed to stir in the already-fallen marketplace.
Li Ye glanced in that direction, then used another Windwalking Talisman and vanished without a backward glance.
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