The eyes of the Qiluo people were exceptionally strange. Lin Yun had seen the dead ones before—their eyes were azure blue, like gemstones. But the Qiluo he was facing now was different from the others. This Qiluo leader also had no pupils, but within its eyes were strange, intricate patterns, like some kind of inscription. The moment you met its gaze, you felt yourself being pulled by a mysterious force into an endless abyss.
A sensation of falling from a great height washed over him, and for a moment, even Lin Yun stumbled. If Fang Yu'er hadn't been there to steady him, there was no telling what might have happened.
Seeing Lin Yun nearly fall, Fang Yu'er also realized the problem. She had witnessed his abilities before; the man's willpower was incredibly firm, almost indomitable. Yet, at this moment, it had been neutralized by his opponent's unique power. This was proof enough that the threat of these Qiluo was immense; they absolutely could not underestimate their influence.
Lin Yun, of course, knew what he had to say. "These creatures are more troublesome than either of us thought. They possess a powerful psychic energy. They can even control us."
Although this was all his own speculation, the most crucial part was that the instant he met the Qiluo's gaze, he had been able to see their panels. Unfortunately, their eyes possessed such a strong control ability that he couldn't focus his attention long enough to read them. So, even though he could see their panels, the information he received was fragmented.
He could, however, confirm one thing: the Qiluo were a collective, like a swarm of bees. All commands were issued by a "Queen Bee," and the countless Qiluo like the leader before him acted as nodes to transmit those messages.
A moment ago, the Qiluo had been supremely confident, ready to annihilate all the Crimson Ghost Sect disciples. But with the appearance of Lin Yun's group, the situation had changed. What's more, Cao Yuzhe was actively coordinating with Lin Yun in the fight. This had put the Qiluo in an even more difficult position, and they had made a change almost instantly. It seemed their leader had realized the gravity of the situation and was now directing his people to escape.
Lin Yun, naturally, would not let them slip through his fingers. And Cao Yuzhe, having seen so many of his disciples die, was certainly not about to let these creatures go easily. The two forces clung tightly to the Qiluo's tail, preventing their retreat.
The lead Qiluo finally realized that if it didn't neutralize Lin Yun's group, they would not be able to escape unscathed today. So, it was the first to stop, while behind it, a continuous stream of Qiluo fled toward another part of the tomb.
It had to be said, these Qiluo possessed incredible power, and when combined with their psychic assaults, they were indeed a thorny opponent. They were more than a match for ordinary grunts. But against a true leader-class entity, Lin Yun still had a headache. The one thing he couldn't handle was their psychic assault. Even with advance preparation, he had no real way to counter it.
But this didn't mean he would give up so easily. On the contrary, in this moment, he was fully prepared.
"I don't care what you creatures are. It's still not enough to defeat me," Lin Yun said, his chin held high with confidence. He knew that against these Qiluo, his advantages were not as obvious as he'd like. But the moment he expanded his killing intent domain, he also closed his eyes.
As long as he didn't meet their gaze, their psychic attacks couldn't affect him. And though he couldn't see their panels, within his killing intent domain, the Qiluo also materialized their own killing intent. This allowed Lin Yun to easily pinpoint their locations.
Before, many of the Crimson Ghost Sect disciples had opposed Cao Yuzhe's alliance. But now that they had the upper hand, they said nothing more. It was just as Lin Yun had said before: if you want to live, this is the only way. The lone Qiluo that had stayed behind, however, still made them worried.
But Lin Yun had no intention of wasting any more words on it. He charged forward like a meteor. If he wanted to figure out the origin of these creatures, he couldn't possibly give up now.
He quickly closed the distance. His attacks were sharp and precise, as if he could see through the Qiluo's every move. Each strike forced the leader onto the defensive, as if facing a great enemy. The Qiluo quickly realized that Lin Yun was not as easy to deal with as it had thought. It had originally planned to finish him off quickly, but now, it knew that such a thought was far too naive.
The creature quickly made its choice: it would sacrifice itself to ensure the others behind it could escape successfully.
Lin Yun sneered in his heart. Although he hadn't anticipated this exact move, he had prepared for it. Just as the Qiluo was about to sacrifice itself to hold him back, Lin Yun revealed another technique. He easily blocked the creature's desperate assault. At the same time, his other hand rested on his sword casket.
At this moment, the Qiluo had no idea what was about to happen, still naively thinking it could hold off Lin Yun by itself and preserve the main force.
But in the next instant, it saw ten thousand streams of sword Qi erupt from Lin Yun's hand, their target not it, but the fleeing Qiluo.
The lead Qiluo was instantly thrown into a panic. It desperately wanted to block Lin Yun's attack. But Lin Yun, having seen through its every thought, how could he possibly give it such an opportunity?
With three swords as the core, a torrent of ten thousand streams of sword Qi instantly pierced through the retreating Qiluo.
Screams and wails echoed endlessly in that moment. Even these lowest-ranking Qiluo possessed a sense of pain. Lin Yun had originally thought they were a type of puppet. But now, it seemed there was a difference. The existence of these creatures was indeed quite special.