The flames of the spell in Li Qiuyang's hand surged fiercely, like a streak of light, smashing straight toward that person's head. This person's full attention was fixed on the Xiao Family crowd ahead, and he suddenly felt all the hairs on his body stand up, hastily turning around.

"You damned scoundrel!"

This devil cultivator saw the fire technique arriving before him in an instant, and hurriedly switched hand seals to block the spell. This man was experienced, with a powerful cultivation technique, and actually managed to forcibly gather his scattered mana and cast a defensive spell.

But the Xiao Family members behind him gave him no chance; they flicked their magic artifacts and shouted:

"Shake six, move three Qian! Advance position for attack! Re-form the array!"

The golden light, long accumulated in his hand, burst forth mightily, and the mana supplied by several Fetal Breathing cultivators in the rear flowed in endlessly, making the spell in his hand shine even brighter, transforming into a rhombic golden blade that flew at him like the wind.

"Goddamn it!"

An ordinary Qi cultivator, caught in this pincer attack, would surely lose his life, but this devil cultivator was no ordinary foe. Blood light burst from his body, and a small red shield appeared on his back.

"Bang!"

The devil cultivator raised his great axe high, blood light swirling, and with one swing shattered Li Qiuyang's spell into pieces. But the golden blade from behind reached his back.

The small shield blocked for only a heartbeat before disappearing completely in the face of the dazzling golden light. Though brief, it let the cultivator shift his position just enough to avoid a vital spot.

There was a squelching sound, blood light flashing. The devil cultivator was almost cleaved in half at the waist, from his left shoulder down to his left hip, leaving only most of his left leg. A mass of viscera tumbled out in a glistening heap.

The devil cultivator bared his teeth and cursed, weaving a spell in his hand. The severed flesh in the air turned into a cloud of blood mist before it could touch the ground, swirling like a whirlwind, gathering up the remainder of his body and spiraling off into the depths of the alley.

Li Qiuyang had never seen a devil cultivator before; seeing such a badly wounded foe vanish in the blink of an eye, he was stunned and blurted out:

"He can escape like that? He can survive that?"

"Qiuyang!"

The Xiao Family cultivator at the front had already dispersed the small array, hurrying toward him gratefully and said:

"Many thanks, Qiuyang, for your help!"

"It's nothing!"

Li Qiuyang replied, still a bit dazed. The devil cultivator's methods seemed miraculous; he shook his head in disbelief:

"Just let him get away like that!"

Seeing Li Qiuyang still shocked by the man's methods, the Xiao Family cultivator offered a bitter smile and whispered:

"Qiuyang, you may not know, but devil cultivators are the best at escaping death, the hardest to truly kill of all paths. Their Dissonant Furnace Art is extremely bizarre and troublesome to deal with."

"Moreover, devil cultivators, like Buddhist practitioners, care little for the flesh. Although they don't swap bodies as easily as Buddhist practitioners do, it's far less important to them than it is to us. No matter how badly he's hurt, a few days' feast of blood and demonic qi, and he'll be whole again."

As the Xiao Family cultivator explained, the sky-covering white great formation overhead erupted with a thunderous boom, cracks appearing throughout. Everyone's faces changed, panic showing in their eyes.

Li Qiuyang urgently said:

"We'd better get out quick! If that devil cultivator runs off to summon reinforcements and brings people back, would any of us survive?"

"Definitely!"

The Xiao Family cultivator's expression changed too, and he said solemnly:

"Seems the devil cultivators are still besieging us outside the marketplace. We can't get out now. There's still a great formation atop Guanyun Peak. Qiuyang, why not come with me to the center of the marketplace, at Guanyun Peak?"

"With a Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding Guanyun Peak, plus that great formation, we should be able to hold out until my family's rescue arrives, keeping us all safe…"

Li Qiuyang shook his head, fished out a jade pendant from his storage bag, carefully sensing the direction indicated, then replied:

"My cousin Xuanxuan is still in the marketplace. I must go to help him—cannot join you..."

"Tch!"

The Xiao Family cultivator's expression faltered. The entire marketplace was burning, looting, and killing everywhere. Li Qiuyang, a mere miscellaneous qi cultivator, was not even as strong as this Xiao Family cultivator. In such chaos, let alone finding anyone, even protecting himself would be difficult.

But seeing Li Qiuyang's solemn, resolute face, he could only clasp his hands and mutter:

"Take care, brother!"

Now, flying was impossible—take to the air and you instantly became a target for all the hidden devil cultivators in the market. The group could only activate Godspeed Technique one by one and hurriedly go their separate ways.

The Xiao Family cultivator led his people swiftly into a nearby alley. Li Qiuyang, clutching a talisman up his sleeve and a jade talisman in his hand, dashed off toward Li Xuanxuan's location.

————

On Guanyun Peak.

The cold north wind swept the frigid summit, blowing gently. Xiao Ruyu stood sideways, his expression as deep as water, with billowing demon clouds flowing beyond the formation.

On the jade altar before him lay an array plate, densely inscribed, six star-like node lights shining, while six more were dim and cracked—clearly ripped out by someone.

Contrary to Li Xuanxuan's speculation, Xiao Ruyu had not left Guanyun Peak early, and was even caught unprepared, his face grim, teeth clenched.

"Afraid... I've fallen into a trap."

He murmured. The jade tablet in his palm glowed faint red, the six carved lines around it tracing flashes of light:

"Guanyun Marketplace, Yu Mountain, Xianyou Peak, Yu Yuan Marketplace... I can't even hope for rescue from home."

Xiao Ruyu's heart felt icy. The impact on the Xiao Family in this demonic calamity was far broader than just Guanyun Peak—nearly every stronghold had been hit, even the main peak at Xianyou had suffered invasion.

"Ancestor has not returned for months, the demonic calamity has suddenly turned—I fear the Xiao Family is about to suffer!"

"Thud!"

While thinking silently, two array nodes on the array plate winked out one after the other; Xiao Ruyu clenched his magic artifact, lifting his head.

The few black-robed cultivators outside the formation said nothing, yet Xiao Ruyu felt as though facing dire foes, finding it all perplexing and thought:

"It was agreed the demonic calamity would move north along Mushroom Forest Plain, entering Ziyan Sect's lands from the east of Li Xia County. Now the time and route are all wrong. Green Pond Sect... is it turning against us?"

Xiao Ruyu had managed the family for three years, and guarded Guanyun Marketplace for five; he was no longer the impulsive youth who once fought Li Xuanfeng to the death, killing Tang Jin Sect's young master. He had learned many secrets; his outlook and methods had changed greatly. He muttered in confusion:

"Impossible... Impossible... Green Pond Sect wouldn't turn now; Shangyuan Perfected Person won't break through for at least another fifty years..."

His mind was a muddle, the lights before him flickering—then suddenly snuffing out. The white great formation overhead appeared full of cracks, clouds of demonic qi gushing in, howling painfully.

"Young Master!"

Xiao Ruyu's face remained stone cold, eyes fixed straight ahead. By his side, a low shout sounded, as a swordsman with an agile movement technique landed on the summit, two fierce flood dragons coiling around him. He spoke in a deep voice: 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Young Master, please descend the mountain quickly and leave this to Taojing!"

This was the swordsman Chen Taojing, who years ago had joined Li Tongya in besieging Yu Yufeng. He cultivated the Taoist Foundation 'Vast Sea', and the two pale blue flood dragons around him looked menacing.

"Taojing-uncle…"

Xiao Ruyu silently glanced at him, unable to decide. Chen Taojing said quietly:

"My 'Vast Sea' foundation is strongest, I can face many at once. I have prepared elixirs—please, Young Master, hurry and leave."

Xiao Ruyu gritted his teeth, concealed his figure, and hastily descended the mountain, leaving Chen Taojing standing with his blade, staring out at the wavering great formation and several figures beyond it.