"Sikong Tingzhi, do you know what you’re doing right now?"

"I know."

"You know? You have no idea!"

Murphy followed Sikong Tingzhi, weaving through a dense forest where directions were impossible to distinguish, his anger flaring up as he spoke:

"If you knew, you wouldn’t be leading so many of us to our deaths like this!"

"I think what we need to do first is quickly find a safe place to survive the night, do you understand?"

However, Sikong Tingzhi, who was focused solely on moving forward, didn’t pay any attention to Murphy’s complaints and resentment. Instead, he calmly said:

"You don’t have to follow me."

Hearing this, Murphy gritted his teeth and said:

"You bastard."

If he could avoid following, who would want to?

Right now, Sikong Tingzhi was the strongest among them.

Following him might be their only chance of survival.

If even Sikong Tingzhi was lost, the rest would truly have no way out.

And precisely because of this understanding,

at that moment, despite all the reluctance and anger in Murphy’s heart, he could only grumble under his breath.

Staying in place was worse than being killed outright.

Just then,

Sikong Tingzhi looked at the girl beside him:

"Can you still tell the direction?"

Denise suddenly stopped and stood still:

"I’ll try again."

Seeing this, Sikong Tingzhi also stopped.

Those exhausted men and women behind them finally got a chance to catch their breath.

After a moment, Denise suddenly opened her eyes and pointed in a direction:

"The scent is getting stronger."

"Over there."

Upon hearing this, Sikong Tingzhi’s face lit up with joy:

"Great!"

With that, Sikong Tingzhi led the way in the direction Denise pointed.

The rest could only follow.

Yet it seemed fate had no intention of letting them have it easy.

As the group passed through another thicket:

"Hiss~"

Murphy looked despairingly at a faintly glowing eye in the darkness not far away:

"It’s over."

In that instant, Murphy felt as if the sky had fallen.

In their current state, they couldn’t endure another prolonged battle.

Moreover, influenced by the environment,

in this pitch-dark forest, they couldn’t even see what the demon looked like, much less predict or evade its attacks.

At that moment, Sikong Tingzhi, leading the way, suddenly said:

"If you don’t want to die, brace yourselves!"

As he spoke, a blazing flame suddenly erupted in Sikong Tingzhi’s palm.

In that light, they finally saw the owner of those eyes:

"Tier Eight Demon, Shadow Beast!"

Not just Murphy.

Even Sikong Tingzhi felt a chill down his spine.

A desperate cry suddenly came from behind:

"It’s a Shadow Beast!"

It was one of those elite demons, invisible and elusive, whose strength rivaled Tier Nine under the cover of darkness.

While everyone was paralyzed with fear by the demon, only Sikong Tingzhi’s sudden shout snapped them back to reality:

"Run!"

And then, without any movement from Sikong Tingzhi,

the surrounding plants seemed to come alive, squirming rapidly.

The demon let out a furious roar:

"Roar~"

It vanished from their sight in an instant.

The next moment, a scream came from behind:

"Save..."

They turned fearfully.

Only to see a familiar figure dragged into the darkness, lifeless.

That seemed to be the final straw.

The others, terrified beyond courage, scattered everywhere in panic.

At this moment, Sikong Tingzhi pointed in the direction Denise previously indicated and shouted:

"Run this way, don’t scatter."

But in this moment of universal panic and lost morale,

few were listening to Sikong Tingzhi’s instructions and ran away in terror.

Seeing this, Sikong Tingzhi couldn’t help cursing:

"Damn it."

In just a moment, a scream suddenly cut off.

There was no need to guess; another person fell victim to the demon.

Murphy grabbed Sikong Tingzhi, his face full of urgency:

"Are you waiting here to die? Run!"

Sikong Tingzhi shook off Murphy’s hand and said to Denise:

"Go quickly, I’ll hold it off."

"If there are people ahead, get them to help me."

Before Murphy could respond, Sikong Tingzhi suddenly snorted:

"Beast!"

Suddenly!

Numerous vines around surged towards a hidden spot.

Sikong Tingzhi clenched his fingers: 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Come out for me."

"Roar~"

Sure enough, in the next moment, the Shadow Beast was ensnared by countless vines.

Seeing this, Murphy was shocked:

"Tier Nine Forbidden Curse, Death Cage, you!"

"You used that Ancient Scroll."

Sikong Tingzhi had no time for explanations:

"Go quickly!"

"I can’t hold it for long."

"Quickly find help, hurry."

Murphy wanted to say more but was interrupted by Sikong Tingzhi’s thunderous shout:

"Go!"

"Do you want us all to die here?"

Denise looked at the fierce face of Sikong Tingzhi and suddenly dashed into the nearby bushes.

Murphy could only grit his teeth, turn, and follow Denise into the thicket.

The others, seeing the demon trapped, came over in a daze.

Looking at the struggling demon in its vine entanglement, these uninformed individuals cheered:

"Master Sikong is mighty."

Someone identified the source of the scene at once:

"It’s the Tier Nine Forbidden Curse ’Death Cage’."

"Who would’ve thought Master Sikong had such an Ancient Scroll with him."

A man with a sword, perhaps recalling his earlier disgrace, felt fury rise when he saw the demon restrained:

"Damn beast, I’ll kill you."

He rushed at the trapped Shadow Beast with his great sword.

Sikong Tingzhi saw this scene and was filled with rage:

"No!!!!"

But by then, the man had already swung his longsword at the Shadow Beast:

"Die!"

The great sword, once released, spun swiftly towards the Shadow Beast...

"Slash~"

Under the hopeless gazes of all,

the vines, which held the Shadow Beast immobile, were cut with ease by the great sword that wasn’t even a spiritual artifact.

The unbound Shadow Beast vanished once more before their eyes.

When it reappeared, it was accompanied by a rising head and spraying blood.

The very man who ’saved’ it moments ago.

Seeing the Shadow Beast free, those who thought they had escaped death were now plunged into despair.

Someone suddenly shouted:

"Run!!!"

This time, even as Sikong Tingzhi prepared to turn and run, a figure suddenly descended from the sky:

"Cyan Dragon·Cyan Dragon Break"

"Roar~"