Chapter Eighty-Three: Facing the Crowd in Battle

“Big brother...” Ninth Child gazed at the tall figure before her, mist gathering in her eyes. He had truly come after all and not let her down. But how could he have come here? And if he had, how was he to face his own kind?

Her thoughts were in turmoil, and in an instant she had thought of many things. The figure ahead gave her an indescribable sense of ease, as though even if the sky were to fall, he would be able to hold it up for her.

“It is you? Could it be that you are also of the demon race? You certainly have courage,” the leader sneered.

“I am not of the demon race, nor do I wish to be involved with them in any way. But the one you mean to deal with is my sister. If you want to kill her, you will have to get past me first.” The Immortal-Slaughtering Sword had already flown out, poised to strike.

Another mid-grade spiritual weapon. The cultivators’ eyes lit up. These two were truly wealthy, casually producing mid-grade spiritual weapons. The highest cultivation among those present was only at the level of a lower-grade spiritual weapon.

“You claim the nine-tailed demon fox is your sister? What a joke. If you are a human, then calling one of the demon race your brother or sister—are you trying to betray humankind?”

“Or perhaps you have already been bewitched by the demon fox’s beauty. Fellow daoists, this man has been beguiled by the nine-tailed demon fox, and we should help him escape his misery. If he is accidentally wounded, that would be unavoidable.” The cultivator addressed the others while keeping his eyes fixed on the Immortal-Slaughtering Sword. The lower-grade spiritual weapon he had used against that fox demon had been broken; though his cultivation was formidable, he did not wish to face a mid-grade spiritual weapon empty-handed. If someone were foolish enough to charge in first and draw the fire, that would be best.

This place had already been sealed with restrictions. Zhou Qi secretly tried to activate the Earth-Breaking Talisman, but there was no reaction at all. His heart sank. There were about thirty cultivators here: one at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, five at the fourth, eight at the third, around ten at the second, while he himself was only at the second level. As for Ninth Child, a peak second-tier demon beast, she could only be counted as a peak third-level Foundation Establishment cultivator. This would be a hard fight.

“Boss, I...” Little White had also arrived, and seeing Zhou Qi and Ninth Child in the middle of the field, he looked very troubled.

“Little White, this battle has nothing to do with you. Our employer-employee relationship ends here. Go,” Zhou Qi said. Little White joining in would only be sending himself to his death.

Little White: ...

At least give me the antidote first. But saying that now did not seem appropriate. After thinking it over, Little White finally said, “Boss, I’ll help you.” In a flash, he was already standing beside Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi was deeply moved. He had thought Little White would flee in panic, never expecting such noble resolve from him at this moment. Zhou Qi patted Little White on the shoulder approvingly. “Once this is over, I’ll give you a raise.”

The cultivators were momentarily dazzled, and when they saw another cultivator appear beside Zhou Qi, they were shocked. Could this movement technique mean he had strong reinforcements?

One cultivator recognized Little White and laughed. “So it’s you, you useless coward. You actually dare come back, and now you’re mixed up with the demon race too. Tired of living?”

“I can’t stand you hypocrites. It’s nothing but spirit stones, yet you drape so many excuses over it. You’re all just cowards greedy for life and afraid of death. You may have more than thirty people, but we have two mid-grade spiritual weapons. Let’s see who has bad luck today,” Little White cursed.

At these words, the cultivators began calculating inwardly. The higher-level ones were still all right, but those whose cultivation was close to Zhou Qi’s group began to feel a little uneasy.

The cultivator at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment sighed inwardly, knowing he could not remain silent any longer. “Those below the third level of Foundation Establishment need not attack. Just guard the perimeter. Those at the third level and above will attack together. Be careful to avoid the mid-grade spiritual weapons. After we kill these few, we can discuss the division of spoils.”

The others nodded one after another. Fourteen of them had already summoned their spiritual weapons, ready to attack at any moment.

Zhou Qi took out what he had previously obtained from the old woman and activated the protective formation. A transparent spherical barrier enveloped the three people and one fox within it. He did not use the Bewildering Immortal Formation; within that formation, only he could come and go freely. Ninth Child and Little White would be trapped inside just like the others, and by himself he could not deal with all fourteen of them.

Ninth Child’s demon identity had already been exposed. If he wanted to keep this matter from spreading, he had to leave no witnesses. Otherwise, within the domain controlled by the Daoist sects, they would have nowhere to go.

“Kill!” the cultivator at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment shouted. A phantom of a mountain slowly appeared in his hands. As his spiritual power surged, the mountain grew more and more solid, as though a real mountain had formed between his palms. But halfway through its manifestation, his spiritual power could no longer sustain it.

“Go.” The half-formed mountain flew out from the cultivator’s embrace, crashing down upon Zhou Qi and the others. Zhou Qi was startled. All three dodged at once. Though protected by the defensive formation, the descending mountain carried an overwhelming might. He did not know whether the formation could withstand it.

The mountain struck the defensive barrier, and its downward momentum was abruptly halted. The protective formation contorted like a balloon being squeezed from all sides.

Squeak... squeak...

That was the sound of the formation straining beyond its limits. At last, with a sharp burst, the barrier shattered. The mountain shrank to the size of a single person, locked onto Zhou Qi, and pressed down toward him.

There was nowhere to evade. The protective formation should already have consumed most of the mountain’s power. Zhou Qi decided not to dodge any longer and punched upward at the descending mass.

Boom.

His fist met the mountain. The mountain exploded and vanished.

Zhou Qi’s fist was covered in blood, and he staggered back five steps before stopping.

“Big brother!” Ninth Child cried worriedly.

Zhou Qi waved a hand to show that he was unharmed, then took out a pill and swallowed it. The injury on his fist healed at once.

The cultivators were astonished. A second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator had actually taken a fifth-level Foundation Establishment spell head-on with bare hands. Though weakened by the protective formation, the force was still not something an ordinary second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator could withstand. Seeing that Zhou Qi only had bloodied knuckles and seemed otherwise fine, it was clear he had cultivated an exceptionally formidable body-tempering technique.

“Fellow daoists, let’s attack together!” Seeing that his strike had failed, though he had at least broken the other side’s defensive formation, the fifth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator did not conjure a second mountain. Clearly, this technique was not something that could simply be used at will.

The other thirteen cultivators no longer stood by idly. They drove their spiritual weapons forward toward the three of them.

“Hmph. Trying to overwhelm us with numbers?” Zhou Qi sneered and activated his fan, releasing the twelve naked women to entangle the cultivators.

Ninth Child and Little White also rushed forward, each seeking out an opponent and plunging into battle.

Ninth Child’s cultivation was equivalent to the peak of the third level of Foundation Establishment, but she lacked combat experience and could only fight a third-level cultivator to a standstill. As for killing her opponent, that was impossible.

Little White, though not highly cultivated and not especially strong, possessed first-rate escaping techniques. He darted about the battlefield like a slippery loach, constantly in danger yet never in mortal peril.

Zhou Qi brought out the Immortal-Slaughtering Sword, waiting for an opening to eliminate one or two of them first. The fifth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator saw this as well. If one were to speak of true fighting strength, Zhou Qi was likely the greatest among them. As long as Zhou Qi was killed, the remaining two would be of no concern.