Qing Yuan extended both of his hands, though it was a meaningless gesture. The swirling gold of the qi barrier obeyed his wishes and commands. As long as he remained focused, the ambient qi would continue to manifest his intentions.

Outside, the fight was chaotic. Shouts, snarls, and even laughter reverberated through the forest. Trees and terrain were destroyed as the sounds of thuds, crashes, and creaking wood created a loud cacophony of destruction. The fight was scattered, but whenever a demonic cultivator found an opportunity, they would attack the golden barrier, hoping to get their hands on their targets.

A demonic cultivator punched the golden, swirling qi, making the barrier ripple and crack. He shoved his head through the opening. Qing Yuan willed the qi to push him back, but the man didn't budge. "Here I come—" he began, but before he could finish, a giant hand made of earth and blood snatched him and threw him against a tree. The tree snapped, and a giant bear made of blood punched down hard, making the tree shatter and the ground surge.

"Close it!" Qing Yuan shouted, and the barrier mended itself. However, two claws successfully pierced the other side of the golden barrier, and a man with eyes as black as coal parted the barrier as if it were a curtain. Before he could succeed, however, another man slashed at him with a black sword, intending to sever his neck. In response, the man with black eyes pulled his hands back and ducked, making the sword hit only air, before launching a counterattack.

The same thing happened again and again. The golden barrier was as flimsy as a piece of filmsy wood in front of a bear. Any one of the enemies could tear it apart easily. The only reason it was still holding was because of the infighting, as well as Tide Walker, who occasionally spat a ball of qi right into an enemy's face. The shark circled the inside of the golden barrier like a guardian spirit. However, from its sharp gaze, twitching body, and snarling mouth, Qing Yuan could see that it desperately wanted to get out and fight. He conveyed that it needed to stay close, and for now, the shark was following his wish.

The fight outside escalated, reaching a point where explosions and huge thuds made the earth rattle. The few trees still standing began to lean, and the ground was churned and upturned.

"We need to get out of here!" Sister Fang Ruxue shouted, her voice nearly drowned out by the sounds of battle. "It's our only chance!"

Qing Yuan nodded. "But how? We're surrounded. The battle raging outside is deceptive. They're not trying to kill each other; they're fighting over who gets us. If we flee, they'll stop fighting and focus on us."

He thought that perhaps they could walk away slowly, like a slug crawling so slowly it suddenly disappears from sight. However, even that was dangerous.

"How about we scatter?" Su Nian suggested. Her face was full of fear and anxiety, but compared to the others huddled in the middle of the barrier, their entire bodies trembling, her condition was infinitely better.

Fang Ruxue answered her. "No! Scattering might allow some of us to escape, but it would guarantee that some of us would die! It's better to stand here together than to scatter!"

"But we need to do something!"

"Yes, so we need to think of other options."

From a practical viewpoint, Su Nian's idea was good. Even though it would guarantee some deaths, it was better than all of them dying. However, morally, he agreed with Sister Fang Ruxue. It was infinitely better if they all survived.

"If there are no other options, I think it's better to follow my daughter's plan," Su Nian's mother said, biting her lip. "Some of us could be a distraction while the rest of you try to flee. At that time, you need to move north. The closer you are to Liu Xing, the better."

"Mom! I didn't mean that! I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for us!"

"Yes, it's no use if some of us die here," Sister Fang Ruxue nodded. "We will survive! We just need to give Liu Xing some time."

Qing Yuan suddenly felt the ambient qi to the north begin to stir. At first, he thought it was Liu Xing. However, a little sensing proved it was not him. He grimaced, thinking that perhaps it was more enemies. But as he sensed further, he realized the feeling came from the things connected to him. It was his "curse." His heart beat a little faster as he realized this might be the chance they needed to escape.

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At the same time, the fighting around the golden dome suddenly slowed. Everyone, from the man who had transformed into a giant wolf to the bear made of blood, even Ye Xuanhan and the man with white hair—who were locked in a fierce battle involving a giant black snake that looked like it was made from ink—turned to face north. Qing Yuan also looked north, and in a moment of curiosity, he wished for the qi to make the golden barrier transparent so he could see what had come to his aid.

The first thing he saw was a giant, golden-scaled fish swimming in the air. It was so gigantic that a tenth of the city could fit on its back. Its mouth opened and closed, and the sound it made—like the chanting of a monk—reverberated through the air. It floated lazily toward them, but its slow speed was a deception caused by its sheer size. Its presence was serene, yet it felt like an ancient being that could turn a mountain upside down with a single sweep of its tail. It was not the only creature that had come. Behind the chanting golden fish was a gigantic red chair. From a distance, it looked like a giant, floating piece of furniture. Its shape was baffling, but Qing Yuan knew it was a spirit beast. Looking closer, he could see that the seemingly normal but gigantic red chair was actually covered in red eyes, all of them looking around curiously.

Aside from these two, eight other spirit beasts were coming. Five others flew behind them. One was a gigantic shark, entirely black as if made from charcoal, but its bared teeth were red as blood. To its side was a monster that looked like a giant blob of meat, with blood and water dripping from it. Its eyes were yellow like a tiger's, and it had the yellow beak of a bird. Behind it, a giant, floating wheel of water followed. Inside this wheel, thousands of colorful fish swam around at such a speed that they blurred. Following that was a spirit beast in the shape of a gigantic humanoid swimming through the air. Its head was bald, but its face was that of a salmon, and thousands of fish heads protruded from its body, dripping blood as if they had been stabbed into the giant monster. The last spirit beast floating in the air was a snake. Its scales were red, its eyes were red, and its tail was made of fire.

The last three were moving on the ground, and their every movement made the world tremble. The most advanced one was a giant purple octopus. Hundreds of eyes covered its head, and its tentacles were made of golden chains. It was followed by a giant hermit crab with a blue shell and a red body. The last one was the smallest, yet even it could knock down a mansion with ease. It was a mantis shrimp, and its two giant pincers looked like massive gloves.

Upon seeing the march of the ten spirit beasts, Qing Yuan couldn't help but gape. Each of them was truly gigantic; if they lined up in the sky, they could cover the entire island with their shadows. Each one was unfathomably strong, and he couldn't help but shiver. These were creatures connected to him by a curse, far above his league, and he wondered whether wishing them to come had been the right thing to do.

Qing Yuan shook his head. He couldn't think so negatively. It was true that they were dangerous, but these spirit beasts were probably enough to distract the demonic cultivators.

"Little Pill," a menacing voice called to him. He snapped his eyes to the source. Ye Xuanhan was looking at him with a sharp gaze, his lips curled down in a snarl, anger radiating from him like heat. "What is the meaning of this? Why did you call these ugly spirit beasts? Do you think they can save you? What a stupid little pill. This is why even my father didn't want to catch you. You're a perfect pill tainted with will and consciousness. As a pill, you should only exist to be consumed."

"Young Master Ye Xuanhan, I think you're mistaken," Qing Yuan said with a polite smile. "I am not a pill. I am a human."

As if his words were a signal, the chanting golden fish, now floating directly above them with its eyes locked on Ye Xuanhan, began to gather a gigantic amount of energy in front of its mouth. The condensed energy formed into a yellow ball of light more than five meters in diameter. The instant it formed, the golden fish spat it down directly at Ye Xuanhan. It shot down with such speed that in the blink of an eye, it struck him. The impact created a massive golden explosion, unleashing a shockwave so powerful it threw trees, stones, demonic cultivators—and Qing Yuan's entire group—into the air. The shockwave was strong enough to kill a mortal instantly. Luckily, the qi around Qing Yuan moved to protect him and his group, shielding them from the worst of the damage as they were thrown like cannonballs.

After a moment, they landed in a pile. Thirty-one women, one little boy, and one small shark. Qing Yuan shook his head and looked up. What he saw was a sight so terrifying that his teeth began to chatter. The demonic cultivators were like ants, but their shouts and presence could be felt as they began to exchange attacks with the spirit beasts. Fire bloomed, blood formed into terrifying shapes, snakes and clouds and waterfalls that looked like they were made from ink sprang to life, and a gigantic red monster that looked like a living corpse made entirely of energy rose into the air. The sight was apocalyptic.

But amid this fear, Qing Yuan couldn't help but smile. With this, they could run, hide, and wait to be picked up by Liu Xing.

Just then, the sound of a snapping branch made Qing Yuan whip his head toward the sound. It was a man wearing the robes of the Nether Lotus Sect. His eyes shone with an eerie golden light, his red hair was like a lion's mane, and his smile was wide, showing a full set of teeth like a predator that has successfully cornered its prey.

"Wow, lucky me! To think that I landed right near you. It seems even the heavens want me to refine all of you into a single pill."

He grabbed the handle of his sheathed sword, and as he drew it, he lunged toward them like a swift bird.

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