51: Cloud Thunder Demon Bear (Complete Volume 1)

Vast clouds, like ocean waves, churned in billows.

In his line of sight, a colossal, iron-tower-like beast crashed down from the sea of clouds, directly striking the blue light barrier.

Its projected shadow fell upon the terrified faces of the crowd.

Boom!

The moment the giant beast made contact with the Formation, layers of ripples appeared on the light barrier, spreading outwards.

Then, the grand Formation let out a mournful cry, and wherever the ripples passed, the runes on it shattered inch by inch.

The terrifying force, undiminished, spread along the Formation base into the ground, and the earth began to tremble.

At the same time, the Cultivators manning the Murong Family's main Formation all spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, their faces pale.

Fortunately, it was, after all, a High Grade Tier 2 grand Formation, and it was not broken, stubbornly resisting the assault.

Seeing this, the Cultivators breathed a sigh of relief, but their mood grew even heavier.

Lu Ming, amidst the crowd, gazed at the giant beast outside the Formation, and finally saw its exceptionally massive body; it looked very much like a brown bear from his previous life.

It had blue and white interwoven fur, stood about dozens of meters tall, and exuded a sense of oppression when it rose.

Whenever it roared, the sound waves would cause Cultivators to fall into a state of dizziness and mental confusion.

"Cloud Thunder Demon Bear, a Tier 2 Yao Beast!"

"Oh no, even a Tier 2 Cloud Thunder Demon Bear has come!"

"This power is probably beyond the Early Stage of Tier 2!"

"......"

Upon seeing this Yao Bear, the crowd could no longer control their emotions and became agitated.

They each took out their Magical Artifacts and Talismans, ready to flee at any moment.

The Murong Family's Law Enforcement Team also stopped trying to maintain order.

The Cloud Thunder Demon Bear seemed to only be probing; after one unsuccessful collision, it did not attack again.

It seemed to be standing on clouds, suspended in mid-air, with arcs of lightning coiling around its body.

Roar!

A roar resounded.

The nearby Yao Beasts immediately fell into a berserk state, as if losing their minds, their crimson eyes flashing with madness.

They surged forward, one after another, rushing towards the Formation barrier again as if to their deaths.

Bang, bang, bang!

Countless Yao Beasts furiously slammed into the Formation barrier, showing no intention of retreating.

Even some that couldn't retreat in time were trampled to death by the Yao Beasts rushing up from behind.

Before long, a 'mountain of flesh' made of piled-up Yao Beast corpses formed around the outer perimeter of the Formation.

The flowing blood stained the ground crimson, and the Formation's blue barrier began to gradually be tinged with red.

"Not good!"

Lu Ming was secretly alarmed; he seemed to guess what the Cloud Thunder Demon Bear was going to do.

As a 'Demonic Cultivator,' he had some understanding of various sinister Demonic Path methods.

Evil Qi, resentment, and blood Qi were specifically used to defile Restrictions, Magical Artifacts, and even a Cultivator's Physical Body.

This Yao Bear was probably trying to use the blood of Yao Beast corpses to defile the Formation base of the earth veins, thereby weakening its power.

"Didn't they say that Tier 2 Yao Beasts don't have very high intelligence?"

Lu Ming was somewhat puzzled; he had read in ancient texts that Tier 1 Yao Beasts had nascent intelligence, but it was still in Chaos, and they mostly acted on instinct.

Tier 2 Yao Beasts could absorb the essence of the sun and moon to improve their Realm, but their intelligence couldn't reach that of humans.

Only Tier 3 Yao Beasts had fully developed intelligence, capable of complex thought and even speaking.

But this Yao Bear clearly had a high level of intelligence; it could not only control lower-tier Yao Beasts but also employ strategies.

'No, that's not right!'

"Why hasn't Old Ancestor Murong appeared yet? Does he really intend to only act when they've broken in?"

At this moment, Lu Ming felt a shiver run down his spine.

Old Ancestor Murong had made one appearance earlier, but had not shown up again since.

Either he had some trump card or scheme, or...

Lu Ming suddenly turned his head, looking at the location where several Murong Family Cultivators had been earlier.

There was no one there now!

Lu Ming's heart sank to the bottom; he already had a bad premonition.

Buzz!

Just then, he suddenly saw a blood-colored barrier rise abruptly in the core area.

It closed at an extremely fast speed, enveloping the Murong Family's territory.

As for the other areas outside, they were not within the scope, including Loose Cultivators like Lu Ming, who were also isolated outside.

Then, under the terrified gazes of the crowd, cracks began to appear on the barrier of Green Bamboo Market's mountain-protecting grand Formation, the Azure Cloud Covering Formation.

The blue energy began to sharply decrease, becoming dim and transparent as if it had been drained away.

The next moment, amidst the unwilling and angry roars of many Cultivators, the Azure Cloud Covering Formation began to collapse layer by layer, countless blue lights scattered, and the runes also shattered into pieces.

Lu Ming watched this scene, an indescribable feeling in his heart.

"Is this 'death to Fellow Daoist, not to me'...?"

Before, he regarded all Cultivators as stepping stones; now, he too had become a scapegoat for others.

Clearly, the Murong Family had abandoned them, or rather, had never intended to protect them.

The Murong Family only wanted to preserve the market, but seeing that it was impossible, they decisively gave up.

And without a trace of hesitation, they drained all the Formation's energy, concentrating it in one place to supply the current blood-colored barrier.

Moreover, this blood-colored Formation enveloping the Murong Family's territory was probably not that simple.

At this moment, the blood-colored barrier was still continuously solidifying, as if the Yao Beast corpses, blood, and Evil Qi had transformed from the most potent poisons into powerful tonics.

Lu Ming chuckled softly, not cursing the Murong Family like the surrounding Cultivators.

Every man for himself, or heaven and earth will destroy him.

He could understand, but that was all.

"Let's just survive first..."

Now that the Formation was broken, Yao Beasts had already rushed into the market, rampaging, and the scene was in Chaos.

But even so, many Cultivators were still blinded by greed.

They began to rush towards the various shops and pavilions of the Murong Family.

These places held most of the market's wealth.

Humans die for wealth, birds die for food; this was fully demonstrated at this moment.

Lu Ming silently watched everything, paying no attention; he was currently in the central area, and the Yao Beasts wouldn't reach him that quickly.

"It's time to go..."

He opened the golden book and was about to select Zheng Tianming and the recently listed Old Ancestor Murong, Murong Jingyang.

These two old fellows had caused trouble, putting him in danger, and Lu Ming wanted to kill them.

"Foundation Establishment Cultivators are so great, huh? I'll deal with you!"

However, to Lu Ming's surprise, he couldn't select these two on the golden book.

Just as he was puzzled, the golden book provided feedback.

"So the golden book can only record Cultivators one major Realm higher than me, and only one can be selected at a time, with a limited duration."

Lu Ming was a little disappointed; it seemed he could only kill these two later, or when he Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

As for the duration, now was not the time to test it.

Lu Ming quickly selected all the Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators on the list.

He didn't know how long the battle would last; he just selected all of them!

Then Lu Ming no longer concealed himself, releasing the accumulated power within the Five Viscera Refinement Demon True Art, and also pushing the Blood Burning Secret Technique to its limit.

Finally, he consumed a berserk blood pill and activated the Devouring Spirit Blood Demon Art, his aura rising at a terrifying speed.

At this moment, under the enhancement of various secret techniques and Medicinal Pills, Lu Ming's cultivation had significantly surpassed the Qi Refining Realm.

Next, Lu Ming conjured a Talismans.

Divine Movement Talisman!

"Hurry!"

Combined with the Blood Burning Escape Technique, he transformed into a blood-colored shadow and rushed towards the rear.

His speed was so fast that it even tore through the air with a sonic boom, instantly surpassing the other Cultivators beside him. Fortunately, the market was in Chaos now, with battles everywhere, and the Tier 2 giant bear wasn't paying attention here.

Its target was clearly the blood-colored barrier; something there seemed to be attracting it.

Lu Ming did not choose to use a Magical Artifact for flight; there were demonic birds and flying beasts in the sky, making him too obvious a target.

Moreover, with the full power of the Blood Burning Escape Technique, ordinary Yao Beasts couldn't catch up at all, so there was no need for flying Magical Artifacts.

Even if some Yao Beasts blocked his way, Lu Ming showed no intention of stopping.

He conjured several Vajra Talismans, shrouded his entire body in Three Yin Nether Fire, and activated defensive Magical Artifacts to protect himself.

Lu Ming's escape technique was relentless; he literally carved out a bloody path.

Boom!

He once again smashed a blocking demonic wolf into a bloody mist.

A sharp, shrill cry sounded above his head.

Caw!

A golden-winged vulture, entirely pale gold with a wingspan of nearly ten meters, set its sights on Lu Ming, who was charging through below.

A hint of bloodlust flashed in its eyes, and it flapped its wings, transforming into a golden afterimage as it swooped down to kill.

As a flying Yao Beast, its speed was already extremely fast; now, at full power, Lu Ming, whose speed was hindered by blocking Yao Beasts, would find it difficult to evade.

Seeing this, Lu Ming's eyes turned cold.

"A High Grade Tier 1 Yao Beast, daring to block me!"

He unfurled Talismans, and Spiritual Qi surged, transforming into golden swords and ice rain.

He continuously conjured hand seals, unleashing fireballs, wind blades, golden rays, and other Spells all at once towards the vulture.

A hint of disdain flashed in the vulture's eyes; these Spells and Talismans seemed as slow as snails to it, not even qualifying to touch it.

It intended to fold its wings and dodge, avoiding these flashy attacks.

However, at this moment, its body stiffened, and its speed suddenly stalled.

In that instant, it felt an extreme pulling force frantically devouring its essence blood and demonic power.

Its demonic eyes were filled with fear and confusion.

But even with low intelligence, it realized the abnormality of the situation.

However, Lu Ming's attacks wouldn't give it much time to think.

A torrent of Spells instantly enveloped the golden-winged vulture.

Finally, an eerie blood-colored scimitar sliced it in two, and its demonic corpse fell.

"So strong! This person can instantly kill a High Grade Tier 1 Yao Beast!"

"Who is this person? I haven't seen his appearance before. Is there such a figure in the market?"

"Why bother with so many questions? Following this person is definitely better than us fighting alone!"

"......"

Exclamations came from all around, and Cultivators looked at this scene in shock.

Then their faces lit up with joy; with this powerful Cultivator present, they would surely be much safer by following him.

"Indeed, not only Cultivators can be recorded in the golden book; as long as there is Karma and enmity involved, Yao Beasts can also be included."

Lu Ming withdrew his gaze from the golden book; now was not the time to study these things.

He also ignored the other Cultivators around him; although he was stronger now than ever before, one tiger could hardly defeat a pack of wolves.

Once he was entangled by too many Yao Beasts, he would also find it difficult to escape; having these people share the pressure was not a bad thing.

He had to escape from here before the Cloud Thunder Demon Bear diverted its attention.

His palm flipped, and a blood-colored single-edged longsword appeared in Lu Ming's hand, its blade sharp and exuding Qi, absorbing the scattered blood Qi from its surroundings.

Although this 'Blood Dragon Sword' had already lost its path to advancement, its grade was still High Grade Tier 1.

Moreover, in a battlefield with dense Evil Qi and blood Qi, it also received certain enhancements.

"What a pity..."

Lu Ming somewhat regretted not forging a self-growing Magical Artifact himself.

He used to think it was unnecessary, but now, looking at the scattered blood Qi around him, he felt it was all wasted.

Fortunately, the sword couldn't absorb it, but he could!

The Devouring Spirit Blood Demon Art circulated frantically, and the surrounding blood Qi was swallowed by him into his Dantian and Meridians.

Feeling his cultivation rising at an extremely fast rate, Lu Ming did not hesitate.

He poured magical power into the Blood Dragon Sword, transforming it into a blood-colored streak that slashed towards the beast horde ahead.

Wherever it passed, the Yao Beast corpses turned into mummified remains, which were then consumed by an eerie green nether flame.

"Look at that Blazing Tiger, how did it become a dried corpse!"

"That Cloud-Treading Demon Leopard too, after being killed by this person, all its flesh and blood essence are gone!"

"And what is that nether flame? Why does its aura feel increasingly powerful?"

"I know who he is! He... he is... the Witchcraft Daoist!"

"......"

The Cultivators who followed behind felt a chill rise throughout their bodies, witnessing this sinister and bizarre scene.

Especially upon hearing the name 'Witchcraft Daoist,' their faces all changed dramatically.

Some of the more timid ones even slowed their pace, but upon seeing the pursuing beast horde behind them, they could only grit their teeth and follow.

Lu Ming paid no attention to his identity being exposed; everyone was struggling to survive now, so who would care about him?

Besides, this wasn't his original appearance; once he escaped and reverted to his true self, he would again be a dignified and dashing young man.