Chapter 97 [Nine-Strike Lightning Whip]!

"Brother-in-law, it's a good thing we ran fast. If we had been a step later, I'm afraid we would have been caught by that Demon General!"

Yan Dinghan held his knees, gasping for air, and looked back at the distant Fengmo Village, which was filled with smoke and soaring demonic energy. His face was full of lingering fear, and the clothes on his back were already soaked with sweat.

At this moment, the three had struggled their way to the summit of Jinyu Demon Peak. Beneath their feet were rugged rocks, and ahead lay a bottomless pool of molten lava. Scorching heat waves rushed toward them, carrying a pungent smell of sulfur.

Gu Ye raised his hand to block the oncoming heat, his tone grave. "A big BOSS must have appeared behind us, at least a Silver Rank Five entity or higher."

"We have already run so far from Fengmo Village, yet we can still clearly feel his overwhelming aura; it shows just how terrifying his strength is."

He stared into the distance at the main peak of [Tianding Mountain], which towered into the clouds and pierced the sky. The main peak was shrouded in a layer of faint mist, and one could vaguely see eerie patterns on the mountain body. After a long silence, he said in a deep voice:

"Don't delay, let's go! Judging from what the Wood Token Ghost said earlier, quite a few Examinees are about to reach the main peak."

Luo Yuerou and Yan Dinghan nodded one after another, suppressing the exhaustion and lingering fear in their hearts. They hurriedly followed Gu Ye's pace, speeding toward the main peak of Tianding Mountain, not daring to pause for even a moment.

Two hours after the three left, the Demon General arrived with a squad of elite demon soldiers, pursuing them in a grand procession.

The Demon General was surrounded by demonic energy. With every step he took, the rocks beneath his feet were crushed and shattered. The pressure around him remained terrifying, making the surrounding air feel thick and viscous.

"Halt!"

At the Demon General's command, his deep voice carried unquestionable authority. The demon soldiers behind him stopped instantly, uniform and orderly without the slightest disorder. They reined in their demonic energy, yet still exuded a bloodthirsty aura.

The demon soldier lieutenant stepped forward quickly and knelt on one knee. His pitch-black pupils flickered with eerie green demonic light as his gaze swept over the spot where Gu Ye and the others had just been standing, carefully investigating the lingering aura.

"Reporting, General."

The lieutenant stood up, his tone respectful. "Two men and one woman. One is Bronze Rank Nine, and two are Bronze Rank Ten. The woman among them seems to have suffered some minor injuries, and her aura is slightly chaotic. They headed in the direction of the main peak of Tianding Mountain."

Upon hearing this, the Demon General nodded slightly, his deep eyes narrowing as a cold glint flashed across them.

He waved his hand, his tone icy. "Continue the advance!"

"Yes, General!"

The group of demon soldiers responded in unison, following the Demon General as they sped toward the main peak. Wherever the demonic energy passed, vegetation withered instantly, and rocks were corroded into small pits.

...

"Hoo—!"

Yan Dinghan plopped down onto a flat rock, gasping for air, his chest heaving violently. His face was full of exhaustion. "Finally... finally left that eerie volcano. If we stayed any longer, even if I wasn't caught by the Demon General, I would have been roasted by the heat of the lava."

The three had been traveling without stopping, not daring to pause for even a moment. Their nerves had been on edge, fearing that the Demon General behind them would suddenly catch up. Now that they had finally temporarily escaped the scorching heat of the volcano, they finally had a chance to catch their breath.

Just then, an arrogant, grating, and mocking voice came from the jungle ahead, breaking the brief tranquility: "Tsk tsk tsk! Look at what I've found? Three little mice scurrying for their lives."

Gu Ye's brows knitted together suddenly, his expression instantly turning vigilant, and he looked up in the direction the voice came from.

In the jungle, a few figures slowly walked out. Leading them was a man with yellow hair, followed by four lackeys. They were all wearing uniform black martial attire, with eerie skull patterns embroidered on their clothes—it was clear at a glance that they were Church Members of the Evil God Cult.

"Yo, there's even a little beauty here!"

The yellow-haired man's gaze swept over Luo Yuerou and instantly locked on. His originally lax eyes suddenly tightened, and undisguised greed flashed in his pupils.

He stared intently at Luo Yuerou, a lecherous smile curling at the corner of his mouth. His impatient demeanor was almost overflowing from his eyes, as if he wanted to swallow Luo Yuerou whole.

Luo Yuerou felt extremely uncomfortable being stared at by him, her eyes instantly filling with disgust. Her brows furrowed tightly, her spiritual energy stirred slightly, and she subconsciously gripped the long whip in her hand.

"Little beauty, tired from running?"

The yellow-haired man walked forward step by step, his tone flippant and lecherous. "Come, lie in big brother's arms for a while, let you catch your breath, I guarantee to make you comfortable."

Gu Ye's eyes turned cold. He subconsciously stepped forward, blocking in front of Luo Yuerou, completely cutting off the yellow-haired man's greedy gaze. His tone was ice-cold, and he spat out only one word: "Get lost!"

The yellow-haired man's face darkened instantly, the greed in his eyes replaced by rage. He hadn't expected that a Bronze Rank Nine kid would dare to talk to him like that.

He turned his head abruptly and roared at the four lackeys behind him: "Take down these two ignorant kids for me! Break their limbs. I want to have my fun with this little beauty right in front of them. Once I'm tired of playing, I'll reward you all with some soup, let you taste this beauty's flavor!"

The four lackeys behind him heard this and all wore lecherous smiles, their eyes full of excitement and greed. They responded in unison: "You got it, Boss!"

"Little beauty, here we come!"

A tall, thin lackey rubbed his hands and rushed toward Luo Yuerou with a lecherous look on his face. He activated a pale white card in his hand, and a weak fireball shot toward Luo Yuerou.

When had Luo Yuerou ever suffered such humiliation? The disgust in her eyes instantly turned into anger. Her spiritual energy erupted completely, and she whipped out her long whip.

The long whip glowed with a pale blue luster, and fine lightning was coiled around the whip body, making a "zizi" crackling sound, carrying a bone-chilling cold and sharp pressure.

Her figure flashed, and without waiting for those lackeys to get close, she took the initiative and rushed toward them, her eyes cold, revealing her full intent to kill.

Seeing this, Yan Dinghan immediately stood up, making a move to step forward and help, but was stopped by Gu Ye's hand.

"Let her handle it."

Gu Ye shook his head gently, his gaze falling on those Church Members, his tone calm. "Those people aren't strong. There's just one Bronze Rank Nine yellow-hair, and the other four are all Bronze Rank Eight. Furthermore, they are all using some trashy pale white cards."

"Luo Yuerou's strength is completely capable of handling them. It's just right for her to stretch her limbs and recover her state."

Upon hearing this, Yan Dinghan carefully observed the aura of those Church Members, nodded, put away the card in his hand, stood to the side, and together with Gu Ye, quietly watched Luo Yuerou fight.

"[Nine-Fold Lightning Whip]!"

Luo Yuerou gave a low shout, and the long whip in her hand danced like a spirit snake. The pale blue lightning instantly surged, and the whip, carrying a whistling gale, lashed out toward the four lackeys rushing up.

The pale white cards in the hands of the four lackeys instantly exploded under the pressure of the lightning. Before they could even make a defensive move, they were struck hard by the long whip.

One whip, two whips, three whips... nine whip shadows fell in succession. Each whip struck the lackeys precisely, and the lightning instantly enveloped their bodies.

With a "zizi" sound and sparks flying everywhere, accompanied by piercing screams, the lackeys' bodies were scorched black by the lightning, and a pungent burnt smell gradually permeated the air.

Gu Ye and Yan Dinghan could even clearly smell a faint scent of cooked meat.

In just a few seconds, the four lackeys fell to the ground, twitched a few times, and then had no breath left. Their bodies were scorched black, a tragic sight to behold.