124: Reinforcements arrived

Yang Kai saw that they had escaped the dangerous situation and stopped, saying to the Demonic Cultivators behind him, "Fellow Daoists, we have now escaped the Devil Head's territory. Let us part ways here. The mountains are high and the road is long; we shall meet again."

The Demonic Cultivators nodded in agreement upon hearing this. They had already had this thought in mind, so they naturally had no objections to Yang Kai's proposal.

"Good, then we shall do as you say, Fellow Daoist!" one Demonic Cultivator said. "We will part ways here, and if there is a chance in the future, we will meet again!"

"Take care!" Yang Kai said, cupping his hands at them.

The Demonic Cultivators cupped their hands to bid farewell to Yang Kai, then split into several groups and headed in different directions.

Some of the villagers saved by Yang Kai also indicated they knew the way home and wanted to leave on their own.

Yang Kai knew there were many Demonic Cultivators in this area and feared that if he let them go now, they would likely fall back into the hands of the Demonic Cultivators, so he did not agree.

"Let us go too. First, we will find a safe place to stay, then we will figure out a way to send you all home," Yang Kai said to the remaining people.

The group nodded and followed behind Yang Kai, walking into the darkness.

As for the Demonic Cultivators who had been following them, they were at a loss when they saw the group disperse and leave.

They discussed for a moment and felt that this matter was of great importance, so they had to report the news to the forces behind them as soon as possible.

Yang Kai was unaware of the trackers' existence. He led the group in a hurry until they reached a dense forest before stopping.

He carefully checked the surrounding environment, and after confirming there was no danger, he let everyone sit down to rest.

"Everyone, rest here for a while. I have some water and food. After we finish eating, we must hurry on our way. There are many Demonic Cultivators in this area; who knows what other dangers might arise if we stay too long."

Yang Kai had specifically brought a lot of dry rations and drinking water when he came out this time, but since he had been staying in the imperial palace, he hadn't used them. Now, they finally came in handy.

"Who are you? Why are you so kind to us?" An elderly villager looked at Yang Kai with lingering vigilance and did not accept his food.

Hearing his question, everyone else also looked at Yang Kai.

Seeing these villagers, who were tortured by fear and somewhat abnormal, Yang Kai sighed. "I am a Disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect. I came here under orders to investigate these Demonic Cultivators. Now, I will take you to the territory of the Flowing Cloud Sect; it will be safe once we get there."

As he spoke, Yang Kai took out a jade pendant engraved with the Flowing Cloud Sect's emblem from his robes and handed it to the elderly villager. "This is my identity jade pendant as a Disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect. If you don't believe me, you can take a look. Once we reach the Flowing Cloud Sect's territory, you can ask anyone, and you will know that what I say is true."

The elderly villager took the jade pendant and carefully examined the patterns on it.

The jade pendant was translucent white, with a lifelike flowing cloud engraved on the front and the three characters "Flowing Cloud Sect" on the back. The patterns were delicate and could by no means be compared to ordinary imitations.

He looked at the children beside him, who were gobbling up the dry rations with relieved expressions on their faces. His vigilance gradually dissipated.

"Thank you for saving us, Immortal Master. It was this old one who was overly suspicious."

The elderly villager returned the jade pendant to Yang Kai and bowed to him. "Those of us who were captured by the Demonic Cultivators had already lost all hope. If not for your intervention, Immortal Master, we likely would not have escaped death."

Seeing this, the other villagers also bowed to Yang Kai and took the dry rations and water skins he offered.

For a time, only the sound of people swallowing food remained in the forest, and the previously oppressive atmosphere vanished.

After eating, the group regained some strength.

Yang Kai stood up and said to everyone, "Everyone has rested enough; we must hurry on our way. This place is still some distance from the Flowing Cloud Sect's territory, and there are many Demonic Cultivators here. Every moment we stay, the danger increases."

Everyone nodded, tidied their clothes, and followed behind Yang Kai toward the boundary of the county.

The night grew deeper, and the wind in the forest became colder, occasionally bringing the roars of unknown beasts that sent chills down one's spine.

But with Yang Kai leading the way, the group felt a bit more secure, and their steps became firmer.

Along the way, Yang Kai remained vigilant, observing the movements around him, his hand tightly clutching the black bone banner he had obtained from the old devil earlier.

This bone banner could block one strike from a Core Formation Stage Cultivator, so it might come in handy if an emergency arose.

He did not know how long they had walked when a faint boundary line appeared ahead—it was the border of the county.

Once they crossed this line, they would be out of Wusong County, and there would be far fewer Demonic Cultivators.

"Everyone, keep pushing! Once we cross that line ahead, we will be safe!" Yang Kai pointed ahead and said to the group, his tone carrying a hint of excitement.

Upon hearing this, the group's faces showed joy, and their pace involuntarily quickened.

But just then, a cold voice suddenly came from the darkness ahead: "Want to leave? It's not that easy!"

Yang Kai's heart tightened. He stopped abruptly, shielded the group behind him, and looked sharply in the direction the voice came from.

He saw a dozen or so figures slowly walking out of the darkness, each of them exuding thick Devilish Qi.

"It's you!" Yang Kai recognized the few Demonic Cultivators in the lead; they were the ones who had been monitoring the underground market in the tavern earlier.

The thin-faced Demonic Cultivator in the lead sneered and said, "Kid, didn't expect this, did you? You do have some skill to be able to escape from that old monster, the Soul-Devouring Demon Leader. However, we had long anticipated that you would come this way and have been waiting here specifically. This time, you won't be so lucky!"

Yang Kai looked around and discovered that there were over a dozen people in total.

Most of them were Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators, and there was also a middle-aged Demonic Cultivator with an especially powerful aura, whose Devilish Qi had already condensed into substance, clearly indicating a Core Formation Stage level of cultivation.

"What do you want?" Yang Kai asked in a deep voice, the black bone banner in his hand trembling slightly, ready to strike at any moment.

"What do we want?" the thin-faced Demonic Cultivator said sinisterly. "Since you were able to escape from the Soul-Devouring Demon Leader, you must know quite a few secrets. Obediently hand over everything you know and come back with us, and perhaps we might leave your corpse intact!"

"Dream on!" Yang Kai shouted angrily. He swung the bone banner in his hand violently, and a wave of black Qi swept toward the thin-faced Demonic Cultivator.

This bone banner was indeed extraordinary; as soon as it was unleashed, it carried a powerful pressure that made the surrounding Demonic Cultivators involuntarily take a step back.

The thin-faced Demonic Cultivator's expression changed slightly, and he quickly circulated his Devilish Qi to defend.

With a loud "bang," the black Qi wave collided with the Devilish Qi, and the resulting impact caused the surrounding trees to shake violently.

"You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!" The thin-faced Demonic Cultivator was enraged and shouted to the Demonic Cultivators behind him, "Get them! Capture them all, don't let a single one escape!"

The dozen or so Demonic Cultivators heard this and all circulated their Devilish Qi, rushing toward Yang Kai and the others.

In an instant, Devilish Qi filled the air, and various Demonic Techniques attacked Yang Kai. The air in the forest instantly became thick and oppressive.

Yang Kai did not dare to be careless. He held the bone banner horizontally in front of him and waved it continuously, blocking the Demonic Cultivators' attacks.

The skulls on the bone banner let out hissing sounds, and the black Qi waves blocked the Demonic Cultivators' attacks time and time again.

However, there were many opponents, and there was still a Core Formation Stage Demonic Cultivator who had not yet attacked.

Yang Kai gradually felt somewhat strained, and fine beads of sweat seeped out on his forehead.

With Yang Kai's strength, if he were to let go and have a great battle with these Demonic Cultivators, he would not be afraid.

But there were many Mortals behind him; if he retreated or charged into the enemy formation, these Mortals would inevitably fall into the hands of the Demonic Cultivators.

This forced Yang Kai to bite the bullet and use his magic power to activate the bone banner to resist.

His cultivation level was his greatest weakness, and the magic power required for such a powerful Magic Treasure was immense. In just a short moment, his magic power had already reached the warning line.

"Kid, your tricks are only so much!" The leading Core Formation Stage Demonic Cultivator sneered and slowly walked forward.

The Devilish Qi on his body became increasingly thick, and the surrounding temperature plummeted accordingly. "Let this old man come and meet you!"

As he spoke, he extended his right hand, his five fingers forming a claw, and a claw condensed from pitch-black Devilish Qi grabbed toward Yang Kai.

This claw contained immense power, and wherever it passed, the air was torn apart, emitting a harsh, screeching sound.

Yang Kai was greatly alarmed. He could feel that the power of this claw was not to be trifled with.

Although the bone banner in his hand could block one strike from a Core Formation Stage Cultivator, the magic power required would certainly be far greater than before.

Yang Kai poured all his remaining magic power into the bone banner, preparing to meet this strike head-on.

Just at this critical moment, a crisp female voice suddenly came from the distance: "Devil, do not be presumptuous!"