The Cai clan and their group fell into confusion once again upon learning the current situation in the Tianyuan Realm.
This time, the undead race had acted with premeditation. The main forces of the Tianyuan Realm cultivators were trapped, and their rear had been attacked by undead that had long been lurking.
At this moment, a single thought circled in everyone's minds:
"It's over."
"The Tianyuan Realm is finished!"
Cai Jingjing looked back at the people accompanying her, along with cultivators from other factions. In total, there were only a little over ten Void Refining stage cultivators, with the strongest being only in the late Void Refining stage.
Combined, they couldn't even defeat a single Integration stage expert.
No matter which undead group they encountered, they were no match.
Zhu Yu hesitated to speak. If the Tianyuan Realm were truly annihilated by the undead race in the future, perhaps being sealed within the Central Continent by the Spirit Sealing Heaven Locking Formation would be their final refuge.
"Not good! A group of zombies is chasing us from behind!"
"Let's run!"
Seeing that they were outmatched, Cai Jingjing had no choice but to lead her team in flight.
Perhaps it was their terrible luck, but after fleeing a short distance, they encountered another group ahead.
Although this group appeared to be human cultivators, their auras were strange. Some of them were entwined with gray-black death qi.
"They were the ones who destroyed my sect. I was being chased by them earlier."
The disheveled cultivator they had picked up earlier recognized the identity of the approaching group and immediately transmitted this information to Cai Jingjing.
Cai Jingjing scanned the group ahead with her divine sense. Their strength was comparable to their own, even slightly weaker.
"Prepare for battle! A swift victory, let's fight our way through!"
The group halted their movement, brought out their respective magical treasures, and formed an offensive formation based on their usual combat habits to face the enemy.
As the two sides drew near, the battle began without suspense.
After Zhu Yu's cultivation advanced to the Void Refining stage, the power of his sword formation greatly increased. Thousands of flying swords formed a dragon of sword qi, charging directly into the enemy ranks, causing splashes of blood.
Under the desperate charge of the Tianyuan Realm cultivators, they finally broke through the enemy formation and escaped from these spirit-controlled cultivators.
However, the group suffered significant losses in this battle. One-third perished, and the remaining were all injured to varying degrees.
Zhu Yu, having used several great divine abilities in succession, was now exhausted. He took out a bottle of spirit wine and drank it in one gulp.
This was his last bottle. The next time he met Xiao Fei, he would have to trick him out of a few more bottles.
Just as Zhu Yu casually tossed the wine bottle aside, the surrounding world suddenly plunged into darkness.
This darkness was boundless, enveloping everyone present.
"Who is it?"
Having experienced many battles, they naturally knew that they had been enveloped by the法则领域 (Fǎzé Lǐngyù - Law Domain) of an peerless expert.
At this moment, Patriarch Ji's figure emerged in the dark void, shrouded in a halo that made him appear sacred.
"I now give you two choices: first, follow me and obey my commands; second, die!
You have ten breaths to consider."
After Patriarch Ji appeared and uttered these words, his figure once again vanished into the darkness.
Within the domain of the powerful expert, everyone was subjected to immense mental pressure, and the fear of death spread through their hearts.
What to do?
Refusal to surrender means death, while surrender might be worse than death…
"Putting on airs!"
A rather bold Void Refining expert unleashed his magical treasure and slashed towards the darkness, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea, elicversing no reaction.
But in the next moment, a white bone materialized out of thin air in the darkness and shot towards the cultivator.
Upon receiving this blow, the cultivator's body exploded into a pulp of flesh on the spot.
Blood and gore splattered on everyone's faces, yet no one dared to wipe away the stains.
"My patience is limited!"
The ten breaths were quickly running out.
At this moment, a cultivator in the group let out a scream.
The cultivator's body contorted unnaturally, as if being squeezed by some immense force, and was quickly crushed into a mass of pulp, his aura completely extinguished, his soul annihilated.
After this cultivator's death, another scream erupted from beside him, and another cultivator met the same fate.
Then came a third, a fourth…
With consecutive deaths occurring before their eyes, the pressure on the remaining individuals grew increasingly immense.
Finally, someone could no longer withstand the overwhelming terror of death, and their Dao heart began to collapse.
"I… I surrender! I will obey your commands!"
A cultivator shouted, his body slumping to the ground in defeat.
With the first, the second and third quickly followed…
Zhu Yu and Cai Jingjing held each other's hands tightly. This feeling of their lives being in the hands of others was unbearable.
At this moment, the little fox hidden in Zhu Yu's embrace poked its head out again. It blinked its pair of intelligent, large eyes and looked around.
"I'll use my innate divine ability to send you two away!" the little fox transmitted to Zhu Yu.
"You, a mere Nascent Soul stage little fox, how can you escape from the domain of an Integration stage expert?"
Zhu Yu was half-believing, half-doubting the little fox's words, especially since a Void Refining stage expert had been casually killed by Patriarch Ji earlier.
"I suddenly remembered that I seem to have such a divine ability."
The little fox's reply made it seem even less reliable. However, a dead horse is still a horse, and having something is better than nothing.
In the brief moment that Zhu Yu and the little fox were communicating, more than half of the Tianyuan Realm cultivators present had chosen to surrender.
Only a few remained steadfast, but they were all trembling.
Suddenly, a beam of light illuminated the darkness, enveloping Zhu Yu and Cai Jingjing.
Then, the light streaked through the darkness, flying away, completely disregarding Patriarch Ji's Law Domain.
Patriarch Ji had just finished boasting when someone brazenly flew away before his eyes, like a slap to his face.
How could he tolerate such an affront to his dignity?
"Villain! Do not flee!"
Patriarch Ji, ignoring the surrendering Tianyuan Realm cultivators on the ground, pursued the ball of light directly.
He needed to consolidate and awe his subordinates; he could not allow someone who had offended his authority to live.
Zhu Yu had no idea what divine ability the little fox was using. With a mere Nascent Soul cultivation, it could escape from an Integration stage expert's Law Domain.
Moreover, as he was enveloped by the white light, he looked back to see the pursuing Patriarch Ji grinding his teeth, yet unable to catch up. The distance between them only grew wider.
This chase and evasion lasted for three days, and the little fox, with the two of them, completely escaped Patriarch Ji's pursuit.
The white light landed on a large rock, and then all of it merged into the little fox's body.
As this white light entered the little fox, its aura surged violently, directly breaking through from the Nascent Soul stage to the Void Refining stage.
Zhu Yu and Cai Jingjing looked at the little fox in shock.
"This… it's advancing just like that?"
It was incredibly difficult for ordinary cultivators to break through from the Nascent Soul stage to the Void Refining realm. The little fox, simply by escaping with them, had advanced as easily as eating and drinking!
"What exactly is your origin?"
"I don't know myself. That innate escape divine ability, I only just remembered it."
The little fox felt a sense of confusion. In its subconscious, it seemed to be searching for something very important.
The first time it saw Zhu Yu, many strange memories related to Zhu Yu surfaced in its soul.
Therefore, it subconsciously felt that Zhu Yu was the target of its search.