Since their exposure, Dongbo Xueying and his team no longer concealed themselves but charged forward at full speed.
The master of the Silent Ice Mountain received continuous updates.
“The cultivator team includes ‘Wu Xiao,’ the deputy city lord of Chiyun City, ‘Emperor Jietian,’ ‘Emperor Liexi’…”
“The cultivator team’s flight speed is roughly three times faster than ours! They’re closing in rapidly.”
Reports kept pouring in.
The master of the Silent Ice Mountain remained expressionless.
*”Hiss—”* Suddenly, the golden runes on his shackles flared brightly, and the pain forced the Hunyuan prisoner—the master of the Silent Ice Mountain—to let out a low groan. This torment penetrated every inch of his body and soul, a punishment meticulously designed by the lords to break them.
“To think they intercepted me so stealthily on my return path, gathering so many powerful cultivators,” the master of the Silent Ice Mountain gritted his teeth, deep in thought.
He had two choices.
First, send all his guards to intercept. He had three thousand personal guards and another two thousand scouts in the vicinity. With a single command, a massive force could delay the enemy while he took a detour alone, returning to his lair at top speed. Though his full-speed burst couldn’t match the fastest cultivator in Chiyun City, the gap wasn’t insurmountable.
If his guards bought enough time, he might just escape.
After all, the closer he was to his lair, the stronger he became!
But the torment also intensified the nearer he was—forcing him to “patrol” in the first place.
“Too risky.”
“If I send all my guards to delay them and they fail to hold them off long enough, I’ll be caught alone against their entire group. If I’m close to my lair, I might survive. But if I’m too far… I could die.” The master of the Silent Ice Mountain frowned. Despite enduring endless agony, he refused to accept death so easily.
He was still waiting.
Waiting for the mighty among their kind—the innate Hunyuan lifeforms—to descend upon this world and save them!
“The second option is to flee with my guards. Though we can’t escape entirely and must fight eventually, it’s safer.”
Flee together.
With three thousand guards at his side and another two thousand converging swiftly, he could continue summoning reinforcements during the retreat.
By the time they clashed with the cultivators, his forces could swell to six or even seven thousand. Against such numbers, even that formidable team would struggle to break through.
“Let’s flee together.”
The master of the Silent Ice Mountain made his decision.
In truth, had he known about Dongbo Xueying’s soul techniques—capable of effortlessly dismantling his guards—he would have chosen the first path.
With so many guards stalling, his solo escape stood a real chance. The closer he got to his lair, the stronger and faster he became.
But he didn’t know.
So he chose what he believed was the safer second option.
—
The Hunyuan prisoner’s forces gathered swiftly, soon amassing five thousand guards. They took a detour, summoning even more distant subordinates as they fled.
All of this unfolded under the watchful eyes of Dongbo Xueying’s team.
“As expected, that Hunyuan prisoner chose to flee with his guards,” Wu Xiao sneered.
“Only with his minions does he feel secure,” the Nine-Headed Snake Patriarch scoffed. “He doesn’t dare gamble, unwilling to risk death at our hands. For a high-level Hunyuan lifeform, dying at the hands of non-Hyuan cultivators would be a disgrace. Too bad for him—this time, we have Emperor Feixue.”
“With Emperor Feixue here, he’s doomed.”
“Absolutely doomed.”
Many in the team had faced the master of the Silent Ice Mountain multiple times.
*Whoosh!*
The entire team was enveloped by a colossal golden bird, radiant and dazzling. With a single flap of its wings, it sliced through the sky effortlessly—its speed unmatched, even leaving Dongbo Xueying in awe. Undoubtedly, the fastest in Chiyun City.
—
Once the master of the Silent Ice Mountain chose to flee, Dongbo Xueying’s team encountered little resistance, advancing unimpeded.
“There he is.”
“Over there.”
From afar, they spotted an enormous swarm of Hunyuan lifeforms.
The master of the Silent Ice Mountain retained his humanoid form, surrounded by over six thousand ‘Silent Howlers’—jet-black, semi-transparent creatures. Nearly six thousand were at the Divine Emperor Perfection level, with several hundred at the late Divine Emperor stage.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
Neither side retreated now. They charged toward each other.
One side was vast—each Silent Howler massive, their numbers blotting out the sky. The cultivators numbered a mere fifty-six, dwarfed in comparison.
Yet the master of the Silent Ice Mountain didn’t underestimate them. He knew this team was formidable. Though his forces were numerous, six thousand couldn’t all engage fifty-six at once. The cultivators, if coordinated, could carve through his ranks like a blade.
But if their formation broke—disaster would strike.
“Nine-Headed Snake Patriarch, you never learn,” the master of the Silent Ice Mountain’s voice echoed across the void.
“Indeed, I don’t. I’m back. Why not surrender? Spare yourself the suffering, and spare me the trouble,” the Nine-Headed Snake Patriarch retorted.
“You’re not even a Hunyuan lifeform, yet you dare boast before me,” the master sneered.
“You’re shackled and suppressed, barely stronger than us. Don’t flatter yourself—you’re just a prisoner of the great lords, destined to die. Why delay the inevitable?”
As they exchanged barbs, the distance between them shrank.
“Your previous attacks all failed. Some of your comrades even ended up in my belly,” the master licked his lips. “Cultivators taste… exquisite.”
Before his imprisonment, he’d never cared for consuming cultivators.
But now—with the lords’ torment ceaseless—devouring them brought fleeting relief, a rare comfort amidst endless agony.
Even a high-level Hunyuan lifeform craved such respite.
“Kill!” The Nine-Headed Snake Patriarch’s expression darkened as he barked the order.
“My children, slaughter them!” The master’s eyes burned with killing intent.
*Boom—*
The two forces collided.
The cultivators cleaved through like a blade, advancing relentlessly.
Though the Silent Howlers were sent flying or wounded, their resilience was astounding. Only Wu Xiao could one-shot them; even the Nine-Headed Snake Patriarch needed multiple strikes to kill one.
With their mutual support, the Silent Howlers entangled the cultivators fiercely.
A thousand, two thousand…
Their sheer numbers forced the cultivators to exert their utmost just to push forward—until Dongbo Xueying made his move.
“Break their coordination, and they’ll fall,” the master observed coldly, confident from past encounters.
Though the cultivators seemed impenetrable now, their defense relied on flawless teamwork. Against thousands of Divine Emperor Perfection-level Silent Howlers, a single misstep meant death—especially for those without backup.
“Find the opening. Shatter their formation.”
The master retreated slightly, maintaining distance while searching for his moment.
“Now?”
“Nine-Heads, it’s time!”
“We can’t wait any longer!”
Urgent mental transmissions buzzed among the cultivators.
“Close enough.” The Nine-Headed Snake Patriarch narrowed his eyes. “This distance is perfect. Brother Feixue—now!”
“Haha, been waiting for that.”
Dongbo Xueying, shielded within the formation, unleashed his will.
*Boom—*
A vast illusory world descended, enveloping nearly five thousand Silent Howlers in its phantom domain.
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