Chapter 1341: Escape! Escape! Escape!

“Cultivators?” The tall man’s dark red eyes flashed with a cold glint.

Whether it was the endless days and nights of imprisonment and torment that could only be alleviated by killing cultivators, or his sheer hatred for them, he spared no effort in hunting them down.

“Wu!” the tall man called out.

“Whoosh.” Among the thousand guardian beasts of Divine Emperor Perfection-level Hunyuan lifeforms surrounding him, one peculiar beast instantly appeared by his side, bowing its head respectfully. “My King!”

The Hunyuan Prisoner was a high-level Hunyuan lifeform and the undisputed leader of their faction, the ‘Demon-Slaying Hunters.’

The tall man said indifferently, “Not too far from us now, there is a group of cultivators. Lead five hundred guardians and drive them as I command.”

“As you wish,” Wu, the Demon-Slaying Hunter, replied respectfully.

Soon.

Five hundred Demon-Slaying Hunters swiftly departed. They could communicate telepathically with their leader at all times—one of the many abilities of high-level Hunyuan lifeforms.

“I hope they don’t escape this time,” the tall man muttered before leading his remaining forces in another direction.

Based on his long experience, these cultivators were incredibly slippery. At the slightest hint of danger, they would unleash terrifying speed to flee. Every hunting party deliberately included at least one cultivator specializing in speed, far surpassing others of their level. Even the Hunyuan lifeforms couldn’t match their velocity.

It was this advantage in speed that allowed cultivators to repeatedly shake off pursuit and escape encirclements.

The tall man had deliberately sent five hundred subordinates to drive the cultivators into a trap. Yet even so, success was far from guaranteed.

—

Snow as thick as goose feathers blanketed the wilderness, turning the land into a vast expanse of white.

Dongbo Xueying and his fifty companions moved silently, leaving no trace of their presence.

“Brother Feixue, I owe you for helping me obtain the Mo Wu Chaos Serpent,” Youya Daoist said as he walked alongside Dongbo Xueying. His subordinates, who had initially been dismissive of Xueying, now treated him with utmost courtesy.

“Even without me, you would’ve gotten it eventually—just with more time,” Dongbo Xueying chuckled.

“Not necessarily. The longer we delayed, the more Hunyuan lifeforms would’ve swarmed us. At best, we might’ve slain the Mo Wu Chaos Serpent, but more likely, I’d have had to abandon it and flee. None of us would willingly walk into certain doom,” Youya Daoist countered.

Some risks were worth taking, but none would willingly march into a death trap—not even his own subordinates.

“Haha, if you feel indebted, you can always give me an extra Divine Emperor Perfection-level Hunyuan corpse when we return to Chiyun City. I won’t complain,” Dongbo Xueying teased.

“An extra one? I still owe you the first! Hopefully, we can bag a few more on the way back,” Youya Daoist grumbled.

Their banter was lighthearted, their spirits high.

“Youya, we’ve been spotted by over eighty Demon-Slaying Hunters,” the gray-robed man transmitted mentally.

“Eighty? How many are Divine Emperor Perfection-level?” Youya Daoist frowned.

“Initial estimates suggest nearly half.”

“Then we fight. We haven’t bagged enough prey yet—let’s make up for it on the way back,” Youya Daoist said calmly before addressing the entire group. “Everyone, we’ve been detected by a pack of over eighty Demon-Slaying Hunters, nearly half at Divine Emperor Perfection. Prepare for battle.”

“Eighty?”

“Just Demon-Slaying Hunters?”

The group remained relaxed, unfazed.

The Demon-Slaying Hunters were a vast race, numbering over fifty thousand. Their bloodline was far from noble among Hunyuan lifeforms, and their strength was mediocre. A single Mo Wu Chaos Serpent could match three Demon-Slaying Hunters of the same level.

Eighty of them?

This would be a slaughter.

“Brother Feixue, lend me a hand. Let’s take down one or two Divine Emperor Perfection-level ones together,” Youya Daoist transmitted.

“Gladly. I came out to stock up on ‘food’ anyway,” Dongbo Xueying replied. Aside from the Mo Wu Chaos Serpent, he hadn’t yet hunted any Divine Emperor Perfection-level prey.

**Boom!**

The battle erupted moments later.

With more Divine Emperor Perfection-level cultivators than Hunyuan lifeforms and flawless teamwork, the fight was a one-sided massacre.

With Dongbo Xueying joining forces with Youya Daoist, they even managed to slay a Divine Emperor Perfection-level Demon-Slaying Hunter.

**Crash!**

Dongbo Xueying’s body swelled to ten meters tall, his aura raging. His spear struck the Hunter’s skull, caving it in and extinguishing its soul.

“Success!”

“It’s dead!”

Youya Daoist and the others cheered.

Dongbo Xueying exhaled, shrinking back to normal. Just ten breaths of combat had drained twenty percent of his vitality—recently replenished with Hunyuan Jade.

“Not easy. Even with Youya restraining it, a team of Divine Emperor Perfection cultivators assisting, and me going all out, it still took ten breaths to kill one,” Dongbo Xueying mused. And this was just an ordinary Hunyuan lifeform.

Xie Fan watched, seething with envy.

Despite his own efforts and his subordinates’ help, he hadn’t managed to kill a single Divine Emperor Perfection-level.

Alas, Youya Daoist and Dongbo Xueying were among Chiyun City’s elite. Xie Fan was just one man.

“Youya,” Xie Fan transmitted reluctantly, “help me out too.” Youya’s black-and-white domain was unparalleled in suppressing enemies.

“Oh? Now you ask for my help?” Youya Daoist shot Xie Fan a glance from afar.

“If you assist me, the Chiyun Hall artifact spirit will allocate you a larger share,” Xie Fan bargained. Most top-tier experts in Chiyun City valued pride too much to beg after a falling-out—but Xie Fan had no shame.

He could rage one moment and negotiate the next.

“You’re begging me? Fine, I’ll lend a hand,” Youya Daoist relented.

“Much obliged,” Xie Fan grinned.

“But we can’t linger here. I’ll help you with the next wave of Hunyuan lifeforms,” Youya added.

“Everyone, move out. No dawdling,” Youya ordered.

In the wilds, prolonged battles were forbidden.

They had to end fights swiftly.

—

Dongbo Xueying’s hunting party fled once more.

Laughter filled the group—many were in high spirits after slaying a Divine Emperor Perfection-level foe.

Then—

“What?” Youya Daoist’s face twisted in shock as he stared at the gray-robed man. “You’re certain?”

“Absolutely.”

“What’s wrong?” the others pressed.

Youya’s urgent mental transmission sent chills down their spines:

“Over eight hundred Demon-Slaying Hunters have detected us and are giving chase. More than six hundred are Divine Emperor Perfection-level!”

This was the five hundred guardians dispatched by the Hunyuan Prisoner. Along the way, they’d assimilated smaller, scattered packs, swelling their numbers past eight hundred.

“Eight hundred?!”

“Six hundred Divine Emperor Perfection?!”

The group froze, hearts turning to ice.

Though Demon-Slaying Hunters were weak individually, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

Their party could hold their own against two hundred Divine Emperor Perfection-level Hunters. Three hundred? They could still escape. Four hundred? Casualties were inevitable. Five hundred? Half the team might perish.

But over eight hundred, with six hundred at Divine Emperor Perfection?

At best, a handful might survive.

At worst—total annihilation.

“Run! Now!” Xie Fan roared.

“Full speed!” Youya Daoist barked.

**Whoosh!**

A gray haze enveloped the group as they bolted at maximum velocity, fleeing for their lives.