The sudden attack caught all three off guard.
However, Li Wanji, being experienced, grabbed Zhou Chen with her Left Hand, stomped on and broke the carriage shaft to leap up, and behind her, blood Qi intertwined, emitting a chilling aura.
"Evil Spirit Possession!"
Li Wanji roared, and the Blood Spirit directly enveloped her, her bronze hammer also changed, and she struck down fiercely.
Bang!
The ground shook violently, the Yao Beast's large mouth closed, having suffered a terrible blow, and quickly retreated underground.
The carriage also exploded in response, scattering everywhere.
"Not good!"
Li Wanji turned and put Zhou Chen down, her heart also skipped a beat.
Zhou Guniang was powerful and didn't need her help at all; it was likely that the second-generation wastrel was in trouble.
"My carriage, my horse!"
From the shattered remains of the carriage, Zhou You ran out with a pained expression.
In the distance, there was only a pit, but no trace of the horse.
"Unforgivable, inexcusable!"
Zhou You's face was ashen, his eyes filled with killing intent.
It was too much!
A perfectly good horse, hardworking and uncomplaining, was just eaten like that?
"It's a Fourth-Grade Yao Beast, Zhuo Ran."
Li Wanji was surrounded by blood Qi, exuding a murderous aura, "This creature can move freely underground, is skilled at sneak attacks, and is very difficult to deal with."
Zhou Chen's expression tightened, not expecting to encounter a Fourth-Grade Yao Beast immediately after entering the seventeenth ring's territory.
If this thing infiltrated Qingping City, wouldn't it be able to swallow a dozen children in one bite?
Li Wanji looked at Zhou Chen, "Adjust your mood; once you enter the front lines, these things are commonplace, and encountering any Yao Beast is not surprising."
This was the front line, a zone of slaughter.
The Human Race viewed Yao Beasts as invaders, and Yao Beasts viewed the Human Race as food.
Zhou Chen pursed her lips, "I understand."
Li Wanji raised her hand and pointed into the distance, "Do you see the city over there? Our next stop is there, which is also the area where I was previously stationed."
In the distance, there was a solitary city, about fifty li away.
On both sides of the solitary city, strange light screens flowed, forming an enormous barrier that extended into the far distance.
On the way here, Li Wanji had explained.
Some Cultivators skilled in Formation worked together to operate the Great Guardian Formation, and the only entrance and exit were the fallen cities.
The Great Guardian Formation was set up along the border, consuming immense manpower and financial resources.
Whenever it couldn't be defended, they would choose to shrink the Great Guardian Formation and retreat inland.
Zhou Chen asked, "Then, shouldn't we find a way to deal with this Zhuo Ran?"
Li Wanji sighed, "This Zhuo Ran moves underground, making it an extremely difficult opponent for many Cultivators. We can only report this back and see if corresponding Cultivators can be dispatched to resolve it."
Zhou Chen also understood that their type of Cultivator was not good at underground combat.
As long as Zhuo Ran didn't come out, there was nothing they could do.
After Li Wanji finished speaking, she walked straight ahead, "Let's go, don't waste time here."
Zhou Chen hummed in acknowledgment and quickly followed.
"Completely unforgivable."
Zhou You gnashed his teeth, his eyes filled with killing intent.
In an instant, a cold light smoothly cut through the earth, extending for hundreds of meters, accompanied by a low shriek.
"What was that sound?"
Li Wanji quickly turned her head to look around.
But she could only see a calm and composed Zhou You.
Zhou You strode forward, his mood immediately much better.
"Second Master, are you thirsty? Are you hungry?"
Zhou Chen picked up her satchel and skipped alongside Zhou You.
"What food did you prepare?"
Zhou You asked thoughtlessly.
Zhou Chen directly opened her satchel, "There's beef jerky, dried sweet potatoes..."
Zhou You reached out, "Give me a bag of beef jerky."
Li Wanji witnessed all this and felt a blockage in her heart, sighing inwardly, "Silly girl, this isn't love, this is twisted. Even if this person is handsome, he's still your Second Master, your behavior is too enthusiastic."
After walking less than ten li, the three saw a village with traces of blood everywhere, collapsed houses, and half-exposed skeletons under some ruins.
Besides human remains, there were also decomposed Yao Beast bones.
Looking around, it was a shocking sight.
Li Wanji's expression was heavy, "At that time, the situation in the eighteenth ring was grim, and out of necessity, all the masters who set up Formations activated the rear Formations first. The beast tide swept in like a sea, and there was no time to evacuate. Of course, even if they were evacuated, it would only increase internal conflicts."
Putting everything else aside, even if a hundred thousand people flooded into Qingping City, it would cause great chaos.
Hungry people need food, and fearful people want to protect their territory.
Zhou You squatted down, reaching out to pick up a smooth, licked skull, which looked to be at most seven or eight years old.
Li Wanji glanced at it, "Under the Yao Beast scourge, the most tragic ones are always ordinary people. If the reaction hadn't been quick enough then, those Yao Beasts would have run even further, causing the sixteenth ring to completely fall."
Zhou You weighed the skull in his Left Hand, his eyes showing a thoughtful expression.
Zhou Chen sighed faintly, "I always felt that the Yao Beast scourge was far away, but I never thought it was already imminent."
"The Sects are not united, and even if they were, it would be to deal with the Hua Xia Dynasty."
Li Wanji sneered repeatedly, "The Dynasty can do very little in such a situation. Otherwise, it wouldn't have established the Demon Subduing Division and the Exorcist Bureau."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but look at Zhou Chen, "I truly hope that more and more Geniuses like you can join the battlefield, instead of acting like those Sect forces who only know how to live their own isolated lives."
Zhou Chen's expression was stern, "Wanji, I will definitely work hard to kill Yao Beasts and do my part for peace in the world."
Li Wanji smiled brightly; Zhou Chen's answer satisfied her greatly.
She felt that she was about to witness the descent of a true Great Demon Subduing General, and by then, merely hearing her name would be enough to strike fear into those Great Yao Beasts.
Zhou You stood up and placed the skull in his hand on the broken courtyard wall, letting its eyes look towards the distant city wall.
Li Wanji urged, "Let's go. Once we reach our destination, I'll introduce you to a Yellow-grade Demon Subduing Master to issue your identity token. With this token, you can record the Yao Beasts you've killed. In other words, these are merit points. It's a pity I'm only an apprentice; otherwise, I would have this authority."
Zhou You walked forward with a somewhat cold expression, his Left Hand resting on the Zhu Xie Sword, his mood slightly complex.
This was completely different from what the Zhou Family had encountered.
How could the number of those who died in the Yao Beast scourge be merely tens of thousands?
It seems...
Zhou You gripped the sword sheath with his Left Hand, he was going to kill a lot...
"Why are you walking so fast!"
Li Wanji grabbed Zhou You's shoulder, "If you're so reckless, something bad could easily happen."