The elder of the Holy Grail Academy was furious enough to kill at this moment!
He was just following orders from others, and had been well hidden. When the beast tide surged out, he had remained calm and hadn't panicked much.
But now, with these imbecilic disciples below exposing him, he could no longer conceal himself.
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
The situation was dire. Behind them, the beast tide was pursuing like vengeful spirits, and beside them were disciples from other academies and elders overseeing this grand competition.
If he admitted to everything now, he would likely be abandoned to the beasts.
Although his own combat strength was not low, even a skilled fighter could not overcome overwhelming odds. No matter how many people the Holy Grail Academy had brought, they couldn't contend with everyone else. Thus, the elder quickly weighed the pros and cons and decided he absolutely could not admit to this.
"How am I spouting nonsense? Elder, at this critical juncture, do you want us all to die before you're satisfied? Why don't you step forward and send these beasts back immediately?"
"Do you really want us all to die here?"
At this moment, the disciples of the Holy Grail Academy were united, their resentment directed at the elder. They accused him of selfishness and malevolence. Had they not already known that the disciples of the Holy Grail Academy were a heartless bunch, they might have been misled by their righteous pronouncements and apparent defense of the innocent victims.
However, everyone could see that these disciples were now urgently trying to save themselves by exposing the elder.
They believed that if the elder could bring these beasts in, he could also send them back, making the beast tide a trivial matter!
"I never said that!"
The elder's eyes widened, and he looked at them with great displeasure. "When we schemed against Gonan Academy before, weren't you all involved? Was it solely my idea? Since everyone participated in this opportunity, do you think you have the right and standing to accuse me now?"
"Besides, infighting now would just make us a laughingstock for others!"
Those disciples didn't care about that.
They just wanted to survive.
As the first wave of beasts drew closer, everyone felt their scalps tingle and goosebumps erupt. Their legs felt weak, but driven by an intense will to survive, they began to flee desperately.
Their legs felt as if they no longer belonged to them, yet they dared not stop.
After all, everyone knew that stopping now meant certain death.
"Are we to blame for all this? Isn't it your fault? If you weren't confident you could send the beast tide back, then how dare you do this? Didn't you ever consider that we might die too?"
"We came here to compete, not to die!"
"Hurry up! Can't you see the beasts are getting closer? How can we possibly fight so many of them!"
Driven to desperation by these people, the elder's expression turned grim. He declared, "Just wait to be devoured by the beasts!"
"I merely opened an exit according to the opponent's formation. I had no idea what would emerge from within. Your pressure on me is useless now."
The elder's defiant attitude infuriated the people from the other academies.
But before the other academies could voice their condemnation, the disciples of the Holy Grail Academy made their move.
Everyone looked at them with disdain and mockery.
In their eyes, this whole affair was initiated by the Holy Grail Academy. Even if all their own members perished, it wouldn't be enough to assuage their anger.
After all, the beast tide had claimed countless lives, and many disciples had already been swept away. Given the ferocity of the beasts, the fate of those caught was predictable.
As the culprits, the people of the Holy Grail Academy deserved to die a hundred times over, and no one would feel pity.
"We should have left immediately after seeing the results, just like Yan Jiaojiao and the others. Then none of this would have happened."
Amidst the panic, someone uttered this. Another person's eyes suddenly lit up, and they asked doubtfully, "Didn't Yan Jiaojiao just say she opened the formation to get out? We indeed saw her open the formation and leave. Could it be that after she left, the formation was damaged, causing the beast tide inside to come out, drawn by the scent?"
Upon hearing this, the people from the Holy Grail Academy perked up, even saying with conviction, "Perhaps this was all Yan Jiaojiao's doing! She's always been cunning. She might have known that the beast tide was caused by our elder, so she deliberately took revenge on us!"
Some found this explanation plausible, while others felt these people were just making groundless accusations and their words made no sense.
After all, Yan Jiaojiao and her group had indeed left because someone had used a sound transmission talisman to tell them time was urgent, and everyone had witnessed it. To claim she left intentionally now was too far-fetched.
Moreover, Yan Jiaojiao and her group had maintained a good demeanor when they left. Since everyone had underestimated Yan Jiaojiao before and suffered humiliation, they were now reluctant to suspect her.
"Alright, alright. What does it matter who's to blame right now? Flee quickly and save yourselves!"
Due to internal strife, the people of the Holy Grail Academy hindered each other, falling to the back. The others seized the precious time they had bought to escape.
Although the beast tide was terrifying, the invasion of beasts into the human realm was something that would be dealt with. Moreover, not all places were suitable for beasts to survive. Once they left Mount Wangliang, the beasts would die for various reasons, so everyone just needed to escape Mount Wangliang.
Unbeknownst to them, Yan Jiaojiao and her group had actually watched from outside for a while before turning to leave.
Although they hadn't witnessed the infighting within the Holy Grail Academy firsthand, seeing everyone desperately fleeing from the beasts was satisfaction enough.
"These people probably won't dare to come back next time."
Wei Congling smiled, her gaze towards Yan Jiaojiao sparkling. "Jiaojiao, you're truly amazing. That move was brilliant."
Retaliating with the same methods used against you was always the most satisfying.
Those people who had stood by and spoken so confidently before were likely silenced now.
"I don't know if it was brilliant, but everyone be vigilant. We're in trouble."
Hearing Yan Jiaojiao's change in tone, everyone realized that at some point, Yan Jiaojiao and Little Black had assumed a defensive posture.
Little Black's fur was bristling.
The group immediately recalled their previous encounter with the Human-Faced Puppet, their smiles vanishing instantly. "What's wrong?"