As a powerful suction pinned them all in place when that turbid, complex voice sounded.
Damn it, can't move!
Ru Lan gritted her teeth, veins bulging on her neck. She tried to take a step forward with all her might, but her body was completely unresponsive, like a puppet controlled by others.
"Look down!"
Hearing Fu Wanyan's reminder, they lowered their heads to look.
They saw that the shadows beneath their feet were sewn by dark threads intertwined with vine branches. Had they seen the maps of ancient military camps pinned and stitched onto frames? Their shadows were like that skin, stretched and nailed to the ground by the "dark threads."
The Shadow Binding Technique, no wonder they couldn't move.
At this moment, the "black energy" around them reconvened, but this time it was no longer the ghostly energy of a black river, but the surging demonic energy from the true demon, a more ferocious power.
"Yan Tianjiao—"
Fu Wanyan also started to panic, but thankfully, although her body couldn't move, she could still speak.
She called out to him as a reminder.
"The ring!"
Yan Tianjiao understood her meaning instantly.
He injected spiritual power into the "Sky Swallowing" ring again, drawing the dangerous demonic energy and the "black threads" beneath his feet into the vortex.
Unexpectedly, this method actually worked. Once he could move, he turned around and, following suit, released the others from the Shadow Binding Technique.
However, Zi Ying, possessed by the true demon, smirked, "A mere spiritual ring, it has some use, but do you think you can escape from my grasp with it?"
She reached out towards Yan Tianjiao, her five fingers closing.
Suddenly, the "Sky Swallowing" ring let out a crack, splitting apart, and under the crushing force, it shattered completely.
They felt a tightness in their chests, their eyes wide, watching the fragments fly past.
It's over...
As if it had lost interest in toying with them, the wave-like demonic energy at the true demon's feet surged towards the group with greedy intensity. The wind suddenly felt sharp and painful against their skin, like the arrival of an earthquake or tsunami.
"Run—"
They turned and fled, but the powerful force pursuing them from behind, like an approaching maw, made their spines chill with its ferocious and bloody intent, drawing closer and closer, more urgent.
Faster, faster.
As they ran for their lives, they wished they had four legs, capable of the instantaneous speed that tears through space.
But the gap in realm between them and the true demon was too vast; it was not something they could overcome with sheer willpower or desperation.
Panting, the demonic energy finally caught up and swept them into the air. Their bodies suddenly lost balance, accompanied by a sinking feeling in their hearts.
At that moment, the suppressed terror in their hearts reached its peak.
Their pupils dilated as they watched the rolling demonic energy turn corrosive red. Once touched, it would undoubtedly shatter their meridians, and they would die in sheer terror.
At this point, no one could think of a solution. Their minds were blank, filled only with a sense of despair and waiting for death.
But at the last moment, the demonic energy, poised to take their lives, was frozen in mid-air by a force.
They were beneath that turbulent wave, and suddenly saw it stop. No, it wasn't stopping, it was… being stopped?
As if it had gained sentience, the demonic energy let out a terrifying roar like a ferocious beast. It struggled desperately to break free, just as they had before, but karma spares no one. It too was held captive, made to freeze before them.
"I am your opponent, why vent your anger on these irrelevant people?"
Huh?
Is someone else here?!
Judging by the voice, it should be a woman.
They looked up in surprise. Because their gaze had been fixed on the woman in black and the true demon behind her, they hadn't noticed anyone else.
But now, the black mist, like a veil, was blown apart by the surging demonic energy of the wind. Faint and thin, in wisps, they saw a woman in white standing still in the sky on the other side of the dense fog.
Behind her, spectral figures loomed, a frenzied aura surging. Demons, ghosts, and monsters materialized, solidified, and lurked within the ghostly mist, presenting a scene of a hellish ghostly forest.
As she spoke, her gaze subtly fell upon them, indifferent as water, devoid of extra emotion… but that face!
Wow! That face, the three of them recognized it!
"Gu… Gu Junshi?!" Ru Lan exclaimed in shock.
Yan Tianjiao and Lu Ziyin also hadn't expected that Gu Junshi would be the one to save them.
"Whom you wish to save, I shall kill! What can you do to me!"
The true demon, angered by Gu Junshi's tenacity, spat out threats menacingly.
It attacked again, the demonic energy twisting from all directions into a solid force, smashing wildly towards the innocent cannon fodder, Yan Tianjiao and the others.
"Those I wish to protect, I fear you cannot kill."
Gu Junshi lowered her arms. Above the black river, energy surged towards the heavens, wreaking havoc in all directions.
And the vague, mysterious veil behind her was finally lifted.
They saw a sky filled with chilling deathly energy, like runaway horses. Pouring into it, it stirred boundless demonic and ghostly energy, birthing a传送 tunnel. Following it, countless demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters stepped out from the spatial rift.
It was completely dark, with no sky and no sun. The vast and dense overlapping figures, mysterious and powerful, seemed to fill the very mountains and seas.
What a shocking scene that must have been.
The mingled auras, containing all sorts of evil creatures, erupted forth, and as they appeared, the entire Fengdu seemed on the verge of shattering under their power.
"These… these terrifying demons, aren't they… aren't they summoned by her?" Ru Lan stammered.
Lu Ziyin clicked his tongue, "What… what is she? A demon, a devil, a ghost, or a person?! No, she's definitely not human, how could a person do something like this!"
Yan Tianjiao was also greatly astonished.
Her origins were truly mysterious, and her actions were unfathomable. How could she control so many demons and monsters?
Even the true demon was stunned.
"This realm is bound by the rules of heaven's will. It's impossible for so many pure-blooded demons and high-level demonic beasts to appear at the same time. Furthermore, they are arrogant and untamable, insidious and cunning. How can so many obey a mere Nascent Soul cultivator like you? How did you do it?"
The true demon could naturally see through Gu Junshi's true cultivation level at a glance, but it couldn't fathom that Gu Junshi's current cultivation level did not equate to her combat power.
"You, a demon, actually believe in the rules of heaven's will? Shouldn't you believe that rules are meant to be broken?"
After being mocked, the true demon became enraged again. "What right do you have to talk about breaking rules! What are you? Do you think these misfits can defeat me?"
Although there were demon kings and demon generals among them, compared to the true demon, they were not on the same level, even with the addition of other leading great demons and ghost kings.
"True demon, if your true body were here, they would naturally not be your match. But you are merely a projection, a clone. I truly don't know how much strength you have left?" Gu Junshi cut to the chase.