Watching Yun Qing Zhenren disappear, everyone was stunned for a moment.
Then, Yun Xia Gu spoke, saying:
"Let's go, we all follow!"
With that, Yun Xia Gu also followed.
Stepping into the dense wall of bamboo, roots and stalks rippling, Yun Xia Gu vanished.
Xia Qiu Xi followed close behind. Old Mo and I nodded, saying to Xiao Mei:
"Xiao Mei, we're going in too!"
After speaking, the three of us flashed forward.
We all stepped in.
It was peculiar; the row of bamboo felt like water waves, offering slight resistance, yet it was like an air barrier.
After entering, our vision blurred.
The layout of the surrounding bamboo forest had strangely changed.
Looking around, although it was still a bamboo forest, it was clearly not as dense as before.
Yun Xia Gu, Yun Qing Zhenren, and the others were all standing not far away.
Turning back, we saw a green light encircling us.
Like a wall, it completely enclosed the area we had been in.
We had likely been going in circles within it.
This was the demon miasma, I narrowed my eyes, remembering its characteristics.
If I encountered it again, I would have a corresponding way to deal with it, rather than wandering blindly.
"What the heck, we're out already?"
Old Mo exclaimed.
Xiao Mei twitched her nose:
"I can smell again. We must have escaped the corpse cat's sorcery..."
Xiao Mei said with surprise.
"Let's all go. That corpse cat should be coming out soon."
I said in a deep voice.
Walking towards Yun Qing Zhenren and the others ahead.
Yun Qing Zhenren and Yun Xia Gu stood at the front. The yellow paper toad was no longer hopping.
It lay at their feet.
The two of them were looking into the valley, their expressions somewhat grave.
The inside was dark and ominous, with visible movements of corpse cats from time to time.
But the corpse miasma surging out was incredibly dense.
And like a tide, wave after wave, it constantly surged towards us.
"It's coming!"
Yun Qing Zhenren suddenly spoke, his face darkening slightly.
Hearing this, everyone present tensed.
We stared intently into the darkness of the valley.
Within the darkness, a few cat meows could be faintly heard.
Following that, with rustling sounds, pairs of green cat eyes began to light up in the darkness.
"Meow..."
"Meow meow..."
The sounds continued, and one by one, corpse cats emerged from the darkness.
Some large, some small.
But after appearing, these corpse cats did not approach us.
They stopped in the bamboo forest, about fifteen meters away.
A path was left open in the center, and beyond that, the corpse energy billowed.
"Thump, thump..."
The sound of a staff being struck echoed.
The sound was not loud, but each strike felt like it landed on our hearts.
Our blood churned, and we felt extremely uncomfortable.
We younger ones instinctively clutched our chests.
This was the pressure of demonic energy.
It was the suppression of cultivation realms.
It was clear that what was about to appear was likely the Nine-Life Corpse Cat of this old bamboo grove.
Seeing this, Yun Qing Zhenren flicked his sleeve.
His qi surged, and the oppressive feeling instantly vanished.
We all let out a long breath, feeling much more comfortable.
But at the same time, a figure appeared in the darkness ahead.
The figure drew closer, little by little.
Soon, the outline of an old woman emerged.
Wearing tattered gray clothes, with white hair, her head slightly bowed.
She held a staff in her hand, walking towards us step by step.
Although her face was not yet visible, her build was virtually identical to the cat demon old woman we had seen in the mountains before.
Upon seeing her, Xiao Mei's fox features instantly appeared.
She let out a low growl, speaking word by word:
"Nine-Life Corpse Cat..."
She recognized it. Her beastly rage was hard to suppress.
A wave of fox demon aura spread out...
Old Mo and I became vigilant.
Yun Qing Zhenren and Yun Xia Gu remained still.
The Nine-Life Corpse Cat continued to approach, finally stopping before the smaller corpse cats.
It slowly raised its head.
But as it raised its head, it revealed a horrifying face.
A monstrous face, half-human, half-cat.
It looked at us, its gaze finally locking onto me within the crowd.
Last time, it was I who summoned Qing Dai and took one of its lives.
Half of its human face revealed a "benevolent" smile.
Half of its cat face remained expressionless:
"Young man, this venerable one bears you no ill will.
You already took one of my lives last time.
Why have you brought people to my cat's den again this time?
Do you truly wish for this venerable one and you to be enemies until death?"
Counting the time, it had been almost a year.
Seeing the corpse cat demon speak, I coldly replied:
"Good and evil cannot coexist. We are all Daoists.
We are merely acting on behalf of Heaven."
These were polite words, but they were also the truth. Having taken this path, one must do this work.
The Nine-Life Corpse Cat looked at me and snorted:
"Boy, I was severely injured last time.
Allowing you to take advantage, I didn't kill you.
But this time, this old one will show no mercy.
And this fox demon, you won't escape either."
She said, glancing at Xiao Mei.
"With Senior Yun Qing and Yun Xia Gu here,
I advise you to surrender and sincerely repent.
Perhaps you can keep a sliver of your soul.
Otherwise, you will face utter annihilation!"
I shouted, preparing to act.
The Nine-Life Cat Demon wore a sinister smile:
"Hmph, you truly think this venerable one is so easily bullied?
This venerable one will give you one last chance. Leave this place quickly.
Otherwise, I will devour you alive..."