Chapter 361: Chapter 263 Jing Mountain Demon Cave
Tie Dan was flying over the Salt Pond, peering at the demon tide in the distance on Jing Mountain. After a while, the demons there naturally sensed him, and soon three Birdmen flew over to capture him.
Tie Dan paid them no mind, continuing to observe and calculate in his own way in the air. When they flapped their way in front of him, he employed the Ice River Escape to kill them face-on. It was this lack of perception that forced the demons to form groups, flocking in hundreds to attack him, prompting Tie Dan to draw a line of ice in the sky and evade the demon cloud, escaping by tunneling away.
"The demons’ defenses are quite thorough. I circled the mountain three times, but the Great Demon Monster surrounding the mountain only used Divine Sense Locking against me without engaging in battle.
This level of disciplined, restrained demons is something I’m encountering for the first time. I fear there might be a master behind them, directing from the shadows.
Moreover, the large array on Jing Mountain is incredibly strict. At a glance, all eight gates are deadly zones. I can’t find a weakness at the moment to bring you back in recklessly."
Xing Yuanzhi hastily said,
"Senior Brother, don’t push yourself. If we can’t go back, then so be it."
Tie Dan, "What, are you scared?"
Xing Yuanzhi straightforwardly replied,
"Yes, didn’t we just say we want to survive? In this situation, going back to the mountain would be waiting for death, wouldn’t it?"
Tie Dan pondered and shook his head,
"If you don’t go back, none of them will survive. I checked just now, there’s one elder stationed in Wangwu Mountain, with thirty-six disciples closing the mountain. It’s clear that they are well coordinated. Everyone has their roles. If you go back, there’s a slim chance for them to live. If you don’t, none in Jing Mountain may make it out. As a disciple of the Mystic Sect, how can I sit by and watch as my fellow brothers die in the demon tide, while I flee with my tail between my legs?"
Xing Yuanzhi was suddenly both ashamed and moved,
"Senior Brother..."
"Besides, I’ve been stuck at the Golden Core Realm for a long time now, just missing a piece of Returning Dust Taoism. If I send you in, I can exchange it for a Soldier Repelling Coin. Then it would all be complete, just a step away from success. How can I give up easily?"
Xing Yuanzhi, "... "
But, as he said, Tie Dan wasn’t sure what to do at the moment.
Looking around, it was obvious that Jing Mountain had activated its forbidden large array to hold firm with closed gates. Whether they could get through or not was uncertain, and with Xing Yuanzhi’s current state, she probably couldn’t endure the ordeal. Moreover, if they accidentally damaged the array, wouldn’t it become a gift for the demons?
But expecting Tie Dan alone to sweep through a hundred thousand demons, he knew he didn’t have that kind of skill.
Even if most of the monsters are just for show, with only a tenth forming a Demon Core, and a hundredth being Nascent Soul Monsters, it wasn’t something he could handle alone. Especially with the demon group emanating dense demonic Qi, and four Divinity Transformation Demons fixating their gaze on the Old Xuan Sect in Jing Mountain.
Although the people in the Mystic Sect are veterans, usually taking on multiple opponents at once, the four Great Demons sustain their blockade adequately, occasionally calling on seventy or eighty Nascent Souls to gang up, sufficient to deal with the Divinity Transformation Old Xuan Sect.
After much calculation, the best chance of success he could think of was taking advantage of the demons underestimating a mere Golden Core cultivator, breaking through the demon horde to assassinate one Great Demon, opening a path.
Then, the Old Xuan Sect might intuitively abandon the terrain and formations, launching a full-on assault, sacrificing themselves to cover a retreat through the encirclement, gathering at Yan Zhi Mountain to regroup with the Sword Sect.
But Tie Dan knew deep down, those old coots in the Mystic Sect wouldn’t risk such a strategy easily. If he puts himself in their shoes, they’d probably prefer to stay trapped in Jing Mountain, waiting for an opportunity. If they can hold out, they will; if not, they would wait for the demon’s hasty assault, losing heavily to breach the mountain formation. At that point, if they can fight, they will; if not, they escape. Simple and safe, doesn’t that sound wonderful?
So, Tie Dan decided that, regardless, he would take action first.
He would start by harassing on the outskirts, sneaking around the Salt Pond. Killing five monsters today, ten demons tomorrow, preventing the demons from having a day of peace. If he could force the Great Demons to gather and attack, creating disorder, perhaps he could disrupt their deployments, creating some change. At the very least, causing a ruckus outside, if it gained the attention of the Mystic Sect disciples inside Jing Mountain, maybe they would come out and cooperate too?
So, the battle began!
"White Tiger Leaping Over the Stream!"
Tie Dan swung his sword, leaping and chopping downwards, decapitating the demon licking up salt, frantically whirling his dual swords to slaughter madly. He didn’t wait for the surrounding demons to converge on him, instead taking to the air again, moving to another spot for a fresh attack.
Even drinking a bit of saltwater couldn’t ease his mind, of course, the demons were furious. A few Great Demons initially chased him, but soon gave up.
Because Tie Dan was too strong. The Golden Core demons were not worth a single sword stroke, and the Nascent Soul Monsters couldn’t withstand even one blow of the Lightning Sword. The Heavenly Ruin Sword Qi completely broke through both body and defense; anyone facing it met death. The demons weren’t fools; unable to encircle him and unable to beat him, after losing several waves consecutively, they simply stopped bothering with him.
So Tie Dan continued with his harassment. Killing a few here, slaughtering a few there, until both of his peach wood swords were covered in blood and dirt, their sword seals contaminated and corrupted by demon blood, even losing the attachment of the Heavenly Ruin Sword Qi.
"Huff... Huff..."
"Senior Brother, were you injured when you saved me from the Demon Cave?"
Xing Yuanzhi was now stuck to his back like an accessory, but she was still a proper Mystic Sect disciple. Hearing Tie Dan’s irregular breathing, she sensed he was enduring pain, amassing hidden dangers in his Dao Body.
Indeed, Tie Dan was very strong, slaying Nascent Soul demons with one sword each, but the problem is that his attacks were all single-target, lacking AOE (Area of Effect) skills to clear masses of monsters.