Chapter 1278: Yao Clan's Escape

At this moment, countless light pillars surged wildly into the great formation.

The energy within them was also skyrocketing.

"Hmph, a final dying struggle?"

Seeing this, the anguished Wu Nie Tun Yan, clutching its head, let out a cold sneer, instantly summoned the black flames of heaven and earth into a massive palm, and slammed it again toward the Yao Clan's protective array.

Now, without the Yao Emperor's lingering soul to interfere, he is confident he can break this formation within a few rounds.

However, the next moment, to Wu Nie Tun Yan's surprise, the Yao Dan who was overseeing the formation did not convert that energy into an attack to confront him.

Instead, as if time stood still, he directed all that energy to the center of the array, which then transformed into a light pillar that even an Eight-Star Peak Dou Saint would not dare to hard‑receive, striking the skyward seal with force.

"Boom!"

The light pillar collided with the sky; in an instant, space shattered, revealing strange black characters beyond the void.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Accompanied by the relentless bombardment of the energy light pillars, moments later the entire space began to tremble and warp continuously.

"W-what's going on? Weren't we supposed to avenge the ancestor?"

Seeing that the battle Qi gathered from the whole tribe was not being hurled at the culprit, Wu Nie Tun Yan, but was instead striking the seal overhead, some who hadn't yet reacted whispered in confusion.

However, some Elders and quick‑witted Yao Clan members immediately guessed their chieftain's true intention.

At once they let out a roar, then in unison exhausted everything they had, continuously pouring the endless flow of energy into the formation.

After all, only by doing so could the Yao Clan possibly secure a sliver of hope.

Meanwhile, under the fury of the Yao Clan's collective battle Qi, the energy light pillars kept pounding, and the black characters in the high sky twisted ever more violently.

Finally, strands of black flame script slowly drifted down from the dark void.

"Boom!"

The next moment, with the final speck of the energy light pillar striking Wu Nie Tun Yan's seal, the raging barrage finally gave way, and finger‑wide cracks began to appear.

As those previously airtight seals sprouted finger‑sized cracks, a pair of teal‑red wings instantly unfolded behind Lin Feng; he then swooped upward, extended his hands, and summoned a golden light pillar.

"Sss!"

The cracked seal met Lin Feng's golden light pillar and instantly melted away like snow.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Feng fashioned a circular exit dozens of zhang across.

"Bad!"

Seeing this, both Wu Nie Tun Yan and the Soul Clan elites felt a sudden jolt in their hearts and shouted in alarm.

They hadn't expected Lin Feng to possess such spatial control.

In an instant, he melted a massive opening in the cracked seal of Wu Nie Tun Yan.

But Yao Dan's eyes lit up with a flash of wild joy upon seeing the gap.

Lin Feng hadn't deceived him; he truly opened Wu Nie Tun Yan's seal, and the Yao Clan finally had a sliver of hope!

Immediately after, without a second glance, he flung Yao Tian and Yao Ling upward with a swift backhand.

At the same time, Yao Dan shouted at Elder Wan Huo nearby, "Erase the bloodline trace from the Nine Nether Wind Flame Source and toss it to Lin Feng; he will keep the gap open so our clan can flee this place!"

"What!"

Hearing that, Wan Huo, who had vaguely sensed something, snapped out of his daze and roared back.

Even as he spoke, he didn't care at all about the possible harm to himself.

He immediately summoned the fire of the Nine Nether Wind Flame Source, erased its bloodline trace, and hurled it toward Lin Feng, who was already guarding the exit.

"Hehe, thanks for the favor."

Looking at the soaring Yao Tian siblings and the ember of the Nine Nether Wind Flame Source, Lin Feng burst into laughter.

He then grabbed Yao Tian and Yao Ling, placing them beside him, and quickly sent a mental message to Yao Dan: "There will surely be a blockade outside, but not many. Quickly summon some Elders and low‑bloodline members in uniform to run out, hold off the outsiders, and let these Yao Clan elite seeds break through amid the chaos."

"I will place Pure Lotus Demonic Fire barriers on everyone who leaves, so ordinary Dou Saints cannot discern their true strength, thereby confusing the enemy's sight. Moreover, once you disperse, I doubt they have enough strong ones to hunt down each of your clan members who flee one by one."

While speaking, Lin Feng didn't forget to snatch the Nine Nether Wind Flame Source ember, catching it steadily.

He then wrapped the black flame with Pure Lotus Demonic Fire and swallowed it.

"Yao Wan Gui, Xuan Yin. I command the five of you to lead these hundreds, split into two groups and run out. Also, strip off your outer robes, all wear the clan's unified battle attire to conceal your identities. After exiting, each person should disperse individually and flee to the ancient tribe!"

Receiving Lin Feng's mental command, Yao Dan dared not delay and instantly relayed the message to those nearby.

"Yes!"

Hearing that, Yao Wan Gui and the other Elders vaguely grasped the situation, but quickly gritted their teeth, nodded, and roared: "All who received the order, strip off your outer robes and go!"

As soon as the words fell, Yao Wan Gui and a Dou Saint Elder immediately surged upward.

"As you command!"

The other Yao Clan members who received the message shouted and sprinted after them at full speed.

While those at the front burst forward, Lin Feng swiftly spread a thin membrane of Pure Lotus Demonic Fire over the seal's gap in the sky.

This membrane not only slowed Wu Nie Tun Yan's seal restoration, but also granted each passer a layer of protection.

Thus, unless one possesses power exceeding a Seven‑Star Dou Saint or is a Soul of the Imperial Realm,

otherwise, it is extremely difficult to breach the protection and sense the true aura of the protected.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Just as the membrane finished forming, Yao Wan Gui—who had a deep conflict with Xiao Yan—led a group of Yao Clan outcasts, resolutely piercing through and leaving the Yao Realm.

However, at the moment of departure, many cast a lingering glance at the place they had lived their whole lives.

After those at the front left the Yao Realm, Yao Dan ordered three more Elders, who then relayed the command to the remaining members, and they too surged toward the gap above.

Naturally, as they flew up, they performed the same action as the previous group.

Of course, during the flight, their outer robes were instantly shredded by a surge of battle Qi.

"Bang!"

And while those people in front were acting, the Wu Nie Tun Yan attack also struck hard on the energy‑deprived great formation, emitting a deafening roar.

Crack!

The low‑energy formation, hit by the full force of Wu Nie Tun Yan, began to tremble increasingly violently in an instant.

Finally, faced with that world‑shattering, terrifying energy impact, it could no longer hold, and with a crack it burst apart, turning into countless specks of light that poured down from the sky.

Under the reflection of those light specks were the wooden, dazed faces of the Yao clan members.

Even though they exhausted all their strength, in the end they still could not change the outcome.

"Could it be, as the ancestor said, that this calamity of our clan is truly unavoidable?"

Staring blankly at the energy fragments pouring from the sky, many Yao clan members recalled the dying words of the former Yao Emperor's lingering soul and suddenly felt this sentence rise in their hearts.

"All members of the Yao clan, now is the time of our survival or death. And we have only one way out: to exhaust everything and preserve the last bloodline!"

However, that thought was quickly shattered by Yao Dan's blood‑red eyes.

At this moment, his eyes were veined with red threads; his gaze swept the surrounding Yao clan members, then he roared with all his might: "All intermediate half‑saints and above, follow me into battle. Those who do not meet this condition, shatter your outer robes, don the unified attire, and flee through the opening above!"

"And once outside, each of you must scatter and flee individually; no two or more may run together!"

And as Yao Dan's final shout fell, a glimmer of hope rose again in the desperate eyes of the surrounding Yao clan members.

Indeed, now that the seal above has been breached, they still have a chance to continue passing down the Yao clan's bloodline!

Thinking of this, the gazes of the many Yao clan members instantly hardened.

"Kill!"

In the next instant, from where the Yao clan's protective formation had stood, countless figures surged out, swooping straight toward the distant Wu Nie Tun Yan.

They understood that if this calamity could not be endured, the Yao clan would, like those ancient races before, vanish completely from history.

Then all their former glory and pride would be reduced to oblivion, disappearing into the river of history.

But they were not willing to let the Yao clan meet such an end.

They must fight for that sliver of survival for the younger generation!

While the elders ahead charged at Wu Nie Tun Yan, the young Yao clan members, amid Yao Dan's and Elder Wan Huo's shouts, each cried as they shattered their outer robes and flew toward the opening in the sky.

Some who moved slower were immediately met with a slap from the two.

After all, each second now costs the lives of those Yao clan strongmen; Yao Dan and the other could not tolerate the youngsters' waste.

"Kill!"

And as the weaker ones fled, the Yao clan elders rose densely into the sky.

At this moment they trembled, their bodies shaking as torrents of battle Qi surged unreservedly from within. Finally, those attacks formed massive, thousand‑zhang battle‑Qi strands in the sky, roaring out with terrifying force toward the Wu Nie Tun Yan above!

"Damn useless scum, I brought you here, and yet none came to aid me."

Staring at the dozens of battle‑Qi strands of varying intensity that surged forward with a resolute aura, sweeping over him, Wu Nie Tun Yan, enveloped in black flame, felt a rare flicker of frustration in its black‑hole eyes and cursed inwardly.

After all, he had brought four Seven‑Star Battle Saints and over a dozen Battle Saints ranging from three to five stars.

In the end, where are all those of you who died? Even Xiao Yan's group hasn't been finished off!

Thinking this, Wu Nie Tun Yan silently resolved to make those people pay once this is over!

Immediately after, his eyes solemnly fixed on the dozens of battle‑Qi strands; his palm, etched with strange runes, shot out, then swiftly formed a series of seal formations as fast as lightning.

Such a move, clearly in response to the Yao clan's counterattack, even someone as strong as him would not dare to underestimate.

And as the seals were formed, the black flame above the sky roiled violently once more in an instant.

Finally, the black flames behind Wu Nie Tun Yan formed a black‑hole vortex roughly tens of thousands of zhang in size.

When the vortex took shape, an indescribable, terrifying devouring force surged out, overwhelming everything.

"Boom—"

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Under such terrifying devouring force, the earth spanning tens of thousands of li cracked open instantly.

Cracks thousands of zhang wide spread from mountains and rivers, like ferocious wounds covering the vast region.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Those powerful battle‑Qi strands continuously surged into the black‑hole vortex behind Wu Nie Tun Yan.

Soon after, a deep booming explosion echoed throughout the black hole, like New Year fireworks.

Amid the relentless impacts, the massive black‑flame vortex behind Wu Nie Tun Yan surged with uncontrolled violent ripples.

Simultaneously, the black flame on Wu Nie Tun Yan's body kept exploding into rings of fire.

His figure, under the stunned gaze of Xiao Yan's party drawn from afar, staggered back a dozen steps.

"The Yao clan's desperate counterattack is truly terrifying; even the Nine‑Star Battle Saints were forced to retreat."

As they spoke, the eyes of Xiao Yan's group immediately fixed on the distant milky‑white membrane in the sky.

They knew that once they passed through there, they would be safe.

But then, everyone's gaze involuntarily shifted to the people beside Yao Dan.

Those people were their relatives.

But now, the cunning Yao Dan still would not release them.

And the safety of their kin gave them pause.

"Everyone, I don't wish to die yet; take care of yourselves. I take my leave!"

Yet the next moment, tempted by the passage out of this death‑filled place, someone could no longer resist the urge to escape, spun quickly and flew toward the opening.

Now he no longer cared about his relatives' safety.

At this moment, he only wanted to run out and hide in a remote spot to avoid the disaster!

"Bad!"

Xiao Yan, seeing this, thought instantly, "This is bad."

Because he had endured countless failures, his experience was rich, and he knew that in a makeshift team, once even one person fled, they were basically powerless to turn the tide.

"Everyone, I am taking my leave!"

And indeed, just as Xiao Yan had foreseen, after the first person fled, among the remaining, several, driven by fear and the hope of escape, chose to abandon their relatives controlled by the Medicine Pill and turned to fly toward the sealed breach.

"Now it's doomed!"

The thousand‑year‑old Shen Nong Elder saw this and his heart suddenly tightened, also sensing trouble.

Because Xiao Yan knew the principle, he was equally clear.

He knew that in the current situation, they, already struggling to resist, were now powerless to hold off the Soul Clan any longer.

"Hmph!"

Meanwhile, the Medicine Pill sensed this and instantly sealed the battle Qi of the non‑Medicine Clan relatives nearby, then hurled them violently toward Xiao Yan's side.

At the same time, he himself, together with Wan Huo Elder, roared and charged at the sky‑borne Wu Nie Tun Yan.

Now that so many junior clan members have fled, it is time for him to help those Elders buy time.

As for those who ran out, whether they can ultimately escape safely depends only on their own fate.

And as they surged forward, the Medicine Pill also emitted its final voice.

"Lin Feng, thank you."

As soon as the words fell, because Xiao Yan now served as a variable holding back other Soul Clan Dou Saints, the Medicine Pill immediately let out a roar and lunged toward the Wu Nie Tun Yan.

"Teacher!"

At the moment the former lunged at Wu Nie Tun Yan, Xiao Yan saw the Medicine Dust being thrown and instantly wanted to rush forward and take the other side away.

After all, now that he is inside the Medicine Realm, apart from his teacher, there is no one else he worries about.

Therefore, seeing his only concern tossed toward him, Xiao Yan instantly wanted to grab the Medicine Dust and run.

However, things would not go as smoothly as he imagined.

While they were distracted by their relatives, the Soul Clan elites exchanged glances, then swiftly seized the opportunity, unleashing their strongest combat techniques toward Xiao Yan and his companions.

After all, having achieved no progress this time, if they did not eliminate some people now, they would be finished.

Of course, the main target of the Soul Clan elites' attack was Xiao Yan and Shen Nong Elder.

The others were of little value, but Xiao Yan, a soul of the Imperial Realm, and Shen Nong Elder, who barely could refine a Ninth‑grade Mystic Pill and also possessed the Fifth Spirit Flame on the List of Exotic Fires, were worth a fortune.

"Alas, this cannot be done, Xiao Yan, let us each find our own way."

Seeing the myriad combat techniques raining from the sky, Shen Nong Elder sighed helplessly, abandoned any thought of resistance, and sprinted at full speed toward the distant breach.

By now he also realized that most of the Medicine Clan had fled.

His people were completely without any resistance power.

In the current situation, fleeing might likely be ambushed by Soul Clan elites, but staying put would leave absolutely no chance of survival.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Seeing this, one of the Four Demon Saints, the Soul Sha, who had achieved no progress, suddenly grew unusually grim upon seeing Shen Nong Elder try to run.

At that moment his hand seal changed, black battle Qi surged like an endless ocean, and behind him formed a pair of black bat wings hundreds of zhang wide.

"You deal with the remaining ones; I'll take care of that old Shen Nong ghost!"

With a harsh shout, the Soul Sha bit his own tongue hard, spitting a mouthful of refined blood that split into two streams of blood light, adhering to his bat wings.

"Boom!"

In the next instant, his wings flapped violently, a swish sound rang out, and his figure vanished without a trace.

"Damn, I didn't expect the Soul Clan to want me dead!"

As the Soul Sha disappeared, the fleeing Shen Nong Elder felt the rapidly approaching aura behind him and his complexion turned pale.

He knew that he was…

"Boom!"

In the next moment, Shen Nong Elder's form vanished within an endless blood‑colored battle Qi explosion.

"Damned Soul Clan!"

Xiao Yan stared at the blood‑colored shockwave exploding in the distant sky, and his heart sank heavily once more.

The expression that had brightened when his teacher escaped now turned extremely grim in an instant.

He knew that losing another Six‑Star Dou Saint on their side made his master and himself in danger.

Yet, despite the despair, Xiao Yan's hand kept moving; he swiftly seized his teacher and also flew toward the breach.

After all, now that things stood like this, he could not foolishly make a fearless resistance.

"Heh heh, Xiao Yan, don't rush off. The debt from our comrades' deaths, settle it before you leave."

However, just as Xiao Yan grabbed the Medicine Dust and leapt away, the Soul Sha's silhouette reappeared in the sky, blocking the path the master and disciple needed to depart.

"Bastard, get the hell out of my way!"

Seeing the Soul Sha block the way, Xiao Yan immediately wielded his soul power into a long spear and thrust it fiercely at the former.

As for himself, he seized the chance to flee with the Medicine Dust.

"Run fast!"

Yet, while Xiao Yan acted, the remaining people, after reuniting with their relatives, also rushed desperately toward Xiao Yan's location.

As for the remaining Soul Clan Dou Saints, unsurprisingly, they were all led without exception toward Xiao Yan and his master's position.

(End of Chapter)