Chapter 45

On the way back, except for a few people, most were not in high spirits. The flying spirit vessel moved silently through the night sky, and inside the vessel was also deathly quiet,

Wei Yuning was among those in good spirits. The Celestial Whale Hermit's warning still rang in his ears, so he naturally wanted to return to the safety of the sect as soon as possible. As for the sudden coldness of the female cultivator Qiu Gu, he didn't mind. Women, after all, have a few days of mood swings, and female cultivators are no exception.

Time slowly passed, and Wei Yuning grew drowsy. The travel time from the Beast Garden to Guest Arrival Peak was roughly one and a half to two hours; now one and a half hours have passed, and returning to the sect is imminent.

Suddenly, Wei Yuning, who had fallen into a half‑dozing state, leapt to his feet and shouted at Hongzhi in front: "Uncle Master, we're under attack!" Just moments ago, he had smelled a familiar whiff of sulfur.

Everyone was startled, and the voice of the beast master in the pilot cabin came through: "Who's yelling randomly? Stay in your positions, don't move…"

"Skree… skree…" two sharp bird cries cut off the beast master's words.

"Bang," the flying spirit vessel shuddered violently, followed by a "clatter" sound, and a hole about one meter wide was torn in the vessel's side.

Sitting beside Wei Yuning, Qiu Gu was right above the breach; she hadn't had time to dodge when a strange, black, slender creature darted up.

Judging by its appearance, the creature resembled a squid's tentacle—thin at one end, thick at the other, about the size of a human arm, its surface covered in fine scales; even more bizarrely, at the tip of the tentacle grew a dark‑green eye.

"Qiu Gu, grab my hand!" Wei Yuning first pulled Ye Ying the female cultivator behind him, then stepped forward and seized Qiu Gu's hand.

At this critical moment, Qiu Gu still hadn't forgotten to give him a disdainful look, and she sent a mental message: "Idiot, I don't need you to save me!" Even so, she extended her jade hand and clasped Wei Yuning's hand.

However, the black tentacle's target was not Qiu Gu; it curved in mid‑air, swept past her, and in one motion wrapped around Wei Yuning's calf.

"Damn, it's really coming for me—no wonder I smelled sulfur! Is it the Flying Fox's accomplice or someone else?" Wei Yuning thought.

The instant the black tentacle coiled around his calf, its body instantly grew thin and long; the other end thrust toward the night sky, while this end sprouted many suckers, each sucker's center bearing finer, spike‑like flesh growths; once the suckers pressed against his skin, those growths began to burrow into Wei Yuning's flesh.

In the blink of an eye, Wei Yuning watched helplessly as a sharp pain shot up his leg; the flesh growths had already burrowed into his skin, and at the same time a tremendous pulling force came from the other end of the tentacle. He gripped the chair's armrests with both hands, straining against the tentacle.

At that moment, the people nearby also reacted, unleashing various spells at the strange creature. Dozens of attacks arrived almost simultaneously, dazzlingly brilliant, yet only three actually took effect.

One was a milky‑white light pillar emanating from Qiu Gu's palm, another was an ice spike launched by Hongzhi, and the third was a golden flying‑wheel blade thrown by Qingcong.

Upon contact with the milky‑white light pillar, the creature's body emitted puffs of green smoke; the ice spike greatly slowed its movements, but the decisive blow came from Qingcong's hidden weapon, which sliced the creature in half.

The wounded creature let out a "squee‑squee‑squee" cry, and its maimed body "whoosh"ed away, vanishing outside the torn opening.

Wei Yuning unwillingly leapt to the edge of the hole, gripped the broken hull of the spirit vessel, and thrust his head outward. In the hazy distance, in the direction the black monster fled, he saw a huge, serpent‑like creature.

"Whoosh," a bright light flashed across the horizon, and someone aboard the flying spirit vessel launched a sect warning talisman.

In that fleeting flash of light, Wei Yuning made out the creature's appearance. It had a huge, comical hedgehog head, with its facial features hidden among the spines; still, he could see a pair of deep‑purple eyes, and along its slender body grew countless constantly swaying tendrils, like seaweed swaying in the ocean.

As it turned out, the attacker just moments before was merely one of the creature's tentacles.

The creature and Wei Yuning locked eyes in silence, then it shook its head, turned around, and flew off into the night sky.

A few minutes later, the flying spirit vessel passed through the sect's mountain‑protecting grand formation and arrived at the Flowing Cloud Plaza on Guest Arrival Peak.

After Steward Hongzhi had everyone else go rest, he alone kept Wei Yuning behind.

The night wind was strong; on the chilly plaza, Hongzhi fell silent for a while, then finally sighed and said: "Now I truly regret admitting you into the sect—I've even drawn demonic beasts here." Seeing Wei Yuning's expression change, Hongzhi quickly added with a smile: "Don't worry, I don't mean to blame you; cultivators and demonic cultivators are naturally not allies, and even Power Demons are the same—Nine Underworlds is just a bit special. Hongyin's guess was correct: as a demonic cultivator, the Flying Fox is certainly not alone; he surely has accomplices, and judging by the situation, his allies are no small force!"

"The monster just now is a demonic beast among demonic cultivators; its true form is not human, likely some kind of spirit beast, at least a mid‑level demonic chief." Its appearance this time was highly unusual, but fortunately it had reservations—the Cloud Conceal Sect possesses something it fears." After Hongzhi complained with that sentence, he did not delve further into the topic, but began to explain the creature's origin.

"Is it because of Old Ancestor Daomin?" Wei Yuning asked.

"Our sect hides many secrets; even I don't know much of them. Perhaps it's Old Ancestor Daomin, or perhaps the sect‑guarding spirit beast, or perhaps the Immortal‑Trapping Vessel and Landscape Painting within the mountain‑protecting grand formation, or maybe other Old Ancestors in seclusion—any of those are possible!" Hongzhi said.

"Yuning, for your safety, from now on don't leave the sect; spend more time cultivating! Since I, Hongzhi, originally decided to keep you in the sect, I must take full responsibility for you! From now on I'll urge you to cultivate diligently, and besides, if you ever need anything, you can come to me for help!"

"Thank you, Uncle Master; Yuning will certainly strive in cultivation—for the sect and also so I don't become a burden to the sect!"

"Very good, having this intention is enough! The Cloud Conceal Sect isn't timid; a mere demonic chief poses no threat to the sect, but enemies lurk in the dark, hard to guard against, so the sect's security must be heightened. Moreover, demonic cultivators and cultivators are natural born enemies; sooner or later there will be a life‑and‑death battle, and early knowledge of their existence is also a boon for us!" Hongzhi comforted.

The two parted, each going their own way to rest.