Chapter 462: Rakshasa Tide

Although their hiding place was some distance from the area being searched, the realm was simply too quiet. The roaring and shrieking coming from inside the tree hollow still attracted the attention of a Myriad Beasts Sect disciple approaching from that direction.

"Master, there's movement over there!" One of Ma Jin's disciples flashed back to report, pointing toward the distant tree hollow.

Everyone looked that way.

Ma Jin waved one hand in a signal. The group immediately spread out and closed in on the hollow. Before they could approach, the Blood Rakshasa shot out of the tree and landed on a branch outside the opening. Its wings slowly spread, crimson lines of light glowing through them.

A Blood Rakshasa!

The approaching Myriad Beasts Sect disciples immediately stopped. Ma Jin's expression turned grave and serious.

Whoosh!

The wings that had been opening slowly suddenly snapped fully wide.

Crimson radiance flared.

Hovering with its wings trembling, the Blood Rakshasa threw back its head and released a continuous series of shrill cries.

"Yaa! Yaa! Yaa!"

Before long, answering shrieks began sounding from nearby and farther away, one after another, spreading across an enormous area. Others might not understand what was happening, but the Myriad Beasts Sect disciples permitted to enter this place had all received training beforehand. One look was enough for them to understand. The Blood Rakshasa was summoning its kind.

As those spreading cries echoed through the forest, even the Myriad Beasts Sect disciples planting Light-Repelling Grass in the distant haze of green smoke began raising their heads and looking around. Everyone immediately went on high alert, drawing together into tighter formations.

"Close ranks!" Ma Jin shouted.

Dozens of Butterfly Rakshasas were already streaking through the nearby forest, shooting toward the group and launching their attack directly. One dark-green pellet after another flew from between the Myriad Beasts Sect disciples' fingers.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The pellets exploded in front of the charging Butterfly Rakshasas. Clouds of dark-green smoke burst outward. The oncoming creatures immediately shrieked wildly as the smoke disrupted their attack. Some flew erratically under the stimulation; others hurriedly veered away and retreated. Above the forest, the four disciples circling on flying mounts changed expressions.

In the distance, more and more pairs of glowing wings were rising from the forest, all rushing toward this place at astonishing speed. Others burst from the trees directly below and shot upward at the four flying mounts, making the birds cry out in panic.

"Master! Rakshasa Tide!"

One disciple shouted downward with spiritual power behind his voice. After giving the warning, all four immediately turned their mounts and withdrew.

There was no choice.

Flying mounts were extremely valuable, and in aerial combat they were no match for Butterfly Rakshasas. No one could afford that kind of loss. More importantly, judging from the situation, if they did not retreat immediately, they might not be able to retreat at all.

As they fled, the four disciples repeatedly flicked dark-green pellets from their fingers, using the exploding smoke to block the Butterfly Rakshasas pursuing them or clear away those trying to intercept the mounts. The flying birds shrieked in panic as they fled.

Rakshasa Tide?

Ma Jin's head snapped up when he heard the warning.

His face changed drastically.

Without the slightest hesitation, he shouted, "Go!"

Panic appeared on Chao Shenghuai's face as well. He had never expected them to trigger a Rakshasa Tide. As a Myriad Beasts Sect disciple, how could he not know how terrifying such a thing was inside the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm? His insistence on pursuing Niu Youdao and the others vanished instantly.

He and the other disciples launched themselves upward together, bouncing from branch to branch through the canopy in an attempt to break out of the dense forest. But the delay below had already cost them too much time. More than a hundred Butterfly Rakshasas descended from above, diving through the canopy and blocking them head-on. Bang after bang echoed as dark-green smoke burst repeatedly and forced aside the attacking creatures.

The group fought their way out of the forest and leaped into open air, only to be met by another clustered swarm of Butterfly Rakshasas rushing at them. A Blood Rakshasa shot out of the forest and hovered in midair on beating wings. It pointed one claw directly at Chao Shenghuai and the He brothers and shrieked at them again and again. More and more Butterfly Rakshasas continued arriving. The nine Myriad Beasts Sect disciples sank into immense panic.

They blasted open pellet after pellet to force a path, yet it made no difference. Drive away the creatures in front, and more waited behind. Again and again they surged forward only to be stopped. The region protected by Light-Repelling Grass did not seem very far away, yet reaching it felt impossibly distant.

Despair began swallowing them.

The number of Rakshasa-Repelling Pellets they carried was limited. They could not withstand such frantic consumption. Before they had covered even half the distance, their supply was exhausted. Clang after clang rang out. The nine men had no choice but to draw their weapons and fight desperately against the Butterfly Rakshasas. Again and again, creatures were hacked from the air in sprays of green blood. Yet there were too many. No matter how many they killed, the swarm did not diminish.

Glowing wings flashed all around them as countless attackers swept past again and again.

"Ahhh!"

A miserable scream rang out. One Myriad Beasts Sect disciple was seized by the back of the skull and dragged from the group.

In the next instant, several Butterfly Rakshasas ripped him apart in midair, flesh and blood spraying everywhere. Chao Shenghuai caught a glimpse and felt his courage shatter. The instant his attention slipped, a claw hooked into his shoulder and flipped him over. The pain in his shoulder meant nothing. Far more terrifying was the feeling of who knew how many claws seizing and pinning him down. He crashed through branches and leaves on the way toward the ground. Terror nearly drove his soul from his body.

There was not even time left for regret.

Meanwhile, pursued by a swarm of Butterfly Rakshasas, the four flying mounts had successfully fled back toward the cliff under the cover of their Rakshasa-Repelling Pellets and entered the area protected by Light-Repelling Grass. The pursuing creatures followed only a short distance into the safe zone before the smell became unbearable. They quickly banked away and abandoned the chase. The four disciples aboard the mounts looked back at the dense cloud of glowing points filling the air above the forest.

Cold fear gripped them.

They knew perfectly well that if they had hesitated even slightly longer before retreating, they might not have escaped either. Everything had been fine before. They could not understand what Ma Jin and the others had done to provoke a Rakshasa Tide. They refused to believe Ma Jin had forgotten the sect's instructions. Unless absolutely necessary, no one was to do anything that enraged the Butterfly Rakshasas too severely. No one could withstand the consequences.

"You two, go ask for reinforcements!" one disciple shouted.

At this point, reinforcements were the only option. None of them dared go back inside. One disciple remained behind on his flying mount to observe the situation, while the other three turned and sped away. Hidden in darkness among the jagged rocks, the Shangqing Sect group witnessed the spectacular scene above the forest and stared in shock. They had never seen anything like it.

"Is that the legendary Rakshasa Tide?" Luo Yuangong murmured.

Su Po's expression was grave. "It should be. According to rumor, the supreme experts tried to conquer this place in their early years. Once they provoked a Rakshasa Tide, even they had no choice but to avoid the front and withdraw."

One disciple asked, "Even the supreme experts aren't a match for the Butterfly Rakshasas?"

Su Po replied, "It's not that they can't defeat them individually. The illusory realm is the Butterfly Rakshasas' world, and there are simply too many. You can kill them and kill them, but never finish them all. If the fighting drags on, even the supreme experts can't endure it forever. They had no choice but to retreat. Otherwise, control of this place would never have fallen to Myriad Beasts Sect."

Luo Yuangong suddenly reminded them, "Isn't Niu Youdao also in..."

He stopped halfway through the sentence. Everyone turned toward Tang Yi. Her lips were pressed tightly together as she stared at the forest. Wei Duo's hands clenched into fists, his eyes full of fear and worry. They had all watched Niu Youdao disappear into that area with the Myriad Beasts Sect disciples. It was difficult not to suspect that he too had been trapped in the desperate situation created by the Rakshasa Tide.

"We can't just wait here. We have to find a way to save him!" In his urgency, Wei Duo unexpectedly spoke an entire sentence with perfect fluency.

Everyone stared at him in surprise, almost wondering whether they had misheard. But there was no mistake.

He had said it.

Su Po asked, "How do we save him? If we rush out there, we're only throwing our lives away."

"We can't just watch and do nothing. I... I'll go find people. I'll beg for help!"

Wei Duo turned and started away.

Su Po shouted, "Come back!"

Wei Duo ignored him and had already flashed off into the darkness... By now, Niu Youdao and the others had emerged from the tree hollow as well, drawn out by the commotion above. They stood half-exposed among the treetops and watched.

Several Butterfly Rakshasas tried to attack them along the way, only to veer aside. Once the group confirmed they were safe, they relaxed enough to observe the spectacle. The enormous scene before them was astonishing. Butterfly Rakshasas filled the sky in a riot of flowing light and color. Every one of them stared in amazement. Even Yuan Gang himself could hardly believe he had caused this. Yuan Fang looked at him with open worship. Guan Fangyi, meanwhile, kept glancing at Yuan Gang as though he were some monster.

For the moment, the worry in her heart finally eased. With this freak around, what was there left to fear in the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm?

Niu Youdao could not help sighing. "It's fortunate the laws of this world restrict them. If these Butterfly Rakshasas could survive in the human world, I doubt anyone beneath Heaven could withstand them."

The others understood what he meant. It was not that any individual Butterfly Rakshasa was overwhelmingly powerful. There were plenty of cultivators stronger than one creature. The terrifying part was the combined assault of such enormous swarms. Booming crashes continued from the ground below. Like a trapped beast, Ma Jin had fallen back to the forest floor. He hacked and slaughtered his way through the dense woods, fighting as he retreated, his whole body soaked in sticky green blood.

In the air, it had been impossible to cope with Butterfly Rakshasas attacking swiftly from every direction.

On the ground, he could at least gain a slight advantage. He himself had no idea how many Butterfly Rakshasas he had killed. Yet he remained trapped under a dense siege. The attackers did not diminish. He could not finish them. Fighting alone, he no longer had the ability to care about anyone else. He knew the others were probably already dead.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Five Blood Rakshasas suddenly shot into the encirclement together. White-Wings and Blue-Wings immediately exploited every opening around them and coordinated their attacks.

"Ahhh!"

Completely buried beneath the assault until his figure was almost impossible to see, Ma Jin suddenly released a furious, mournful roar. His sword hacked off the head of one Blood Rakshasa. But that creature's claw had pierced his throat a split second earlier. Blood sprayed from his neck.

In the next instant, several more claws reached him. Ma Jin was torn apart on the spot, flesh and blood flying everywhere. The more than one hundred Myriad Beasts Sect disciples planting Light-Repelling Grass suffered the same fate. Not a single one escaped the Rakshasa Tide...

"Yaa! Yaa! Yaa!"

Shrill cries echoed through the forest again. The Butterfly Rakshasas filling the sky began dispersing. Before long, every last one had vanished. With wings to carry them, they arrived quickly and departed just as quickly. Peace returned to Heaven and Earth. Beneath the treetops, one Blood Rakshasa came weaving through the forest with three Blue-Wing Rakshasas behind it. Each Blue-Wing carried a man in its claws. When they landed, they pinned their captives beneath their feet. The three men were Chao Shenghuai, He Youjian, and He Youchang.

Their clothes were in tatters and wounds covered their bodies, but they were still alive. Niu Youdao and the others dropped from the treetops. Yuan Gang began exchanging roars and shrieks with the Blood Rakshasa again. Seeing this, Chao Shenghuai and the He brothers looked up in terror and disbelief. These people could actually collude with the Butterfly Rakshasas?

"Chao Shenghuai. He Youjian. He Youchang."

Standing with his sword planted before him, Niu Youdao smiled pleasantly and named all three men without making a single mistake. When Yuan Gang wandered off before entering the illusory realm, he had not been idly strolling around. He had identified the three men and quietly asked other cultivators about them. He had even learned that Chao Shenghuai was Chao Jing's grandson. After returning, Yuan Gang secretly reported everything to Niu Youdao.

Yet Chao Shenghuai had still foolishly tried to deceive Niu Youdao with a fake surname, "Li."

Guan Fangyi's eyes slowly widened as she stared at Niu Youdao.

She suddenly realized something.

This bastard had known from the beginning that there was something wrong with these three!

[End of Chapter 462]