Chapter 129: The Ancient Ferocious Beast

Massive boulders rained down from the ceiling of the long tunnel. Qu Yiqiu dodged with agility, while Xia Changhan managed to break free from the entanglement of the woman in the jade coffin. He cast a swift glance at the black hair fragments scattered on the ground, his eyes flickering with deep contemplation.

The woman in the jade coffin, clutching an urn with one hand, looked toward the direction of Qu Yiqiu’s escape. She hesitated for a moment, then turned to crawl back into her jade coffin. Seeing the ground shaking violently, Xia Changhan launched a lethal strike at the retreating woman, darting forward in an attempt to snatch the urn from her grasp.

Suddenly, the situation took a drastic turn. The trembling ground ruptured, opening a massive hole that resembled an abyss with no visible bottom—pitch-black and terrifying. A cluster of ghastly, bell-like eyes emerged from the depths, drool dripping from jaws that were greedily fixed upon Xia Changhan and the woman in the jade coffin.

Both the man and the corpse felt their blood run cold. They simultaneously ceased their struggle and turned to stare at the ferocious beast.

"Taotie!" Xia Changhan gasped in horror.

The woman in the jade coffin trembled, and with a flash of white light, she vanished from the scene, still clutching the urn. This left Xia Changhan alone to face the ancient beast.

"Roar—!"

The roar of the Taotie pierced through the ancient tomb and echoed across every corner of the secret realm. Qu Yiqiu, having anticipated this, guarded her mind closely and remained unaffected. However, other unsuspecting cultivators in the realm were not as fortunate. Most of those at the early Foundation Establishment stage could not help but vomit blood. Alarm bells rang out as they huddled together, scanning their surroundings and trying to pinpoint the origin of the sound.

Xia Changhan had never expected the greatest danger to be an ancient Taotie. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he was forced to use the only Grade Seven Evasion Talisman his master had given him, fleeing the scene immediately.

Watching his prey escape, the Taotie looked confused, then erupted into a hunger-fueled rage. It revealed its massive, monstrous head, tore through the layers of the tomb's stone walls, and dragged its entire body out of the pit. It was as large as a mountain, its fur sharp as needles, and it possessed a pair of wings. Sniffing the air for the scent of humans, its pupils shifted color; it burst out of the tomb and gave chase in the direction of Qu Yiqiu.

At this moment, Qu Yiqiu was unaware she was being hunted. Ancient beasts had been extinct in the cultivation world for tens of thousands of years, and her knowledge of them was not clear enough to realize that the scent she had left behind in the tomb would allow this powerful beast to track her. She knew only to keep running, though she was unsure of where to go.

"Master, the Taotie feeds on humans. We must leave this secret realm as soon as possible," Xiao Yan said, brows furrowed. They had no choice but to abandon the search for the artifact spirit.

Qu Yiqiu felt a pang of regret, but unable to think of any other option, she nodded. "You're right. Getting out early is the best course of action."

She brought out the spatial-breach talisman given to the sect disciples, intending to crush it and concede to leave. Yet, a breath later, the talisman crumbled into dust, and she remained exactly where she was. The scenery before her had not changed in the slightest.

Qu Yiqiu was stunned. "What is going on?"

Xiao Yan’s eyes snapped open from a closed state. "This is bad. The secret realm's artifact spirit has already sealed off this domain. Even with the spatial-breach talisman, we cannot leave!"

"How could this happen?" Qu Yiqiu asked, her face full of shock. "What should we do?"

"Master, do not worry. As long as you can manifest the power of a Deity Transformation stage cultivator during this time, you can successfully leave this place," Xiao Yan stated with conviction.

Qu Yiqiu looked helpless and spread her hands. "I have already reverted to the late Foundation Establishment stage... If Su Xichen were by my side, I might be able to manifest it."

After studying many patterns, she had discovered that her cultivation fluctuated most significantly when she was near Su Xichen; the closer she was, the stronger her control. But where was she to find him now? She felt deeply troubled.

Xiao Yan, not fully understanding the strange technique she practiced, furrowed his small brows and thought hard. "There is another way. We catch the artifact spirit as quickly as possible, force it to open the seal, and then use its power to escape."

Qu Yiqiu’s expression shifted, her gaze turning firm. "That is the only way."

"Roar—!"

A massive shadow cast down from the sky, accompanied by a low, bestial growl that forced Qu Yiqiu to look up.

"It actually tracked me down!"

The immense figure with giant wings and horns was indeed the ancient Taotie, following the scent she had left behind. Qu Yiqiu's expression darkened. She quickly tore open several speed-enhancing talismans and bolted forward without looking back.

"Master, there are people ahead!" Xiao Yan warned, sharing her tension. During their flight, because Qu Yiqiu’s divine sense was being suppressed, he had been acting as her lookout.

Qu Yiqiu hesitated. "Forget it. They won't be able to handle this beast. Let's change direction!" She was not fearless, but she still had some strength left and did not want to cause the deaths of innocent people because of herself.

"Master, that person is Huo Tangsheng, the male cultivator who tried to kill you earlier. Didn't you say he was very powerful?" Xiao Yan quickly identified the person ahead.

Qu Yiqiu’s eyes lit up, and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "We’re saved! Even if he can't kill this beast, he definitely has a way to buy us time!" She had seen with her own eyes his three golden-skinned puppets eliminate the Nascent Soul stage Concubine Wu, which was exactly why she had been wary of him. Even though this body she had possessed showed only mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, she did not believe that was the extent of Huo Tangsheng’s abilities.

"Tell me his location!" Qu Yiqiu grinned.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief and quickly pointed out Huo Tangsheng’s position. He was a lone wolf, which she could understand; after all, he carried too many secrets, and being alone offered him more freedom. This situation was highly favorable for her.

Qu Yiqiu ran straight toward Huo Tangsheng. While they were still a significant distance apart, Huo Tangsheng, aided by the patrolling hummingbirds, had already spotted her. His face turned cold. His phoenix eyes swept over the surroundings with indifference, and he sent the hummingbirds flying ahead. After confirming that there was only one group of people far in the distance, he turned and waited for her arrival.

"Master, he’s stopped!" Xiao Yan said happily, surprised that Huo Tangsheng would actually wait for her.

Qu Yiqiu was equally delighted. Even heaven didn't want her to die! She didn't hesitate to plaster her body with speed talismans and dashed toward him. Unbeknownst to her, Huo Tangsheng had surrounded the small grove with silver-skinned puppets and stood in their center, gazing toward her approach with a faint aura of killing intent.

Meanwhile, the Taotie following behind Qu Yiqiu veered off to devour some nearby cultivators. It licked its lips with a hint of satisfaction, suppressed its aura, and continued its pursuit of her.

"Master, after eating those people, the Taotie has grown even stronger!" Xiao Yan observed the beast’s movements, relaying everything to her.