You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

This small composite array, which combines protection, energy field suppression, and targeted purification power, was even more effective than he had anticipated.

"This is just a test for ordinary monsters."

Chen Yang said cautiously.

"That white monster is far stronger than these ordinary monsters, and it can also destroy formations. Whether we can completely stop it still needs to be tested in actual combat."

However, with this successful precedent, I am even more confident in the 'inner security zone' we are about to set up.

"Definitely no problem!"

Qiuniu was full of confidence.

"Chen Shuai, the thing you made makes me feel very reassured!"

Xing San and Su Meng nodded vigorously.

"Alright, the experiment is complete. We shouldn't stay here any longer."

The death of a monster might attract its own kind, or its lingering scent might be detected by other things.

Chen Yang waved his hand to remove the small array and said to everyone.

"We'll leave immediately and head to the next safe zone that Piaopiao mentioned earlier."

The grand formation surrounding that family ruins now serves as the best 'outer layer of cover' for us.

"Yes! Let's hurry over there and set up our own little nest!"

Qiuniu couldn't wait.

Liu Piaopiao took out the compass again to confirm the direction.

"The next safe zone is about fifty miles ahead, and it should be a small outpost of similar size. If we speed up, we should be able to get there before evening."

Without further delay, the group quickly cleaned up the traces of the battle inside the cave, then filed out, leaving the dark cave and returning to the sunlight, hurrying towards their next destination.

Along the way, they noticed that there were significantly more cultivators heading in that direction.

Small groups of people, some looking panicked, some wary, and some helping each other, were clearly survivors of last night's catastrophe. They were all converging in the direction of a possible safe zone, trying to find new shelter before the next night.

Along the way, discussions about the white monsters' slaughter the previous night became more detailed and horrifying, and calls for "hunting down the white monsters" grew louder in some small groups, especially among disciples of powerful forces who had suffered heavy losses and lost their fellow disciples. They gritted their teeth and actively made connections.

Xing San and Qiu Niu listened to these discussions, their eyes gleaming, clearly having their thoughts of participating in the hunt rekindled.

Seeing this, Liu Piaopiao calmly poured cold water on the situation once again.

I still urge you to calm down.

Think about it, the fact that the white monster can command ordinary monsters means that it likely has some kind of 'summoning' or 'commanding' ability.

Once the hunt begins, if it summons hundreds or thousands of monsters to surround you... then the scene will probably not be a hunt, but a feast delivered to your door.

Without absolute certainty of severing its ability, or possessing an overwhelming advantage, any rash action could be suicidal.

Chen Yang nodded and replied.

“Piao Piao is right.”

The white monster can command ordinary monsters, which is one of its most terrifying aspects, meaning it doesn't fight alone but possesses a large 'army'. Blindly hunting it is extremely risky.

but--"

He abruptly changed the subject, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"Anything is possible; we might be able to kill it."

It's not feasible for now, because we haven't found a reasonable and reliable solution yet.

Right now, our most important task is to survive, improve ourselves, and at the same time observe and gather more information and information about the white monster's weaknesses. Opportunity always favors the prepared.

These words were reasonable and well-founded. They neither completely denied the possibility of a hunt, nor did they emphasize the importance of caution and preparation. This calmed Xing San and Qiu Niu down, and they nodded in agreement.

As they spoke, they had already arrived at the second safe zone, guided by Liu Piaopiao's compass.

This place is also a ruin, resembling a sizable abandoned city, with broken walls and tall gate towers showing its former glory.

The protective aura surrounding the city was more pronounced than that of the previous family ruins, but it wasn't particularly strong.

To everyone's slight surprise, the number of cultivators gathered here was far less than that of the large safe zone last night, and even less than expected.

Although there were people moving around in the city, they were few and far between, giving off an atmosphere of desolation and unease.

Why are there so few people?

Qiuniu looked around, somewhat puzzled.

"Although quite a few people died last night, there shouldn't be so few left, right? And judging from the direction, many people should have come this way."

Chen Yang glanced thoughtfully at the cultivators who looked flustered, mostly alone or in small groups occupying a corner, and who were more wary of each other than communicating.

"Didn't you hear the discussions on the street just now? Many people were terrified by what happened last night and have lost faith in the so-called 'safe zone'."

Some even chose another extreme approach—abandoning exploration and the search for opportunities, focusing all their time on traveling during the day, striving to get as far away from known danger zones as possible before nightfall, attempting to mitigate risk through distance.

Upon hearing this, Su Meng whispered.

"Then...should we do what they do, rushing through the day and hiding in some secluded place at night? Maybe that way we can really avoid that white monster?"

Chen Yang shook his head.

"it's useless.

If everyone does this, creating a trend, with a large number of cultivators moving rapidly in a certain direction, the resulting 'popularity' and energy fluctuations might actually act like a lighthouse in the night, making it easier to attract that white demon.

Moreover, constantly running away leads to physical and mental exhaustion, reducing reaction time and resistance when faced with sudden danger.

Qiuniu frowned.

"So, even though we've come to this safe zone to take refuge, it's not actually safe? That white monster might still be chasing us?"

"That might have been the case before."

A confident smile curved Chen Yang's lips.

"But things are different now. We have a new type of formation that I've modified."

Previous experiments in the cave have already proven its power.

Here, all we need to do is find a suitable corner, set up our 'inner fortress,' and even if that white monster really comes after us, it won't be so easy to break through."

These words gave everyone a much-needed boost of confidence. Yes, they now had a "secret weapon"!

Without further hesitation, the group quickly entered the abandoned city.

They avoided the main roads and central squares where people were relatively concentrated, and instead searched for remote and dilapidated corners.

Finally, in the northwest corner of the city, they found a relatively intact courtyard.

The courtyard is bordered on one side by a sturdy city wall connected to the outer defensive array, and on the other side by a tall inner wall made of special stone, which, although damaged, still retains its main structure.

"This place is nice!"

Chen Yang surveyed the surroundings. "With two existing sturdy walls available, we only need to install protection on the remaining two walls and the top, which will save a lot of materials and effort."

Moreover, its remote location makes it difficult to attract attention.

Everyone agreed that this was a suitable place.

So Chen Yang immediately got to work.

He first carefully examined the two sides closest to the city wall and the inner wall, confirming that their structure was stable and could serve as part of the foundation of the formation.

Then, he took out the prepared array materials—spirit stones, jade pieces, metal wire, and some animal hides or wooden boards with basic runes engraved on them.

This time, he set up the formation faster and more calmly than he had in the cave.

With his previous successful experience and more time, he not only perfectly combined the protective, pressure field suppression and purification powers, but also cleverly integrated his understanding of "Dao patterns" with the "water ripple" artistic conception that flows like water, adapts to and resolves impacts, into the core structure of the formation.

His fingertips flashed with light as he carved mysterious and unpredictable complex patterns on the ground and walls, patterns that were both as solid as metal and as flexible as flowing water.

Jade pieces and spirit stones are precisely embedded into energy nodes, and metal wires connect the various parts like meridians.

Although the entire formation is small, it subtly exudes a unique charm that is both natural and harmonious, combining strength and gentleness.

As the last rune was lit and the final connection was completed, a pale golden, semi-transparent hemispherical light shield with subtle, flowing patterns quietly enveloped the small courtyard.

The light shield fits perfectly with the city wall behind it and the inner wall on the side, forming a closed, safe space of about twenty square meters.

The surface of the light shield has a restrained luster and is not dazzling, but judging from the steady and tough energy fluctuations it emits, it is far superior to ordinary protection.

"finished."

Chen Yang let out a long sigh of relief, beads of sweat on his forehead, but his eyes were bright.

Qiu Niu, Xing San, and the others looked at the protective light shield around them and felt the calming aura emanating from it, so different from the outside world. They felt much more at ease.

By this time, the sky had completely darkened, and the night enveloped the ruined city like a thick curtain.

The number of people in the city was also greater than when they first arrived. New refugees poured in one after another, most of them with lingering fear and deep exhaustion on their faces, each searching for a place to stay.

A sense of oppression and unease permeated the entire city.

"Tonight...it won't be like last night, will it?"

"Who knows... that white monster is elusive..."

"This formation... feels even weaker than the one from last night. Can it hold?"

"Stop scaring yourself. Find a corner and leave it to fate..."

"If I had known it would be this dangerous, I shouldn't have come in..."

Intermittent chatter, filled with anxiety and despair, drifted in the night wind.

Qiu Niu, Xing San, and the others stayed in the small "fortress" set up by Chen Yang. Listening to the discussions outside and looking at the dim night outside the light barrier, they couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

Although protected by Chen Yang's array, the hellish scene from last night was still fresh in his mind, and the fear of the white demon was not so easy to dispel.

Chen Yang noticed their unease and spoke calmly.

"Believe me, and believe in this formation."

Everyone, take this time to rest and recover your strength. Tonight may not be peaceful, but we are absolutely safe here.

Chen Yang's calm and confident attitude inspired everyone.

They said no more and found places to sit inside the light barrier. Some closed their eyes to regulate their breathing, while others leaned against the wall to doze off, trying to calm themselves down.

Time passed slowly amidst trepidation and silence.

As night deepened, the city gradually quieted down, except for occasional hushed conversations and suppressed sobs. Only the faint light of the outer defensive array stubbornly flickered in the darkness.

I don't know how much time had passed, perhaps it was the middle of the night. Suddenly, a series of noisy and chaotic sounds, growing louder as they approached, shattered the silence of the night!
The sound was a mixture of terrified screams, hurried running sounds, the explosions of spells, and... the faint roars of demons!

"coming!"

Chen Yang suddenly opened his eyes, was the first to stand up, walked to the edge of the light shield, and looked out through the semi-transparent light screen.

Qiu Niu, Xing San, Su Meng, and Liu Piaopiao were also awakened and gathered around, looking nervously outside.

The entrance to the city was in complete chaos!
A large number of disheveled cultivators were desperately rushing into the city. Many of them were injured and their faces were filled with extreme fear, as if a deadly demon was chasing them!

"They're the people who escaped from the safe zone ahead!"

Xing San said in a deep voice, his face grim.

"That means... the safe zone ahead has been breached!"

Su Meng's voice trembled.

"That white monster... it's really coming after us again!"

Liu Piaopiao took a deep breath and forced herself to analyze the situation calmly.

"These people fleeing here will attract monsters... We're in trouble."

Inside the protective barrier, the atmosphere instantly became extremely tense. Outside, more cultivators were awakened; some tried to escape in other directions in terror, while others remained in place to observe, clinging to a sliver of hope. The entire abandoned city was thrown into chaos.

"Chen Yang, if we leave now... is it too late?"

Su Meng looked at Chen Yang with a sob in her voice.

Looking out from the light barrier, she could already see countless crimson demonic eyes shining in the darkness in the distance!

Xing San was also sweating profusely, clenching his fists, and looking at Chen Yang, clearly also having the idea of ​​breaking through and escaping immediately.

Chen Yang stood still, his figure as firm as a pine tree rooted to the ground.

His sharp gaze pierced through the light barrier, looking at the approaching horde of monsters. A particularly conspicuous, enormous, pale white figure was roaring as it charged toward the protective light barrier surrounding the city like a heavy chariot!
"No need to go."

Chen Yang's voice was unusually calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness.

"I believe in our formation. If you believe in me, then stay."

If you don't believe me, walk from behind now, I won't stop you.

His gaze swept over the crowd. Qiuniu gritted his teeth.

I believe you!

"Chen Shuai! I'll stay!"

Liu Piaopiao didn't say anything, but silently stood next to Chen Yang, showing her attitude through her actions.

Su Meng looked at Chen Yang's calm and confident profile, then at the approaching terrifying demonic tide outside, and finally nodded vigorously.

"I...I also believe in Senior Brother Chen Yang!"

Seeing that the other three had chosen to stay, Xing San felt embarrassed to run away alone, so he could only sigh heavily and grip his weapon tightly.

"Fine! I'll stay too! We'll die together!"

In the short span of time they made their decision, the situation outside had already taken a sharp turn for the worse! (End of Chapter)