Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 491 Breakout
"Oh!"

There was an explosion.

Yin Feng suddenly turned around, staring intently at the rising smoke in the distance, until a familiar figure flew out of the mist, at which point he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Chief, there are too many monsters, we can't get through!"

As Yang Yun retreated, he manipulated the Thousand Machine Dragon Binding Box to repel several wolf demons that were trying to attack him. The strenuous activity had left his face slightly flushed, and large beads of sweat dotted his forehead, clearly indicating that he was struggling.

Yin Feng glanced around quickly, his anxiety growing.

There were only about a dozen demonic beasts nearby, posing no threat to them, but two or three smaller hordes of beasts were approaching from afar. If you included them all, there were at least ten palm-sized groups, more than the demonic beasts that had previously surrounded Commander Zhong and his group!
"damn it."

Yin Feng couldn't help but curse. He and Yang Yun had both exhausted most of their magical power and simply couldn't withstand so many demonic beasts.

"Let's retreat! We'll switch routes!"

Yin Feng took a deep breath and charged towards Yang Yun, killing two lesser demons in succession.

Seeing this, Yang Yun immediately controlled the Thousand Machine Dragon Binding Box and slammed it hard into the ground. The surrounding wolf demons retreated to avoid being hit, but were unexpectedly engulfed in the billowing dust.

Yang Yun made a quick decision, flipping his wrist to produce a fiery talisman that shot out rapidly.

"Oh!"

Another explosion rang out. The wolf demons, their vision obscured by the smoke and dust, were caught off guard and were blown to pieces.

"Well done."

Yin Feng's boastful voice rang out. Yang Yun, however, did not linger in the fight. He quickly distanced himself and retreated into the dense forest behind him in the blink of an eye.

The wolf demon did not pursue them and could not threaten Yin Feng, who was in the late stage of Qi Refining.

Yang Yun's tense expression finally relaxed slightly, while a hint of heartache appeared in his eyes—the two fiery talismans that Chief Yin had entrusted to him in private had been used up before they could even be warmed up.

Even more unfortunately, he didn't get a single piece of spoils.

According to the camp rules, after a large-scale clash between the Demon Suppression Camp and the beast tide, the commander would designate a team to clean up the battlefield, and all the spoils of war would be confiscated. Half of the spoils would then be distributed to the cultivators according to their merits.

In the event of small-scale clashes between the sentry and the monsters, the sentry would clean up the battlefield themselves, and only half of the spoils needed to be handed over; the rest they could keep. Half of the handed-over portion would also be allocated by the superior unit as a reward for meritorious service.

Although there were bound to be some unsavory aspects, such as the determination of merit and spoils—that is, the value of monster materials—the fact remains that killing monsters within a sentry unit yielded significantly more monster materials than a group operation. It was this rule that energized each sentry unit, driving them to constantly ambush small groups of monsters within their defense zones.

But now, dozens of demonic beasts have surrounded him. He doesn't even have time to skin the demonic beast corpses, let alone cut off a piece of his own flesh to prove his merit.

Thinking of this, Yang Yun felt even more heartbroken. He knew his cultivation level was at the bottom of the Demon Suppression Camp. In the past, he only thought about survival. He would be more than satisfied if his post-battle merits could be exchanged for three or five bottles of Yellow Sprout Pills. But ever since he acquired the Thousand Machine Dragon Binding Box, this money-devouring beast, he had no choice but to work hard.

Small gains, all small gains!
Yang Yun kept comforting herself and made the difficult decision to leave.

Not long after, Yin Feng, who had been covering the rear, caught up, looking worried: "I don't know how Zhai Yan managed to get through! This road is blocked now, let's try to squeeze through from the other side."

"it is good!"

Yang Yun responded.

The two changed their route and emerged from one side of the dense forest.

However, looking around, four or five demonic beasts were lingering in the distance, seemingly waiting for something.

"hiss!"

Yin Feng gasped.

The initial group of demonic beasts wasn't large, so he planned to charge forward in one go. However, in a short time, dozens of demonic beasts gathered around, almost turning them into dumplings.

Changing direction now doesn't seem to have changed anything.

Yang Yun immediately whispered, "Squad leader, something's not right. The monsters have limited intelligence and are unruly. It's not surprising that they wandered into the vicinity while besieging Commander Liu. But they didn't continue south; instead, they stayed put, as if waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump. That's a bit too clever of them."

"You mean the beast tide is deliberately blocking the reinforcements to rescue Commander Liu?" Yin Feng couldn't help but glance at Yang Yun.

Yang Yun nodded slightly: "There is no other explanation."

Yin Feng's mood immediately became heavy.

When the Demon Suppression Camp analyzed the stalled beast tide from the north, they deduced that highly intelligent demons were involved in commanding it. But could they possibly have come up with tactics like "blocking enemy reinforcements" and "joint encirclement and annihilation"?

"Sentry commander, use the communication talisman!"

Just then, Yang Yun suddenly shouted.

Yin Feng quickly reached into his waist pouch, pulled out a slightly glowing talisman from a stack of talismans, and placed it close to his brow.

"It's Chief Hu!"

Yin Feng slowly said, "Chief Hu is nearby!"
-
"withdraw!"

"Roar!"

"boom!!"

The desperate shouts had barely begun when they were completely drowned out by the roars and rumbles of beasts from all directions.

Amidst the swirling yellow sand, a young man, now only wearing half a leather armor, suddenly swung his broadsword, cleaving the charging monkey demon in two.

On the other side, the bald, burly man wielded two axes, unleashing two sharp beams of light in quick succession, causing a swarm of charging demonic beasts to fall. However, there was no joy on his face; instead, he anxiously shouted, "Brother Zhou, you go first!"

"There are monsters everywhere, and if we leave here, we'll be surrounded again. Where can we escape?"

With his back to Hu Qidao, Zhou Miao gritted his teeth and cursed, "Liu Qingzhou really deserves to die!"

Hu Qidao was panting heavily, feeling extremely distressed.

He received Liu Qingzhou's distress signal, assuming it was just a small group of monsters, and led his team to provide support without much thought. However, they were caught off guard by a giant earthworm monster halfway there.

The Transport Bureau did not issue any special alerts, and Liu Qingzhou did not mention that the Earthworm Monster was a Bone-Melting Demon Cultivator! He was both shocked and furious, and immediately ordered a retreat.

But it was too late!

The earthworm monster stirred up a sandstorm, easily trapping his group. The constant stream of monstrous beasts lurking around them plunged them into a desperate war of attrition.

Thinking of this, Hu Qidao gripped the axe handle even tighter.

Zhou Miao could shift all the blame onto Liu Qingzhou, but he couldn't! As the captain, he had led his brothers to this desperate situation. Now, they would have to pay the price in blood for his rash decision.

"careful!"

Seeing Hu Qidao lose focus, Zhou Miao quickly reminded him, swinging her broadsword even harder. Hu Qidao snapped out of his reverie and rushed to help. Together, the two forced back the attacking monsters once again.

"boom!"

Suddenly, a huge explosion roared in, still clear even amidst the sandstorm. Hu Qidao turned around abruptly and said solemnly, "Another fire explosion talisman!"

Zhou Miao also heard the commotion and her face darkened: "It's Liu Qingzhou and his group! We can't leave. This guy is definitely trying to divert trouble and use us as a shield."

"Not really."

Hu Qidao frowned. Although he regretted coming to support Liu Qingzhou, his former demon-hunting group had dealt with Liu Qingzhou before and knew that the other party's character was not so bad.

Judging from the number of monsters here, it's possible that the other side was unaware of the earthworm monster's existence and was completely surrounded.

Since the other side wanted to come, Hu Qidao immediately swung his axe several times, clearing a space, and whispered back, "I'll cover you, you let the brothers get closer!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Miao turned pale with anger: "You still believe Liu Qingzhou?"

"It's not a matter of belief or not."

Hu Qidao gave a wry smile and explained, "That earthworm monster isn't here; it's near Liu Qingzhou! They must have their own methods to hold out for so long. We're desperate now; our only chance of escape is to join them!"

The sandstorm obscured their vision, and their divine senses were hampered by the pervasive demonic energy and traces of magic. He had led his team in several breakout attempts, but they couldn't find their way; it felt like monsters were constantly appearing everywhere. Continuing like this would offer no hope of a turnaround. Rather than being worn down to death by the monsters, it was better to rejoin Liu Qingzhou and see what was going on.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Miao gritted her teeth and finally turned around. Under Hu Qidao's cover, she loudly commanded the troops to regroup.

Hu Qidao quickly counted the number of people, and his face turned pale instantly.

There were more than thirty people when they arrived, but now, including him, there are only twelve left. In a daze, he seemed to be transported back to the unbearable memory of the demon-hunting team being wiped out.

But soon, Hu Qidao dispelled the distracting thoughts in his mind. The living still needed him.

He can't fall!

Hu Qidao scanned everyone present, as if memorizing their faces, and said in a hoarse voice, "Brothers, I'm sorry! But it's come to this, and a thousand words are not worth saying anymore. I just want to ask one question: do you want to live?"

"miss you!"

Zhou Miao's bloodshot eyes widened as she was the first to shout.

The others exchanged glances, each seeing the other's resentment. A young man with a pockmarked face immediately stepped forward: "Chief Hu, I want to live!"

"I want to live too!"

"Chief Hu, we all want to live!"

In just two breaths, everyone stepped forward.

Hu Qidao looked at them, threw off his tattered clothes, and roared, "Then let's fight to the death! Charge with me! If you survive, I'll treat you to drinks! If you die, so be it!"

"Better dead!"

The crowd seemed to be inspired, and they all responded. The approaching demonic beasts were intimidated by this aura and hesitated to advance.

Seeing that morale was high, Hu Qidao said no more and charged ahead towards the sound of the Flame Burst Talisman. At that moment, the double axes in his hands hummed and became dazzling. Several demonic beasts blocking his way were no match for him and were torn apart by the axe light, turning into a sky full of blood mist.

"kill!"

"Kill out!"

The crowd followed closely behind, pressing forward relentlessly.

However, more monsters surrounded them, of all kinds, especially a group of monkey demons that came towards them, who were also extremely excited and kept shouting.

Hu Qidao and his men advanced only a few miles before they were caught in a fierce battle.

"Chief Hu!"

Just then, a shout came.

Hu Qidao turned his head and saw two young cultivators emerge from the yellow sand, each throwing out a fire talisman that landed precisely among the monkey troop.

Immediately, the monkey demons howled in agony and scattered in all directions, tearing a gap in the encirclement of the demon beasts.

"Great!"

Zhou Miao was overjoyed and rushed over: "Yin Feng, I knew you would come! Quickly use the fire talisman to cover us, Hu Dutou is trying to break through to the north!"

Yin Feng patted himself down and gave a wry smile: "Brother Zhou, I'm afraid I'll disappoint you."

Before leaving the base camp, Senior Brother Mao Jingze gave him several extra Fireball Talismans to take care of him.

Therefore, he had as many as ten explosive talismans on him. Even after giving two to Yang Yun, he still had eight left, which was more than enough to ambush more than ten ordinary demonic beasts.

However, he and Yang Yun had been involved in several battles in succession, and their battle talismans had long been exhausted.

These two Explosive Talismans were the last remaining stock.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Miao's face turned deathly pale.

These demon-hunting cultivators, although they valued combat power highly, had neither background nor wealth, so they couldn't learn any advanced spells, let alone afford advanced magical artifacts.

Talismans are their most important means of combat.

As the cultivation world has developed to this point, the power of talismans has become quite considerable. In daily demon-hunting activities, a demon-hunting team of more than ten people can blast any demon beast, whether it is in the mid-stage or late-stage of the Spirit Awakening realm, to smithereens.

Therefore, almost all the tactics of the demon-hunting teams revolve around talismans.

Without talismans, in a one-on-one situation, demon hunters will avoid demonic beasts of similar cultivation level. And when facing a group of demonic beasts with a numerical advantage, the situation is even more dire.

Their current sorry state is precisely because they have long since run out of talismans. They had hoped that the new recruits Yin Feng and Yang Yun would bring a turning point to the team, but unexpectedly, both of them were also exhausted.

"Then why did you come in here to die!"

Zhou Miao was furious and couldn't help but shout angrily.

Yin Feng looked utterly helpless. He was merely a platoon leader, while Hu Qidao was a captain, with a squad leader in between. The main force was nearby, and having received orders, he naturally rushed over instinctively. Little did he expect so many monstrous beasts lurking in the sandstorm, even Captain Hu himself facing imminent danger.

Hu Qidao also looked disappointed when he heard that Yin Feng had no more talismans.

With his late-stage Qi Refining cultivation, he was quite powerful in combat, wielding two axes, but this was all achieved through magical energy; he could fight for a long time but not sustain it. He dared not use many of his killing moves unless it was absolutely necessary.

The talisman is completely different! The mana cost to trigger the Fiery Talisman is less than one percent of that of an ordinary spell, but in return, it can unleash the full power of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

He was confident that if he had three or five more Fireball Talismans, he could lead everyone to reunite with Liu Qingzhou.

But no!

Fortunately, the fiery talisman we used earlier still played a significant role; at least everyone managed to break through the troublesome monkey demon horde!
Hu Qidao suppressed his chaotic thoughts and ordered in a deep voice, "You go first, I will cover your retreat."

Yin Feng and Yang Yun exchanged a glance. They plunged into the sandstorm and couldn't get out now, so they had no choice but to obediently follow behind Zhou Miao.

Just then, the earth trembled violently, as if some enormous creature was churning underground.

Just as Hu Qidao was about to make his move, he lost his balance and almost fell to the ground. He quickly took off and looked around.

However, the sandstorm intensified with the earthquake, and Zhou Miao and the others vanished from sight in an instant. Then, as if summoned, the sandstorm swept wildly in a certain direction.

In a mere instant, the yellow sand churned and coalesced into a sandstorm that shot straight into the sky. A grayish-brown body appeared and disappeared in the dust, its massive head slowly emerging, eyes narrowed to slits, a smooth short horn on its forehead, seemingly not ferocious at all. However, its mountain-like size instilled an indescribable sense of oppression in everyone present.

Hu Qidao stared intently at the earthworm monster's figure, but then he heard Zhou Miao's excited shouts: "The sandstorm is over! Brother Hu! We're out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the earthworm monster opened its enormous maw, from which transparent mucus flowed, and countless white mists spewed out, quickly spreading in all directions.

"escape!"

Hu Qidao grabbed Zhou Miao, then turned to the others and shouted sternly, "Everyone, flee south for your lives! Every single one of you who can escape is a winner!"

Everyone recognized the threat posed by the white mist. Even though they were exhausted and their magic was depleted, they desperately unleashed their escape techniques. Even the demonic beasts that had initially attacked them showed bewildered expressions and turned to flee south.

However, the white fog was moving too fast.

In just a few breaths, the white mist surged in.

Yin Feng glanced back and saw a Demon Suppression Camp cultivator who was at the very back being touched by the white mist. His whole body went limp and fell into the mist, his life hanging in the balance.

Yin Feng's eyes widened in shock, and he hurriedly looked at Yang Yun.

After obtaining the new magic weapon, Yang Yun performed exceptionally well along the way, but his magic power remained at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and his escape speed was a weakness he could not overcome.

Sure enough, after flying for a while, Yang Yun fell to the very back.

"Xiaoyun!"

Yin Feng couldn't help but shout.

Yang Yun looked up and revealed a smile, as if he already knew his fate.

Yin Feng clenched his fists instinctively.

Zhou Miao, who was standing next to Hu Qidao, was startled when she saw Yin Feng turn around. She rushed over and grabbed his arm, angrily shouting, "What are you doing? Are you crazy?"

"I……"

Yin Feng's lips trembled slightly.

Zhai Yan ran away, and he didn't bring him back; Yang Yun was right in front of him, but he could only watch helplessly as the other fell into a desperate situation. At this moment, a strong sense of frustration surged into his heart, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

He has to do something!
Yin Feng abruptly pulled his arm away from Zhou Miao's grasp. Just as he was about to make a move, a flashing green light suddenly entered his peripheral vision. The green light instantly passed over him, bringing with it a sharp gust of air.

"How brave!"

At the same time, a furious roar exploded like thunder, making people's eardrums ache.

(End of this chapter)