The Newborn Wang Yulan

As the beast tide surged forth,

The martial artists reacted swiftly, forming tight defensive formations.

Swords, spears, and bows—all became weapons to resist the onslaught of Demon Creatures.

Though many sect warriors had already fallen under the orders of Leng Qingqiu and Gu Yan,

nearly a hundred department warriors had been deployed, most of whom were elites.

Faced with the terrifying beast tide, they were not entirely powerless.

"Liu Jianxing! Get Gu Yan and Bai Lian to safety now!"

The moment the tide struck, Bai Jun roared at Liu Jianxing.

"Yes!"

Liu Jianxing knew this battle was beyond his level. Without hesitation, he grabbed the pitiful-looking Bai Lian and rushed toward Gu Yan.

*Shing!*

After severing the plant-like tendrils impaling Gu Yan's abdomen,

Liu Jianxing quickly checked his condition, pressing a hand to the wound and using his qi to stem the bleeding.

Bai Lian paced anxiously beside them. "J-Jianxing... Will Gu Yan be okay?"

*Hmph, serves him right! If he dies here, Master will be mine alone!*

"No, fortunately, Gu Yan is an innate martial artist—his physique is tough. As long as he avoids further injuries, he'll recover."

Liu Jianxing shook his head, exhaling slightly in relief.

Bai Lian, however, seethed with frustration.

*Tch! How stubbornly he clings to life!*

Elsewhere on the battlefield—

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The sparks of combat and the clashing of metal rang out incessantly.

"Hey, hey, Bai Jun—this is bad. These aren’t ordinary Demon Creatures."

"Tsk... Their claws are as sharp as our weapons!"

"Bai Jun, long time no see. Your silver qi has grown even more potent!"

Several warriors from other departments closed in around Bai Jun, fending off the Demon Creatures while forming a rough defensive square.

Bai Jun recognized them—comrades who had once fought alongside him in life-or-death missions.

*Bang!*

After repelling a lunging Demon Creature with his silver qi, Bai Jun forced a bitter laugh. "Cut the chatter. I couldn’t reach the Minister."

"??"

"Huh?"

One of them gaped. "What? You didn’t contact Minister Lin?"

Bai Jun sighed. "Yeah. This place is... unusual. My silver qi can’t penetrate it. It’s like something’s blocking it."

The others exchanged exasperated glances. "So you dragged us into this mess without backup?"

Bai Jun’s body erupted with silver qi once more. "Hah! What, were you planning to switch sides and join the Demon Creatures?"

At that, the group locked eyes—

*Boom!*

Their own silver qi flared, though weaker than Bai Jun’s. "Don’t joke. My whole family was slaughtered by those things. As long as I live, I’ll carve them to pieces!"

"Hey, hey, don’t scare my little darlings. These are my carefully nurtured new-generation Demon Creatures."

"Ugh, still as disgusting as ever. But fine—I’ll trust you with my back."

"Who’re you calling disgusting?!"

The familiar banter made Bai Jun’s mind drift back to the old days.

But... their five-man squad was now missing one.

If they didn’t survive this calamity...

A petite, gentle figure flashed through Bai Jun’s thoughts.

*Jiang Rou...*

*Will you be waiting for me in the next world?*

*Boom! Roar!*

The brutal battle painted a nightmarish scene.

Every clash tested their limits; every breakthrough came drenched in blood and fire.

Under Lin’s command, the already formidable Demon Creatures—each at grandmaster level—unleashed horrifying devastation.

In mere minutes,

the martial artists’ ranks were halved.

Even as Bai Jun and the others fought desperately, their silver qi cutting down grandmaster-level Demon Creatures...

The monsters showed no fear. Severed limbs meant nothing—they dragged their mangled bodies forward, relentless.

Such terror would shatter the resolve of anyone unseasoned.

Amid the chaos, blood soaked the earth, blurring the line between life and death.

"ROAR!!"

As the battlefield thinned,

the Demon Creatures encircled the last standing warriors.

"Haah... Hah..."

"They’re too strong. All grandmaster-tier."

"We can’t hold out much longer."

"Bai Jun... still no word from Minister Lin?"

Qin Rong clutched her wounds, panting as she spoke.

Bai Jun had already deactivated his silver qi.

Surveying the horde—their numbers barely diminished—he offered a wry smile. "Sorry."

At that,

Qin Rong closed her eyes and—*thud!*—slammed a fist into the ground.

Was this really where they’d meet their end?

Liu Jianxing gripped his sword tightly as he stood beneath the tree, lifting his head with difficulty to survey the horde of massive Demon Creatures surrounding him. His body trembled.

Is today... the day I die here?

He glanced at Gu Yan lying unconscious at his feet. Nearby, Gu Yan’s bodyguard, Old Gao, was also sprawled on the ground, unmoving.

Ning Qian stabbed her sword into the earth, using it to prop herself up. Her eyes burned with defiance as she watched the Demon Creatures closing in around them.

Why... why am I so weak...?

Just why...?

Bai Jun seemed to recall something and quickly turned to Mei Xue. "Mei Xue, can you and You Xingxue still use that teleportation technique?"

The moment he spoke, everyone froze, their gazes snapping toward Mei Xue.

That’s right.

When the Night King attacked last time, it was Mei Xue and the others who saved them using their spatial techniques!

But—

Under the weight of their hopeful stares, Mei Xue shook her head. "No. It feels like something is blocking us here."

"My power is also being drained. I can’t use it."

Bai Jun’s expression darkened at her words.

We’re done for.

Then—

The Demon Creatures, which should have lunged at them by now, suddenly halted.

They stared at Bai Jun and the others, encircled and cornered, and let out eerie, guttural growls.

Then, they slowly parted into two rows.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A massive silver wolf and a humanoid figure from the Nether Clan strode forward from the distance.

Lin smirked at the group. "Well, humans? Do you understand now?"

"Your struggles are meaningless."

"Look at the corpses littering the ground. This is the price for defying our Lord!"

"Wouldn’t it have been easier to just join us?"

"Of course..."

Lin paused, her eyes glinting with amusement as she studied Bai Jun and the others.

"...You’re not entirely useless."

"Didn’t you notice during the fight?"

"Your strength was fading, your techniques failing you."

Her words struck deep.

Bai Jun clenched his fists, glaring at Lin. "What did you do?"

Lin chuckled. "Hah! Fine, since you’re all about to die anyway..."

"Consider this a final mercy."

Confident that these humans posed no further threat, Lin indulged in the pleasure of toying with them. She pointed at the colossal plant behind her.

"See that? Inside this bud lies what you call the Ancient Qi."

"And now, the one who wields the Flower God’s Qi has become one of us—the Nether Clan."

"Your bodies weakening, your energy draining... it’s all because your power is being absorbed by the new life growing within this bud!"

As if savoring the despair on their faces, Lin let out a soft laugh. "By my estimate, our new comrade should be waking up any moment now."

No sooner had she spoken—

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Like the pounding of war drums, a rhythmic heartbeat echoed across the battlefield.

Every eye turned toward the enormous black plant.

Then—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The earth trembled violently, and a deep, ominous resonance filled the air, sending chills down everyone’s spines.

Before their very eyes, the towering plant began to pulse, as if breathing.

CRACK!

Tiny fissures split open across the bud’s surface, leaking wisps of dark light.

Within moments, the cracks widened rapidly, as though something inside was pushing, straining to break free.

A swirling vortex of eerie energy formed within the flower, distorting the very air around it with its gravitational pull.

"This... is bad."

"Something terrifying is about to emerge."

"Bai Jun, can you sense what’s inside?"

The group instinctively stepped back.

Bai Jun shook his head, his hands clenched into fists. "I don’t know... but it doesn’t feel good."

Then—

With an ear-splitting explosion, the petals burst apart.

Amidst a dazzling, aurora-like radiance, a humanoid silhouette slowly rose from the depths of the flower.

Gulp.

Everyone held their breath as they stared at the figure.

The humanoid Demon Creature revealed the contours of a woman, descending from the towering plant like a queen of the night. Her skin was an eerie, deathly white, stark against the surrounding darkness.

Her face bore an inhuman beauty, yet the emerald glow in her eyes betrayed her otherworldly nature.

Those eyes—deep, hypnotic, as if they could devour souls.

Her long, ink-green hair cascaded like dark currents from the abyss, streaked with faint, glowing patterns that seemed to swallow light itself.

Her features were flawless, devoid of any human warmth—a statue carved from ice, radiating cold, regal indifference.

She was clad in a strange black garment that clung tightly to her body, its design simple yet adorned with sprawling intricate patterns.

"A person?"

"It's a person?"

Everyone froze in shock.

A person... had grown out of a flower?

What kind of situation was this?

As the humanoid Demon Creature emerged, the surrounding air grew thick and oppressive, as if every breath became a struggle.

The next moment, the Demon Creature slowly opened its eyes, revealing deep pupils that glowed with an eerie green light.

Its gaze swept across the battlefield, and every warrior who met its stare felt a bone-chilling cold surge through their heart.

Shangguan Miaoyin stared at the humanoid Demon Creature, her expression gradually hardening.

"Hey, hey, hey... this thing... it's at least at the peak of mid-stage Grandmaster strength."

What exactly was this Demon Creature?

"This is bad," Shangguan Miaoyin thought, sending a mental message to Mei Xue.

[Mei Xue, can you still use your abilities? Something’s not right here.]

The situation had spiraled beyond their understanding.

As embarrassing as it was, they needed to retreat.

However, Mei Xue responded:

[Still can't. It feels like something is interfering with me.]