### Chapter 63: Trapped
The water bit into Lin Yi's skin like thousands of tiny ice needles. Even with the *Sao Bao* robe's defenses, he shivered, his teeth chattering as he sank deeper. Above, he could hear the python's roar growing closer—faint, muffled by the water, but unmistakable.
*Hurry*, he thought, kicking harder. His lungs burned; he'd been holding his breath far longer than a normal cultivator could, thanks to the *Five Spirits Technique*, but even that had limits.
Then—*boom!*
A shockwave rippled through the water. Lin Yi's spiritual sense screamed a warning. He spun, catching a flash of scales as the python crashed into the water, its body writhing in panic. Behind it, spiritual surges exploded—Foundation Establishment auras, six of them, plus the sharp auras of high-level Qi Refinement disciples.
They were chasing the python into the pond.
Lin Yi's heart sank. If they saw him… he'd be caught between an enraged python and a greedy squad of cultivators. Neither would hesitate to kill him.
He clenched his teeth, veering away from the python's thrashing form, diving deeper. The water grew thick here, as if laced with muck, and the darkness pressed in, swallowing even his spiritual sense.
*Need a place to hide*, he thought, his vision blurring.
Then his hand brushed something rough—stone. Not the smooth pond wall, but rough rock, pockmarked with cracks.
A cave?
Lin Yi lunged, fumbling for an entrance. His fingers found a narrow crevice, just wide enough for him to squeeze through. He slipped sideways, scraping his shoulders, and tumbled into a damp space.
Air!
He collapsed onto the cave floor, gasping, his lungs burning as he breathed in the chilly air. The cave was small, barely larger than a storage bag, but it was cover.
Outside, the water churned. He could hear the python's agonized hisses mixed with the shouts of cultivators—*"Don't let it escape!" "Use talismans!" "It's weakening!"*
Lin Yi held his breath, huddling against the cave wall. The crack was hidden enough, but if a cultivator's spiritual sense swept by…
He activated the last of his spiritual energy, hiding his aura as best he could, mimicking the cold stone around him.
Time dragged by. The sounds of battle faded, replaced by murmurs—the cultivators were searching the pond, no doubt divvying up the python's corpse.
*Good*, Lin Yi thought. *Let them argue over scales and meat. I just need to wait.*
But calm didn't last.
A low, unnerving hissing echoed through the cave. Not from outside—the water was silent now. It came from… deeper in the cave.
Lin Yi's hackles rose. He felt around for his sword, his fingers closing around the *Kuang Wang*'s hilt. The cave was pitch-black, but his *Five Spirits Technique* heightened his senses—he could smell something coppery, like blood, and hear scales scraping stone.
*Another beast?*
He rose slowly, the sword tip pointing toward the darkness. "Who's there?" he whispered.
No answer. Just that chilling hissing, growing closer.
Then a pair of faint green eyes flared in the dark, less than thirty feet away.
Lin Yi's heart sank. Not a beast. A demon—small, misshapen, with bat-like wings folded against its back.
*One of the demons from Chapter 61!*
The demon hissed a laugh, its fangs glinting. "Found you, little cultivator."
Lin Yi gripped his sword tighter. He was trapped—a cave, a demon, and cultivators above.
*This is bad*, he thought. *Really bad.*
The demon lunged, claws outstretched. Lin Yi swung his sword to block, the clang of metal on claw echoing in the small space.
The demon screeched, recoiling with a bleeding paw. It hissed in rage, calling out to its kin.
Lin Yi heard the flutter of wings from deeper in the cave.
*More than one.*
He swallowed hard. The *Shattering Spirit Technique* was useless—he'd drained his spiritual energy escaping the python. His only weapons were the sword, his Iron Sand Palm, and a nearly empty storage bag.
*Xiao Bei, I might break my promise.*
The demons howled, closing in. Lin Yi bared his teeth, taking a fighting stance.
*At least I'll take one with me.*
In the darkness, the first demon lunged again. Lin Yi ducked, slamming his palm toward its skull.
*Thud!*
The demon screamed, collapsing. But more shadows loomed over him.
Outside, the cultivators' voices were faintly audible, as if leaving.
Lin Yi closed his eyes for a heartbeat, then snapped them open, a flash of resolve in his gaze.
*Fight to the end!*