### Chapter 76: Demon Guards
*Boom!*
A thunderous explosion echoed, killing scores of demons. They shrieked, scattering to the sides.
Yan Shizong winced—another top-grade artifact destroyed. His storage bag held only three left, plus the one he wielded. With demons swarming endlessly, their supply wouldn't last.
"This prison array isn't just damaged," Lin Yi said, his face darkening. "It's collapsing. If full-fledged demons break free, we'll have nowhere to run."
"What now?" Yan asked.
"We're being herded," Peng said grimly.
"Then we stop following their path," Lin Yi snapped, his eyes sharp. "Dig a tunnel—this way. Escape, then report back to our sects."
The others nodded instantly. Xiao Liang summoned his artifact, hacking into the mud. In moments, a small tunnel emerged. He ducked inside, continuing to carve forward.
"Go," Lin Yi told the others. "I'll hold them off."
"Be careful," they said, genuine concern in their voices.
Lin Yi forced a casual smile. "These demons are nothing."
Once they were inside, he hurled a mid-grade artifact at the oncoming horde. *Boom!* Several demons fell. He'd looted such artifacts from the python's victims—now they bought him time. He retreated into the tunnel, collapsing the entrance with another explosion.
Outside, the demons screeched, trapped.
…
"They're digging their own tunnel?" Huo Bin stood,震惊 (shocked) by a demon's report.
"Clever, but futile," the Mengxuan demon sneered. "Once they're in the Abyss, they can't escape."
"Yin Demon Lord will feast on them, then forge them into 魔卫 (demon guards)," the Xuanfeng demon scoffed.
"Not if they reach the Forbidden Zone," Huo Bin said. "The Lord forbade us from entering. If they slip in…"
"Then they'll rot there," the Xuanling demon said.
"Stop them," Huo Bin ordered. "I won't risk it."
The four demons vanished, chasing Lin Yi's group.
…
Yin Moon Mountain teemed with nearly two thousand cultivators—even Second Level Qi Refinement disciples, drawn by rumors. None realized the bloodbath awaiting them once the barrier fell.
Beneath the mountain, three Core Formation cultivators meditated, ignoring the chaos. They'd strike only when the barrier shattered.
Days of relentless bombardment had weakened it. Freedom—and treasure—was imminent.
…
Elder Zhao stared at the twelve survivors: two Mengxuan elders, one Xuanling elder, and nine disciples. The rest had gone mad, rushing into the demon horde.
"At this rate, we'll perish," a Mengxuan elder groaned. "I'd rather自爆 than be tormented."
"Calm down!" Zhao snapped. "Falling to their tricks solves nothing."
"A woman outlasts you, Elder Li?" the Xuanling elder chided.
"Shame on me," Li muttered, abashed.
…
"Anger… such delicious anger!" The unearthly voice laughed.
In a blood-red pool, Elder Chen and the other "mad" cultivators stood blank-eyed, water lapping at their necks.
"Pity their talent is so meager," the voice sneered. "These 魔卫 (demon guards) will be weak. Wasting my magic on 蝼蚁 (insects)…"
"Centuries… how many centuries has it been?" it mused. "Human flesh was richer in my time. But soon… soon I'll escape. And those old fools will regret crossing me."
In the pool, faint changes stirred. The cultivators' foreheads split, oozing blood.
Their transformation had begun.