### Chapter 94: Cave Opportunities (Seven)
The demons' eerie laughter echoed through the passage, their red eyes glinting with hunger. They closed in slowly, savoring the terror of their trapped prey.
Lin Yi's arrival sent a ripple through the crowd. The sixteen cultivators stared at him, hope flickering briefly before dying. *One more person—one more corpse.*
"Lin Yi…" Peng Qingyun whispered, his voice hoarse. He wanted to shout, to warn him to flee, but his throat felt 干涩 (parched).
Lin Yi surveyed the horde, his face paling. *No spiritual energy, barely any body force…* His *Five Spirits* power was all he had, and it was meant for tempering, not sustained combat.
"Ugly bastards," he muttered, rolling up his sleeves. "Let's dance."
The nearest demon lunged, its four-fingered claw swiping at his throat. Lin Yi ducked, channeling what little *Five Spirits* power he could into his fist. *Iron Sand Palm!*
*Crunch!*
The demon's skull caved in, black blood splattering his face.
The other demons froze. This human—weak, drained—had killed one of them with a single punch?
Lin Yi spat out a glob of blood and demon brains. "What? Never seen a Qi Refinement beat a fiend?" He grinned, but his ribs ached where the earlier explosion had bruised them.
"Kill him!" a winged demon shrieked.
The horde surged forward. Lin Yi danced back, using the narrow passage to limit their numbers. He dodged a claw, elbowed a demon in the gut, and kicked another's knee—breaking it with a sickening *crack*.
But for every demon he felled, two more took its place. His *Five Spirits* power dwindled, his movements slowing. A claw raked his back, leaving three deep gashes.
"Lin Yi!" Zhang Ziyan's voice echoed in his mind. *I can't die here.*
He 咬牙 (gritted his teeth), focusing on the *Five Spirits Tempering Technique*. His meridians, though raw from *Soul Shatter*, still hummed with residual energy. He forced it into his fists, ignoring the pain.
*Boom!* Another demon fell.
Peng Qingyun watched, stunned. Lin Yi fought like a man possessed, turning certain death into a brutal brawl. Something stirred in the other cultivators—shame, maybe. If this drained Qi Refinement could fight, why couldn't they?
A burly cultivator roared, swinging his sword. "For survival!"
Others joined in, their attacks weak but desperate. Peng Qingyun mustered his last strength, driving his blade into a demon's chest.
Lin Yi smiled faintly. *Not alone.*
But the demons were endless. The cultivators' counterattack fizzled as fatigue and injuries took their toll. The burly cultivator screamed as a demon tore out his throat.
Lin Yi's vision blurred. He'd taken too many hits. *Is this it?*
Suddenly, the ground shook. A 震天的 (deafening) roar echoed from deeper in the passage—so powerful it made the demons 颤抖 (tremble).
"The master…" one demon whimpered, its red eyes widening in fear.
The horde hesitated, glancing back toward the roar.
Lin Yi's heart raced. *Opportunity!*
"Now!" he shouted, slamming his fist into the nearest demon. "Run for the cracks!"
He pointed to the wall, where the earlier explosions had left small fissures—too narrow for most demons, but big enough for a human.
The cultivators didn't need further urging. They scrambled toward the cracks, squeezing through one by one. Peng Qingyun helped a wounded cultivator, shooting Lin Yi a grateful look before vanishing.
Lin Yi was last, fending off demons to cover their escape. A claw raked his leg, but he limped (limped) to the crack, squeezing through just as a demon's jaws snapped shut behind him.
On the other side, he collapsed, gasping. The cultivators stared at him, awe in their eyes.
"You… you did it," one whispered.
Lin Yi waved a hand, too exhausted to speak. The roar echoed again, closer this time.
"Whatever that is," he muttered, "it's worse than the demons."
They fled deeper into the cave, leaving the confused horde behind. Lin Yi leaned on Peng Qingyun, his leg throbbing.
"Thanks," Peng said quietly.
"Save it," Lin Yi grinned, wincing. "Find Ziyan first. Then we get out of here."
Peng nodded. Together, they stumbled forward, the mysterious roar chasing them like a shadow.
The cave's secrets were deadlier than they'd imagined. But as long as they fought together, Lin Yi thought, they might just survive.