Chapter Fifty-Nine: Escape from Elephant Valley

Chen Yi’s premonition was uncannily accurate—whatever he feared most was bound to happen. Relying on his extraordinary perception, he sensed a powerful spiritual consciousness breaking through the concealment of the Aura Suppressing Talisman, scanning and locating him. The talisman, fortified by the teachings of the Dao De Jing, could easily evade the spiritual scans of cultivators at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages. Only those at the Soul Division or Divine Transformation stages could penetrate it. If someone had managed to break through the talisman’s concealment, it had to be a master of either the Soul Division or Divine Transformation stage.

In Elephant Valley, there was only one such master—the chief of the Elephant Clan. It was clear who had discovered Chen Yi; without a doubt, it was the clan chief himself. Chen Yi immediately channeled his spiritual energy, employing his movement techniques, and raced toward the valley’s exit.

As he fled, the clan members of Elephant Valley suddenly heard a mysterious voice in their minds. The owner of this voice instructed them to head for the canyon at the valley’s exit and slay the intruder who had slipped into their domain. The clan members obeyed without hesitation, for the voice belonged to their chief. As soon as the chief finished speaking, every member of the Elephant Clan, young and old, male and female, rushed toward the canyon, determined to protect their home.

This was the fundamental difference between humans and demon beasts. While demon beasts often quarreled, competed, and even fought to the death amongst themselves, any invasion from outsiders would unite them instantly. Their solidarity was something humanity sorely lacked.

Among humans, bloodshed and intrigue were everywhere. Sometimes, for the smallest amount of cultivation resources, cultivators would unleash chaos upon mortal kingdoms, indifferent to the countless lives lost in the carnage.

Chen Yi pressed on, desperately fleeing while scanning his surroundings with his spiritual sense. He discovered that he was surrounded on all sides by demon elephants—tens of thousands, densely packed, some soaring through the air, others charging across the ground.

Those flying were demon elephants who had taken on human forms, their strength at least at the Foundation Establishment stage, with some at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages. Only when demon beasts reached the Golden Core stage could they overcome the heavenly tribulation, shed their beast bodies, and take human form.

Those running on the ground were the younger elephants, at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stages. To the Elephant Valley clansmen, these were mere cubs, but to Chen Yi, they were anything but small—each was as massive as a hill.

Summoning every ounce of strength, Chen Yi managed, in less than half an hour, to outrun the pursuing demon elephants and reach the canyon outside the valley. Yet, even though he was on the verge of escaping, the sense of danger in his heart did not fade.

Just a single step separated him from freedom, but to Chen Yi, that step felt as distant as the ends of the earth. He remembered clearly that two Golden Core stage demon elephants stood guard at the canyon. Despite his considerable increase in strength, he was still no match for Golden Core masters—let alone two.

When entering Elephant Valley, he had relied on the miraculous Aura Suppressing Talisman to evade the spiritual scans of Golden Core masters with ease. Now, however, a Soul Division stage master had broken through the talisman’s concealment, making escape exceedingly difficult. Moreover, the Elephant Clan’s Soul Division stage chief had yet to make a move, which worried Chen Yi most.

He might be far from the chief’s location, but for a Soul Division stage master, such distance was negligible—just a single step, a single breath, and the chief could appear at his side.

Despite this, Chen Yi had no time to wonder why the chief hadn’t pursued him, for he now faced the two Golden Core stage demon elephants. Every muscle tensed, his mind cleared of all distractions as their overwhelming aura pressed down upon him, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

It felt as if he were drowning, surrounded by water with not a hint of air to breathe, his strength drained before the Golden Core masters even struck.

Fortunately, the mysterious scripture from another world—the Dao De Jing—began to exert its miraculous influence once more. As the oppressive aura threatened to crush him, Chen Yi silently recited the Dao De Jing in his heart. He didn’t truly know if it could help; he clung to it as a last hope.

The Dao De Jing was the most precious thing he possessed, having saved his life many times, accelerating his cultivation, enhancing his insight, dispelling inner demons, and increasing the power of his magical tools—it was truly omnipotent. Chen Yi hoped it would once again rescue him from dire peril.

True to form, the Dao De Jing did not disappoint. As he recited it, the mountain-like aura of the Golden Core stage masters vanished without a trace, their pressure reduced to nothing more than a gentle breeze.

His face transformed from contorted agony to serene calm, astonishing the two Golden Core demon elephants. They intensified their aura, causing the trees nearby to bow under the force, but Chen Yi remained unperturbed. The demon elephants could scarcely believe a mere Qi Refining stage human could withstand their pressure; even a Foundation Establishment stage demon elephant would buckle beneath it. They were momentarily stunned.

Seizing this fleeting moment, Chen Yi activated a Wind Walker Talisman he had long prepared, channeled his spiritual energy, and propelled himself toward the canyon’s exit with all his might.

His speed, comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, was tripled by the talisman, reaching the full exertion of a Golden Core stage cultivator. Like a gust of wind, he shot past the two Golden Core demon elephants and raced into the woods beyond Elephant Valley.

The two demon elephants could never have imagined a Qi Refining stage human would escape right from under their noses. Their faces darkened; if word got out, they could already picture their brothers laughing at them.

To prevent such humiliation, the two demon elephants transformed into their beast forms, their four pillar-like legs pounding the earth as they gave chase. Yet Chen Yi’s speed rivaled that of a Golden Core cultivator, and he had a head start. The two demon elephants could only watch helplessly as Chen Yi vanished into the distance.