Chapter 5425

“Seize them! The master has promised a rich reward!” the Demonic Cultivator roared, leading the charge through the undergrowth with blades of black sorcery swirling at his flanks.

Jared, burdened by the wounded king, staggered through the forest’s tangled roots and descending mist. Warm blood seeped from the gash across Aurelius’s ribs, soaking Jared’s back until it felt as though hot knives pressed against his skin. He had already burned through most of his spiritual energy in the previous battle. Now, only sheer will kept his legs moving, shielding the unconscious monarch while dodging the lethal shadows pursuing them.

“Stop running! Submit, and I’ll grant you a quicker death!” the Demonic Cultivator’s voice lashed the night air.

Black miasma slithered after that threat like venomous serpents. Several demonic blades whistled past Jared’s shoulders, exploding ancient trunks into splinters. Jared clenched his jaw so hard it ached. He dared not look back. He simply dredged up the last scraps of power within him and forced his battered legs to fly.

Cloud Valley lay somewhere beyond the next ridge, veiled by swirling mist. Yet every heartbeat told Jared the Demonic Cultivators were closing in, their savage footfalls drumming through the forest floor like approaching thunder. He pushed onward, lungs burning, while a cold realization seeped into his chest with every breath. Will I end here, nameless among the roots and stones?

A thunderous roar shattered the pursuit’s cadence-a primal bellow so loud the treetops trembled and birds burst skyward in panic.

From the shadowed undergrowth surged more than a dozen beast race cultivators, their bodies wrapped in rough- stitched pelts, bone-tipped spears, and blades flashing as they fanned out between Jared and the demon horde.