The black-whip eels had gotten their prize, and they had no intention of sticking around. The main body already sported a whip as thick as a grown man, crackling with violet lightning, and it started tearing everything apart.
The booming "bang, bang, bang" never stopped. Courtyards collapsed like sandcastles, rubble flying everywhere. Cultivators who couldn't dodge in time were flattened on the spot, and the only ones who could escape were the Tan Song clan's own immortals.
Meanwhile, batches of black-whip eels had already surged across the river barrier, hammering away at the protective formations. More kept arriving from behind, making the guards at the entrance break out in cold sweat.
While everyone in Tan Song's manor rushed to defend, Jian Dan made sure no one was paying attention to her and her sister. Once she was certain, she decisively pulled Jian Jing away from their courtyard.
Barely three breaths after they left, a massive whip slammed down, crushing the courtyard they'd just escaped into dust, leaving behind a deep, jagged trench.
"Holy shit, that thing's a monster! It's at least three times bigger than the one we stalled in the middle zone!"
Jian Jing darted left and right with Jian Dan, but she still stole a glance at the mass of black-whip eels wreaking havoc at the estate's center. She couldn't stop herself from blurting out in awe.
Jian Dan saw it too. Back on the desert's edge, their group of just over a dozen had been reckless enough to rush one of these things head-on. Luckily, the one they'd faced wasn't the main body. If it had been, they'd have ended up as food long ago.
"Liu Chuan, you never said the real body was this strong! I wouldn't have agreed to that gamble if I'd known."
"This one's way scarier than the one in the desert. Look closely at the heads of each whip. See those eyes? That's a true black-whip eel. It's both plant and beast."
She swept her divine sense across it, and sure enough, every whip around the thickest body sprouted a pair of yellow eyes that blinked open and shut, striking cultivators in midair with pinpoint accuracy. Only the outer, thinner whips looked like ordinary lightning lashes.
"Then it makes no sense. How'd it miss that piece of Wood Awakening Spring?"
"The one in the desert probably found it while claiming territory. It instantly split off a group to surround it, then used violet lightning to mask the aura. That's the only reason it survived without drawing other beasts."
Liu Chuan gave her a quick explanation. Thankfully, he had the skill to break through their defenses and stash it in his inner space before a trace leaked. Still, that was why a black-whip eel had chased them into the inner circle.
As the two exchanged divine sense transmissions, they suddenly ran into Jian Jun.
When tremors had first shaken Tan Song's manor, Jian Jun had already known Jian Lu's signal had come. She slipped out of her courtyard immediately, gathered the ten remaining cultivators from Lingyun Continent, and explained the situation in a few sharp words.
Hearing her, the survivors were overjoyed. With their own continent's people finally there, they didn't hesitate and rushed with Jian Jun toward the courtyards of Tan Song's domain to regroup.
The two groups met, nodded briefly, and before they could even speak, a massive whip sparking with violet lightning came crashing down right where they stood.
"Watch out!"
"Don't move! I'll have my plant beast get us out!"
At Jian Dan's words, everyone froze. An instant later, something coiled around their ankles, dragging them underground in one swift motion.
Liu Chuan acted just in time, pulling them beneath the earth before they could be pulverized. The group held their breath, didn't resist, and let themselves be dragged at high speed through the soil.
Meanwhile, Jian Mao and the others scattered in the inner circle quickly regrouped. Seeing the chaos, Hou San swallowed hard and muttered, "Fairy Lu's incredible, actually breaking Tan Song's defenses from inside!"
"Move, head for the entrance. That's where we agreed to meet."
Most cultivators were already surging toward the entrance, and Jian Mao's group followed the tide. But as they reached it, they slammed right into those who'd arrived ahead of them.
The barrier at the entrance had already been smashed apart by swarms of black-whip eels. The handful of guards couldn't stop it. The moment the formation broke, the defenders tried to fly up and flee, but the eels coiled around them instantly.
Seeing that, the cultivators who'd been ready to leave panicked and turned back, colliding with the incoming crowd.
Jian Mao frowned. If they kept this up, they'd scatter and be picked off. Just then, Jian Lu's voice rang in his ears.
"Senior Brother Jian Mao, bring everyone with me!"
In a flash of white robes and golden armor, Jian Dan appeared beside him. Everyone's eyes lit up. With their Junior Sister leading, they followed as she steered them around the bulk of the eel horde.
The black-whip eels charging into the entrance didn't bother fighting. They surged straight toward Tan Song's territory, chasing the higher nutrients waiting inside. Any cultivator blocking the way was simply swept up, carried along like discarded snacks.
"Bai Shuang, cover the retreat!"
At Jian Dan's command, Bai Shuang and Bai Xia hurled porcelain bottles behind them. Each one shattered on impact, releasing clouds of white smoke that rolled across the ground.
"Hold your breath! The smoke masks your scent so the eels won't notice!"
The words had barely fallen when more tendrils coiled around their ankles.