Across from the cave.
Yang Cheng released his spiritual power like a surging tide.
At the peak Martial Emperor level, his spiritual power could extend as far as 3 li.
That was why he stopped exactly 3 li away from the cave entrance.
"There are 100 demon beasts. Among them, 3 are half-step Demon Emperors, and 1 is a true Demon Emperor."
In the blink of an eye, Yang Cheng had already grasped the entire situation.
Wei Haoran's face turned pale.
He hadn't expected so many beasts to have gathered outside the cave.
When he left, there had only been 30 beasts, and not a single half-step Demon Emperor.
If the situation outside had been this terrifying back then, he probably wouldn't have dared ask Yang Cheng for help at all.
At this moment, he had already prepared himself for Yang Cheng to abandon the rescue.
He asked himself honestly—if it were him, he would have given up too.
But just then, Yang Cheng's calm voice sounded: "Everyone, follow me in. We'll break through at the fastest speed first."
He had already seen that the people inside the cave were in very bad condition.
They must have long run out of supplies, holding on with nothing but sheer willpower.
But willpower alone couldn't last forever.
If they didn't go now, the Wei clan disciples would collapse.
Wei Haoran's body shook violently. He turned to Yang Cheng in disbelief.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The Tiger Generals answered without hesitation.
The demon beasts ahead were indeed terrifying, but in the Crown Prince, they had absolute confidence.
"Kill!"
With his peak Martial Emperor spiritual power, Yang Cheng's mind turned razor sharp.
In his perception, the entire world slowed down.
This gave him overwhelming control over the battlefield.
In an instant, he became a streak of sword light, shooting forward.
If Yang Cheng was the sword tip, then the Tiger Generals behind him formed the sword's body.
Together they pierced straight into the demon beast horde.
Yang Cheng's wooden sword clashed head-on with a beast—a King-ranked Armor Rhino.
The Armor Rhino's defense was monstrous.
At the King rank, its defense was already comparable to a Demon Emperor.
But against Yang Cheng's wooden sword, that thick armor was as fragile as pottery.
In just a moment, the heavy plating was pierced through.
A wet tearing sound echoed.
Yang Cheng surged forward, his blade slicing clean across the Armor Rhino's neck.
Without even looking back, he rushed toward the next beast.
The giant beast's massive body crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom.
Behind him, the Tiger Generals worked in perfect coordination.
Yang Cheng cut a bloody path forward, while they covered his flanks and rear.
Before long, 10 demon beasts had already fallen.
Yang Cheng reached the cave entrance.
Inside, it was pitch dark.
Behind him, light shone faintly through the smoke.
At that moment, to the disciples of Luofu Mountain inside, Yang Cheng seemed to arrive cloaked in heavenly radiance.
"Your… Your Highness…"
Wei Roujia's eyes were dazed.
Yang Cheng turned slightly and ordered the Tiger Generals, "Guard the entrance first."
Then he looked back at the battered Wei clan disciples.
"Your Highness, to save us, you've put yourself in such danger—it isn't worth it."
Wei Roujia bit her lip as she spoke.
If they died, at most it would mean the decline of a single aristocratic clan.
But if something happened to Yang Cheng, the fate of the entire Great Zhou Dynasty would be shaken.
"There's no such thing as worth or not worth," Yang Cheng replied.
He took out a small jade bottle. "Distribute these pills. Recover your strength as quickly as you can."
Wei Roujia's heart trembled with emotion, but she knew this wasn't the time for hesitation.
She accepted the bottle, quickly handing out the pills to her fellow disciples.
Meanwhile, Yang Cheng turned his gaze back outside, calmly assessing the battlefield.
Yang Cheng could sense four powerful auras.
But those four beasts were cunning. They hadn't shown themselves yet, as if they were waiting for the right moment.
Before long, though the Wei clan disciples were still far from fully healed, they had at least regained the ability to move.
"We fight our way out," Yang Cheng said.
Staying trapped in this stone cave was not a real solution.
That would only mean passive defense.
Yang Cheng preferred to take the initiative.
"Alright."
The Wei clan disciples nodded.
It was dangerous to break through, but better than sinking into the hopelessness of before.
The beasts outside couldn't stop them.
Soon, they carved a bloody path forward.
Just then, Yang Cheng's expression shifted slightly.
Not far ahead, over 30 figures appeared.
Among them, three auras were very familiar to him.
As they drew closer, Yang Cheng's thoughts confirmed it—sure enough.
Those three familiar auras were none other than Lu Yun, Leng Qianyu, and Kongxing.
He couldn't help but wonder how disciples from these three great factions had ended up together.
At the same moment, the group across also noticed them.
"Your Highness."
Lu Yun's eyes lit up slightly.
"It's him."
"The Crown Prince of Great Zhou, Yang Cheng."
Leng Qianyu and Kongxing's expressions changed subtly.
"Monk Kongxing greets Prince Yang, greets Master Wei."
Kongxing pressed his palms together.
"You're here too?" Yang Cheng asked.
"This mountain is strange," Leng Qianyu replied. "The number of demon beasts here far exceeds other places. Once we entered, we were trapped. The most terrifying part was when we were ambushed by a Demon Emperor-ranked flood dragon.
That was why the three of us joined forces—to guard against it."
"A Demon Emperor flood dragon?"
Wei Roujia's face tightened. "We were also ambushed by it earlier. Not only is it powerful on its own, it's accompanied by three Great Demon Kings."
"My Wei clan lost six people to it and ended up trapped in the cave. We were only saved thanks to His Highness."
"What? It has three Great Demon Kings at its side?"
Leng Qianyu and Kongxing were both shocked.
"What do we do now?" Wei Haoran asked anxiously.
"No need to worry."
Leng Qianyu gave a faint smile. "If I were alone, I couldn't withstand them. That flood dragon wields a strange spiritual secret art that drags people into illusions of terror."
"But Kongxing's Buddhist arts can counter its spiritual attack. With all of us joining forces, there's no reason to fear."
As she finished, she turned her gaze toward Yang Cheng. "Prince Yang, why don't you and your people join us as well?"
Yang Cheng didn't answer. Instead, his eyes locked on the deep forest. "It's coming."
At last, he understood why the flood dragon had stayed hidden.
It was fishing.
Earlier, it didn't bother when there were too few of them.
But now that Leng Qianyu and the others had gathered more than 30 cultivators, the flood dragon and its three Great Demon Kings finally emerged.
A thunderous dragon roar shook the air.
Everyone turned their heads in alarm, and saw a massive white flood dragon, over 10 zhang long, winding its way out of the forest.
Its sheer size alone radiated crushing pressure.
"What a vile beast."
Leng Qianyu's gaze sharpened. "Last time, you ambushed me and caught me off guard. This time you dare come again—perfect, I'll settle the score now."
With that, she drew a gleaming ice sword and charged straight at the white flood dragon.
Many behind her couldn't help but hold their breath.
In just an instant, Leng Qianyu clashed with the beast.
The flood dragon lashed out with its tail, colliding violently with her sword light.
A deafening boom erupted.
Leng Qianyu was blasted backward on the spot, crashing through several trees that snapped like twigs.
But the flood dragon's tail didn't stop—it whipped forward again, curling toward her.
Suddenly, a series of sharp zither notes rang out.
It was Lu Yun.
She strummed her strings, sending waves of invisible sound blades slashing toward the white flood dragon.