The moment they were given permission by Claire to move forth, Rong stayed on the walls while the others jumped into the burnt clearing and continued into the forest.
The reason why Rong stayed back was mainly because of his unique cultivation that allowed him to pull them back to the walls if the situation turned dire.
This extra precaution was sorely needed with the firestorm within the forest still raging on. The team of newbie Demon Exorcists might be high grade cultivators with the ability to hold their breath for an extended period of time, but should they get stuck, there was a need for an escape route.
Hence, Rong came into the picture by enabling his cultivation of the Ox Demon Ao Ye. “Advanced Ao Ye Technique, Hair Tracking Ropes!” Rong shouted.
Despite the name, the hair ropes actually emerged from his hammer and they were like an extension of the hammer because of the particular technique. (Not his hair!)
It might sound weird at a glance but the folklore in which Ox Demon Ao Ye appeared, truly depicted Ao Ye as an ox with human features on its head. Instead of leather skin or fur, the body was filled with human hair, and it grew so long that it looked as if it was covered from head to toe with it. (Or one could say, from head to tail.)
Hence, Rong’s cultivation allowed the hammer to grow long extending hair which each and every one of his teammates utilised by tying themselves with a tight knot around their body.
Not only that, but Rong also served as their eyes and ears because the hair ropes had sensory components on them, serving as the team’s backup support.
And because he was up on the border walls, he could also use the bird eye’s view on the ever-changing situation to his advantage. (Of course, the burning forest was a hindrance, but the information from the hair ropes helped complemented it.)
Meanwhile, Lian, the Nine Tail Fox Demon Cultivator led the charge into the forest as a forward scout, finding the most suitable path for the team to move forth.
With a few tails extending from her back, they acted as a balance component during her scouting as well as a chi absorber.
Whenever they encountered a Bone Spirit Infused Demon in front of them, she would use the accumulated chi in one of her tails to kill the enemy in one shot and push forward. Thus, allowing Lein and Su Zhen to save their chi. Time was definitely of the essence for them since Claire had warned them that the Royal Zodiac Dragon Air Force was coming in three minutes time.
However, even with her charged up chi tails, the number of Demons was increasing the further they got into the burning forest.
“Guess, it’s time to use the present Boss Jin got us!” Lian said as she took out the dual inscription charm from her storage ring and activated it.
In an instant, her appearance immediately changed into a set of kunoichi ninja clothes. This allowed her tails to move freely at the back without any hindrance to her movement. (Although she would admit that Jin’s design was a little sexy, it was very practical and made with functional use in mind.)
A design of a nine tailed fox was being embroidered on the black ninja clothes with gold and orange threads. With the use of the inscription charm, it heightened her power abilities, allowing her to grow one extra tail and get a better grasp of her senses. (If anything, it was similar to Jin’s inverse eyes, but something extremely basic to the feeling of a sixth sense.)
Upon transformation, she took in the surrounding fire as her own chi and shot it directly at the Bone Spirit Infused Demons, allowing her to create a clear path big enough for her two teammates to follow.
They were successful until they encountered the very first hand tentacles which Claire had told them to either avoid or destroy with one clean shot! If they were on the fence or hesitated too much, they would suffer the consequences.
“Then let’s see how much pain this hand tentacle can take!” Lian said as she slashed down with her dagger infused with the fire chi, utilising up to two tails worth of chi storage. Naturally, she succeeded.
Yet, this also meant that Lian could only bring them this far. Any closer would mean they would encounter even more hand tentacles and underestimating it would bring death to the team.
“My turn then!” Su Zhen said as she clasped her hands together in the direction of Lein and immediately four snakes appeared from beneath her and slithered towards the Qilin Cultivator.
“You sure your snakes can hold it out?” Lein asked as he already started to discharge the chi to create the electro orbs.
“I will be here to defend you, so rest easy and concentrate. No use overthinking stuff now.” Su Zhen nodded her head, and soon the snakes lowered their heads for Lein to step on them.
After which, they calmly lifted him upwards, out of the smoky forest and into the open skies. It was almost half the distance away between the border wall and the Loopa Ooofpa. Obviously, Grandma Yuan noticed him from her Griffin and immediately questioned Claire for an explanation which her assistant gladly provided.
“No wonder. Fine, I will do my best to distract the Monster, but I cannot promise their survival.” Yuan cut off her communication and started to summon even more chi, and this time, taking it straight from the System Ring.
“In the end, I still have to rely on you,” Yuan said with a bitter smile as the ring glittered a little with a small input of chi. She then continued to stalk Loopa Ooofpa’s actions and preempt the counter attack.
“You sure, you want to use your stored chi that quickly?” Yun said as she sat quietly behind the Golden Griffin despite Yuan’s disgust.
“And see my little kids get killed in the process?”
“You said you did not care about their survival.” Yun replied.
“I say I cannot promise their survival. I did not say I didn’t care about them.” Yuan answered while her Golden Griffin blew out golden electrical breaths to destroy the hand tentacles that were coming close towards Su Zhen’s snake defences.
“Epic Qilin Technique! Electro Orbs of the Thunder Unicorn!” Lein shouted after he too changed into his Demon Exorcist uniform bestowed by Jin. The chi from the dual inscription charm somehow managed to stabilise the forms of the Electro Orbs and Lein quickly sent them flying toward the colossal manifestation’s damnable genitals.
Why Claire suggested using Lein’s attack was simple. The electromagnetic force from the electro orbs could potentially be the precursor attack for the gravity implosion bombs that were being sent by the Royal Zodiac Dragon Air Force.
And true enough, multiple screeching sounds were heard zooming past the skies the moment Lein shot out the Electro Orbs to the monster’s belly.
“Visible Markers found. Chi projection adjusted. Weapons free, I repeat Weapons free!” The Royal Zodiac Dragon Pilot Leader commanded through the intercom, and the staff within the headquarter’s office were watching through the radar and satellite feeds.
