Chapter 524: Flirting With a Wood Nymph In a Warzone

The first sect elder managed to land a fire spell on one scarecrow, setting part of it ablaze.

But the other rushed in, slashing across his side.

“They could have attacked us together if they wanted to… These bastards are toying with us,” he growled.

“Exactly,” the second sect elder muttered, dodging a spear-thrust from his enemy. “They’re stalling. What the leader said was true—we’re being used as whetstones for those weird demon bears.”

The third sect elder stabbed one scarecrow in the chest with a spear of Spirit light. It fell, but its partner leapt onto his back, clawing at his shoulders. He roared and blasted it off.

“Aaaaaah! Why… why can’t we just attack that f**king bastard who’s mocking us? Look at him—he’s drinking and chatting with that lady who came out of nowhere!

We… we can’t go on like this. We need to get out of this prison!” he shouted. “There has to be a weak point! Why don’t we just split? One team handles the puppets while the other tries to break through the barrier.”

The fourth sect elder, panting slightly, her eyes sharp, scanned their surroundings.

“We can’t retreat. These things may seem mindless, but their movements… they’re coordinated. Someone is directing them. Splitting into two teams would only make us weaker.

How these puppets are all being controlled by a single person is beyond my understanding. The Iron Mountain Sect will bring great trouble upon itself if we don’t kill the puppeteer here.”

As the battle continued, the four elders slowly turned the tide. One by one, the scarecrow fiends were destroyed—burned, shattered, pierced, or blasted. Their cloth bodies twitched before going still, finally lifeless.

But just as they thought they had a moment to breathe, a new pressure dropped on them.

A whistling sound. The groaning creak of bending trees.

“Not again!” the first sect elder shouted.

From above, another barrage of wood-element Spirit spells rained down. Vines shot through the air like spears. Thorny roots erupted from the ground.

The fourth sect elder raised a shield, her Spirit energy surging as she held back the force of the spell.

“It’s that damn turtle demon again. He’s stopping us from finishing the job!”

The second sect elder stumbled back, raising a protective artifact just in time. “That’s it. I’m launching an attack on that wine-drinking bastard!”

The third sect elder grimaced. “I… I’ll cover for you. But we’ve used too many talismans already. We can’t keep this up much longer.”

Before the remaining Sentient Fiends could enter the fight, something else happened.

Grrrrrrrrah!

A deep roar echoed through the woodland dome.

“No…” the first sect elder muttered. “They’re back?”

The six woodland demon bears had returned—bigger, faster, stronger.

Their muscles bulged, and steam-like Spirit energy rolled off their bodies. A silvery Qi aura surrounded them. Their eyes burned red, and glowing runic tattoos appeared over their skin—clear signs they had entered their berserker forms.

The demon bears looked completely different. They were larger and more muscular than before, yet their movements showed no signs of sluggishness.

“That bastard is trying to kill us without lifting a finger,” said the third sect elder. “He’s not even pretending to fight. It’s like he already knows how this battle will end.”

The four sect elders couldn’t even look at Aksai’s blatant indulgence for long.

The six woodland demon bears charged forward again, but this time, something had changed. Their steps were heavier. Their roars were louder. The very ground shook as they moved.

Their bodies had become even larger than before, covered in glowing runes and thick muscles. Their red eyes locked onto the sect elders, and they moved with wild speed and fury.

The first sect elder raised a wall of fire, but the bear smashed through it like paper. He barely dodged the swipe of its claw, only for the second bear to slam into him from the side, sending him flying. He crashed against a thick tree, coughing blood, ribs cracked.

The second sect elder summoned wind blades to keep the bears back. One got cut across the face, but it didn’t even flinch. It grabbed him by the arm and slammed him into the ground again and again, until he was barely breathing.

The third sect elder tried to strike one with a spear of Spirit light, but the bear dodged and bit down on his leg, tossing him like a ragdoll. Blood poured from the wound as he staggered back, barely staying upright.

The fourth sect elder fought fiercely, her talismans flying like sparks. She froze one bear mid-charge, only for another to pounce from behind and knock her to the ground. She rolled aside and blasted it with lightning, but her body was already weakening.

“This… this is madness. When did these 2nd Order demon bears from the Eternal Beast Dynasty get this strong? They… they are even more powerful than Spirit cultivators of the same rank,” the first sect elder gasped, trying to stand.

“We can’t hold them back. Not like this,” the second coughed, gripping his broken arm.

“It’s over,” muttered the third. “It’s over for us. We… we can’t survive anymore.”

The fourth sect elder stood, her face pale but eyes burning with rage. “Indeed. It seems we’re not getting out of here.”

All four of them looked toward the other side of the battlefield. There, sitting on a large tree root, Aksai laughed softly, raising his wine cup.

Beside him sat Yelia, arms folded, watching the scene with mild amusement. Aksai was smiling, saying something to her, clearly flirting, as if the warzone around him didn’t matter.

The sect elders felt something inside them break. Not out of fear—but out of shame, out of helpless anger.

“We die anyway,” the third sect elder said, wiping blood from his mouth. “Let’s make that bastard bleed.”

The others nodded.

The four of them formed a circle, each pulling out their last talismans, hidden charms, or forbidden scrolls. Their bodies lit up with pale blue and white flames—life force burning.