Chu Lingwei looked at the six-stage spirit deer in the vortex, gritted her teeth, and released the Illusion Cat.
If the Illusion Cat showed any signs of distress, she could bring him into her spatial realm immediately.
As soon as the Illusion Cat was brought out of the spatial realm, it began chanting incantations. The vortex started to boil violently. It wasn't just the vortex in front of them; the entire lake began to churn like a stormy sea.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, what's happening?" Song Qianshan was only concerned about the cub still trapped.
"Don't rush, it will be out soon." Chu Lingwei felt the water in the entire lake undergoing a drastic change, and even the spiritual energy within the lake was shifting.
"Little cub."
Just then, Song Qianshan saw his spirit beast open its eyes, looking at its current situation with a pair of confused eyes.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, this is not good, there are many spirit beasts here."
It wasn't just Song Qianshan's spirit beast that woke up. All the spirit beasts and demon cultivators present also woke up from the vortex. They broke free from the vortex's restraints and rushed out.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, we need to leave here quickly." Long Ziqian was anxious. He could feel that the newly advanced spirit beasts and demon cultivators exuded a sense of ferocity, and this was a dangerous place.
"You leave first."
The Illusion Cat's incantation wasn't finished, so Chu Lingwei couldn't leave.
Long Ziqian didn't leave. He stopped speaking and quietly guarded behind Chu Lingwei, vigilantly observing their surroundings.
Spirit beasts were already charging towards them. Long Ziqian held his long spear. When the first spirit beast charged at him, the spear flew out, piercing through layers of water and stabbing into the spirit beast's body.
Blood immediately gushed out, acting like a lure. The surrounding spirit beasts and demon cultivators, who were still in a daze, seemed to awaken and all charged towards Chu Lingwei and the others.
"Not good."
Song Qianshan shouted. Not only that, but he also felt a sense of ferocity erupting from his cub. He quickly recalled it into his spirit beast bag.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, Fellow Daoist Long, let's leave here quickly." Song Qianshan did not choose to leave immediately but instead stood in front of Chu Lingwei, repelling the spirit beasts attacking her.
"Fellow Daoist Song, Fellow Daoist Long, you should leave first, I will follow later."
As long as the Illusion Cat's incantation was not finished, it could not be interrupted, otherwise, it would suffer backlash.
"No, I'm not leaving." Long Ziqian's attitude was unusually firm. It was impossible for him to abandon Chu Lingwei.
"I can protect myself, you guys leave quickly." Chu Lingwei gripped her Ice Jade Frost Sword, repelling the spirit beasts charging at them.
"What's wrong with them?" Song Qianshan, Long Ziqian, and Chu Lingwei, together, protected the Illusion Cat in the center, fending off the spirit beasts and demon cultivators constantly attacking them.
In less than two breaths, the few of them had sustained injuries of varying degrees.
These spirit beasts and demon cultivators had just advanced their cultivation, and coupled with the ferocity emanating from them, this was the peak of their power. Being besieged by more than a dozen, or even dozens, of spirit beasts and demon cultivators at once made their battle very arduous.
"Little Cat, how much longer will it take?" Chu Lingwei even wanted to summon her Bronze Ancient Sword; these spirit beasts and demon cultivators were very difficult to deal with.
"Three breaths, Weiwei, hold on for a little longer, I'll be done soon."
Although these spirit beasts and demon cultivators were released from the vortex, it did not mean the formation was broken. What the Illusion Cat had to do was to completely break the formation here, preventing them from harming others again.
Just as Song Qianshan and Long Ziqian were heavily wounded and about to collapse, a surge of spiritual energy helped them drive away the surrounding spirit beasts.
At this moment, the Illusion Cat opened its eyes. The barrier here had been broken.
The entire lake's vibration became even more intense than before, and the spiritual energy within began to surge outwards.
The spirit beasts and demon cultivators who had been attacking them felt the danger and, forgetting to attack Chu Lingwei and the others, all fled outwards.
"Let's go."
As Chu Lingwei, with the Illusion Cat, retreated, she saw a familiar figure who had cleared a path for them.
"Weiwei, this way."
"Father."
Chu Lingwei felt a warmth in her heart the moment she saw her father appear.
"Hurry up and leave, this place will be destroyed soon." Chu Ze led them towards the nearest escape route. After about fifteen minutes, while on Chu Ze's flying artifact, they watched as the lake, which had originally stood tall, seemed to lose its support and collapsed with a roar.
The lake water instantly poured out in all directions. There was no place here that could contain the lake water, so it could only flow towards lower ground.
"We should heal quickly." Seeing that the three of them were seriously injured, Chu Ze set up a barrier around the flying artifact and went to find a safe place.
Chu Lingwei swallowed a pill, but she didn't rush to heal. Instead, she stared at the lake water flowing in all directions towards the Jingliang Forest.
From then on, the Jingliang Forest would no longer have a lake that could provide spirit beasts and demon cultivators with a place to improve their cultivation.
"Father, why are you here?"
"Why are you here?" Chu Ze countered with a question. At this time, Weiwei should be at the Spiritual Cultivation Academy.
Chu Lingwei rubbed her nose. Was her father going to settle accounts?
"Father, my senior brother brought me here." Chu Lingwei looked at her father cautiously. She had never seen such a serious expression on his face. She replied in a low voice.
Chu Ze's words were caught in his throat. He couldn't refute this answer.
Long Ziqian closed his eyes, appearing to be healing, but in reality, he was recovering while meditating.
Chu Lingwei's current predicament was the same situation he would encounter when he returned to the Long family, so he couldn't calm down to heal.
"Where is your senior brother?" Chu Ze asked, taking a deep breath.
"Senior brother said he wanted to meet an old acquaintance here."
Chu Ze fell silent. He lowered his eyelids, hiding his emotions from others. Who would Leng Xingzhi be meeting here as an old acquaintance?
"Father, did you know I would be in danger here?" Chu Lingwei asked knowingly. The commotion she caused when fighting Mu Shuyang with the Bronze Ancient Sword was so great that all the powerful beings in Lingzhou must have sensed it.
"Weiwei, Father is very worried about you." Chu Ze's voice finally softened. When he learned that Weiwei was in the Jingliang Forest, he had almost gone berserk.
"Father, I am grown up now. I can share the responsibility with you. I don't want to be treated as a child anymore." Chu Lingwei didn't want to see her father and the others face danger while she could only be protected.
"Weiwei..."
Chu Ze sighed helplessly. His daughter ultimately knew everything.
Long Ziqian closed his eyes, his hands clenched tightly. This was also his sentiment.
"Weiwei..." Just as Chu Ze was about to speak again, the Illusion Cat's face changed in alarm. It quickly set up a barrier on their flying artifact.
In an instant, a powerful surge of spiritual energy rushed towards them. Chu Lingwei and the others were sent flying by this spiritual energy and fell to the ground.
As Chu Ze landed, he shielded Chu Lingwei and deployed his defensive artifact to block the incoming spiritual energy.
"Father, this is..." Chu Lingwei looked up. There were no cultivators, no spirit beasts, only waves and waves of spiritual energy attacking them.