I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

Time was of the essence, leaving Lu Zhao little room for hesitation. Letting these hundred-odd people fend for themselves would trouble his conscience and would also go against his original intention to rescue them. But taking them with him required a comprehensive plan.

"Listen up, everyone!" Lu Zhao's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying an undeniable calmness. "The demonic cultivators have been vanquished, but the crisis isn't over. The Demonic Sect's grand formation will activate at midnight; we must leave this place immediately!"

A commotion broke out in the crowd, and fear resurfaced.

"Senior, our cultivation has been sealed, and most of us are just mortals. How can we possibly escape far?" someone said in despair.

Lu Zhao said no more, and with a wave of his hand, distributed the few bottles of low-grade Qi-restoring pills and fasting pills, along with some dry food and water, that he had looted from the two demonic cultivators to everyone. Although the pills were low-grade, they were enough to allow those low-level cultivators whose spiritual power was sealed to recover a little strength, and ordinary people could also replenish some physical strength.

"You," Lu Zhao pointed to the old man at the late stage of Qi Refining, "organize everyone. Cultivators and the strong and able-bodied should stay outside, helping the elderly, women, and children. Form a team and follow me closely. I will lead the way and clear any obstacles. Remember, remain silent. No matter what you see or hear, do not scream or fall behind!"

The old man, named Chen Bai, was an elder of a small cultivation family in the vicinity. He was quite authoritative, and upon hearing this, he immediately roused himself and began to quietly direct the crowd to form a team. Driven by the will to survive, the crowd was chaotic but still relatively orderly, and soon managed to form a team, albeit barely, according to Lu Zhao's instructions.

Lu Zhao didn't delay any longer. He fully unleashed his divine sense, combining the information about the earth veins recorded in the Earth Element Jade Slip with his own keen sense of the earth vein's malevolent energy, and quickly planned an escape route in his mind.

The northeast side of "Dragon Bone Hill" has a relatively flat terrain and a thinner aura of malevolent energy. It is a "gap" in the earth's veins and one of the relatively easy areas to enter and exit, as mentioned in Di Yuanzi's notes. Although the journey is longer and requires traversing a rugged mountain forest, the advantage is that it is far from the core battlefield and areas where the main force of the Demonic Sect might be deployed, resulting in a lower probability of encountering demonic cultivators.

"Go!" Lu Zhao shouted in a low voice, taking the lead and leaping out of the valley. He did not choose to fly, as that would make him too conspicuous. Instead, he moved swiftly through the rugged mountain forest like a nimble ape, constantly using his divine sense to probe ahead, eliminating any lurking poisonous insects or low-level demonic beasts, and avoiding several places marked by the Earth Elemental that might be natural mazes or dangerous areas.

Chen Bai led over a hundred people, following closely behind. The group moved slowly, especially the weaker members of the mortals, who staggered and fell frequently, but with the help of their companions, they gritted their teeth, stood up, and continued onward. Everyone pursed their lips, their eyes filled with a desperate desire to live, afraid to utter a sound. Only their heavy breathing and the rustling of their feet on fallen leaves and withered branches were clearly audible in the silent mountain forest.

Lu Zhao moved forward like a keen hunter. He would stop occasionally, waving for the team to take cover, while he would silently sneak up and eliminate one or two low-level Yin spirits, which were likely rudimentary warning talismans set up by the Demonic Sect. Thanks to his "Earthly Fiend Escape" and his sensitivity to evil energy, he was always able to avoid dangerous areas in advance.

The journey was fraught with danger but ultimately safe. Although the pace was slow, the team was gradually moving away from the core area.

However, after they had trudged on for about half an hour, still several miles from the designated "safety gap" on the northeast side, and were beginning to vaguely see the outlines of relatively gentle mountains in the distance—

"boom--!!!"

A deafening roar, as if the heart of the earth had been struck hard, suddenly came from the core area of ​​"Dragon Bone Hill"! This roar did not come from the air, but from the depths of the earth, causing the entire mountain range to shake violently. The trees in the forest where Lu Zhao and his companions were located rustled and leaves flew everywhere.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable aura of coldness, deathly silence, filth, and vast terror, like a ferocious beast awakening from its slumber, surged from the earth into the sky! The once clear night sky was instantly shrouded in boundless, thick, blood-red dark clouds! Within the clouds, countless twisted faces and tormented souls seemed to struggle and wail, their mournful cries clearly audible even from this distance, penetrating straight to the soul!

"Waaah—"

"Hehehe..."

"Give me back my life..."

The wails of countless wronged souls and vengeful ghosts mingled together, forming a demonic sound that struck straight to the soul. Of those rescued, more than half of the mortals immediately collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth, their eyes glazed over. Even those supported by cultivators trembled violently, their souls severely impacted. Even low-level cultivators like Chen Bai were deathly pale, their heads throbbing, and their spiritual energy in disarray.

The earth shook even more violently, and thick, jet-black pillars of malevolent energy, exuding a strong smell of sulfur and blood, burst forth from the ground in several directions of the core area like the bars of a cage, shooting straight into the blood-red clouds! These pillars of malevolent energy intertwined, vaguely forming the outline of a huge array covering an area of ​​dozens of miles, which was the scene of the "Nine Netherworld Malevolent Energy Array" being fully activated!

However, the power unleashed by this formation was ten times more terrifying than Lu Zhao had anticipated! Moreover, the timing didn't match up! There should still be at least a quarter of an hour until midnight!

"The formation was activated prematurely?!" Lu Zhao's expression changed drastically, alarm bells ringing in his mind. Had something gone wrong with the Demonic Sect? Or had they deliberately activated it prematurely to catch the righteous path off guard? Or perhaps... something had happened at the so-called "weak point of the seal" underground, causing the formation to spontaneously activate even stronger power?

For whatever reason, the situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse! Such a terrifying burst of malevolent energy and strange formation phenomena will likely affect not only their team, but also all living beings within the entire "Dragon Bone Wasteland" area! Moreover, the activation of the formation means that the Demonic Sect's plan has entered its final stage, and it also means... that the hundred or so "blood sacrifice catalysts" that have been imprisoned may no longer be needed? Or, do they intend to use other methods for blood sacrifice?

Just as Lu Zhao was racking his brains, trying to come up with a solution—

"Buzz!"

The two items he kept close to his body began to move almost simultaneously!

One of them is the "Reverse Scale Pact," the reverse scale inherited from "Jin," which is currently emitting waves of heat and conveying a strange feeling. It is not a warning of danger, but more like a... resonance? It seems to be echoing the terrifying aura that is rising into the sky in the distance, which is mixed with earthly evil, dragon resentment, and countless bloody souls!

The other item was the broken token obtained from Di Yuanzi. The token was also vibrating slightly, emitting a warm, earthy yellow light, as if it had formed some kind of connection with the ground beneath its feet, and as if it was resisting and warning against the spread of that terrifying evil energy.

"This is..." Lu Zhao's pupils contracted slightly. The resonance of the Reverse Scale Pact might be due to the dragon's resentment and the earthly evil power contained within that malevolent aura. But what does this unusual movement of the Earth Origin Sect token signify? Could this token be related to the seal of the "Ten Thousand Dragons Devouring the Heavens" formation, or to the earth's veins here?

Before Lu Zhao could think it through, even more intense explosions and shouts came from the direction of the core battlefield in the distance. It was clear that the righteous cultivators and the demonic sect, as well as the terrifying array power that had been activated in advance, had broken out into an even more intense conflict!

What made Lu Zhao's heart sink even more was that his powerful divine sense vaguely sensed several powerful auras rapidly moving towards their location from the direction of the core battlefield! One of them, bloodthirsty and violent, was none other than the aura of the Blood Bone Demon whom he had fought before! Although he seemed to be injured and his aura was somewhat disordered, the overwhelming bloodthirsty aura was still terrifying!

"Not good! Is it heading this way? Or is it just a coincidence?" Lu Zhao's heart tightened. Either way, their slowly advancing group had absolutely no chance of escaping from a Pseudo-Core Formation Realm demon!

"Quick! Everyone, find cover immediately! Conceal your presence and do not make a sound!" Lu Zhao made a decisive decision and shouted sharply, while his eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, looking for a place to hide.

However, although this mountain forest is dense, how long can it remain hidden under the divine sense of a pseudo-core cultivator?

At this critical moment, the broken token of the Earth Origin Sect in his hand, which was still trembling slightly and emitting a faint earthy yellow light, suddenly flashed and pointed to an inconspicuous crack in the mountain wall not far to their side, hidden by vines.

At the same time, the burning sensation emanating from the Reverse Scale Pact also subtly pointed in the same direction.