Some of the cultivators who wanted to escape alone ended up entirely surrounded by the starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats and disappeared in a short time. Some of the cultivators who suffered even a bite from the starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats immediately started twitching all over; however, before the poison could penetrate them too deep, the rest of the starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats surrounded and devoured them without leaving anything behind.
Many cultivators even rushed madly towards the deck and wanted to try escaping from there. However, the rushing cultivators once more found themselves surrounded on all sides by the endless starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats.
Although the starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats were weak individually, regardless of however many died, many more starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats would take their place the next moment. In this kind of terrifying situation, even a Heaven Seated Cultivator would find it extremely difficult to escape once trapped.
“Where’s Wuming?” Ning Cheng recalled that Jing Wuming had not come over with the Lan Ya duo and asked quickly.
“I’m alright.” Jing Wuming’s voice arrived followed by him sporting many bloodstains.
Those bloodstains most likely came from the starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats. Jing Wuming only had a Celestial Shatterer Cultivation, after killing so many starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats, how was he able to come out unscathed?
However, Ning Cheng quickly understood, as Imperial Concubine Xuan Yu’s figure appeared looming behind Jing Wuming. This woman really protected Jing Wuming, ah, Ning Cheng’s mind flashed with the thought.
“Sister Yu’er, I can’t leave alone….” Jing Wuming anxiously turned around and called out.
Imperial Concubine Xuan Yu spoke out in a slightly hoa.r.s.e voice, “Wuming, I can help you take these two women. As for Ning Cheng, no matter what kind of friendship you have with him, I cannot take him away. From now on, you are the only man I wish to remain close.”
Taking someone else would expose her privacy as a woman; Lan Ya and Shi Yulan were ok as they were women; however, Ning Cheng was a man, and she had no intention of exposing her means before him.
“No, Xiaocheng is my best friend. If he doesn’t come with us, I would rather die and die here.” Jing Wuming spoke out with a firm voice.
It was clear that if he had to make a choice between Xuan Yu and Ning Cheng, he would choose to fight alongside Ning Cheng without hesitating and would not follow Xuan Yu to escape.
Imperial Concubine Xuan Yu remained silent. However, she only remained silent for a short while before speaking up with a trembling voice, “If you must take him away, then let them come together. That man has not found me yet, we have to hurry. I still have a way…..”
“Yu’er, thank you.” Jing Wuming walked over to that vague form of her before gently grabbing a pair of white hands.
Xuan Yu gently ruffled Jing Wuming’s hair before speaking, “Why the need to say ‘thank you’ between us? I belong to you. I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”
“Xiaocheng, Senior Apprentice Sister Lan, Senior Apprentice Sister Shi…..”
Jing Wuming had just called out the names of the three of them when Ning Cheng interrupted Jing Wuming’s words, “Wuming since you have decided to be with Xuan Yu, I will also respect and understand what she feels. Your woman can only protect you. I anyway have the means to escape, so you do not have to worry about me. If you can, take Senior Apprentice Sister Lan and Junior Apprentice Sister Yulan with you.”
Lan Ya shook her head, “I will walk with Ning Cheng. If I can escape, then I will escape. If I can’t escape then falling in the starry skies is my fate.”
Shi Yulan also spoke up, “I have already said that I will remain with Senior Apprentice Sister Lan and become a starry skies’ wanderer. This is where we begin anew and where we part from the past, Wuming, thank you. You should escape; I hope you can achieve what you want one day.”
Jing Wuming, on hearing those words, immediately spoke up, “How can this be? In front of these terrifying starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rat Tide, even Heaven Seated Experts cannot escape. How will you get out?”
“Wuming, I broke into the starry skies with a Crucible Transformation Cultivation. I have already experienced many things and even suffered a chase down by Void Exploding Golden Wasps. Yet, I am still alive and well. Do not worry and just take care of yourself. I will meet you somewhere within the universe’s starry skies. When we meet again, I will take you to meet Eldest Brother Cang Wei.” Ning Cheng spoke with a smile as he thought about the Void Exploding Golden Wasp King that was about to hatch. In the future, once he travelled the starry skies with a ma.s.sive horde of Void Exploding Golden Wasps, which beastly horde would dare to encircle him, let alone kill him?
Seeing Jing Wuming still feeling hesitant, Ning Cheng added another sentence, “Don’t be fussy like a mother-in-law; just go.”
After he finished, Ning Cheng then trained his gaze at Xuan Yu and calmly spoke up, “Xuan Yu, I don’t care who you were before, but Wuming is my brother as such I will wish you both happiness. However, if one day I found out that you brought him harm, then no matter how big the starry skies are, no matter how wide the universe is, I will find you.”
Xuan Yu slowly spoke to Ning Cheng, “You are indeed Wuming’s friend. He did not read you wrong. Wuming, let’s go, Lan Ya and Shi Yulan will not be coming with us.”
She had an old mentality and knew about Jing Wuming and Shi Yulan’s history; as such, she knew that Shi Yulan would not follow her. At the same time, Lan Ya would also never leave Ning Cheng and Shi Yulan and escape alone with her.
Jing Wuming also clearly understood the truth and spoke to Ning Cheng, “Okay, I believe you can do it. We will meet again in the future…..”
His voice had not yet dissipated when Imperial Concubine Xuan Yu’s vague silhouette disappeared along with him without even a trace.
“Ning Cheng, what do we do now?” After Jing Wuming and Xuan Yu left, Lan Ya immediately asked Ning Cheng.
By this point, the entire airship had turned a lot more chaotic; at the same time, with the significant number of starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats pouring into the void airship, the void airship had already lost control.
All the cultivators ended up thrown into the middle of a chaotic mess. Everyone wanted to rush out; however, only a few could manage to rush out.
The wild starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats made terrifying grinding noises with their fangs, which were interspersed with the cracking sounds of chewing bones, making everyone want to escape from this place even more.
However, the starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats had already surrounded them from all directions, stretching out many miles. Even when using Spiritual Consciousness, one could not find the end of it.
It was at this moment that a thick voice resounded, “Listen up people. The starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats here are not something we can resist. In a while, we will use our Spiritual Techniques to open up a pa.s.sage through this starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rat Horde. Your escape will depend on your own destiny. Those who can escape should gather on Man Lun Star…..”
After hearing this voice, countless cultivators rushed over, for a short time, even the starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats had to retreat under the combined rush.
Ning Cheng still had not made any moves. Suddenly a two or three feet long starry sky’ Spirit Devouring Rat made its way to the place where Ning Cheng stayed. Lan Ya immediately slashed out with a knife, quickly slicing the Spirit Devouring Rat into two halves.
Shi Yulan spoke out in anxiety, “Senior Apprentice Brother Ning, we need to hurry up. Otherwise, staying here would only be inviting death.”
Ning Cheng shook his head and calmly spoke up, “You made a mistake. Going up, we will only find death. However, at this place, there are many broken restrictions but only a few scattered starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats have come in that cannot even pose a threat to us. Once we go up, with the cultivations of us three, we will definitely die. The people who had the means have already made their escape a long time ago. As for those staying in this place like us, simply put, they have no method to escape. That man said that he would slaughter open a pa.s.sage; however, I don’t believe it.”
Having said that, Ning Cheng then looked at Lan Ya and Shi Yulan, “I don’t know about the situation of the Orchid Borough Celestial River King, but if I had to guess, then he should have long since escaped. Even my partner, Ruan Mingshu, should have already made her escape. The people staying here are the ones who have no means to make their escape.”
Shi Yulan spoke with some uncertainty, “Senior Apprentice Sister Mingshu and you……”
Even if Shi Yulan did not finish her words, Ning Cheng knew what she meant. Shi Yulan wanted to say that since Ruan Mingshu had treated him well, she would not leave alone. However, Ning Cheng felt sure that Ruan Mingshu had already departed. Moreover, the only reason Ruan Mingshu behaved so good with him was only due to his ability to help her accomplish something after entering the Time Wilderness. At such a critical juncture, would Ruan Mingshu even think of Ning Cheng?
“Even if we have to die, we need to rush out. Staying in this place might provide us with temporary safety, but once the bulk of those starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats poured in, we would die an even more miserable death.” Although Lan Ya tried to speak calmly, her voice still trembled.
“There is another way…..” Ning Cheng hesitated before speaking.
“What way.” Lan Ya and Shi Yulan asked simultaneously.
“I have a miniature world with me. The two of you can enter my miniature world. I will rush out by myself; however, if I fall, you two would also die.” Ning Cheng told the truth. The laws within his miniature world were of a low grade; moreover, it would not support life on its own. Once he brought along living creatures within it, and he ended up falling, the miniature world and every living thing inside would inevitably collapse.
Lan Ya immediately spoke up, “Ning Cheng, it’s better for us to join forces. Maybe we might even have a slight chance.”
Ning Cheng shook his head, “There would be no chance if we joined forces. This is not a Void Collapse. This starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rat Tide is much more dangerous than the Void Collapse.”
Lan Ya suddenly remembered that when she had chased Ning Cheng into the Bright Void Gorge, Ning Cheng still came out completely safe and sound; however, she had nearly lost her life. At that time, what level of cultivation did Ning Cheng possess? Thinking of this, she immediately spoke up without any hesitation, “Okay, I’m willing.”
“I’m willing too.” Shi Yulan knew that under this horrifying starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rat Tide, not to say anything about her Celestial Gatherer Cultivation, escape would prove difficult for even a Heaven’s Mandate Cultivator.
……
After Lan Ya and Shi Yulan entered the miniature world, Ning Cheng immediately stimulated his Twin Wings of the Heavenly Clouds. With just a few flaps, he emerged from the bottom of the Void Battleship and landed on the lower deck.
The lower deck had piles of bodies of the starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats that fell from above along with bits and pieces of cultivators that those Spirit Devouring Rats had devoured. Ning Cheng, just by his Celestial Novice Cultivation, did not have any ability to change the situation. At this time, he could only rush out of the airship like the other cultivators and try to escape into the starry skies.
In this kind of place, any flight-type weapon, void battleship or airship were useless. Even a more powerful ship, under so many starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats, would end up cleaned out in a flash. The vessel under his feet was the best example.
Although the Radium Light Arrows, Flowing Sky Cannons and Sky Locking Lights over the airship had already killed a considerable amount of those starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats, those starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats still managed to rip open the airship’s restrictions and rush in,
As soon as Ning Cheng rushed into the starry skies, the horrifying fishy smell greeted his nostrils, even the surrounding s.p.a.ce had completely stagnated. With so many starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats concentrated in such an area, there was no need for them to exert any Spiritual Techniques or even tricks as the surrounding starry skies had already slipped under the control of the starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats.
At this time, any kind of technique or Spear Intent would be meaningless. For Ning Cheng, even if he shot out with his Spear Intent, he could only kill a few thousands of those starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rats. At this time, the only thing he could do was to use the teleportation-like speed of his Twin Wings of the Heavenly Clouds to dodge those terrifying starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rat Tide. At the same time, Ning Cheng also had to make sure that he did not end up as a target for any high ranking starry skies’ Spirit Devouring Rat.