The moment they saw that Immortal Willow Tree branch, Yun Ling and the wolf immediately ran away with all their might.

Yun Ling might have not seen the Immortal Willow Tree before but considering what he heard from the wolf and the power he felt the branch was emitting, it was safe to assume that the one before them was probably one of the Immortal Willow Tree’s branches.

Yun Ling flew atop his flying sword with speed far surpassing the fastest speed he used to travel in his entire stay in the Thousand Mountain Valley. The wolf also wasn’t one to scoff at. He was actually running ahead of Yun Ling without stumbling or falling over.

Gu Fanming and the rest of the disciples were taken aback by the appearance of the strange branch. Because of that, they unintentionally let their guard down and weren’t able to react when Yun Ling and the wolf suddenly ran away.

Wen Baishi’s jaw dropped upon seeing that branch. He didn’t know exactly what it was but he could tell that that thing was bad news. He immediately used the Thunder God Flash Supreme Art and ran past the stunned disciples, leaving sounds of thunder in his wake.

“W-What is that thing?” one of the Riverspan Sect disciples asked fearfully. They could feel that the branch was emitting a power far beyond their comprehension. Not even the sect master in their sect was capable of giving such feeling to them.

Gu Fanming finally snapped out of his daze.

“Run!” he issued out his command and quickly ran away, leaving behind the other disciples who had not yet registered his command to their minds. They were still staring in a mix of awe and fear at the branch.

The branch stood tall in the distance, facing their direction as if it was looking down on them. It remained still for a few seconds and then suddenly...

It descended upon them with an unprecedented speed!

The three Riverspan Sect disciples who were left behind were instantly turned into dried husks when the branch lightly grazed their body. It didn’t even take a second. For disciples like them, whose cultivation realms were astronomically far inferior to the Immortal Willow Tree’s, it didn’t even require a bit of effort to drain their life force dry.

Gu Fanming and the other two disciples were instantly frightened when they saw the fate of their companions. They put more effort into escaping, not wanting to suffer the same fate as them. However, their efforts were far from enough. The branch caught up to them in no time at all.

“Elder Gu! Save me!” one of the two disciples cried out to him when he tripped over an exposed tree root and fell on the ground.

Gu Fanming and the other disciple ignored him. The idea of helping didn’t cross their minds in the slightest.

Help him and then what? So they’d die together with him? If they could indeed save him then they might. But in their current situation, there was nothing they could do. They didn’t want to risk their lives unnecessarily.

The unfortunate disciple watched the two leave with haste. They didn’t even look towards him as they continued ahead. He was resentful. He didn’t want to die yet. He then let out a loud shriek when he felt himself being drained of all his life by the branch.

Gu Fanming looked behind and saw that the branch was just meters away from him. He quickly grabbed the disciple beside him and threw him towards the branch, hoping to stall it a little.

“Elder Gu?!” the disciple yelled at the unexpected betrayal. No, he should have expected that from someone with a scummy character like Gu Fanming. He was too naive to not put his guard against him at all. He was too focused on the branch that he neglected the dangerous person beside him.

“Make yourself useful and die for me,” Gu Fanming coldly said leaving him behind to his demise.

“Elder Gu! I swear I will kill you if I survive this! If I die I will haunt you as a ghost!” the disciple shouted hatefully.

“Wishful thinking,” Gu Fanming mocked him as he continued. He didn't care about his threat at all. He couldn't do anything against him alive so what could he do to him as a dead person?

Yun Ling, who was far ahead of Gu Fanming and the others saw Gu Fanming’s action.

‘That guy… he didn’t even hesitate to sacrifice his comrade like that,’ Yun Ling thought as he looked behind him. Well, if he was in his position, he might do the same so he wasn’t one to talk. If it was one of his family members, on the other hand, he would never sacrifice them like that.

Yun Ling heard the wolf starting to pant heavily at his side. The wolf was faster than him before but now, he was slowing down.

“Can you still hold on?” he asked.

“I’m afraid I can’t. I’m reaching my limits,” the wolf admitted shamefully. “Take this chance to leave. I’ll try to stall it.”

Yun Ling was pleased by the wolf’s behavior. He did chose right on trying to save this wolf.

“That’s not necessary. I’ll get us out of here,” Yun Ling said as he looked at the branch calculatingly. He was incredibly nervous at that point but being nervous wouldn’t help his situation a bit. He had to calm his mind and weigh his options reasonably. He shouldn’t let his nervousness affect his judgment.

He let out a frown. The Immortal Willow Tree’s branch had a speed far superior to them. If they continued to run at their usual speed, they would be overtaken by it soon. Even if the wolf tried to stall it, it would just be for naught.

Yun Ling narrowed his eyes, he had no choice but to use that.

Suddenly, the pupils in his eyes turned into a golden colored one while his sclera became pure black. His body was then immediately clad into a purple hollow armor, making him look like a heavenly being descending on earth.

“You…’” the wolf looked at Yun Ling in amazement at his sudden transformation.

Yun Ling carefully carried the sleeping Lion King Cub in his arms, and with his free hand, he grabbed the wolf by his scruff.

“Get ready,” Yun Ling simply said.

Not even a second later, a sonic boom was left in their trail as they soon disappeared into the horizon.