Eric Carter didn’t want to be swept off course by the beast tide, so he hurriedly shouted, “Grace Bennett, quickly take me and Emily Cooper and fly!”

　　Grace Bennett instantly understood, reached out with both hands, and wrapped her arms around the waists of Eric Carter and Emily Cooper, lifting them directly into the air.

　　Damn!

　　David Cooper was instantly dumbfounded. What the hell, what about me?

　　“Wait for me!”

　　David Cooper cried out in terror, but unfortunately Eric Carter completely ignored him.

　　Are you kidding? Grace Bennett only has two hands, and besides, his side quest is to escort Emily Cooper back to Xuanling Sect, which doesn’t include David Cooper.

　　This kid David Cooper is always sneaking peeks at Grace Bennett, and Eric Carter has long found him an eyesore.

　　Meanwhile, ahead of the beast tide, there was another group of cultivators running frantically, both men and women, all with bloodstains on them, looking extremely disheveled.

　　“Run that way! There are people over there!”

　　A long-bearded man pointed in the direction of Eric Carter and the others, shouting. As soon as he spoke, the rest of the cultivators hurried toward Eric Carter’s group.

　　In the wild, when attacked by demon beasts, you don’t need to be the fastest runner—just don’t be the slowest!

　　“Damn! A bunch of scumbags!”

　　Chasing after the three, David Cooper saw that group of cultivators actually leading the beast tide in his direction, and he couldn’t help but curse.

　　At the same time, a black dog that looked like a house pet, tongue lolling, overtook the cultivators. Its long limbs made its running look rather comical, and its target was clearly Eric Carter and the others.

　　“What the hell! How is this mangy dog running so fast?”

　　“Damn it! Unbearable! Getting overtaken by a black dog!”

　　“Just run for your life! Ignore it!”

　　“It’s clearly not a demon beast, yet it can run this fast! I’m so pissed off!”

Chapter 9: Demon King

　　“Woof woof woof!”

　　Amid the anguished shouts of the cultivators, the black dog ran faster and faster, its long tongue hanging out, saliva flying everywhere, looking utterly ridiculous.

　　Roar! Roar! Roar...

　　Countless demon beasts roared one after another, their voices shaking the heavens, making the Qi Refining cultivators tense with fear—everyone wished they’d been born with two extra legs.

　　Being held by Grace Bennett, Eric Carter looked at the beast tide surging like a tsunami, and a thought struck him. He asked in his mind, “System, do you get experience points for killing demon beasts?”

　　“Yes, but among those of the same level, you get fewer experience points than for killing enemies.”

　　The system answered quickly, making Eric Carter’s mind come alive. With so many demon beasts here, if he killed them all, how much experience would that be?

　　Thinking of this, he asked Grace Bennett, “Can you defeat the beast tide?”

　　Grace Bennett’s mouth twitched, and she said helplessly, “Young master, this is a beast tide—how could I possibly stop it alone? And for such a large-scale beast tide, it’s either caused by a natural disaster or there’s a demon king orchestrating it!”

　　Demon king!

　　Eric Carter asked cautiously, “Is a demon king very strong?”

　　“Every demon king is at least at the Nascent Soul stage. With a beast tide of this scale, the demon king might be even stronger.”

　　Grace Bennett’s words made Eric Carter break out in a cold sweat. In his view, although Grace Bennett was also at the Nascent Soul stage, she was, after all, a woman skilled in seductive arts, and would surely be at a disadvantage fighting other Nascent Soul experts.

　　With that, he immediately gave up on the idea of farming the beast tide for experience.

　　“Help! Don’t leave me behind!!”

　　David Cooper’s terrified voice came from behind. Eric Carter was speechless, and Emily Cooper instinctively looked back, only to see David Cooper chasing after them like a stray dog, completely lacking his usual composure.

　　She suddenly felt that her once all-powerful senior brother was actually quite pitiful.

　　If David Cooper knew his junior sister’s opinion of him had changed, he’d probably cough up blood.

　　“Eric Carter, can you save my senior brother? He’s about to be caught by the beast tide.” Emily Cooper asked pitifully. After all, they were from the same sect, and she couldn’t bear to see her senior brother torn apart by the beast tide.

　　Eric Carter curled his lip and said, “How am I supposed to save him?”

　　“Besides, he could have gone back the way we came and hidden in the woods. He’s the one who insisted on following us.”

　　Emily Cooper was so exasperated by Eric Carter’s twisted logic that her chest heaved. She wanted to say more, but Eric Carter cut her off, “I only promised to take you back, not him!”

　　Come on, if it weren’t for the quest, I wouldn’t bother with you!

　　Although Emily Cooper was pretty, compared to Grace Bennett, the difference was obvious.

　　Besides, the two of them weren’t related, and Eric Carter didn’t want to get entangled with her for too long.

　　Once I ascend the throne, I’ll have three thousand beauties in my harem to choose from!

　　Emily Cooper gritted her teeth in silence. At this point, all she could do was pray her senior brother would run faster and not fall behind.

　　“Woof woof woof!”

　　Just then, the sound of barking came from behind. Eric Carter instinctively looked back and saw a black dog running toward them.

　　David Cooper saw this seemingly domesticated black dog overtake him and nearly fainted from anger.

　　He, a dignified disciple of Xuanling Sect, couldn’t even outrun a dog?

　　“Max?”

　　Eric Carter’s expression immediately turned strange. Although the black dog was larger than a normal dog, it was still far from a divine hound, making it hard for him to associate it with the number one divine beast of Journey to the West.

　　“Master! Don’t run! I am Max!”

　　At that moment, the black dog suddenly sent a voice transmission into Eric Carter’s mind, making Eric Carter’s eyes widen in shock.

　　Holy shit!

　　It really is Max!