Luo Wuhen arrived late. By the time she reached the Sword Sect, the Guardian Sect Array was already under siege.
Now, it was almost impossible for her to enter the array to protect the two people she wished to safeguard.
But she realized she had not been exposed. This group still treated her as… one of their own.
Without hesitation, Luo Wuhen blended right into the ranks of the “attackers,” putting on a show and exerting just enough effort.
If the array was truly breached, she would rush in to protect her targets at once.
At this moment, the Guardian Sect Array was fully activated.
No one outside could see what was happening within, but inside, they were likely already deploying formations and evacuating the lower-ranked disciples.
“Qianqian, don’t try to be brave…” Luo Wuhen’s greatest worry was Su Qianqian acting rashly.
Given her temperament, she definitely wouldn’t just sit quietly.
Luo Wuhen was already prepared to stand before Su Qianqian at the very first sign of danger.
With this thought in mind, Luo Wuhen continued her half-hearted assaults on the array, all thunder and no real rain…
Inside the array, Su Qianqian, just as Luo Wuhen had predicted, simply could not bring herself to hide away peacefully!
After settling her family, Su Qianqian hesitated as she looked at them, but finally decided to go out and face what was coming.
But just as she was about to leave, a small hand tugged at her robe:
“Mother, don’t go!”
Luo Siqian’s eyes brimmed with tears, her little hands clutching Su Qianqian’s clothes tightly. It was dangerous outside—she didn’t want her mother to go.
Su Qianqian patted little Siqian’s head, gazing forward.
Her parents looked worried, Nuonuo clung to them in fear, and Su Lingling stood by, as if wanting to speak but holding back…
Conflicted emotions swirled in Su Qianqian’s eyes. At last, she sighed and decided to stay, taking refuge with her family.
……
On the other side, after a brief rest, the team pressed on into the underground!
Along the way, remnants of the Demon Clan littered the stairs, but countless Twin-Winged Demons still poured forth.
Each demon was about as powerful as someone at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Against their current lineup, they were as insignificant as mantises trying to stop a chariot, yet they swarmed like ants—no matter how many were slain, their numbers seemed undiminished.
Too many ants can still bite a man to death; heaps of mantis corpses could eventually block a road.
Even though everyone carried more Dan Medicine than they could ever need, their rate of recovery simply couldn’t keep up with their consumption.
They advanced in fits and starts. Gradually, more than half the journey was behind them.
Lin Muxue could sense an aura completely different from the main world steadily spreading through the air!
“Everyone, rest and recover!”
A temporary formation was erected. Amid a near-endless onslaught from the Demon Clan, it was like a small boat buffeted on a stormy sea, ready to capsize at any moment…
Lin Muxue restored her strength while remaining vigilant, eliminating high-level demons lurking among the lower ranks ahead of time and gauging how far they were from where the formation had been breached.
This time, they would strike straight for the destination!
“Move out! Zhenfa Shi, be ready. From here on, it’s your stage!”
The Zhenfa Shi in the center were all on high alert. Each was a highly respected master from their respective sects.
Now, to be escorted by a group of disciples was a deep source of shame!
“Even if I must sacrifice my life, I will not fail in my duty!” shouted one of the Zhenfa Shi solemnly. To give one’s life to repair this formation—that was the honor of a Zhenfa Shi!
Everyone responded in unison, their momentum overwhelming! The team shot forth like an arrow, piercing through the sea of Demon Clan foes blocking their way!
……
Hours later, the Sword Sect’s formation could no longer hold.
After several flashes, it finally fell silent, and the scenes inside were revealed to those besieging from without!
Many disciples formed sword arrays—three to a small array, three small arrays to a larger one, and three large arrays to a formation eye.
With the Ten Deaths Formation Eye as the core, the disciples stood according to the Heaven, Earth, Mystic, Yellow Four Divisions, making up the Nine Palaces and Eight Gates.
“Those who offend my Sword Sect—ten directions shall fall silent; either the enemy dies or we perish!”
Shizu stood at the center of the formation, murderous intent swirling about her.
She pointed her sword at the group wrapped in black qi before her.
All around, each Peak Master stood beside her, swords drawn and faces grim, glaring at the intruders.
Yet after breaking the array, the invaders did not immediately attack.
Instead, they hovered silently in the air, facing off with the Sword Sect’s defenders.
Their gazes swept over those arrayed before them, but they did not spot their target—the one who had just survived the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation, their chosen mark.
However, they had long laid traps, ready to reveal their target’s location…
“They seem to be waiting for something?” This feeling left a bad premonition in the hearts of all the Sword Sect’s people.
Just as they were about to take the initiative, suddenly, a burst of Abyssal aura erupted from somewhere within the Sword Sect!
“This is bad—it’s where the disciples are hiding!”
Sensing the “coordinate,” the Heaven Abyss Corruptors ignored the Sword Sect’s kill formation and charged straight toward the source of the Abyssal aura!
In an instant, the tense standoff became a desperate assault on one side and frantic defense on the other, throwing the Sword Sect’s formations into disarray!
……
Time turned back a little. Su Qianqian was comforting her family:
“It’s alright. The elders and disciples of Sword Sect are all very strong. We’ll be able to leave soon—just wait quietly.”
Despite her words, Su Qianqian felt deeply anxious. She didn’t know how things stood now.
It was unbearable, hiding here while everyone else fought for their lives.
Suddenly, a strange aura began to emerge behind her. Su Qianqian whipped around and saw several disciples swaying, looking disturbingly abnormal, black qi faintly coiling around their bodies!
Su Qianqian’s heart clenched, a dreadful possibility occurring to her! She poured her full strength into her power, isolating these disciples from the crowd.
She immediately cast a Sealing Spell, hoping to suppress their aura—but she was a step too late!
These disciples had not been corrupted into Abyssal puppets, but something even more terrifying!
They swelled up like overinflated balloons, as if about to burst at any moment!
At once, Su Qianqian turned and lunged at the terrified Nuonuo and Siqian, shielding their eyes!
“Don’t look! Don’t use your spiritual sense!”
With Su Qianqian’s hands covering the two children’s eyes, those disciples finally reached their limit, exploding into clouds of blood mist.
From within, a powerful Abyssal force burst forth! It shot straight into the sky, piercing the barrier of the Secret Realm.
After warning the children once more not to open their eyes, Su Qianqian pulled Chu Youtong over to help her seal away the erupted energy, then cleared the blood mist.
Turning to the others, Su Qianqian saw that all present were young disciples. Many looked horrified; some even vomited on the spot.
At least, the two children had not witnessed the scene. Su Qianqian breathed a sigh of relief.
Her parents had closed their eyes ahead of time, unwilling to see it, and their distance made the vision less vivid for mortals.
So, the impact was not too severe. Su Lingling, though, was clearly shaken, frozen where she stood.
Su Qianqian worriedly patted her on the shoulder. Su Lingling snapped back to herself, patting her chest to show she was alright.
Seeing that Su Lingling was not too badly affected, Su Qianqian’s gaze grew solemn as she looked outward.
After this incident, their hiding place was surely exposed.
Without further hesitation, Su Qianqian took one last look at her family, then strode resolutely out of the Secret Realm. She would not allow them to be harmed.
Fighting their way forward, the group finally arrived at a vast open ground.
The land was broad and empty, and with the sky swarming with Demon Clan, the odds seemed impossibly stacked against them.
But at last, the goal—the rift formed by a crack in the Demon Clan’s array—was right before their eyes!
Seeing the goal so near, everyone rallied, planning to make one final push to reach the rift!
As they advanced, they found corpses, desiccated and drained of all power. Judging by their robes, these were unmistakably disciples and elders of the Buddhist Sect.
Their path was paved with corpses. It seemed all of the Buddhist Sect had perished here…
They pressed on, fighting through a locust-like swarm of attacks, with the Vortex looming near at hand.
At that moment, a huge figure slowly rose from the Vortex, stopping at about waist height.
This great demon propped his chin on his hand, watching the human interlopers with interest:
“Oh? Feed coming right to my door? I admire your courage.”
His greeting was answered by several sword strikes, each leaving a mark on him—but the wounds closed up instantly, vanishing without a trace.
“Oh, that aura—I remember it. What is your relation to Sword Frightening Rainbow?”
“You know Ancestor?” Lin Muxue frowned.
“Oh, Ancestor? Haha, dead, is he? He left quite an impression back then—one of the few humans worth a second look,” the demon mused, recalling old memories.
Everyone tensed, instantly on guard—this demon was from the same era as the Sword Sect’s Ancestor?!
“Come now, why so wary? I’m here to play. I have plenty of time. Let’s see what kind of skills the inheritors of that guy possess!”
With that, he snapped his fingers. Everyone braced for impact, but instead, a swath of Demon Clan minions exploded into fragments.
No blood—just shredded remains. The fragments coalesced, forming a constantly writhing cube.
Even before the cube of demon corpses hit the ground, a suffocating pressure filled the air!
But for the great demon, he wasn’t even trying:
“Your courage is worthy of praise. My name is Chi Ba. You’ve earned the right to know my true name before you die.”
Lin Muxue paid no mind to the assault from above. She asked the people around her, “Can you block this attack? I need to conserve my strength.”
Everyone nodded solemnly. Lin Muxue decided to trust them.
Sword formulas flashed through her mind as she raised her hand lightly, power gathering, her eyes coldly fixed on the demon before her…
The others did not disappoint. Swords, spears, staffs, puppets—every trump card was thrown at the attack, and with great peril, the assault was finally shattered.
Lin Muxue’s aura condensed. Seeing her sword stance, Chi Ba lost all trace of ease, raising his hand as an even fiercer attack gathered in an instant!
Lin Muxue ignored it all, focused and unwavering—
“Demon-Slaying First Technique.”
A plain and unadorned sword qi cut through time and space, striking Chi Ba before he could react—his body was sliced in two!
But this wasn’t fatal to him. He regenerated instantly, though an indelible mark remained, unable to be erased for some time!
Lin Muxue hadn’t expected to finish him with one strike.
Behind her, countless Xianjian shadows—manifestations of her power—blotted out half the sky above the demon-infested field!
“Demon-Slaying Second Technique.”
A thousand Xianjian fell. Chi Ba tried to defend, but his resistance was pierced in an instant.
For the first time in millennia, he felt the agony of being cut into a thousand pieces!
With only half his body emerged, he was powerless to resist.
Sword shadows flickered before his eyes—after all these years, he still had no defense against this attack.
That was the Demon Clan’s fatal weakness.
Su Qianqian emerged from the Secret Realm, only to find the battlefield’s outlook grim.
Now that the hiding place for the weaker disciples had been discovered, the Sword Sect’s disciples could only desperately defend against the Corruptors’ assault on the Secret Realm.
If even one slipped through, it would spell doom for the defenseless disciples hiding inside!
This put them at a severe disadvantage, as if their lifeblood had been seized—they fought with hands and feet bound.
Watching as the disciples were corrupted and fell one by one, seeing the enemies draw closer to the Secret Realm, knowing her family was in danger, Su Qianqian clenched her fists.
This attack, this disaster—all of it had come because of her. She could not stand by.
She could not let herself take refuge under the sect’s protection while others sacrificed themselves!
Rage and power surged together within her. Her form shifted—a pure white Xianjian appeared in her hand!
Instantly, she entered the battlefield. Sword rose, sword fell, but not a drop of blood tainted the white blade.
Luo Wuhen lingered on the edge of the battlefield, feigning attacks.
With both sides preoccupied by their enemies, no one noticed her efforts.
She had to conserve her strength; if Qianqian and Lingling were in that Secret Realm, she needed to get them out at a moment’s notice!
The instant Su Qianqian appeared, Luo Wuhen recognized her.
She was startled by Su Qianqian’s appearance for a moment, but that wasn’t important—her goal was to protect her and Siqian.
But as she drew near, Su Qianqian stopped her with a look and subtly gestured toward the Secret Realm behind her.
Luo Wuhen understood and didn’t approach, continuing her “lazy attacks” while keeping a close eye on Su Qianqian and the Secret Realm.
Su Qianqian’s appearance shocked both sides. Shizu sighed—she had known this would happen, but did nothing to stop her. It was Su Qianqian’s decision and right.
But the most surprised and delighted were the “invaders”! Their target had appeared.
Soon, Su Qianqian realized the enemy was forming a pincer around her. So it really was all for her…
“In that case…”
Su Qianqian instantly fled at top speed!
For anyone else, this would have looked like desertion, but for Su Qianqian, it was the best way to buy Sword Sect time to regroup and catch their breath—she would draw all the enemies away!
Just as she’d expected, the moment she escaped, all the Corruptors turned to chase her!
“Stop them!”
In an instant, offense and defense reversed. The Corruptors desperately pursued Su Qianqian, while the Sword Sect disciples became the ones blocking and attacking!
These Corruptors were mad with obsession.
No matter how they were obstructed or attacked, they fixed on Su Qianqian like hounds.
There was no way to delay them for long—at best, they could inflict more losses.
Luo Wuhen seized the chaos to follow as well, and, after a moment’s hesitation, she stealthily masked the aura of a petite figure nearby.
“Where’s Sister Xiaoyou? Why is Sister Xiaoyou missing too…”