After some time, the demon beast army and the Heavenly Demon Sect reached a tacit understanding, taking turns to attack the Seven Stars Sword Sect day and night without pause.
The demon beast army would attack for a while, then retreat, followed by the Heavenly Demon Sect launching their assault. Once the Heavenly Demon Sect finished, the demon beast army would take over again. In this way, the Seven Stars Sword Sect had no time to rest.
If it were ordinary demon beasts, they could have been lured to attack the Heavenly Demon Sect, as in the eyes of the demon beasts, all humans were prey to be devoured.
However, this demon beast army was different, especially with General Black Horn leading them. Such a scenario was impossible.
Now, it was the Heavenly Demon Sect's turn to attack.
On top of a high mountain, the seven disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect stood in various poses, observing the battle below.
"Aren't we going to join the fight? A whole day has passed, and I'm already itching for action," Xu Wuliang said, pressing his left hand against his right and flexing his muscles.
"Although it's satisfying to watch Lin Xuan being worn down, if he doesn't die by our hands, it will all be meaningless," Liao Duci remarked, occasionally tossing poison down below.
"That's right, kill Lin Xuan!" Su Luo chimed in.
Qing Bukuang nodded. "Let's go. If we can't kill Lin Xuan, we'll retreat. As long as we keep him surrounded, we can exhaust him to death."
Su Luo glanced at Qing Bukuang, impressed by his rationality, though it wouldn't matter in the end.
At that moment, Lin Xuan was battling members of the Heavenly Demon Sect. With a single move of the Eight Extremes Collapse, he killed two of them instantly, then swiftly used his sword to eliminate a sneak attacker from behind.
Without a moment's pause, he launched his next attack.
"They're here!"
Sensing danger, Lin Xuan leaped backward, dodging a splash of poison, and immediately assumed his highest combat stance to face the newcomers.
The Seven Disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect were no ordinary foes.
"Lin Xuan, today is your day of death!" Situ Ye exclaimed, popping a pill into his mouth.
"Facing both us and the demon beast army must be tough. We're here to grant you release," Cui Baiquan said with a smirk.
Lin Xuan, however, showed no fear. "Who dies today is still up for debate."
"Big talk. Let's attack together."
At Qing Bukuang's command, the seven disciples once again engaged Lin Xuan in battle.
Even after being worn down for an entire day, Lin Xuan still fought fiercely and held his ground.
Su Luo felt that although things were slightly different from what he had expected—the seven disciples had entered the fray earlier than planned—it didn't matter much. As long as the other disciples died here, the outcome would be the same.
Originally, Su Luo had planned to take it easy and let Qing Bukuang and the others deal with Lin Xuan.
But then he noticed something strange: they, too, seemed to be holding back.
Su Luo wasn't mistaken. Neither Qing Bukuang nor the others were going all out from the start.
This wasn't part of the plan.
Their attacks were sporadic, and most of the time, they were dodging or maneuvering around, showing no real intent to kill Lin Xuan.
What's going on? What are they up to?
Are they trying to wear him down?
When did they change tactics? Why wasn't I informed?
Well, if they're holding back, I might as well do the same. I'm in no hurry.
Just as Su Luo was taking it easy, Situ Ye suddenly turned to him.
"Su Luo, aren't you going to use your trump card? Do you want Lin Xuan to survive? Do you think this is how we should be fighting him?"
Su Luo was stunned. Had Situ Ye lost his mind from taking too many pills? Is this what they called "fighting hard"?
Fine, if that's how you want to play, I'll join in.
"I'm already using it. Can't you see? I've got Lin Xuan pinned down!"
Sorry, but no, I really can't see it.
Cui Baiquan chimed in, "Su Luo, it's Lin Xuan fighting the seven of us. How exactly are you pinning him down?"
"Don't single me out. What about you, Cui Baiquan? Where's your new move? Aren't you going to use it?"
"I'll use it at the right moment. Now's not the time," Cui Baiquan replied with a mysterious smile.
He would save it for the finishing blow—or perhaps even use it against Su Luo.
While the seven disciples were bantering, Lin Xuan wasn't playing around.
"Raging Fire Lotus!"
Lin Xuan activated his power surge mode.
Qing Bukuang immediately shouted, "Retreat!"
The others quickly fled, leaving Su Luo standing there dumbfounded.
Su Luo couldn't understand what was happening. Since when had they become so clever? Is this their new tactic—retreating when the enemy powers up?
Well, Su Luo had no choice but to follow. Staying behind to fight Lin Xuan alone was out of the question.
Lin Xuan was also left speechless. Don't they have any pride as the Seven Disciples? Running away just like that?
Lin Xuan could only redirect his fury toward the remaining members of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Back on another mountain peak, Su Luo asked, "Why didn't we finish off Lin Xuan in one go? I even used a treasure."
"You used a treasure? What did it do?"
"It weakened him. I cast a minor curse on him, so he's not at his peak right now."
"Don't rush. With the demon beast army here, we can slowly wear him down. There's no need to hurry," Qing Bukuang said, sounding rather pleased.
After all, Su Luo had wasted a treasure. Perfect.
Su Luo couldn't help but look at Qing Bukuang with newfound respect. He had actually thought of this strategy. Fine, I'll see how far you can push Lin Xuan.
......
On the other hand, after fighting for a while, the Heavenly Demon Sect retreated, as it was now the demon beast army's turn to attack.
Lin Xuan withdrew from the battle and returned to Solitary River Peak.
The sect leader emerged from the shadows.
Lin Xuan said, "I almost couldn't hold back today. I wanted to kill the Seven Disciples."
"Don't rush. We need time too. We can't waste this hard-earned opportunity."
"Understood. How much longer do we need?"
"Two more days should be enough."
"Alright."
"Good. Go rest. Leave the rest to the others. You're not fighting alone."
Another group of Seven Stars Sword Sect members was handling the demon beast army.
The sect leader had secretly brought people to Solitary River Peak, leaving nothing to chance. His plan was to eliminate both the demon beast army and the Seven Disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect in one fell swoop.
However, he realized that the combined forces of both sides were stronger than expected. He also noticed that a portion of the Heavenly Demon Sect was hiding in the shadows, their intentions unclear.
As for the demon beast army, although he had never fought General Black Horn, he felt the odds of victory were slim.
Thus, in the plan, General Black Horn was to be left to Nangong Xiyun.
Although the combined forces were formidable, the sect leader was confident they could win in a direct confrontation.
The problem was that some individuals or demon beasts might escape, which was unacceptable. This was a rare opportunity, and he couldn't afford to let the results be less than perfect.
So, for now, they were feigning weakness, hiding a portion of their forces, and making the enemy believe that the Seven Stars Sword Sect was fighting non-stop. In reality, they were rotating their forces.
Moreover, the Seven Stars Sword Sect's rotation was more efficient than that of the demon beast army or the Heavenly Demon Sect. Instead of being worn down, the Seven Stars Sword Sect was gradually exhausting their enemies.
By slowly wearing them down, when the enemy finally launched their full-scale assault, the Seven Stars Sword Sect would deliver an unexpected counterblow.
They couldn't afford to be impatient. The goal was to eliminate every last one of them.
This was the sect leader's plan.