On the other hand, Little Yu opened her eyes, now fully rested.
"Su Luo, I'm ready."
Su Luo grinned widely. "What a coincidence—so am I."
While protecting Little Yu, he had also been recovering his energy. The stamina he'd expended dealing with minor demonic beasts and Heavenly Demon Sect members had been replenished even faster than it was drained.
"Then let’s stir up some chaos again. Opportunities like this don’t come often, Little Yu."
"Understood."
Little Yu rejoined the battlefield, swinging her sword in a sweeping arc that felled every demonic beast within fifty paces.
With Su Luo at her side, she could fight without restraint.
Su Luo casually flicked his blade, slaughtering the beasts in the opposite semicircle.
And then—
**BOOM!!!**
The familiar explosions erupted across the battlefield once more—this time, even more frequently.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the symphony has begun."
"Listen closely to the sound of your demise."
......
The demonic beasts faltered mid-charge, their advance growing unsteady. The explosions were too bizarre—no one could pinpoint their source, yet they struck everywhere at once.
Still, the beasts weren’t overly frightened. They mindlessly surged forward regardless.
The Heavenly Demon Sect, however, reacted differently. They were far more terrified, scrambling to locate the origin of the blasts—but no matter how hard they searched, they found nothing.
Even many titled Heavenly Demons failed to uncover the truth, and that realization struck true fear into their hearts.
In stark contrast, each explosion acted like a war drum, invigorating the allied sects.
"The explosions! The explosions are back!"
"Hahaha! Blow them all to hell! Keep it up!"
"Let’s not fall behind, brothers! Charge!"
Lin Xuan, watching the relentless detonations, finally collapsed backward—but not without a laugh.
"Good... very good!"
Elder Yan also smiled. "Su Luo has returned."
"Yes. What magnificent explosions."
"Indeed. Now, rest for a while. Soon, you'll rejoin the battle."
Protecting Lin Xuan, naturally, fell to Elder Yan.
Emerging from Lin Xuan’s body, Elder Yan gradually materialized as a translucent figure.
"Leave the rest to me for now."
After all this time, Elder Yan had regained some of his strength. Maintaining this semi-corporeal form wouldn’t be an issue, giving Lin Xuan ample time to recover.
"Mm."
This time, Lin Xuan didn’t refuse. He focused entirely on restoring his energy.
With Su Luo’s explosions wreaking havoc, the allied sects found their burden lifted.
Su Luo’s control over the blasts was impeccable—they erupted in densely packed clusters of beasts, launched Heavenly Demon Sect assassins skyward mid-ambush, or even shielded allies from fatal strikes at the last moment.
The explosions could be devastatingly destructive or surgically precise.
To onlookers, they seemed almost... alive.
The tide of battle had turned.
"I’m so grateful! I wish I knew who was behind these explosions!"
"Same here. Right now, I feel completely safe—like an invisible shield is guarding us."
"Don’t get careless, idiots! This takes a toll on him too. Don’t make his job harder."
"Hah! Let’s go! Slaughter these beasts!"
"And don’t forget those Heavenly Demon Sect bastards!"
......
Even so, it took half a day before the demonic beast horde was nearly wiped out.
The Heavenly Demon Sect, however, proved far more cunning—striking opportunistically before retreating, minimizing their casualties.
Lin Xuan, meanwhile, kept bouncing back like a jack-in-the-box. Each time he rose, he carved through swathes of beasts, earning the respect of his peers.
Above, the high-level battle remained deadlocked. Each side sought an opening, but none could be found.
Their fight was a chaotic free-for-all, making reckless moves unthinkable.
In short, neither side could gain the upper hand.
The Grand Priest glanced downward and declared, "It’s over. We’re leaving."
His two generals disengaged seamlessly, appearing at his side.
The outcome was decided. They’d done all they could—the final reckoning would wait for another day.
The Left Envoy, still hoping the beast tide would weaken the Emperor Heaven Sect, protested, "Leaving so soon? We could still play a little longer."
Di Haoran agreed. "You think you can just walk away?"
"Exactly. Stay a while." The Left Envoy didn’t want the Grand Priest’s group escaping so easily.
Unlike the beasts, humans were far more cunning. Di Haoran and the Left Envoy, for once in perfect sync, moved to intercept the Grand Priest.
But the Grand Priest had already finished chanting. A mysterious force descended upon him—and not just him. His generals and the remaining powerful beasts were also enveloped.
Before Di Haoran and the Left Envoy’s attacks could land, their targets vanished into thin air.
Both men struck nothing but air.
The Left Envoy reacted instantly, redirecting his assault toward Di Haoran.
But Di Haoran wasn’t fooled. He effortlessly parried the blow.
The Left Envoy retreated with a laugh. "Hah! In that case, we’ll take our leave too."
"You think you can?" Di Haoran glared. Letting one group escape was bad enough—but two?
"Ridiculous. If the beasts could leave, why not us?"
The Left Envoy raised one hand, the Right Envoy raised the other—and when their palms met—
Dark, inky projectiles rained from the sky like a meteor shower.
If left unchecked, the devastation below would be catastrophic.
Di Haoran, Nangong Xiyun, and the others had no choice but to intercept the attack.
By the time the last projectile was destroyed, the Left and Right Envoys were long gone.
Most of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s forces had already fled, and the stragglers were scrambling to retreat.
Seeing this, Su Luo called out, "Little Yu, time to go."
"But what about A’Yun?"
"Don’t worry. She’ll be fine."
Reassured, Little Yu followed Su Luo without further protest.
Di Haoran, watching the Heavenly Demon Sect escape, seethed with fury.
The demonic beasts had slipped away, and now the Heavenly Demon Sect too—coming and going as they pleased.
Finally, the Mahayana-stage experts turned their wrath on the stragglers below.
Some low-level cultivators from both the beast horde and the Heavenly Demon Sect had been left behind.
Di Haoran flicked his wrist, annihilating scores in an instant.
Then he spotted Su Luo and Little Yu making their exit, mistaking them for Heavenly Demon Sect remnants.
A casual slash shot toward them—one he expected to end them effortlessly.
Yet they dodged.
"Hmph. Heavenly Demon Sect scum—you die here."
Another strike, this time more powerful.
But before it could land, Nangong Xiyun appeared in front of Di Haoran, deflecting the attack with her own blade.
"What’s the meaning of this?"
"Leave them to me."
"No need. I can handle it."
Exchanging targets for mere Nascent Soul cultivators? Absurd. A single move should suffice.
Nangong Xiyun pressed her sword against Di Haoran’s neck. "I said, *leave them to me.*"
Di Haoran: "......"
"Fine."
A pause.
Di Haoran: "Aren’t you going to act?"
"Do you doubt my ability?"
"No."
The ice in Nangong Xiyun’s voice sent an inexplicable chill down Di Haoran’s spine.
...Very well. He’d deal with the others instead.
He had no reason to distrust Nangong Xiyun.