As soon as the retreat signal was given, the members of the Heavenly Demon Sect immediately made their way to the vicinity of the airship. Using a special item nearby, a spiritual energy rope would appear, pulling them back onto the airship.
If you were late, you'd miss it—there was no room for hesitation in such matters.
Yan Xi's trusted aides also began retreating, though some were already severely battered and likely finished, even if they made it back to the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Seeing the retreat signal, Su Luo knew it was time to go.
"I don't know what tricks you're scheming, but next time, I'll destroy you all."
Su Luo raised his aura, knowing that living as a good-for-nothing in the Heavenly Demon Sect wasn't an option.
Surprisingly, the core disciples around him showed no fear, instead jeering at him.
"Don't even think about running! You're just a useless person – what makes you think you can talk big?"
Su Luo chuckled.
"No one is born standing at the top. One day, I will stand at the pinnacle."
With a sweep of his hair, Su Luo's presence fully unfolded.
Some disciples' legs turned to jelly, and they could barely stand.
Yet, that didn't stop the others from shouting.
"Su Luo! Don't even think about escaping—I won't let you go!"
"Su Luo! Traitor to the sect—I'll hunt you down even to the ends of the earth!"
"Su Luo! I love you!"
Eh?
That last one didn’t fit.
Pondering the voice, it was unmistakably male, which was extremely off.
Everyone turned their collective gaze toward the source of that voice.
The man let out a sheepish grin. He couldn't help it—Su Luo had looked so dashing, and the reason behind his actions… well, he had just been overcome with emotion.
But he couldn't let this go unexplained.
"What I mean is… I *hate* you."
Much better.
The core disciples sighed in relief. Don't go spouting nonsense—you almost got Su Luo killed!
Su Luo breathed a sigh of relief too, dodging a potential queer encounter.
Maybe it was time to cool it on the over-the-top posturing—he didn't exactly want to attract the same gender.
"Su Luo!"
His name was called out again, this time with a pleasant female voice.
Li Siyi arrived from afar.
However, by this point, Su Luo was already being whisked away by the airship.
Looking at Li Siyi, Su Luo assumed that she must despise him now, having betrayed the sect to join the Heavenly Demon Sect.
But this was the path he had chosen.
Li Siyi strained her voice to shout at Su Luo, wanting to convey her feelings.
"Even now, I have no regrets!"
Li Siyi reiterated her answer to Su Luo's earlier question.
Su Luo stared at Li Siyi in surprise. That wasn’t the reaction he expected.
At this moment, Li Siyi bore no hatred for Su Luo. Instead, she mouthed silently, "See you next time," her lips curling into a faint smile, as if anticipating their next encounter.
Hahahaha.
Su Luo let out a wild laugh, covering his face. He couldn't quite pinpoint the emotion swirling within him.
Why, in this lifetime, has this kind of you been so special to me?
For a moment, Su Luo felt as though Li Siyi truly understood him.
But how could she?
Besides, I’m meant to be a villain, and I joined the Heavenly Demon Sect. People like me aren't meant to be sympathized with.
Not to mention that this lifetime, he hadn't really done much to help Li Siyi. Most times he could have lent a hand, he chose to ignore her.
Even when he did help, it was under a pseudonym—she had no way of knowing it was him.
So why has her attitude toward me changed so dramatically?
After reflecting on this, Su Luo finally acknowledged his own feelings—he was a little bit happy, to his own annoyance.
He never needed anyone's approval.
She only said one thing, after all.
Su Luo, you're really becoming more and more of a simp.
In the end, Su Luo didn't respond to Li Siyi before he was whisked away, disappearing from everyone's sight.
Standing in place, Li Siyi watched Su Luo's departure and recalled their shared memories, still finding them beautiful.
From the first time she recklessly leapt off a cliff, only to be saved by Su Luo's effeminate disguise…
...
It probably all started changing with that diary.
But soon, Li Siyi snapped back to reality as those around her stared at her with strange expressions.
In truth, Li Siyi hadn’t been present when the sect master and core disciples were speaking about Su Luo.
Nangong Xiyun knew that Li Siyi was one of the few who truly understood the reasons behind Su Luo’s actions.
Since the others had misconstrued the situation—and it was a beautifully convenient misunderstanding—she decided to let it stand.
She mentioned to the sect master that Li Siyi knew about Su Luo.
The sect master agreed, reasoning, "After all, they were childhood sweethearts—it’s natural that she would know."
So in the eyes of the core disciples, Li Siyi was unaware of the reasons Su Luo had joined the Heavenly Demon Sect.
But it was precisely because of this that her behavior seemed so admirable to them.
Despite knowing nothing, she still trusted Su Luo implicitly—a true childhood sweetheart.
The core disciples began imagining a sweet romance in their heads.
Being stared at like this, Li Siyi naturally felt uncomfortable. Recalling her actions, she realized that it wasn’t quite right.
After all, Su Luo was now a traitor—how could she not harbor any resentment toward him?
Li Siyi quickly clarified,
"Su Luo and I are sworn enemies!"
Her statement only made those around her laugh harder. By this point, the Heavenly Demon Sect members had all left, leaving them with no restraints.
"Hahaha, I understand—Su Luo is my sworn enemy too."
"That's right, the very mention of Su Luo fills me with disgust! Hahaha."
Laughter filled the air.
Li Siyi was a bit confused—why were all of them acting so strange?
...
On the airship, more and more people were pulled aboard.
Soon, they were beyond the boundaries of the Seven Stars Sword Sect.
Things had gone surprisingly smoothly.
Wei Changli glanced back, relieved to find no pursuit.
It seemed that Li Huanxi and the others had indeed held them off. But with that, their chances of survival were slim.
Still, they couldn’t afford to relax yet. Wei Changli continued to steer the airship, speeding away.
Su Luo glanced around, realizing that something was off with the plot.
Li Huanxi and several other prominent figures of the Heavenly Demon Sect were supposed to be here, yet they were gone.
Moreover, the current number of people was much smaller.
Judging by that alone, the Heavenly Demon Sect’s raid on the Seven Stars Sword Sect had been a failure.
Su Luo didn’t feel any pity for them—as long as it didn’t affect the main storyline, he was fine.
Eventually, the airship arrived at a stronghold of the Heavenly Demon Sect, where sect elders were stationed, ensuring their safety for the time being.
Wei Changli looked over the battered remnants of their forces and the absence of Li Huanxi and the others, realizing the grim reality.
This operation had failed, and Wei Changli was terrified—he didn’t know how to report this.
He couldn’t run away, so he had no choice but to figure out how to spin it.
Who knew if there would be punishment, but hopefully not—after all, the leader of the operation had been Li Huanxi.
Maybe I can pin all the blame on him?
Wei Changli didn’t feel any guilt toward Li Huanxi—he hadn’t ordered him to stay behind and cover their retreat.
At this moment, Wei Changli’s only concern was his own survival.
Three days later, the news of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s coordinated attack on the Ten Great Sects spread throughout the cultivation world.
It was impossible to fathom—only recently had they been crushed by the Ten Great Sects with no chance of retaliation.
Now, they had simultaneously attacked all ten of them?!
Who said the Heavenly Demon Sect was on the decline?
The entire cultivation world was in a state of shock.
The Heavenly Demon Sect, the underdog, had taken on ten sects at once and achieved complete victory!