At this moment, several critical battles elsewhere had also taken a disastrous turn.
Apart from Jiang Linglong, both the Radiant Heaven Mirror and Master Zhang were overwhelmed. The Radiant Heaven Mirror, in an unfavorable position, would likely be suppressed once its power was depleted.
Master Zhang, though possessing profound cultivation, faced the Demon Lair Lord, whose strength within the Demon Lair was comparable to the pinnacle of the Golden Core stage. Master Zhang had already fallen into a dire disadvantage, with the risk of death looming over him.
Scanning his surroundings, Master Zhang realized the situation was dire and resolved to make a final stand.
He laughed bitterly and proclaimed, "Even if I die today, I will make the Demon Lair pay a heavy price!"
With those words, he forcibly dissolved his physical body, sending his Golden Core wrapped in blood essence hurtling toward the shackled Celestial Sky Sword.
"Not good!"
The Demon Lair Lord tried to intercept but was too late.
Master Zhang sacrificed his Golden Core and blood essence to the sword, unleashing an immense surge of power that shattered the demonic energy restraining it.
As it turned out, Master Zhang was a descendant of the sword's original owner. Despite the passage of millennia, his late-stage Golden Core cultivation and bloodline were enough to fully awaken the Celestial Sky Sword, amplifying its power to the peak.
This unexpected connection shocked everyone, as no one had anticipated such a resolute and fiery action.
Fully revived, the Celestial Sky Sword slashed down with unparalleled might, akin to being wielded by a Nascent Soul cultivator. Its first strike cleaved the Demon Lair Lord in half. Despite employing every trick, the Demon Lair Lord could only manage to preserve his Golden Core and escape.
The second strike targeted Daoist Taicang, who, despite his near-perfect Golden Core cultivation within the Demon Lair, dared not take the blow head-on. He sacrificed three magic treasures and suffered severe injuries to flee.
These two strikes consumed all of Master Zhang's blood essence and cultivation. With his life force and cultivation expended, Master Zhang perished on the spot.
The Celestial Sky Sword's power waned considerably after the second strike. It ceased targeting the Golden Core demon cultivators and turned its focus to assisting the Radiant Heaven Mirror in suppressing the Seven Fiends Devil Skulls.
Though neither treasure was at its peak, their combined effort significantly diminished the Seven Fiends Devil Skulls' dominance.
Seeing three of the Golden Core demon cultivators flee and the Blood Robe Elder still attempting to escape, Jiang Linglong acted decisively. She unleashed the Five Tribulations of the Void Divine Light, killing the Blood Robe Elder on the spot.
Despite the victory, the cost was monumental.
Jiang Linglong sighed, realizing they could no longer sustain the battle. The fight had lasted nearly two hours, and any longer would see the strength of the Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion cultivators begin to wane.
The demon cultivators, on the other hand, continuously replenished their strength through the demonic energy of the Demon Lair. If the battle dragged on, the Daoist Taicang might return, making the situation even worse.
Both the Radiant Heaven Mirror and Celestial Sky Sword had already suffered significant losses during the last Demon Abyss calamity and had yet to recover fully. Continuing the fight would risk the treasures' complete exhaustion without subduing the Seven Fiends Devil Skulls.
Glancing at the sky, Jiang Linglong reluctantly ordered, "Retreat for now; we'll settle the score another day."
"These demon cultivators..."
Elian muttered coldly as he decapitated a Purple Mansion demon cultivator with a single strike.
The army began an orderly retreat, with Elian and the other False Golden Core cultivators covering the rear.
After half an hour, the forces exited the Demon Lair. Hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators and numerous Purple Mansion elders, abandoning all pretense, collapsed onto the ground, exhausted and began expelling the invading demonic energy.
"Sigh."
Once outside, Elian surveyed the weary cultivators around him, a trace of sadness flashing in his heart.
Of the five Golden Core cultivators who entered the Demon Lair, Daoist Taicang had betrayed them, Daoist Taicang's junior sister was killed by him, and Master Zhang died heroically. Only Jiang Linglong and Fairy Lingji survived.
The demon cultivators, meanwhile, had only lost the Blood Robe Elder, making this a disastrous defeat.
Still, there was some solace in the destruction of the Demon Lair Lord's physical body, which would take a full sixty years to reconstruct, even with the aid of the Nether Spring. Daoist Taicang was grievously injured, and Demon Yan's Golden Core was shattered, temporarily reducing him to the False Golden Core stage.
For both sides, this was a grim and devastating war.
"Boom!"
While Elian's thoughts churned, two radiant streaks emerged from the Demon Lair—the Celestial Sky Sword and the Radiant Heaven Mirror, breaking free from the demonic energy.
"Let's retreat," Jiang Linglong said, shaking her head.
Under such circumstances, even surrounding the Demon Lair with the Heavenly Fire Demon-Slaying Formation and the Azure Blue Array was futile.
With the impending beast calamity, they lacked the strength to maintain pressure on the Demon Lair.
As the army withdrew, several urgent messages were sent out.
Seven days later.
Within a grand hall at the Celestial Sky Sword Sect's domain, a solemn meeting was underway.
Seated in the hall were Jiang Linglong, Lingji Fairy, Celestial Sky Sword Sect's Grand Elder Master Qian, Lin Elder, Elder Taigu of the Azuregreen Sect, and Elian.
Celestial Sky Sword Sect's Grand Elder, Master Qian, glared at Elder Taigu, his gaze brimming with killing intent.
"Elder Taigu, your Azuregreen Sect caused the death of my sect master. You must give an explanation."
"This matter..."
Elder Taigu's face was full of sorrow. The betrayal of his sect master and the murder of his junior sister had completely blindsided him.
Even now, Elder Taigu felt dazed and confused, unable to fully comprehend the events.
After a long silence, he swallowed hard and trembled as he said, "This is indeed our Azuregreen Sect's fault."
"My sect possesses a mid-tier fourth-rank Earth Vein. It will yield another Earth Element Pearl in sixty years. We will offer it as compensation."
One Earth Element Pearl was far from sufficient, but seeing Elder Taigu's trembling form, Master Qian couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.
Elder Taigu was already 750 years old. If the Azuregreen Sect were to offer more, it would risk losing its foundational strength and legacy.
Jiang Linglong interjected, "This defeat was orchestrated by both the demon lords and the dragon sovereign. Blame cannot rest solely on the Azuregreen Sect."
Her words stayed Master Qian's demands for further compensation.
Looking at Jiang Linglong, Master Qian couldn't help but ask, "Fairy Jiang, with two late-stage Golden Core demons now in the Demon Lair, it has become a significant threat. What should we do?"
"If this plot was laid by both the demon lords and the dragon sovereign, then it is not merely our burden to bear," Jiang Linglong replied calmly, her gaze fixed on the distant void.
"Send word to the Ji Kingdom and seek an answer from the Ji Clan."
...
100+ chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D