The most infuriating thing was: No one knew whether Yun Jin would have another surprise after her last burst of energy. She still had her Master!
Surely, Fairy Liu Li had left something for her.
And the Wandao Saint.
Even though Wandao Saint had already passed, surely he had given his chosen heir some valuable resources.
Right.
The Tian Po Sword had not even moved from Yun Jin's sword imprint.
The Tian Po Sword itself was not too concerning. It had already suffered significant damage in previous battles, and at most it could now unleash early Mahayana-level power, which would not affect the overall battle.
But…
Aside from the Tian Po Sword, who knew what other trump cards Wandao Sain had left for Yun Jin?
Yun Jin could afford to stall slowly.
But they could not. Zhai Ge's face darkened instantly. What had once been an effortless victory now dragged on because of her. And now the ones who would lose face were them!
If this did not end quickly, the one doomed to catastrophe would be Zhai Ge himself. His expression blackened further. He could not let Yun Jin drag this out any longer. His gaze shifted toward the sect disciples below.
These disciples and the Evil Dao were fighting back and forth, neither side gaining the upper hand.
Zhai Ge narrowed his eyes and suddenly charged at Yun Jin.
Yun Jin instinctively dodged.
Yet Zhai Ge did not continue his pursuit.
The next instant, he descended, producing a rope in his hand. In a flash, all the sect disciples participating in the battle were bound.
Yun Jin's expression shifted slightly.
The next moment, it became one of fury.
"Zhai Ge! The one you want to kill is me!" Yun Jin said coldly.
She had not expected him to abandon her as a target and instead attack the sect disciples. With Zhai Ge's power, dealing with disciples at most Tribulation-stage was effortless.
The disciples had no ability to resist and were instantly bound. They could not help but look at Zhai Ge with fear. This was the same Zhai Ge who usually wore a benevolent expression, yet now his face was ferocious.
A long sword appeared in his hand, pressing directly against Kong Huai's neck.
Kong Huai had been the first to act boldly, so he would be the first to pay the price.
Zhai Ge looked at Yun Jin coldly: "Yun Jin, I will give you two choices. First, sever your own arms, or I will kill Kong Huai."
Kong Huai's pupils contracted sharply.
Yun Jin squinted and slowly descended. Other Mahayana-level cultivators also landed, still surrounding her.
Zhai Ge had returned to his normal form. He sneered: "Yun Jin, these people acted boldly only because of you. If you cannot even pay this price, Kong Huai may regret standing up for you."
Kong Huai's expression shifted slightly. In the cultivation world, regrowing severed arms was not impossible, but it required vast amounts of spiritual power.
Zhai Ge was forcing Yun Jin to sever her own arms. What next?
What else would he demand?
Step by step, he was driving Yun Jin into a corner.
Kong Huai wanted to speak.
But the next moment, he found his throat sealed. He could not utter a sound. His expression changed drastically. He looked at Yun Jin anxiously.
Such a simple scheme. Yun Jin should see through it instantly. With her Hall Master's ability, she could never fall for it.
Yun Jin frowned.
"Yun Jin, have you thought this through? I give you three breaths' time," Zhai Ge said with a smile. "Three…"
He understood her deeply. This woman was indeed cunning. But her greatest weakness was her tendency to act boldly!
Back then, she had stepped forward to protect the people of the capital. Though it had turned out well, one wrong move would have destroyed her Dao.
A person like this, claiming justice, only revealed her weakness to others. If Kong Huai and the others had not stepped up, using their lives as leverage might have had no effect.
But they had.
Then this tactic would certainly work on Yun Jin. In other words, it was thanks to the foolishness of Kong Huai and the others!
"Two…"
Zhai Ge continued counting slowly.
"One…"
The moment he finished, Zhai Ge acted without hesitation, targeting Kong Huai.
Yun Jin's gaze was calm.
In her state of super insight, she could see every trace of life, every opportunity.
In that instant, a vine appeared out of nowhere, pulling Zhai Ge's arm and diverting his attack.
Then, she moved like lightning, positioning herself in front of Kong Huai.
Zhai Ge seemed to have anticipated her.
In a flash, all Mahayana-level cultivators concentrated their attacks on this point.
Yun Jin could have dodged.
But if she dodged, Kong Huai would die without a doubt.
So she did not.
She summoned all her spiritual energy, forming a cyan protective shield around her.
The shield did not last long.
Bang.
The shield shattered.
Before her, countless defensive artifacts appeared. They too were quickly destroyed. Yet the joint strike of the Mahayana cultivators carried residual force, surging toward her.
Yun Jin could not dodge.
Gritting her teeth, she used her full spiritual power to withstand the blow. Her face immediately paled, and her body sagged.
Previously, Yun Jin had been able to hold on so long because her super insight allowed her to dodge most attacks perfectly. Now, forced to take the full strike, she instantly entered a critical state.
A smile appeared on Zhai Ge's face. "As foolish as I imagined."
He raised his hand, attacking Jiang Siwei next. He remembered clearly—Jiang Siwei had been the second to step forward, so she would be the second target.
Jiang Siwei remained calm, believing Yun Jin would not risk herself to save others. Her own body was already in poor condition. Attempting to save anyone now would only lead her into a trap, possibly sacrificing herself for nothing.
The most rational choice was to ignore them and continue fighting as before.
Jiang Siwei calmly thought this through, even closing her eyes to await death.
Regret?
A little, yes. But this was her choice, and she accepted all consequences.
A terrifying force surged toward her, and Jiang Siwei waited silently for the end.
Then, in the next instant…
A pained groan came from in front of her.
Jiang Siwei froze.
She opened her eyes and saw Yun Jin standing before her.
Yun Jin's injuries were severe. She had just taken another blow and could barely stand.
Jiang Siwei was momentarily stunned.
She… she actually dared to block it. Was she reckless?
She could not help staring at Yun Jin's back, wanting to ask why.
Everyone knew Yun Jin's potential was limitless. Given time, she could become a top-tier cultivator.
She only needed to stall a bit longer to escape. And now she was taking heavy injuries for others. Was this not courting death?