The moment it was revealed that the one who had ambushed Yang Yun was none other than Ye Qingxue of Xuanqing Palace, the disciples of Zhengyang Sect instantly erupted in fury.
This woman dared to launch an attack on Yang Yun in full view of everyone.
Did she take them all for air? Did she see Zhengyang Sect as nothing at all?
"You court death!"
With furious shouts, countless figures surged toward Ye Qingxue, murderous intent flooding the gorge.
The disciples of Xuanqing Palace, of course, could not simply stand aside while one of their own was besieged. This was no longer a matter of personal honor—it concerned the reputation of their sect.
Seeing Zhengyang Sect disciples charging, they too struck out without hesitation.
In an instant, the battlefield dissolved into chaos.
Liu Qing'er, who had been pressing the disciples of Hehuan Sect, quickly assessed the situation. Realizing the clash between Zhengyang Sect and Xuanqing Palace was spiraling out of control, she decisively ordered the disciples of Myriad Sword Gate to disengage and retreat to a safe distance, far from the erupting storm.
On the side of Hehuan Sect, Bai Xiruo and her companions were first stunned, then quickly overjoyed.
They had believed themselves doomed beyond salvation, yet just when annihilation seemed certain, the tides shifted in their favor.
Upon the icy cliff, Wang Jianqiang observed the sudden turmoil with a faint smile.
The alliance of three sects had seemed formidable, but in truth, it was nothing more than a makeshift coalition—held together only by the authority of its leading disciples and the flimsy glue of verbal agreements.
So long as nothing disturbed their balance, all was well. But the moment a serious rift appeared, the entire structure would crumble.
Ye Qingxue's public strike against Yang Yun was precisely such a rift.
At his side, Mu Lingxi watched the changing tide of the battlefield, her face full of astonishment.
Moments ago, the disciples of Hehuan Sect had been driven to the brink of extermination. Even if she and Wang Jianqiang had intervened, they could not have turned the tide.
Yet with this single move from Ye Qingxue, the entire situation was overturned.
Such strategy was nothing short of brilliant.
She cast him a curious glance. "This wasn't… your idea, was it?"
Wang Jianqiang smiled faintly. "Just a little nudge."
Mu Lingxi's eyes widened in admiration. "No wonder people say the old foxes are the most cunning. Live long enough, and you really do grow sly."
His expression darkened. "That's called strategy."
She stuck out her tongue playfully. "So, what do we do now? Shall we lend a hand?"
He shook his head, gaze still fixed on the bloody melee below.
"Not yet."
Inside the gorge, the clash between Zhengyang Sect and Xuanqing Palace only grew fiercer.
By now, aside from a handful like Su Su and Lin Xian'er—who remained calm enough not to act—the rest had already thrown themselves into battle.
Only those disciples stationed at the rear to maintain the barrier, ignorant of what had triggered the conflict, remained hesitant and confused.
But as the fighting escalated and tempers burned hotter, even they could not hold back. Though they still did not know why the sects had turned on each other, the reason hardly mattered anymore.
Once the slaughter began, nothing else was needed.
In the blink of an eye, allies maintaining the barrier together became enemies exchanging blows.
"Calm down! If the barrier falls, the disciples of Hehuan Sect will surely escape!" a disciple of Myriad Sword Gate cried out.
"Calm your damn self!" a Zhengyang Sect disciple roared back, having just been blasted aside by a surge of spiritual power. In his rage, he swung a fist and sent the speaker flying.
The battlefield descended into complete chaos.
Without the support of spiritual power, the barrier collapsed entirely. Soon after, the great bell sealing the exit was withdrawn by Su Su herself, as she joined the fight.
The exit now lay wide open, without the slightest obstruction.
Seeing this, Liu Qing'er shook her head.
At this point, reconciliation between Zhengyang Sect and Xuanqing Palace was impossible.
The plan to eradicate the disciples of Hehuan Sect had failed beyond recovery.
Remaining here any longer was meaningless.
She waved her hand, decisively leading Myriad Sword Gate's disciples through the exit and out of the secret realm.
Watching them leave, Bai Xiruo exhaled a long breath, her heart filled with disbelief.
Moments ago, Hehuan Sect had been at the very edge of destruction, yet now their crisis had dissolved like mist in the sun.
The speed and strangeness of the reversal made it feel almost dreamlike.
Around her, the surviving disciples of Hehuan Sect wore expressions of relief and exhilaration.
Bai Xiruo raised her hand, preparing to lead them away, when suddenly a voice rang directly within her mind.
Her expression shifted. She froze in midair, immediately lifting her palm to halt the others behind her.
"Senior Sister Bai, what is it?"
The others looked to her in puzzlement.
She did not answer at once. Her gaze flicked toward a distant glacier, then back to the battlefield where Zhengyang Sect and Xuanqing Palace tore each other apart.
After a long pause, she spoke: "Tell me, do you wish to avenge yourselves?"
The disciples started.
"What do you mean, Senior Sister?" Su Yutong asked, her eyes narrowing.
Bai Xiruo's gaze swept across them, steady and sharp. "With Zhengyang Sect and Xuanqing Palace locked in conflict, perhaps… we could seize this chance for vengeance."
The others stiffened.
"Senior Sister, that's too risky. Su Su and Lin Xian'er are both at mid Foundation Establishment. Among us, only you stand at that level. As long as they remain, their top-tier strength surpasses ours."
"Yes," another added gravely. "Though both sects will suffer great losses, our own strength has already been badly drained. If we provoke them into uniting again, we will be the ones to suffer."
Their reasoning was clear, and the disciples nodded in agreement.
Bai Xiruo fell silent, then said softly, "And if I told you I was certain of success?"
The disciples hesitated, shifting uneasily.
"Senior Sister Bai, let it go. Take today's loss as a lesson bought with blood."
"That's right. There's no need to throw our lives away."
"Let's leave."
The brush with annihilation had left them shaken to the core. The thought of gambling their lives once more filled them with instinctive dread.
Bai Xiruo shook her head slowly. "Anyone who wishes to leave may do so. Those who trust me may stay."
Her words caused the group to falter, eyes flickering with hesitation.
At last, one disciple cupped his fists. "Senior Sister Bai, we owe today's survival to you. But my state is too poor to continue. Forgive me." With that, he was the first to fly into the exit.
"I am unwell as well. I'll take my leave."
"My spiritual power is spent. I can't go on."
"My younger sister awaits me outside."
"My mother is giving birth…"
One after another, figures departed, each with their own excuse.
In the end, only Su Yutong remained.
"Senior Sister Bai, let's not do this. There will be other opportunities for vengeance in the future."
Shaking her head, Su Yutong too departed through the exit.
When all was said and done, only Bai Xiruo stood alone in the void.
Upon the icy cliff, Wang Jianqiang looked down upon her solitary figure and chuckled.
"So, this Bai Xiruo, soft and fragile as she appears, is far bolder than expected."
Mu Lingxi shook her head. "But now that everyone else has left, your plan seems ruined."
Wang Jianqiang only smiled, unconcerned.
"With a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator like her still here, it is enough."
His gaze drifted once more toward the battlefield where Zhengyang Sect and Xuanqing Palace were locked in mutual slaughter.
Of the more than eighty who had originally stood united, fewer than fifty now remained combat-capable, each one already drained of strength.
After a brief moment of observation, Wang Jianqiang withdrew his gaze.
From the summit of the glacier, he leapt down into the gorge.
At the same instant, a voice sounded in Mu Lingxi's ear:
"It's time to close the net."