At Ye Lingyun's sharp command, the disciples of the Hehuan Sect broke away from their opponents and rushed desperately toward the secret realm's exit.
Many were grievously wounded in the scramble, yet even as blood poured from their bodies, they pressed forward with everything they had.
"Together! Shatter this barrier!"
In a flash, Ye Lingyun appeared before the shimmering exit.
He pointed with one finger, and a massive beam of spiritual light burst from the bronze mirror above his head, crashing against the barrier.
Boom!
The barrier shuddered violently, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.
At the same time, the rest of the Hehuan Sect disciples arrived. One after another, their spells and strikes fell upon the barrier.
Crack! Crack!
Fissures spread wildly, the barrier on the verge of collapse.
But by now, the three allied sects had caught up.
"Hold them off! I'll break the barrier!"
Ye Lingyun barked in urgency.
"I'll stop Liu Qing'er!"
With a resolute cry, Bai Xiruo surged forward, her body blazing with light.
The others, knowing that victory or death hung in the balance, threw themselves into the fray with reckless abandon.
Puchi!
Bai Xiruo's shoulder was pierced clean through, and she tumbled back, blood spraying.
Su Yutong spat a mouthful of blood, her aura faltering.
Others too were struck down, several grievously injured, and a few—already on the brink of death—were slain outright.
Meanwhile, the bronze mirror above Ye Lingyun erupted once more. A lance of light struck the barrier, and with a final shudder, it shattered completely.
"It's broken!"
Relief washed over Ye Lingyun's face. Bai Xiruo, Su Yutong, and the others brightened with desperate hope.
But before they could rush forward, a colossal bronze bell materialized above, descending to seal the exit.
"Junior Brother Ye, stop the bell!"
"Senior Brother Ye, block it!"
"Ye shixiong—!"
Cries rang out in desperation.
But in Ye Lingyun's heart, only cold mockery stirred.
Stop the bell? And let those holding the barrier regroup and seal them in again?
Without even turning his head, he ignored their pleas and stepped into the exit.
In that instant, a figure suddenly appeared.
Her palm swept forth, vast spiritual power surging like a storm.
Caught completely off guard, Ye Lingyun hastily raised a flimsy shield. It protected his body, but not the bronze mirror overhead.
Clang!
The mirror was struck and flung away from the exit's range.
"My spiritual artifact!"
Ye Lingyun's face twisted in horror. He reached out to reclaim it, but before he could act, the space itself twisted.
A surge of spatial force enveloped him, and he vanished from the secret realm.
A moment later, the bronze bell dropped, sealing the exit.
The disciples of the three allied sects reformed their focus, and a new barrier was quickly woven.
The Hehuan Sect disciples stared in blank despair at the exit—once again shut tight.
That dog, Ye Lingyun, had abandoned them all!
The one path of survival they had fought and bled for was snatched away in an instant.
Hatred boiled in their hearts. They cursed Ye Lingyun's ancestors to the eighteenth generation, every last woman thoroughly "greeted."
None felt the betrayal more keenly than Su Yutong.
Her clan and Ye Lingyun's had long been close, with intentions to join them in marriage. She had even cherished true affection for him.
Never could she have imagined he would cast her aside without a thought.
While the Hehuan disciples seethed in despair, the allied sects turned their gazes toward the figure who had intervened.
"It's her…"
"Ye Qingxue!"
On the mountainside, Wang Jianqiang was not surprised to see that Ye Qingxue had failed to drag Ye Lingyun back.
Instead, he smiled faintly.
"Leaving behind the bronze mirror isn't a bad outcome."
Had Mu Lingxi or Xiaoniao made the attempt, they might have succeeded. But doing so would have exposed them to the combined assault of the three sects—an unacceptable risk.
Ye Qingxue, as a disciple of the Xuanshui Palace, bore no such worry.
Though merely at the early Foundation Establishment stage, she had still managed to strip Ye Lingyun of his precious bronze mirror.
The artifact's power was formidable. Ye Lingyun would surely be pained by its loss.
Within the canyon.
Ye Qingxue's face remained calm as she summoned the bronze mirror into her hand.
Su Su glanced at her, eyes flickering, but said nothing.
Liu Qing'er's expression was equally indifferent, her gaze fixed only on her sword—as if no other thing in the world could stir her heart.
Only Jian Jiu allowed himself a lingering look at the mirror.
"Come back. We're purging the Hehuan Sect disciples. Return to formation."
Lin Xian'er's eyes glimmered as she took in the artifact in Ye Qingxue's grasp.
But Ye Qingxue gave her no reply. Instead, she turned toward Yang Yun, murderous intent surging from her body.
"Yang Yun. You killed five disciples of the Xuanshui Palace. Today, you will pay with your life."
With that, she stepped forward, her killing aura locking onto her target.
Yang Yun trembled, eyes wide. "What? I never killed anyone from your sect! Since entering this secret realm, I haven't even crossed paths with you!"
"Still daring to deny it?"
Ye Qingxue's voice was cold as ice. With a flash of light, a flying sword appeared before her, its tip leveled at Yang Yun.
"Yang Yun… is this true?" Su Su asked, seeing no trace of falsehood in Ye Qingxue's fury.
Yang Yun could only shake her head helplessly. "I swear, I've never harmed them."
Su Su frowned, then turned to Lin Xian'er. "Perhaps this is a misunderstanding."
Lin Xian'er's brows furrowed. She glanced between the Hehuan disciples and Ye Qingxue. "Ye Qingxue, we can discuss this later. Right now, the priority is exterminating the Hehuan Sect."
Through voice transmission, she added: "Those executions were Elder Song's orders. You'd best not interfere."
Ye Qingxue stiffened at that.
For a moment, she seemed to weigh her options. Then, with a venomous glare at Yang Yun, she silently returned to the Xuanshui ranks.
"You've delayed us long enough," Liu Qing'er said, eyes sharp.
"Shall we begin?"
At her words, Su Su and Lin Xian'er turned toward the Hehuan Sect disciples, their voices cold.
"Of course."
"Kill!"
The command rang out, and the two sects surged forward.
"Kill!"
With a sharp cry, Liu Qing'er led her sword disciples into the assault.
"Prepare for a fight to the death."
Bai Xiruo's face hardened, despair flickering in the eyes of her comrades.
But just as the slaughter was about to erupt—
A shrill scream tore from within the Zhengyang Sect's formation.
A disciple was hurled into the air, chest pierced clean through.
Everyone froze.
It was Yang Yun!
All eyes swung toward her broken body.
Then, almost in unison, they turned to a single direction.
At the edge of the Xuanshui ranks, a beautiful young woman stood with her sword hovering before her.
Fresh blood dripped from its edge, drop by drop.