Elder Feng Lu drew his sword and met Hei Zun head-on.
Clang!
The two blades collided violently. A terrifying shockwave spread outward as Feng Lu was forced several steps back, his feet carving deep grooves into the ground.
"Madam Xinyi, move to a safe place!" Elder Feng Lu shouted.
Hei Zun sneered coldly.
"Hah… you're still trying to protect her, even when you know you're going to die?" he mocked.
"You could have escaped and lived, but instead you choose to stand against me. What a pity."
Elder Feng Lu suddenly laughed.
"You wouldn't understand," he said calmly.
"You people of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Sect are heartless and cruel. You only know how to use others to advance your cultivation."
"In this world, yes, there are the strong and the weak," Feng Lu continued, his gaze sharp.
"But we do not enslave the weak. We protect them. Unlike your sect."
Hei Zun's eyes darkened.
"What nonsense," he scoffed.
"In this world, strength is the only law."
He smiled cruelly and attacked again.
Their swords clashed repeatedly, sparks flying in every direction. Sword waves tore through the air, shaking the surroundings. Hei Zun clearly held the upper hand.
"So strong…" Feng Lu thought grimly.
"He's already at the Early Core Formation Realm. Is the gap between us really this great?"
Twisting his body, Feng Lu narrowly dodged a lethal strike and instantly activated a Heavenly Barrier Talisman, forming a protective shield around Madam Xinyi and Wang Fang. The barrier activated automatically, glowing with layered runes.
Their battle was so intense that anyone who came close would be torn apart.
"Hmph," Hei Zun muttered, surprised.
"A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator shouldn't be able to push me back like this."
Every strike he launched was somehow blocked.
Suddenly,
Hei Zun felt a burning pain in his body.
He leapt backward, eyes wide in shock.
"I'm injured?"
"How did I not notice?"
He stared at Feng Lu in disbelief.
"A Foundation Establishment cultivator… injured me?"
His expression turned vicious.
"I underestimated you," Hei Zun growled.
"No more playing around. I'll go all out."
Meanwhile…
Elder Mu Ziyan finally arrived.
The moment she saw the battlefield, her heart tightened. Feng Lu was already at his limit,he couldn't hold much longer.
She rushed to Madam Xinyi.
"Come with me, now," Mu Ziyan urged.
"But the barrier—" Xinyi hesitated.
"I can break it while they're fighting," Mu Ziyan replied.
"We must move farther away first."
They retreated to a safer distance.
Mu Ziyan quickly took out a strange artifact covered in complex inscriptions.
"This is the Heavenly Formation Breaker," she said, activating it to analyze the barrier.
Madam Xinyi stared in shock.
"An artifact like this… exists?"
"It was a gift," Mu Ziyan explained softly.
"From the Void Star Pavilion, for Wang Fang's birth."
Xinyi froze.
"Wait… what did you just say?"
"The Void Star Pavilion?"
Mu Ziyan's eyes lit up.
"You're right," she said.
"We can ask them for help!"
She opened her storage ring and took out an ancient rune.
"This rune can directly notify the Void Star Pavilion's Sect Master."
She infused her Qi into it.
The rune glowed brightly, then dimmed, consuming a huge amount of her energy.
"It's a high-grade support rune," Mu Ziyan said, breathing heavily.
"Created by the Void Star Pavilion themselves."
Void Star Pavilion domain.
Inside the grand hall.
"Sect Master," Elder Du Qinghan reported.
"The Eternal Flame Sect has requested our aid."
Li Tianlong's expression changed.
"…Was it Wang Yun?" he asked quietly.
"No, Sect Master. One of their elders used the rune."
Li Tianlong clenched his fist.
"What happened to you, old friend…"
"That you couldn't call me yourself?"
Back to the battlefield
Mo Wu stood over a heavily injured Elder Wu Shen.
The Heaven-Devouring Demon Sword pulsed with dark light.
Wu Shen screamed as his soul was torn apart.
"This sword… even weakened from its prime…" Wu Shen gasped.
"It still destroyed my spiritual foundation… lowering my realm…"
He laughed bitterly.
"I never thought I'd die like this."
Mo Wu's eyes were cold.
"You talk too much."
Slash!
Wu Shen's head fell.
Mo Wu stabbed the sword into Wu Shen's chest.
The blade devoured his body, absorbing a burst of golden light. In moments, nothing but ashes remained.
Mo Wu turned, licking his lips.
"Now… where is that woman and child?"
"They couldn't have escaped."
His eyes burned with hatred.
"I'll repay you, Wang Yun," he snarled.
"By refining your child into a pill… and your wife as well."
He suddenly froze.
"What?"
They were already at the edge of the barrier.
"How is that possible?" Mo Wu growled.
"They shouldn't be able to move within the formation!"
His gaze locked onto Mu Ziyan.
"So it was you… Elder Mu Ziyan."
Just as Mu Ziyan was about to lead Xinyi out,
Pshhk!
A blade of sword Qi pierced through her back.
Blood spilled from her lips.
"Elder Mu!" Xinyi cried.
Mu Ziyan staggered, forcing herself to stand.
"Madam… go," she said weakly.
"Take the young master and leave."
"What?" Xinyi shook her head.
"No, we go together!"
Mu Ziyan smiled faintly,
Someone has to stay behind to help the other's