Xiuying felt complicated. Her tears barely had the time to dry off since Tai died an abrupt death. Her head, body, and heart were a total mess too, and she had no idea what to think anymore. With how painful the day had been, everything seemed closer to a dream than reality. She wanted to run away to a happier time and close off her eyes, pretending as if the nightmare around her would end soon. It would have been easier that way. But when she saw Elizabeth and Freon unleashing all those spells, for some strange reason, she snapped out of it. The first time she met them in the Yunyun Stronghold, they were incomparably weak and innocent like children lost in a storm. Meanwhile, Xiuying was a Half-Perception Realm and at her age, that was a rare accomplishment worth bragging about. Given her talents, she had a strong chance at catching up to those apex experts like Sir Winstin or Cardinal Hui! Yet before she knew it, Elizabeth and her friends had risen to such heights that she could only admire them from afar. She felt ashamed, so how could she sit around and let them take care of everything? She had to do her part too!
"Hold it! You're in no shape to fight with those injuries. You'll only throw your life away if you joined now," Imperian Qiang said and grabbed her by the shoulder.
The girl gave her uncle a sidelong glance and anger bubbled up inside her. The only injuries that Imperian Qiang sustained so far were a few scratches and bruises, making him one of the healthiest people here, yet he had the nerve to preach to her about staying out of the fight? It rubbed her the wrong way. She immediately snapped, threw away his hand, and sneered, "And what? Are you going to fight instead?"
Imperian Qiang frowned. "You know I didn't mean it that way."
"I never did like you," Xiuying snorted. She always hated his indecisiveness. If he acted like how a true patriarch should have and led the Li Family properly, then perhaps none of this would have happened. Perhaps Protector Tai did not have to die! Her heart burned with anger and hatred towards her uncle. While her uncle was stunned, she walked away and joined Elizabeth at the front.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth felt the urge to say something after seeing Xiuying's injuries. "You should listen to Imperian Qiang and stay back to recuperate. You're not in fighting condition."
"Shouldn't I say the same thing about you?" Xiuying replied expressionlessly.
Elizabeth smiled wryly. She also felt that the sensible decision would be to withdraw from the frontlines and stay in the rear. After all, she was one of the main targets of the Imperial Council's attack. Putting herself in harm's way like this was counterproductive to their goals. Previously, she could stand and fight precisely because her strength could rival the Ten Dawns. Her Peak Gaseous Fog Core combined with the Dual Core Rending Technique gave her the power of a Rank Transcendent Lord! But now it was a different story when she was out of Magic Energy. Her combat ability zeroed out! Yet, she could not bring herself to retreat either. Since she would not, how could she convince Xiuying? Xiuying was really too similar to her. Therefore, Elizabeth gave up and refocused.
Cardinal Loujin started the battle again and charged ahead with his gigantic body. He was like a battering ram, breaking through with unparalleled momentum! No one dared to meet him head-on, even the apex combatants. They would be directly reduced to meat paste if they tried! Everyone scattered and avoided the attack, but Cardinal Loujin soon frowned. He abruptly raised his shield up just as a massive attack slammed into him. It pierced right through his shield, his armor, and his body! The untouchable man finally coughed up blood and staggered! It was Benedict's Cloud Sea Style: Spring Rain! Benedict retracted his sword while sweat rolled off his forehead. Executing the Cloud Sea Styles continuously like this pushed the limits of his Martial Energy. Martial Energy was also finite, and overexerting it had the risk of death, just like Magic Energy. He had to make every attack count!
The stumble in momentum was captured by his allies. The Spider Four assumed the four cardinal directions around Cardinal Loujin before entering their four-starred formation. They were originally the Spider Seven, and their prestige stemmed from their formations involving the myriad constellations. With their near-perfect coordination, they could create an unavoidable killer move! They moved in unison to kill Cardinal Loujin. His presence on the battlefield was too big to be ignored! Yet, the man snorted and slammed his humongous shield into the ground, creating a minor shockwave that rippled away from him. The Spider Four lost their footing! In that same instant, Cardinal Yongyu assisted her partner with a flurry of throwing knives. Thousand Storms also dove in with his sword, followed by several Perception Realms experts, and the Spider Four were helpless to respond, but how could their enemies sit by and watch?
Thousand Storms and Cardinal Loujin instinctively raised their guard, just as a blur zipped through the battlefield and appeared a short distance away. It was so fast that even Perception Realm Masters only saw her afterimage. Surprisingly, it was Mingyu Loon! Thousand Storms and Cardinal Loujin felt their weapons shaking from the tremendous impact. She also killed two other Perception Realms at the same time! Her speed transcended the logic of the world, making it hard for them to believe that someone could be this fast. Sir Winstin came in and slammed down with terrifying force. Thousand Storms raised his sword and parried the blow, but the force was enough to sink him into the ground. Sir Winstin frowned and jumped back when Reverent Monk appeared. The monk smiled sinisterly and pursued him like a shadow. The two exchanged numerous blows.
On the other side, Humming Swordsman arrived next to the Spider Four and his sword sailed through the air to neatly intercept Cardinal Yongyu's knives just as the woman herself showed up. Cardinal Yongyu was not called a master of many weapons without reason. She masterfully dual-wielded two swords and completely suppressed Humming Swordsman. Even he, a famous swordsman from the Li Family, had to defend for his life. Cardinal Yongyu slashed down and narrowly skimmed Humming Swordsman's chest. He dodged it by a hair. He thought he escaped the worst when he suddenly felt death approaching! It was Cardinal Loujin charging over! For Perception Realms, their sense of timing was nearly impeccable. Humming Swordsman had no chance to block! Just as his life flashed before his eyes, Sir Winstin and Mingyu Loon landed in front of Cardinal Loujin as their auras erupted. They simultaneously raised their weapons, combined their strength, and attacked. Boom! Unbelievably, they managed to redirect Cardinal Loujin's charge away!
Humming Swordsman retreated to catch his breath when someone snuck up behind him. The person spat out several needles which blended into the night and became nearly invisible. Clang! Clang! Clang! Another shadow intercepted the needles at high speed, scaring Humming Swordsman silly. He had no idea what happened until two figures appeared. His attacker was Poisoned Widow, and his savior was Blind Snake! Poisoned Widow snorted unhappily, feeling that Blind Snake was returning the favor from their previous fight. A strange sense of rivalry emerged between the two master assassins. The two vanished into the night and fiercely clashed. Humming Swordsman's eyes narrowed when he saw a thin needle had penetrated his thighs. Poisoned Widow's title was self-explanatory. The needle was poisoned!
Reverent Monk pounced on the Spider Four like a monkey gone mad. His staff wildly swung in every direction and displayed an absolute mastery over the weapon. It was practically an extension of his body! No one would have imagined that this perverted monk had reached Perfect Staff Form! He freely alternated between his opponents and suppressed the Spider Four, despite the odds. The Spider Four felt aggrieved. They could not find the leeway to set up their formations since Reverent Monk kept interrupting. Their frustration and anger quickly mounted. Reverent Monk sneered and caught the tiniest of openings and forcefully broke through the formation. He slammed his staff into the weakest person and directly sent them flying across the battlefield. The power behind his attacks was frightening to behold! His opponent was not so lucky. The injuries from earlier accumulated and with this blow, they directly died!