A scene of despair unfolded within the Tianyu Dao Palace. No matter how many times they killed the guardians, they were instantly revived, twelve Dao Integration peak cultivators at a time, seemingly without any strain on the Taiyuan Rebirth Furnace.
Fang Dingge's hand trembled as he gripped the Dao Burning Furnace, his eyes bloodshot. He desperately wanted to push forward, but he couldn't. Even with their combined strength and artifacts, they couldn't breach the final line of defense.
"We have to destroy the Rebirth Furnace to defeat them. But to do that, we have to get past them…" Despair filled their eyes.
Finally, someone spoke. "Sect Master Fang, it's hopeless. We have to retreat. We can fight another day. If we die here… the Xuanhuang World is doomed!"
Fang Dingge, though unwilling, knew they couldn't succeed. "Retreat!" he snarled.
With the Dao Burning Furnace's dwindling flames clearing a path, they fought their way out of the palace, now surrounded by Taiyuan cultivators.
Their escape, however, was far more difficult than their entry. As if given kill orders, all the Taiyuan cultivators on the battlefield converged on them, a relentless tide ignoring their own safety, intent on bringing down the Ten Sects' leaders.
Already exhausted, and now facing overwhelming odds, casualties were inevitable. By the time they broke through the encirclement and reached the Xuanhuang World's remaining territory, they had suffered heavy losses. Even Jiang Yi Xing, one of the Sect Masters, had been swallowed by the tide of enemies, his fate unknown.
The Xuanhuang cultivators on the battlefield witnessed their leaders' desperate retreat. They had hoped for victory, but the continued absence of news, and the sight of slain Taiyuan cultivators returning to the fight, filled them with dread. If even the combined might of the Sect Masters couldn't destroy the Rebirth Furnace, their enemy was truly inexhaustible. What was the point of fighting?
Despair spread like wildfire, consuming their resolve. The fragile morale they had clung to shattered.
"Kill!" The Taiyuan cultivators launched their final assault.
Facing the endless tide of enemies, the Xuanhuang cultivators broke.
"Run!"
"I want to go home!"
"Where are the others? Why are we abandoned here?!"
The golden chain leading back to the Xuanhuang World was temporarily hidden. There was no escape. But they still ran, trampling each other in their panic.
The Taiyuan cultivators, as if given specific instructions, didn't press their attack, instead tightening the encirclement, savoring their enemies' despair.
"Sect Master Fang…" Situ Yao, his face covered in blood, looked at the panicked cultivators with pity.
Fang Dingge hesitated, then said firmly, "Though we can't sever the golden chain, the Xuanhuang World still has its defensive formations. Taiyuan can't breach them immediately. We need to regroup and devise a new strategy."
They understood his meaning, but the decision was still difficult to accept.
"The defensive formations must remain active. If they fall, we lose not just this territory, but the entire Xuanhuang World. If you have important disciples here, retrieve them. We have ten breaths." His voice was cold as the image of the golden chain solidified.
They didn't argue, quickly retrieving their most promising disciples.
"Let's go." They took one last look at the battlefield, preparing to leave.
"Are you abandoning your comrades?" a voice suddenly asked, stopping them in their tracks.
"I would rather die than live in shame."
It was Li Ping, the rising star of the Evergreen Valley. He looked at the retreating Sect Masters and their elite disciples with contempt. He bowed slightly, then turned and walked towards the enemy.
"Where are you going?" Jiang Yingyue, one of the few who knew him, asked, though the question seemed foolish. Returning to the battlefield now meant certain death.
"To kill the enemy," Li Fan replied coldly, without turning back.
Fang Dingge sighed. "A true hero. Let him go." He stepped into the golden chain and returned to the Xuanhuang World.
His decision was pragmatic. As Sect Masters, they had to report the situation and prepare for Taiyuan's counterattack. But their actions, abandoning their comrades to die, contrasted sharply with Li Fan's selfless sacrifice. Shamefaced, they followed Fang Dingge, forcibly dragging away their own disciples who, inspired by Li Fan, wanted to return to the fight.
"Our invasion of Taiyuan was a grave mistake. As long as the Rebirth Furnace exists, we can't defeat them on their own territory."
"But the situation isn't hopeless. The Rebirth Furnace doesn't work in the Xuanhuang World. They might not dare attack us, even if we retreat."
They reassured their disciples as they returned to their world.
The sudden release of tension, the lingering fear of death, and the guilt of abandoning their comrades overwhelmed them. Many wept openly.
But their grief was short-lived. They looked up in shock.
The golden chain, previously concealed, now hung like a gaping wound in the sky, a faint light emanating from within it. An image of a bloody battlefield appeared, projected onto the heavens.
"Is that… Taiyuan?"
"Why is it appearing in our sky?"
The returning cultivators recognized the scene, their confusion growing. The Sect Masters' faces paled. They tried to control the golden chain, but the Star-Crossing Grand Formation was unresponsive.
"Is this Taiyuan's doing? A show of force…?" They remembered the golden chain solidifying within Taiyuan, and now this image of their comrades being slaughtered, displayed for all in the Xuanhuang World to see. Their faces turned grim. They knew this couldn't be hidden.
As if to savor their victory, the Taiyuan cultivators slowed their slaughter, prolonging their enemies' suffering, forcing them to watch their comrades die in despair.
Different emotions filled the two worlds.
Within the Xuanhuang World:
"What's happening?"
"Ba Hongyi? That's Ba Hongyi! The chief disciple of the Floating Slaughter Sect! How…?"
"That's Zhang Yufan of the Green Wood Sect!"
"I recognize that figure. Wan Ruohong of the Taiyan Sect. I met him once. He went to conquer other worlds, to achieve greatness…"
"Aren't they supposed to be fighting in Taiyuan…?"
They quickly identified the fallen, their confusion and fear growing. The seemingly invincible Xuanhuang World was powerless against Taiyuan, its cultivators slaughtered like toys.
Anger, grief, and despair filled the air.
Then, a series of exclamations echoed through the crowd.
"Who is that? Still fighting despite being surrounded?!"
"He's injured, but he's holding his own!"
Amidst the carnage, a single figure, like a war god, stood out. Even surrounded, he hadn't given up. His sword flashed, each strike claiming dozens of lives.
The Xuanhuang cultivators cheered him on.
"But he can't last much longer," someone said sadly. "The Ten Sects abandoned them. Why didn't they save them?" They felt pity for the lone warrior.
Not only the uninformed populace, but also the returning Ten Sects cultivators, watched Li Fan's struggle, their faces burning with shame. They wanted to return to the fight, to stand beside him, but the memory of Taiyuan's endless legions paralyzed them. Only the truly courageous remained on that battlefield.
They watched in silence, expecting Li Fan's imminent demise. But to their surprise, he continued fighting, hours passing without him falling.
"I saw them hit him with techniques and artifacts. Why isn't he injured?"
"Perhaps it's a distortion caused by the cross-world projection."
"No, wait…" The Great Dao Sect disciples suddenly exclaimed, "My Dao as I!"
"His sword strikes are incredibly powerful. Even Dao Integration cultivators can't withstand them! He's almost cutting through the sky itself!"
"It resembles our Heavenly Sword Sect's Heaven Splitting Sword!"
"And his movement technique… He's dodging effortlessly despite being surrounded…"
"That's our Undying Prison's Ethereal Divine Movement!"
The techniques Li Fan was using were all from the Ten Sects. They were stunned. And his versions seemed even stronger than the originals.
"Sect Master Fang, what do you think?" The Sect Masters were just as shocked as their disciples.
Fang Dingge watched the battle, then sighed. "I heard he achieved multiple breakthroughs during life-or-death battles, a natural war god. I didn't believe it. It seems it was true."
"He's not only mastered the techniques we gave him, but he's improved them? Such talent…" The Sect Masters were speechless.
After a long silence, someone sighed. "What a waste. Such a genius, dying on that battlefield. Given time, he could have…"
"Perhaps we can rescue him? A true prodigy like him is worth more than a dozen Dao Integration cultivators!"
"We tried to bring him back. He refused," Fang Dingge reminded them, silencing them.
They watched the final act of the play unfold. Even the most brilliant performance must eventually end. Though powerful, Li Ping couldn't defeat an endless army.
After three days and nights of relentless fighting, he seemed to have reached his limit. His movements slowed, his sword lost its edge, and even his ability to absorb attacks began to fail. Wounds appeared, blood gushing from them.
The Xuanhuang war god, watched by countless beings in both worlds, finally faltered. But he didn't fall. He stood defiantly, facing the endless tide of enemies.
The Taiyuan cultivators, showing a strange respect, didn't attack, simply waiting for him to die.
Li Fan remained motionless.
Just as everyone assumed he was dead, he raised his head. A strange aura emanated from him, distorting the projection on the Xuanhuang sky.
(End of Chapter)