"PROTECT THE SECT! TIAN BA IS UNDER ATTACK!"
Upon hearing the shout, Jian Hong, who had just returned from the back forest, froze in place. A few moments later, however, he dashed toward the main gate. Colliding with several disciples fleeing for safety, he reached the sect's main courtyard, his heart heavy with grief.
With his own eyes, he witnessed the lifeless bodies of sect members scattered across the ground. The scene beyond the gate was utterly horrifying. Blood painted the ground, and the clashing of swords echoed piercingly. "Demons—attacking Tian Ba?"
The towering archway, which separated Tian Ba from the outside world, was now half-collapsed. Demons of various grotesque shapes brutally assaulted the sect's members.
Jian Hong's patience wore thin. Clenching his fists, a bluish light emerged alongside the sword that now rested firmly in his grip. "Whether I live or die, only a coward would retreat from the battlefield."
The young man, his hair tied with a small crown, leaped forward into the fray. His sword found its mark, piercing the heart of a demon as he landed. "Their weakness lies in their hearts. I must aim directly at their chests."
Jian Hong moved swiftly, his sword an extension of his will. Yet when a demon attacked him with inner force, he narrowly dodged, though the energy grazed his arm. "This demon's power is stronger than any I've faced before. It uses inner force. I must avoid direct hits to prevent further damage to my meridians."
As the demon closed in, Jian Hong leapt upward and drove his sword into its back, the blade puncturing its heart. Blood gushed forth as he withdrew his weapon, the demon's body dissolving into smoke that vanished into the air.
But the battle was far from over. A nearby demon, enraged by the death of its comrade, stepped forward to confront Jian Hong. "A feeble human like you dares to kill my kin?"
"If humans are born weak, then what should your kind be called? Isn't staying in the borderlands enough for you that you must invade our lands?" Jian Hong's gaze was sharp.
The demon before him had a body made of stone, with streams of molten lava coursing through its cracks. It bore two horns and a face resembling a fleshed-out skull. "This is war. The defeated must bow to the victor's rules."
"But you haven't won yet. The cultivators still guard the borders, and you've already violated the rules of war!"
"We are demons, not humans. We have no rules and obey none. As long as we can conquer the human realm, we'll do whatever it takes." The demon teleported to Jian Hong in a flash, hoisting him onto its shoulder and slamming him into the ground.
Jian Hong hit the earth hard, but he quickly drove his sword into the ground, lessening the impact. "This demon's cultivation is a level higher than the last one, but the gap in power feels immense. I need a strategy to win without using inner force."
As the fiery demon prepared to strike again, Jian Hong caught the movement from the corner of his eye. He leapt upward and kicked the demon's head mid-air. Yet his own body was flung far, crashing into the remnants of the archway.
Debris rained down, striking Jian Hong as he lay beneath it. "Its body is incredibly durable. It felt like kicking solid steel. This demon possesses fire, but its entire body is stone?"
Wu Hao, one of the elders fighting nearby, noticed Jian Hong and shouted in panic, "What are you doing here? Get inside and protect the sect!"
"I'll fight alongside you." Jian Hong clutched his chest, struggling to rise as he brushed off the debris covering him.
"You fool! After this battle, we don't even know if we'll survive, but the sect must endure. You cannot throw your life away for nothing!" Wu Hao was forced back as a demon's blade grazed his face. "Argh!"
"Elder Wu!" Jian Hong cried out. Ignoring the pain and injuries on his body, he dashed forward, intercepting the demon's sword with his own.
His eyes burned with determination. "No one shall harm the members of Tian Ba Sect!" Jian Hong parried the sword with all his might before launching a relentless counterattack, forcing the demon to retreat.
The bull-headed demon with a centipede-like body growled in rage. Before Jian Hong could press his advantage, the fiery demon returned, spewing flames that nearly scorched him if not for his quick reflexes.
Wu Hao stepped in, releasing blue inner energy to hold back both demons. "This battlefield is no place for you. As an elder, I command you to retreat and safeguard the sect."
"No. Elder, trust me. We will win. No one will die in this battle."
With those words, Jian Hong and Wu Hao stood back-to-back, their movements synchronized as they turned to face the six demons surrounding them.
"Jian Hong, if you die, don't expect me to return your body to your family," Wu Hao muttered, his eyes fixed on their enemies.
"Then let's promise not to die," Jian Hong replied.
As the six demons attacked, Jian Hong and Wu Hao soared into the air. Jian Hong, unable to sustain himself mid-air without inner force, landed quickly and darted between the demons' legs, striking at their vulnerable spots.
Red ichor splattered onto Jian Hong as his blade found its marks, yet the demons showed no sign of falling. "What's wrong? Before, they died when I pierced their hearts. Why are their wounds healing so quickly now?"
"EVERYONE, UNITE YOUR STRENGTHS! FORM THE SPIRIT SEAL!"
Upon hearing the command from another elder, the injured sect members rose gradually, extending their hands upward. A blue light appeared, forming a triangular seal filled with intersecting lines.
This formation, the Spirit Seal, could bind the souls of living beings. Its power depended on the number of participants and the strength of the souls being sealed.
Jian Hong gazed up at the formation in awe. "If I had inner force, I might have been able to contribute."
Since childhood, Jian Hong had been unable to open his meridians, rendering him incapable of cultivation despite countless attempts with various methods. The result was always the same—he couldn't succeed.
Now the demons began to falter, clutching their heads as the formation pulled at their souls. "ARGHHHH!!!"
But the formation rapidly drained the cultivators' inner energy. Several disciples coughed up blood, collapsing unconscious from the strain.
"This formation demands too much cultivation energy. If they keep this up, their bodies might break apart," Jian Hong thought, frustration mounting as he realized his helplessness.
Striking the air in frustration, Jian Hong muttered, "If only I could cultivate on the Divine Path, I could help them now."
Then, a realization struck him. "Some demons turned to smoke when I pierced their hearts. But higher-level demons wield fire and have bodies as hard as stone."
"That means their hearts ignite and burn them into smoke. But the stronger demons draw power from their fire, and the stone must be a form of protection. If I can strip away the stone, their inner flames might destroy them."