Feng You toyed with the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, then took out several items from his storage bag: a rusty bone blade, a black mirror engraved with skulls, and a string of prayer beads made of finger bones.
"It's time to see some blood." He traced the bone blade with his fingertip, and the blade instantly glowed with a bloody light. "Today, I'll show you what true demonic power is!"
With a swing of the bone blade, a crimson blade of light swept across the battlefield. Wherever it passed, whether they were disciples of the Xuantian Sect or cultivators of the allied forces, they were all cut in half at the waist, their flesh and blood flying everywhere. The black mirror reflected that the souls of several cultivators undergoing tribulation were forcibly pulled out of their bodies and sucked into the mirror, before they could even scream.
The battlefield was plunged into complete panic.
"Run! It's a demon from the Dao Inquiry Realm!"
"It can't be stopped! It's simply impossible to stop it!"
The allied forces' formation began to crumble, and many cultivators turned and fled, making it difficult even for the core forces of the Southern and Central Regions to control them.
In the chaos, three figures stood firmly in front of Feng You like rocks: Xiao Chen, Jiang Li, and Shi Tou.
Xiao Chen stood holding his spear, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. He only revealed 40% of his late-stage Integration Realm aura, yet he precisely blocked the aftershocks of the bone blade. As the spear trembled, he deflected the killing intent to both sides.
Jiang Li's rusty iron sword spun out a series of sword flowers. Her sword intent, which was at the late stage of the Mahayana realm, seemed scattered, but it always managed to strike Feng You's weaknesses at the crucial moment, forcing him to defend.
The stone resembled a moving small mountain. Its black iron armor blocked several rays of the black mirror. With a deep, angry roar, its fists, carrying violent power, continuously pounded on the ghost general's lower limbs. Although it could not injure the opponent, it tightly entangled its steps.
"Interesting." Feng You narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the three men beneath his black robe. "With this little strength, you dare to stop me?"
He could tell that the three young men were hiding their true abilities.
Xiao Chen's spear technique was steady yet sharp, clearly indicating that he had even stronger killing moves yet to be unleashed; Jiang Li's sword technique was agile and unpredictable, and her sword intent was far more complex than it appeared on the surface; even the seemingly simple-minded strong man had a physical strength far exceeding that of his peers, and his punch just now had actually caused a crack to appear in the Ghost General's lower limb.
"They're stalling." Feng You realized instantly, a cold smile playing on his lips.
These little guys have a good plan—they won't go all out, neither to get themselves out of trouble nor to really fight desperately. They'll just wait it out, hoping others will wear them down, or even wait for them and the allied forces to be exhausted so they can reap the benefits.
"You think you can trap me like this?" Feng You's lips curled into a cruel smile. He waved the Ten Thousand Souls Banner again, and the Ghost General raised all six arms at the same time, striking out at the three of them!
"Be careful!" Xiao Chen shouted, his spear suddenly accelerating, the spear shadows weaving a defensive net to protect Jiang Li and Shi Tou behind him.
"clang!"
The ghost general's giant hand slammed into the spear net, and Xiao Chen groaned, staggering back three steps, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth—ultimately, he couldn't withstand the full force of a strike from the early stage of the Dao Inquiry realm.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jiang Li circled around to Feng You's side and thrust her rusty iron sword straight at his lower back. Suddenly, a chilling sword intent burst forth from the sword, revealing that she had hidden a "Frozen Sword Qi" technique!
Feng You turned around, the black mirror blocking the sword tip. The icy sword energy was absorbed by the mirror, but he frowned slightly: This girl's sword intent actually carried a trace of the charm of an ancient sword cultivator, which was a bit troublesome.
Stone seized the opportunity and punched Ghost General in the knee. The black iron fist collided with Ghost General's black bones, producing a dull sound, and Ghost General's movements were obviously slowed down for a moment.
The three worked together seamlessly, combining offense with defense and defense with offense. Despite being far weaker, they managed to prevent Feng You from advancing an inch.
"A bunch of little mice." Feng You's patience was gradually running out.
He originally wanted to take advantage of this chaotic battle to collect more souls and strengthen the Myriad Souls Banner, but these three little guys stuck to him like glue.
Instead of a direct confrontation, they are engaging in a protracted and exhausting struggle. If this drags on, the allied forces' reinforcements will likely gather in greater numbers. He had just sensed that several powerful auras were approaching the Northern Region, clearly other forces that had caught the scent of blood.
"Where there's life, there's hope." A resolute glint flashed in Feng You's eyes.
He had just escaped from a ten-thousand-year seal, and the body he had possessed was not yet fully refined, nor had the Myriad Soul Banner returned to its peak. There was no need for him to fight to the death with these three little guys.
Whether it's Xiao Chen or Jiang Li, if we can't kill them today, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.
The most important thing right now is to get moving.
Feng You's gaze swept subtly across the western side of the battlefield—a range of mountains with chaotic spiritual energy, perfect for concealing one's presence.
Moreover, during the recent melee, the Xuantian Sect's defenses were weakest on the west side, where the allied forces were relatively few in number, making it the best point of attack.
"Get out of my way!"
Feng You suddenly erupted, unleashing his bone blade, black mirror, and prayer beads simultaneously. The ghost general on the Ten Thousand Souls Banner let out a deafening roar, waving all six arms to forcefully push back Xiao Chen and the other two!
Taking advantage of this brief moment of respite, he glanced at Zhao Lie, who was struggling to hold on atop the city wall, without a trace of lingering affection in his eyes—this body's father was merely a pawn he was temporarily using.
"Walk!"
Feng You transformed into a wisp of black smoke, carrying the Ten Thousand Souls Banner and the Ghost General, and sped off towards the western mountain range!
"Trying to run?" Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed, and he was about to give chase when Jiang Li stopped him.
"Don't chase," Jiang Li whispered. "He deliberately created an opening to lure us in. There's definitely a backup plan on the west side. And..." She glanced at the allied cultivators who had regrouped around them, "Look at them."
Xiao Chen followed her gaze and saw that the allied cultivators who had just been routed had regrouped under the command of several leaders, but no one went after Feng You. Instead, they all looked at the three of them with complicated expressions, clearly wary of the strength they had just displayed.
"As expected." Xiao Chen understood.
These people only care about seizing the benefits of the Northern Region and don't care whether Feng You, this demon, escapes or not. They didn't help earlier, and they certainly won't allow the three of them to monopolize the credit for chasing down the demon now. They might even stab them in the back while they're pursuing him.
"Let's see what happens first." Xiao Chen put away his spear and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
On the battlefield, the number of cultivators from the Xuantian Sect is dwindling.
Having already lost elite troops in the battle of Wanfo Mountain, and suffering heavy casualties in the recent melee, the remaining disciples were even more demoralized upon seeing Feng You (Zhao Feng) flee.
Some knelt down to surrender, while others scattered and fled. Only Zhao Lie remained standing on the city wall, gazing in the direction where Feng You had disappeared, his face ashen. He finally understood that his son was no longer the Zhao Feng he once knew.
The allied cultivators poured into Xuantian City and began to divide up the city's resources. Arguments and looting were everywhere, and there was no trace of their "saving the people of the Northern Region".
Xiao Chen and his two companions stood outside the city, watching the chaotic scene with calm expressions.
“Feng You has run away, but the trouble is still there,” Jiang Li said.
“He can’t have gone far.” Xiao Chen looked towards the western mountain range, a sharp glint in his eyes. “An ancient demon with enemies everywhere. There will always be someone who wants to kill him more than we do.”
Stone scratched his head: "So what do we do now?"
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