As Wu Long went forward, he looked at the situation around. Most of the Profound Martial Arts Valley's disciples were obliterated by this point as there was no one here who could match Hua Ziyan.
A Core Formation cultivator who can fight above her realm was simply not something any of them could do anything about.
The Cloud Piercing Sect disciples were in better shape, but still pressed as some of them got caught up in Hua Ziyan's attacks and the rest were fighting with the Brilliant Sun Temple members and the Frozen Garden Palace who have joined after they killed or mostly drove off the renegade disciples.
The higher the realms, the harder it was for cultivators of similar realms to kill one another as opposed to defeating them.
Duan Feng also took a few disciples and retreated, seeing that the battle was lost, while the disciples of the Profound Martial Arts valley finally ran in all directions after their Prime Disciple was turned into a red mark on the icy rocks.
He was quite successfully fighting off Hua Ziyan by using their many to one situation to his advantage but as their numbers dwindled his options ran out until he was not able to run around or hide behind others.
In the corner of Wu Long's gaze a familiar pale face flashed and he smiled. Guo Dinshan, a Core Disciple who Wu Long owed gratitude for a generous donation of a Guandao Spear somehow weaseled his way out, even as his Sect's Prime Disciple who he seemed to be loyal to perished fighting Hua Ziyan.
"Thi-... this is bad!!! It's getting harder to hold on!!!"
The Profound Music Palace were the only ones holding back the majority of the Demonic Beasts, not taking part in the battle between the Sects at all.
Their Prime Disciple shouted as a bead of sweat ran down the side of her face, her widened eyes directed into the distance ahead from where the Demonic Beasts continued to pour, her exclamation taking Wu Long's attention away from the escaping man as 'Oh well, there is another time for him' went through his mind.
It was at that point that the rest of the Cloud Piercing Sect disciples scattered following the Profound Marital Arts Valley's example, since they were under pressure from fighting two of the Five Great Sects and Hua Ziyan turned her gaze to them.
It was expected that the other groups behind experienced a sudden increase in pressure since the start of the battle since there were far more Demonic Beasts let through as only those attacking the fighting humans were cut down, while the ones running past were mostly ignored.
Perhaps some groups of the guest Sects behind were even forfeiting and being rescued by the Elders and Sect Protectors at this very moment.
Wu Long also saw that the battle on the wall above where the Elders and Sect Protectors of the Five Great Sects were fighting was in a stalemate, since it was two Sects against two with the weakest Profound Music Palace to the side, not participating.
Meanwhile the tiers of the Demonic Beasts pouring out of the crevasse were increasing as now most of them were of the 4th tier, with more 5th tier and then...
"A low-level sixth tier Demonic Beast..."
The Prime Disciple of the Profound Music Palace half-whispered half-exclaimed as her eyes widened even more, an expression of dread appearing on her face.
A Demonic Beast almost one and a half times larger than the other ones with a powerful aggressive aura appeared out of the crevasse and roared into the skies covered by a blizzard.
It was a Demonic Beast comparable to that of a Foundation Building Realm cultivator, and thus something the disciples mostly in the Revolving Qi Realm would struggle with.
"Haha, it's finally starting"
"Don't worry everyone! We will be taking over the defense, follow our command and it will be fine"
An Elder of the Profound Music Palace appeared on the ground, followed by other Elders and Sect Protectors. The other four sects still continued to be entangled in a battle.
The side which lost their disciples seemingly continued the fight solely for the purpose of not letting the Frozen Garden Palace and the Brilliant Sun Temple help against the increasingly powerful stampede of Demonic Beasts.
The disciples sighed with relief while Wu Long's eyes glinted looking deep into the crevasse from which the Demonic Beast were pouring at seemingly even greater rate.
Hua Ziyan approached Wu Long with a smile, and he smiled back, caressing her cheek.
"Haha, well done, Ziyan. There was a big disparity in your strength, but I saw that you never slacked off or put down your guard despite that"
"Hehe, you praise me too much, it's all what you taught me... oh! By the way, that assassin-..."
She became slightly giddy at the praise and closed her eyes at the comfortable feeling of his hand, but then seemed to remember something and opened her eyes to look at him.
But then the sounds of gasps came out around them as multiple powerful presences appeared from within the crevasse.
"S-seventh tier?! What the... is this a Death Trap?"
The Elder of the Profound Music Palace exclaimed, turning to Xue Bing for explanation as a beast twice the size of a normal one, followed by a dozen of 6th tier beasts appeared out of the crevasse.
"I believe I would not be here with you if it was... we did not expect this either"
Xue Bing coldly remarked, as her importance to the Frozen Garden Palace as the most prominent prodigy they ever had was well known to the others, which was why she was the target of the Bahshi assassin twins alongside the most talented Prime Disciple of the Brilliant Sun Temple in the last millenium.
"Ziyan, I will explain a bit later, haha. Perhaps it would be better to do so when we return and the others are also present"
Wu Long smiled, tucking a lock of hair that came out of her tied up hair behind her ear with a gentle motion, looking into her eyes as she nodded, her questions or any doubts melting in those eyes.
"So, shall we begin? I won't take these ones away from you"
He smiled and she revealed an excited smile as well, giving him a nod in response that carried a completely different attitude.
The two turned to the mountain and both launched forward.
"Glaciers of Shattered Moon!"
"Oh, Prime Disciple Xue, you decided to act as well?"
Almost at the same time as they moved, and even a little faster, Xue Bing also moved forward, images of big chunks of ice made of Spiritual Qi appearing around her.
"The Winter Forest has been the responsibility of the Frozen Garden Palace since its foundation... I cannot allow this Demonic Beast Tide to get out of hand"
She spoke as several Core Disciples of her Sect following them nodded, all of them with determined expressions.
"Very well, I believe Palace Master Qiu has retreated from the Frozen Garden Palace about now under the guise of defeat, so you have nothing to worry about.
The Brilliant Sun Temple should have covered their retreat, and Profound Music Palace should be enough to hold off most of the lower tier beasts"
Wu Long nodded with a smile, as Hua Ziyan's Spiritual Qi Fists started pummeling the horde of 4th and 5th-tier beasts on their way to the crevasse, the disciples of the Frozen Garden Palace sending out icicles at the same time to cover the other half.
The Elder of the Profound Music Palace widened his eyes looking at that sight.
Their small group of only a dozen people made a massive cut into the middle of the Demonic Beast Tide, as only less powerful ones went past them on the sides.