In the black of night, a bedraggled figure was hurtling forward.
His armor had long been discarded, leaving only a thin layer of clothing, stained with congealed blood, not knowing if it was from the enemy, himself, or a comrade.
He had no idea how long he had been running, his True Qi... had long been exhausted.
Suddenly, he saw the towering signboard of the Divine Sword Sect in the distance.
Tears threatened to spill from his eyes.
He could never have imagined that this battle would end in such a devastating defeat.
The victory had seemed certain, but then a horde of terrifying creatures burst in, disrupting the entire formation. Caught in a pincer attack, even a desperate resistance could not sustain the Martial Arts Army.
He could only watch helplessly as one by one, those around him fell, torn apart by monsters, limbs and severed body parts scattered everywhere, the scene was too gruesome.
Then, he heard the commanding officer roaring out the order to retreat.
So without a second thought, he retreated, kept retreating, always retreating... with only one conviction, to return to the Divine Sword Sect.
At that moment, a figure beside him stopped.
An arm severed, a massive claw mark on the back, flesh blurred... drenched in blood.
Looking up at the Divine Sword Sect’s signboard, the man let out a long sigh before collapsing stiffly to the ground.
Pang Bai hurriedly went to help him, only to see that this Innate expert had already breathed his last.
He had returned to the Divine Sword Sect on his last thread of conviction.
"Senior Brother Zuo."
In Pang Bai’s eyes, a fierce gleam of hatred suddenly emerged.
Then, he picked up the corpse of Senior Brother Zuo and steadily walked toward the interior of the Divine Sword Sect.
The Divine Sword Sect was in chaos.
Escaped martial artists were returning in a steady stream, not only from the Divine Sword Sect but also from the Night King Mansion and various other powers.
According to the established plan, the Divine Sword Sect was to serve as the most critical defensive stronghold.
Everyone was to retreat towards the Divine Sword Sect.
The Sect had previously called upon its Innate martial artists to prepare for a prolonged defense.
Moreover, a massive evacuation had long since started over at Lijian City.
After all, more than ninety percent of the city’s inhabitants were associated with the Divine Sword Sect.
If the rebel forces of the Night King Mansion attacked the Divine Sword Sect and could not break through, they might vent their frustration on Lijian City to undermine the morale of the disciples.
Not only that, inner sect disciples who had been with the sect for less than three months, along with some staff from the Pill Workshop, Hundred Herbs Garden, Exotic Beast Breeding Farm, and other non-combat divisions, were arranged to retreat along with the residents of the Lijian City.
Li Qian had been constantly busy.
With so many wounded returning, even an Innate martial artist like him had to assist in treating the injured.
Only the higher-level martial artists who had Innate ability or above had the strength to make it back to the Divine Sword Sect.
In such a catastrophic defeat, more lower-ranking martial artists and martial apprentices... either died on the battlefield or, if they did escape, were unable to make it this far and had to hide wherever they could to avoid the pursuit of the Night King Mansion.
Suddenly, Li Qian saw Pang Bai.
The Pang Bai of this moment was far from his once spirited self, his face smeared with blood, eyes chillingly cold, and even his shiny bald head was now covered in a layer of blood.
Li Qian silently took over the body and placed it into one of the coffins arranged in the main hall.
There were dozens of these coffins densely packed in the hall.
Most of them were already occupied.
By members of the Divine Sword Sect, as well as those from the Night King Mansion....
Although some martial artists had made it back to the Divine Sword Sect, they were reliant on sheer willpower, too grievously injured to be saved.
In the days that followed... more martial artists returned to the Divine Sword Sect.
Until one day, several figures flew swiftly from the sky, landing in the plaza outside the Divine Sword Hall.
They were a few Heavenly Persons.
Yet all of these Heavenly Persons were wounded, looking far from well.
"Daoist Chai, where is my great-uncle master?"
After giving a salute, Sect Leader Feng Shaoyu immediately asked.
Of the four returning Heavenly Persons, three were from the Night King Mansion, and one was Daoist Chai of the Imperial Family, but Great Uncle Master Xiao Wendao and Daoist Hua had not returned.
The Great Uncle Master had been severely injured to begin with, and although he had been treated for several months, it wasn’t nearly enough for a full recovery.
With the great battle imminent, the Great Uncle Master had to proceed to the front line with injuries, accompanied by Daoist Hua.
"Daoist Xiao and Daoist Hua, in an effort to halt the pursuit of the Heavenly Persons from the Night King Mansion... I fear they may have already...."
Daoist Chai spoke with a heavy tone.
Sect Leader Feng Shaoyu and the other Peak Master Elders of the Divine Sword Sect... were all visibly shaken.
Was the Great Uncle Master gone?
That was undeniably the worst news for the Divine Sword Sect.
No matter how heavy the losses the Divine Sword Sect suffered, as long as the Great Uncle Master, a Heavenly Person, remained... there was still hope for the Divine Sword Sect.
But now... it seemed like that hope was thoroughly extinguished.
The hearts of the many high-ranking members of the Divine Sword Sect were filled with sorrow and darkness.
On a rooftop, Li Qian was chatting with Pang Bai.
The man who had always been carefree was now laden with heavy thoughts, expressionless.
"Junior Brother Li, do you think our Divine Sword Sect can hold out?"
Pang Bai suddenly said.
In such a devastating battle, who knew how many had died?
Even Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters... facing an irreversible tide of defeat could only perish valiantly on the battlefield, as helpless as trying to stop a chariot with arms.
Now, could these remnants of the Divine Sword Sect truly withstand the raging onslaught of the Night King Mansion’s rebel forces... and those terrifying creatures?
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