On the eastern sea, a pillar of viridian energy shot toward the sky. Within it, countless intricate rune chains materialized, coiling around the blood-red vortex like vines.
The vortex’s spin visibly slowed.
High in the western sky, a silvery-white blade of light slashed through the clouds. Before it even arrived, its razor-sharp Intention had already sliced through the blood-flame, leaving a deep gash on the phantom beast’s surface.
Directly to the north, an aura as steady and unshakeable as a mountain descended out of nowhere.
The sea surface suddenly sank three inches. An invisible Gravity Field pressed down in opposition. It resonated strangely with Xu Wuyi’s Gravity Manipulation, forcibly dragging the blood-red vortex half a meter downward.
Three figures appeared almost simultaneously at the edge of the battlefield.
Bibo Base, Su Wanqing.
The scholar-type Quasi-Grandmaster in a white lab coat hovered in the east. With her hands pressed forward, a ceaseless stream of viridian rune chains poured from her palms.
Split Wind Base, Chen Feng.
The black-clothed Swordsman stood high in the western sky, a slender, straight blade in his hand angled downward. Silvery-white light flowed endlessly along its edge.
General Command Headquarters, Yang Zhenyue.
The white-haired old man walked from the north, treading on empty air. With each step he took, the sea trembled as if the entire ocean was bowing in submission beneath his feet.
The Dark Group had arrived in full force.
The phantom beast within the blood-red vortex let out an unwilling roar, but it could barely move under the triple suppression.
The expressions of the two Blood Wing Twin Kings changed drastically.
"Retreat!"
The blood-red figure on the left made a split-second decision. With a frantic flap of its wings, it transformed into a streak of bloody light and shot backward. The figure on the right followed close behind, even severing a portion of its own blood-flame to forcefully break free from the vortex’s pull at its own expense.
They retreated with incredible speed, but someone was faster.
"You think you can come and go as you please?"
Chen Feng’s voice was as cold as a blade.
His figure flashed, leaving only a fading afterimage. In the next instant, a silvery-white blade of light already barred the two blood-red figures’ path of retreat.
The blade of light was simple and sharp, with no flashy moves, only the pure Intention to ’sever’.
The two blood-red figures struck out with their claws simultaneously, condensing their blood-flame into two rhombus-shaped shields before them.
CLANG—!
The blade of light struck the shields, letting out a piercing shriek.
Countless cracks spiderwebbed across the shields’ surfaces, but they did not shatter. Chen Feng’s strike was never meant to kill, only to obstruct.
This brief moment of delay was all that was needed.
Yang Zhenyue raised his hand and made a grasping motion.
The Gravity Field within a hundred-meter radius changed abruptly, pressing in from all directions like a giant, invisible hand, gripping the two blood-red figures tightly.
Su Wanqing formed a hand seal. The viridian rune chains coiled upward like living things, binding their wings and limbs layer by layer.
"Closing the net."
Yang Zhenyue said calmly.
The three Quasi-Grandmasters’ coordination was flawless. Chen Feng intercepted, Yang Zhenyue suppressed, and Su Wanqing sealed. The entire process took no more than three seconds. The two Blood Wing Twin Kings were completely subdued, unable to move a muscle.
The battle high in the sky also came to an abrupt halt.
Seeing the situation turn sour, the six Feathered People Second Kings erupted with power almost simultaneously, breaking away from the fight even at the cost of injury. Han Mo and the other two didn’t pursue them relentlessly, allowing them to retreat and regroup in the direction of the fortress.
A temporary calm returned to the sea’s surface.
Only the burning flames, floating corpses, and the gradually dissipating blood-red vortex testified to the ferocity of the recent battle.
Xu Wuyi slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the fiery barrier around him gradually extinguished. He looked at Yang Zhenyue and the other two, bowing slightly. "Thank you, Seniors."
"No need for formalities." Yang Zhenyue waved his hand dismissively. His gaze swept across the battlefield, his brow furrowed. "The Feathered People really went all out this time. They even sent the Blood Wing Twin Kings. It seems they’re dead set on killing you."
Han Mo, Tie Zhan, and Lu Wenquan descended from the sky, landing beside Xu Wuyi.
"The Dark Group arrived just in time," Han Mo said, looking at Yang Zhenyue. "Ten seconds later, and Xu Wuyi would have had to face that ’Blood Sacrifice: Soul Fusion’ head-on."
"We were on standby on the flanks," Su Wanqing said, pushing up her glasses. The tablet in her hand displayed the energy readings from the battle.
"We started moving the moment the Feathered People’s ambush appeared. But they charged up their joint attack three seconds faster than we estimated. We almost didn’t make it."
Chen Feng sheathed his blade and said coldly, "The Blood Wing Twin Kings’ ’Blood Sacrifice: Soul Fusion’ burns their essence blood in exchange for a moment of Grandmaster Level power. Once used, the two of them won’t be able to recover for half a year. The Feathered People are truly desperate."
Tie Zhan grinned, clapping Xu Wuyi on the shoulder. "Not bad, kid. Holding out for so long in a two-on-one. Back when I was at the Innate realm, I wasn’t nearly as tough as you."
Xu Wuyi shook his head. "If you three seniors hadn’t arrived in time, I wouldn’t have lasted much longer."
This wasn’t false modesty.
’Although the battle seemed to be a stalemate, the drain on my Power of Heart Image was immense. I’d already used nearly sixty percent in just a few short minutes.’
’If it had dragged on any longer, defeat would have been certain.’
"What now?" Lu Wenquan asked, looking to Yang Zhenyue. "The Feathered People have retreated, but Broken Star Castle’s defenses are still up. Do we continue probing, or do we pull back?"
Everyone looked to the commander-in-chief.
Yang Zhenyue pondered for a moment, his gaze turning toward the distant Broken Star Castle.
On the castle’s surface, a pale blue shield was now at full power, its Energy Fluctuation stable and dense. At the castle entrance, large numbers of Feathered Warriors had regrouped. Though they didn’t advance again, their guard was tight.
"The Feathered People have consolidated their forces to defend the castle; they’re preparing for a battle of attrition," Yang Zhenyue said slowly. "We’ve already achieved the goals of this probe."
"First, we’ve confirmed that Broken Star Castle’s defenses have indeed been weakened, but they are by no means fragile. Second, we flushed out their ambush force—at least six Second Kings plus the Blood Wing Twin Kings. Third..."
He looked at Xu Wuyi. "To kill you, they were willing to play a trump card from the Blood Sacrifice Divine Hall. This shows that in their assessment, the threat you pose has reached a strategic level."
Xu Wuyi fell silent.
He knew what this meant: from now on, the Feathered People’s plots against him would no longer be tactical, but strategic. They would use all available resources to study ways to counter him and set up even more intricate kill boxes.
"It’s a good thing, and a bad thing," Han Mo picked up the thread. "The good thing is that you’ve grown strong enough to influence the entire battlefield. The bad thing is... your life is about to get a lot more dangerous."
"The path of a Martial Artist has always been walked alongside danger," Xu Wuyi said calmly.
Tie Zhan laughed heartily. "Well said! If you’re afraid of dying, why even practice martial arts?"
Yang Zhenyue nodded. "Since the goals of our probe have been met, we’ll stop here for today. Everyone, withdraw to Mountain Stone Base."
The order was given, and the group began an orderly retreat.
Xu Wuyi took one last look at Broken Star Castle.
From deep within the castle, a cold gaze seemed to meet his through the shield. The gaze held unconcealed killing intent, and... a trace of fear.
He retracted his gaze and turned to leave.
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