"Xuanyang disciples, Tian Gang Sword Formation!"
Yuan Yingqi was the first to strike, his long sword erupting with blinding golden light. The disciples followed suit, forming hand seals, and dozens of spirit swords soared into the air, weaving together into a massive golden sword web, slashing mercilessly at the wolf beast.
Almost simultaneously, the demon clan leader unleashed a blood-red magic banner. The demon cultivators behind him spat out streams of their own blood, causing countless demonic shadows to rise from the banner. Silently, they lunged at the wolf beast, ravenously gnawing at its protective beast qi.
Yu Xiaotang's eyes glinted coldly as her hand seals shifted. The disciples of the Hehuan Sect immediately caught on. Fine silk ribbons and the golden Buddha seals from the Mingguang Sect shot out at the same time, forming a strange, shimmering network of golden light in midair.
This light net carried the Buddha's power to suppress demonic forces while simultaneously disrupting the wolf beast's mind, quietly enveloping it.
Almost at the same moment, disciples from Medicine King Valley hurled dozens of jade-green pills into the air.
The pills exploded midair, forming a vast green poisonous mist that perfectly merged with the golden light net. The toxic fog not only corroded the wolf beast's protective qi but also synergized with the Buddha light, amplifying its power!
All kinds of attacks rained down, finally forcing the wolf beast to feel threatened. It gaped its mouth, ready to unleash a blood-red breath, only to find its demonic energy turning sluggish. Sensing the disruption caused by the disciples' attacks, it roared furiously, having no choice but to temporarily abandon slaughtering the second-rate disciples and focus on defending against these assaults.
"Roar!"
The wolf beast's three blood-red eyes opened wide, and destructive beams of blood-red light began to coalesce again.
But this time, the disciples of the major sects were ready.
"Change formation!" Yuan Yingqi shouted.
Boom!
The blood-red beams slammed into the combined defenses with ear-splitting explosions. The defensive barriers shuddered violently, forcing the disciples to activate several protective treasures just to barely withstand the attack.
"Perfect chance!" Yuan Yingqi's eyes blazed with killing intent. "Keep attacking! Don't give it a moment to breathe!"
The next wave of assaults struck immediately. This time, the cooperation among the major sect disciples was noticeably smoother. Their combined attacks formed a net that completely enclosed the wolf beast.
Yuan Yingqi and the demon clan leader both noticed the flawless coordination from the rear and grinned inwardly. Their attacks became even fiercer.
The sword web and demonic shadows interlaced, and in the brief moment the wolf beast was distracted, they finally tore through a section of its protective qi!
The wolf beast howled in pain, finally taking these insects it had scorned seriously. At that moment, Xie Zhaolin's gaze froze on a messy figure sprawled on the ground.
Wei Qingwu.
From the very beginning of the chaos, she had chosen to throw herself to the ground, pressing close to it. This seemingly pitiful posture unexpectedly kept her alive amidst the turmoil.
Wei Qingwu had the rare presence of mind in a crisis. She crouched low, pressing against the ground, reducing her target area while keeping a clear view of the battlefield. When danger approached, her low posture allowed her to roll and dodge quickly, and she avoided colliding with panicked disciples.
The strategy worked.
While countless disciples were cut in half by Teng She, she miraculously survived, relying on this seemingly helpless position. Now that the wolf beast's attention had returned to the major sect disciples, Wei Qingwu scrambled to her feet, ready to flee.
Xie Zhaolin watched coldly from the shadows, her displeasure evident. She had planned to finish Wei Qingwu off amidst the chaos. In such a brutal battle, losing a few lives was perfectly normal. And yet, Wei Qingwu was trying to run now?
Impossible.
A cruel smile curved Xie Zhaolin's lips. From her sleeve, Teng She silently slithered out, racing toward the fleeing Wei Qingwu.
Wei Qingwu, quietly congratulating herself on surviving, suddenly felt her ankle tighten. A freezing sensation made the hairs on her body stand on end.
"What the…?!" She looked down in terror, only to see a pitch-black snake tail tightly coiled around her ankle.
Its scales glimmered with a strange light, and a pair of vertical pupils fixed her with a cold stare.
"Ah—!"
Wei Qingwu screamed, her soul trembling. She desperately summoned her spirit power, but every strike bounced off the snake tail with a crisp, metallic clang. In her despair, Teng She suddenly whipped its body!
Wei Qingwu felt as if the world spun violently. She was flung into the air, tracing a humiliating arc, only to crash back exactly where she had tried to hide.
Bang!
She hit the ground hard, gritting her teeth in pain. Shaken, she looked around, only to find herself once again in that dangerous spot.
"How… how is this possible?!" Wei Qingwu shivered, utterly bewildered.
The black snake, the sudden pull… everything was inexplicably eerie. She collapsed to the ground, gasping, drenched in cold sweat. She pinched herself hard, the sharp pain bringing some clarity.
"An illusion… it has to be an illusion…"
Wei Qingwu muttered, trying to convince herself the terrifying scene was a hallucination caused by fear. "There's already the wolf beast here, how could there be another one? I was just too scared… yes, that's it…"
Then, a blood-red wind blade landed less than a meter from her, gouging a bottomless crack into the ground.
"Ah!"
Wei Qingwu scrambled backward, heart hammering, the threat of death painfully real.
"I can't stay here! I'll die for sure!" She sprang up instinctively, stumbling as she fled toward the valley's edge. She cursed herself for coming here, thinking she could share in the spoils. Now all she could do was run.
Run to survive!
Xie Zhaolin watched the terrified Wei Qingwu from the shadows, her eyes glinting with amusement. She glanced at the distant battle—the wolf beast was temporarily suppressed but clearly hadn't unleashed its full power. This fight could still last a while.
"Since there's still time…" Xie Zhaolin's lips curved into a cruel smile. "Might as well play a little more."
So when Wei Qingwu thought she was finally escaping, the black snake silently coiled around her ankle again.
"No—!" Wei Qingwu screamed in despair, flung back once more.
Third, fourth, fifth times…
Finally, Wei Qingwu curled up, tears and snot smearing her face. She no longer dared move, pressing herself into the sea of corpses and blood, not even lifting her head. She was on the brink of collapse.
Xie Zhaolin watched, a trace of regret in her eyes.
"Too fragile for fun. Boring."
She commanded Teng She to stay on standby to prevent Wei Qingwu from escaping again, then turned her attention back to the center of the battle.
At this moment, the fight between the wolf beast and the major sect disciples had reached its most critical stage.