The Ninth Spirit's exodus with Wu Yu had changed the battlefield significantly.
With only the Zhongyuan Dao Sect and Heavenly Sword Sect fighting, the Heavenly Sword Sect naturally had the upper hand. And much of that was due to Wu Yu turning the tables again and again.
It could be said that Wu Yu was the savior of the entire Heavenly Sword Sect!
The Ninth Spirit had kidnapped him!
In truth, Feng Xueya and Jiang Xie's fight was already nearing the end. When the Ninth Spirit had defeated Lan Huayi, Feng Xueya had become even more berserk, pushing himself madly to the limits!
All that remained were the two 10th tier Qi Condensation elders of the Zhongyuan Dao Sect. Each having to face two opponents of equal strength, they were doomed to death or injury!
The three remaining great battles!
Everyone could not help but watch the battle between the two experts of the Jindan Dao Realm - everything rested on Feng Xueya and Jiang Xie!
They were the sect leaders of the martial cultivators in the area! From before, they had been compared side by side, and had also clashed many times before in the past. But none of those encounters had used their full strength.
In this instant, they were truly aiming to kill!
On the battlefield, all the spectators could see was the endless golden sword qi of Feng Xueya pitted against the complex dao techniques of Jiang Xie! This was the showdown between sword cultivators and ordinary martial cultivators! All in all, Feng Xueya's attack were sharper from the start, especially now that his will was completely focused!
"Feng Xueya, you scum. Even without the demons and ghostly cultivators, I, Jiang Xie, will eat you whole."
In the fight, Jiang Xie was even more arrogant and verbose. From the start, Feng Xueya had not even said a word, and had become even more reticent since Wu Yu had been taken away.
Hearing this, the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples began to panic. With Lan Huayi defeated, if their sect leader lost as well, then there would be no one left to stop Jiang Xie. And in his present rage, he would definitely make the Heavenly Sword Sect pay heavily.
Night Wishes for Snow said, "Everyone, return to the Bipo Mountain Range. Disperse. Do not let Jiang Xie have a chance to attack us." His actions did not indicate a lack of trust in Feng Xueya, but instead was an effective defense.
The crowd scattered. A few remained, and Night Wishes for Snow looked to see that it was Su Yanli and the others. Only a few continued to look blankly in the direction that Wu Yu had been taken.
"We were unable to save him. All we can hope is that his luck bears out again and he survives his captivity...." Thinking of all that Wu Yu had done for them, even Night Wishes for Snow was on the verge of tears.
"That we could become brothers in this life was a blessing for me. A pity that as your senior brother, I wasn't worth a rat's ass. I could only watch as he was taken away!" Mo Shishu said brokenly, his face miserable.
As for Su Yanli, Qing Mang, and the others, they had watched in speechless horror as Wu Yu was carried away.
"I'm afraid that this departure is final." Su Yanli sheathed the Golden Bauble of Day and headed back to the Bipo Mountain Range, a lonely figure.
Just at this moment, a discontent voice rang through the battlefield!
"Feng Xueya, you!" Many turned to look. All they saw was Jiang Xie's head sent flying, and then head and body were both consumed in the golden light, turning to dust and dissipating in the air. The bright sunlight blazed down....
Jiang Xie's howls were silenced.
It was Feng Xueya who was left on a sturdy pine branch. He swayed, almost falling, but found his footing. Although the immortal treasure longsword in his hand quivered, at least he still held his grip.
And Jiang Xie's spiritual immortal treasure was in Feng Xueya's hands.
After a moment of silence, people started to respond. The Zhongyuan Dao Sect's leader, Jiang Xie, had actually died in battle, slain by Feng Xueya, his equal in power!
"Hua!"
Many of the hidden Zhongyuan Dao Sect disciples instantly lost all spirit. They panicked and cried. They were now bereft of an anchor!
"Our Zhongyuan Dao Sect yields!"
One of the elders shouted wretchedly. And then he was slain by two elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
The last remaining elder saw his life was forfeit as well. But at this time, Feng Xueya waved his hand for the four elders to release him. He said, "The Zhongyuan Dao Sect has taken a huge loss. They have lost four-fifths of their power, and are now a small sect that we have nothing to fear from. Leave one to hold them together, lest their disciples turn on each other and cause trouble to the mortals." Leaving one behind meant that the Zhongyuan Dao Sect still existed. Otherwise, the remaining disciples would be like a headless dragon. Who knew what manner of foolishness they might attempt.
"Understood."
The four elders complied. But they still breathed a sigh of relief. All of them were extremely fatigued as well, their faces pale. And they were all close to Lan Huayi. At this moment, they wished to hurry over to check her wounds.
The lone Zhongyuan Dao Sect elder wailed as he took his shocked Zhongyuan Dao Sect disciples back to the sect. It was a complete tragedy for them.
The evil ghosts executed, the demons sent packing, and the Zhongyuan Dao Sect defeated. In the Bipo Mountain Range, at the Stone Gate of a Thousand Swords, only the Heavenly Sword Sect remained. The war was over, and they had won. But even so, their hearts were heavy.
Victory meant a new lease of life for them. But they were not overjoyed. A crucial part of them was missing, and that was Wu Yu.
"Snow, I leave matters here to you. I'm going to find Wu Yu," Feng Xueya said. He immediately used the Art of Sword Flight to pursue in Wu Yu's direction. This was the reason why he had pushed himself to the limit to defeat Jiang Xie.
"Yes, Master."
Very quickly, Feng Xueya took off.
"He must be found and brought safely back." Everyone's hopes rested with Feng Xueya. Without exception, the thought was on all their minds.
All that remained was to clean up the battlefield.
They cremated the bodies and cleaned the field of blood. Seeing so many unfamiliar faces, they found it hard to believe that they had prevailed. The three-way alliance had three times their power, but they had held out and eventually won with minimal casualties. The Scarlet Sea's Seven Ghosts were all dead, and the upper echelons of the Zhongyuan Dao Sect's power were dead....
The scene before them was like a dream. This lease of new life was hard to take in.
As they tidied up, a disciple said miserably, "Honestly, without Wu Yu, the Bipo Mountain Range would already have been taken by the enemy. All of us would be corpses, right now being cleaned up by others, or eaten by demons."
"He was a miracle for the Heavenly Sword Sect. He was born to protect the Heavenly Sword Sect. He was such a legendary presence. He will definitely be remembered for many years. Generations will know of his legend!"
"His future would have been unbelievable. Sect Leader once said that his true stage would be the entire Dong Sheng Divine Continent, and not a small place like this...."
"A pity that the 1,000-year fox demon took him away. I'm afraid we won't see him again...."
As those last words were uttered, many broke out in tears.
In order to protect their home, they had fought together. And that had strengthened their heart of dao, and their path of cultivation would naturally be stronger.
Sword cultivation triumphed. Banish demons, protect kin, uphold justice!
Their hearts were as straight as a sword. They were tenacious, resilient!
.......
Huhu.....
The shrill wind continued to blow past his ears.
Wu Yu was in unspeakable pain at this time. The Ninth Spirit's nine tails were tightly wrapped around him, and not even a hair was exposed. It was like a cocoon, with Wu Yu completely sealed within.
The nine tails formed a complete sphere with spiritual power. The Ninth Spirit had used some demon technique to fashion a cage out of the nine tails, which had imprisoned Wu Yu. Even though he was physically stronger than her, Wu Yu was still far from her level of spiritual power.
Wu Yu could not see outside. All he knew was that the Ninth Spirit was hurrying along the road. She had to be looking for a safe place.
"After I am gone, the Heavenly Sword Sect will have the upper hand. Jiang Xie should not be able to take what he wants, and might even be seriously injured. The Zhongyuan Dao Sect is doomed to fail...."
This was Wu Yu's only consolation.
Although his own situation was perilous, at least the danger to the Heavenly Sword Sect had been resolved. The threat that the three-way alliance had brought had been completely negated! And now the Heavenly Sword Sect was the winner!
But......
The Ninth Spirit was still here.
"She gave up on the Bipo Mountain Range, making me her primary objective. As long as she devours me and completes her transformation, she will reach the fourth tier of the Jindan Dao Realm. She alone will be able to take down the Heavenly Sword Sect and clean us out."
Thinking of this, Wu Yu's heart lurched.
"Wu Yu, you already know Jiu Er's goal, isn't that right? Jiu Er had not expected that you would even know such a secret art of mine. Otherwise, you would not have resisted me so strongly." The Ninth Spirit's moving voice sounded beside his ear.
But now, no matter how beautiful she was, how honeyed her voice, Wu Yu had no more heart. To Wu Yu, she was nothing but a natural enemy, a beast that would eat him.
"Mm." Wu Yu did not hide it. She already knew.
"Then I will speak honestly. This time, you will not live. You are so important to me. You are the biggest break of my life, and I cannot let you go," the Ninth Spirit said resolutely.
Wu Yu said, "I understand. But after you succeed, can you not go to the Bipo Mountain Range?"
"Not possible. I will go. That is the new home of my demon tribe." The Ninth Spirit's voice was weak but firm.
"What will you do to my Master and the others?" Wu Yu's voice was cold.
"If Feng Xueya does not die, then he will cause me even more problems. That is why all of the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples must be killed, in order to prevent any future vengeance."
"If you have me to complete your metamorphosis, your gains will already be more than sufficient. Will you not spare them on my behalf? At least do not rush to end them all...."
The Ninth Spirit was at times as warm as water, and at times as cold as ice. And now Wu Yu discovered that all her warmth was a pretense. The cruelty was her true face.
Everything had been a facade.
This was a fox.
As expected, the Ninth Spirit said, "To Jiu Er, Wu Yu is nothing but medicine to trigger a metamorphosis. Since you understand, then Jiu Er will only tell you this. I am a demon. You are a human. I have nothing but hatred for you."