The bizarre scene before them left no room for hesitation. Fortunately, most of the Demonic Beasts lingering before the first Aura Wall had been dragged away by the sea's suction. The thunderclouds loomed over the Eastern Sea, seemingly gathering strength, and the thunder gradually slowed. Sang Hua Jun decisively shouted, "Keep spreading the Spiritual Qi Net! Don’t stop!"
If the Heavenly Thunder kept retreating to gather strength and then returning, when would it ever dissipate? Would they have to keep this up until they were utterly exhausted?
After lingering over the Eastern Sea for a long time, the thunderclouds began to spread toward them again, accompanied by the ominous rumble of thunder, sending chills down everyone’s spine. Guiyuan Zhangmen pondered, "What if we withdraw the Spiritual Qi Net a few miles and see what happens?"
Sang Hua Jun frowned and shook his head. "No! There’s no time! A surge of Demon Qi is approaching from the Central Land!"
Demon Qi from the Central Land? The Celestials were stunned. During such a calamity, Monstrous creatures and Ferocious beasts would be scrambling to flee—why would they deliberately come from behind to meet their doom? Yet within moments, nearly everyone sensed the piercing Demon Qi drawing closer, vast and overwhelming like an army, far outnumbering the creatures previously trapped at the first Aura Wall.
Panic set in. With Heavenly Thunder ahead and Monsters behind, who could escape its strike if the Spiritual Qi Net collapsed? Seeing their elders falter—some even on the verge of fleeing—the sect leaders scolded them harshly, but reprimands were useless now. Instead, it only threw the Celestials experiencing their first Sea Fall into further disarray. Once morale crumbled, it was nearly impossible to restore.
Cuixuan Xianren suddenly roared, "Where do you think you’ll escape to?! Once the Heavenly Thunder reaches shore, who can outrun it?! Fight now, and you might live—flee, and you’ll die! Anyone who doubts me, go ahead and try!"
With a sweep of his sleeve, a beam of white light divided the Celestials into eastern and western groups. "Those in the east, hold the rear Spiritual Qi Net and slaughter those Demons! Those in the west, maintain the front and overhead nets! Do not let the Heavenly Thunder shatter them!"
His firm, clear commands in this critical moment gradually calmed the chaos. The Celestials instinctively followed his orders. Baifa Siming was the first to fly to the rear, plunging into the tide of Demons and cutting them down. The others followed suit, desperately unleashing Immortal Techniques. After half a day of slaughter, they realized these Monsters were charging recklessly at the net, ignoring all attacks—none fought back. The rear net, unable to withstand their suicidal onslaught, shattered in three places.
Their goal was to break the net? Cuixuan Xianren saw through it instantly and bellowed, "It’s Jiang Li Fei! She’s controlling these Monsters to break the net! She’s here! She’s trying to escape overseas in the chaos!"
Mentioning Jiang Li Fei only made things worse—her name reminded everyone of the Yaksa by her side. The hard-won order dissolved once more. Just then, the Heavenly Thunder struck the overhead net again, shattering three layers before retreating once more over the Eastern Sea.The deafening sound of shattering pierced everyone's ears as countless tiny cracks spread across the dense and sturdy Spiritual Qi Net overhead, barely able to withstand another strike of Heavenly Thunder. Even some senior Celestials panicked—should they retreat dozens of miles to rebuild the Spiritual Qi Net and abandon the towns near the Eastern Sea, or continue holding their ground?
Seeing that no amount of shouting from Cuixuan Xianren could calm the restless and frightened crowd, Sang Hua Jun let out a long sigh. His ethereal voice transmission echoed across the heavens: "Abandon the front and rear Aura Walls! Focus all Spiritual Qi on reinforcing the overhead Spiritual Qi Net! Since these Demons aren't harming anyone, let them pass!"
Cuixuan Xianren watched as the Celestials immediately abandoned the Aura Walls to patch the cracks in the Spiritual Qi Net above. Frantic, he cried hoarsely, "Without the Aura Walls, what if Jiang Li Fei and the others escape?!"
Sang Hua Jun replied calmly, "Cuixuan, look toward the Eastern Sea. The Heavenly Thunder still lingers, and the sea of fire hasn't arrived yet. Even if they come, they can't leave. Don't waste Spiritual Qi at such a critical time—only by staying alive can we deal with the rest."
Without the Celestials' protection, the countless erected Aura Walls were shattered in an instant by the surging tide of Demonic Beasts. They roared and howled in terror, yet had no choice but to charge forward desperately. For many Celestials here, being so close to Demons without engaging in battle was an unprecedented experience. The endless swarm of Demonic Beasts weaved smoothly and eerily among the Celestials, the scene strangely calm and fluid.
Amid the deafening flapping of wings and demonic roars, Baili Gelin finally jolted awake. The Water-Earth Barrier protecting the three junior disciples had long been shattered. Every inch of her body ached as if beaten by a heavy hammer, her ears and chin sticky with blood. The piercing, overwhelming Demon Qi stabbed into her like countless needles burrowing into her bones—it felt utterly wretched.
Lu Li shielded her beneath him, pressing her down protectively. For a moment, Baili Gelin was too stunned to react, staring blankly at the absurd and horrific scene before her—was this the Eastern Sea? Had she been brought back to the Eastern Sea?
Memories of the royal mansion flooded her mind. She shuddered violently, shoving Lu Li off and sitting up, her frantic gaze sweeping the surroundings. The sky and earth were filled with a chaotic mix of Demonic Beasts and Celestials. Panting harshly, she demanded sharply, "Where are the people from Star Rectitude Hall?!"
Lu Li grabbed her arm. "Calm down! This isn't the time for that. The Heavenly Thunder is coming—focus your Spiritual Qi to defend yourself!"
Calm down? Baili Gelin nearly laughed hysterically. Her family had died horribly at Ji Tongzhou's hands, their bodies gone without a trace—and he told her to calm down?!
"Let the Heavenly Thunder strike me dead! Get off!" She struggled fiercely against his grip.
She would never see her family again—that boy from the snowy alley who bit her hard and always boasted about being her brother, that headstrong sister who always put her younger sibling first. They were such fools, treating a devil as their closest friend, worrying for him, rejoicing for him. If not for their concern over Yue Country, they could have reunited happily in the Central Land.
Six years—after six years of training, they could have met often, stayed together, and eventually ascended as Celestials, never to part. Now she was here—but where were they?Baili Gelin caught sight of the Celestials clad in Star Rectitude Hall elder robes amidst the horde of Demonic Beasts. Uncontrollable hatred surged within her as she pulled out Talisman Paper from her bosom, ready to hurl it. Suddenly, her wrists were seized again. She shrieked, struggling desperately with all her might, yet couldn't break free no matter how hard she tried.
Lu Li pinned her arms behind her back and said sternly, "If they're still alive, what will become of them if you throw your life away in this reckless manner?"
Baili Gelin glared at him with bloodshot eyes: "Do you truly believe they're unharmed?"
She refused to believe it. Ji Tongzhou had already fallen into depravity, becoming a demon who could harm even Li Fei—how could he hesitate to kill her sister and Ye Ye?
"The key isn't whether I believe it or not," Lu Li stared at her steadily, his voice calm. "Both Ye Ye and Baili Changyue know how formidable that prince's Black Fire is. They wouldn't fight recklessly. As long as they don't stubbornly hold their ground, escaping shouldn't be difficult for the two of them. That prince isn't a Celestial yet—just a cultivation disciple like you and me. I don't believe he could easily kill two disciples who've also reached the third Bottleneck."
His reasoning was sound. Baili Gelin stared blankly at him, her violent struggles finally ceasing.
She needed to calm down. Acting impulsively in the heat of the moment, letting emotions cloud her judgment—this had always been her fatal flaw. Baili Gelin lowered her head, taking several deep breaths to steady her pounding heart. After a long pause, she whispered, "Let me go. I won't do anything rash."
Thunderclouds loomed over the Eastern Sea, stubbornly refusing to disperse. After smashing through countless erected Aura Walls, the Demonic Beasts retreated like a receding tide, flying back the way they came. Suddenly, Black Fire erupted violently amidst the demon horde. A white-clad figure came Sword flying at breakneck speed from the distance, wielding a Black Flame Blade several zhang long, mercilessly plunging into the demon swarm to slaughter and burn.
There was no thrill in killing these demons who neither fought back nor fled—it was no different from chopping meat. Yet the newcomer paid no heed. Jet-black demon blood drenched his entire body, turning his white robes black in an instant, yet he continued his frenzied slaughter.
This could no longer be called Slaying Demons and Exorcising Evil—it was one-sided massacre. Many Celestials found it hard to watch. Celestials and Demonic Beasts had always maintained a delicate balance, each taking what they needed to coexist through the ages. Senseless slaughter was most abhorrent to them.
Wuzheng Zi suddenly shouted sharply, "Tongzhou! Come here!"
The blood-drenched figure paused amidst the demon horde, allowing the tide of beasts to brush past him. He remained motionless, neither advancing nor retreating, simply hovering silently in the distance on his sword.
Wuzheng Zi felt both relief and fury—while he was glad his prized disciple was unharmed, Ji Tongzhou's deranged state and inexplicable actions filled him with anger. The safety of Yue Kingdom was due to No Moon Court's intervention, and he now understood the reason behind it.
Pushing his beloved into the underworld with his own hands, killing former close friends, becoming alienated from all—this was Ji Tongzhou now. Was Xuanshan Zi satisfied?
"Your Highness!"
Lan Ya Junzhu was overcome with excitement and immediately flew toward him. Unexpectedly, a vine coiled around her waist. Caught off guard, she was yanked back violently and thrown backward with force.Baili Gelin flew on her sword like lightning, arriving before Ji Tongzhou in an instant. With a flash of cold light, her dagger pressed against his neck as all the monstrous creatures she had reared swarmed out, surrounding him completely.
Ji Tongzhou remained motionless, covered from head to toe in demon blood. His piercing black-and-white eyes burned as they stared at her without a word.
Baili Gelin met his gaze directly and demanded coldly, "Tell me, where are Ye Ye and my sister?"
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