With a thought, Xue Ji used the heart's blood of Xue Ling as ink and inscribed mysterious runes across the altar.
Moments later, the runes formed a closed ring atop the altar.
Xue Ling's corpse lay quietly within the ring.
Her soul gradually separated from her body, becoming a streak of light that floated in the center of the blood-red circle.
The eerie crimson light seeped into Xue Ling's translucent soul. She struggled and shrieked incessantly, her agony plain to see.
A trace of reluctance flashed across Xue Ji's eyes, but it quickly gave way to calm.
Now that she had begun, she had to see it through. Otherwise, Xue Ling would have died in vain.
At that thought, Xue Ji quickly composed herself, her legs giving way as she knelt before the altar and began chanting ancient incantations.
Moments later, wisps of frost flowed from the altar, sweeping up Xue Ji's body and soul. In an instant, they shredded her completely, turning her into a pale mist of light that merged back into the altar and vanished.
After all this was done, Xue Ji put away the altar and held it in her hand, waiting quietly.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
RUMBLE!
Within the barrier, after driving away the demons, the Shanhetal martial artists returned to their duties and resumed guarding their respective towers.
Those wounded in battle had already taken medicinal pills and begun treating their injuries through cultivation.
The fallen martial artists had been gathered up. Those still alive took over their former duties and continued guarding their assigned towers.
Though the Shanhetal side had fought back with all their might against the demons' assault, some of the Shanhetal platforms and towers had still been toppled and destroyed.
Above the gorge, many martial artists responsible for logistics had already