After the three Demon Saints were trapped, they used every trick they had, yet still couldn't break free.
More chains surged out of the earth, winding tighter and tighter around them.
The Ancestral Witches were stronger than they were to begin with.
Now that they were trapped, there was likely no chance they could escape.
Meanwhile.
Elsewhere, the cold around the Ancestral Witch Xuanming erupted to its absolute limit, instantly freezing Fei Lian, the Demon Saint she was fighting.
Fei Lian immediately shattered the ice and broke free, but even that momentary delay was enough.
Though Fei Lian's Bone-Corroding Yin Wind tore away great swaths of her flesh, Xuanming raised her slender hand.
A "Xuanming Bone Spike," compressed to its utmost, seemed to teleport across the distance and pierce the shoulder of the Demon Saint Zhitie, who was casting a spell to disrupt the celestial phenomena!
Zhitie let out a scream.
Thick black mystic ice instantly covered half his body, and his magic power began to circulate sluggishly.
"Xuan Qing! Release our Witch Clan warriors! Otherwise, these three Demon Saints of yours will have their souls scattered this very instant!"
Houtu stood upon the earth, her face pale and blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Clearly, forcing the earth's ley lines to restrain three Demon Saints had put an enormous strain on her, but her gaze was utterly resolute.
Xuanming's face was as cold as frost. Countless tiny ice crystals swirled around her, locking onto the temporarily restrained Fei Lian and the wounded Zhitie. Her killing intent was palpable.
Chen Tian's eyes lit up, and he seized the chance to launch several fierce thrusts, forcing Tai Yi back a little.
He roared at Xuan Qing, "Xuan Qing! Release my brothers and sisters at once! Otherwise, your Demon Court will lose three great generals today!"
Tai Yi's expression turned extremely grim.
He hadn't expected Houtu and Xuanming to be so decisive and ruthless as to seize hostages in the midst of battle.
He could overlook Gui Che, Qin Yuan, and Shang Yang.
But Zhitie was an important Demon Saint who managed part of the Demon Clan's logistics and specialized in crafting!
"Daoist Xuan Qing!" Tai Yi looked at Xuan Qing, his voice low and leaving no room for argument.
At that moment, Xuan Qing's expression had also turned troubled.
He stared fixedly at the three Demon Saints struggling beneath Houtu's feet.
Then he looked at the seven Ancestral Witches behind him, whose auras were growing weaker by the moment.
Hand over the hostages?
What would happen to those three Lingbao?
His "wife" was still waiting for the source energy within those Lingbao to revive!
But if he didn't hand them over?
Judging by Tai Yi's expression, if Gui Che and the others died because of him, Tai Yi would likely turn against him at once.
He was powerful, but against Tai Yi, empowered by the Thirty-three Heavens, with Chen Tian and the other Ancestral Witches watching him like hawks, he had no chance of winning.
More importantly, he had joined the Demon Court to use the Demon Clan's power against the Witch Clan and reclaim the Lingbao.
If he fell out with Tai Yi now, all his schemes would come to nothing.
Madness and reason clashed fiercely in Xuan Qing's eyes.
The lotus leaf in his arms trembled slightly, as if silently urging him on.
In the end, his obsession with "reviving his wife," along with his assessment of the situation, made the decision for him.
"Fine!"
Xuan Qing gritted his teeth, his voice squeezed through them.
"We'll exchange hostages! Chen Tian, throw the three Lingbao over first! I'll release them at once!"
"In your dreams!"
Chen Tian roared. "You release them first! The Witch Clan keeps its word. We'd never stoop to your level!"
"Then there's nothing to discuss!" Xuan Qing's gaze sharpened, and the phantom Demon Lotus behind him swelled violently, its devouring power intensifying.
She Bi Shi and the other Ancestral Witches immediately let out pained growls. Their bodies visibly withered.
"Xuan Qing, how dare you!"
Houtu shouted, and the earth beneath her feet rumbled.
The ley-line chains coiled around Gui Che and the others suddenly tightened, making their bones creak as demon blood flowed freely.
"Stop!"
"Enough!"
Tai Yi and Chen Tian spoke almost at the same time.
They looked at each other across the battlefield, both seeing the same grim resolve in the other's eyes.
This couldn't go on.
Otherwise, both sides would suffer, and they might even perish together.
The Demon Saints and the seven Ancestral Witches were speechless, too.
Couldn't you just get it over with? What was the point of torturing them like this?
"We release them at the same time!" Tai Yi said gravely.
"Chen Tian, hand over the three Lingbao. In the name of the Heavenly Emperor, I swear that the Demon Court will withdraw its troops today and won't invade Buzhou Mountain for one epoch!"
Chen Tian's pupils contracted slightly.
These terms...
He looked at the seven brothers and sisters enduring agonizing torment.
Then he looked at Houtu, Xuanming, the other Ancestral Witches still fighting desperately, and the countless Witch Clan warriors.
The Witch Clan was brave, but the Demon Clan had come prepared today and had the momentum on their side. And then there was Xuan Qing, an unpredictable factor.
If the fighting continued, even if they won, it would be a terrible victory. Other forces might even take advantage of their weakness.
Those three Lingbao were important, but they were still only external possessions.
Besides...
The Heavenly Dao was most likely watching this battlefield.
The Witch-Demon Calamity was a scheme designed to destroy the Ancestral Witches.
"Chen Tian! Don't!" Tian Wu roared from afar. He would rather die in battle than submit to this coercion.
"Thirteenth Brother, forget about us! Kill that madman!" Qiang Liang bellowed, trying to self-detonate, but the Demon Lotus's vines held him fast.
Chen Tian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his gaze was utterly resolute.
"Fine! Tai Yi, remember your oath!"
He swept out a hand, and three beams of light flew from his sleeve, hovering over the center of the battlefield.
They were the Coiling Dragon Crutch, the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, and the Qingping Sword!
The three Lingbao gave off a hazy, primordial radiance, their Daoist charm seemingly innate. They immediately drew the eyes of every Great Power present.
Xuan Qing's breathing grew ragged. Terrifying greed and excitement blazed in his eyes, and the lotus leaf in his arms trembled without pause.
"Release them!" Chen Tian and Tai Yi shouted at the same time.
Suppressing his excitement, Xuan Qing willed the phantom Demon Lotus behind him to shrink. The countless devouring vines slowly withdrew from the seven Ancestral Witches.
With every inch the vines withdrew, the Ancestral Witches' auras weakened, but at least they were freed from that horrifying devouring.
On the other side, Houtu gave a cold snort and loosened the ley-line chains beneath her feet, hurling Gui Che, Qin Yuan, and Shang Yang toward the Demon Clan's ranks.
Xuanming also withdrew the Xuanming Bone Spike embedded in Zhitie's shoulder and the cold energy restraining Fei Lian.
The seven utterly weakened Ancestral Witches staggered backward and were caught by the others.
The three Demon Saints and the wounded Zhitie also retreated in disarray to Tai Yi's side.
Xuan Qing reached out and snatched up the Lingbao without a moment's delay.
Feeling their cold touch, the frenzied look in his eyes surprisingly settled.
"Haha... Hahahaha... Finally... At last..."
Xuan Qing clutched the three Lingbao tightly, his fingers turning slightly white from the force.
He lowered his head to look at the emerald lotus leaf in his arms. His voice scraped up from his throat, starting as a quiet chuckle before becoming a crazed laugh.
The laughter sounded especially jarring and eerie on a battlefield strewn with corpses and shrouded in smoke.
Tai Yi's face turned ashen as he quickly weighed the situation.
Although he hadn't managed to flatten Pangu Hall today, he had gravely wounded seven Ancestral Witches and forced Chen Tian to surrender three Lingbao.
His powerful ally Xuan Qing had also gotten what he wanted.
More importantly...
His gaze swept over the entire battlefield.
The Demon Clan had suffered losses, but their morale remained high, and their main force was intact.
As for the Witch Clan, this battle had exposed their weakness—affection!
Even with their peerless physical strength, the Ancestral Witches couldn't ignore the bonds of kinship.
"Chen Tian!"
Tai Yi composed himself, suppressing all his resentment. His majestic voice resounded across the battlefield:
"That's enough for today! I will keep my word. For one epoch, the Demon Court's forces will not set foot on Buzhou Mountain!"
He gave Chen Tian a long look, then abruptly raised the Heavenly Emperor Sword:
"Withdraw!"
The order went out.
The Demon Clan's army was reluctant, but they followed orders and began retreating like a receding tide.
Wounded Demon Saints were helped to their feet, while the corpses of the slain Demon Clan warriors were hastily gathered.
Rolling clouds of demon energy gathered once more, but they were heavier than when the army had arrived.
Xuan Qing seemed oblivious to everything around him.
He only stared blankly at the lotus leaf in his arms and the Lingbao in his hand, following the Demon Clan's army as they slowly withdrew. His figure gradually vanished into the demon clouds.
Chen Tian watched the Demon Clan retreat, cold light flickering in his eyes.
He helped She Bi Shi and the others to their feet, their auras weak, and said in a low voice:
"Let's return to Pangu Hall first."
The Witch Clan warriors roared in fury, but all they could do was carry their companions' corpses and withdraw into the depths of Buzhou Mountain, covered in wounds and burning with hatred.
The smoke slowly dispersed, leaving behind nothing but the devastated earth and the shattered sky.