The fall of seven Truth-Seeking Realm Great Demons was like a silent proclamation, stirring an invisible ripple through the pitch-black sea.
The figures that had been itching to move abruptly halted deep beneath the sea, then retreated farther into its depths.
Li Bufan's divine sense covered several li of the surrounding waters, clearly detecting those auras withdrawing.
He neither pursued them nor lowered his guard. He continued extending his divine sense, only slowly withdrawing it after confirming that the Sea Demons had truly retreated far away.
Li Bufan's breathing was somewhat heavy now, his chest rising and falling unevenly. That saber strike, "Who Stands with Me," had drained nearly half his remaining Spirit Force. Had his foundation not been stronger than that of other martial artists at his level, he might not even have been able to stand steadily.
Wen Qinglian was terribly pale as well. She propped the Azure Longsword against the sea's surface, her figure swaying slightly.
The Grand Formation she had maintained had suppressed all seven Truth-Seeking Realm Great Demons at once, consuming no less Spirit Force than Li Bufan had.
Gu Moxie's left arm hung at his side. The sound of shattering bone still echoed in his ears, and violet-white lightning flickered around his wound.
On Meng Xinghe's chest, black venom was eating into his flesh through the long gash left by the snake's fangs. A dark purplish-blue ring had formed along the wound's edges, and his lips had already begun to blacken.
Li Bufan glanced over the three of them and said gravely, "That battle took too much out of us. We need to rest and recover before doing anything else."
All three nodded.
Wen Qinglian took a green pill from her Storage Ring and swallowed it, then sat cross-legged on the sea's surface and