The night's light was cold and eerie, spilling over the frozen earth and Shen Yanrong's body, cleaved in two.
Blood spread and seeped outward from the two halves of her corpse. The jade-green branch still gave off a faint glow.
Shen Yanrong no longer drew breath.
The death of a third-rank demon spirit startled the many low-rank demon spirits into holding back. Their shrill howls fell silent for the moment.
Everyone was silent.
Qin Hui's tall, powerfully built body trembled faintly, beyond his control.
It was not fear of the surging demon spirits. It was because Shen Yanrong, whom he had cherished for half his life, had died just like that.
She had died beneath Zhao Changfeng's demonic saber!
He knew perfectly well that Zhao Changfeng had made the right choice, yet he still could not accept it. His fierce eyes brimmed with hatred as he glared at Zhao Changfeng.
Zhao Changfeng turned, tossed the Third-Rank Demon Core into the cloth pouch at his waist, and said to Qin Hui, "Brother Qin, you know how terrifying third-rank demon spirits are. If..."
"You killed Rongrong! You killed her!"
Qin Hui cut him off, overcome with grief and fury. "She hadn't been completely corrupted by the demon spirit yet. Perhaps, perhaps she..."
Qin Hui's anguish was beyond his control, but he knew Shen Yanrong probably could not have resisted a third-rank demon spirit. He simply could not bring himself to say something he did not believe.
When his other comrades had been corrupted by demon spirits, he had still found the courage to eliminate the threat in advance, however unwilling he was. Only when it came to Shen Yanrong did he realize he could not do it.
Zhao Changfeng had done what he himself should have done, averting disaster before it struck. Yet he simply could not suppress the hatred in his heart.
Because Shen Yanrong was the woman he had sworn to protect all his life. She was his very life.
"Senior Sister, let's go to that tower."
Zhao Changfeng gave the demonic saber in his hand a shake and glanced at the empty tower, no longer willing to remain with the City Guard Army.
Ruan Meizhen followed without a word.
Along the way, the two joined forces to kill several more demon spirits that targeted them, then successfully reached the top of the tallest tower, which overlooked the entire battlefield.
During that time, Zhao Changfeng did not use any more spiritual power or vitality. With only the willpower in his two Small Cauldrons, he could still kill a low-rank demon spirit in a single slash.
In the past, willpower had been what he lacked most. Now, it was what he lacked least.
He had slain numerous demon spirits, including one of the third rank. The willpower he had amassed through Heavenly Heart Demon-Seeding was already vast, leaving him no concern about running out.
Powered entirely by willpower, the demonic saber's radiance no longer held a trace of crimson. It had become pure black.
There were so many demon spirits in Tamu Town that, as long as he kept killing, his supply of willpower would be inexhaustible.
Everyone except him was having their strength worn down by the demon spirits, including their spiritual qi, vitality, and divine sense. Every demon spirit they killed cost them some of it.
He could sustain himself through battle, but the others could not. Under the demon spirits' relentless grinding assault, they would eventually exhaust their strength.
"How many demon spirits are over by the Primal Demon Temple? How many are third-rank?"
"How many demon spirits are pursuing Chen Jian and Cui Pinyuan?"
"How many are third-rank?"
"Have any more third-rank demon spirits appeared near the City Guard Army?"
Atop the tower, Zhao Changfeng swung his saber again and again. Each flash of pitch-black saber light meant the annihilation of another low-rank demon spirit.
Demon Cores and willpower-he harvested them without pause.
Ruan Meizhen kept speaking, updating him on the battlefield in real time while using the least effort possible to reveal only the demon spirits' whereabouts.
Then Zhao Changfeng would kill them with a single slash.
The two worked together seamlessly, like comrades who had fought shoulder to shoulder for decades.
"Zhao Changfeng, if that third-rank demon spirit just now had chosen to possess me instead of Shen Yanrong, would you..."
Once a wave of demon spirits had been wiped out, Ruan Meizhen gained a rare moment to catch her breath and could not help voicing the question troubling her.
The instant she asked, she regretted it. A bitter, self-mocking smile surfaced on her alluring face. "Sorry, I was just asking. I didn't mean anything else by it."
Zhao Changfeng had killed Chen Haoming because he had promised Shi Yue beforehand. It was a matter of taking someone's money and ridding them of trouble.
He had not done it to remove a hidden threat for her.
Xiang Lin had indeed cruelly torn open that old wound of hers in public. Zhao Changfeng had said he was standing up for her, but after thinking it over, she still could not believe it.
After all, she had approached Zhao Changfeng with ulterior motives, and he had confirmed that through Hong Xian.
She had never shown Zhao Changfeng genuine goodwill. Shen Yanrong, on the other hand, had even given him a pouch of spirit stones as an apology. If Zhao Changfeng could kill even Shen Yanrong so decisively, what chance did she have?
"Senior Sister, if you were the one possessed by a demon spirit, I would draw it into my own body and try to kill it."
Zhao Changfeng spoke softly.
Disbelief filled Ruan Meizhen's face. An unusual light shimmered in her beautiful eyes, and her voice trembled slightly. "Why?"
A brilliant smile spread across Zhao Changfeng's face, which was still stained with Shen Yanrong's blood. "You're different from her."
Ruan Meizhen lightly bit her lower lip, her heart in turmoil. She no longer dared to ask anything more.
She had personally experienced that brief battle in the Rock Cave and knew how terrifying third-rank demon spirits were. Back then, Zhao Changfeng had exhausted every ounce of his strength to kill the third-rank demon spirit that entered his body.
Zhao Changfeng had frankly admitted that, without several fortunate coincidences, he might not have been able to kill that demon spirit.
The way he had cut down Shen Yanrong so decisively, without even an instant's hesitation, made that plain.
Why?
Why would he willingly take such a huge risk for me?
The more Ruan Meizhen thought about it, the more unsettled she became.
"The plan has changed. We need to retreat."
Chen Jian suddenly appeared like a phantom. "We're heading to Heavenly Shield City. Zhao Changfeng, you'll handle the low-rank demon spirits along the way. If any third-rank demon spirits pursue us, the rest of us will deal with them."
With his Yin Ghosts, he was the one who could truly survey the whole battlefield. He understood the current situation more clearly and thoroughly than anyone else.
Zhao Changfeng and Ruan Meizhen had worked together, first going to the City Guard Army to kill demon spirits, then cutting the possessed Shen Yanrong in half with a single slash.
He had seen all of it, including the hatred in Qin Hui's eyes afterward.
Despite killing so many demon spirits, Zhao Changfeng still showed no fatigue, and had not consumed much spiritual power or vitality. That greatly surprised him.
That was precisely what he valued most.
He and Cui Pinyuan had also killed quite a few demon spirits together, but they had expended considerable strength in the process.
Seeing that the demon spirits seemed impossible to wipe out, with more still converging from afar, he knew sheer attrition could kill them all. He scrapped every part of his earlier plan against the Primal Demon Temple.
"Five third-rank demon spirits are surrounding and attacking Tong Yi and the others. This is our best chance to break out!"
Cui Pinyuan had clearly been persuaded. He said gravely, "The third-rank demon spirits aren't rushing to attack with their full strength. They're using the low-rank demon spirits to wear Tong Yi's group down. Once Tong Yi and the others fall, we'll be next!"
"Zhao Changfeng, Miss Ruan, even if we rush over to help, the demon spirits will pin us down there, and we won't be able to escape!"
"If we don't leave now, we won't get another chance!"
With the number of demon spirits far exceeding their expectations, the plan the four of them had settled on suddenly became utterly laughable.
"Leave? We're leaving already? Our master ordered us to..."
Ruan Meizhen's heart trembled. The thought of Teng Kun's punishments for those who defied his orders suddenly made her hesitate.
"You two lead the way! Let's go!"
Zhao Changfeng made his decision at once. Holding the Blood God Saber, he prepared to leave, then turned and glared at her. "Of all the Crippled Demon Sect's named disciples, only you and I are left! If Tamu Town could be held, I wouldn't mind risking our lives to defend it. But if staying means certain death, what's the point of holding on?"
Chen Jian added, "With so many demon spirits, including third-rank ones, surely the Ghost-Controlling Sect won't hold me responsible either."
Ruan Meizhen gritted her teeth. "Fine. I'm going with you!"
The four set off immediately. Zhao Changfeng killed every demon spirit that dared approach along the way, and they soon reached the City Guard Army's position again.
By then, Qin Hui was the only member of the City Guard Army left.
His eyes bloodshot, he stood guard beside the two halves of Shen Yanrong's corpse, facing the demon spirits' assault alone and bombarding them continuously with Thunderbolt.
The demon spirits died one after another, and his strength was steadily drained, yet he showed no fear.
"Qin Hui, we're preparing to withdraw from Tamu Town. Are you coming with us?"
Cui Pinyuan stopped to ask.
Qin Hui, who had already descended into madness, regained a moment of clarity. He stared at the four of them for a while, his gaze finally settling on Zhao Changfeng.
"If you want to retreat, then retreat. I'll defend Tamu Town to the death!"
Qin Hui declared in a deep voice.
Cui Pinyuan nodded and said softly, "Take care."
The four swiftly departed, striking down the demon spirits that attacked while heading into the freezing desert outside.
They all knew they had little time left. Once Tong Yi and his people were dead, the army of demon spirits would come after them, so they pressed on without stopping.
Knowing full well that staying meant certain death, the four became deserters.
Beneath the night sky, they killed as they sped onward, gradually leaving Tamu Town behind.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Bang!
Whenever a demon spirit approached, Chen Jian shook the Yin Ghost Spirit-Seizing Banner, leaving it nowhere to hide.
Zhao Changfeng simply raised his saber and killed it.
His Demon Cores piled up, and the willpower stored within his body flowed in without end. He was in high spirits, feeling that with the four of them working together, they might stand a chance even against Song Zejun and his wife.
As for Teng Kun holding them accountable afterward, that could wait until they survived.
By early morning, the sky had begun to brighten.
The cold moon had begun transforming into a blazing sun.
The ground around the four suddenly fell into darkness. Looking up, they saw Teng Kun's Black Demon Mountain flying through the air directly overhead.
"Master!"
Ruan Meizhen called out loudly, desperate for Teng Kun to notice her.
"Old Devil Teng got out! Good!"
Chen Jian also visibly relaxed, murmuring, "He came from the direction of the world membrane, so he must have... passed through Tamu Town. Who knew he'd get out?"
Ruan Meizhen was furious. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't urged everyone to leave, we might have held out until Master reached Tamu Town!"
Now that the Demon Mountain had appeared, Tamu Town's crisis should have been resolved. Tong Yi's group and Qin Hui might still be alive.
If she and Zhao Changfeng had held on until the end instead of fleeing with Chen Jian and Cui Pinyuan, they would have earned tremendous merit rather than being branded deserters.
Ruan Meizhen ground her teeth in resentment.
Yet Teng Kun overhead clearly had not noticed them. The Demon Mountain did not linger for them, either, continuing toward Heavenly Shield City at tremendous speed.
At that moment, Ruan Meizhen even thought that Tong Yi and the others had all been taken aboard the Demon Mountain, while Chen Jian had left her and Zhao Changfeng stuck traveling on foot.
Zhao Changfeng looked up, watching the Demon Mountain recede into the distance. A sudden sense of unease arose within him. "Master is in a terrible hurry. He isn't paying any attention to anything unusual along the way. I'm afraid something has happened in Heavenly Shield City too."