A Sword Formed, the Array Broken, the Righteous Path Routed

The hearts of the immortal sect disciples on the Azure Seclusion Plain trembled when they saw the giant hand shattered. If even a Nascent Soul powerhouse could not break the array, then death was the only path left to them today.

With the giant hand shattered, the demonic army's morale soared, and it launched a final attack on the righteous path. After the long, bloody battle, Qin Yi's spiritual power was nearly exhausted. Looking at the vast demonic army in the distance, he steeled himself. He could not die here today.

Qin Yi formed seals with both hands, and Cangyuan left his grip to hover before him. As he formed seals faster and faster, a mass of light gradually enveloped Cangyuan. At last, Qin Yi spat out a mouthful of blood, and the light around Cangyuan reached its peak. A sword's cry rang out across the entire Azure Seclusion Plain.

"Sorry for the trouble, Master," Qin Yi said respectfully to the figure before him, clutching his chest.

"No trouble."

A figure of light appeared above the Azure Seclusion Plain, instantly drawing everyone's attention. When the light faded and the figure was fully revealed, the disciples and elders of the Eight Gods Pavilion all called out respectfully, "We welcome the pavilion master."

Song Qi nodded gently, then turned his gaze to the Heavenly Demon Great Array and gave a disdainful chuckle. "You people of the demonic path really have lost your minds. You won't even spare your own disciples."

Bai Junhao, who had been locked in combat with the grand elder, also stopped. Back when he was still in the Eight Gods Pavilion, Song Qi had only been the young pavilion master. The young pavilion master had always been traveling, however, and Bai Junhao had never had a chance to fight him before betraying the Eight Gods Pavilion. Even so, he had heard plenty about the young pavilion master's "glorious deeds" back then.

Song Qi had possessed extraordinary talent and superb swordsmanship, and his name had shaken the Eastern Region. Not only had he challenged the young masters of the other four immortal sects in succession, but he had also captured the heart of the young palace master of the Clear Bathing Palace. Later, Bai Junhao heard that Song Qi had found the Eastern Region too weak and left for the Central Province to temper himself.

Not until several decades ago had Song Qi returned from the Central Province and inherited the position of master of the Eight Gods Pavilion. Since taking over, he had rarely fought. The most recent time had been twenty years ago, when he faced a Nascent Soul Early Stage elder of the demonic path. In just ten moves, Song Qi had blown apart the elder's body, leaving only his Nascent Soul to flee in a sorry state.

"So you're Bai Junhao, Martial Uncle Cangsong's treacherous disciple?" Song Qi said softly. Though his voice was not loud, the hearts of all the demonic elders jolted. They knew that what Bai Junhao hated most was having others mention his past.

"Treacherous disciple? So be it..." Bai Junhao gave a self-mocking laugh. Then a fierce light flashed in his eyes, and he pointed his longsword at Song Qi from afar. "Pavilion Master Song, I never had the chance to cross swords with you back then. Today, I would ask for your guidance."

Bai Junhao spun the longsword in his hand and pointed its tip at the heavens. The energy gathered by the Heavenly Demon Great Array immediately surged into turmoil. Under Bai Junhao's control, the immense spiritual power took the form of a giant sword. Song Qi remained impassive and pressed two fingers of his right hand together. "Today, I'll show you what the sword path is. A sword isn't meant to be used the way you use it."

As Song Qi slowly raised his two fingers, the longswords across the entire Azure Seclusion Plain converged on him. Even though the demonic cultivators did their utmost to suppress them, their swords still flew toward Song Qi beyond their control.

A sharp light flashed in Bai Junhao's eyes, and the giant sword of spiritual power began to descend toward Song Qi. Song Qi, by contrast, remained unmoved. In the blink of an eye, countless treasured swords formed a giant black-iron longsword. The moment it took shape, it shot toward the sky.

Boom!!

The two giant swords collided, and the sword of spiritual power was shattered in an instant. Bai Junhao's pupils contracted slightly as the giant sword continued without slowing, charging straight toward the Heavenly Demon Great Array.

Bang!

The giant sword struck the Heavenly Demon Great Array. After the two remained deadlocked for a moment, the giant sword slowly broke into fragments. Just as the people of the demonic path thought the Heavenly Demon Great Array had blocked Song Qi's attack, a crisp crack instantly drew their attention.

A series of crisp cracks followed, and in the blink of an eye, the entire Heavenly Demon Great Array was covered in fissures. Standing in the air, Song Qi looked at the grand elder with a faint smile. "I'll leave the rest to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Qi's figure slowly dissipated. At the same instant, the Heavenly Demon Great Array that had shrouded the entire Azure Seclusion Plain shattered completely. The moment the array broke, the grand elder looked behind her with a grave expression. "All disciples, hear my order! Retreat!"

At the grand elder's command, the elders of the various sects who had been facing off against the demonic path struck at once. Countless Law Techniques radiating terrifying might flew toward the demonic army on the Azure Seclusion Plain. The demonic elders had no choice but to act and block the attacks, while the righteous disciples seized the opportunity to flee into the distance.

The entire Azure Seclusion Plain fell into chaos once more. With Cangyuan in hand, Qin Yi killed a demonic cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage who stood in his way. He did not linger in battle, instead following the others as they fled into the distance.

Standing in the sky, Bai Junhao saw the righteous disciples retreating, and his face turned livid. If Song Qi had not arrived, all those elders and disciples would have had to stay here today. He stared intently at the grand elder's departing back and murmured, "Senior Sister, the next time we meet, you won't have another chance."

"The next time we meet will be the day the righteous path is destroyed."

Bai Junhao waved his hand. "All disciples, hear my order! Pursue and kill them for fifty li. Within those fifty li, I don't want to see a single righteous disciple left alive."

"Yes, Left Protector!" the demonic cultivators shouted in unison. Then they pursued the fleeing righteous disciples. The screams gradually moved away from the Azure Seclusion Plain, leaving only a field of nameless corpses behind.

The Eight Gods Pavilion's rest camp

"Grand Elder, the count is complete," an Eight Gods Pavilion deacon said, standing beside her with his head lowered. The grand elder took a deep breath and slowly asked, "Go on. What were the Eight Gods Pavilion's casualties in this battle?" Seeing the deacon hesitate and stammer, she knew the situation was not encouraging.

"In this battle, as of now, five hundred and twelve of our Eight Gods Pavilion disciples have fallen, and another sixty-four are missing. Presumably, they have already... already..." The deacon's voice grew quieter, and he could no longer get the rest of the words out. It was not that he did not want to speak; the spiritual pressure coming from the grand elder was bearing down on him so heavily that he could scarcely breathe.

On a battlefield like this, missing meant dead. More than five hundred had fallen, over half the Eight Gods Pavilion disciples who had entered the battle. The Eight Gods Pavilion had mobilized nearly a thousand disciples this time, yet this was only the first battle against the demonic path. The grand elder withdrew her spiritual pressure, closed her eyes, and continued, "What of the elders?"

"Twenty-three of our sect's Foundation Establishment Realm elders and deacons have fallen, and dozens are wounded. Among the Golden Core elders, three are gravely injured and their foundations have been damaged. Another four elders have suffered minor injuries."

"Our sect's casualties are already this severe, and the other immortal sects have suffered even more. Grand Elder, at this point in the battle, we have already..."

Before the deacon could finish, the grand elder waved her hand, signaling him to withdraw. The deacon sighed softly. They had already lost more than half their forces in this battle, and continuing to fight would do them no good. But he did not know what the grand elder planned, so he could only cup his hands and take his leave.

After the deacon left, the grand elder unclenched her fists and opened her eyes, a cold light shining in them. A Jade Slip floated before her, and a casual voice came from it.

"What is it?"

"Senior Brother, we've already lost this battle." The grand elder lowered her head in shame.

The Jade Slip fell silent for a moment before a voice came from it. "I know."

After a sword's cry rang out, the Jade Slip turned to powder. The grand elder slowly rose and looked toward the morning sun rising in the distance.