Chapter 23: Dead End

Hundreds of sword beams crashed into the ring of fire, emitting a shrill humming sound. Junior Brother Bai Ming pushed his hands forward, his expression twisted as he resisted the impact brought by the sword beams.

There were simply too many sword beams, and combined with the spiritual pressure of the Moonlit Evening Sword Formation, the ring of fire controlled by Junior Brother Bai Ming was incredibly difficult to maintain.

A few that slipped through the net passed through the ring of fire, slashing his arms. Large amounts of blood flowed out, dyeing his shoulders a deep crimson.

The Moonlit Evening Sword Formation was gradually perfecting itself. The dazzling sword beams in the sky seemed endless, like a surging river washing over the stubborn stones on the ground.

The Song family cultivators arrived with a clatter. Seeing this scene, they knew the situation was settled. Now, they only worried that the people from the Yuqing Sect would not know when to stop and would wear that youth down to his death.

A Song family cultivator looked at the sword formation in the sky with shock, "Brother Zhao, looking at this scene, it seems we won't need to take action."

Cultivator Zhao frowned deeply, "Sigh, I am only afraid that if he dies, how will we answer to the young miss?"

"The disciples of the Yuqing Sect should have some discretion. If it really comes to it, we will forcefully intervene then."

Cultivator Zhao complained internally, with such a terrifying sword formation, what would you use to intervene?

"That is the only way."

Clang—

The ring of fire was forced to a halt for an instant by the sword beams, and dozens of sword beams immediately struck out, piercing straight through the chest and limbs of the youth below.

A mouthful of blood sprayed from Junior Brother Bai Ming's mouth. A dozen sword beams were too much for him to handle for a moment. He knelt on one knee, his eyes bloodshot, clenching his fists tightly.

The stalled ring of fire rotated once more, but its speed was no longer what it had been before.

The Junior Brother of Yuqing Sect said, "It seems he is finally going to be exhausted. To have held on for so long in the Moonlit Evening Sword Formation while injured is already rare."

Senior Brother Xiao nodded, "Indeed. Let us end this."

The other two nodded, and the speed of the sword beams increased slightly, with the number produced at the same moment becoming even greater.

The tattered ring of fire slowed down gradually, showing signs of collapse. Cracks spread across the ring of fire at an extremely fast speed, appearing as though it would shatter before it even stopped.

Junior Brother Bai Ming used the last of his remaining spiritual power to support the rotation of the ring of fire, braving the dazzling white light from the sky, his eyes locked firmly onto the three of them.

The ring of fire should have shattered long ago, but under the burning of Junior Brother Bai Ming's spiritual power, it maintained the last shred of its integrity.

Suddenly, Junior Brother Bai Ming's eyes brightened, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

"I have finally waited for it; it truly made me wait long enough."

An earth-shattering roar.

Bang—

The sword formation exploded, and the white light in the sky dissipated.

Senior Brother Xiao spat out a mouthful of turbid blood, his expression changing drastically, "What is going on!"

A Yuqing Sect disciple was covered in flames, shouting in a panic, "Senior Brother, save me!"

Senior Brother Xiao looked closely and saw that the disciple was covered in some strange flames that blanketed his entire body, yet there were no signs of burning on his clothes; the flames were just attached to the disciple out of thin air.

As a combined attack technique, the Moonlit Evening Sword Formation was powerful, but it was not without its weaknesses.

When the three of them used the combined attack technique, their minds, bodies, and spiritual power were closely linked together in order to exert its full power.

Having suffered this fire, that disciple's spiritual power fell into chaos, causing the sword formation to break, and all three of them suffered backlash to varying degrees.

It was not that they had not considered the weaknesses of the Moonlit Evening Sword Formation; not to mention that the sky full of sword beams destined that no one could get close to them.

Even if someone braved the sword beams and forced their way in while heavily injured, they could voluntarily weaken the connection between them, thereby having a certain degree of freedom while maintaining the sword formation.

Senior Brother Xiao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself, when? When exactly did he use it? Could it be that he had been waiting for that instant when our minds and bodies were unified?

But before he could think too much, the next instant, a ring of fire shot into the sky and exploded violently before it even got close to the three of them.

The three of them had just suffered backlash, and in their hurried response, they were actually left in a somewhat bedraggled state.

Senior Brother Xiao shielded the burning disciple behind him and used his spiritual power to disperse the remaining embers; Junior Brother Bai Ming's figure was no longer visible where the sword formation had originally been.

"He really dares to think and dares to act."

The flames on the burning disciple slowly dissipated. He had suffered the worst of the previous backlash, and the strange flames were tormenting his spirit even more, leaving him unable to calm down for a moment, unable to even use any techniques.

Under the dual trauma, this disciple's complexion was sallow and weak, and it was only after Senior Brother Xiao's spiritual power harmonization that he improved slightly.

Two Song family cultivators hurried over with terrified expressions; they could not have imagined such a scene no matter what.

The first thing to shatter was not Junior Brother Bai Ming's ring of fire, but rather the sword formation that had possessed such astonishing power!

The Moonlit Evening Sword Formation, maintained by three Qi Refining Peak disciples of the Seven Sects, had just been broken by a half-crippled kid.

Who exactly is he?

Cultivator Zhao's face was cold. He somewhat dared not think about the relationship between that youth and their young miss.

But there was one thing he could see clearly now: that was that they absolutely could not let that kid get away!

Cultivator Zhao asked somewhat urgently, "How is Fellow Daoist Xiao?"

Senior Brother Xiao waved his hand, "It is fine. Let us continue the pursuit."

Except for the severely injured disciple, the remaining four flew off at high speed.

The cold wind was sliced open by the group, leaving a trail of wake behind them.

Swish—

The sound of something breaking through the air reached Junior Brother Bai Ming's ears. He flew toward the city gate at the fastest speed he could currently muster.

His body was surrounded by bright flames emitted by the burst of spiritual power, which were so conspicuous in this dim night sky.

The residents on the ground looked up and were somewhat surprised. In this Canglan City, flying was strictly prohibited for everyone except the patrolling Song family cultivators; if anyone violated this, they would be severely punished.

Sure enough, several cultivators in Song family uniforms reacted and flew into the sky in pursuit.

"What kind of petty thief dares to disobey the city's prohibition and does not take my Song family seriously?"

Another Song family cultivator exclaimed, "It is him! Brother Zhao told us to stall this person."

"Very well, everyone, capture this villain with me!"

Junior Brother Bai Ming's expression was unpleasant. He shot a fireball behind him, "Chirping and chattering, it is truly annoying to death! If you don't want to die, then get lost!"

He was already covered in wounds. Fresh blood flowed down from his forehead, merging with long-dried bloodstains, bringing a sticky sensation to his face.

But the exit was right before his eyes; how could he stop now?

Even though he was heavily injured, he was unwilling to stop. Even if he died, he would die outside the city!

The blue-gray stone wall appeared before his eyes. At this moment, he was only a few hundred meters away from outside the city, and Junior Brother Bai Ming could not help but feel excited.

"Almost there!"

"Even though I am heavily injured, I am ultimately going to escape."

Junior Brother Bai Ming continued to accelerate. Suddenly, a figure in white robes stood with a sword, blocking his path.

Junior Brother Bai Ming's eyes were full of anger; set against the blood on his face, he actually looked like a vengeful ghost.

"Damn it, my injuries are too severe; my speed is ultimately a step slower."

Senior Brother Xiao did not speak either. He understood the determination of the youth in front of him; any words at this moment would be futile.

He also had his own duties. Whether it was the instructions of his senior sister or the accountability to his severely injured junior brothers, he could not let him leave.

The atmosphere was eerily quiet, and time itself seemed to become heavy.

Junior Brother Bai Ming was analyzing, judging the position of the Song family cultivators behind him, as well as how to repel the man in white in front of him.

Senior Brother Xiao was waiting for Junior Brother Bai Ming to make the first move; this was a gesture of respect for the youth's tenacious will.