But how could Dugu Bachen allow them to leave? The stone blade in his hand vibrated again, transforming into a colossal blade-light—a massive blade-light one li wide and thousands of li long—that slashed down with terrifying force...

With a thunderous crash, the immense blade-light completely enveloped the six Hong-rank masters. Immediately, the six Hong-rank masters felt as if they had been transported into a world made entirely of blades.

A world composed solely of blades, and a single, gigantic blade was cleaving down upon all six of them simultaneously. Even though the demons were not aligned in a straight row, even though they were separated by hundreds of feet, they all felt this one blade appear directly overhead.

The six masters, who had attained the Hong rank, simultaneously drew their weapons. These were weapons of peculiar design wielded by Liu Bing, taken back from the Demon Realm. Although their grade was still somewhat lacking, they were the finest weapons available to the demons. Driven by the dark power surging within their bodies, these two weapons erupted with dazzling black light. However, before these weapons could even make contact with the colossal blade, they began to shatter completely.

Despair flickered in the eyes of the six demons. Their ingrained nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong manifested completely at this moment. They were about to kneel and surrender, but Dugu Bachen’s strike descended without mercy.

It was clearly a single blade, yet it simultaneously executed all six demons approaching from different directions.

The demons’ formidable regenerative abilities were useless now. They didn't even have time to utter a scream before they were utterly annihilated by that single slash.

Blade energies scattered violently. Those atop the city walls could only watch as countless demons scrambled desperately to evade the innumerable slashes, rays, and glints of the blade Qi.

In less than fifteen minutes, the battlefield, which had been in such uproar moments before, fell silent. The entire Hong Plain was coated in dark-golden blood—the blood of demons.

Everyone was stunned into stillness. Whether it was Luo Ruofeng, Xuanyuan Jing, or the ordinary soldiers, all stared blankly at the motionless, gaunt man suspended in the void. The demons that had filled them with dread and fear for days, those demons so powerful they inspired despair, had been utterly slaughtered in such a short span of time.

What manner of power was this? A power that surpassed that of gods?

But soon, an excited smile spread across Luo Ruofeng's face. This man had arrived with Ye Jingyu; therefore, he was a formidable reinforcement! With him here, what else could Luo Ruofeng possibly worry about?

Meanwhile, Xuanyuan Jing, seeing the demons below utterly destroyed, glanced toward Dugu Bachen in the void. Then, taking his twelve Golden Armored Warriors and four masters who had reached the Desolate (Huang) rank, he stepped off the city wall and vanished in a few strides.

Dugu Bachen made no move to pursue. He merely gazed thoughtfully in the direction Xuanyuan Jing had departed. Under his vast divine sense, Xuanyuan Jing’s mere Celestial (Tian) rank cultivation was clearly revealed. But why would so many Celestial masters choose to accompany him? And even four Desolate-rank experts?

Where was Xuanyuan Jue? Where had he gone?

Regardless, for the soldiers on Storm City, this was a great victory, a hard-won great victory. When they finally snapped out of their shock, they erupted in loud cheers. Many soldiers were weeping from emotion; humanity had finally produced a powerhouse, one capable of standing alone!

Ye Jingyu did not dispel the Twelve Heavenly Witches Annihilation Array. He set the array directly upon the Hong Plain, allowing it to absorb the surrounding malevolent energies, while he himself led Liang Xiaoke and the others up to the city wall.

“Your Majesty, this is my master, Dugu Bachen…” Seeing Luo Ruofeng standing on the battlements, Ye Jingyu smiled lightly.

And Dugu Bachen stood beside him like a sheathed blade...

“Junior Luo Ruofeng pays his respects to the senior!” Seeing the transcendent figure who had displayed such divine might to save all of Storm City, Luo Ruofeng offered a courtly bow.

Dugu Bachen nodded but said nothing more. His body transformed into a streak of light, vanishing without a trace.

Luo Ruofeng knew that such powerful individuals often possessed their own unique temperaments and dared not press the matter. Hei Ming Shixuan, who had been standing beside Luo Ruofeng, revealed a radiant smile the moment the person who made her feel intensely oppressed departed, and she immediately sprang towards Ye Jingyu...

“Big Brother…” Hei Ming Shixuan’s voice remained as soft and delicate as ever, and her appearance was still innocently cute. However, having cultivated for so long within the Map of Rivers and Mountains (Shanhe Shejitu), her physical body had long matured. Especially her once unremarkable chest, which had now grown to rival that of any enchantress.

She launched herself into Ye Jingyu’s arms just as she might have done as a child, her full curves pressing against his chest...

Embraced tightly by Hei Ming Shixuan, Ye Jingyu hadn't even had time to fully appreciate the little girl’s transformation when Xi Yang also flew over, her crimson figure clinging directly to him