His only remaining thought now was to fight desperately! To sacrifice his own life so that the other six brothers could escape alive!

This was his only concept at the moment! But Cao Guofeng had already been watching him.

The instant he moved, Cao Guofeng appeared before him, looking down coldly, then suddenly slapped him hard across the face with a resounding "SMACK!" that echoed particularly sharply! Bai Qifeng touched his face, momentarily lost in a daze.

After nearly a thousand years, no one had ever dared to slap him, yet today, he had received such a blow under the gaze of all present! Yet, there was not the slightest trace of resentment in his heart.

“Satisfied?” Cao Guofeng stared coldly at him. “Do you know those people are waiting eagerly for you to charge out so they can each make a breakthrough?

Do you realize that if you charge out, the lives of all seven brothers, along with the future of the Illusory Manor, will all be buried by your hand? Do you know that once you rush out… as long as you are dead, even if the six of us have a chance to flee, we absolutely would not escape?

Bai Qifeng, when did you become so foolish?” On Bai Qifeng’s sharply chiseled face, a sudden spasm crossed it, his eyes turning bloodshot as he growled, “But…” “But what? Because of you, everyone’s situation has become this dire, hasn't it?” Cao Guofeng cut him off with a sharp shout.

“Things are at this stage; what use is it for you to rashly charge out like this? Everyone here will remember this debt against you, and when we return to the Illusory Manor, we will naturally settle it with you piece by piece!

Are you trying to die easily now? There’s no such simple escape!” “Exactly!

Second Brother Bai, you owe us all, and we will definitely settle the score with you slowly; letting you die now is far too easy for you!” The other five laughed simultaneously, their laughter incredibly relaxed. Between life and death, these men shed all previous reservations and became wonderfully unrestrained.

Bai Qifeng’s agitation slowly subsided. He nodded solemnly, uttering no further words, his expression having returned to calm.

“Clap, clap, clap…” A sound of applause drifted over, followed by a voice laced with affected mockery: “Hahahaha… What profound fraternal affection! The Misty Illusory Manor is indeed rich in talent and lives up to its reputation!

However, some people’s faces are truly too thick. If I had made such a mistake and implicated my brothers, I would have surely drawn my sword and ended my own life to atone for my sins.

How could I possibly have the audacity to stand brazenly before my brothers? The thickness of someone’s skin is truly unmatched in this world, surpassing all ages.

I am truly enlightened, I am truly impressed.” Bai Qifeng snorted, about to speak, when he suddenly snapped back to awareness. “Big Brother, we must rush past quickly; this person has shown no intent to attack, merely drawing out this exchange here; they are undoubtedly waiting for the enemy from within the mountain belly to arrive so they can launch a pincer attack on us!

If…” Cao Guofeng was suddenly startled. “Right!

Brothers, let’s charge out!” The person opposite them laughed loudly, “You only realize it now? Too late!” Behind Cao Guofeng and the others, the sound of dozens of booming laughs echoed from afar.

Clearly, the pursuers from the rear had caught up! Cao Guofeng did not look back, roaring, “Bai Qifeng take the lead, the other five provide auxiliary support, everyone exert full strength and charge through in one go!

Success or failure hinges on this!” Bai Qifeng let out a ferocious roar, his white robe instantly stirring up a rustling sound, and he charged forward first, his speed increasing relentlessly. Just as he was about to exit the cave entrance, faint wisps of cyan smoke suddenly began to rise from the edges of his white robe!

In this desperate situation, coupled with extreme self-reproach, Bai Qifeng had actually broken through his original bottleneck, unleashing the peak power he had never tapped into in his entire life! The other six followed closely behind him, like seven of the sharpest swords, intending to pierce the final remnants of darkness and rush toward the boundless light.

At this moment, a clear, crisp shout rang out from behind them as the enemies in pursuit launched their charge! Bai Qifeng took the lead, surging forward like a thunderbolt.

Suddenly, amidst the high-speed rush, his long sword let out a piercing, tragic keen, leaving its sheath and instantly transforming into a scorching white light—magnificent and vast—shooting straight out! The moment the sword struck out, Bai Qifeng’s eyes turned blood-red, and the long hair on his head suddenly whipped backward; traveling less than thirty feet ahead of him, that mass of sword light had already thickened to the diameter of a rolling drum, its sword aura scattering wildly, emitting an incomparably brilliant radiance in the darkness, and continuing to grow thicker!

It was like a nuclear bomb detonating within that dark space! As the sharp sword light shot forth, in the instant it reached the enemy lines, a terrifying sword hum sounded from behind Bai Qifeng: “Woooo~~M~~~!” The speed of this strike had actually surpassed the speed of sound by several times!

This was the most terrifying manifestation of Body-Sword Union! Bai Qifeng’s Body-Sword Union this time had completely surpassed the inherent limit of what ‘Body-Sword Union’ should achieve!

“Everyone be careful, attack simultaneously! Let’s deal with this madman first with combined force!” The enemy leader shouted, and more than a dozen figures sprang up, their sword lights shooting out like long rainbows, directly meeting Bai Qifeng head-on!

And the auxiliary attacks from the remaining five members of the Illusory Manor had already arrived! Following Bai Qifeng’s strike, the full power of the Seven Great Saint Emperors was unleashed!

Success or failure rested on this one blow! If this strike was blocked and they failed to break through, the seven from the Illusory Manor would immediately be caught in a desperate situation, trapped between the front and rear attacks!

It was feared that not a single one of the Seven Great Saint Emperors would survive! Infinite anxiety flashed in the eyes of the leading enemy figure; he cursed loudly, “Damn it!” Before the two words were finished, the sword lights and Xuan Qi of both sides collided!

With a massive bang, like an explosion blossoming, the sound reverberated thunderously within the mountain belly, ceaseless and rolling, while countless massive stones crashed down from above like gigantic hail! After all, Bai Qifeng and his group held the initiative!

Moreover, the seven of them were all attacking with full force, holding nothing back; the momentum of this desperate force was truly enough to repel ten thousand troops! In this collision, both sides felt the strength of the other party had reached an exceptionally high level!

The sharpness of Bai Qifeng’s sword light did not diminish upon impact; he charged forward fiercely again, single-handedly managing to forcefully withstand the majority of the enemy’s offensive. At this moment, Bai Qifeng had only one simple thought: Charge out!

He absolutely had to lead his brothers out! New sword marks and wounds continuously appeared on his white robe, yet he seemed entirely unaware.

In the span of just a few brief moments, over a hundred sword marks had appeared on his body! The leading man in black attacking with full force was being pushed back step by step.

Wherever Bai Qifeng’s sword wind swept, the black robe on the enemy’s body was slashed into pieces, fluttering like black butterflies in the air, scattering below like dark ash! Cao Guofeng, standing in the center of the seven, caught a glimpse of a section of a purple sash inadvertently exposed at the enemy leader’s waist.

Grief and indignation surged within him as he roared, “It really is you people!” His voice was still filled with anger and disbelief! The Purple-Gold Guardians of the Reclusive Immortal Palace wore exactly this kind of purple sash around their waists; and the people of the Dreamlike Blood Sea usually dressed the same way!

So, the ones who ambushed the seven of us were actually people belonging to the Three Great Sacred Lands? Cao Guofeng felt he was about to faint from rage!

He had only vaguely suspected it before, but now he had irrefutable proof, leaving no room for doubt! You ruined our plans, provoked us relentlessly, forced us out of the Forbidden City, and now you are ambushing us here?

Is there anyone in this world capable of such shameless conduct? No wonder they were so cruel to that youth with the Ethereal Constitution—it must be because of me; or perhaps, to frame the Evil Sovereign!

No wonder they wore the black robes typically worn only by the subordinates of the Evil Sovereign... A trick of stealing the heavens and shifting the blame to the east!

It was utterly despicable! The leading man in black was startled upon hearing this, glancing down only to realize his attire had revealed a flaw.

Almost instinctively, he covered his waist, his eyes showing surprise, and he snarled, “Spit out your nonsense! What are you talking about!

What ‘you people’ and ‘us people,’ what is real and what is false!” But this momentary panic caused a subtle gap to appear in their otherwise exceptionally tight formation! Bai Qifeng, barely caring for his own safety, used his flesh and blood body to drive his long sword and violently charged in!

With a loud explosion, Bai Qifeng, covered in blood from head to toe, appeared under the sunlight outside the cave. The other six followed closely behind and burst out together.

Cao Guofeng shouted, “Ignore everything, flee with all your might!” These seven men were all seasoned veterans; without even looking back, they sped away at maximum velocity! No matter what, today was definitely not the day for a fight to the death!

Behind them, the rumbling sound of falling rocks never ceased, the sounds almost merging into one continuous roar, accompanied by a string of curses: “Damn it, the mountain collapsed at precisely this moment! What rotten luck!” Heaven had not sealed off the path; the mountain collapse actually obstructed their pursuers.

Cao Guofeng let out a long breath of relief, clutching Jun Mo Xie in his arms, flying away like a streak of lightning, his heart filled with extreme resentment: The Three Great Sacred Lands, if I don't settle this score, I swear I will not be human! While Cao Guofeng was merely thinking this, the furious Bai Qifeng burst out cursing: “You bastards of the Three Great Sacred Lands, listen up!

I have recorded this debt, and from this day forward, we will share the heavens but never coexist, and the feud will last until death!” The remaining five men were also wounded, their hearts filled with anger that could not be surpassed, perhaps no less than Bai Qifeng’s! Recalling the perilous battle during those brief moments, everyone was left with lingering fear!

If they had charged out even a second or half a second later, all seven of them would likely have ended up as unrecognizable piles of corpses! Although the battle was brief, the entire engagement lasting only a few exchanges, the danger was unprecedented.

They felt they had faced countless perilous battles in their lives, but none compared to this one! In that short burst of contact, every one of the seven men had danced on the edge of life and death dozens of times.

While they were in the thick of it, driven only by the thought of escaping alive, they didn't feel it as acutely. But now, looking back, everyone was covered in a cold sweat.

The cool sensation while racing into the open road made everyone’s scalp tingle… How could this hatred and grievance be settled easily?