The sight before them sent over a dozen Red Star cultivators into a state of elation and exhilaration. Every face beamed with a shared sense of pride and glory, and they counted themselves fortunate that none of them had deserted during the battle. Otherwise, how could they have witnessed a clash of such earth-shattering magnitude?
When they turned their heads, however, they spotted the gray-haired Elder Zhu leading dozens of warriors in a charge straight toward them, and tension immediately seized every one of them.
Sure, the Sixth Master could carve through hundreds of enemies with ease — but that was the Sixth Master's ability, not proof that Thunderlight was some soft persimmon anyone could squeeze.
They had clashed with Thunderlight countless times over the years, each side taking losses, and they knew full well how tenacious and formidable their enemy was.
Now several dozen fighters were charging their position, including a powerhouse like Elder Zhu. How could they possibly hold?
Every pair of eyes turned to Yue He and Guo Ziyan, waiting for orders.
Guo Ziyan gripped his long-staff Artifact tightly, his blood boiling with excitement, his face alight with eagerness. Having just witnessed the Sixth Master's godlike might, he longed to charge forward alongside him and cast life and death to the winds.
Yue He's expression, by contrast, was grave. She stepped forward and called out sharply, "Nobody make a move!"
As she spoke, she brought forth the small flower-parasol Artifact, giving the handle a gentle spin. The parasol began to rotate, and as it did, its canopy expanded with a thunderous rush, instantly shrouding all dozen or more of their allies within its protective dome. From the parasol's rim, threadlike strands descended, forming an invisible barrier.
Elder Zhu, charging at the front, saw this and gritted his teeth with a furious roar. His heavy war-axes came crashing down, and the dozens of fighters behind him struck without hesitation, unleashing their own Artifacts and secret arts.
In the blink of an eye, ripples spread across the protective barrier surrounding the Red Star group, as though stones had been tossed into a still lake — layer upon layer of concentric waves radiating outward.
Yue He formed hand seals, pouring her power frantically into the small flower-parasol. But even with the foundation of a Fifth-Order Open Heaven cultivator, and even with the parasol's formidable defensive capabilities, it could not hold for long.
In barely ten breaths of time, the parasol's surface was already flashing wildly, its colors fading, and the protective shield guarding their group was teetering on the brink of collapse.
It would not be long before the barrier broke entirely. When that happened, only Yue He and Guo Ziyan — both Open Heaven realm cultivators — might still escape with their lives. The remaining dozen or so Red Star Disciples would certainly be torn to pieces.
Yue He managed to hold for three more breaths before she could endure no longer. She turned her head and cried out, "Big Brother, if you don't come help right now, I'll die right here for you to see!"
"I'm coming!" Yang Kai stepped forward from atop the Scarlet Flood Dragon's head, and the moment his foot landed, he was already directly above Elder Zhu's head. The laws of space surged, and the Azure Dragon Spear hammered downward.
At the tip of the spear, a fist-sized black sphere spun rapidly, radiating the aura of absolute annihilation.
Sensing that power of destruction, Elder Zhu's face changed drastically. He raised both arms high, crossing his twin war-axes to intercept.
With a deafening boom, the black sphere at the spear's tip expanded violently, sweeping across a radius of dozens of zhang in an instant before vanishing in a flash. In that brief moment, everything within that radius — even the void itself — had been utterly erased, leaving behind only a black hole that pulsed with the essence of primordial chaos.
The black hole writhed and slowly repaired itself under the laws of heaven and earth.
Within that dozens-of-zhang expanse, more than a dozen Thunderlight Disciples had vanished without so much as a scream, without a single trace remaining.
Over a hundred zhang away, Elder Zhu's eyelids twitched wildly as he stared at the black hole in horror, a chill of aftertaste fear running through him. Just moments ago, he had sensed danger and fled with all his speed. Had he been a heartbeat slower, Yang Kai's strike would have either killed him or left him gravely wounded. He looked down at his twin war-axes — their luster had dimmed, their Yuan Qi severely depleted.
After that single spear thrust, Yang Kai unleashed two more, cutting down over a dozen Thunderlight Disciples. The remainder scattered like frightened birds, and Yue He's group was finally freed from peril.
Yang Kai turned to look. The Scarlet Flood Dragon had also stabilized its situation — his brief intervention on that side had relieved a great deal of pressure, and the beast was now consumed with rage, swinging its tail and chasing down the Thunderlight cultivators around it, heedless of its own grievous wounds.
It was a vicious beast, after all, and once its ferocity was fully unleashed, whatever little rationality it possessed was all but gone.
Yang Kai gripped his spear and looked up at Elder Zhu. He leveled the long weapon forward and bared his teeth in a grin. "Old dog — die!"
Elder Zhu's courage shattered completely. At their peak, the two of them — both Open Heaven realm leaders — along with several hundred Disciples, had still been routed by Yang Kai alone and a single flood dragon. Now with half their number dead or injured, what courage remained to fight on?
A dark curse formed in his mind: Bie Jian deserved his death. Who knew what grudge he had earned against this killing god? The man was absolutely terrifying. With someone like this standing guard over Red Star, what chance did Thunderlight have to compete?
Thoughts raced, but his body moved even faster. A cloud of blood mist erupted from his skin and condensed into a streak of blood-light, hurtling away into the distance at desperate speed.
Seeing that the situation had turned hopeless, he had fled outright — abandoning the hundred-plus surviving subordinates without a second thought.
The moment Elder Zhu broke and ran, his remaining Disciples lost all will to fight. They abandoned their opponents and scattered in every direction, fleeing like startled birds.
Yang Kai watched the blood-light streaking away and let out a savage laugh. "Run? Think you can escape?"
The long spear spun, the laws of space surged, and he prepared to give chase.