As the tide of corpses rushed forward, Lin Xiao Tian’s face turned cold and he ordered everyone to tighten their circle at once without wasting another breath. His disciples moved immediately, stepping into place with practiced speed as swords, spears, and halberds pointed outward toward every side.

The undead crashed into them like broken floodwater spilling through shattered gates from all directions together. Dry hands clawed wildly, cracked weapons hacked downward, and empty mouths opened as they threw themselves against the living line.

Yan Feng stepped forward first, and his sword flashed through the front ranks in long clean arcs of silver light. Heads rolled across the dirt, torsos split apart, and three corpses fell before the next row could even reach him.

Beside him, Xiaoshan laughed harshly and swung his halberd in a broad brutal sweep that carried crushing force. The strike smashed several corpses together, sending bones, rusted armor, and broken limbs spinning through the air.

At the rear, Miao Han and Li Qingyun guarded tightly without panic, noise, or wasted movement during the chaos. One pushed bodies back with measured force, while the other cut down anything that crossed too close.

Tianhe stood near the center like a wall built from iron and mountain stone that refused to bend. Behind him, Miao-Miao hid with full seriousness while peeking outward with clear disgust written on her face.

Lin Xiao Tian nearly coughed blood seeing that at such a time, yet his eyes never stopped searching the battlefield around them. The undead were weak and fell quickly, but each corpse soon twitched again and slowly began standing.

"They are stalling us," he said darkly while watching every shadow.

Then suddenly a scream tore through the clearing so sharply that everyone’s heart tightened at once from instinct. One of Ji Wuchen’s followers dropped from the sky already shriveled dry, with a clean hole through his throat.

His eyes still held confusion when the corpse struck ground below, while his weapon slipped from numb fingers. It stabbed into the dirt beside him and trembled there alone.

Ji Wuchen’s company instantly pulled closer together, and their calm faces finally began to crack with unease. Even those proud middle region disciples started watching every direction instead of looking down on others.

Lin Xiao Tian cursed inwardly the moment he understood the trick being used before everyone present. This bitch is using these corpses as cover while hunting real targets one by one.

Before another thought formed, a loud clash exploded from the left flank where Xiaoshan stood guarding. The demon had appeared behind him and stabbed twin daggers straight toward the back of his neck.

Xiaoshan twisted on instinct and raised his halberd shaft in time by the narrowest margin possible. Sparks burst everywhere as the strike shoved him backward through broken ground several heavy steps.

Two shallow cuts opened across his shoulder and ribs, drawing blood but little concern from him. Xiaoshan roared angrily and swung back hard enough to split stone apart.

But the demon had already vanished again before the halberd finished crossing through the empty air. Only drifting black mist remained where it had stood a breath earlier.

The pressure around everyone rose sharply after that exchange, because no one knew where the next strike would come from now. Even Ji Wuchen’s face had already lost the pride it carried earlier.

Then another scream rang out through dust and falling debris somewhere near the rear lines. Everyone turned and saw a second follower of Ji Wuchen dropping lifelessly from above.

Her chest had been pierced straight through by hidden force, while the flesh around the wound dried rapidly. The body landed like a broken marionette upon the dirt below.

Ji Wuchen’s eyes turned bloodshot the instant he saw another companion die before his face. Rage burst from him as he gripped his spear tightly with both hands.

Then he hurled it forward carrying far greater force than before, pouring anger into the throw itself. The weapon screamed through the sky like thunder tearing downward from heaven.

Air cracked around it while thick dust split apart before its path in sharp lines. Many watching thought nothing alive could dodge such a strike.

The demon vanished once again before the spear reached him fully and left only empty space behind. The weapon struck earth instead and ripped open a massive trench across the clearing.

Nearly half the undead horde was shattered within that single blow of furious power. Stone flew upward, corpses burst apart, and the whole battlefield shook hard beneath everyone.

Dust rose thickly and covered sight across the battlefield, turning shapes into shadows for several breaths. Then from inside that moving dust, death appeared again without warning.

The demon had appeared directly behind Miao-Miao while her attention remained elsewhere for a moment. She was pale, disgusted, and tired from the twisted battle around her already.

For one small moment, her reaction slowed fatally and her body did not answer quickly enough. The demon’s daggers swelled outward as black tentacles rushed straight for her heart.

Miao-Miao froze where she stood, and her eyes widened fully with sudden fear. Death had reached her before thought could move, but just then Tianhe arrived like a crashing shadow from the side and struck with desperate speed.

He slammed the demon away while scales flashed briefly across one hand, most of the tentacles were knocked aside by that sudden blow and scattered harmlessly wide. One single tendril still pierced straight through Tianhe’s chest.

Blood burst outward as his body was thrown across the field and smashed through broken stone. He rolled several times before stopping far away in a pool of spreading crimson.

For one moment, the whole battlefield seemed frozen by what had just happened there. Lin Xiao Tian’s eyes widened while Yan Feng and the others stopped moving entirely.

Even Ji Wuchen stood stunned in the air, spear hand still lowered from the last throw. The demon laughed madly while blood stained half its smiling face.

The few survivors watching from afar felt cold run through their entire backs together. Some wanted to flee, yet their legs would not answer.

Miao-Miao slowly turned and looked toward Tianhe’s fallen body lying motionless on the ground. Fear left her face first, then sadness quietly took its place, but then rage rose from the little girl like broken floodgates opening.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao Tian’s heart skipped and he rushed forward without caring for anything else. Yet before he reached her, everything had already changed and pressure burst from Miao-Miao so suddenly that none present could resist it fully.

The demon nearest her was smashed face-first into the ground instantly, and Lin Xiao Tian who was reaching out also fell down.

Earth exploded inward beneath it while shockwaves spread outward through trees, stones, and shattered corpses nearby. Everyone within miles was forced downward by brutal weight.

Some knelt instantly while others were crushed onto their knees with shaking arms and teeth. Even proud experts could only grit themselves against it.

Ji Wuchen, who floated proudly moments ago, now looked pale and struggled to remain upright. Lin Xiao Tian forced himself standing through clenched teeth and trembling legs.

Miao-Miao slowly turned as her hair became black as moonless night before everyone watching. The white in her eyes faded until only darkness remained there. Behind her back, a blood crescent slowly formed and floated in complete silence. It gave off no light, yet all hearts trembled before it.

She stepped once, and the ground caved inward beneath her feet with a heavy sound. She stepped again, and cracks spread in every direction outward. The demon tried fleeing with all speed left in panic, no trace of arrogance remaining now.

It was lifted by the neck before moving even ten feet away. Its madness was gone, and only fear remained upon the face that once laughed loudly. Miao-Miao grabbed one arm and tore it off cleanly.

For the first time, the wound did not heal afterward no matter how it writhed. The demon screamed sharply enough to shake nearby hearts. She grabbed the other arm and ripped hidden tentacles apart from inside the flesh itself. Bone, black veins, and meat scattered across broken ground.

The creature that laughed before now screamed like slaughtered stock before all witnesses present. Blood flowed from Miao-Miao’s nose, yet she ignored it completely.

Then she flew upward carrying the demon into the sky with terrifying calmness. Both vanished while screams continued falling from above repeatedly. Moments later, the demon was thrown back down with enough force to crush hills below. The impact collapsed the battlefield center into a giant crater.

When dust settled, only blood smeared across shattered stone where the body had landed. Then Miao-Miao appeared once more before everyone present.

She clenched one hand in the empty air before her and tightened her fingers slowly. The demon’s Nascent Soul was dragged out screaming instantly. It was already broken badly, with limbs missing and features twisted beyond recognition. The soul begged wildly for mercy before all present.

"Spare me, young lady, and I shall become your slave forever," it cried while kneeling in the air. "I know hidden treasures, secret inheritances, forbidden arts, and paths to supreme realms."

"I can bring you armies, bloodlines, ancient pills, and endless fortune," it wailed with tears streaming down. "Leave me alive, and I will serve you with perfect loyalty."

"I swear by soul, blood, heaven, earth, and every ancestor I know," it shouted desperately while shaking. "Only spare this one life, and I shall never betray you."

Suddenly Miao-Miao coughed a mouthful of blood, and the soul tried fleeing immediately. Before it moved three feet, pressure vanished for one breath.

Then all of it collapsed onto that soul alone with silent final force and then nothing remained of it.

Silence covered the battlefield from edge to edge as if everything had forgotten breathing. Lin Xiao Tian rushed forward and caught Miao-Miao as she swayed weakly once.

The black in her hair slowly faded strand by strand, while the blood crescent behind her cracked into dim fragments. Her eyes blinked weakly once toward Lin Xiao Tian, then lost focus completely.

Her small body suddenly softened and dropped forward without any strength left inside it. Lin Xiao Tian pulled her into his arms before she could touch the broken ground.

Her body felt frighteningly light, and she gave no answer when he called twice. He sent Qi inside, but it vanished immediately within her. seeing this he panicked as he tried again but with the same output.

Without delay, he bought pill after pill through the system and fed her everything possible. Healing pills, soul pills, blood pills entered her mouth quickly.

Yan Feng and the others finally staggered over with pale faces and shaking legs. Lin Xiao Tian handed her over while watching her face closely.

"Protect her properly," he said with a voice that still trembled slightly.

Then he turned and saw Tianhe clutching the hole through his chest with blood still dripping down. Pain filled his body, but guilt filled his face more.

"I am sorry, Sect Master," Tianhe said hoarsely while forcing himself to sit upright again. "I should have transformed earlier and stopped this sooner—"

Before he finished speaking, Lin Xiao Tian forced a pill into his mouth hard. "Shut up first and heal," he said angrily.