321: Chapter 321: Retreat

Boom!

A grey light exploded, turning into a vast sea of grey radiance that swallowed the Demonic Path army within a hundred-mile radius.

Innumerable Demonic Path Disciples were blown to pieces, and the Yellow Spring Army was blasted apart.

Even the three Grand Elder Puppets were sent flying backward by the blast, cracks appearing on their bodies.

Xiao Ran's expression changed.

"Old bastard!"

He gritted his teeth, fully activating the Guixu Vortex to swallow the remnants of the explosion.

Supreme Elder Xuan Qingzi was dead.

He had used his own life to trade for the lives of thousands of Demonic Path Disciples.

"Grand Elder!"

Tears streamed down the old face of Daoist Master Qingxu.

Fairy Xuanbing also struggled to her feet, staring in the direction of Supreme Elder Xuan Qingzi's self-detonation, her eyes filled with grief.

"Senior Brother, you go on ahead. I will join you shortly."

She turned and walked toward the Demonic Path army.

Her right leg was already shattered, so she could only glide through the air.

"Junior Martial Uncle Xuanbing! Don't!"

Daoist Master Qingxu cried out.

Fairy Xuanbing did not look back.

She stepped into the midst of the Demonic Path army, holding her longsword horizontally before her as a silver-white sword light flowed along the blade.

"Xiao Ran, you killed my Senior Brother! I will make you pay with your life!"

With a furious roar, her body exploded.

A silver-white light burst forth, turning into a rain of swords that pierced through all the surrounding Demonic Path Disciples.

Another wave of Demonic Path Disciples collapsed.

Two Grand Elders at the Peak Integration Stage had used their lives to trade for the lives of thousands of Demonic Path Disciples.

Xiao Ran's expression was incredibly grim.

Although he had three Puppets at the Peak Integration Stage, Puppets did not feel pain and could not self-detonate.

Meanwhile, these old fellows of the Righteous Path were all utterly reckless with their lives.

His army had suffered heavy losses; of the two thousand corpses in the Yellow Spring Army, only fifteen hundred remained.

The Disciples of the Six Great Demonic Sects had also suffered countless casualties.

"Xiao Ran, do you still want to fight?"

Li Changsheng's voice rang in his ear.

Xiao Ran turned his head and saw Li Changsheng standing behind him, the law seed swirling in his palm.

His face was pale and there was blood at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were filled with Battle Intent.

"Fight! Why wouldn't we?"

Xiao Ran gritted his teeth.

Li Changsheng shook his head.

"Xiao Ran, you can't win."

"Your army has suffered heavy losses. If you keep fighting, you'll lose everything you've built."

"Do you really want to end up in mutual destruction?"

Xiao Ran fell silent.

Just then, another Righteous Path Cultivator on the city wall rushed into the Demonic Path army and detonated his Golden Core.

Boom!

Several Demonic Path Disciples were blown to pieces.

Right after, another, and then another.

The Righteous Path Cultivators seemed to have gone mad, rushing into the Demonic Path army one after another, detonating their Golden Cores to drag the Demonic Path Disciples down with them.

"Madmen... they're all mad..."

Xiao Ran's expression grew more and more unsightly.

His army was rapidly dwindling.

The Yellow Spring Army dropped from fifteen hundred to a thousand, and then from a thousand to five hundred.

Over half of the Disciples of the Six Great Demonic Sects were dead or injured, and even Blood Butcher had an arm blown off.

"Sect Master, retreat!"

Blood Butcher rushed over, his face deathly pale.

"If we keep fighting, all of our people will be dead!"

Xiao Ran gritted his teeth, looking at the reckless Righteous Path Cultivators on the city walls, then at the law seed in Li Changsheng's hand, and finally made up his mind.

"Retreat!"

He waved his hand, turned, and flew toward the head of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor.

The Demonic Path army retreated like an ebbing tide.

The Yellow Spring Army, the Disciples of the Six Great Demonic Sects, and the Yao Beast army retreated in a grand, sweeping wave toward the mountain gate.

The massive body of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor opened its giant maw, letting out a low hiss as it turned and flew toward the north.

On the city walls, the Righteous Path Cultivators erupted into earth-shattering cheers.

"We won! We won!"

"Long live Saint Li!"

"The Righteous Path is immortal!"

Some knelt and wept bitterly, some roared toward the sky, and some embraced each other.

The joy of surviving the disaster was beyond words.

Li Changsheng stood on the city wall, watching Xiao Ran's departing figure, a barely perceptible smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Through the Soul Link, Xiao Ran's voice came through.

"That acting was exhausting. Those Righteous Path Cultivators really don't care about their lives."

Li Changsheng replied, "Cut the crap. You literally fought your way to their doorstep. Of course they would fight to the death."

Xiao Ran laughed.

"Alright, go back and prepare for the peace talks."

"The losses this time weren't small; we have to make up for them from the Six Great Demonic Sects."

"Alright."

The two cut the link.

Li Changsheng turned and walked toward Daoist Master Qingxu.

"Junior Martial Uncle, are you alright?"

Daoist Master Qingxu shook his head and grasped his hand, his eyes filled with gratification.

"Changsheng, you saved the Righteous Path."

"From this day forth, you are the leader of the Righteous Path."

Li Changsheng shook his head.

"Junior Martial Uncle, you are the leader of the Righteous Path. I only did what I should have done."

Daoist Master Qingxu looked at him, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Changsheng, I am old!"

"Just as the waves of the Yangtze River behind push those ahead, the era belongs to you young people."

Night fell, and on the ruins of the Supreme Dao Palace, campfires dotted the landscape.

The Cultivators sat around the campfires, the joy of surviving the disaster yet to fade from their faces.

Li Changsheng sat on the city wall, gazing at the distant sky.

The moon was round and bright, casting its light over him like a thin layer of frost.

In his hand, he held that law seed.

A purple-gold glow flowed in his palm, warm and peaceful.

"Junior Brother Li," Su Qinghan's voice came from behind.

Li Changsheng turned around and saw her standing behind him, her white clothes like snow and her long hair falling like a waterfall.

There was no expression on her face, but her eyes were filled with complex emotions.

"Senior Sister, why are you here?"

Su Qinghan walked to his side, looking at the distant sky.

"Junior Brother Li, I came to warn you to be careful of Xiao Ran. He is not someone who gives up easily."

Li Changsheng feigned surprise.

"Senior Sister, how did you know?"

Su Qinghan was taken aback.

"Uh... I heard about it."

"Anyway, just be careful."

Having said that, Su Qinghan left in a hurry.

Li Changsheng looked at her departing back and chuckled.

He raised his head, looking at the moon in the sky.

"Soon, everything will be over."

Through the Soul Link, Xiao Ran's voice came through.

"Changsheng, how are things on the Righteous Path's side?"

Li Changsheng replied, "It's stabilized. Daoist Master Qingxu is going to yield the position of leader to me."

Xiao Ran laughed.

"Congratulations, Alliance Leader of the Righteous Path."

Li Changsheng also laughed.

"Stop joking around. What about your side?"

"The losses are quite significant, but still acceptable."

There was a hint of smugness in Xiao Ran's voice.

"So, what do you plan to do next?"

"Peace talks. I'll pretend to negotiate with you and divide our spheres of influence."

"Then, together, we will unite the Northern Territory."

Li Changsheng nodded.

"Alright, you arrange the peace talks."

"Sure. In three days, I will send an envoy to the Supreme Dao Palace. Be prepared."

"Alright."

The two cut the link.

Li Changsheng stood up, looking at the distant sky.

In three days, the peace talks.

In three days, the new order of the Northern Territory will be established.

And he and Xiao Ran would be the ones wielding power in this new order.