353: escape

In the quiet courtyard behind the Guiyan Inn, paved with bluestone, several Old Locust Trees swayed their branches, sifting the daylight into mottled shadows.

Yun Xuanxuan and her group sat around the table, their gazes constantly drifting toward the distant horizon—those few suns, though their sharpness had faded, still hung in the vast sky, shining brilliantly.

These celestial anomalies had long become the focal point of attention throughout the Rain God Sect.

Although Zhao Jingchen and Lin Xiuqin did not know the exact purpose of these suns, they vaguely guessed that this must be the crucial element that Senior Chen and their Revered Master had planned for a long time. Recalling the news of the southern Demon Race Army being instantly annihilated earlier, the two finally understood clearly: No wonder Revered Master had changed his mind at the last minute, asking his Junior Sister and him to temporarily wait in Yunxi City.

Suddenly, a dark figure swept into the courtyard like a specter, landing so lightly that it barely disturbed the airflow.

“How is it, Young Master Li?”

Zhao Jingchen abruptly sprang up from the stone stool, his voice filled with irrepressible eagerness.

Lin Xiuqin, though remaining seated, subtly tensed her posture, her brows tightly furrowed. The anticipation and apprehension churning in her eyes were already evident.

Li Pingan slowly nodded, his tone carrying unconcealed excitement: “Nine suns have also appeared in the northern sky. Quite a few Cultivators are already flying towards that direction—Revered Master, he succeeded!”

“Succeeded!!!”

“It actually succeeded!”

Zhao Jingchen’s Adam's apple bobbed heavily as he repeatedly mumbled those two words, as if trying to confirm through the sensation on his tongue that this was not a dream. With the Formation complete, didn't that mean the northern Demon Race Army had been repelled by Revered Master and Senior Chen working together? The entire Rain God Continent was finally safe, and their Sect would no longer face the threat of annihilation!

Lin Xiuqin took a deep breath, trying to calm the surging excitement in her chest, but found that the ecstasy and shock were hard to suppress. She could only raise a hand to gently rub her chest. The young girl’s cherry lips parted slightly, unable to utter a sound for a long time; only her eyes were fixed intently on the northern horizon, starlight flickering within them.

Yun Xuanxuan let out a long sigh, her heart filled with admiration: She hadn't expected Revered Master to achieve such a magnificent feat, holding back the Demon Race Army single-handedly and saving millions of common people in the Rain God Continent. If that Purple Sandalwood Fox saw this scene, what kind of wonderful expression would she have? And Sister Fang, she would surely be overjoyed if she knew about this.

As she pondered this, she suddenly noticed the calm Li Pingan beside her and asked curiously, “Senior Brother, you don't seem surprised by this?”

“Huh?”

Li Pingan scratched his head. Being naturally honest and simple, he first organized his words before speaking seriously: “Revered Master has always been like this. Anything he intends to do, he can accomplish.”

Yun Xuanxuan paused slightly, but Lin Xiuqin took note internally. She recalled when she first met that Man in White Robes, she had mistakenly thought he was just an incompetent person relying on his Disciple for status, someone who was lucky to have a Disciple like Young Master Li. But everything that happened afterward—from saving Revered Master to now repelling the Demon Race Army single-handedly—had overturned her understanding. Earlier, when she heard him declare in the backyard that he would shoulder the safety of the Rain God Continent against the odds, she had only thought it was wild talk. Now, it seemed that the Man in White Robes had truly kept his word, even though this feat seemed like a fantasy to others.

With this thought, Lin Xiuqin’s heart pounded violently, as if war drums were beating beside her ears. She turned to look at Zhao Jingchen and said firmly, “Senior Brother, now that the Demon Race has retreated, I want to go north to see Revered Master and the Elders.”

“This…” Zhao Jingchen looked hesitant. They only knew that nine suns hung in the north for now; the specific situation of the Demon Race was still speculation. Going now would be too reckless.

Li Pingan beside him said in a deep voice, “Let’s go. My Junior Sister and I will go too.”

Yun Xuanxuan exclaimed, “Ah?”

“Junior Sister has always been concerned about the safety of the Rain God Continent. It’s good for her to see it firsthand this time,” Li Pingan added.

The young girl’s heart stirred slightly, and then she stopped being reserved, nodding generously, “Thank you, Senior Brother!”

The four figures immediately set off together, transforming into four streams of light, speeding toward the north...

Inside Yaoshi City, flames and roars intertwined to form a purgatory.

Qing Li's upper body was already engulfed by the strange purple Baleful Fire, and the spiritual power within her body rapidly receded like a tide. Cold sweat rolled down her temples, soaking her tattered robes. Above the sky, countless golden Star-Meteors descended like a meteor shower, each carrying an unstoppable might. Upon hitting the ground, they exploded into golden light, instantly turning entire swathes of Demon Race soldiers into dust.

The once overwhelmingly fierce and densely packed Demon Race Army now lacked any semblance of order, scattering and fleeing like startled ants. Cries of wailing, shrieks of agony, and the crisp sound of weapons falling mingled together, permeating the sky above the entire city.

Seeing this, how could Qing Li dare to linger for a moment? She exerted all her strength to urge her cultivation base, speeding toward the sea beyond Yaoshi City. The purple Baleful Fire clinging to her was like a persistent ulcer, burning her to the point where her aura became increasingly chaotic, causing her to nearly fall from mid-air several times. While fleeing, she also had to divert her attention to fend off the pursuing golden Star-Meteors from behind; her situation was utterly wretched.

It was only when a vast, boundless azure sea finally spread beneath her feet, and the cool sea mist washed over her face, that Qing Li dared to pause briefly. She waved her hand, unleashing several bursts of Demonic Power, finally managing to extinguish the stubborn Baleful Fire on her body. A wave of lingering fear washed over her: if she had been even half a step slower, she would likely have perished on the land of the Rain God Continent.

This Nine Luminaries God-Suppressing Formation was truly terrifying to this extent!

The young woman hovered above the sea surface, her disheveled hair plastered against her cheeks. Her usually heroic and imposing face now held only the lingering fright of surviving a disaster. She looked up towards the sky; those radiant suns were still hanging high, their light too brilliant to look at directly.

In just a moment, the Demon Race Army, which had previously held the absolute advantage and nearly trampled Yaoshi City, ended up in such a routed state. Mountains and rivers were inverted; the situation had completely reversed, and the one responsible for all of this was, from beginning to end, just a single person.

Thinking of this, Qing Li naturally felt unwilling, but this unwillingness stemmed not from defeat in the great battle, but more from the frustration of being outmaneuvered by a single move—she had actually been tricked by the opponent's simple deceptive tactic. Just as she had said earlier, even if the opponent had stopped the Demon Race Army's assault this time, the final outcome might not have changed.

After all, the true key to determining victory or defeat between the two Realms has always rested with those top-tier figures standing atop the mountain peaks.

As her thoughts drifted, she suddenly looked up and saw a figure in white robes descending from the sky's edge like an Exiled Immortal, his sleeves fluttering—it was the Originator who had reversed the tide of battle.

"He actually wants to press the advantage?"

Qing Li's heart tightened. Not daring to hesitate in the slightest, almost instinctively biting her lower lip, the Demonic Power around her suddenly erupted, and her figure instantly transformed into a streak of light that dove into the cold seawater below, leaving only a faint ripple on the surface before quickly vanishing without a trace.

Chen Xuan stood suspended above Yaoshi City, his white robes fluttering in the strong wind, his gaze calmly sweeping over the battlefield littered with corpses below. With a wave of his hand, the Golden Cores of the Demon Race Cultivators flew out from their bodies, one after another, arriving beside him and hovering in a circle of dazzling light—if Shu Shichan saw this scene, she would probably cheer, "Long live Revered Master!" on the spot.

He naturally glimpsed the heroic figure hastily fleeing across the sea surface. A hint of indifference flashed in his eyes, but he had no intention of stopping her.

To be precise, the moment the Nine Luminaries God-Suppressing Formation was fully established and the golden Star-Meteors poured down, the integration realm trial card within his body had quietly expired. The cultivation base that had been surging like the sea rapidly receded like a tide, and the suffocating pressure surrounding him vanished instantly. He had reverted to being that 'small fry' with only a Void Refining second-layer cultivation base.

Even a starved camel is still larger than a horse. Even though that demon woman was already quite injured, the gap in Realm between the two sides was still vast. With his current cultivation base, killing her would ultimately require the use of an instant kill card.