Chapter 950: I

Before Sanyue could react, the darkness obscuring his vision was gone.

Startled, he instinctively turned his head to look back.

He saw the black shadow that had just tried to kill him, like a gust of wind, racing up the steps behind another, even faster black shadow, vanishing from his sight in an instant.

I… am still alive?

Coming to his senses, Sanyue collapsed onto the ground with a thud, his mind still ringing.

Around him, the senior brothers who had just been standing guard with him were now scattered piles of bloody fragments—not a single survivor left!

As Sanyue was thinking, the distant, fading screams of Qiyue, who had been flung away, made him grimace.

Right, Qiyue had survived too.

But… what did that black-robed man mean by his words? Did he know me?

Of course! That must be it—only then would the black-robed man have deliberately spared me!

But who could it be…

Sanyue, barely surviving the massacre, was mentally confused and couldn't immediately identify the black shadow.

Because… the black shadow was too strong!

Strong beyond comprehension!

The senior brother turned into a pile of flesh chunks—he was a Xiantian Second-Rate Realm expert!

Qing Senior Brother, Xiantian First-Rate strength!

Shang Senior Brother, their team's Captain, a Human Realm expert—rumors even said he once fought evenly with a mid-level Human Realm powerhouse.

Yet this lineup, this force, couldn't hold for even a second against the black shadow.

Like a hurricane sweeping through, the black shadow crushed everything underfoot and walked away unscathed!

"Have I ever known someone this strong…?"

As Sanyue was lost in thought, his friend list suddenly lit up with a message alert.

"Has Tianlong returned to the sect?"

Startled, Sanyue quickly opened his message list to warn Tianlong about the current situation in Liehuo Sect—but what met his eyes was…

"Yese Liming: Immediately take Qiyue away from Liehuo Sect and head to Jingcheng to seek refuge with You Sisi."

Ye… Ye Ge?!

Wait—could that black shadow just now be…

His thoughts suddenly cleared, and Sanyue's emotions surged with excitement.

Ye Ge has become so strong!

I didn't misjudge this thick thigh to cling to!

He looked upward and his eyes widened in shock.

He saw the steps halfway up the mountain now coated in silver, transformed into a path of ice and snow stretching upward. At the leading edge of this icy trail, two black shadows still surged upward at inhuman speed, leaving no one able to stand in their way!

Long-absent hot-bloodedness surged in his chest; Sanyue suddenly felt renewed motivation to grow stronger.

He ran toward Qiyue's direction, and amid Qiyue's bitter-sweet scolding gaze, Sanyue dragged her down the mountain.

…

Liehuo Guangchang.

Boom!!

Under the combined assault of Liehuo Sect's high-ranking elders, the entire formation shattered with a roar, exploding into a towering pillar of fire—and in an instant, a frost force surged from below, madly spreading upward, freezing it into a colossal ice pillar. With a crackling sound, the pillar cracked extensively and shattered into a thousand shards of ice.

As these ice shards flew outward in all directions, the vast mist concentrated within Liehuo Dadian erupted from the formation, spreading across the entire Liehuo Guangchang.

"Now is the time!"

"Everyone, charge together! Escape Liehuo Sect!"

From within the thick mist came the battle cries of Jibing Sect's members—over a dozen figures used the mist as cover, sprinting toward the mountain gate stone platform.

Yet…

"Where do you think you're going?!"

With a thunderous boom!

The Sect Master of Liehuo Sect erupted in a radiant, sunlike heat, burning the surrounding air to vacuum—the mist near him was instantly blasted into a spherical void.

Along with it, the Jibing Sect's elite disciples who had charged furthest forward were flung flying.

They lay writhing on the ground, screaming in agony—some missing limbs, others bearing clear scorch marks, their skin blistered into massive swellings, their bodies warped and deformed.

Until a cold snort echoed, and a wind of frost swept across.

The frost froze their wounds, allowing them to barely muster the strength to lift their heads from the pain.

"Sect Master!"

"Don't panic—we still have our Sect Master! Jibing Sect hasn't lost yet!"

The elite disciples cried out excitedly.

But the Jibing Sect Master and the other Elders wore grim, dark expressions.

Because the gap in both strength and numbers was glaringly obvious—let alone that they had already expended tremendous energy breaking the formation; under these conditions, fighting the Liehuo Sect members offered virtually no chance of victory.

But continuing to wait passively was merely waiting to die.

Only by breaking the formation—only by breaking the formation—could they find a glimmer of hope!

"Isn't that right, Sixteenth Elder?"

"Yes."

Sixteenth Elder responded, then stepped forward, walking alone toward the Liehuo Sect members.

Before the stunned eyes of the Jibing Sect Master and the others, Sixteenth Elder smiled and stood beside the Liehuo Sect members, turning to face them.

"Only by doing this will you weaken yourselves, and only then can we strike you all at once!"

"You?!"

The entire Jibing Sect instantly widened their eyes—could the Sixteenth Elder also be a traitor?!

But just moments ago, he had been trapped with us in the formation, cornered and desperate—his expression could not possibly have been faked!

"Hahahaha! Ice Sect Master, haven't you figured it out yet? This Sixteenth Elder 'temporarily' defected to us. That formation is still our Liehuo Sect's protective grand array; maintaining contact with those inside was never a problem. After a brief exchange, this Sixteenth Elder made the wise choice."

The Liehuo Sect Master laughed heartily, while the man who had once been Jibing Sect's Sixteenth Elder bowed halfway to his knees with a sly smile.

"Lord Liehuo Sect Master, from now on, this humble one shall be your dog—loyal to the death!"

The Liehuo Sect Master nodded with a laugh, but anyone familiar with his methods knew this Sixteenth Elder would be quietly eliminated within a month.

This is different from the undercover formation Elder Dai La—he was truly cultivated and sent by Liehuo Sect itself, and regularly sent back intelligence at fixed intervals!

Does this temporary turncoat expect the same treatment? What's the difference between that and dreaming?

"I never expected that even at this point, your Liehuo Sect still plots against us..."

The Jibing Sect Master trembled with rage from the betrayal; after reaching his limit, his entire spirit and vigor suddenly aged, collapsing into despair.

His expression held a touch of Zhenjiu and sorrow.

Looking around at those beside him, compared to the Jibing Sect's former glory, few familiar faces remained.

Perhaps, when he first learned of the prophecy of the Qi Yun Pillar and the rumor of the Huanggu Yiji, he should never have rashly sent people out to investigate.

(End of Chapter)