Once You're Here, Stay Here

The situation seemed to take a sudden turn for the worse.

The petals carried energy, not only obstructing vision but also blocking spiritual sense detection. Even Li Xingtian's blood aura couldn't penetrate the dense floral barrier. The battlefield was instantly divided.

When facing an opponent with such eerie methods, even the slightest misstep could overturn the course of battle. The woman had successfully stalled for time, and the battlefield was now fragmented.

But there was good news as well.

The disciples of the Tianyan Sect were truly tough. At least in one-on-one combat, they weren’t at a disadvantage.

A terrifyingly sharp aura, undeterred by the sky-blocking wall of petals, pierced through. Li Xingtian glanced at the worried Tianyan Sect disciple and, this time without hesitation, pulled out the Tianyan Order first.

He barked sharply, "Remember what was agreed upon before we came? This time, I am the commander, not just your captain! If you defy orders again, do you want to return to the sect and face punishment?"

If they fled now, things would truly take a turn for the worse.

The Tianyan Sect disciple took a deep breath and replied, "Fine. So, what’s your plan?"

Li Xingtian’s gaze shifted to the swirling wall of petals.

"You protect me. I’ll take the offensive."

The disciple looked puzzled, almost doubting his own ears.

An Nascent Soul cultivator providing cover while a Golden Core cultivator led the attack?

Still, the disciple nodded in agreement.

Li Xingtian closed his eyes, his blood aura boiling as spiritual energy surged. A vast, crimson tide erupted from his body, rapidly spreading outward, corroding and absorbing every flower in its path.

The surroundings were dyed a deep scarlet.

The Tianyan Sect disciple stared in shock—he knew Li Xingtian was a demonic cultivator, but this was a bit too demonic, wasn’t it?

The real demonic cultivator’s petals danced like a dreamlike scene.

The fake demonic cultivator’s blood aura spread unchecked, annihilating all life in its wake?

Seeing this, the disciple finally understood why Wang Lin always wore that expression—that look of "how is this fair?"

This was… truly hard to judge.

The blood aura spread at an alarming rate, nearly consuming the entire illusory realm in moments.

Suddenly, a wooden sword pierced through the floral wall, shooting straight toward Li Xingtian.

The guarding Tianyan Sect disciple reacted swiftly, raising his own sword to block the incoming strike.

Boom!

The disciple’s expression twisted slightly in strain.

The woman ignored the Tianyan Sect disciple before her, her gaze fixed on Li Xingtian, who stood amidst the surging blood aura like a demonic overlord.

Had he noticed? When?

Her voice was laced with confusion. "Are you demonic cultivators as well?"

"Righteous to the point of heresy!" The disciple parroted Li Yingling’s earlier words, his sword flaring with radiant light.

With a mighty slash, the force was overwhelming.

The woman didn’t dare take it head-on, using the momentum to retreat.

Behind her, the petals continued to swirl, still trying to hold back Wang Lin and the others.

Her expression grew increasingly bewildered.

Since when were Nascent Soul cultivators this strong?

And why did everyone have such high-quality defensive treasures?

Why were they all so absurdly powerful?

In one-on-one combat, she didn’t even have a clear advantage?

Had the orthodox sects now allied with demonic cultivators?

How could a top-tier blood demon like this join forces with a righteous sect?

Was this the real illusion?

She felt her energy rapidly depleting. How could the gap between Nascent Soul cultivators be this vast?

Not just in quality—even the sheer quantity of spiritual energy was worlds apart.

Now, her own domain was swiftly being tainted by Li Xingtian’s blood aura.

If she lost the suppression of her domain now, she might truly be defeated.

The woman lunged forward again, her wooden sword dissolving into countless scattered petals.

"Ten Thousand Blossoms—Extreme Realm!"

The Tianyan Sect disciple’s sword pulsed with profound intent. Without a trace of fear, he raised his blade and charged.

"Tianyan—Great Peace!"

In the Tianyan Sect, the one who commanded within the same realm wasn’t necessarily the strongest—but he was always the one best suited to lead.

Wang Lin’s squad was the same, though coincidentally, he was currently recognized as the strongest among them.

A radiant light erupted, piercing the heavens.

Petals swirled, scattering like rain.

The light tore through the floral wall, crushing countless blossoms.

Yet the petals surged forward relentlessly, beautiful yet deadly, pressing down on the Tianyan Sect disciple.

The woman released her sword hilt.

"Fading Dream—Withered Blossoms."

The disciple’s eyes narrowed—but the woman’s figure dissolved into petals and vanished.

He slashed through the incoming petals and immediately turned to aid Li Xingtian.

But the moment he turned, his spiritual sense screamed—deceived!

Too late.

The woman reappeared, now right beside him.

Boom!

A storm of petals erupted.

The disciple’s protective barriers shattered under the assault, his body sent flying by the torrent of petals.

The woman didn’t spare him another glance, charging straight for the now-unprotected Li Xingtian.

Her wooden sword scattered petals—beautiful, yet brimming with killing intent.

Li Xingtian opened his eyes.

His blood aura solidified instantly, his pupils dyed crimson. The spiritual treasure in his hand seethed with blood energy, almost tangible.

Two simple words left his lips.

"Sever the Body."

The blood aura condensed, then lashed out—a seemingly ordinary slash against a woman who had overwhelmed a Tianyan Sect Nascent Soul.

Yet Li Xingtian’s expression remained calm as he delivered this unremarkable strike.

He had always heeded his master’s words.

Back in Yuzhou City, his master had told him to practice his divine abilities more.

Though his master never mentioned it again after that day, Li Xingtian had never slacked in his training.

And the more he practiced, the more he realized just how profound his master’s techniques were.

The blood aura roared like a beast, devouring the incoming petals.

In that instant, Li Xingtian held his ground.

The terrifying blood aura was overwhelmingly potent.

"This era grows stranger by the day," the woman murmured, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. "So you are the variable."

With those words, she brought her sword down.

Boom!

Li Xingtian was sent flying, crashing into the ground and carving out a massive crater.

Even among top-tier cultivators, the gap in realms was not so easily bridged.

His body felt as though it had been torn apart, multiple wounds sliced open by petals, strange energy gnawing at his injuries.

He forced himself up, immediately swallowing a healing pill given by his master.

His master’s pills were unbearable, but right now, he had no choice. If he missed this chance, he might not get another.

As the bizarre side effects took hold, the healing effects also kicked in rapidly.

His master’s medicine was of the highest quality—effective, if not for the horrendous taste and the unbearable discomfort that came with it.

Gritting his teeth, Li Xingtian raised his head, his spiritual treasure blazing with bloody light as he raised it to block the woman’s descending wooden sword.

But this time, the sword didn’t fall.

A water-element divine sword aura shot toward the woman.

She turned, deflecting the attack with a single stroke.

Li Xingtian’s gaze followed the source—his senior sister, Li Yingling, had stepped into the illusion.

"Senior Sister?! This place is dangerous! Retreat now!"

The woman’s eyes locked onto the newcomer, sensing her cultivation—Golden Core!

Perfect. Another one delivered right to her.

The woman unleashed her full oppressive aura and sneered coldly, "Since you've come, don't even think about leaving!"

Li Yingling showed no trace of fear on his face, merely stepping aside silently.

A tall, imposing figure then stepped into the illusionary realm as well. His gaze swept over the injured second disciple before locking onto the woman.

His voice carried a calm tone, yet one could still detect a hint of suppressed fury:

"Indeed. You're absolutely right... Since we've come, we won't be leaving."