No hurry

Xu Linglong extended her divine sense outward, attempting to discern how many enemies had surrounded her. However, the formation was peculiar—a celestial net of stars, layer upon layer—limiting the information her divine sense could gather.

Yet, she noticed that the nearby town of Jiaxiang had been completely relocated.

Truly the work of a major sect—clearing the area before striking, as if showing mercy.

Her gaze sharpened as she fixed it on Chu Xingchen, buying herself a little time with words:

"Daoist Chu, what a grand gesture—so many people to besiege a lone, helpless woman."

"You were quite the vicious demoness earlier, weren’t you? Didn’t you say you’d beat me to death? Or was that just a joke to amuse me before the fight?" Chu Xingchen chuckled obligingly before adding, "I’ve humored your jest. Now, how about you humor me and die obediently?"

Xu Linglong replied with playful sarcasm, "That doesn’t sound very appealing..."

Without waiting for her to finish, Chu Xingchen swung his Wanban blade.

The celestial formation overhead roared to life, unleashing a devastating force that swept across the battlefield like an apocalyptic tide.

With no room to evade, Xu Linglong stood her ground as dark currents enveloped her, shielding her from the onslaught.

Dozens of cultivators stood in formation, waiting for the initial surge of energy to dissipate before converging on her with a coordinated sword array. These cultivators had spent most of their lives refining their joint formations, their synergy so flawless they might as well have been a single entity.

Around Xu Linglong, bursts of spiritual light erupted, churning the ambient energy into violent tides.

From Chu Xingchen’s perspective, Xu Linglong seemed to be in a defensive stance—dodging, blocking, but never counterattacking or seeking openings.

As if… waiting for death.

Uneasy, Chu Xingchen sent a mental message to Daoist Yuyang beside him:

"Daoist Yuyang, could you trouble yourself to summon a couple of your Taidao Sect’s Tribulation Transcendence elders? Maybe gather a hundred or so to help us exterminate this demoness?"

Daoist Yuyang shot him a bewildered look before replying telepathically:

"Do you really think that’s possible?!"

Chu Xingchen gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"As expected of the Taidao Sect’s core disciple—your status truly is extraordinary. But time is of the essence. Hurry and call them."

Daoist Yuyang didn’t even blink. "Then why don’t you summon Bai Xuanling? If that slaughterer were here, you could carve this demoness into as many pieces as you like."

"Because I can’t."

"And you think I can?" Daoist Yuyang pinched a jade slip between his fingers, channeling spiritual energy into it before activating it. "I’ve called everyone I can. Even at their fastest, it’ll take time."

Chu Xingchen nodded faintly, tightening his grip on Wanban.

"That demoness is about to enter her third phase. We’ll have to risk our lives for this."

Daoist Yuyang’s gaze remained locked on Xu Linglong.

Xu Linglong observed calmly, dark currents swirling around her as she gripped her weapon—something between a sword and a bow. Then, a smile crept onto her face.

As razor-sharp sword beams shot toward her, she stepped forward without hesitation.

Her left hand clenched into a fist, her Great Ascension-level aura stabilizing. She met the mountain-splitting, sea-rending sword light with a single punch, dark energy surging outward.

Chu Xingchen sensed something amiss. Wanban gleamed with azure light as he lunged toward her.

Dark currents shrouded Xu Linglong, obscuring vision and even partially blocking divine sense.

But the formation was already in motion—minor disruptions wouldn’t change the outcome.

Several more terrifying sword beams flashed toward her in an instant.

"Not quite..."

Xu Linglong’s voice, soft yet piercing, carried through the chaos.

The next moment, a radiant black light shot out from the dark currents—then another, and another, until countless black arrows streaked toward the sword array cultivators.

The targeted swordsman remained composed. The larger the formation, the more power it could wield.

If he had encountered Xu Linglong alone, he would’ve fled without hesitation—never daring to face this strike head-on.

But with the formation active… he was confident he wouldn’t lose in raw strength!

Sword intent surged as he slashed at the incoming black arrows.

His blade carried the force to topple mountains, spiritual energy blazing like wildfire.

Every black arrow shattered into nothingness under his strike.

Xu Linglong remained expressionless, enduring a devastating sword strike from behind as she drew her bow again, aiming at the same swordsman.

The bowstring pulled taut.

A silent twang echoed in her ears.

Yet nothing was fired—no ripple of energy, no spiritual fluctuation.

The swordsman knew better than to assume it was a feint. Why would she take a hit just to fire a blank shot?

His divine sense swept the area, sword intent guarding him as he remained on high alert. Several fellow cultivators moved to shield him.

But moments passed, and still—nothing.

Xu Linglong’s smile widened, radiant yet mocking.

For some reason, the swordsman’s calm demeanor fractured. A surge of frustration and anger welled up inside him, as if he’d been toyed with and ridiculed by a child.

His instincts screamed at him to stay composed.

But his body moved faster than his thoughts.

His sword blazed with crimson flames, towering like a cliff as he brought it down on Xu Linglong with overwhelming force.

Xu Linglong’s smile grew even brighter as she whispered:

"Bang..."

The swordsman felt a chill in his abdomen. He didn’t need to look down—his spiritual awareness told him everything. A gaping hole had been torn through him.

"Bang..." Xu Linglong murmured again.

The swordsman understood now. His expression steadied as he poured all his remaining strength into his descending blade.

It didn’t matter if there was a second arrow. It didn’t matter if the next shot was aimed at his head.

All that mattered was landing this strike!

"Not worth it. Don’t rush."

Chu Xingchen’s voice cut in calmly beside him.

A flash of blue light flickered before the swordsman’s eyes. When he looked back at Xu Linglong, her warm smile had been replaced with a cold glare.

The swordsman knew Chu Xingchen had intercepted the killing blow.

Before he could voice his gratitude, Chu Xingchen pressed a pill into his hand.

"A supreme healing pill. Wait until your wounds stabilize before dispelling its effects."

With that, Chu Xingchen charged toward Xu Linglong, Wanban in hand.

The swordsman stared at the pill. He knew exactly what kind of medicine it was. But with a grimace, he swallowed it anyway.

Daoist Yuyang darted into motion as well, hurling divine techniques like scattered beans—half aimed at Xu Linglong, half at Chu Xingchen.

Dark currents writhed around Xu Linglong as she continued to evade and deflect attacks, unfazed by the swordsman’s injury.

Her tone dripped with mockery as she called out:

"Daoist Chu, joining the fray yourself already? How disappointing."

Chu Xingchen’s expression remained unreadable.

Whether Xu Linglong has reached the third stage, he didn’t know.

But his own summoning technique was already on its way to the third stage.

As for whether it would work or not, he’d just have to discuss it with the Taidao Sect later!

If you can’t find the book by its title, try searching for the author instead—maybe it’s just been renamed!