The Death of the Deputy Sect Leader

"You're being targeted," Su Luo remarked casually.

"With you by my side, I don’t feel the need to worry," Li Siyi replied, still calmly directing the battle without a hint of pressure.

"You’re right. There’s nothing to fear."

"Then I’ll leave it to you."

Li Siyi was proud, but in her current state, she was no match for the Deputy Sect Leader—her strength had long since fallen behind.

Under normal circumstances, she would have kept a low profile, commanding from a hidden location.

But with Su Luo present, there was no need for such caution.

The Deputy Sect Leader didn’t immediately charge at Li Siyi. Instead, he analyzed the situation while fighting.

As a commander, her strength shouldn’t be too low, he reasoned.

Yet no matter how he looked at it, Li Siyi didn’t seem particularly strong—her cultivation was only at the early Void Refinement stage, and it appeared she had only recently broken through. She was hardly worth his concern.

Once confirmed, the Deputy Sect Leader sneered. So she really was just at the early Void Refinement stage.

Her tactical skills might be decent, but her personal strength was pitiful.

Still, Li Siyi was positioned far away, with a crowd of fighters between them. The Deputy Sect Leader couldn’t easily break through.

But once he set his mind on a target, he would stop at nothing to achieve it.

If he couldn’t force his way through directly, he’d simply divert most of the defenders.

Without hesitation, he ordered the 36 Earth Fiends to regroup and shift their assault toward one direction, creating the illusion of a concentrated breakthrough.

The sudden change caught the allied sects off guard.

Having already surrounded the Earth Fiend Sect, they couldn’t afford to let them escape.

No matter what, reinforcements had to be sent where the pressure was greatest.

The 36 Earth Fiends were formidable, and they quickly drew the bulk of the allied forces away.

The Deputy Sect Leader smirked to himself. In his eyes, a clear path had opened—one that led straight to Li Siyi, where he could strike her down.

Yet he knew better than to underestimate a commander. There were bound to be hidden protectors nearby.

To play it safe, he conjured a diversion.

In his hand, he formed a swirling black sphere. With a faint smile, he hurled it into the sky.

The sphere traced a dark arc before exploding violently.

In an instant, thick black smoke billowed outward, shrouding the heavens.

As the smoke gradually dissipated, a colossal black eagle materialized before the stunned onlookers.

Its vast wings spread wide as it soared through the air, unleashing an ear-splitting screech.

A terrifying aura radiated from it.

This was nothing more than an illusion—a flashy spell with no real power.

But it was enough to seize the attention of many.

"What is that?!"

"Horrifying! The demonic path always has such bizarre tricks."

"Don’t be fooled! If we work together, we can handle it."

Seeing that most were distracted, the Deputy Sect Leader grinned. Everything was going exactly as planned.

Now was his chance.

Moving at blinding speed along his predetermined route, he closed in on Li Siyi.

The path was clear—just a momentary distraction from the giant eagle overhead, and he slipped past the defenders unnoticed.

The Deputy Sect Leader had no interest in the dazed fighters. His target was already locked.

A few managed to react in time, rushing to intercept him, but he effortlessly swatted them aside.

In his eyes, they were nothing but minor nuisances.

He didn’t waste energy engaging them, merely clearing his path with casual strikes.

He was conserving his strength for the decisive blow—a single, overwhelming strike to eliminate Li Siyi the moment he reached her.

Finally, he arrived within striking distance without incident.

A smirk curled his lips. She was now within his kill range.

"Look out, Elder Li!"

Some disciples of the Seven Stars Sword Sect cried out in alarm.

But their concern was unnecessary. The core disciples merely glanced over before returning to their tasks.

After all, standing beside Li Siyi was Su Luo.

Nothing could go wrong.

The Deputy Sect Leader prepared his sure-kill strike. In his mind, Li Siyi was weak—one hit would suffice.

Li Siyi considered countering, but after assessing his strength, she abandoned the thought.

The Deputy Sect Leader scoffed. She didn’t even attempt to resist? What kind of useless commander was she?

Then Su Luo stepped in front of Li Siyi.

The Deputy Sect Leader had noticed this bandaged man earlier but sensed no extraordinary power from him.

Besides, he assumed the truly powerful fighters were already engaged elsewhere. Those who remained idle were likely mediocre at best.

His conclusion? This bandaged fool was just a sacrificial pawn.

"Die together, then."

The Deputy Sect Leader amassed even more power, intending to obliterate both in one strike.

"Annihilation Cross Slash!"

He roared the technique’s name at the top of his lungs.

He wanted the righteous factions to hear—their commander was about to fall.

This was a blow to morale, and he intended to make it as humiliating as possible.

"[Extinguish]."

Su Luo silenced him with a single word.

Despite the Deputy Sect Leader’s thunderous declaration, nothing happened.

He froze. Why? Why hadn’t his Annihilation Cross Slash materialized?

His demonic energy had circulated perfectly. He’d executed this move tens of thousands of times—failure was impossible.

But he was experienced. If one technique failed, he’d simply try another.

"Arrow of Agony!"

He mimed drawing a bow, yet again, nothing manifested.

"Eightfold Dark Rings!"

Nothing.

"Infernal Blaze!"

Still nothing.

Furious, he abandoned naming his techniques and silently channeled his spells.

Yet after over a dozen attempts, not a single one succeeded.

The onlookers stared in bewilderment. He shouted so dramatically, yet produced nothing. Was this really the Deputy Sect Leader of the Earth Fiend Sect?

Finally, humiliated beyond reason, he discarded spells altogether and swung his blade in sheer frustration.

"Thanks for delivering yourself to death’s door." Su Luo’s lips curled in satisfaction as he delivered a single kick.

The kick shattered the Deputy Sect Leader’s sword effortlessly, its momentum unchecked as it collided with his skull.

BOOM!

The Deputy Sect Leader was sent flying—his head obliterated into fragments by the sheer force.

He died instantly, his final thought being: Hmph, what can this puny kick do to me?

He never even realized his mistake before death claimed him.

Su Luo lowered his foot.

The death of a commander was a morale blow to any side. Since the Deputy Sect Leader had sought spectacle, Su Luo granted it—letting him shout and draw all eyes before his humiliating end.

Killing him silently would have been too merciful.

The effect was immediate.

The Earth Fiend Sect members gaped in shock.

Their Deputy Sect Leader had been on the verge of success—only to die in an instant.

They could accept his death, but not like this. Not so effortlessly.

Who was this bandaged man? How could someone so powerful remain unknown?

No matter how they speculated, it made no sense. Anyone surpassing the Void Refinement stage should have been famous.

And without their Deputy Sect Leader’s leadership, could they hold against the righteous sects’ assault?

Li Siyi, however, showed no surprise. She had always known Su Luo’s strength.

Without missing a beat, she resumed her command.

With the Deputy Sect Leader gone, the Earth Fiend Sect’s formation began to crumble, revealing more weaknesses.

Li Siyi’s task now was to direct the allied forces to exploit these openings and crush their foes.