The Battle Is Over

Di Haoran continued swinging his sword forward, while the Lion Heart King threw a powerful punch.

However, at the critical moment, Di Haoran suddenly dodged.

This speed was something he had never displayed in his previous battles against the Lion Heart King.

The Lion Heart King hadn’t anticipated this at all, causing his punch to miss entirely.

With a fierce glare, Di Haoran didn’t hesitate and slashed toward the Lion Heart King’s waist.

In that instant, the Lion Heart King had no time to evade—his stance couldn’t adjust in time, and Di Haoran’s speed was overwhelming.

But he wouldn’t just wait for death. He detonated his own arm, unleashing all its power in a massive explosion.

Yet Di Haoran neither dodged nor retreated. His sword had already descended, and the Lion Heart King tensed his waist, trying to withstand the strike.

But it was futile. He had been worn down too much, and Di Haoran’s attack was devastating.

The Lion Heart King was split in two.

Boom!

The explosion sent both fighters flying.

The Lion Heart King crashed to the ground. Even bisected, he wouldn’t die immediately.

As for Di Haoran, though caught in the blast, his injuries were limited to a single unusable arm—far better off than the Lion Heart King.

“Coward! Truly cowardly!”

The Lion Heart King never expected Di Haoran to avoid a direct clash of strength and instead rely on evasion.

Throughout their battles, the Lion Heart King had believed Di Haoran to be straightforward, his techniques honorable and direct—much like himself.

Who would have thought he’d resort to such underhanded tactics in the end?

Di Haoran, however, remained indifferent. “Deception and disguise are among humanity’s most common tools. Tricks like these should only be used at pivotal moments.”

It was precisely because he had always appeared righteous that his deception succeeded.

Stereotypes, then a sudden shift—this was the killing move Di Haoran had reserved for himself.

Had the Lion Heart King not been so formidable, Di Haoran wouldn’t have needed such methods.

“Now die.”

Di Haoran finished off the Lion Heart King, ensuring his complete demise.

Another tremendous explosion followed.

After all this, Di Haoran coughed up blood—this battle had taken its toll on him as well.

“Demonic beasts… truly are powerful.”

He had never underestimated them.

Surveying the battlefield, the outcome was clear.

Only the cleanup remained.

Di Haoran forced himself up and rejoined the fight.

......

Lin Xuan also continued fighting.

With the strongest demonic beasts gone, he moved through the horde like a whirlwind, cutting through them effortlessly.

Most importantly, the stamina he expended killing them was replenished faster than he could spend it.

The more he fought, the stronger he became.

Lin Xuan still had many trump cards left—originally reserved for formidable foes, but now unused.

When it came to clearing out lesser enemies, he far surpassed others.

The demonic beast horde pressed on, still posing a threat, and their self-destruction remained troublesome.

But retreat was unthinkable. With their Beast Lord dead, failing to finish the rest would spell doom.

Li Siyi withdrew from the frontlines to rest.

But only from combat—she shifted to command, overseeing a large sector of the battlefield.

Even with victory near, carelessness was unacceptable.

She prioritized rescuing the wounded, saving as many as possible.

She monitored the battlefield, dispatching reinforcements where needed.

Where defenses faltered, she sent replacements.

The goal was to secure victory at the lowest cost.

Under her command, casualties dwindled further.

Fighting…

Fighting…

Still fighting…

A long time passed.

Finally, only a single Water Ripple Dragon thrashed about.

Thousands of eyes locked onto it—the last of the demonic beast horde.

Even now, the dragon showed no fear, launching desperate attacks.

But it was futile. Lin Xuan descended from above and ended it.

At last, the demonic beast horde here was completely annihilated.

The battle had finally reached its conclusion.

Most collapsed in exhaustion, but their faces were filled with joy.

They had won.

Of course, some grieved—this battle had claimed lives.

Lin Xuan dropped to the ground. “It’s over…”

Elder Yan approached him. “Never thought I’d live to see a battle like this at my age. Truly, the longer you live, the more you witness.”

“Winning… feels good.”

Recalling the terror of the Beast Lord, Lin Xuan shuddered. As he was now, he stood no chance against it.

Now, it was time to clean up the battlefield.

But with the demonic beasts self-destructing, the task wasn’t too troublesome.

The horde’s losses would take ages to recover from.

It was easy to guess—the Beast Lord must have left descendants in the Wild Barrens.

Without the horde, entering the Wild Barrens would be simpler.

But only the strongest humans could venture there—its natural hazards were extreme.

So, the demonic beasts might not go extinct. In ten thousand years, they might rise again.

Alternatively, they could send forces later to wipe them out.

But the Wild Barrens were vast—tracking them down wouldn’t be easy.

Still, that was a concern for the future.

For now, it was time to savor victory.

......

Three days later.

Multiple victory banquets had been held, all brimming with celebration.

The Emperor Heaven Sect covered all expenses—a display of their prestige as the North’s top sect.

Alongside feasts, commendation ceremonies took place.

Every participant in the North Heavenly Gate battle received generous spirit stones or rewards.

Outstanding performers were lavishly rewarded.

However, Di Haoran regretted not seeing Su Luo and Jiang Ningshu.

Regardless, their contributions were immense.

These two had turned the tide—without them, victory would’ve been far harder.

The Beast Lord had been too formidable.

Di Haoran still couldn’t fathom how Su Luo had slain it.

Had Su Luo grown that powerful?

The answer remained elusive—no one knew Su Luo’s true strength.

But his merits couldn’t be denied.

Though Su Luo and Jiang Ningshu were absent, they were still honored.

The Seven Stars Sword Sect members grinned from ear to ear.

Lin Xuan asked Li Siyi about Su Luo’s whereabouts, wanting to clarify Su Luo’s earlier threat to kill him.

Li Siyi fabricated an excuse.

“After infiltrating the Heavenly Demon Sect for so long, he became too immersed. Losing to you repeatedly bred resentment—it’s understandable.

But don’t worry, I’ll help him overcome this inner demon.”

That was Li Siyi’s explanation.

Lin Xuan was skeptical. “Losing repeatedly”? Su Luo had clearly thrown those fights.

He saw no signs of Su Luo being corrupted.

But given Li Siyi’s relationship with Su Luo, Lin Xuan figured he needn’t worry too much.

The matter was brushed aside.

Once everything settled, Li Siyi and Nangong Xiyun slipped away.

They headed for Su Luo’s location—Purple Light Mountain.

After the battle ended, Little Yu had already left.

She didn’t attend any banquets or award ceremonies—none of those interested her.

However, the fight against the demon beast army had been highly rewarding for her.

Now, Little Yu was already back by Su Luo’s side.