The Curtain Falls

The explosions continued relentlessly, engulfing the entire battlefield.

The Black Wolf King sensed that something was amiss. For such a large-scale explosion to persist for so long, there must be a powerful human expert aiding the enemy.

He could no longer afford to delay. Transforming into his wolf form, he unleashed his full strength.

Perhaps there was no hope of victory, but he was determined to take as many lives as possible.

The Black Wolf King even contemplated finding an opportunity to rampage through Autumn Wind City.

However, the city lord saw through his intentions and desperately tried to stop him.

The battle reached a fever pitch.

Li Siyi decided to hold nothing back, unleashing a barrage of sword energy that mowed down the demonic beasts.

Little Yu also used her ultimate technique, "Seven Stars Converge," obliterating all the demonic beasts in front of her with a single strike.

She could do it again.

Expressionless, Little Yu unleashed "Seven Stars Converge" once more.

Two consecutive uses of the technique spelled disaster for the demonic beasts.

Lin Xuan also began to exert himself, sending his sword flying and piercing through several demonic beasts in quick succession.

Now, he was ready to use his fists.

With his fists, his attacks became even more ferocious, focusing entirely on offense rather than defense. His powerful physique made it unclear who was the true beast on the battlefield.

The demonic beasts were left utterly defenseless.

The others, taking advantage of the explosions, also began slaughtering the demonic beasts with abandon.

The tide of battle was turning in their favor.

Despite this, the demonic beasts' resilience held out until reinforcements from the Seven Stars Sword Sect arrived.

"Hey, Lin Xuan, you look pretty rough. Let me help you out," one of the newcomers called out.

"Lin Xuan, still as fierce as ever," another remarked.

"Lin Xuan, let's fight together!"

Lin Xuan's call for reinforcements had brought many disciples to the battlefield, a testament to his reputation within the Seven Stars Sword Sect.

However, as soon as they arrived, they realized the battlefield was far from ordinary.

The scarred landscape, the demonic beasts torn apart by explosions—was this really a situation that needed reinforcements?

Who had caused such devastating explosions?

In the end, the Seven Stars Sword Sect's arrival was merely to clean up the remnants.

The Black Wolf King, surrounded by the newly arrived sect members, was swiftly defeated and killed.

With that, the threat of the demonic beast army was eliminated.

Thanks to the assistance of Su Luo and Nangong Xiyun, not a single human life was lost during the battle.

However, some were left severely exhausted and in need of rest.

This was especially true for Lin Xuan, Little Yu, and Li Siyi, who had slain the most enemies.

Lin Xuan, in particular, had pushed himself to the limit and remained unconscious for several days afterward.

Such a decisive victory naturally called for celebration.

The entire Autumn Wind City was filled with the joy of having survived a catastrophe.

However, there were still matters to settle.

Especially concerning Su Luo.

News of his cowardice spread quickly. Many who had already disliked Su Luo seized the opportunity to hurl insults at him.

As for Su Luo himself?

If following the usual course of events, the Su family would have been ruined, and the entire city would despise Su Luo, forcing him to slink back to his sect in disgrace.

Su Luo had indeed planned to do just that, but before leaving, he decided to bid farewell.

Su Luo entered Su Chengkong's room, where his father lay, covered in wounds, on the bed.

"Father..."

"You've come. Did you see my performance on the battlefield? That's the strength of our Su family."

"I came to say goodbye."

"...I see." Su Chengkong's smile faded. "Have you found your path?"

"Yes. I will be joining the Heavenly Demon Sect."

The Heavenly Demon Sect?

Su Chengkong was taken aback.

"I never expected to hear such an ambitious goal from you."

The Heavenly Demon Sect wasn't a place just anyone could enter.

"If it's your own decision, I won't stop you."

Su Chengkong had no intention of standing in his way.

"Let me warn you in advance. In the future, you might suffer because of me."

If Su Luo were to become a demonic cultivator, wouldn't his family suffer as well? The answer was yes.

Su Chengkong scoffed, "You? What kind of position do you think you'll reach?"

"Just wait and see."

"Don't worry. Your father isn't a pushover."

Su Luo shook his head helplessly. After nearly dying, such words lacked conviction.

But Su Luo didn't bother arguing.

"I'm leaving. Take care of yourself."

"Remember, it's your choice. Don't regret it. And don't die."

Su Luo waved his hand and left.

He likely wouldn't return to Autumn Wind City, so he decided to bid it farewell as well.

But before leaving, there was one more thing he needed to do.

...

Nangong Xiyun, despite her efforts, never managed to identify the person responsible for the explosions. However, there was still one matter she needed to attend to.

She had sensed the arrival of someone from a hidden family.

Hun Jiu was a member of the Di Hun Family, one of the hidden families. His mission was to find the Moonlight Pendant.

After searching for a year, he had finally caught a glimpse of hope, but his patience was wearing thin. If he failed to find it, he would have wasted an entire year.

The thought alone infuriated him.

In fact, he had even considered keeping the Moonlight Pendant for himself if he found it. He had heard it was a valuable treasure.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before him, blocking his path.

"Who dares stand in my way? Move, or you'll regret it. I'm in a foul mood."

"I heard you're looking for the Moonlight Pendant," Nangong Xiyun said, having learned this from the diary.

"You know about it? Tell me where it is!"

"No."

"You're asking for death."

Hun Jiu was ready to teach this person a brutal lesson.

However, no matter how he attacked, his strikes were ineffective. He couldn't even touch her.

He found it strange. How could such a powerful person exist in this backwater place?

Nangong Xiyun wasn't in a hurry to finish him off. She wanted to observe his fighting style and habits.

This was somewhat of a professional habit for her. She had often impersonated others in the past, so before taking on someone's identity, she would study their mannerisms.

Even though she only needed to impersonate him briefly, she still wanted to get it right.

"That's enough," she said.

"What, have you decided to tell me? Too late. Even if you do, I'll still kill you."

He was overly confident, speaking as if he had already won, despite not having landed a single hit on Nangong Xiyun.

Nangong Xiyun threw a punch in his direction.

Hun Jiu desperately tried to defend himself, but it was futile. His protective artifacts activated, but they were useless.

With just one strike, all of Hun Jiu's bones were shattered, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Spare me... please..." Hun Jiu pleaded in a weak voice.

Nangong Xiyun almost couldn't hold back a laugh.

He gave up so quickly. Truly adaptable.

But Nangong Xiyun had no intention of tormenting him.

After all, her personality wasn't particularly cruel.

"Let's make a bet. If I lose, I'll let you go. If I win, you die."

Hun Jiu nodded eagerly.

"We'll bet on whether the number of spirit stones you have is odd or even."

Hun Jiu couldn't remember how many spirit stones he had. They were all piled up in his storage ring.

"If you don't choose, I'll choose for you. Let's say... odd."

With that, Nangong Xiyun opened Hun Jiu's storage ring and poured out the spirit stones.

In an instant, she counted them.

"It's even."

Hearing this, Hun Jiu visibly relaxed, a look of relief spreading across his face.

Nangong Xiyun smiled faintly. "I don't gamble."

Then, she struck him down.