Withdrawal

Su Luo felt inexplicably frustrated. The disciples of the Seven Stars Sword Sect around him basically fell with just a touch. Every time Su Luo prepared to follow up with a combo, the opponent would collapse.

At least fight back a little more! "Mincing" corpses isn’t satisfying at all.

There was also a sense of déjà vu.

Su Luo found it strange. In the past, only he would act as Lin Xuan, but now, it seems like everyone is acting like him.

What's more, it’s so hard for him to be serious just once, yet they made him win so decisively.

Can we even play anymore?

Su Luo refused to accept this. He drew his sword.

Come on, try holding back again. Swords and blades are unforgiving. One wrong move, and it could cost your life.

However, Xie Feiran not only didn’t show any fear but attacked even further. Though, in Su Luo’s eyes, this attack was akin to releasing an ocean.

"Ah!"

Xie Feiran's chest was slashed, blood gushing out as he writhed on the ground in agony, acting as if he were on the brink of death.

The other disciples couldn’t help but gasp in shock. Was it really necessary to be so cruel? It was just acting, after all.

But then they thought about it: this was a performance where if Su Luo’s cover was blown, it would lead to utter ruin. They couldn’t afford to slack off.

Sorry, we were naive.

Thinking this, the core disciples rushed at Su Luo, surrounding him and attacking, all while looking for opportunities to let Su Luo “wound” them.

Some even silently added extra wounds to themselves.

Su Luo was close by and had sharp eyes. Such minor actions were impossible to hide from him.

What is going on here?

"What are you doing?"

"We were going to ask you the same thing. You’ve become way too strong."

"Su Luo, siding with the Heavenly Demon Sect won’t end well for you."

"Don’t waste time talking to him. Let’s all charge at him!"

This is all so weird, Su Luo thought. There's only one possibility: they think I’m too strong now, and to minimize harm to themselves and others, they’re deliberately getting defeated to create suspense, delay time, and wait for rescue.

Unfortunately, the higher-level experts have already been tied down.

But this is no fun at all. Su Luo had been in high spirits, but now it’s gone.

Su Luo decided to just give up and stopped fighting. He stood still in the center of the group, waiting for them to attack.

I’m not moving; you can hit me all you want, and I won’t move. Let’s see what you can do.

Anyway, with the [Shared Suffering] skill, and considering Su Luo’s true cultivation level is far higher than theirs, he could stand here for a whole day without any issues.

Moreover, with this entire display, his image as a formidable powerhouse has been thoroughly established, and the Heavenly Demon Sect around him is genuinely stunned.

"Why aren’t you moving, Su Luo? Are you surrendering?"

"You tell me."

"Be careful, something's off!"

Off, indeed. Su Luo had no plans to do anything. He figured it was about time for the Heavenly Demon Sect to retreat, and Su Luo intended to follow the main force in their withdrawal.

For a moment, neither side made a move.

Only a gust of wind passed by, adding a bit of desolation to the scene.

"Ah, I’ve been hit by a hidden weapon! He’s so shameless, Su Luo."

"Where did the attack come from? So underhanded. What kind of secret technique is this? My fiery eyes of truth couldn’t even detect it."

"Be careful, Su Luo’s move is insidious. It strikes without warning, lethal!"

Su Luo had already given up on complaining. They’re really going all out with this performance, huh? Fine, go ahead, he thought, calmly watching them act.

...

On the other side, Nangong Xiyun and the others had also dealt with the higher-ups of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

As expected, not a single one escaped.

"Whew, if we hadn’t had intelligence, we might have really been tricked."

Even though it was a self-inflicted trap from the Heavenly Demon Sect, their demonstrated strength couldn’t be underestimated.

Especially when they fought with their lives on the line, their moves were vicious and dangerous.

Of course, all this didn’t include Nangong Xiyun. To her, it felt effortless, with no pressure at all.

The sect master scanned the Seven Stars Sword Sect. Everything was unfolding as planned.

"It’s about time to wrap this up. Nangong Xiyun, you’re up next."

"Got it."

...

Wei Changli was frustrated.

He couldn’t believe that there was a peer who was so outstanding, with combat skills and awareness far surpassing his own.

What’s more, the more he fought with Lin Xuan, the more Wei Changli found himself admiring him.

This was something Wei Changli absolutely couldn’t tolerate.

Fortunately, Lin Xuan’s cultivation level was a bit lacking, or else Wei Changli would really have suffered a major setback.

"What’s your name?" Wei Changli had no choice but to admit the other’s strength.

"Lin Xuan."

"I won’t forget you. Today, I aim to kill you." Wei Changli also knew that the ambush’s time frame was very tight. Lin Xuan seemed like someone who couldn’t be dealt with quickly.

But such a genius needed to be crushed before he could fully emerge. So Wei Changli decided to go all out.

Just as he was about to unleash his full power, a shout stopped him.

"Wei Changli, something’s wrong with the Seven Stars Sword Sect! Retreat!"

Wei Changli looked and saw it was a senior from the Heavenly Demon Sect.

At this moment, the senior was in extreme distress as he rushed towards him.

Wei Changli was shocked. What was going on? Why was it like this?

Before he could figure it out, the senior was cleaved by a sword aura, let out a blood-curdling scream, and then exploded into nothingness.

Not a trace left, as if no one had been there.

Wei Changli had never imagined that a senior powerhouse could vanish before his very eyes.

This level of combat was beyond his understanding.

Before he could even think, another senior from the Heavenly Demon Sect appeared.

"You lot, get out quickly! There are other high-level outsiders in the Seven Stars Sword Sect. Their cultivation is immeasurable!"

After speaking, this senior was also blasted away by a mysterious power, vanishing into the distance with an unknown fate.

The outcomes of the two seniors made Wei Changli acutely aware of the danger in the Seven Stars Sword Sect, so he quickly pulled out a flying ship and sent out a retreat signal.

The others from the Heavenly Demon Sect saw the signal and immediately made their way to the flying ship.

As long as they used a certain item near the ship, they could connect with it and be taken away by the ship.

But escaping wasn’t so easy. Lin Xuan pursued and launched remote attacks.

Seeing the Heavenly Demon Sect fleeing, the morale of the others soared, and they began to intercept them.

However, this flying ship had some tricks up its sleeve, and ordinary disciples couldn’t keep up with it.

But then, the sect master appeared right in front of Wei Changli.

Along with him were other high-ranking members of the Seven Stars Sword Sect.

In an instant, the pressure was immense.

Wei Changli couldn’t stop trembling. Was he going to die here today?

At the critical moment, Li Huanxi appeared, slashing with his blade and repelling the sect master and the others.

"I’ll cover for you. I’ll use my life to give you a chance. Wei Changli, take the others and go!"

Li Huanxi didn’t need to say it; Wei Changli had already planned to do so. He maximized the speed of the flying ship.

Li Huanxi faced off against the sect master and the others alone.

In truth, it was Nangong Xiyun. The two seniors from the Heavenly Demon Sect earlier had also been played by her.

Although the Seven Stars Sword Sect had achieved a significant victory, they needed a reason to keep a low profile. Now was not the time to be the first to stick out their head.

If they were completely targeted by the Heavenly Demon Sect, endless trouble would follow.

Open warfare was one thing, but the most feared were their underhanded tactics.

So, Wei Changli and these Heavenly Demon Sect members, who were not yet formidable, could be allowed to escape. At the same time, they would take back two pieces of news.

The Seven Stars Sword Sect was able to kill the higher-ups of the Heavenly Demon Sect because of other high-level outsiders.

At the same time, the remaining senior members of the Heavenly Demon Sect like Li Huanxi endured the pursuit to ensure their survival.