Lie Changfeng was equally shocked and enraged. His face, contorted in panic, momentarily surfaced on his Demonic Core. He had never imagined Tianxingzi would be so venomous and decisive.
No matter how fast the Demonic Core fled or how erratic its path, the self-detonation of Tianxingzi's Natal Magical Treasure had firmly sealed this pocket of space.
But Lie Changfeng was, after all, in the Pseudo-Nascent Soul Realm. With his opponent staking his life, he had no choice but to start burning the Origin Power within his Demonic Core.
Ultimately, Tianxingzi could not pinpoint Lie Changfeng's escape route. Thus, he could not concentrate the full explosive power of his Natal Magical Treasure on a single point. Instead, he had cast a wide net, sacrificing focus to guarantee a hit.
Under such circumstances, although the attack's range was vast, its power was too dispersed. In the end, a Demonic Core covered in cracks managed to break through, its faint yellow glow having turned into a ghastly gray.
The battle concluded in this swift and bizarre fashion, an outcome that caught everyone off guard.
Forms have no permanence, and moves have no fixed pattern.
This was especially true for Lie Changfeng's side. No matter how he had sized up the situation beforehand, he had assumed that Tianxingzi was merely a bit more profound in his cultivation than him. With Sang Dongxing's assistance, it should have been impossible for their opponent to do anything to him.
But who could have imagined that a second-rate sect's Sect-Protecting Grand Formation could actually trap Golden Core cultivators? And who would have thought that Tianxingzi would go all-out in the very first clash, burning his Essence Blood, acting as if he had no regard for the consequences when the other four sects came to besiege him?
With this one battle, the Falling Star Valley was left with no strength to continue.
"Martial Uncle, you should enter secluded cultivation to recuperate. Leave the rest to me," Lin Xinghe said. He saw that although Tianxingzi's external injuries had somewhat recovered, his aura remained extremely feeble.
That was the consequence of burning his Essence Blood, a massive deficit for the body. What was even more severe was that his Martial Uncle's Natal Magical Treasure had been destroyed.
If he did not enter seclusion to recover now, his realm would very likely drop to the Late-stage Golden Core, or perhaps even the Mid-stage.
"Hehehe... cough... cough... no need. To think I could kill one of them and leave Lie Changfeng half-dead... hehehe... it was worth it... cough... cough... Lie Changfeng's Demonic Core is heavily damaged. He can't even perform a Body Seizure right now. Without a hundred years or so of recovery, the cracks on his Demonic Core will only grow... larger... and larger... hehehe... cough cough..."
Tianxingzi shook his head at Lin Xinghe, a mocking smile appearing on his face. But after just a few laughs, he began to cough, and bloody froth once again welled up at the corner of his mouth.
"Martial Uncle, since the enemy has suffered such a heavy blow, you should seize the time to enter seclusion. The remaining..."
Seeing Tianxingzi aggravate his injuries again, Lin Xinghe grew even more worried.
"I said no, and I meant no! Why are you nagging like a woman? I called you over because I have things I need you to do..."
Tianxingzi glared, his patience wearing thin. A series of rapid gasps followed, but Lin Xinghe could only shut his mouth.
"This... this outcome was entirely due to the miraculous effect of the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to kill Sang Dongxing first. In the next few hours, the cultivators from the four sects will arrive... cough... cough cough... Even... even after taking out the other Golden Core from the Wind-Severing Clan whom I injured earlier, they will still have four Golden Core cultivators. Especially Xue Qianzong of the Snow Moon Wolf Clan. Even if your Senior Brother faced him alone, he... he wouldn't necessarily come out on top.
"Therefore, you will leave quietly now. I will lead the disciples of the sect and those vassal sects to hold them off. Xing Ming and the others have at most traveled four thousand li. He... he still needs more time to get away safely. You will head in the direction of Sacred Demon City. It will... it will serve as a rear guard to buy him more time."
Tianxingzi forcefully suppressed the urge to keep coughing, trying his best to make his words flow smoothly.
"Martial Uncle, how can this be? Your Natal Magical Treasure is destroyed, and the Shattered Star Fire has been used. How can you fight one against four? This time, I cannot obey your command. I must stay."
"Hehe, have I lost my claws and fangs just because my Natal Magical Treasure and Shattered Star Fire are gone? The Sect-Protecting Grand Formation has many uses that you have yet to unleash. My magic power is still here. The restrictions you cannot drive, I can. Understand?"
Seeing the resolute look in Lin Xinghe's eyes, a rare trace of gentleness flashed in the depths of Tianxingzi's.
Perhaps it was because of the precedent set by Xing Ming. After Xing Ming had followed his orders to travel the world and then quietly sneak back into the sect, everything had been handed over to Lin Xinghe.
However, Lin Xinghe's personality clashed with his own. Although he was also ruthless, the inherent simplicity in his nature would always reveal itself from time to time. For a Sect Master, this was unacceptable. A small part of the reason the Falling Star Valley was being attacked by other sects was due to Lin Xinghe's constant forbearance. If Tianxingzi and Xing Ming were in charge, they probably would have fought their way to the enemy's gates long ago.
At first, Tianxingzi disapproved of Lin Xinghe's methods and would offer a few words of advice. But he was focused on breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, so how could he have so much time to manage things? In the end, he simply stopped asking. Xing Ming was also in year-round seclusion and had completely given his junior brother free rein over the sect.
Therefore, when the sect was in peril, Tianxingzi had ultimately chosen to preserve Xing Ming and give up on Lin Xinghe.
However, what was unexpected was that Lie Changfeng actually dared to stay behind with only two people to break the formation, which had changed the current battle situation to a certain degree.
After killing one of their Golden Cores and heavily wounding Lie Changfeng, the killing intent in Tianxingzi's heart had lessened slightly. He no longer had the strength to personally enter the fray. Thus, he planned to operate the grand formation himself. He intended to detonate it after unleashing all its restrictions.
In that scenario, even if not all of the arriving enemies were annihilated, at least more than half would die or be injured. The few Golden Core cultivators would also suffer grievous casualties.
The price the Falling Star Valley would pay was the foundation of the entire sect and the lives of the remaining cultivators. But this would essentially clear the current troubles for Xing Ming and the others.
Since he was going to personally operate the grand formation, Tianxingzi no longer wanted Lin Xinghe to stay. However, Lin Xinghe's sincerity moved him slightly.
"Martial Uncle, of course I know what other restrictions the grand formation has. I just can't unleash its full power. You will control the formation now. As long as we can lure the enemy to separate, I will take the opportunity to assassinate their Golden Cores. If one of their Golden Cores dies, an entire sect could be finished. I may not be able to deal with Xue Qianzong, but with the help of the grand formation, can I not handle the other few Golden Cores?"
For a moment, Lin Xinghe's handsome face twisted into a ferocious mask.
"You..."
Tianxingzi hesitated for a moment. If someone with Lin Xinghe's cultivation level stayed behind, with him providing support via the grand formation, the chances of slaying an enemy Golden Core would increase dramatically.
Moreover, Lin Xinghe was a Mid-stage Golden Core expert. He had achieved the Seventh-Rank "Cauldron-Ranked Foundation Establishment," and the Golden Core he had condensed was stronger than more than seventy percent of his peers. (TN: Cauldron-Ranked Foundation Establishment is a high-tier of Foundation Establishment, signifying superior potential and combat strength.)
As he said, he might not be able to handle the Late-stage Golden Core Xue Qianzong, but what about the others?
"Martial Uncle, having Senior Brother escort the disciples is enough. It's not like the chaotic wars during the great battle with the Black Demon Clan. How can there be so many masters idly roaming the world? Now that two of their powerhouses are gone, with me here, we might just be able to turn the tide. It might not even be impossible to annihilate the entire invading force."
Lin Xinghe pleaded once more. He even thought that if he had known this would be the outcome, and if Senior Brother Xing Ming had stayed behind, the situation might have been vastly different.
But he also knew that this was just wishful thinking. Doing so, while greatly increasing the chances of turning defeat into victory, would also mean the outcome of mutual destruction remained a possibility. His Martial Uncle would not gamble the entire future of the Falling Star Valley here.
"Alright, we'll do as you say. Xinghe, if it truly comes to a losing battle, you must leave immediately when I send you a voice transmission. Don't question it, and don't hesitate. Do you understand?"
After a moment of thought, Tianxingzi agreed. But as he spoke his final words, his voice became extremely stern. In an instant, he had reverted to the Tianxingzi that Lin Xinghe revered from the bottom of his heart.
The next day, just before noon, in the outer valley of the Falling Star Valley, a streak of green light swept in from the distant horizon. In just a few moments, the vast green radiance had arrived in the sky above the outer valley.
When the light dissipated, it revealed more than a hundred figures within. At the lead was the female Golden Core cultivator from the Cangyu Sect, Yu Rong. Behind her were twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators and a crowd of disciples at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation or higher. This was already the majority of the Cangyu Sect's elite disciples.
Likewise, they also had their vassal sects. She had brought along many of their elite cultivators as well, though of course, they had not mobilized their entire force like the Falling Star Valley.
After the glow faded, Yu Rong saw the broken outer valley restriction below, and a smile of excitement involuntarily appeared on her face.
Immediately, the light around her flared up again, and she carried the crowd onward, flying through the breached restriction.
Soon, the enormous mountain gate of the Falling Star Valley appeared before their eyes. When she looked at the large, damaged hole in the restriction at the gate, a look of confusion appeared on Yu Rong's face.
Although the gate's restriction was clearly damaged, even if they had broken through, her husband and Lie Changfeng would not have entered rashly. They would have waited for reinforcements to arrive before launching their attack.
But right now, there was no sign of the two of them.
'Where are they?'
Yu Rong immediately released her Divine Sense, but she couldn't find a single cultivator within a thousand-li radius.
'Could it be that they already broke the formation and went in first? But that would be too risky.'
Thinking of this, Yu Rong casually pointed, and a streak of green light shot towards the damaged restriction on the mountain gate ahead.
With a soft "puff," the green light struck the restriction, causing ripples of faint, flashing brilliance. Then, the mountain gate returned to normal.
"Hm?"
Yu Rong couldn't help but frown. The restriction to enter the Falling Star Valley wasn't completely broken. However, judging by the fluctuations, it was extremely weak, on the verge of shattering.
But why did her husband and the other man stop halfway and leave?
Just then, her brow twitched, and she turned to look in a certain direction. As she turned, the Cangyu Sect cultivators behind her all followed her gaze.
They had stopped after arriving. The Foundation Establishment cultivators in the front knew they were here to rendezvous with their Sect Master, but seeing the lady's expression, it seemed as if they had come to the wrong place. They too were searching around, but there was no sign of the Sect Master anywhere.
When the cultivators turned to look, the horizon was still the same, with no unusual signs.
But Yu Rong continued to stare. After another dozen or so breaths, a speck of white finally appeared on the horizon. And that white speck... in just a few breaths, grew larger and larger in everyone's eyes, gradually filling their entire field of vision. The white light also became increasingly dazzling.
While this expanse of white light was still far away, a soft sound of surprise came from within it.
Then, a young man's voice echoed across the sky.
"Fellow Daoist Yu Rong, you've arrived so quickly. Where are Brother Changfeng and Brother Dongxing?"
When the voice began to speak, the white light was still more than ten li away. But as the last word fell, the great expanse of white light had already swept before Yu Rong and the others.
The white light circled once in the air before coming to a stop. The radiance then quickly faded, revealing the white-robed young man of the Snow Moon Wolf Clan and the hundred-odd people behind him. With a look of confusion on his face, he too spread his Divine Sense in all directions.
And just as the white-robed young man of the Snow Moon Wolf Clan arrived, Lin Xinghe, somewhere in the Falling Star Valley, revealed a look of regret on his face. Unwillingly, he retracted his hands, which had already begun to ripple with Spirit Power.