Meanwhile, outside the formation, Elian redirected the sword embryo. The brilliant sword light carved a dazzling arc through the air and, with a sharp clang, severed Zuo Zhouqi's head from his body.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator, barely in his sixties and with over a hundred years of lifespan left, was thus utterly killed. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't save him now.
Seeing Zuo Zhouqi's death, Old Devil Zhang finally showed fear. Completely losing his will to fight, he decisively broke three fingers and activated the Blood Escape Technique to flee.
The Blood Escape Technique was incredibly fast. Eight years ago, this very technique allowed the devil to break through the Fiery Sun Heavenly Fire Formation, killing seven Chen family elders. It also helped him escape with his life when the old patriarch used the Heavenly Flame Sword against him.
Even now, Elian found himself unable to catch up.
But just a hundred feet away, Old Devil Zhang slammed into a wall of fiery flames from the Fiery Sun Heavenly Fire Formation. A shrill scream erupted as his blood escape technique was interrupted, and he crashed heavily to the ground.
It turned out that the Third Elder and the other five, disregarding their injuries, had forced the Fiery Sun Heavenly Fire Formation into operation, causing Old Devil Zhang to fall into their trap.
"Spare me, spare me!"
"I only joined the Demon Lair out of desperation!"
Facing his imminent death, Old Devil Zhang trembled in fear and pleaded with Elian repeatedly.
Elian glanced at him, noting that the devil had lost an arm, his fingers were gone, and his body was charred beyond recognition, exuding a nauseating burnt stench.
With such injuries, even if Old Devil Zhang survived, the flames of the Fiery Sun Heavenly Fire now invading his meridians would torment him day and night, leaving him in perpetual agony.
"When you ambushed the patriarch, slaughtered seven elders of the Chen family, blood-sacrificed 3,000 mortals in Pingyuan Town, and sought to use 10,000 of our bloodline to refine the Blood Refining Demon Blade—"
"Did you ever think of today?"
"You once broke the Fiery Sun Heavenly Fire Formation to kill seven Chen family elders. Now, it is the same formation that has brought about your end. This is the cycle of cause and effect—retribution comes without fail."
Elian unleashed his sword embryo. The dazzling blade of light descended, slicing Old Devil Zhang into two.
This all happened in the blink of an eye. From Zuo Zhouqi's death to Old Devil Zhang's demise, everything transpired within a few breaths. By the time the remaining enemies recovered from their shock, it was already too late.
In a desperate bid for survival, they activated their magical tools and attempted to kill Chen Changxuan while entering the formation.
However, the old patriarch's extensive combat experience and the power boost granted by the Blazing Fire Divine Flags within the formation left them no chance to succeed.
Within moments, Elian finished his battle and rushed over, easing the patriarch's burden.
Entering the formation, Elian focused on Lin Taihe, alleviating some of the pressure on the old patriarch.
Lin Taihe, struggling against the surging flames of the formation, now faced Elian's assault as well. He was forced to defend himself with a protective magical tool while countering Elian's attacks with two of his own magical weapons.
Meanwhile, Chen Changxuan, recovering from the strain of using the Heavenly Flame Sword Art, cast a cold glance at Zuo Mingxu and Old Devil Hong, deciding his next move.
Of the two, Old Devil Hong, though powerful and equipped with strong demonic treasures, was severely restrained by the Blazing Fire Divine Flags, rendering only sixty to seventy percent of his strength usable.
With his prized Black-Blooded Net destroyed, he dared not use his remaining treasures for fear of further losses, relying instead on a black-bladed saber and a golden orb.
Zuo Mingxu, while slightly weaker in cultivation, had brought more versatile tools. The Zuo family patriarch had emptied his clan's treasury for this battle, acquiring two second-tier high-grade magical tools.
In addition to his bronze defensive tower, he wielded a purple treasure mirror that emitted streams of purple light. The mirror could penetrate protective barriers, drop magical tools from mid-air, and disrupt a cultivator's spiritual energy, severely diminishing their strength.
However, Zuo Mingxu's limited cultivation allowed him to unleash only seventy percent of the mirror's power. Against the relentless flames of the Blazing Fire Divine Flags, he was unable to harm the old patriarch.
Chen Changxuan's gaze locked onto Zuo Mingxu, his eyes flashing with killing intent.
"This scoundrel has likely exhausted his spirit talismans in the formation. With his frequent use of second-tier high-grade tools, his spiritual energy is running low. Without a defensive artifact, I can kill him in one strike."
"As for Old Devil Hong, though restrained, he's a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator. Killing him in one strike is unlikely."
"Better to eliminate Zuo Mingxu first and leave Old Devil Hong to be burned alive by the Blazing Fire Divine Flags."
Having decided, the patriarch activated the Heavenly Flame Sword Art once more. A blazing sword light, brilliant as the sun, ascended into the sky and slashed toward Zuo Mingxu.
"Not good!"
Seeing the fiery sword approaching, Zuo Mingxu's heart sank.
He hastily activated his purple mirror and Mingxu Sword to block, but they were easily deflected. The radiant sword light continued its trajectory unabated.
"My life is over!"
With that final thought, Zuo Mingxu was cleaved in two.
At that moment, Old Devil Hong seized the opportunity.
He self-destructed several demonic treasures, forcibly blasting a gap in the Blazing Fire Divine Flags. Using the Blood Escape Technique, he fled in an instant, disappearing into the distant sky.
"Chen Changxuan, I've experienced the power of your Blazing Fire Divine Flags today."
"But today's grudge—I will remember it!"
"Decisive."
Seeing Old Devil Hong escape, the old patriarch sneered.
The timing of the devil's escape was impeccable. Had the patriarch not been focused on wielding the Heavenly Flame Sword Art, even a minor intervention would have trapped the devil within the formation.
With Old Devil Hong gone, Lin Taihe's face turned pale with despair. He begged Chen Changxuan for mercy.
"Daoist Chen, for the sake of our past acquaintance, spare me!"
"Don't you remember? Back at Tianxu Mountain, I even invited you for tea."
"In life-and-death moments, this is your attitude?" Chen Changxuan shook his head and sighed.
"No wonder you stagnated at early Foundation Establishment for over thirty years before breaking through."
As his words fell, the surging flames engulfed Lin Taihe. He lasted less than a quarter of an hour before being reduced to ashes.
With the battle concluded, both Elian and the old patriarch were significantly drained but didn't have time to rest.
During the chaos, several rogue cultivators in the caravan had taken advantage of the fight to steal Five Elements Essence. Some had already fled dozens of miles away.
The deaths of four Foundation Establishment cultivators had terrified many. A few returned the stolen essence, but the more stubborn ones continued their escape.
After briefly cleaning the battlefield, Elian and the patriarch split up, scouring the skies with their flying swords. Within an hour, they captured all the thieves and executed them in the wilderness.
Even if these rogues were from the six major clans, there was no leniency. Such was the shared rule among the six clans, and no one would question it.
...
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