As the five Demon Generals and legions of demon warriors surged forward, Fengyun Wuji's eyes turned blood-red. The situation had grown critical—facing a single Dark Domain Demon Lord was already overwhelming, and now four more Demon Generals had arrived. Thankfully, the Water Demon General was absent, but even so, the situation for the Sword Domain could not have been worse.
Is this truly Heaven's will? Am I to perish here? A bitter despair welled up within Fengyun Wuji. He turned, his gaze sweeping over the Sword Domain disciples locked in desperate combat. When his eyes met theirs—eyes filled with hope and trust—he felt a piercing guilt and a furious helplessness.
Closing his eyes in deep agony, Fengyun Wuji suddenly snapped them open and shouted toward the rear, "All disciples of the Sword Pavilion—retreat immediately! Without my order, no one is to look back! Go! Go! GO!"
As soon as he finished, his robes flared wildly, and an overwhelming burst of divine consciousness slammed outward. Tens of thousands of demon soldiers and even the Demon Lord howled in pain, clutching their heads and collapsing to the ground in agony. But Fengyun Wuji also groaned, blood pouring from his lips as his face went ghostly pale, as though barely recovered from a grievous illness.
The Sword Domain disciples froze, then quickly recovered, preparing to strike down the writhing enemies before them.
"Go! Hurry! Get out of here! Chishang, you lead them! Without my command, no one is allowed to turn back!" Fengyun Wuji roared, enduring a splitting headache. Consciousness attacks were the most dangerous of all—though his spiritual power far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators, to unleash such an attack on tens of thousands at once had taken a brutal toll on his body.
Chishang glanced at the dazed demon soldiers struggling to recover, then looked back at Fengyun Wuji. In that moment, Fengyun Wuji's figure seemed to rise impossibly tall—like a mountain none could ever climb.
Anyone with eyes and half a mind could see what this meant. Fengyun Wuji had made up his mind. For all the Sword Domain disciples, their eyes brimmed with unshed tears. At first, they had followed Fengyun Wuji because he was their nominal grandmaster and the most powerful among them—a figure they could rely on. Human nature is selfish; few had ever truly believed they would give their lives for him.
But now, as Fengyun Wuji stood alone against tens of thousands of demons, that sentiment changed. They were shaken, moved from the depths of their souls. It was in this moment that Fengyun Wuji—grandmaster, lord, and domain ruler—truly etched himself into their hearts.
"Grandmaster, we won't leave you! We'll live and die with you!" one disciple shouted, blood surging, tears streaming.
"GO!" The one to shout back, furious, was Chishang. His eyes were red as he grabbed the disciple and dragged him into flight.
"GO!!!" Fengyun Wuji roared again. Another wave of spiritual energy blasted outward. The just-recovering enemies screamed once more, collapsing in agony.
Pfft!
Fengyun Wuji threw back his head and vomited a mouthful of blood, drenching his robes in crimson. The sight was horrifying.
Everyone understood—tonight, they would either all die, or some might escape. If even a few survived, they could one day return for vengeance. But if they all fell here, their souls would forever wander in hatred. The choice was clear in every heart, even if none wanted to admit it.
One by one, Sword Domain disciples looked back with red-rimmed eyes, casting reluctant glances at Fengyun Wuji. Then, resolute, they turned and flew off in the opposite direction of the Sword Pavilion. In the darkness of night, glimmers of light fell like tears.
Fengyun Wuji stretched out both arms. Tens of thousands of radiant swords flared into formation at his sides. His fingers danced, weaving sword seals, and hundreds of thousands of qi swords filled the sky, densely packed, leaving no space uncovered. The demon army, slowly recovering, began to rise again. But his body had reached its limit—any further, and he risked self-destruction. Behind him, the retreating disciples still needed time.
Gritting his teeth, Fengyun Wuji threw back his head and let out a heartrending roar. The sword-wings on either side of him suddenly swelled to many times their size. Blood gushed from every pore and orifice, and in a heartbeat, he was drenched from head to toe—a man made of blood.
"DIE!!!" Fengyun Wuji roared. The terrifying wings of energy shot forth like countless meteors, howling as they rained down on the demon army. The radiance of the sword qi lit up the heavens and the earth.
"Stop him—NOW!" the Demon Lord of the Dark Domain barked to the four Demon Generals. But before he could even cross ten feet, a black streak burst silently from the shadows, lunging straight for his chest.
His expression shifted—he recognized that dark ray. The supposedly indestructible shoulder armor he once wore had been shattered by this very weapon. Now, with Fengyun Wuji clearly ready to die with them, the dark blade's power surged even more. A three-foot cyan sword radiated unstable, deadly light. The Demon Lord, shaken, had no choice but to furiously strike at the blade while retreating rapidly. For the moment, he was unable to breach the blazing field of sword qi that stretched across the sky.
The four Demon Generals saw the countless millions of energy swords and realized with dread the gap in power. This… was the domain of a Sword Emperor. Even a low-tier Sword Emperor, if willing to burn their life force, could absolutely annihilate those below—or even at—their level.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
Explosions roared across the battlefield. Shockwaves tore through the air, dust clouds rising high. Within a radius of several kilometers, thick smoke rolled. And within the range of the sword storm, nearly eight thousand demon warriors lay sprawled in blood, their bodies riddled like honeycombs.
Fengyun Wuji stood with arms raised, blood streaming from his nose and eyes. He remained still, suspended in the air, his tattered robes fluttering violently. Before him, as the smoke cleared, a vast crater emerged, littered with corpses. The surviving demons, scrambling to their feet, looked into that pit—at the mangled dead—and then at Fengyun Wuji, their eyes wide with fear. Instinctively, they stepped back.
Suddenly, from behind came the sound of countless figures tearing through the sky. Fengyun Wuji turned, forcing down his wounds—only to see, to his shock, Chishang and the Sword Domain disciples returning.
"Chishang… why…