CLANG! CLANG!

Gou You went full defense mode then on. He wasn't attacking much and only focusing on defending himself.

"Grand Elder Bai Ren, can you support Zhao Wujin and Yu Xuande?"

Minister Xiu asked through telepathy.

"..."

Bai Ren didn't reply instantly.

Gou You had likely realized that he couldn't defeat him, which was why he had gone into full defense.

To take care of him quickly and then support Zhao Wujin and Yu Xuande would be difficult—unless Bai Ren used their trump card.

Yes! It would be difficult as long as he continued hiding their trump card.

The Saint-Grade Artifact!

As long as he used it, Bai Ren didn't think dealing with Gou You would be too troublesome. He was already winning without using it.

He swept his gaze across the battlefield and found that almost all of their forces were looking down, their morale severely shaken by the death of their Earth Immortal.

(Perhaps it's time.)

If he waited any longer, the situation would only worsen—especially since there was no one left to keep the half-Qilin in check.

If they lost Zhao Wujin or Yu Xuande, then it would almost be impossible to take care of Half-Qilin.

"Tianheng, I'm going to use it!"

Bai Ren informed Bai Tianheng through telepathy.

"... I understand!"

Given the circumstances, Bai Tianheng had no objections to Bai Ren using the Saint-Grade Sword.

Although this revelation would undoubtedly bring complications later, if they didn't use it now, they might not even survive long enough to worry about those problems.

"Bai Ren, what happened?"

Gou You sneered as he noticed Bai Ren's attacks slowing.

"Did you finally realize how futile your efforts are?"

"You wish!"

Bai Ren replied coldly, his eyes locked onto Gou You.

"Gou You, I would've played with you a little longer—but the circumstances no longer allow it. Prepare to face death!"

Gou You burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Face death?"

He spread his arms wide as demonic Qi surged around him, forming a thick, defensive shell.

"Bai Ren, don't tell me you're trying to scare me with empty words?"

His gaze swept briefly across the battlefield.

The despair.

The crumbling morale.

Li Zhenhe's disappearance.

A twisted smile curled on his lips.

"Look around you," Gou You mocked.

"Your side is already collapsing. Even an Earth Immortal couldn't survive. And you think a few harsh words will change anything?"

He leaned forward slightly, his tone dripping with disdain.

"Stop pretending. If you had anything else, you would've used it long ago."

Yet—

Despite his words—

A faint unease stirred in Gou You's heart.

Bai Ren was too calm.

He didn't look like someone who believed he had already lost. As long as his morale hadn't broken, it meant he still believed he could survive.

Bai Ren didn't reply.

Instead, he slowly raised his hand.

Space itself seemed to hesitate.

Then—

A sword appeared in his grasp.

The moment it emerged, the world changed.

Qi across the battlefield shuddered violently, as if bowing before something far beyond its station.

Even Demonic Qi recoiled instinctively, retreating from Bai Ren's position.

A chill ran straight down Gou You's spine.

His pupils contracted sharply.

(What… is that?)

The pressure it exuded seemed to disorder the very laws of the world.

This was no ordinary artifact.

"That sword—!"

Gou You's breathing faltered for the first time.

A single thought echoed uncontrollably in his mind.

(Saint-Grade…)

Before he could finish the thought, Bai Ren spoke.

"Goodbye!"

The word had barely left his lips—when Bai Ren moved.

There was no flourish.

No grand technique.

No explosion of light.

He raised the sword—

And swung.

A single, clean arc.

Yet the moment the blade descended, the heavens split.

Sword Qi surged forth like an ancient decree, crushing everything in its path. Gou You's demonic defenses shattered instantly—like paper before a raging inferno.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

"No—!"

Too late.

The sword passed through him. There was no pain.

No time to scream.

Gou You's body froze mid-motion.

Then—

It separated.

His Demonic Qi collapsed in silence, his soul extinguished before it could even attempt to flee.

One breath.

One strike.

Gou You—gone.

The battlefield fell deathly still once more.

The Demonic Qi that had once flooded Gou You's position collapsed completely, dispersing like smoke before the wind.

There was no corpse.

No lingering aura.

Only an empty stretch of scorched air where an Earth Immortal demonic cultivator had stood moments ago.

Gou You—dead.

For the Demonic Cultivators—It was a catastrophe. Just like when Li Zhenhe had fallen.

"That… that was Gou You?!"

"An Earth Immortal Demonic Cultivator… erased in a single strike?!"

Panic erupted instantly.

They had grinned when it happened to the righteous cultivators—but now that it had happened to them, they couldn't comprehend it.

Gou You was no ordinary figure.

One of the top five strongest demonic cultivators in existence.

A pillar of their invasion.

And he had fallen—cleanly, decisively, without even the chance to resist.

Fear spreads faster than fire.

Some demonic cultivators instinctively retreated.

Others hesitated mid-attack, their resolve shattered.

For the first time since the invasion began—The Demonic Cultivators' morale collapsed.

At the same time—

A thunderous roar erupted from the Desolate Heaven Empire's side.

"GOU YOU IS DEAD!!!"

The shout spread like lightning.

"He was killed by Grand Elder Bai Ren!"

"He's gone! An Earth Immortal demonic cultivator is gone!"

Shock turned into elation.

Despair transformed into blazing hope.

Cultivators who had been on the verge of collapse straightened their backs, eyes burning with renewed fighting spirit.

"So what if we lost an Earth Immortal?! They lost one too!"

"Their so-called top expert—slain in a single strike!"

Laughter broke out—wild, cathartic laughter born from surviving the brink of despair.

The morale that had been plummeting moments ago didn't merely recover—It exploded.

Battle cries echoed across the heavens.

"We still have a chance!"

"As long as Grand Elder Bai Ren stands—this battle isn't over!"

From the skies, Minister Xiu Yucheng exhaled sharply, his tightly clenched fists finally loosening.

His gaze locked onto Bai Ren's figure.

(An Earth Immortal for an Earth Immortal…)

The balance had shifted.

And as Bai Ren turned—his gaze moving toward the half-Qilin—

Both sides understood the same truth:

The battle had entered its most critical phase yet.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.