Zhang Po looked up and was instantly aghast; this shadow was none other than Xiao Zhentian's eldest son, Xiao Jukun!

Behind Xiao Jukun stood his siblings and numerous servants and thugs from the Xiao Family, grim-faced as they completely sealed off the escape route for Zhang Po and Li Huoke. It seemed they had been waiting here for some time to handle such a turn of events.

At this moment, the situation for the group could be described as caught between a rock and a hard place, with pursuers behind them. The situation was critically urgent, and with the appearance of the Auspicious Fire Array, the battle on the Sunflame Qilin's side with the Xiao Family members had already turned disadvantageous. They were struggling to protect themselves, let alone help Zhang Po and the others escape. Looking at the current circumstances, their only hope for survival was to rely on themselves.

With this thought, Zhang Po quietly asked Li Huoke, "How well can you manage the Time-Space Rift?"

Upon hearing this, Li Huoke was momentarily stunned but replied without hesitation, "Barely usable, but it's hard to control; there's no guarantee where it might transport us."

"That's good enough." Hearing Li Huoke's answer, Zhang Po was overjoyed and had devised a plan.

"What do you mean?" Li Huoke asked.

Zhang Po didn't answer, instead throwing the unconscious Xiao Yifei into Li Huoke's arms, with his Great Sword positioned horizontally in front of his chest.

"What exactly do you mean?" Li Huoke, usually meticulous, was bewildered by Zhang Po's sudden actions and looked completely perplexed.

"I'll do my best to hold them off; you find an opportunity to create a Time-Space Rift and escape with Xiao Yifei." Zhang Po assumed a defensive posture and communicated telepathically to Li Huoke.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jukun and the others did not seem in a hurry to attack. They gazed at the group with playful expressions, as if they had them easily within their grasp.

"I want to see what other tricks you have." Although Xiao Jukun was outside the arena, he clearly saw everything due to his connection with Xiao Zhentian and was curious about any trump cards they had yet to reveal.

"What?" Li Huoke was shocked, not expecting this to be Zhang Po's strategy.

However, Zhang Po laughed bitterly and said to Li Huoke, "In this catastrophe, someone must be responsible for conveying the message to the Cultivation World, or the sacrifices of all the contestants will be covered up by the Xiao Family. Therefore, one of us must survive and escape, and where there is life, there must be death. I've decided to be the one who dies, to give you the chance to live, so please take him with you too." Zhang Po pointed to Xiao Yifei in Li Huoke's arms.

Li Huoke's expression was conflicted, as if he was pondering something. Then he asked Zhang Po with a complex expression, "Is he really that important to you?"

Zhang Po responded with certainty, "He is very special, different from all of us. I have a premonition that Xiao Yifei's existence is extremely important to the entire Cultivation World, and he is also my closest companion."

"So, I beg you to take him out!" With a thud, Zhang Po knelt on one knee, bowing his head deeply to Li Huoke, pleading with him. It was the first time in his life he had knelt to someone besides family and elders.

Li Huoke was also stunned. He understood the significance of a swordsman kneeling to someone outside their family or elders. Zhang Po having taken this action showed his resolution.

With this realization, Li Huoke no longer hesitated and replied, "Alright, I'll do my best."

"Oh, did you just kowtow to someone else? How about giving me a couple of kowtows too?" Seeing the scene before him, Xiao Jukun couldn't help but find it amusing and laughed out loudly.

Meanwhile, an elder from Poison Manor beside him, eager and ready, named Old Ju, urged Xiao Jukun, "Xiao family's boy, stop dawdling and quickly eliminate these pests, so we can consider our task complete."

"Shut your mouth! You old hag, this is not your place to speak. My father is not here, so I'm in charge. I'll do whatever I want, and who dares have an objection?"

"Alright, alright." Old Ju was at a loss for words after Xiao Jukun's retort, her old face flushing red with embarrassment and annoyance. Although the latter's cultivation was only at the Peak of the Golden Elixir Stage, Xiao Jukun's status as Xiao Family's eldest son was apparent, so Old Ju didn't say more.

"I'll ask you one last time, if I told you I have a way for us to return together, would you come with me?" Li Huoke seemed to have made a decision and asked Zhang Po quietly.

Hearing this, Zhang Po shook his head, a faint, tragic smile on his lips, gazing deeply in the direction where the Hook Jade had exploded just moments ago. He said aloud, "I have to give an account to my fallen brothers." Following that, his body shone with golden light, releasing the domain of 'All Swords Return to the Sect.' The Sword Qi was awe-inspiring, filled with a sense of heroic sacrifice.

"Alright!" Seeing Zhang Po's resolve, Li Huoke said no more and, holding Xiao Yifei, retreated to stand behind Zhang Po, ready to find an opportunity to escape during Zhang Po's last desperate struggle.

Zhang Po burned all his cultivation, turning it into a temporary boost. Instantly, his aura began to climb, even exceeding the power his Realm could emit, causing even the Poison Manor elders to grow wary.

"Not good, this kid is going to fight with his life!" Old Ju was astonished and warned the other elder and the Xiao family members nearby. Naturally, the latter also prepared themselves, their expressions turning solemn at Zhang Po's aura.

"Let's attack together!" Xiao Jukun dropped the comment and then led the charge toward Zhang Po.

"Go!" Zhang Po shouted to Li Huoke, then charged forward with his Sword. Simultaneously, he retracted all his domain within two meters of his body, the golden light on his surface compressing, indicating a buildup.

"Not good! He's going to self-destruct!" Xiao Jukun was shocked.

"It's now or never!"

Centering on Zhang Po, the continuously compressing Qi began to explode, and seizing the opportunity, Li Huoke tore open a rift in the void with his hands, a black tear appearing silently. Without further thought, Li Huoke dived headfirst into the rift, cradling Xiao Yifei.

"Two people escaped!"

"Chase them, you fools!"

Behind them came Xiao Jukun's shout, followed by overwhelming explosions, as Zhang Po was annihilated in the destruction.

Li Huoke resolutely delved deeper into the rift, a silent tear rolling down his cheek.

No matter how exquisite Li Huoke's swordsmanship or how powerful his abilities, he was, at the end of the day, merely at the Golden Elixir Stage; his mastery over the Time-Space Rift was hardly precise, maintaining it with much difficulty, let alone traversing it with Xiao Yifei.

The noise from the Martial Arts Arena grew increasingly distant behind them, and Li Huoke was unsure where this Time-Space Rift would lead. At this moment, his mind was solely focused on getting out alive with Xiao Yifei.

It seemed Zhang Po's self-destruction had worked, as the expected pursuers did not arrive as anticipated. The two quickly ventured into a relatively safe depth within the Time-Space Rift.

At this point, Li Huoke suddenly realized a crucial issue: though Zhang Po instructed him to escape with Xiao Yifei, he never told him where to take Xiao Yifei. Knowing little about their backgrounds, Li Huoke was at a loss. Xiao Yifei's team, the Fifteen Squad, was a new team for this year's competition. Li Huoke hadn't even had the chance to investigate them.

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