Wu Shanshan subconsciously stopped playing her instrument, frozen in shock.

She wasn't the only one. Everyone thought the giant idiot had gone against the flow and sealed his fate; they were all waiting to watch his foolish demise. But to their disbelief, with one stroke of the blade, without even a chance to react, Black Tiger was reduced to a blood-splattering mess in an instant.

Impossible—why didn't those three Divine Demon-like treasures intervene? Why didn't they protect him?

Even the group from the Mingshan Sect, who were about to make their move, couldn't believe their eyes; they were utterly astonished.

Wu Jinliang, who had thrown himself into that desperate knife strike, watched the events unfold wide-eyed. He remained in a state of frenzied, dreamlike excitement until the hot spray of blood splattered into his eyes, snapping him back to reality in an instant.

He had been prepared to die, thinking that his end would come quickly, painlessly. But the visceral sensation of his blade cutting through flesh and bone jolted him into clear-headedness.

He landed the strike? He was still in a daze, afraid it was all a dream, or worse, that something might change. He worried Black Tiger's demon body might have employed the Life Concealing Technique, where the vital points weren't where they appeared outwardly.

So, as his blade landed, he swung it low and wide across the ground, dragging the edge to create a brilliant cascade of sparks. Chasing the mangled remains of Black Tiger's body swept up by the wind, he let loose another frenzied strike, pouring every ounce of strength into it.

As Wu Jinliang twisted his body, the sound of a muffled "splurt" echoed in his ears. It sounded like someone coughing up blood behind him, so he turned his head and caught a glimpse of Shi Chun stumbling backward unsteadily, though he didn't see Shi Chun actually spitting blood.

The flickering sparks lighting up the ground illuminated the scene just enough for him to see Shi Chun's bloodshot eyes, his suddenly colorless face transitioning from red to pale, and the blood dripping from his lips. He also saw blood being whipped away into the wind and then splattering back onto Shi Chun.

It took no great thought to realize Shi Chun was the one who coughed up blood. Wu Jinliang could vaguely deduce the reason—a desperate effort on Shi Chun's part to help him.

His blade met resistance again, producing another exaggerated "splurt" as the enormous sword roared through the wind, bringing forth another blood-soaked downpour.

This time, Black Tiger's remains lost all cohesion; under Wu Jinliang's unrelenting pursuit, the body was cleaved completely into two halves. The pieces were torn asunder by the wind, scattering blood as they disappeared into their respective eternal nights.

Wu Jinliang turned to check on Shi Chun. That single glance made his heart sink.

The state Shi Chun was in—forget any notion of strategic deep infiltration—indicated that he had clearly suffered a serious internal injury, and even his relied-upon fifth-grade magical treasure seemed to have malfunctioned.

At this moment, if the Forget Love Valley and Extreme Fire Sect groups decided to unleash their treasures again, it wouldn't merely lead to negotiation through capture. With Black Tiger dead, Wu Jinliang could only imagine what Extreme Fire Sect might do if they caught him—surely, he wouldn't die a quick, painless death.

Moreover, their opponents were clearly still holding onto other treasures, ready to strike.

As his thoughts raced, his gaze shifted instinctively to the three immobilized Divine Demon Dharma Forms floating in the air.

Then, right before his eyes, the three majestic Dharma Forms suddenly vanished.

It was expected—when Black Tiger was killed and his consciousness extinguished by the blade, the three Dharma Forms lost their autonomous control and became ownerless objects.

The glittering lights surrounding them abruptly dissolved, retreating back into the three meditation mats.

Yet, those mats remained subjected to the immobilization skill, frozen midair, along with the metallic woven strands and the swords, sabers, and spears once controlled by the Divine Demon shadows.

As the lights faded, darkness consumed their surroundings. Before Wu Shanshan's group had a chance to stabilize their position and discern what was happening, Wu Jinliang abruptly tore off the bindings in his hair, letting his long hair billow wildly in the wind.

A timely gust swept through, making his hair eerily rise skyward, giving him the appearance of someone possessed.

He pointed his saber toward the opposing group and roared with ferocity, "Earth Immortal Realm—I've killed several! Human Immortal heads—I've chopped countless! Ever since leaving the Land of Exile, it's been too long since I've tasted human flesh. Today, I feast!"

He turned and shouted toward the Mingshan Sect group, "What are you hesitating for? Don't let a single one escape—capture them all! Follow me and kill!"

With that, he slammed his blade onto the ground, the impact reverberating across the earth.

Seizing the momentum, Wu Jinliang led the charge, dragging his oversized blade along the ground, showering sparks as he lunged forward.

His long hair whipped violently like a crazed demon, the trail of sparks fueling a frenzy that seemed otherworldly.

He knew well enough that when he engaged in combat, he would likely die. Terrified, he acknowledged he was no heroic figure but rather a coward afraid of death. Yet, retreating wasn't an option—showing fear would only seal his fate.

Not retreating gave him a glimmer of hope; retreating guaranteed death!

In moments like these, his survival instincts from the Land of Exile emerged: "When paths collide, only the brave prevail!"

The Mingshan Sect group didn't fully grasp the situation. Witnessing Wu Jinliang's ferocity—a single stroke extinguished Black Tiger, silenced three Divine Demon-like treasures, and sent him hurtling into the fray—they were exhilarated. The big guy had been hiding his true strength all along!

Even his grotesque declaration to devour human flesh sent shivers down their spines, bringing chills to their scalps as they recalled past camaraderie with him.

Yet, Wu Jinliang had already issued the command. At this juncture, they couldn't afford to spectate.

When the situation permits hesitation, perhaps one wonders. When the momentum favors victory, who wouldn't charge forward?

Besides, if someone like Wu Jinliang dared to advance as a vanguard, what was there to fear?

What they didn't know was Wu Jinliang's deceitful ploy. Immediately, with spirited cries, they followed suit, darting ahead, weapons in hand, soaring past Wu Jinliang and directly charging toward the opposing group.

Tong Mingshan, An Wuzhi, and Zhu Xiangxin's bodies radiated dazzling brilliance with Divine Fire Flame Energy, their fighting spirits ablaze as they spearheaded the offensive.

Despite being the first to cry out and rush forward, Wu Jinliang maintained an old habit—the first to initiate but the last to land. Nonetheless, his fierce posture—hair whipping in the wind, dragging his fiery blade—was enough to raise morale.

Seeing others fly past him, Wu Jinliang felt a wave of satisfaction.

With these people testing the waters ahead, he was prepared to flee at the first sign of retaliation, dragging the injured Shi Chun with him.

He knew his limits well—he couldn't protect everyone. Saving Shi Chun and escaping would be the best he could manage.

If circumstances left him no choice, abandoning Shi Chun might be necessary. Spring could still hold value to their enemies, meaning they wouldn't kill him outright, but letting himself be captured would guarantee death.

As for Tong Mingshan and the others' fates—who cared about brotherhood? At this critical juncture, they simply didn't weigh heavily enough to matter. Wu Jinliang couldn't afford to spare any thought for them.

His simple mindset was that rather than being entirely doomed, sacrificing some people to distract the enemy might buy him a chance for escape.

If he and Shi Chun escaped, with Shi Chun's capabilities, perhaps they could find a way to rescue the others. That was better than everyone being captured together.

A man of such thoughts, truly, is a coward.

Zhener didn't heed his call nor charge with the others. Instead, seeing Shi Chun spit blood, she darted over, gently supporting the staggering Shi Chun with concern.

The Mingshan Sect group failed to grasp what was happening. Wu Shanshan's faction was similarly in the dark.

The entire skirmish unfolded swiftly, despite feeling slow in narration—mere fleeting moments in reality.

Due to their angles of observation—looking forward from opposing sides—it was impossible to sense how the process of Black Tiger and the three treasures being slowed and immobilized unfolded.

Had they been watching from the sidelines, observing the horizontal flow of events, the problem would have been obvious.

To Wu Shanshan's faction, the situation was clear: Black Tiger's strength wasn't to be underestimated, which was evident from Shi Chun being forced to retreat coughing blood. The potency of their assault was undeniable.

Yet, under such circumstances, Wu Jinliang appeared unscathed, as if responding urgently to save the day. Rushing out with overwhelming dominance, he managed to suppress the three treasures and effortlessly slay Black Tiger in a single stroke. The latter stood no chance against him.

It was akin to slicing through melons and vegetables.

While they were contemplating how such a powerful figure entered the Divine Fire Domain, Wu Jinliang's boastful actions caught their attention. His wild claims of killing numerous Earth Immortal and Human Immortal experts and his declaration of eating their flesh shocked and terrified them.

Before their minds could process it all, Wu Jinliang charged at them like a madman. In their panic, there was no time to discern whether the three floating treasures were immobilized by an immobilization skill or suppressed by Wu Jinliang's overwhelming cultivation.

Watching the demon-like Wu Jinliang hurtle toward them—a trail of sparks and lightning in his wake—they had no intention to fight.

Grabbing her Wind Scale treasure, Wu Shanshan darted away, shouting in alarm, "Run!"

Even without her command, her group was already scrambling to flee in terror.

The Extreme Fire Sect group, stunned by Black Tiger's sudden death, tried to call out "Senior Brother," but the words caught in their throats and never left their lips. Seeing Wu Shanshan's group fleeing, they immediately followed suit, darting away in the blink of an eye.

None of them had the nerve to put up a fight.

There was simply no way to contend—Black Tiger, their Senior Brother, had been slain instantly upon contact. The three fifth-grade treasures were suppressed the moment they appeared. Such overwhelming power left them no room to even try to resist, let alone survive.

The Mingshan Sect group landed and was just about to continue the pursuit.

Sparks vanishing beneath his blade, Wu Jinliang halted and shouted out, employing his cultivation, "Don't chase defeated foes! Don't waste your effort; they won't be able to escape far!"

The enemy fleeing was exactly what he hoped for—why pursue them? What purpose would an actual fight serve?

Having barely secured a chance to escape, with the enemy still dazed and disoriented, it was time for his side to skedaddle before they recovered!

He swiftly dashed back, spreading his arms wide, performing a spell from afar to reclaim the three fifth-grade treasures—left by the enemy, they were naturally ripe for the taking.

The halted Mingshan Sect group felt regretful; with such an opportunity at hand, how could they let it go? Chu Jingtang stomped and voiced frustration, unable to comprehend why Wu Jinliang let the enemy off so easily.

On board the Wind Scale treasure, Wu Shanshan's fleeing group heard Wu Jinliang's bold declaration, making them even more frantic. "What does he mean, 'They won't escape'?!"

What kind of trick did he have up his sleeve?

This spurred them to flee even harder, expending every ounce of strength to escape at full speed.

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