The sound of Xiao Mo’s two words, "Try me," still echoed in the air, but he had already vanished.

The next instant, a blood-red line materialized from thin air, stabbing straight for Ding Jingyi’s brow.

Ding Jingyi’s pupils constricted. The myriad sword fragments circling his body instantly converged, layering themselves before him to form an impenetrable Sword Shield.

CLANG!!

An ear-splitting crash exploded, echoing throughout the entire Wandao Sect.

Any Cultivators of a lower Realm felt their chests tighten before spitting out a mouthful of blood.

As the blood-red line struck the Sword Shield, countless motes of crimson Saber Qi and silvery-white sword shards burst forth.

The intermingling Sword Qi and Saber Qi tore into the already ravaged ground below, leaving it utterly shredded.

"Not bad. I’m starting to admire you more and more," Ding Jingyi snorted, "but if this is all you have, it’s not nearly enough to kill me." With that, he thrust the Sword Shield forward.

BOOM!

Xiao Mo’s Saber Qi was violently dispersed, but his figure had already reappeared to Ding Jingyi’s left. His long saber swept out, aimed at his foe’s waist.

"Blood Mist!"

Although this was merely the first form of the Blood Demon Saber Technique, each of its nine moves had unique strengths. For close-quarters combat, Blood Mist was absolutely overwhelming. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The force behind Xiao Mo’s saber was as heavy as a mountain.

Ding Jingyi neither dodged nor retreated. With a grasping motion of his right hand, the sword fragments reconverged into a longsword, which he brought down in a precise block.

CLANG!

Saber and sword met with the force of two colliding mountains.

A violent shockwave erupted with the two men at its center. The mountain peak beneath them could no longer withstand the force. With a tremendous RUMBLE, nearly a third of the summit collapsed, sending giant boulders tumbling and a plume of dust rocketing into the sky.

The recoil sent Xiao Mo sliding back dozens of yards, his feet carving two white vapor trails through the air. The hand gripping his saber was slightly numb, but his gaze only grew sharper.

Ding Jingyi was also forced back half a step. A minuscule chip appeared on his condensed longsword, but it was instantly repaired by new fragments.

Ding Jingyi frowned.

He had just declared that Xiao Mo was "not nearly enough," but now, Ding Jingyi felt he had to eat those words.

Ding Jingyi now had a completely new appreciation for Xiao Mo’s power.

’He’s only in the Immortal Realm, yet his strength far surpasses that of an ordinary Ascension Realm cultivator.’

’Even though I’ve absorbed the Sect’s Qi Fortune and am empowered by the Wandao Sect’s Array, I can’t seem to gain much of an advantage.’

’What a pity. A genius of his caliber, the kind one might not see in tens of thousands of years, is going to die here today.’

Just as this thought crossed Ding Jingyi’s mind...

The Blood Demon climbed to her feet, long saber in hand, and charged at Ding Jingyi.

The Blood Demon executed a Void-Breaking slash. Xiao Mo charged forward as well, unleashing the same Void-Breaking technique.

The Blood Demon and Xiao Mo fought in perfect coordination. Ding Jingyi was forced to retreat again and again, able only to parry their blows. Unable to counterattack, he was clearly at a disadvantage.

’Maybe they can actually win!’

On the other side of the battlefield, Qing Yuan saw a glimmer of hope.

But when she saw the blood trickling from the corner of the Blood Demon’s mouth, Qing Yuan couldn’t help but clench her fists.

The Blood Demon’s body was already in poor condition, plagued by old, unhealed injuries. Forcibly using the Heaven-Opening technique had taken its toll, and her battle with Ding Jingyi had inflicted even more wounds.

Now, she was even burning her Essence Blood to power her attacks.

’Win or lose,’ she thought, ’the Blood Demon’s chances of surviving this battle are slim.’

BOOM!

Ding Jingyi conjured a Sword Dragon and sent it between them. It instantly detonated, unleashing a torrent of countless blades that rained down upon the pair.

The Blood Demon immediately grabbed Xiao Mo’s wrist and pulled him behind her, simultaneously summoning a Red Jade Brick.

The Red Jade Brick expanded rapidly, blocking the storm of blades completely.

The Red Jade shattered at the exact moment the downpour of blades ceased.

The Blood Demon and Xiao Mo charged forward again, and one cut after another opened up on Ding Jingyi’s body.

"Fine, so be it. Since you insist," Ding Jingyi said, "I’ll let you witness Its power."

As he spoke, he pointed his longsword. The eyes of the giant Divine Stone Statue behind him seemed to flash, and an invisible pressure descended, clamping down on Xiao Mo and the Blood Demon like shackles.

Xiao Mo instantly felt the air around him grow incredibly heavy. It was like swimming through molasses, and he even felt a sense of suffocation.

The next moment, however, Xiao Mo erupted the Blood Evil Qi within his body. Like a boiling Blood Sea, it violently carved out a space free from the invisible pressure.

"AHHH!!!"

Elsewhere, Zhou Rushi and the nine other Cultivators screamed in agony.

The light in their eyes gradually faded.

"Master..."

The Blood Demon charged forward, saber in hand.

"Blood Demon! Don’t worry about me! Get out of here!" Zhou Rushi shouted.

"I already told you, it’s too late," Ding Jingyi said, shaking his head. "No one is escaping this place today!"

SHINK!

As the last of their mental shackles broke...

Zhou Rushi and the nine other former Peak Masters and Elders fell completely under Ding Jingyi’s control. They turned and charged at Xiao Mo and the Blood Demon.

With ten veteran Immortal Realm Cultivators joining the fight, Xiao Mo’s situation grew even more dire.

The Blood Demon exchanged thirty blows with her master. She didn’t want to harm her, but she could barely protect herself.

The long saber in Zhou Rushi’s hand left a gash on the Blood Demon’s shoulder that was deep enough to show bone.

’This is getting complicated,’ Xiao Mo thought. After cutting down one of the Immortal Realm Cultivators, he charged straight for Ding Jingyi, intending to capture the king to defeat the army.

Xiao Mo swung his long saber in a powerful upward slash. The crimson Saber Qi was no longer a condensed line, but a massive, crescent-shaped arc of light that flew straight at Ding Jingyi.