Just then, as Lin Xiao Tian continued pouring energy into her body, her condition finally began stabilizing slowly.

Faint color returned to her pale face, and her breathing grew steadier with each passing moment.

Relief had barely formed when movement stirred from the shadows beneath the massive trees surrounding them.

Another group stepped forward, their robes marked clearly with the emblem of the Iron Blood War Sect.

They moved in perfect synchrony, their footsteps measured and controlled as they approached the boundary line.

At the front stood the same man who had acted friendly before, his expression calm yet carrying hidden intent.

He stopped a short distance away and deliberately raised his voice to attract everyone’s attention nearby. His tone carried righteousness, yet his eyes flickered with something far colder beneath.

"It is truly unrighteous for you to block us from retrieving the bodies of our fellow brothers and sisters," he said loudly, making sure all could hear clearly.

"You have also taken what they gained by risking their lives, and now you defile their belongings without restraint," he continued, his voice firm and accusing.

His words spread across the clearing instantly, and many eyes turned toward Lin Xiao Tian’s group once again. Some faces showed agreement, while others simply watched silently, waiting for what would follow next.

Hearing this, Lin Xiao Tian clenched his teeth while still continuing to stabilize Miao-Miao’s condition without pause. These bastards were the first to run, and now they dare stand on moral high ground.

He had no time to respond, nor any intention to waste focus on meaningless words at this moment. Yet before he could even speak, a heavy voice boomed forward from behind him.

Xiaoshan stepped out with his halberd resting across his shoulder, his gaze filled with undisguised disdain. His presence alone carried enough pressure to silence a few murmurs instantly.

"You midgets really dare to bark like this in front of us without shame," he said coldly, his voice carrying across the clearing.

His eyes swept across the Iron Blood War Sect group like they were nothing more than insects.

"You ran at the very first sign of danger, abandoning everyone here without hesitation or guilt," he continued, his tone rising with each word.

The mockery in his voice was sharp enough to cut deeper than blades.

"If not for us holding the line and junior sister Miao paying such a price," Xiaoshan said while pointing behind him, "even your corpses would have rotted here, let alone you standing here barking like dogs."

The moment his words fell, the atmosphere froze completely once again. The Iron Blood War Sect members’ expressions darkened, while the surrounding crowd went silent, waiting for what would happen next.

Hearing this, the leader’s face darkened for a brief moment before an evil smirk slowly crept across his lips.

Instead of reacting directly, he raised his voice again and turned toward the surrounding crowd deliberately.

"Were we wrong," he shouted loudly, sweeping his gaze across everyone present as if seeking approval. "No, we were only preserving our lives, while it was your choice to stay and fight."

"We never forced you to remain here, nor did we ask for your sacrifice," he continued, his tone growing sharper with each word. "And now you dare take and defile the belongings of our fallen brothers and sisters."

His words stirred the already restless crowd once more, giving some people a reason to shift their stance.

A few nodded faintly, while others remained silent, watching how the situation would unfold.

Before the murmurs could grow further, Xiaoshan stepped forward again with a heavy stomp that cracked the ground beneath him.

His grip tightened around the halberd as his eyes burned with open hostility.

"Shout all you want and twist your words however you like," Xiaoshan thundered, his voice echoing across the clearing. "But anyone who dares even touch this line will die today without exception."

His words carried no bluff, and the killing intent behind them pressed against everyone nearby.

The already tense atmosphere tightened further, as if a single spark could ignite another massacre instantly.

Seeing Xiaoshan’s outburst, the crowd instinctively stepped back once again under the pressure of his killing intent. For a moment, no one dared to cross the boundary line drawn across the battlefield.

The leader’s face darkened seeing this hesitation spread among the people around him.

Yet the next moment, a calculating glint appeared in his eyes as he prepared his final move.

He stepped forward and raised his voice once more, this time carrying a sharper edge meant to provoke. "So this is how it is," he said loudly, letting his gaze sweep across everyone present.

"He thinks all of you are cowards, and that you are inferior because you stepped back earlier," he continued, pointing subtly toward Xiaoshan and the group behind him. "And look at them now, already exhausted from the fight, yet still acting superior."

Those words struck deeper than before, the people gathered here were all geniuses of their respective sects, each carrying pride that could not tolerate such open insult.

Their expressions shifted almost instantly, anger rising faster than reason could restrain.

Weapons tightened in hands, auras flared, and the distance between groups slowly began closing. The boundary that once held them back now looked far less intimidating in their burning eyes.

Still, not everyone was fooled a few sharp individuals glanced once at Lin Xiao Tian’s group, then silently stepped away without another word.

They understood this was no longer about fairness, but a trap meant to ignite chaos.

As the remaining crowd tightened from all directions, the atmosphere turned suffocating once again. Inside the circle, every disciple’s face darkened as they sensed the shift clearly.

Lin Xiao Tian’s expression turned cold while he continued stabilizing Miao-Miao without pause. He did not look up, yet the pressure around him deepened.

Seeing the situation fall exactly as planned, the leader’s smirk widened slightly. He did not need to move first, because the crowd would do it for him.

And in the very next moment, everything erupted.

Multiple attacks were launched at once from every direction, blades, techniques, and projectiles tearing through the air toward the boundary.

The fragile silence shattered instantly, and the battlefield plunged back into chaos.

Seeing this, Yan Feng let out a quiet sigh as he glanced at the rushing crowd. "Fools... and sacrificial goats," he muttered, his voice calm despite the chaos unfolding.

The first wave crashed forward like a tide, techniques and blades colliding against the boundary before shattering it apart.

Yan Feng stepped out instantly, his flying swords splitting into streaks that cut through the front ranks.

Each strike was clean and fatal, bodies falling before they even understood what hit them. Blood spread across the ground, yet the ones behind stepped over it without hesitation.

On the other side, Xiaoshan roared and swung his halberd in a brutal arc that crushed multiple attackers.

Bones snapped and bodies flew backward, but the pressure only kept increasing from every direction.

More cultivators rushed in, replacing the fallen without a single pause in their advance. Their eyes burned with greed and pride, pushing them forward despite the slaughter.

Yan Feng’s expression hardened as he adjusted his footing and pulled back slightly toward the center. His swords circled around him like a storm, cutting down anyone who tried slipping past.

From above, multiple techniques rained down at once, forcing him to split his focus further. Even his precise control began to strain under the continuous assault.

Xiaoshan stepped back as well while guarding the flank closest to Lin Xiao Tian. His halberd smashed through attackers, yet each movement was now tied to protecting the center behind him.

"Stay close and don’t break formation," Xiaoshan shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos clearly. Another enemy was torn apart the moment he tried pushing forward recklessly.

At the center, Lin Xiao Tian did not move even a single step from his position. His entire focus remained on Miao-Miao as he guided the violent energy inside her body.

Tianhe sat beside him with one hand pressed against her head, suppressing the berserk Qi forcefully. Blood continued dripping from his wound, yet his expression never changed.

Li Qingyun and Miao Han guarded the remaining gaps, intercepting attacks that slipped through the outer defense.

Their movements were sharp, but the increasing numbers made it harder to hold ground.

The battlefield slowly compressed inward as more people focused on breaking the center. What started as a wide clash now turned into a tightening noose around them.

Yan Feng’s swords moved faster, cutting down multiple opponents in rapid succession without pause. Yet his breathing grew heavier as each strike carried increasing force.

Xiaoshan gritted his teeth while blocking attacks from multiple directions at once. His halberd trembled slightly under combined pressure, though his stance still held firm.

"Damn insects..." he growled as he forced back another group with brute strength. Even then, the space between them and the center kept shrinking steadily.

A cultivator broke through from above and dived straight toward Lin Xiao Tian with killing intent. Before he could land, Xiaoshan pivoted and crushed him into the ground instantly.

Another wave followed right behind without giving them a moment to recover. Yan Feng redirected his swords mid-air, cutting down two attackers, yet a third slipped through.

Li Qingyun stepped forward at once and blocked the strike, forcing the attacker back. The impact still pushed him half a step closer to the center line.

Inside, Lin Xiao Tian’s hands moved faster as he poured more refined energy into Miao-Miao continuously. Sweat ran down his face, yet his focus never wavered.

"Hold them," he said quietly, his voice steady despite the pressure rising around them. There was no room for hesitation anymore.

Outside, the attackers surged again, their numbers and desperation only increasing further. Even as bodies fell, more replaced them instantly, closing the gap step by step.

Yan Feng and Xiaoshan stood like a wall in front, holding the line with everything they had. Yet even they could feel the strain building with each passing moment.

If this continued much longer, the center would eventually be breached.

Seeing this, Yan Feng’s rage slowly began to rise, his calm finally cracking under relentless pressure.

Without warning, he plunged his sword deep into the ground and stood still, allowing the opponent’s spear to pierce straight through his hand.

Blood dripped, yet he did not move even an inch as his head lowered slightly. Then suddenly, every sword on the battlefield began to vibrate, a low hum rising and merging into something terrifying.

The sound deepened, resonating through air and bone alike as blades trembled uncontrollably. One by one, the swords began to rise from the ground, hovering slowly...