Just as the Lingxu Sect cultivators split into two groups and began intercepting Shucao and the people from the Taimiao Sect respectively, Zhang Huaiyu’s voice transmission suddenly rang out in Shucao’s mind.
“Fellow Daoist Shucao, how are things on your end? Do you need us to intervene?”
After briefly observing Mu Ya and the other who were intercepting them, Shucao used a communication magic that An Qianhua had previously taught her—one that even a seed-stage magical girl could use—to create the sensation of a voice transmission and informed Zhang Huaiyu that no help was needed.
Then she spoke to the other party again.
“What should we do now? With this group of Lingxu Sect cultivators present, it won’t be easy to deal with those from the Taimiao Sect.”
Zhang Huaiyu thought for a moment, then said to Shucao.
“I want to drive both groups out entirely. Fellow Daoist Shucao, are you willing to help us?”
Originally, the plan had been aimed only at the Taimiao Sect, but a group from the Lingxu Sect had suddenly appeared, and the other side even intended to take down everyone.
Now they had no choice but to take them down together as well.
This was what Zhang Huaiyu thought.
As for Shucao, she felt that if these people were driven out of the secret realm, there would be fewer people competing for the spots to comprehend the Innate Dao Rhyme, which would give Bai Qiushui a greater chance of being able to comprehend the Innate Dao Rhyme.
Thus, she agreed with Zhang Huaiyu’s idea.
And right after the two sides entered into a melee, Zhang Huaiyu became even more certain of the idea of taking down both sides.
One side was the Taimiao Sect, who had entered the battle after consuming some of their spiritual power; the other was the Lingxu Sect, who had taken some damage after actively fighting the Taimiao cultivators.
Their own side, however, was at full strength plus Shucao, this numerical anomaly.
The advantage is mine!
After Shucao stated that they would resolve both sides, Jin Xuan looked at Shucao in astonishment and said.
“Are you crazy? Even if you’re strong, those are disciples from two sects. Their strength isn’t something you loose cultivators can compare to. Taking the chance to leave while they’re tied up is the better choice, right?”
“Indeed, when facing disciples from both sects, loose cultivators have absolutely no chance of winning.”
Shucao glanced at Jin Xuan and said with a half-smile.
“But I’m not just one person.”
“Huh?”
On the other side, the cultivator surnamed Wang, who was gradually suppressing the cultivator surnamed Wu from the Taimiao Sect, looked toward the direction of Shucao and the others and cursed angrily.
“That trash Mu Ya! As expected, loose cultivators are just loose cultivators—completely useless!”
“Fellow Daoist Wang, while fighting me, you still dare to get distracted?!”
Just as the cultivator surnamed Wang’s attention shifted, the ring-blade shaped artifact in the hand of the cultivator surnamed Wu lit up and whistled toward the cultivator surnamed Wang in front of him.
Seeing this, he immediately urged his dense magical power, wanting to block the ring-blade flying toward him.
But with a light movement of the cultivator surnamed Wu’s fingertip, the ring-blade suddenly changed direction, brushing past the cultivator surnamed Wang’s body and flying backward.
“Haha, where are you aiming? You refining barbarian!”
Seeing the attack miss, the cultivator surnamed Wang immediately charged toward the cultivator surnamed Wu, laughing as he spoke.
What answered him was a light chuckle from the other side.
“Don’t really think that refining artifacts is all I know.”
“What?!”
Suddenly, a tearing sensation came from his back—it was actually the ring-blade that had flown behind him earlier.
After flying a short distance backward, it had actually circled around and was now attacking the back of the cultivator surnamed Wang.
The sudden attack left a not-shallow wound on the back of the cultivator surnamed Wang, forcing him to circulate a large amount of spiritual power to recover from the damage.
Seeing that the strongest on the other side, the cultivator surnamed Wang, had been injured and could no longer suppress him, he immediately shouted to the other cultivators of his own side who were still fighting.
“Junior brothers, there’s no benefit in wearing ourselves down against them. Let’s retreat for now!”
They had already expended some spiritual power earlier while chasing Shucao, and this battle had consumed even more.
Although they had injured the leading figure on the other side, their overall condition was still not good, so it was better to retreat first.
Just as they circulated their spiritual power and prepared to flee, a voice drew their attention.
“Ahem, everyone present, please look over here for a moment. I have something to announce!”
Looking toward the source of the voice, they saw Shucao floating in the air, looking down at them.
“None of you are leaving!”
The words had just fallen when several more figures appeared on the periphery of the battlefield—it was Zhang Huaiyu leading the people from the Tianqing Sect.
They spread out to encircle the people from both sides.
The leading Zhang Huaiyu said loudly.
“Fellow Daoists, will you leave on your own, or shall I help you leave?!”
Without waiting for their reply, Zhang Huaiyu immediately summoned her eight flying swords.
At the same time, her fingers formed a hand seal, attaching the Giant Sword Technique she had used before onto her flying swords.
The flying swords seemed to put on a layer of armor, and each entire sword enlarged somewhat.
Under her control, the eight flying swords circled around the periphery of the battlefield, trapping the people from both sides within.
“Mere flying swords, and you think you can stop me?!”
A late-stage Qi Refining cultivator in yellow robes on the battlefield looked at the flying swords and roared.
Then, with a wave of both hands, the two shields circling around him smashed fiercely toward those flying swords.
At the same time, he followed the shields, wanting to use the shields’ obstruction to charge out of the flying swords’ encirclement.
“Be careful, those are people from the Tianqing Sect!”
The leading cultivator surnamed Wu saw this scene and immediately shouted, but it was still a bit late.
At the instant the cultivator’s artifacts were about to smash into the flying swords, the armor on those flying swords suddenly trembled, producing in an instant a sword shadow like an afterimage.
That sword shadow flew straight toward the shields and exploded the moment it made contact, blasting the two shields along with the cultivator back to the center of the encirclement.
Although this explosion was a bit smaller, it was exactly the same as the exploding flying swords Zhang Huaiyu had used against the Cold Water Flood Dragon.
“Tch, the sword techniques of the Tianqing Sect, is it?”
The cultivator surnamed Wu saw this scene and said through gritted teeth.
“That’s right. It seems you haven’t thrown your brain into your refining furnace yet.”
Zhang Huaiyu looked at the people being surrounded and replied with a smile.
“Now, isn’t it time to consider whether or not to withdraw from the secret realm?”
The cultivator surnamed Wu shouted loudly toward Zhang Huaiyu.
“Zhang Huaiyu! I have no grudge against you, why take advantage of our predicament?!”
“Take advantage of the predicament? Your junior brothers earlier also chased after my junior brothers and sisters, wanting them to voluntarily withdraw from the secret realm, right? Using numbers to bully the few—isn’t that also taking advantage of the predicament? So this time I’ve come, it’s just the right opportunity to demand an explanation from you all!”
After hearing Zhang Huaiyu’s words, the cultivator surnamed Wu was temporarily speechless, not knowing how to retort.
After all, the fact that they had ambushed cultivators from other sects as well as loose cultivators was known to everyone.
If they hadn’t failed, it would have been fine, but since they had failed and thus been called out, they could only blame their own bad luck.
On the other side, the leading cultivator from the Lingxu Sect said.
“What about us? We have no grudge against you, right?!”
“As for you all…”
Zhang Huaiyu pretended to think for a moment, then revealed a slightly cunning smile and said.
“You dared to actively make a move against our companions—that is already a more than sufficient reason for us to make a move against you! Moreover… among the cultivators of the three sects, isn’t it quite normal to make moves against each other for the sake of seizing the spots?”
After hearing Zhang Huaiyu’s words, the faces of those trapped cultivators all darkened, staring at Shucao, Zhang Huaiyu, and the others with extremely ugly expressions.
But their spiritual power had already been considerably depleted.
Facing Shucao and the others who were at full strength and prepared, they had no way to break through their encirclement.
“Everyone, isn’t it time to carefully consider what the most correct choice is now?”