At the command of the Wind Demon Sovereign, the demon army erupted with a deafening roar. Tens of thousands of demons surged forward like a black tide, carrying with them overwhelming demonic energy, sweeping toward the human defense line.
In the human army's camp, the cultivators looked pale.
"The experts at the Heaven and Earth realm... there's only Sect Master Zhang left!"
"It's over... everything is over!"
"Four of the five elders fell in an instant, how can we resist now?!"
Desperation spread among the crowd. Witnessing the rapid fall of four top-level powerhouses, leaving only Zhang Xuanting holding the fort, this crushing blow completely shattered the cultivators' morale.
The human army, already at a disadvantage, now saw their soldiers scatter.
"Escape is the priority!"
"Quick, retreat! We can't win this battle!"
"Help! Help!"
Cries and wails filled the air as the defense line collapsed. Chaos reigned on the battlefield. Most cultivators had already lost their courage, fleeing in all directions, while a few determined ones still fought to the death, but the overall situation could not be turned around.
After all, the human cultivators were already at a disadvantage in terms of overall strength, and now, with their morale shattered, the collapse was inevitable.
What was even more terrifying was that the demons were obviously well-trained—those tough-skinned, large demons led the charge, specifically targeting the defensive formations.
Wherever they passed, the human cultivators' meticulously arranged defenses crumbled into ruins.
In the sky above the battlefield, countless brilliant lights flickered, only to vanish in an instant, signifying the collapse of defense arrays one after another.
"There's... no chance to steal the kills!"
Seeing this, Ruan Tianhe furrowed his brow. The Emperor had asked him to wait for an opportunity to reap the benefits, but the moment the battle started, the human side couldn't even withstand a single blow!
He had to admit that the demons' strategy was flawless, delivering a devastating blow to the top forces of the northern cultivators!
What's more, the mysterious artifact they were using was far beyond his expectations in terms of power!
"Forget it, since I can't profit from this, I'll kill as many as I can!"
Ruan Tianhe's eyes glinted coldly, and his internal energy surged. With a bright glow in his palms, he dashed alone toward the demon army.
On the battlefield, the sound of battle echoed loudly, while in the sky, Zhang Xuanting was battling five demon lords. His left hand formed a seal, summoning the True Fire of the Sun, while his right hand performed a spell to call forth the Cold Light of the Moon, launching earth-shattering attacks.
However, the five demon lords coordinated perfectly, erecting a defensive barrier that nullified all of Zhang Xuanting's attacks.
During their confrontation, Wind Demon Sovereign noticed the immense energy around Zhang Xuanting, astonished:
"I didn't expect your cultivation to have reached the peak of the Heaven and Earth realm!"
"Tsk tsk, truly worthy of being called the only genius of the human race in the northern domain for the past few thousand years. To achieve this level at such a young age is truly remarkable!"
The Wind Demon Sovereign's voice mixed with shock and jealousy:
"But it's a pity, this genius of yours is destined to die at our hands today!"
"Damn it!" Zhang Xuanting gritted his teeth, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
If only his second body was still intact, with two peak Heaven and Earth bodies working together, even facing five demon lords, he would still have a fighting chance!
That was his confidence as the northern domain's first genius!
But now, with one body lost, his battle strength was reduced by fifty percent.
After a short exchange, he was already covered in injuries—his left shoulder was torn open by the Wind Demon's toxic wing, his right leg pierced by a green demon's venomous fangs, and his chest burned and mangled by the corrosive poison of a toxic toad.
The five demon lords were all masters of poison!
Zhang Xuanting's heart sank as he looked down at the battlefield—the human cultivators were retreating, corpses everywhere.
He gritted his teeth and sighed: the situation was dire! If he continued fighting, he would be dead for sure!
"Retreat!" He made a quick decision and his figure turned into a streak of light, speeding toward the northwest!
"You're not getting away!" The Spider Demon Sovereign's eight eyes glowed with cold light, and a sharp screech rang out.
She quickly used her eight spider legs to trace a mysterious trajectory in the air, and instantly spun a massive blood-red web, trapping a hundred-mile radius!
Zhang Xuanting, already severely injured, was momentarily stalled, and like a trapped beast, was tightly bound by the web!
"This is bad!" Zhang Xuanting felt a sense of hopelessness just as a somewhat shabby old man appeared beside him!
Zhang Xuanting was startled. With his peak Heaven and Earth cultivation, he hadn't sensed how the old man had approached!
"Who are you...?"
"Run!" The old man simply said, his withered, eagle-like hand gripping his shoulder. Feeling the pure human energy emanating from the old man, Zhang Xuanting didn't resist.
Before the old man finished speaking, their figures vanished, and the blood-red web of the Spider Demon Sovereign collapsed, tearing only at their afterimages.
"What happened?!" The five demon lords' expressions changed. The old man had disappeared without a trace, and even in full view, they hadn't been able to stop him from rescuing Zhang Xuanting!
"Southeast direction!" The Green Demon Sovereign was the first to detect the energy fluctuations. Their teleportation couldn't last long, and Zhang Xuanting and the old man were now fleeing!
"We can't let the tiger return to the mountain! Chase!" Wind Demon Sovereign shouted angrily, and five demonic auras rose to the sky, giving chase without hesitation.
At this moment, Zhang Xuanting felt extremely excited. He had not expected to be saved at the last minute.
He was about to call the old man "Senior," but then he realized something was wrong. He had sensed that the old man's cultivation was only at the Martial Saint level!
A peak Heaven and Earth cultivator like himself had been saved by a Martial Saint—if this got out, he would surely be ridiculed!
But given the old man's ability to teleport, it was likely a unique martial talent he had.
Thinking of this, Zhang Xuanting immediately spoke, "Well done! Tell me, which clan are you from? You can come to my Sun Moon Sect and be an elder!"
"We'll talk about that later. For now, we must focus on escaping!" The old man, who was actually Ruan Tianhe, responded.
As a Martial Saint, Ruan Tianhe was calm even in the face of the demon army. While slaughtering these lower demons, his gaze was constantly focused on the battlefield above. Seeing Zhang Xuanting in imminent danger, he had acted decisively and rescued him.
He knew that even with Zhang Xuanting severely injured, he was still unlikely to defeat the demon lords. Weighing the situation, he chose to rescue Zhang Xuanting first, to prevent him from falling into the hands of the demons.
Although he couldn't take Zhang Xuanting's head, he was doing his best to prevent the demons from getting it.
Though he didn't know why the Emperor was so obsessed with "stealing kills," he did his best to help!