Below, the battle was finally over.
The roars had faded into hoarse growls, the clashing of steel into scattered echoes.
What remained was the heavy scent of blood hanging thick in the air, mingling with churned earth and broken bodies.
The battlefield, which had moments ago resembled a raging storm of claws and blades, now lay in grim silence.
The ten Spirit Xuan experts from the Silver Blizzard City had endured a brutal ordeal. Forced to shield Xiao Han and Mu Xue Tong at the center of their formation, they had fought like men standing against a tidal wave. Their robes were slashed, their breathing ragged, their complexions pale. Yet none of them had fallen. Through sheer coordination and relentless effort, they had carved a narrow path through the encirclement and escaped.
Xiao Han and Mu Xue Tong bore light injuries, cuts across their arms and shoulders, streaks of dried blood upon their sleeves, but their foundations remained intact.
The ten guardians were merely exhausted. They stood upright, though barely, swords trembling in their hands as they steadied their breathing.
Compared to them, the fate of Xue Hun Manor was a tragedy written in red.
Of their three Spirit Xuan experts, two lay lifeless among the corpses below. The third had fled in desperate panic, only to cripple himself in the process. His meridians were shattered, his cultivation doomed to plummet despite any future recovery. Worse still, his mind had fractured under the terror of the Beast Kings. His eyes wandered without focus, muttering nonsense even as attendants dragged him away.
Seven hundred experts below the Spirit Xuan level had marched into battle under Xue Hun Manor's banner.
Seven hundred corpses now decorated the soil.
Even their dozen or so Sky Xuan experts had not escaped the slaughter.
The allied families fared little better. A handful of survivors staggered away, saved only by fortune and distance. The rest had been swallowed whole by the tide of Xuan Beasts.
Ironically, the force that had suffered the least was the one that had been meant to die first.
Under Jun Wu Yi's command, over three hundred men had stood their ground in disciplined formation. Around ninety to a hundred had fallen, but nearly two hundred remained alive. They were bloodied, battered, and barely standing, yet they stood.
Even Baili Luo Yun, the Jade Xuan expert, had survived unscathed, his robes fluttering lightly as though he had merely taken part in a routine spar rather than a massacre.
Across the field, both humans and beasts panted heavily.
Dongfang Wen Qing and several others knelt upon their swords, using them as support while gulping in air. Sweat streamed down their temples, dripping from their chins to the stained ground below. Their chests rose and fell violently.
Opposite them, the Xuan Beasts fared no better. Massive bodies heaved. Tongues lolled out. Tails swayed weakly. Some lay flat on the earth, sides expanding with every labored breath.
Even putting on a show required tremendous energy.
The first round of the battle had ended, and it had ended in Tian Fa's victory.
Jun Wu Yi stood upright, Golden Tiger before him like a silent guardian. His armor was chipped, his face streaked with blood and dirt, yet his expression remained composed. There was no smile of relief, no triumphant glow in his eyes. He did not feel the joy of escaping certain death.
Nor did he indulge in the satisfaction of surviving a beast siege.
Instead, he slowly lifted his gaze toward the hilltop.
His eyes were calm.
------
On the hilltop...
The silence lingered for a long moment before it was broken.
"This battle is decided in Tian Fa's victory!"
Lei Bao Yu's voice rang clear and authoritative across the heights. As the appointed witness, his declaration carried weight.
The outcome was obvious to anyone with eyes.
The allied human forces had been shattered. Their structure was destroyed, and their casualties catastrophic.
No one could dispute it.
"Wait!"
Just then, a sharp cry cut through the air like a stone thrown into still water.
It came laced with anger and desperation.
"We still have military strength on the battlefield. Not all of our men have died yet. So, why has this been declared a victory for Tian Fa? Jun Wu Yi, that coward, is still in this battle. He isn't dead yet. So, why doesn't he attack?"
A collective expression of disgust spread among those present.
The speaker stood with blood caked across his face, eyes blazing with feral intensity. His lips curled back slightly, exposing clenched teeth.
It was Xiao Han, and his meaning was unmistakable.
To him, this was not defeat until Jun Wu Yi lay dead.
The surrounding experts felt their brows twitch.
The human army was scattered into isolated fragments, barely clinging to survival.
What had they accomplished?
At most, they had killed eighty or ninety Xuan Beasts, and even that number owed largely to a few Spirit and Sky Xuan experts.
Meanwhile, thousands of beasts still stood ready.
The allied survivors numbered less than three hundred if one ignored the injured and dying.
To continue fighting would not be bravery, but it would be suicide.
Everyone present understood this.
Everyone except Xiao Han, whose jealousy burned hotter than logic.
The past grievances between him and Jun Wu Yi were no secret. His resentment had fermented for over a decade, distorting his judgment beyond recognition.
Now, with blood staining his face and rage clouding his vision, he no longer cared for reason or reputation.
He only wanted to see Jun Wu Yi dead.
A low murmur of disdain rippled through the elders, and before anyone else could respond, a calm voice drifted across the hilltop.
"The first one to run away has made his return."
Jun Mo Xie stepped forward leisurely, hands clasped behind his back. His robes were neat, untouched by the carnage below. His eyes, however, were cold, so cold that the air itself seemed to thin.
"Doesn't he resemble a dog that has come back wagging its tail?" He continued mildly. "Perhaps you should return to the battlefield at the risk of your life, and show your blood-boiling heroic pride."
His lips curved faintly. "But doesn't it seem like the deserter is boasting that the battle hasn't ended?"
The words were neither loud nor hurried, yet they struck harder than a slap.
"You—!" Xiao Han's face twisted.
Jun Mo Xie's gaze sharpened, cutting him off without raising his voice.
"You speak of courage while standing safely on the hill. You shout about unfinished battles after escaping the encirclement. If you feel so strongly, no one is stopping you. The Xuan Beasts are still down there."
His eyes flicked briefly toward the blood-soaked field.
"Go."
The single word carried chilling clarity.
A faint snort escaped from somewhere behind.
Several elders exchanged glances, their expressions thinly veiled amusement.
Xiao Han's chest heaved violently. His fists clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms. Yet his feet remained rooted.
Jun Mo Xie watched him silently for a moment before giving a small, almost bored sigh.
"It seems," He added casually, "that barking is easier than biting."
The insult landed cleanly.
Even Lei Bao Yu's stern expression softened ever so slightly.
The battlefield below remained drenched in blood.
The victory had been decided.
The cost paid by humanity had been immense.
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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