The moment they landed, the four of them steadied themselves and summoned their weapons.
Jian Dan's Mó Yuè Zhǎn responded the fastest. The instant she dashed forward, the blade transformed into a massive form equal in length to the insect leg. With one fierce spin, she sliced off a third of the claw that had pierced through the rift.
Sparks flared and a piercing screech rang out as Mó Yuè Zhǎn clashed against the insect leg, its shrill echo resounding through the air. Right behind her came Mo Qi's twin blades, Mo Su's venomous Cold Moon Dagger, and Mo Yi's mountain-splitting axe. One after another, their weapons struck in a devastating barrage.
The repeated assault finally forced the enemy to retreat. The leg retracted swiftly, and the rift began to close again, though not completely.
Jian Dan immediately pulled out the remaining two attack talismans. She took a strand of spider silk and bound the talismans together, eyes locked on the partially closed rift.
Sure enough, the same insect leg—battered but persistent—tried once again to push through the breach.
With a flick of her hand, Jian Dan hurled the talismans. They caught on the tip of the incoming claw.
The others instantly understood her intention and channeled their demonic energy into their weapons.
"Mó Yuè Zhǎn!"
"Cold Moon Shatters Jade!"
"Open the Heavens!"
"Cycle of Sun and Moon!"
The four attacks surged forward together, smashing into the leg and forcing it back once again.
"Break!"
As Jian Dan sealed a hand seal, the paired attack talismans detonated with explosive force. The shockwave blasted through the rift, visible even from the ground.
"Not good! The rift didn't close. That last strike only made it larger!"
Gritting their teeth, they launched into the air again, ready for a second assault.
"Stand back!"
The voice came just as the massive Tyrannosaurus-like Ming Beast they'd seen guarding the boundary before suddenly charged skyward. With a thunderous leap, it slammed into the tear, plugging the rift with its immense body.
All wind and snow within the space halted in that instant. The insects that had been frozen stiff began moving again.
"You have three days. Kill as many of the insects as you can and return to the entrance. If you fail, you will remain in the Ming Valley forever."
With that solemn declaration, the Ming Beast closed its eyes and merged completely with the barrier above, sealing the rift entirely.
"Only three days to retreat? Impossible!" Mo Qi growled through gritted teeth.
"Enough chatter. Move. Kill what we can, and for what we can't, push toward the exit. Someone will intercept what slips through," Mo Su said decisively as he cleared the swarm around him and sprinted ahead.
The other three followed without hesitation. In a blink, they flashed out of the storm-wracked zone. The moment they crossed the threshold, the crushing weight on their bodies halved. Their spiritual sense began to recover, and most importantly, time itself flowed normally again.
"Hmph! I was in my prime, and now I'm a thousand years old!" Mo Qi grumbled while hacking through waves of insects.
"Once you survive the Void Refinement tribulation, you'll have an eight-thousand-year lifespan. That's plenty of time to make up for it," Mo Yi replied, swinging his axe straight into a massive black-armored bug.
"Less talk, more action! Move faster if you want to live!" Mo Su surged forward, frigid aura flaring. Giant mantis-like insects collapsed in droves under his blade.
"Everyone, circulate your cultivation techniques and absorb as much demonic energy as you can. This kind of pure energy doesn't come often. Miss it, and you'll be cultivating for another hundred years."
Jian Dan showed no restraint. With Mó Yuè Zhǎn in hand, she slew insects while greedily drawing in the dense demonic energy, not wasting a second. The others followed her example, and soon the four of them were like speeding orbs of concentrated demonic energy, slaughtering their way forward.
"Mo Su, Mo Qi, Mo Yi—focus on eliminating all broodmothers and black-armored hatchlings. As for the rest, if we can herd them, we do. If not, leave them to the Ming Beasts. Don't let them slow us down!"
"Understood!"
Jian Dan quickly prepared two sets of flying sword message talismans and sent them out during a rare gap in the fighting. After that, all that was left to do was kill and move forward.
Further inside the Ming Valley, the demon cultivators had just advanced their line by five li when a sharp wave of insect cries erupted. The sudden sonic attack caught many off guard, damaging the eardrums of several cultivators. Just then, two flying sword messages streaked across the sky like shooting stars.
One shot toward the valley entrance. The other flared open above the Heavenly Demon Palace cultivator camp. A powerful voice emerged from it, belonging to the Mo Yue Zūnzhǔ:
"The spatial rift has been sealed. Begin the retreat from the Ming Valley immediately. In three days, the valley will detach from Lingyun Continent. Move quickly!"
The message ended, and the sword vanished.
Mi Yi immediately gave the order. "Front becomes rear. Rear guard begins the retreat!"
Far off, the rumbling sound of insect movement echoed like a tide. The trapped insect horde clearly had no intention of staying behind. They would try anything to break out.
"Should we still try to stop the insect tide?" a female cultivator from the Demonic Sound Gate asked.
"Our job now is not to drag down the Zūnzhǔ and the other Zūnzhē," someone replied. "Move!"
No one hesitated after that. They unleashed every technique they had and fled toward the exit.
The second sword message had landed directly in Mo Xuan Zhēnzhūn's hand.
"Zhēnzhūn, the task is complete. The rift is sealed. However, many insects remain in the valley. It will detach from the continent in three days. We'll eliminate as many as we can during our return. Please intercept any that escape."
"Ha! Excellent!"
Mo Xuan Zhēnzhūn laughed heartily. This time, the Heavenly Demon Palace had made quite the impression.
At the entrance to the Ming Valley, most of the elite forces from the major sects had already gathered. Jian Dan's sword message had been heard loud and clear. Many visibly relaxed. At least they wouldn't have to face an endless swarm. A finite number of insects could eventually be killed.
Though Jian Lì from the Heavenly Sword Sect maintained a neutral expression, inwardly, he felt at ease.
"Everyone," he said, "we've heard the update from our juniors. It's time we stretch our limbs. First, seal off this space. We can't let anything slip past."
"Heh. Naturally," came the reply.
Jiusha Weng, Yin Huang, the Chi Xue Shuangzi, and Shēngsǐ Èr Jūn emerged in midair, each forming hand seals. Drawing on the five elements, they created a barrier—a transparent dome that enclosed the entrance to the Nether Valley and the surrounding sea of bamboo.
The four inside were moving at their limits. Jian Dan in particular was ferocious, brimming with demonic energy. She targeted broodmothers and black-armored hatchlings, leaving behind nothing but piles of corpses. She gave no chance for escape. With each flick of her hand, her alien fire reduced entire nests to ashes.
Mo Qi followed closely, targeting any broodmothers Jian Dan missed or those outside her path.
Mo Su came third, finishing off stragglers and clearing away any giant insects that blocked the road.
Though Mo Yi brought up the rear, he kept watch on their surroundings, making sure they didn't fall into an encirclement. Even if they couldn't be stopped, getting delayed by insects would cost precious time—and time was now their greatest enemy.
Further ahead, the cultivators from the four allied sects had already begun retreating from the valley's center like they were being chased by fire. They were only a third of the way back, and the sounds of battle behind them were growing louder and closer.
Mi Yī couldn't help but glance back. What he saw nearly made him fall from his flight light.
There stood the Mo Yue Zūnzhǔ, clad in black robes and radiating killing intent. With each blink, each step, more insects fell. Her Mó Yuè Zhǎn swept through them like a reaper's scythe, never ceasing.
Right behind her was Mo Qi Zūnzhě, clad in crimson robes that flickered like fire as she filled in any gaps.
Mo Su Zūnzhě's icy blade left frost in its wake, while Mo Yi Zūnzhě's mountain-splitting axe shattered the frozen remains and broke up swarming hordes.
The four of them tore through the valley like war gods, swiftly closing the distance with the retreating cultivators.
"Why are you moving so slow?!"
===
Here is the Major Sect of demonic path:
天魔宗 (Tiānmó zōng)= Heavenly Demon Palace
赤血府 (Chì xiě fǔ)= Crimson Blood Manor
九煞殿 (Jiǔ shā diàn)= Nine Fiends Hall
魔音门 (Mó yīn mén)= Demonic Sound Gate
生死阁 (Shēngsǐ gé)= Life and Death Pavilion
From this we knew that 'title' or 'Dao Name' of demon path also use similar format with dao path.
Heavenly Demon Palace use "Mo" (魔), Crimson Blood Manor use "Chi Xie" (赤血), Demonic Sound Gate use "Yin" (音) and Live and Death Pavilion use "Shengshi" (生死)