The group of demons didn't take it seriously at all.
A thin wall of ice? How could that possibly stop their full-force attack? They figured they could smash it apart with a flick of the wrist.
Countless violent attacks struck the ice wall all at once. The demons waited for it to shatter instantly, ready to ride the wave and wipe out the patrolling squad beyond it.
But the next moment...
The world-shaking barrage vanished the instant it touched the ice wall, as if it had never existed.
The demons: "???"
The patrol squad: "???"
Then, the ice wall began to expand, spreading outward until it encircled the entire group of demons.
"Who's there?! Who's the coward hiding in the shadows?!"
The old demon's voice rang with fury.
The patrolling cultivators finally snapped out of their shock. They didn't know what just happened, but they instinctively reached for their signal talismans to call for backup.
"No need to trouble yourselves."
A soft, lilting voice spoke up.
The patrollers turned, startled, and saw a woman standing quietly beside them.
Her robes were instantly recognizable.
"She's a senior from Wushuang Sect!" someone exclaimed.
Bai Yiran smiled. "No need to summon anyone else. They'll handle it just fine."
They?
Everyone turned to look.
Inside the ice wall, a wide battle zone had formed. Standing before the demons were nine figures. All nine wore Wushuang Sect robes. But...
There were only nine of them.
The enemy was a massive horde, with plenty of Mahayana demons among them. Among those nine disciples, only a couple were at the Mahayana stage.
"Senior, can the nine of them really handle this?" one of the patrol cultivators asked worriedly.
They recognized Bai Yiran. She was one of Wushuang Sect's top powerhouses. If she acted personally, there'd be no problem.
But those nine? None of them were particularly famous.
"It's fine." Bai Yiran's tone was utterly casual.
Seeing her so relaxed, the others unconsciously relaxed too.
Their gazes shifted back to the battlefield.
The demons were still stunned by the turn of events. The old demon ground his teeth. "How did you appear here? My detection spell didn't sense your presence at all!"
Ling Yun chuckled. "Why would we tell you our secrets?"
The demon's face darkened, and his eyes flicked toward the woman outside the wall. If Bai Yiran could trap them all so easily with just one move, then if she attacked again, none of them would survive.
Bai Yiran smiled lightly. "Your opponents are the nine in front of you. If you can beat them, I'll remove the ice wall and swear not to kill you."
The demons' eyes lit up.
"Are you serious?" the old demon demanded.
"Of course." Bai Yiran nodded without hesitation.
She wouldn't kill them herself—she'd just capture them and let others finish the job. A person had to learn to be flexible! These demons were surprisingly naive. They actually believed her words, their eyes burning with new hope.
Bai Yiran's smile deepened. Only when they fought with everything they had could her disciples truly sharpen themselves. Smart, as always.
"Their group only has nine people! As long as we focus our strength, we can win!" the old demon rasped. "Prepare yourselves, give it everything you've got!"
The moment his words fell, his gnarled staff shot forward, striking at a Tribulation-stage disciple. His idea was simple: kill off the weaker ones first, then swarm the Mahayana cultivators.
"Holy shit! Did my Luck just explode?!" the targeted disciple wailed, but his hands didn't slow. Hand seals flashed, and walls of light materialized in front of him one after another.
The old demon's full-power strike smashed through each wall in an instant, and soon the attack was nearly on him.
The disciple cursed, "Stop watching the damn show! I've got a few treasures that can block this, but I'm not wasting them here! Somebody help me out!"
As he shouted, three teammates chuckled and finally moved. Four attacks collided with the old demon's strike, which vanished in a burst of smoke and dust.
All four stepped back, looking slightly injured.
They muttered something, stuffed a few pills into their mouths, and their auras recovered almost instantly.
The old demon's expression twitched. He was a high-tier demon, his cultivation at the peak of Mahayana. Even if age had dulled his strength a little, his full-power blow shouldn't have been blocked by four Tribulation cultivators!
Sure, they'd been hurt, but only barely. That was ridiculous!
Fuming, he was just about to attack again when a longsword cut across his path.
Ling Yun smiled. "Your opponent is me."
The next instant, sword light filled the air.
The old demon cursed under his breath and had no choice but to defend.
On the wall, the patrol squad could only stare in disbelief.
Judging from sheer cultivation level, the demons' side far outclassed the Wushuang Sect disciples.
But once the fight started...
It was completely one-sided.
The ones dominating were the nine from Wushuang Sect. Any demon below Tribulation was slaughtered on the spot. Even Tribulation demons didn't fare much better—they lasted only a few breaths longer.
The seven Tribulation-stage disciples fought like reapers, sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs or trios, forming temporary formations that shifted fluidly mid-battle. Their coordination was terrifying.
A Mahayana demon tried sneaking up on a Tribulation disciple. But just as the attack landed, two others joined in, forming a defensive array instantly.
Two Tribulation disciples could hold off one Mahayana opponent. Three together could chase one down.
After watching for a while, the patrol cultivators realized that five Tribulation disciples working in tandem could even suppress a late-Mahayana demon.
Just moments ago, they'd witnessed seven Tribulation disciples form a Seven-Star Formation and instantly kill a late-Mahayana demon.
The only thing they couldn't understand... was the strange things those disciples kept shouting during the fight.
"I've got mobs here! I'm ranged, someone pull aggro for me!" one yelled.
A teammate immediately rushed in to take the hit while he retreated to launch attacks from afar.
"I'm hit! I'm hit! Any support? Heal me!" another shouted.
Someone cast a skill, and his aura recovered instantly.
"Clear the small ones first, boss last!"
The battlefield was filled with noise, their chatter sounding more like gamers than life-and-death fighters.
One of the patrol cultivators glanced at Bai Yiran, puzzled. "Senior, what are they even talking about?"
Bai Yiran smiled faintly. "Nothing much. I heard the Celestial Divine Palace released a new team game recently. Someone made a strategy guide, and apparently everyone's been studying it."
The patrol cultivators: "???"
They understood even less now.
===
拉仇恨 (lā chóuhèn): literally "pull hatred," gaming slang for "draw enemy aggro."
加血 (jiā xuè): literally "add blood," gaming slang for "heal or restore HP."
小怪 / boss: "minor enemies / main boss," gaming terminology used humorously in combat.