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A battle and a war were fundamentally different—but few who hadn't experienced war firsthand truly understood that.
Qing Xuanling finally realized it now.
Her ears could only hear the screams of pain from comrades and enemies alike—a chorus of despair and agony. Her body, covered in wounds after facing endless enemies over the past minutes, felt heavy and sluggish.
The sight before her was just as desperate.
Her vision—stained red by blood covering her face, her own and her foes'—was filled with a battlefield littered with corpses and enemies ahead.
Fifteen minutes had passed since the Ink Sword Sect's reinforcements arrived, and that quarter-hour had felt like an eternity to her. Needless to say, the Crimson Sky Platoon was now at a severe disadvantage.
Their enemies outnumbered them more than threefold, and their cultivation levels were not much lower than theirs, and were all sword cultivators—renowned for their combat efficiency. Worst of all, the Crimson Punishment Squad was in a weakened state, forcing the platoon to split their focus to protect them.
Boom!
A powerful black sword light suddenly appeared, striking the ground beneath Qing Xuanling, cracking it and sending shards of earth flying everywhere.
She leapt instantly, narrowly dodging the attack as she turned toward its source—another Ink Sword Sect cultivator who'd decided to focus his assaults on her. With him, eleven people were now targeting Qing Xuanling.
"Haha… this is hopeless. I've already killed nine…"
Qing Xuanling laughed bitterly. The weakened state of the Crimson Punishment Squad was taking its toll. Things wouldn't be so dire if they weren't here—at least, that way they wouldn't have to strain so hard to protect them.
She could see that in several parts members of other squads were being forced to remain on the defensive to protect members of the Crimson Punishment Squad.
But reality rarely matched expectations.
"Die!"
One of the eleven attackers suddenly roared, lunging at her with utter disregard for his own life.
Qing Xuanling clicked her tongue, widened her stance, and relaxed her entire body as she whispered: "Sixth Movement: Soft Block…"
She gently guided her sword against the enemy's blade, deflecting it with surprising ease as she pivoted. Another sword strike came at her, but she merely brushed it lightly with her sword, absorbing its force and redirecting it sideways with a full-body twist.
More attacks rained down on her, yet she deflected them all with the same grace and ease, spinning like a leaf in the wind.
However, an outside observer would notice Qing Xuanling never stepped outside an invisible circle drawn around her original position. None of the dozens of attacks had forced her beyond that boundary.
The only sign that she had been attacked were her arms, which were slightly reddened and had bulging veins. But Qing Xuanling smiled at the burning sensation.
'Just a little longer.'
She grinned as she felt a wild, potent energy building within Memory, ready to unleash at any moment. But she held back a bit longer.
She re-engaged the ten Ink Sword Sect cultivators, though her movements now resembled a sword dance more than combat.
After a dozen more exchanges, Qing Xuanling's calm eyes suddenly blazed with ferocity. Seven swords swung simultaneously at her head—but instead of countering, she retreated.
Her body vanished from her enemies' sight as her boots glowed faintly black, reappearing twenty meters away. The ten cultivators, momentarily stunned, immediately turned toward her new position and charged.
But their bodies froze mid-stride when they saw Qing Xuanling's sword blazing intensely.
With a satisfied smile, she shouted: "Fifth Movement: Hundred-Foot Slash!"
She swung her sword horizontally, unleashing a crescent-shaped slash several meters wide that surged toward the ten attackers! Their bodies split cleanly in half—no chance to resist or dodge!
Qing Xuanling's attack didn't stop there—it kept going until it faded at the hundred-foot mark. Several unprepared enemies died in the sudden strike. Some of her platoon mates were nearly hit by the attack, but luckily, they had been more alert and managed to dodge it.
Otherwise, Qing Xuanling would've been in quite an awkward situation…
She took a deep breath, avoiding her squadmates' annoyed glances, and pulled a pill from her sleeve. She swallowed it whole while activating the Devouring White Dragon Cauldron.
The pill visibly melted in her stomach under the Clear Flame, instantly healing Qing Xuanling's wounds—large and small—leaving her as good as new in less than a breath.
Several nearby Ink Sword Sect cultivators—who'd surrounded her after she killed the previous eleven but dared not approach for fear of her last attack—could only watch helplessly as she healed instantly.
Qing Xuanling seized this brief respite to survey the battlefield—the former mini-city built around the spiritual mine was now utterly devastated.
Every structure that had survived the Crimson Punishment Squad's initial assault had been obliterated by the Crimson Sky Platoon and the Ink Sword Sect's forces.
Fireballs and sword lights filled the sky, causing explosions that further ravaged the land.
But if anyone asked who was causing the most destruction, they'd point to only two people: Qing Linxi and Cheng Yogun.
Their battle was shockingly devastating—and unexpectedly evenly matched.
Although each attack by Qing Linxi with her war hammer was powerful enough to destroy the land, Cheng Yogun deflected her strikes with his sword wreathed in ink-black Sword Qi.
Not only did he deflect her attacks, but he frequently counterattacked, leaving multiple cuts on Qing Linxi's stone-hard body.
Their clash—tearing the air and triggering explosions—made Qing Xuanling's mouth go dry. She realized something: Cheng Yogun hadn't used his full strength when they'd faced off months ago!
She gritted her teeth, annoyed—but didn't rush. Instead, she analyzed the situation.
The two sides had reached a stalemate. Though the Ink Sword Sect's sudden reinforcements had pressured the Crimson Sky Platoon, they'd masterfully resisted at first, even inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.
But that small advantage they had gained had already vanished. The Crimson Sky Platoon was gradually tiring, while many Ink Sword Sect cultivators still had ample Qi reserves.
The scales were slowly tipping in the Ink Sword sect's favor.
Qing Xuanling turned to Instructor Huan—that surrounded by dozens of enemies, defending with his nearly two-meter-long spear. He looked fiercely brave, but she noticed sweat dripping down his forehead.
Seeing this, she made a decision. Using the Lifeless Step combined with her Shadowless Boots—which let her vanish from enemies' sight reliably—she slipped past the cowards who surrounded her but did not dare to attack her.
None of those fools could react as she disappeared.
She ran toward Instructor Huan, sheathing Memory. Though her combat power was greater with her sword, she no longer intended to be the main fighting force.
Her hands formed seals at superhuman speed as her five-element-attributed Qi began circulating through her body, having stopped using Sword Qi.
She reached Instructor Huan just as she finished her spell. Dozens of earth spikes erupted around his enemies—not attacking, but restricting their movement!
Instructor Huan's eyes lit up. He didn't waste the opportunity—his spear moved like a wolf, slitting throats in a blink.
Qing Xuanling arrived beside him, still forming hand seals. "We can't keep this up," she said urgently. "My squad's battle formation is about to dissipate. Once it does, our combat effectiveness will halve. The rest of the platoon must be in similar straits."
The Golden Cauldron Battle Formation wasn't invincible. With their current mastery, Qing Xuanling and the others could only maintain it for half an hour. Less than five minutes remained.
Instructor Huan's expression shifted. Qing Xuanling's squad had the highest kill count—nearly seventy—with Qing Xuanling had the second highest number of casualties, second only to Qing Wentian. Losing such a squad's combat effectiveness could doom the entire platoon.
"What do you suggest?" Instructor Huan didn't pause his spear, decapitating several enemies as he spoke. "This assault has failed. We'll have to settle for retreating with minimal losses."
Qing Xuanling didn't answer immediately, finishing her spell to create thorny vines that ensnared her enemies' legs. She scanned the battlefield—the Crimson Sky Platoon had slightly separated to withstand enemy assaults.
"Our mission isn't impossible yet. We've reduced enemy numbers to under ninety at the cost of most of our energy, but the remaining Ink Sword Sect cultivators aren't unscathed either. Though in better shape, they're also tired and wounded."
Her eyes gleamed. "We still hold an individual strength advantage. If we lure the entire platoon into the forest and split the enemy to negate their numerical superiority, we can win!"
Instructor Huan narrowed his eyes. "That kid won't allow it. People like him are clever—he'll see through our plan."
"Then we won't let him speak." Qing Xuanling smiled. "I'll support Sister Linxi. I doubt that bastard can handle both of us at once."
There was no time for hesitation in war, so Instructor Huan didn't hesitate long before nodding. "Fine—we'll do as you say. Be careful with that boy—I sense he has goals beyond just attacking us."
Qing Xuanling was briefly puzzled, not understanding Instructor Huan's meaning. But he gave her no time to ask, driving his spear into the ground and shattering the earth around him.
"Comrades of the Qing clan! In war, victory and defeat coexist! Today, we taste defeat—but that doesn't mean we must die! Follow me and carve a path to survival!" Instructor Huan turned and sprinted toward the forest. "I officially order a retreat!"
Battlefield cries halted for an instant before chaos resumed. The Crimson Sky Platoon shouted in indignation—but mostly with determination to survive—while Ink Sword Sect cultivators tried to stop them.
But the platoon was simply too strong, especially when focused solely on escape.
Cheng Yogun—who'd withdrawn from the main battlefield while fighting Qing Linxi—frowned at the scene.
He realized immediately that Instructor Huan's exaggerated words were simply to make his troops believe that they were really retreating.
He opened his mouth to stop his foolish subordinates, but thorny vines suddenly erupted beneath him!
His words choked in his throat as he leapt to dodge.
Qing Linxi didn't miss the opening. Her warhammer—larger than her and weighing over a hundred kilos—moved like a wooden stick in her hands as she swung it at Cheng Yogun, rippling the air.
Cheng Yogun's pupils dilated. He blocked with his sword, flying backward several meters.
He landed after a few aerial flips, brow slightly furrowed. He glanced at his trembling arms and turned to the annoying variable who'd joined his fight.
"Sigh… didn't expect you to be so meddlesome," Cheng Yogun mocked with a smile. "I thought you'd be more honorable, judging by your reaction when I killed those ants that day. But you're just as disappointing as my sectmates."
Qing Xuanling gave a dry laugh but didn't bother replying. She'd already realized Cheng Yogun liked using words to disrupt his opponents' rationality. Instead, she approached Qing Linxi with a small smile.
"Want to fight alongside me again?"
Qing Linxi laughed heartily. "Good! Nothing beats battling with a fine sister. Let's give this pretty boy a proper thrashing!"