Xu Yi held the Ling Mo Bead, channeled her spiritual power into it, and then tossed it into the air.
The Ling Mo Bead hovered in mid-air, a dark, eerie glow flickering upon its surface. Strands of spiritual energy, imperceptible to the naked eye, were drawn towards it as if by a special attraction.
At this moment, the demon, previously expressionless, had a sudden change in its demeanor. Its eyes fixed on the Ling Mo Bead, filled with hatred.
They began to attack everyone in a frenzy, desperately trying to get closer to the Ling Mo Bead.
"Hold them back!"
Without Xu Yi's reminder, everyone had already reacted.
While suppressing the demons opposite them, Lu Zaiye and Bei Xinghan also lent a hand to Feng Qingyang and Xiao Qi beside them, earning grateful glances from the two.
As the Ling Mo Bead aggressively absorbed the demonic energy, everyone noticed that the demons' wounds were healing slower. However, their attacks became even more ferocious in response.
"It's working."
The group felt as though they could finally see a glimmer of hope for victory.
With Xu Yi's encouragement, they fought with increasing ferocity.
"Die!"
Xu Yi's eyes flashed with killing intent. Her admonishment ruler swept in an arc, striking directly towards the demon's head.
"Crack!"
The sound of bone breaking echoed.
Xu Yi's ruler cleaved off the demon's entire head.
Yet, even in this state, its body continued to writhe.
Xu Yi swung her ruler again, a look of disgust on her face.
It was utterly repulsive.
Half an incense stick later, everyone stopped, panting heavily.
Before them lay a ground littered with dismembered limbs and torn bodies. Dark red blood coated the ground.
Without the demonic energy, these demons had lost their ability to heal. Their deaths were now final.
Xu Yi beckoned, and the Ling Mo Bead returned to her hand. A faint halo, impossibly beautiful, now adorned the previously dark surface of the Ling Mo Bead.
Xu Yi looked at it and let out a soft sigh of relief.
Thanks to it, they had managed to resolve the matter of these demons with the smallest possible cost.
Xu Yi suddenly recalled the words of the Second Elder of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect when he had urged her to accept the Ling Mo Bead.
"Little friend Xu, trust me, you will use it."
At the time, perhaps it was the Second Elder's infectious expression, but Xu Yi, who had been determined not to accept it, ended up taking it in a daze.
Now, recalling those words, Xu Yi couldn't help but suspect that the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect had known about the anomalies occurring in the secret realm all along, deliberately sending them to investigate. And the Ling Mo Bead was naturally their means of survival.
But why had the Second Elder given the Ling Mo Bead to her, instead of Hong Jing? He was the true Buddha's Son, after all.
Xu Yi couldn't figure it out for the moment. She could only put the Ling Mo Bead away for now. Once they exited the secret realm, she would seek out the Second Elder of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect for a clear explanation.
"Xiong Zhuangzhuang, was this the scene you saw earlier?"
Feng Qingyang walked up to Xiong Zhuangzhuang and asked, pointing at the scattered remains.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang nodded solemnly. In his heart, however, he felt an immense sense of relief.
Although the scene before him was bloody and brutal, it lifted a great weight from his heart.
He knew they wouldn't perish easily here.
Feng Qingyang was about to say something else when his expression suddenly changed, and he looked ahead vigilantly.
A graceful figure appeared before them in the blink of an eye.
"Wan Yanxue!"
He exclaimed, his eyes full of suspicion.
Wan Yanxue's steps were somewhat unsteady. Her face was ashen, and a peculiar red mark adorned the corner of her mouth, clearly the trace of wiped blood.
No one present was foolish. They quickly realized the gravity of the situation.
"You led Shangguan Yuquan to us?"
Lu Zaiye asked coldly.
Xu Yi's recently relaxed brow slowly furrowed again.
When she had fled by the blood pool earlier, although she hadn't paid particular attention, she knew that Wan Yanxue had not left.
At that time, she had guessed that Wan Yanxue might have stayed to fight Shangguan Yuquan.
The fact that Shangguan Yuquan had not pursued them later confirmed her suspicion.
Now, seeing Wan Yanxue's condition, there was no need to guess who had the upper hand.
And Wan Yanxue's appearance here meant that Shangguan Yuquan would soon follow.
She had said before that even together, they were no match for Shangguan Yuquan. Once he arrived, they would have only one outcome.
The faces of the others grew grim. They had already decided to use their ultimate trump cards.
Wan Yanxue's gaze swept across their faces one by one. The suppressed anger within her finally erupted.
She looked at Lu Zaiye and said angrily, "If I hadn't stopped Shangguan Yuquan, you would have already fallen into his hands. What right do you have to question me!"
Her usually aloof and proud expression turned into one of indignation.
"And the first time we met, if I hadn't intervened to resolve the situation, would you still be standing here and spewing nonsense at me!"
Due to her injuries, the intense dizziness and pain made it impossible for her to control her agitated emotions.
The events of the past few days had caused her repeated setbacks. Lu Zaiye's question was like a spark that ignited her completely.
In fact, if the question hadn't come from Lu Zaiye, she might not have become so agitated.
In her heart, Lu Zaiye was different.
Although she couldn't quite articulate why, she simply didn't want Lu Zaiye to think of her as a despicable person.
Wan Yanxue's words left everyone bewildered.
While Wan Yanxue's words seemed reasonable at first glance, something about them felt off.
"First, when I discovered Shangguan Yuquan below the blood pool, I had warned everyone. You yourself refused to leave."
Xu Yi stepped forward, looking coldly at Wan Yanxue. Her direct gaze seemed to pierce through Wan Yanxue's facade.
"Second, during our first encounter, Shangguan Yuquan had been rude first. You stopped him simply to avoid further trouble. Even if you hadn't said that, Shangguan Yuquan wouldn't have dared to take any substantial action, unless he wanted to be expelled from Kunlun Academy."
Xu Yi and the others were among the top ten in the sect competition and had a high probability of becoming pillars of the Kyushu Continent in the future.
If they died midway through cultivation or at the hands of the demon race, there would be nothing to say. But if they died at Shangguan Yuquan's hands, the five great sects would never let Shangguan Yuquan off easily.
Therefore, Wan Yanxue's previous argument was untenable. Even without her, Shangguan Yuquan would not have ultimately taken actions that threatened their safety.
Wan Yanxue had placed herself on a moral high ground with a few words, intending to condemn them. But she had to consider whether Xu Yi would allow it.
Wan Yanxue's face turned pale and then flushed. Her gaze towards Xu Yi was like venom.
It was her again!
It was always her!
How could there be such a detestable person!
At this moment, in Wan Yanxue's mind, Xu Yi had surpassed Shangguan Yuquan to become the person she hated the most, bar none.
Sensing her murderous glare, Xu Yi let out a cold laugh, "What, are you going to use your Samsara Eyes to attack me again?"
Xu Yi hadn't felt any particular liking or dislike towards Wan Yanxue initially. However, Wan Yanxue had inexplicably attacked her with her Samsara Eyes by the blood pool and even tried to intrude into her sea of consciousness, which made Xu Yi extremely angry.
Therefore, she didn't mind tearing down the pretense with Wan Yanxue directly.