While Luo Lin was getting more familiar with his ability, supporting Shen Lei in the fight against the demonic practitioners, Zhi Guan continued to fight by himself elsewhere. After busting down part of the wall, he rushed through and used the opportunity to attack from there while simultaneously keeping the demonic practitioners from fleeing.

They had to make sure that none of them got away or their setup further into the building might be discovered and communicated to the headquarters. Then what should they do? Thus, they had to keep an eye on this.

He dealt with another disciple and glanced to the other side. He spotted several of their own people over there, most of them with a higher cultivation base as well. They should have the same understanding as him and the strength to back it up. There was nothing to worry about on that side.

Having made sure of that, Zhi Guan jumped toward the next demonic practitioner and continued to fight. Rather than worry about the people who could deal with their own issues, he had to think of the younger disciples. While it was good for them to gain experience and this could hardly be counted as the toughest battle they’d fight here in the border region considering what was coming up, he wanted to save as many of them as he could. The only way to do so was to kill a few more people from the other side before they could get to them.

With two groups acting from the front and back, their initial attack had taken a toll on the other side already. Many of their disciples were injured to a degree and they had less room to counterattack under these circumstances.

Zhi Guan didn’t carefully pick his opponents. Whoever was within reach when one enemy fell was the person he’d deal with next. Anyway, no matter their level or their current condition, he was certain that he could take them on. A worse opponent just meant a faster fight while a stronger one meant keeping them away from others who weren’t as confident.

Zhi Guan wasn’t the only person with this attitude. Most of the stronger disciples on the righteous side had the same stance although their ways of going about things all differed slightly.

Liu Bao Ru and Xi Ju Hai had teamed up with Mu Qing assisting them from the side. The former two had often gone on missions together so they were familiar with each other’s fighting style. While the same couldn’t be said about Liu Bao Ru and Mu Qing, the latter was very familiar with his fiancee and soon managed to find the best way to support the rhythm these two were used to.

Several of the other younger disciples had teamed up to better defend themselves against the demonic practitioners who were usually of a higher level. They knew that they were the weak link among the forces of the righteous sects right now so they didn’t dare to let their guard down. Even if they couldn’t make much of a difference, they had promised themselves that they at least wouldn’t hold the stronger disciples back.

Of course, even a dozen people at the foundation establishment stage wouldn’t be able to win in a fight against a golden core stage cultivator. As such, some of the older disciples they were more familiar with had joined them, fighting off some of the opponents.

Yuan Lei was one of them. Back then, he had made the trip to the Zhen Yan Sect with Yi Ju and had also taught her some things when they were investigating before that. Even though they couldn’t be considered as familiar as Liu Bao Ru and Xi Ju Hai, he didn’t have to coordinate directly with her either. His task was keeping bigger threats away and helping out wherever he was needed.

Nian Tao and Ran Wu who had been in another group stuck around the side where Tan Xin was. As a disciple studying alchemy, her cultivation was less skill-based when it came to fights so she indeed needed more help to defend.

There were a few others among the group who stayed close by, although many focused on their own fights and simply checked up on their situation whenever they defeated someone. This way, they could rush over if things looked dire but could otherwise fully focus on the fight.

The people from the Zhen Yan Sect who were best at supporting others also stayed close by. Anyway, they wouldn’t be of as much help in the thick of the fight so staying with the weaker disciples at the fringe of the battlefield was more suitable. It also meant that they could support these disciples who were more prone to being injured in such a fight as well. Not to mention that the stronger disciples who were injured could still make their way over here if there was hope for them.

With everyone finding their place on this battlefield, making use of different strategies to minimize the risks, or taking advantage of whatever they could, the battle continued for more than an hour. By the end, the demonic faction was defeated but this time, the victory of the righteous sects didn’t come without losses.

The Elders led the older disciples to ensure that their enemies were indeed dead and not just pretending so they could escape and inform the rest of their people. Meanwhile, another group trailed behind, picking up those on their side who were too gravely injured to move … or had fallen in this hallway.

The younger disciples cowered at the side of the hall behind, looking at the bodies that were being lined up with pale faces. Some of them saw for the first time just what their seniors had meant when they told them that the path of cultivation was full of dangers. They certainly … had never expected it to be like this.