Chapter 1: Turmoil of a Battle (Part 2)

As his figure paused, there was a sigh in Luyun's eyes. Without turning back, everything around him was reflected clearly in his mind, every situation, every thought. With a silent sigh, Luyun then gathered his expression of sorrow and declared to everyone with unwavering determination, "Be careful, everyone. As long as we get through this one time, victory is ours."

Upon hearing this, a hint of wistful smile appeared in the eyes of everyone. As long as they got through it, victory would be theirs. But the question was, could they get through it this time? Seeing the determination of the enemy, who seemed determined to deal with them here and now, it seemed unlikely that they would make it. Glancing lightly at Luyun's figure, Aoxue said solemnly, "No matter what, we must push through. Even if we have to pay a great price, we cannot all die here in vain. Since we can't escape now, let's fight with all our might. Even if we die, we mustn't let the enemy off easily. We must fight to the end." With that, the Purple Shadow Divine Sword burst forth with dazzling light, and Aoxue exuded a fierce and resolute aura.

Feeling Aoxue's determination, the others were no longer afraid at this moment. Each of them showed courage and faced the enemy bravely. Cangyue's gaze swept over everyone, encouraging them, "Let's strive together. I believe we won't die here. With Luyun, with Aoxue and me, we won't give up easily. We must fight against the heavens, strive to break through the enemy's attack, and leave safely. Now, let's all work together and face this challenge."

Their eyes met, and at this moment, a burst of spirit erupted from everyone's eyes, each standing tall and facing the surrounding enemies with determination. Yunfeng gently pushed away Xujie's jade hand and whispered, "Don't worry about me. Sometimes, there are things that need to be sacrificed. For everyone's safety, for more people to leave alive, we must face this cruel choice." With a faint smile, Yunfeng's eyes were very calm, devoid of the playfulness and mischief of the past.

Still holding Yunfeng's right hand tightly, Xujie's beautiful face showed a sweet smile.

Her gaze lingered gently on Shijie Cangyue's face for a moment before shifting to Yunfeng's face. Xujie's voice was soft as she said, "Although this journey through the Ghost Realm has been perilous, we have gone through it together. This time, I believe we can also get through it together. Even if we can't get through this last hurdle, we have been together before, and when we die, we'll be together, never alone. In this life, regardless of life or death, I won't let go. Whether in life or death, we'll be together."

Beside them, everyone was moved by Xujie's deep affection, though the situation was urgent, their unspoken feelings still touched everyone present. Aoxue and Cangyue looked at Xujie with a hint of blessing in their eyes. Their gazes shifted, looking at the familiar figure, and at this moment, Aoxue and Cangyue's hearts were filled with emotions. Would the love between themselves and Luyun last forever, or would it end here in death?

There was no time for everyone to ponder these questions. At this moment, the ghost soldiers had launched a full-scale assault, forcing everyone to shrink back and defend desperately. The ghost immortals, swiftly moving figures, took advantage of the opportunity to launch a fierce assault with their soul-devouring techniques. In the blink of an eye, Bitian, Ziyang, and Feng Yunyang were hit by three ghost immortals, their bodies struggling and roaring in agony, trying to break free from the evil corrosion of the soul-devouring technique.

However, with their cultivation bases severely depleted from previous injuries, the three were no match for the ghost immortals, especially in their current state. On both sides, the sinister and ghostly attacks of the ghost demons pressed Aoxue and Cangyue, making it impossible for them to rescue the trapped three. Xujie swung her long sword, wielding a dense array of sword shadows to form a protective barrier in front of Yunfeng and herself. Seeing Bitian and the others in distress, Duli was both angry and anxious. He madly mobilized his true energy, launching a fierce attack on the approaching ghosts, hoping to force them back to rescue the three. However, compared to the strength of the ghost demons, Duli's current cultivation was insufficient, leaving him feeling nothing but anger and helplessness.

Luyun cautiously defended against the attacks of the four top experts while carefully monitoring the situation of everyone. Seeing Shifu and the others trapped, he was shocked, and his whole body erupted with true energy, launching a furious counterattack with his sword emitting a dazzling brilliance. On the opposite side, the four top experts sensed Luyun's intentions and smirked sinisterly, pressing forward with all their might, firmly suppressing Luyun's counterattack. As top experts in the Ghost Realm, the Ghost King and the Three Evils, their combined strength was so formidable that few in the cultivation world could withstand it. Under such a powerful attack, even if Luyun wanted to rescue them, he lacked the strength to do so without revealing his own secrets.

At this moment, cries of agony came from Ziyang and Feng Yunyang. Due to their previous injuries, their true energy was almost depleted, and they were completely unable to resist the soul-devouring technique, only allowing the evil power of the technique to destroy their meridians and devour their weakened souls. Beside them, Bitian, although also affected by the soul-devouring technique, still had some true energy left to resist, making his situation slightly better.

Seeing the painful appearance of the three, Yunfeng screamed inside, constantly cursing the ghost immortals and ghost demons. At the same time, he anxiously said to Xujie, "Quick, go save them, don't mind me, hurry!" With a bitter smile, Xujie said with sorrow, "Yunfeng, at this moment, I don't even know how long I can hold on, how can I rush in to save them? And you've forgotten, I said, regardless of life or death, I won't let go. Even if we die, we'll be together!" At this moment, she hated herself for only being able to watch her companions fall into death without being able to help.

Yunfeng's roar made Luyun, Cangyue, Aoxue, and Duli all tremble, and they all shouted in anger, swinging their swords fiercely to counterattack, trying to rush back to rescue. But the enemies surrounding them were not fools. At this moment, they were all desperate to stop them, determined to delay time to eliminate Ziyang and the others. In the midst of the roar, Duli was deeply moved by Xujie and Yunfeng's love. Thinking of the trapped three, at

 this moment, Duli's eyes revealed a sense of determination and sorrow, and in an instant, he made a decision that would make countless people regret.

Gently scanning around, his gaze passing over everyone, Duli seemed to want to engrave everyone's faces firmly in his heart. Finally, looking at Bitian, Duli silently said, "Take care, remember not to cry for my departure. At this moment, there is no hope without sacrifice, so I choose this path. Before I die, my only hope is that you can return safely to the mortal world and take care of my aging parents for me. Farewell, Master. If there is another life, I would still like to be your disciple!" His eyes changed, and a dazzling light filled Duli's eyes, with three small inverted figures clearly visible. At this moment, when there was no way out, no hope left, Duli chose the most terrifying way to destroy himself completely, without a shred of hope. For a cultivator, the soul cultivated through countless hardships was extremely precious. Whether or not one could cultivate into an immortal was closely related to this soul.

All around, angry roars, sinister sneers, and miserable screams intertwined into a chaotic melody.

In the midst of this chaotic melody, an invisible momentum, like thunder from the nine heavens, suddenly appeared on the entire battlefield. Halfway through the battle, Duli's whole body glowed with red light, and his powerful and breathtaking true energy increased exponentially at an alarming rate.

"No, don't!" Luyun, Cangyue, Aoxue, and Duli all turned back, their eyes filled with anxious and sad gazes at Duli, and they uttered heart-wrenching cries. Even in this situation, they still didn't want Duli to make this completely hopeless choice of self-destruction. However, at this point, it was already too late, and Duli's true energy had reached a critical point, beyond recovery no matter how much they called out.

"Righteousness prevails, the benevolent are invincible!" Amidst a loud shout, Duli's body erupted with flames, and he became like a burning god of fire, wielding an extremely hot true energy, rushing to the side of three ghost immortals. With his flaming long sword, carrying a ten-zhang blaze, he wielded a powerful force that burned all evil spirits, fiercely attacking the three ghost immortals.

With a cry of alarm, the three ghost immortals were forced to retreat under Duli's terrifying blaze, desperately avoiding his attacks. With their three companions saved from death, Bitian and the others suddenly returned from the brink of death. Lying weakly on the ground, the three looked at Duli with a hint of regret and despair in their eyes. Bitian's lips trembled, tears streaming down his face like rain, at this moment not knowing what to say. Perhaps it was too shocking for him, he was completely stunned.

Seemingly sensing something, Duli, who was crazily attacking, suddenly turned his head and looked at Bitian, their eyes meeting in mid-air. A thread of comfort and encouragement from Duli's eyes entered Bitian's mind. Without sorrow or loss, just a faint smile, Duli turned back abruptly. Looking at the burning flames and thinking of his faint smile hidden in the blaze, Bitian couldn't understand why he felt like crying at this moment.

Forced back by many ghost soldiers, Duli took advantage of his remaining true energy to rush to Luyun's side, launching a fierce attack on the Ghost King and the Three Evils. With Duli's joining, Luyun's pressure greatly reduced, and he began to move forward quickly with the others.

Time, in some moments, is always cruel. When Duli's red light disappeared, his figure slowly turned into a wisp of evening breeze. Watching his disappearing figure, Bitian couldn't help but burst into tears. Wielding his long sword, Bitian's screams at this moment were filled with intense anger, as if he were resisting, as if he were seeking revenge. Seeing this, the others also showed incredible perseverance, stubbornly fighting on, following Luyun's slow advance.

The sky was filled with a gloomy atmosphere from time to time. The feeling of desolation and oppression enveloped everyone's hearts. Duli was gone, sacrificed himself to save Bitian and the others, so who would be the next to leave?