The dark clouds shrouding the mountain peak dispersed, and the bright moonlight poured down from the sky.
Under the moon, three figures finally appeared before the Righteous Alliance.
Feeling countless sword-like gazes, Huang Doudou swallowed hard, silently retreated behind Yu Yi, and, imitating Blue Ling’er, knelt down in supplication.
“Master, please take action yourself!!”
“Oh my god… There are actually so many people!”
Huang Doudou felt a chill in her heart.
Earlier, with the mountain wrapped in shadow, she had only been able to judge the enemy’s numbers by the spread of torchlight below.
Many, but not this many.
Now, with the clouds gone, Huang Doudou could clearly see the size of the Righteous Alliance assembled for the crusade.
She knew, only if her Master acted personally did they have a chance to survive.
“So that’s the Demoness Yu Yi? Unbelievable… The legendary Demoness is actually… so beautiful?”
“What a pity she chose the wrong path. Otherwise, she would have been a beauty who could topple kingdoms.”
“I heard several Royal Princes from the imperial family covet the Demoness’s beauty. Seeing her today, it feels like more than just a rumor…”
Below the mountain, the Orthodox Martial Artists who witnessed the Demoness’s true form all exclaimed in awe.
Yu Yi’s beauty stunned hundreds and thousands of Orthodox Martial Artists, making them forget her fearsome reputation as the Demoness.
Who knows how the body’s original owner would feel hearing such things.
In any case, Yu Yi’s mood was complicated.
“Am I seeing things? Are there more people than before on the other side?”
Yu Yi forced herself to remain calm, took a step forward, and swept her gaze down the mountain.
Damn, there really were more people than before!
But just this casual glance made the Righteous Alliance snap back to their senses.
Cold sweat broke out, and they all retreated several steps.
Even the top ten experts surrounding them tensed and pulled back, not daring to act rashly.
“These people… are they really this afraid of me?”
Yu Yi thought silently.
The Demoness’s deterrence was overwhelming.
Though she could temporarily intimidate the attackers, it wasn’t enough to drive them all away.
This situation still had to be broken.
Yet Yu Yi had no idea how.
She’d just watched Blue Ling’er’s performance in a daze, but no relevant memories surfaced in her mind!
“If we keep dragging this out, those three old men will definitely sense something’s wrong.”
Yu Yi thought anxiously.
The top ten experts encircling them all kept wary eyes on Yu Yi, especially the three Grandmasters.
Their gazes were sharp and deep, as if they could see through Yu Yi’s “empty bravado” at any moment.
After a moment’s thought, she spoke softly.
“Ling’er, is this the result of your cultivation these past months?”
Blue Ling’er trembled at the words, bowing her head even lower.
“Master, your disciple is dull-witted. I encountered a bottleneck and have been stuck for half a month. Otherwise, I could have performed better just now!”
“Do you know where your performance just now was lacking?”
“Disciple… Disciple does not know…”
Yu Yi’s face darkened.
How coincidental. Me neither.
She deliberately kept her tone flat and continued.
“Self-reflection at the right time brings greater rewards. Ling’er, have I never taught you this principle before?”
“Disciple… has no recollection of such words.”
Yu Yi: “……”
Crap. This is bad!
These words didn’t match the Demoness’s past behavior at all.
Would this expose me on the spot!?
Stay calm…
Must stay calm.
I absolutely can’t panic now!
Forcing herself to maintain composure, Yu Yi continued to Blue Ling’er.
“Then, what about now?”
Blue Ling’er quickly replied.
“Disciple will remember it always!”
“Very good.”
Yu Yi nodded in satisfaction.
“Now, think carefully again—where did your performance just now fall short?”
Seeing Blue Ling’er frown and ponder, Yu Yi’s heart tightened with tension.
How she wished to hear a crucial clue that might awaken some memory.
But Yu Yi wasn’t the only one feeling tense.
The ten experts surrounding them were also on edge.
“The Demoness is actually taking the time to teach her disciple in this situation?”
“She’s completely arrogant and dismissive! I—I can’t stand it!!”
“Calm down! Think carefully, why is the Demoness so bold?”
Chi Ming gave a low shout, hastily restraining the others who were ready to act on impulse.
Once they calmed, the rest also realized that the Demoness must have the strength to be so brazen, and so there was no rush to attack her.
“…Did the Demoness succeed in breaking through at the last moment?”
“What do we do? Should we retreat?”
Tension mounted.
The leading Grandmaster, Bai Mei Lao Zhe, spoke in a deep voice.
“If we retreat, what about the tens of thousands of comrades at the foot of the mountain?”
At these words, the other nine fell silent.
With the strength of the ten of them, it was still possible to escape now.
But the others below the mountain would be slaughtered by the Demoness.
Chi Ming pressed her lips together, then nodded deeply.
“That’s right, we mustn’t retreat. Since we’ve come this far, I’ve resolved to fight to the death. If we run now, the comrades below will be finished!”
Bai Mei Lao Zhe’s words were so righteous they stirred Chi Ming’s sense of duty.
She gripped her blade, ready for a desperate struggle.
But in the next instant, she heard an unexpected exchange.
“Those people at the bottom of the mountain—if they die, they die.”
“If the Demoness broke through at the final moment, it’s just bad luck.”
The other two Grandmasters finished, and the rest of the Wangs agreed.
Even Bai Mei Lao Zhe, initially so “righteous,” stroked his beard and nodded.
“Mm… That settles it, then.”
Chi Ming was dumbfounded.
She looked at the other nine, dazed.
“Elders… What… did you just say?”
“You seem to have misunderstood, young lady.”
Bai Mei Lao Zhe looked at Chi Ming, his face cold.
“My previous words weren’t out of concern for those below the mountain, but to ask your opinions on how to deal with them.”
“So… you intend to abandon the countless comrades below for your own safety!?”
Chi Ming couldn’t comprehend, and questioned the others.
“Our position is unified, but you seem to have different ideas.”
Bai Mei Lao Zhe smiled.
“Since you just said you were prepared to fight to the death, please stay behind and cover our retreat. The Right Path will remember your sacrifice.”
At these words, Chi Ming felt her teeth chatter.
She had never heard anything so absurd.
It hit her so hard that even as the other nine prepared to escape, she stood frozen.
At that moment—
A sharp, excited cry drew everyone’s attention.
“Master! Your disciple understands!”
On the other side, Blue Ling’er finally remembered something and hurriedly addressed Yu Yi.
“If I had used the Water-Form Clone from the start to close the distance, then unleashed the Falling Dream Prison, I could have slain even more enemies—at least twice as many! Ah! Why didn’t I think of that earlier?”
As Blue Ling’er gained enlightenment, so did Yu Yi.
It wasn’t enough to just watch Blue Ling’er’s movements—when she heard “Water-Form Clone,” then connected it to the earlier scene, memories flooded her mind.
From the Demoness creating the Water-Form Clone, to teaching it to Blue Ling’er—fragments surfaced.
The technique passed to Blue Ling’er, Yu Yi instantly understood!
She then looked at the ten experts surrounding them.
For some reason, except for Chi Ming, the other nine seemed ready to flee.
Yu Yi knew she couldn’t let them escape.
If they could come in force today to kill her, they’d surely organize a second or third attack in the future.
These people had to die.
A powerful aura erupted, spreading instantly.
The nine felt a suffocating pressure.
They glanced back at Yu Yi, only to be enveloped by murderous intent.
They wanted to run, but Yu Yi raised her hand high.
“Be careful! The Demoness is about to attack!”
Bai Mei Lao Zhe forgot about escaping.
He and the others activated the Defensive Formation.
But for a long moment, nothing happened.
Just as their taut nerves began to relax, a sudden shout broke the silence.
“Look! What’s that in the sky!? Something’s coming this way!!”
Bai Mei Lao Zhe and the others hurriedly looked up.
The next second, their eyes widened in shock.
Filthy water from the ruined hall’s pool.
Streams flowing through the mountain forests.
Rivers and waters from a thousand miles away.
All transformed into roaring currents, converging from every direction, rising into the sky and gathering above Yu Yi’s head.
The scale of it was terrifying.
All present were awed.
Under their gaze, water from all sides coalesced in the sky.
It formed the Water-Form Clone Yu Yi created—a gigantic whale that seemed able to swallow the heavens.
The whale swam and spiraled through the sky, as if the heavens were an ocean.
If such a behemoth crashed down, what would happen?
The Orthodox Martial Artists understood.
Before the Whale That Devours the Heavens, they were just tiny fish and shrimp.
“Run, run—”
No one knew who screamed first.
Thousands of Orthodox Martial Artists scattered, their terrified screams echoing across the mountains.
The once imposing Righteous Alliance collapsed in an instant!
The nine top experts abandoned all pride, dissolving the Defensive Formation and fleeing in all directions—like a pack of panicked, defeated dogs.
At that moment, Yu Yi’s calm voice echoed in their ears.
“When did I say you could leave?”