The three of them caused quite a commotion and otherworldly soldiers rushed over from other parts of the palace continuously.
The otherworldly soldiers that came, later on, were extremely strong!
Initially, the patrolling otherworldly soldiers were only at the strength level of early and mid-stage Martial Masters. But now, there were late-stage Martial Master otherworldly soldiers joining the fray.
The situation was turning deadlier!
The three of them retreated endlessly but were trapped by endless otherworldly soldiers. As though they were stuck in a swamp and had difficulty moving, their speeds became slower and slower.
The longer things dragged on, the worse the situation would be for them!
All three of them were injured. Although they were consuming elixirs repeatedly, given the fact that they were in an environment filled with malevolent energy, their injuries could not heal up and bled continuously.
Furthermore, the malevolent energy entered their bodies through their wounds, and over time, the damage to their meridians, dantian, and bloodline would intensify and turn progressively worse!
In the end, even if the three of them were not killed by the charging otherworldly soldiers, they would have their strength and Inner Cores frozen by the malevolent energy and die as a direct consequence of it.
Moreover, among the three of them, Krisia Hall was already in a terrible condition!
Her lips were purplish and her footsteps were sluggish. Her spiritual energy was thoroughly expended and her Martial Master prowess was shrouded by this evil, malevolent energy! She was about to fall at any moment with difficulty...
Although their triangular formation was great, it wouldn't be able to function if one of them was down.
At that time, the circumstances would be even worse for the three of them!
"Pfft!"
Flashes of blood appeared.
Krisia Hall grunted and a nasty gash appeared on her abdomen as blood flowed endlessly.
Slyff Nae's expression changed starkly and he took a step forward, supporting Krisia Hall who was about to fall. Waving his robes, he let out a tremendous amount of spirit energy that knocked back the incoming otherworldly soldiers, pushing them back like dominoes.
"W-we have to… Y-you have to b-break out of the encirclement with all your might! I-I'll cover the back!"
When he saw the wound on Krisia Hall, Slyff Nae frowned and a hint of frenzy could be seen in his eyes.
Slapping his storage bag, Slyff Nae took out a couple of elixirs and devoured them in a single mouthful.
At the same time, he summoned 12 supreme-grade artifact swords. They all seemed like sentient creatures as they were controlled by his martial powers and floated around his figure.
*Clang!* *Clang!*
The swords quivered and buzzed endlessly.
"Hexagonal Sword Formation!"
Slyff Nae's Martial Master channeled to its limits and was already throbbing in pain. Controlling the 12 flying artifact swords, he summoned Azure Myst Sect's Hexagonal Sword Formations and blocked the otherworldly soldiers that were coming from behind him.
Two Hexagonal Sword Formation appeared in midair and shone brightly with a bedazzling radiance!
*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*
More than ten otherworldly soldiers lunged over. When they struck the Hexagonal Sword Formations, they turned into ashes and dissipated in the air.
Slyff Nae did not have a Martial Master phenomenon. However, he was a Sword Formation Master. A unique and incredibly difficult, but rather powerful form of martial path to strive for those talented in it.
With her Hexagonal Sword Formation, she was strong enough to fight against some Martial Master phenomenons!
Up ahead, the white-robed sword martial artist took a deep breath of air and swallowed a few Mana Regeneration Elixirs. Letting out a long roar, the sword in his hands quivered as he shouted, "Martial Master phenomenon, Ethereal Sword Rain!"
*Pitter-patter!* *Pitter-patter!*
Raindrops fell endlessly.
A rain descended behind the white-robed sword martial artist and it poured heavier and denser, shining with an endless gleam of sharpness.
*Poof!* *Poof!* *Poof!*
Many of the otherworldly soldiers at the front fell to the ground one after another after being pierced by the sword rain, turning into malevolent energy before dissipating.
At the very least, a few hundred otherworldly soldiers vanished with the release of the Martial Master phenomenon!
Up ahead, a vast empty space came into sight.
"Let's go!"
The white-robed martial artist bellowed and charged first with his sword, paving the way forward.
Slyff Nae carried Krisia Hall with his arms and followed close behind.
They did not get far when the sound of galloping could be heard behind, rumbling like thunder. Even the ground started quaking uncontrollably, as though thousands of troops were charging over!
"Watch out!"
The white-robed martial artist's expression changed.
The otherworldly soldiers at the front seemed to have received some sort of an order as they scattered in unison.
A large number of troops wielding spears and riding otherworldly horses formed an awl-shaped formation, charging over murderously to clash against the white-robed martial artist's Martial Master phenomenon.
*Boom!*
There was a deafening sound.
A few riders at the front fell off their mounts.
However, the Ethereal Sword Rain phenomenon also showed signs of falling!
Another clash would be sufficient to dispel the white-robed sword martial artist's Martial Master phenomenon!
"Slyff… and you young miss, just leave. Don't bother about me…"
Krisia Hall's expression was grim and her meridians, bloodline, and body were freezing up after being sealed by the malevolent energy. She was extremely weak and no longer had the strength to fight.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Slyff Nae had been on the path for more than three hundred years and had a warm personality, rarely getting emotional.
But now, he was agitated and his eyes were reddened as he shouted.
"Sigh, I'll only be a burden to you guys if you take me along. At that time, none of us will survive."
Lying in Slyff Nae's embrace, a tender look flashed through Krisia Hall's eyes as she whispered, "Slyff Nae, I know what you are thinking. I'm afraid… we won't have that affinity in this lifetime."
When he heard that, Slyff Nae turned calm instead.
"Krisia Hall, since you know how I feel, you should know that I definitely won't leave you!"
Slyff Nae's gaze was resolute as he held Krisia Hall's ice-cold hands, not willing to let go as he laughed. "I've been a coward towards relationships for my entire life. Today, I'm finally brave."
Turning around, Slyff Nae nodded to the white-robed sword martial artist and said calmly, "Go… leave first. I'll accompany her."
By accompanying her, it meant that he was going to die with her!
"B-but… you guys…"
The white-robed martial artist looked anxious and did not continue speaking.
Slyff Nae smiled gently. "The path towards the absolute is limitless without any end in sight. Even if we truly attain longevity and end up dying old in loneliness, what's the point of that?"
"This is fine. Krisia Hall and I will take this opportunity to head down and accompany our old bro, Little Vhen, lest he gets bored below! Haha!"
Slyff Nae laughed once more as he hugged the woman in his embrace tightly.
At that moment, it seemed as though the two of them were the only ones left in the world.
It wasn't everyone who could embrace death with such an open mind.
*Boom!*
At that moment, another bang sounded.
The white-robed sword martial artist's Martial Master phenomenon was shattered by the otherworldly soldiers!
Without any protection, the three of them were completely exposed against the dense otherworldly troops!
"Die, you evil spirits!"
Suddenly, a voice sounded. It wasn't exactly clear given the commotion of the battlefield.
However, right after, the tides of the battlefield shifted!
*Snap!*
An incomparably dazzling thunderbolt tore through the dark clouds and descended among the otherworldly troops!
Electric snakes slithered around in a blinding manner, turning the entire place into a sea of lightning.
*Crackle!*
There was a deafening and crisp sound.
At least a thousand otherworldly soldiers were devoured by the sea of lightning and turned into dust!
The sheer number of strong otherworldly troops at this part of the palace was not the only reason why it was so dangerous.
More than that, it was because the troops were created from malevolent energy. Even if the martial artists were beaten down, they would only turn into malevolent energy again.
All it took was a period of time for the defeated otherworldly troops to spawn again. Their numbers would not diminish and could even be said to be endless!
However, malevolent energy feared thunder.
The thunder earlier smited thousands of otherworldly soldiers into dust and their malevolent energy was purged as well – they could not respawn anymore.
"An expert came for us?"
The eyes of the white-robed sword martial artist lit up as he turned around and urged, "Slyff Nae, an expert is here! Take Krisia Hall with you and we'll try again to kill our way out of this!"
"That noise from earlier?"
Slyff Nae furrowed his brows with a confused expression.
"W-who? W-who could it be… here of all places?" Krisia Hall muttered weakly in faint, feeble voice.
Before her sentence was completed, the sound of clothes fluttering arrived.
It came at an extremely fast speed and arrived before them almost instantly!
A gray robed figure stood in midair with long swaying matte black hair. His golden eyes were deep and sparkled like stars as he gave off a terrifying aura.