"Master!"
The demon spirits paled, never expecting Mei Tian's injuries to be so severe!
Panic gripped them, leaving them flustered and helpless.
To them, Mei Tian was not just their master but their spiritual pillar.
As long as he stood, hope remained alive, even in the direst of circumstances.
But now, Mei Tian had fallen.
They didn't even know when he had sustained such fatal wounds!
This shattered their confidence utterly.
Shi Hu climbed the stone steps of the altar slowly, his heavy boots leaving deep imprints on each stair.
"Mei Tian, your Thousand Demon Soul Annihilation Array is indeed profound and powerful... but its flaw is glaring. You infused your own soul into every demon statue. Each one I destroy tears a fragment of your spirit. By obliterating them all, I need not lift a finger to finish you—you'll collapse on your own. You've grown weak, Mei Tian. Had you retained your former strength, even as a Transcending Tribulation cultivator, I'd have fled at the sight of you."
Mei Tian glared at Shi Hu, struggling to speak: "If not for your ambush years ago... crippling me... how could my power have dwindled so? At my peak, this array would have annihilated your very soul!"
"Yet you are no longer that Mei Tian," Shi Hu sneered, his voice icy. "You've haunted my nightmares, festering in the Yellow Springs Underground Palace. But after today, you'll trouble me no more."
Resignation washed over Mei Tian's face as he closed his eyes briefly. "Shi Hu... only I pose a threat to you. Spare my disciples. They're harmless to you."
"Mercy?" Shi Hu's laugh was frigid. "Do I strike you as kind? They may be weak now, but seeds of rebellion grow. Enemies must be eradicated—root and branch. No survivors."
He paused, lips curling into a vicious grin. "But as an old... friend, I'll grant you this: I'll kill you last. Watch as I slaughter each of your precious disciples."
With that, he reached the altar's peak and raised his greatsword.
Mei Tian choked on rage and blood, nearly fainting.
The demon spirits roared, lunging at Shi Hu in defiance.
The warlord swung his blade, unleashing a crescent of dark energy that bisected the first wave of attackers. Those behind were blasted off their feet by the shockwave.
Gazing at their fallen comrades, the survivors trembled with grief and terror.
Though powerful cultivators in their own right, they were mere ants before Shi Hu's might.
As Shi Ho raised his sword again, a thunderous roar echoed:
"HALT!"
A violet lightning serpent tore through the undead horde, reducing skeletons and iron golems to shrapnel. It struck Shi Hu's back, forcing him to pivot and slash at its neck. The serpent exploded into sparks, its shockwave deflecting his blade.
Shi Hu turned to see two figures charging through the chaos: Zhao Rui, lightning spear crackling, and Dun Che, the hulking demon spirit.
"Pathetic resistance," Shi Hu growled, commanding his undead: "Kill them!"
The skeletal horde surged forward—only to be obliterated by Dun Che's Yaohun Flash, white annihilation beams carving bloody paths.
"USELESS!" Shi Hu barked as his forces faltered. "Let them come. I'll crush them myself!"
As the duo approached, the carnage on the altar unfolded: Mei Tian bleeding out, disciples slaughtered... and Dun Yin's corpse crushed beneath rubble.
"SISTER!" Dun Che's wail shook the heavens as he cradled her body, tears falling like rain.
Rage ignited Zhao Rui's core. These spirits had welcomed him as kin. Mei Tian had sheltered him. Now Shi Hu had slaughtered them like cattle.
"YAOHUN FLASH!" Dun Che unleashed his full power, a searing beam striking Shi Hu's chest—shattering his armor—as Zhao Rui's Asura Demon Sphere yanked the warlord off-balance.
Shi Hu staggered, then glared down at his exposed torso. "You dare..." he rumbled, aura darkening. "For this insult, I'll grind your bones to dust and scatter your souls across the Nine Hells!"
The surviving spirits' hope flared—briefly—as Shi Hu's skeletal lieutenant Li Ju gasped: "My lord! Are you—"
"Injured?" Shi Hu's laughter boomed, madness glinting in his eyes. "By these gnats? No... but for breaching my armor, they'll beg for oblivion before I'm done!"
His sword ignited with void-black flames, the very air screaming as he descended toward his prey.