The Yin Qi in the protective formation was never-ending, and the red fog was becoming even denser. It appeared impossible to kill all the Blood Mosquitoes swarming toward them.

Fortunately, Baili Moyun, Nangong Li, and the rest were getting better at dealing with the Blood Mosquitoes. Without Yue Lingjun holding them back, even Gong Honglei's group was holding its position.

While he was killing off the Blood Mosquitoes, Ye Yu said to Ye Jiuge, “Eldest Miss, it seems that this group of people is still useful, after all.”

“I guess!” she replied, then added to herself, “At least, they are performing better than I imagined.”

Seeing that it was almost time, Ye Jiuge wanted to find Gong Xifan and discuss a retreat. Just then, Zi Shang's voice rang out: “The Demonic Corpse is coming.”

Ye Jiuge thought, What? Demonic Corpse? We are screwed!

Before Ye Jiuge could react, she saw a black figure heading toward them from Bloodcloud Peak at lightning speed.

It was disconcerting to see red clouds surging behind him and his towering Demonic Aura.

A pair of black Demonic Claws were aimed at Baili Moyun and his group, which was right at the front.

With his quick reflexes, Baili Moyun chanted a sword scripture.

The sword-light from the Dragonslayer Blade expanded rapidly. Piercing the air, it went to strike the Demonic Claws.

Bang!

The Dragonslayer Blade was knocked back.

A crimson trail of blood immediately seeped out from the corners of Baili Moyun's mouth. He stumbled a few steps back.

Nangong Li had been monitoring Baili Moyun's situation. Seeing that he was in critical danger, Nangong Li immediately threw out a stack of Magic Talismans to protect his friend.

The Demonic Claws continued descending, creating mayhem among the Spiritual Pract.i.tioners. Seeing this, the Blood Mosquitoes that had been cordoned off swarmed at them again.

Just as the situation broke into chaos, a palm-sized ancient bronze mirror flew into the sky. It emitted a few hundred rays of golden light and seized the black Demonic Claws.

It was Gong Xifan. He realized that things were going wrong and summoned his Hundred Eyes Spiritual Mirror.

He had forged his Hundred Eyes Spiritual Mirror from Gold-in-Sand, and it was capable of offense and defense. It had enormous power.

However, it was still not enough to handle the Demonic Claws.

In a flash, the Demonic Claws doubled in size, and they began to press down the Hundred Eyes Spiritual Mirror.

Gong Xifan's pupils constricted. Although he had known that the Demonic Corpse was powerful, he had not expected it to be so strong. He was no match for it.

“Uncle, what should we do?” Gong Honglei had used up too much of his Spiritual Power. He was unable to sustain his attacks any longer.

“Retreat!” Gong Xifan infused another blast of Spiritual Power into the bronze mirror, and this allowed it to push the Demonic Claws back further.

Hearing the command to retreat, Yue Lingjun was the first to turn and flee. Immediately, she exited the cover of the protective formation.

Qiao Shaohua and the rest followed suit, and they escaped without care. Their defensive formation immediately fell apart.

Baili Moyun, Nangong Li, and Gong Honglei were at the front line.

When the others fled without a single word, they had to bear the brunt of the impact.

Seizing the opportunity, the Blood Mosquitoes attacked madly. Baili Moyun, who had already suffered some internal injuries, was wounded again.

Seeing that its master had been injured, Xiao Tao immediately let out a hysterical cry. A circle of sound waves was created, rippling out with Baili Moyun at the center.

The Blood Mosquitoes' attacks were hindered. At the same time, Little Greenie and Xiao Ying exploded.

The green shadow and the black light weaved together and formed a net to protect their respective owners.

With all his might, Gong Xifan increased the amount of Spiritual Power infused into the bronze mirror. However, the enormous Demonic Claws were still able to push the mirror down gradually. It seemed that he would not be able to hold on anymore.

Seeing this, Lin Yanxi and w.a.n.g Haoqiang exchanged glances. They were about to use this opportunity to harm Gong Xifan. However, Luo Tian and Ye Yu rushed toward them suddenly and shouted, “Great Master Gong, we are here to support you.”

Lin Yanxi and w.a.n.g Haoqiang checked their urge to act. Instead, under the pretense of attacking the Blood Mosquitoes, they intentionally revealed openings to attract the Blood Mosquitoes.

Ye Jiuge witnessed their every action.

She knew that Gong Xifan would not be able to hold on anymore, so she said to Zi Shang, who had been standing invisible beside her, “When are you planning to act?”

He stretched himself, reached out his palms, and aimed them at the Demonic Claws in the sky.

A blast of dark violet Spiritual Power the thickness of an arm was discharged from his hands. It transformed into a long spear that repelled the black claws.

The Demonic Corpse immediately revealed itself. Letting out a high-pitched hiss, it rushed at Zi Shang. Flying toward the Demonic Corpse, Zi Shang began to fight it.

The clouds and mist that formed from their attacks tore the nearby Blood Mosquitoes into a million fragments.

“Let's go.” Ye Jiuge summoned her Lightning Snake Magical Whip to open up a path. With Gong Xifan using his Hundred Eyes Spiritual Mirror to protect everyone, they were finally able to retreat safely.

Back at the Spiritual Pract.i.tioner Alliance's encampment, the pract.i.tioners who had first escaped began to gather. Their faces were filthy with grime. When they saw Gong Xifan and the rest returning in the distance, they started to show signs of nervousness.

Only the marvel known as Yue Lingjun did not have a guilty conscience. Instead, she grumbled at Gong Xifan, “Great Master Gong, why did you only come out now? We have been anxious.”

Pow! Ye Jiuge suddenly gave her a slap that caused her to stumble two steps back. Her face, which was still stained with the mosquitoes' blood, swelled immediately.

“You dare strike me?” Covering her face, Yue Lingjun looked in disbelief at Ye Jiuge.

Before, no matter how much she mocked and insulted her, Ye Jiuge had born it.

She had always thought that Ye Jiuge was an easy target and could not believe that Ye Jiuge would hit her now.

“A slap is way too light a punishment for leaving your comrades behind and fleeing.” Ye Jiuge's beautiful face was filled with an eerie coldness that stunned Yue Lingjun.

“Who…Who said that we left our comrades behind and fled? We were helping everyone by clearing a path for the retreat!” Yue Lingjun tried to argue, twisting words and forcing logic. She did not forget to bring in Qiao Shaohua and the others, “Don't the rest of you agree?”

“Of course! We did not flee. We were clearing a path for the retreat. Otherwise, you would have had a hard time escaping!” Qiao Shaohua spoke up, summoning his courage.

“That's right. That's right,” the group agreed eagerly.

The law cannot be enforced when the majority are offenders. At a time like this, they would never admit that they were deserters.

“Shut up!” Gong Xifan suddenly let out a bellow. His stern gaze swept past Qiao Shaohua and the rest of the Spiritual Pract.i.tioners.

They avoided his gaze because of their guilty conscience. Not even Yue Lingjun dared to look at him face-to-face.

“Everyone, this is the first time we have met the Demonic Corpse. I understand your feelings of fear and nervousness. However, Baili Moyun, Nangong Li, Gong Honglei, and the rest have been bravely defending all of us. Yet, you escaped selfishly. That kind of behavior is shameful and disgraceful. I can't tolerate it.”

Gong Xifan's voice was filled with rage. All the Spiritual Pract.i.tioners who had heard it lowered their heads in shame.

“Great Master Gong, earlier on, our groups cooperated well enough. I believe that they did not intentionally leave us behind to escape. Please give them a chance to atone for their mistakes.” Baili Moyun tried to smooth things over.

“That's right. When I saw Yue Lingjun running, I thought that it was on Great Master Gong's orders, so I followed her,” a Spiritual Pract.i.tioner piped up.

When the rest heard that, without hesitation, they directed all the blame to Yue Lingjun, “Yes! she was the one who misled us.”

“Bullsh*t! Did I put a knife to each of your necks and force you to run? Don't put all the blame on me. You guys are no better.” Yue Lingjun was furious, and she threw off her façade as a disciple from a great sect.