The attitudes of the two other sects' teams enraged the two remaining disciples of Xuantian Sword Sect.
"Our junior brother is risking his life to hold off the enemy for us, and this is how you respond?!" Wei Heng shouted in fury.
"Hmph!" The last surviving disciple of Tianjue Mountain coldly sneered, "That's just his own stupidity!"
"Damn it!" The other sword sect disciple also scolded angrily, "You're going too far!"
"No, we can't just abandon him!" Wei Heng suddenly clenched his teeth. "Junior Brother Lin has shown loyalty, and we cannot be ungrateful!"
"We can't let him face such danger alone!"
"I've decided! We're going back to save Junior Brother Lin. If we're leaving, we leave together!"
The other disciple of the sword sect initially looked fearful but, after hesitating briefly, nodded resolutely. "Captain is right! I don't want to be someone who selfishly flees for their life!"
"Hmph! If you're too scared to go, then just leave now!" Wei Heng turned to the Tianjue Mountain and Zhengmiao Sect members. "We don't need you!"
"That's right!" The other disciple echoed. "Junior Brother Lin is one of us, and if you're afraid, go ahead and run!"
With that, Wei Heng led his fellow disciple back toward the battlefield to rescue Lin Li.
The members of Tianjue Mountain and Zhengmiao Sect exchanged uncertain glances, looking at each other before finally reaching a decision.
"Those bastards are looking down on us!" the leader of the Tianjue Mountain team spat. "How could we be the type to flee and save our own skins?!"
"That kid, a mere Foundation Establishment Stage 1 disciple, dares to sacrifice himself, so why shouldn't we?"
"If we run now, we'll spend the rest of our lives being looked down upon by those two from Xuantian Sword Sect!"
"Exactly! I bet that kid is already dead. Once those Xuantian Sword Sect disciples see his body, they'll give up and continue running. Let's follow them and see what happens!"
With that, the five members of Zhengmiao Sect and Tianjue Mountain agreed and followed Wei Heng and his comrade back toward Lin Li.
Wei Heng glanced back and saw the five others following, and a smile spread across his face. "Great!"
"Now, we have a better chance of saving Junior Brother Lin!"
...
Meanwhile, Lin Li had just finished slaughtering the outermost Demon Sect disciples and turned to look back.
The Altar Master, Protectors, Hall Masters, and Incense Masters—all of them were chasing after him with rage in their eyes.
The giant green toad, referred to by the Demon Sect as the Guardian Beast, coldly watched Lin Li but didn't make a move. It seemed it wouldn't act without the master's command.
The Altar Master, seeing Lin Li slaughter so many of his subordinates right before his eyes, was in no mood to let him off easily.
"Letting the Guardian Beast kill him would be far too easy!" the Altar Master said. "We must capture him alive! We'll interrogate him thoroughly. If he knows the Jinghong Sword of Elder Zhou from Xuantian Sword Sect, his status in the sect must be high. He likely knows many of their secrets! We might be able to learn something valuable to make up for the destruction of the Blood Altar."
"Yes, Altar Master!"
At this moment, the Green-Faced Ghost King, clutching his severed hand, limped toward the group, his face twisted in pain.
The Altar Master shot him a disdainful glance and sneered, "Useless!"
"Altar Master…" The Green-Faced Ghost King replied with trembling deference, glancing at Lin Li with both fear and anger. "I underestimated him…"
"Enough excuses!" the Altar Master snapped. "You, along with Hall Masters from the Withered Bone, Corpse Decay, Golden Gu, and Blood Mosquito Halls, plus eight Incense Masters—bring that sword cultivator to me alive!"
"Understood!"
The Green-Faced Ghost King nodded and painfully reattached his severed hand, swallowing a pill to speed up the healing process. But it was clear that his hand wouldn't regain full strength anytime soon.
...
Meanwhile, the returning teams from the three sects soon spotted the Demon Sect forces in the distance—and Lin Li, still alive and being pursued.
"What?! That brat's still alive!" The disciples from Tianjue Mountain and Zhengmiao Sect were visibly shocked to see Lin Li still on his feet, dodging attacks.
At the same time, one of the surviving Xuantian disciples cried out in surprise, "Look over there!"
The group turned their heads, following his gesture.
On the ground not far ahead, they saw the scattered bodies of dozens of Demon Sect members, all gruesomely sliced in half.
"What is this?!"
The group was puzzled and uneasy.
Suddenly, the leader of Zhengmiao Sect gasped. "Look! Isn't that the Corpse-Control Incense Master who killed one of our members?"
The others stared in shock.
"It really is him!"
"How is this possible?!"
They exclaimed in disbelief.
"Could it be…?"
"Are these the remains of the Demon Sect's pursuing army?"
The more they looked at the bodies, the more familiar they seemed.
"It has to be!"
"These were the ones chasing us!"
One after another, everyone exclaimed, "How could they have been killed here?"
"Could it be…?"
"Was it him?!"
A wild yet reasonable thought dawned on them.
"Yes!" Wei Heng shouted, his voice brimming with excitement. "It must be Junior Brother Lin!"
"There are only two possibilities—either us or him. And since we fled, only Junior Brother Lin could have done this!"
"Now that we see all these bodies, it's obvious that Junior Brother Lin took them down while covering our escape!"
The group had to admit that Wei Heng's logic made sense, but they were still in disbelief.
The Tianjue Mountain leader shouted, "How could that be possible?!"
"Your Junior Brother Lin is just a Foundation Establishment Stage 1 disciple!"
"How could he possibly kill so many Demon Sect members in such a short time, including four Incense Masters?"
The leader of Zhengmiao Sect was equally shaken. "This defies all logic!"
But as they argued, a disciple from Zhengmiao Sect suddenly shouted, "Look!"
Everyone raised their heads and saw a terrifying scene.
A Green-Faced Ghost King, leading four Hall Masters and eight Incense Masters, charged out from the Demon Sect forces and rushed toward Lin Li. It was clear they intended to launch a coordinated assault.
"Not good!" Wei Heng shouted. "One Protector, four Hall Masters, and eight Incense Masters—that's an overwhelming force!"
"We need to help Junior Brother Lin right away!"