Chapter 573: Hold On To Me!

Immediately, Yu Xian lightly turned his wrist, and the xuanyuan sword followed his movement, two streams of sword light weaving into an impenetrable defensive net around him, blocking all the bats attempting to approach.

However, the group was forced to land. As soon as their feet touched the ground, Qi Hao, Lu Xueqi, Zeng Shushu, and Zhang Xiaofan immediately brandished their weapons to fend off the bat attacks.

Everyone fought desperately to resist the ceaselessly surging bats. For a time, Sword Qi crisscrossed the air, and the light of Magic Treasures flickered, mingling with the screeching sounds of the bat swarm, creating an extremely chaotic scene.

“Don’t separate!” Yu Xian shouted again.

Qi Hao, Zeng Shushu, and Zhang Xiaofan obediently clustered together, but Lu Xueqi was relatively far away!

Yu Xian inwardly sighed, ‘This girl!’ Then, while slaying bats, he rushed towards Lu Xueqi’s side.

“Junior Martial Niece Lu, are you alright?” After clearing the bats around Lu Xueqi, Yu Xian asked anxiously.

“Little Uncle, I am fine!” Lu Xueqi’s voice was cold. The Tianya Sword in her hand shone with a brilliant blue light, her sword light sharp as silk. Every swing brought forth a sheet of ice crystals, freezing approaching bats into ice sculptures that plummeted down.

Although she fought independently, her movements were orderly. It was just that the number of bats was truly too great, densely packed like black clouds pressing down on the mountaintop. Fine beads of sweat had already appeared on her brow, and her breathing was slightly rapid.

Seeing this, Yu Xian spoke no more. He accelerated the Gentleman Sword and the xuanyuan sword simultaneously. With the two swords combined, they formed a rotating wheel of swords. Wherever it passed, the bats turned to dust, forcefully tearing a gap through the dense swarm.

“Hold on to me!” he commanded lowly, sweeping an arm around Lu Xueqi’s waist. While clearing a path, he moved toward Qi Hao and the others.

Lu Xueqi’s body stiffened when Yu Xian’s arm encircled her waist. She wanted to resist, but seeing Yu Xian completely focused on slaying bats, and with surrounding bats still surging in, she could only temporarily suppress the strange feeling in her heart and advance along with Yu Xian’s sword wheel.

When Qi Hao and the others saw Yu Xian approaching with Lu Xueqi, they immediately moved toward them as well. The group formed a small circle back-to-back, each using their Magic Treasure to ward off the bats.

“Nephew Qi, the bats fear light!” Yu Xian told Qi Hao.

Qi Hao immediately understood and directly summoned the Six Harmonies Mirror to deploy a barrier for defense. The golden light emanating from the Six Harmonies Mirror made the bats fearful; they dared not approach and could only circle in the air.

At this moment, Faxiang and Fashan from Tianyin Temple, and Li Xun and Yan Hong from Fenxiang Valley arrived. After shouting a greeting, they immediately joined the fight, working together to clear out the bat swarm.

But those bats seemed endless, so they could only fight while advancing deeper.

The group of nine entered the cave.

Inside the cave, everything was pitch black except for the light cast by the Six Harmonies Mirror. Occasionally, the sound of flapping bat wings could be heard echoing from the depths of the cavern, carrying a heart-chilling coldness.

Qi Hao walked at the front, holding the Six Harmonies Mirror. The golden light illuminated a radius of about ten feet, vaguely revealing that the cave walls were covered with dense bat nests. Occasionally, a few stray bats darted out from the shadows, only to be instantly obliterated by Lu Xueqi’s Tianya Sword Qi or Li Xun’s Fenxiang Valley Spell.

Zeng Shushu, driven by curiosity, couldn’t resist tapping the cave wall with the Thunder Light Ruler. With a light ‘crack,’ a small piece of rock fell away, revealing deeper darkness behind it. This startled a few hidden bats, causing them to shriek and fly out, only to be casually cleaved into pieces by a single sword strike from Yu Xian.

“Focus on walking; don’t touch things randomly,” Yu Xian reminded in a low voice, his gaze sweeping across the sides of the cavern.

Zhang Xiaofan followed at the rear, tightly gripping the Fire-Stoking Rod with both hands. He could feel the Blood-Devouring Pearl inside his body slightly warming up, as if attracted by some aura in the cave, which made him inexplicably restless.

Suddenly, the golden light of the Six Harmonies Mirror ahead shook violently. Qi Hao shouted lowly, “Be careful! There’s something ahead!”

Hearing this, Yu Xian immediately stepped forward and unleashed a sword strike.

“Ah!” The sword light finally struck a dark shadow, eliciting a shrill scream.

“It’s a fiend from the Demonic Sect!” Qi Hao shouted.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately gripped their weapons tightly and became vigilant. Suddenly, several bursts of fire erupted from the darkness, hurtling straight toward the group.

Yu Xian struck again with his sword. The sword light collided with the fireballs, which instantly scattered, falling onto the cave floor and emitting wisps of gray smoke that instantly blurred everyone’s vision.

Afterward, they heard several people taking the opportunity to attack them.

Qi Hao reacted extremely quickly, urging the Six Harmonies Mirror to suddenly expand its golden light, dispersing the pervasive gray smoke. Several figures from the Demonic Sect could be seen attacking from different directions.

Yu Xian knew those were remnants of the Blood Refining Hall, along with key figures from the Myriad Poisons Sect and the Ghost King Sect. He showed no mercy in his attacks.

The people from the Demonic Sect were elusive, either hiding in the shadows of the cavern or using the bat swarm as cover to launch surprise attacks. The Magic Treasures in their hands flickered with strange light and emitted foul, dark energy.

Yu Xian’s eyes narrowed. The xuanyuan sword and the Gentleman Sword shot out again, their two streams of sword light weaving into a net that severed all the incoming streams of dark energy.

Qi Hao followed closely behind. The golden light of the Six Harmonies Mirror was brilliant, not only protecting everyone but also shooting golden beams of light toward the enemies hidden in the darkness, forcing them to reveal themselves.

Lu Xueqi’s Tianya Sword emitted a piercing blue light. Every strike carried a bone-chilling coldness. Wherever it passed, both bats and fiends from the Demonic Sect were frozen into ice and shattered onto the ground.

Zeng Shushu was not to be outdone, sending streams of Sword Qi toward the enemies. Although Zhang Xiaofan was flustered, seeing everyone resisting fiercely, he gritted his teeth and swung the Fire-Stoking Rod. Dark energy faintly appeared on the rod, repelling a few stray bats and a minor Demonic Sect lackey.

The members from Tianyin Temple and Fenxiang Valley also fought their enemies with all their might. For a time, the sounds of colliding Magic Treasures, clashing weapons, screams, and bat screeches mixed together in the cave. The members of the Righteous Path and the fiends of the Demonic Sect were locked in a fierce melee.

Whenever Yu Xian encountered someone from the Demonic Sect, that person died under his sword.

Suddenly, a figure appeared, staring sharply at Yu Xian. “When did such a formidable young man appear among the Righteous Path?”

Clearly, Yu Xian’s combat strength exceeded their estimation.

Everyone’s attention was drawn by the voice. Upon seeing the newcomer, Qi Hao immediately shouted, “It’s Old Nian! He’s actually not dead yet!”

A smirk played on Yu Xian’s lips as he picked up Qi Hao’s words, “He will be dead soon!”

Old Nian became enraged upon hearing this. “Arrogant!” He immediately activated his Cultivation Technique, condensing a ball of fire energy and hurling it directly at the group!

Yu Xian swung the xuanyuan sword, and a stream of Sword Qi flew directly to meet the fireball. The two forces collided with a deafening roar and a blinding flash of light in mid-air.

The fireball was split in two by the Sword Qi, turning into countless sparks that scattered everywhere, while Yu Xian’s Sword Qi, its momentum undiminished, continued to slash toward Old Nian.

Old Nian’s expression changed. He hadn’t expected Yu Xian’s Sword Qi to be so domineering. He hastily channeled his power to defend.

With a ‘bang,’ the Sword Qi struck Old Nian’s defense. Old Nian was shaken, stumbling backward repeatedly, his blood and Qi surging violently.

A trace of horror flashed in his eyes; this young man’s strength was far beyond his imagination.