One incense stick of Time.
The Demon race beasts charged forward relentlessly, wearing down the power of the grand formation.
The Azure-feathered Bird was very cunning; it did not step forward once before the energy of the Heavenly Brilliant Seven-Star Formation was completely exhausted.
Li Kui said with an ugly expression, "This beast is likely going to use the lives of the many Demon race to break the Heavenly Brilliant Seven-Star Formation."
The faces of the many disciples turned pale, revealing grave expressions.
Meng Bai stepped forward and asked, "Can the Master send us away?"
"No. Before this space-time rift appeared, this old man could easily have opened the gates of this mystic realm to send everyone out. Now—sigh—"
Li Kui shook his head and let out a sigh.
After the space-time rift appeared, the connection between the mystic realm and the outside world became unstable. If the gates of the mystic realm were opened rashly, everyone might be buried in the spatial turbulence.
As the countless Demon race threw their lives away in suicidal charges, the energy of the Heavenly Brilliant Seven-Star Formation was about to be exhausted.
Dragging his exhausted body, Li Kui raised his sword and said, "Later, I will make a final struggle with that beast. I hope you all will assist me."
Dozens of instructing Masters agreed one after another.
"We are naturally duty-bound."
Although hundreds of instructing Masters had died in the chaotic battle beneath the rift, the remaining instructing Masters now shared the same determination as Li Kui: to fight the Azure-feathered Bird to the death.
Meng Bai also spoke up, "Master, let me lend you a hand."
Li Kui shook his head and said, "Child, you are still young and shouldn't die here. Later, after we old bones hold that beast down, you lead the remaining disciples away."
"Master, I am also in the Bitter Sea Realm and can contribute my strength."
Meng Bai raised his sword, radiating his aura of the Bitter Sea Realm.
Li Kui advised him once more, "Child, you are the spark of our fire; you shouldn't burn out here."
Meng Bai gave Li Kui a deep look and said, "May the Master slay the formidable enemy."
Before Meng Bai could say anything more, the already tottering Heavenly Brilliant Seven-Star Formation shattered with a loud crash.
Li Kui raised his sword and roared, "Everyone, follow me into battle!"
In an instant, the aura around Li Kui surged violently.
Qianyuan Blood Burning!
At this moment, Li Kui used a secret technique, burning everything about himself in an attempt to perish together with the Azure-feathered Bird.
Li Kui looked as though he were draped in a cloak of blood, his expression ferocious and resolute, ready to die without a second thought.
He had no intention of surviving this battle; he only wished to fight for a glimmer of hope for the remaining disciples.
Taking advantage of Master Li Kui and the others fighting a bloody battle, Meng Bai led the remaining disciples toward the east of the Tianyu Mystic Realm.
According to Master Li Kui's estimation, the space-time rift would close in about an hour, at which point the mystic realm gates could be opened.
The east of the Tianyu Mystic Realm was originally a logistics area with higher terrain, and there were some standard demon-hunting crossbows inside the houses.
After discovering them, Meng Bai immediately distributed them to everyone, giving the Origin Solidification Realm disciples a sliver of resistance against the Bitter Sea Realm Demon race.
Meng Bai turned and said to Bai Chuzhen and Junior Sister Ye, "Junior Sister Bai, Junior Sister Ye, I leave the remaining disciples to you."
Without waiting for their reply, he turned his sword and flew back.
The disciples' quarters.
When Meng Bai returned, it was already a river of blood and a mountain of corpses, belonging both to the Demon race and to humans. The situation was unimaginably tragic.
Amidst the pile of chaotic corpses, Meng Bai found Master Li Kui.
He was leaning against a doorway wall, his eyes wide with anger, holding his sword in one hand. Even though his vital blood and spiritual power were completely burned out, he had fought to the death without retreating, his body covered in wounds.
Meng Bai stepped forward, laid him on the ground, and closed his eyes.
"Master Li Kui, have a safe journey."
At the same time, a deep doubt lingered in his heart: where had those Demon race gone? Could they have retreated back behind the space-time rift?
Suddenly, a sound came from Meng Bai's right.
Meng Bai turned his head to look and saw Master Jing lying on the ground, covered in wounds.
Master Jing was also an instructing Master whom Meng Bai had met a few times in the Tianyu Mystic Realm and considered an acquaintance.
Meng Bai hurried forward to support Master Jing and asked, "Master, how are your injuries?"
Meng Bai began channeling his energy to treat Master Jing's wounds.
Master Jing said weakly, "Don't waste your spiritual power on me. My bitter sea has shattered; nothing can save me now."
"Li Kui severely injured the Azure-feathered Bird, but that beast is not dead yet and is still lingering nearby. You must be careful. Nine out of ten of the remaining Demon race were killed by us using a forbidden technique, and the Azure-feathered Bird's momentum is spent."
"It's just a pity that probably not many of us instructing Masters will survive. But as long as you can live, that's enough!"
The forbidden technique Master Jing mentioned was something Meng Bai had also dabbled in. Much like Qianyuan Blood Burning, although its power was immense, using it almost guaranteed death afterward.
With those words, Master Jing's aura gradually grew weak, and soon Meng Bai could no longer feel his breathing.
Meng Bai let out a deep sigh.
Meng Bai searched the area once more, but there were no other survivors.
One incense stick of Time later,
Meng Bai arrived beneath the space-time rift.
At this moment, the rift was slowly shrinking, estimated to close in another two sticks of incense.
Earlier, when Meng Bai scanned the vicinity of the disciples' quarters, he had seen no trace of the Azure-feathered Bird. The rest of the Bitter Sea Realm Demon race had been almost entirely wiped out by the instructing Masters, and any occasional one he ran into was easily dispatched by Meng Bai on the spot.
Ordinary Bitter Sea Realm Demon race were not a match for Meng Bai in a single move.
Arriving at a hidden spot, Meng Bai quietly waited for the arrival of the Azure-feathered Bird.
With the rift on the verge of closing, the Azure-feathered Bird would definitely return; otherwise, it would be trapped in the Tianyu Mystic Realm.
Trapped in the mystic realm, once the realm recovered, human powerhouses would surely hunt it down.
Meng Bai was lying in ambush here just to see if he could kill it. Besides, since this was a dream, it didn't matter even if he failed.
A bird's cry rang out.
The Azure-feathered Bird flew past right above Meng Bai's head.
Sure enough, the Azure-feathered Bird's condition was far worse than before. There was a long sword gash on its body, deep into the bone!
Mountain and Sea Sword Strike!
Timing his moment perfectly, Meng Bai suddenly thrust out his sword.
In an instant, accompanied by a flash of sword light, a faint manifestation of mountains and seas appeared.
The Mountain and Sea Sword Strike was a sword technique Meng Bai had found in the Scripture Pavilion seven years ago.
Using the sword intent of mountains and seas, he had nurtured a strand of sword Qi within his dantian, which could be unleashed at a critical moment.
This sword Qi had been nurtured for seven years, and its power now far exceeded a full-strength strike from an ordinary Bitter Sea Peak cultivator.
The Azure-feathered Bird's pupils constricted as it tried to dodge the sword.
If it had been at its peak, it might only have needed to pay a little heed to the Mountain and Sea Sword Strike, but not now.
At this moment, it was at the end of its rope; this sword could not be met head-on.
Yet the Mountain and Sea Sword Strike contained the will of mountains and seas. Facing an attack that pressed down like mountains and oceans, how could it be so easy to dodge?
Amidst a startled screech from the Azure-feathered Bird, the Mountain and Sea Sword Strike pierced straight through its body.
Meng Bai smiled slightly and said, "It worked!"
A quarter of an hour later,
the space-time rift closed completely, and at the same time, Meng Bai felt that the dream was about to wake him.
With a final glance toward the east, Meng Bai said, "Time to leave!"
......