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The crisis for the "Dragon Saint" was averted, but an earth-shaking change occurred within the "Six-Star Demon Slaying Formation."

While the six individuals in the formation remained vigilant, they couldn't help but feel a brief moment of relief as Leimen engaged the "Dragon Saint." Though their battle qi was still abundant, their spirits had begun to tire. However, when Leimen suddenly turned back on the "Dragon Saint" and charged back into the formation, their reactions lagged just enough for him to break through the encirclement and close in on the person farthest away—the "Ferocious Underworld Martial Saint" Chi Wu Lie.

Chi Wu Lie, hailing from the vast Tiele plains, had a sinister appearance, but his whip technique was grand and majestic. His weapon, the "Seven Calamities Dragon Taming Whip," was a legendary epic-grade divine weapon. The whip's core was crafted from the tendons of a Deep Abyss Demon Dragon King, reinforced with the sinews of six other powerful beasts, allowing it to be coiled around his waist when shortened to eight feet. When infused with battle qi, it could extend to strike targets as far as one li away. Apart from my "Divine Punishment Sword," it feared no other divine weapons. Powered by the crystal heart of an ancient top-tier demon, it could create countless illusory whips, with destructive power comparable to physical attacks—a truly astonishing weapon.

Because of its long-range capabilities, Chi Wu Lie was stationed at the outermost position of the formation. When Leimen suddenly attacked, the five other Sword Saints couldn't come to his aid in time. However, the plains Sword Saint remained calm and composed. Seeing Leimen's "Soul Devouring Sword" slashing through the air as if cutting through space, Chi Wu Lie quickly retracted his "Dragon Taming Whip," spinning it rapidly in front of him. The whip tore through the star energy, forming thousands of swirling vortexes, each containing enough power to rival a high-level spell. Yet, despite a series of thunderous explosions, the vortexes failed to stop Leimen. The "Soul Devouring Sword," which had sliced through countless fragments of hellish space, continued its unstoppable trajectory, much like the inevitable rising of the sun or setting of the moon, and struck toward Chi Wu Lie.

The "Ferocious Underworld Martial Saint" showed no fear in his eyes, but facing Leimen's overwhelming strength, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of helplessness. Although the six had prepared themselves for the possibility of sacrifice before entering the formation, the sense of powerlessness and frustration was hard to accept.

In reality, from the moment they entered the formation, the entire situation had been part of the orc's scheme. Whether it was Leimen falling into the trap or Samantha's hidden strength, everything was for this final calculation. A meticulously planned strike had no room for failure. As blood splattered, Leimen's longsword deeply pierced his enemy's body. The "Soul Devouring Sword," designed to devour the soul upon penetrating a living enemy, turned the enemy's body into black crystal, making recovery impossible, even for a Sword Saint. However, the only issue was—

The person impaled by the "Soul Devouring Sword" was not the "Ferocious Underworld Martial Saint," but the "God-Blessed Paladin."

In the split second when Leimen's sword broke through Chi Wu Lie's protective battle qi, the previously silent "God-Blessed Paladin" enveloped herself in a white light. At the same time, a white glow also appeared around Chi Wu Lie. When Leimen cut through the white light, he realized that the "God-Blessed Paladin" had taken Chi Wu Lie's place and received his blow, while Chi Wu Lie had appeared in the spot where the "God-Blessed Paladin" had been standing. In reality, Leimen had already struck Chi Wu Lie, but the mysterious spell redirected the damage to the "God-Blessed Paladin."

The "Holy Spirit Sacrifice" is one of the Radiant Temple's most selfless and tragic divine techniques, instantly swapping the positions of the caster and the target while transferring all injuries to the caster. Why sacrifice one Sword Saint to save another? This was the question on everyone's mind.

However, the "God-Blessed Paladin" understood, the "Ferocious Underworld Martial Saint" understood, and Leimen understood.

"You are brave... just like the 'Light Sword Saint' of old," Leimen praised lightly.

The power of the "Soul Devouring Sword" was unstoppable. The heavily wounded "God-Blessed Paladin's" armor first lost its luster, turning into black crystal dust, along with the mask that covered her face, revealing the delicate features of a woman, her beauty striking even in the face of death. No one would have guessed that the "God-Blessed Paladin" was actually a woman—a woman who had chosen to hide her name and face, risking her life, and who had just sacrificed herself to save her comrade.

"Cough... I won't... let you... destroy... humanity's future..." Despite half of her body already turning to black crystal from the piercing wound, she clung to the hilt of Leimen's sword with unwavering resolve. As she struggled to speak through blood, she suddenly channeled all her strength through her hands. A flash of white light ensued, followed by several cracking sounds. Though Leimen remained unscathed, the space shattered by the "Soul Devouring Sword" began to collapse, fragments of reality crumbling around him.

Without any fear, Leimen shook off the "God-Blessed Paladin's" hands and pulled out the "Soul Devouring Sword." As the sword was pulled from her body, the nameless, beautiful woman crumbled into a cloud of black crystal dust, her holy spear "Kunie Long" turning into a white light that disappeared far into the horizon.

Taking advantage of the moment before the star energy fully converged, Leimen launched another attack, his sword now aimed at the "Mysterious Jade Sword Saint" of the Yellow Dragon Empire, Bing Qinglie. However, with the "God-Blessed Paladin" now fallen, the "Six-Star Demon Slaying Formation" was weakened, lacking a crucial element that affected their close-range defense. Although the flow of magic was unaffected, their close-range offense and defense were no longer as seamless as before.