"Retreat! Everyone retreat to the main formation!" When Lu Tian saw the emerald flames on the banners growing thicker and thicker, he suddenly shouted, drawing his own body back first. At once, the cultivators nearby followed his lead, instinctively retreating with him. Xuan Le, seeing this, immediately issued the same retreat order without hesitation. However, the cultivators under Han Li's command—except for a few who maintained the upper hand and could easily withdraw—were all unexpectedly fiercely engaged by their opponents and could not free themselves. Han Li's adversaries launched relentless attacks, striving to hold him in place. Yet Han Li merely smiled coldly, retrieved his other artifacts, and summoned his White Scale Shield, steadily countering the assault and smoothly returning to the formation. This left the Tiansha Sect cultivators reluctantly standing still outside the array, looking somewhat disgruntled. Xuan Le saw that half of his team remained stuck outside the battlefield, fighting even more fiercely, and knew immediately that things were not going well. He wanted to join other cultivators to provide aid, but as soon as he moved, Lü Tianmeng pulled him back firmly. "It's too late! The Qingyang Demon Fire has already been summoned by the other side!" Lü Tianmeng shook his head with a stern expression. At the same time, Han Li noticed that the red-robed cultivators holding large-period banners now had thick, arm-thick streams of blue flames shooting from the tips of their flags. Dozens of these blue flames surged upward, coalescing into a massive, several-zhang-diameter sphere of blue fire, gently floating in the air and swaying steadily—its brilliance was overwhelming. "What?" Xuan Le was momentarily stunned, about to speak further. But the actions of the red-robed cultivators immediately turned his face pale. The red-robed figures pointed the tips of their flags toward the seven sect cultivators still entangled outside the array, and instantly, the massive fire sphere emitted a deep, resonant "pffft," collapsing into十余 small, flame-like orbs several feet in length, which surged directly toward the cultivators. Before they could even think, over a dozen fire balls struck them simultaneously, instantly extinguishing all their shield and barrier spells. The human figures were completely consumed by the magical flames, leaving no trace at all in the world. Those who had not yet been attacked saw this terrifying scene and lost any hesitation—they charged straight toward the main array, even if it meant suffering severe injuries from the Tiansha Sect's cultivators or abandoning their current magical instruments altogether. Yet, with just a few of them panicking, several perished under the attack of their opponents' instruments. Thus, upon first contact, the defending seven sects had already lost nearly fifteen cultivators at the Qi stage and one cultivator at the Juzhi stage—considering this a significant blow. However, the power of Qingyang's magical fire did not stop here! Under the control of the red-robed cultivator, these blue fire balls recombined into a single, unified mass, then surged forward as a powerful wave of blue flame, directly charging toward the Si-Sha Array. All the people hiding within the array now looked pale, their expressions filled with fear spreading among every cultivator. Xuan Le, seeing this, furrowed his brows and directly asked Lü Tianmeng: "Liu brother, what exactly is this blue flame? How is it possible for a Foundation Stage cultivator to unleash such a terrifying true flame? Shouldn't the array's restrictions be sufficient to withstand this flame's impact?" Lü Tianmeng listened to the series of questions and couldn't help but smile wearily. Yet, seeing all the cultivators intently focused on him, he had no choice but to explain patiently: "To be honest with all of you, Liu was only occasionally witness to the terrifying power of this Qingyang Demon Flame during the border battles. As for whether it can breach the Si-Sha Array, I truly have no way of knowing. However, I later heard from some elder cultivators that this Demon Flame is not something that can be summoned at will—it requires these flame-wielding cultivators to specifically practice the Qingyang Demon Flame Technique, and each time it is released, it comes at the cost of a reduction in their own cultivation level." "That is precisely why it is so hard to resist!" Qiu Tianmeng's words left Xuan Le and the other cultivators stunned, their expressions filled with growing frustration. At that moment, the jade-green flame finally collided with the four-color restrictions of the array, emitting a deep, resonant crackling sound, instantly capturing everyone's attention. The jade-green waves surged one after another, continuously striking the four-color light barrier, causing it to ripple and tremble, yet the barrier managed to withstand the fierce magical flame, bringing temporary relief to the seven sect cultivators within the array. However, Han Li and his companions did not enjoy this reprieve for long. Soon, they grew anxious once again. As time passed, the four-color barrier, subjected to repeated assaults from the jade-green flame, began to gradually fade—clearly a sign that the array was beginning to falter. Meanwhile, although the red-robed figures were also perspiring profusely and waving their banners vigorously, they clearly had no difficulty sustaining their efforts for another brief period. Now all the cultivators in the camp are desperately thinking hard, striving to devise strategies for retreat or escape! Based on the circumstances of other spiritual mines attacked, although the cultivators captured by the demonic sect are not immediately killed, they are swiftly transported to the enemy's rear. No one knows exactly how the demonic sect will treat their prisoners once they are taken. Yet, after years of fierce conflict between the seven sects and the demonic sect's six major families, their enmity has grown deep and unyielding—how could they so readily treat their captives with leniency? Especially since the demonic sect is particularly skilled at draining souls and refining spiritual essences—a practice that has greatly unsettled the seven sects. Therefore, the idea of surrender has never been seriously considered, unless absolutely necessary. "I know of a hidden underground passage that leads directly to a distance of several dozen li—should be sufficient for our escape!" suddenly spoke the elder, who had been stationed here for over a decade, with calm composure. His words sent ripples across the camp, first surprising the cultivators like Xuan Le, before quickly sparking excitement among them. "Really, Brother Yu?" "Great! Now we can finally escape!" "We're saved!" ...The originally anxious cultivators from the seven sects suddenly brightened, their faces filled with joy and relief. Han Li was equally astonished. After all, he too had no way to counter the azure demonic flames—his only hope of fighting back seemed impossible. After calming their excited hearts, Xuan Le and Lü Tianmeng, and confirming once again through Yu Xing's words that the underground passage was genuine, they finally issued the retreat order without further hesitation. As for the spiritual stone mine, there was no need to worry—while the enemy might completely destroy the entrance, temporarily cutting off the supply of spiritual stones, the existing reserves within the mine would remain untouched. The demonic cultivators could not take a single grain of it, and ordinary miners engaged in the conflict would generally be left unharmed. Thus, all they needed to do was simply pack up and leave. Thus, under the guidance of Yu Xing, the fifty-plus cultivators guarding the mine, including Han Li, entered a certain underground tunnel within the spiritual stone mine. However, as soon as they stepped into the underground passage, everyone felt the entire valley tremble slightly. "The Four Evil Array has been broken!" Xuan Le said this matter-of-fact statement. Immediately, the cultivators quickened their pace. At that very moment, the tunnel suddenly shook violently, and with several thunderous crashes, it began to crumble bit by bit. Amid the astonishment of the monastic disciples, countless masses of earth and stones directly buried them beneath, plunging the entire underground realm once again into complete darkness.