High Noon

The chaotic melee raged with relentless fury. Qin Sang had long lost count of how many opponents he had faced. All he could do was keep his head amidst the combat, staying calm and cautious, reading the battlefield accurately, and never straying too far from his own side. *Bang!* *Crack!* The crisp sound of splintering drew Qin Sang's gaze back. A corner of their opponent's golden shield had been shattered by Mu Yifeng's Nine Fire Divine Blade. Several other magic tools struck the shield in quick succession, driving a startling crack across its entire surface that threatened to break it apart at any moment. Terrified, the opponent let out a cry of alarm and retreated in panic. The Nine Fire Divine Blade flared with crimson light. Just as Mu Yifeng was about to lead his men in pursuit, Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly, and he shouted to stop him, "Don't pursue! Fall back!" The enemy seemed panicked, but their formation was not truly broken. More importantly, Qin Sang keenly noticed that several nearby enemies seemed to be keeping an eye on them, whether deliberately or not, and their positions formed an uncanny arrangement. Quietly, an inconspicuous opening had been left ahead. Without him realizing when it had been set, a trap had quietly taken shape, waiting only for them to walk into it. Qin Sang broke into a cold sweat. These people were bait! If they grew greedy for merit, got caught up in the bloodlust, and chased after them, it would be no different from walking into a pocket. That was how Teng Zhaogang had fallen back then; Qin Sang had been right beside him, and the memory was still fresh. "We fall back too!" Qin Sang sent a voice transmission to Mu Yifeng, orchestrating an orderly withdrawal. Sure enough, upon seeing their retreat, many Heaven-Traversing Alliance cultivators showed disappointed expressions, while the fleeing opponent halted, attempting to lure them further. Fortunately, Mu Yifeng and the others obeyed him without question, or the consequences would have been dire. With a turn of thought, Qin Sang realized the reason: his squad had been standing out too much. In the past, he had always prioritized survival. Once plunged into a chaotic melee where everyone was occupied with their own fight and no one was paying attention to him, he would order his teammates to keep a low profile. Even when he used his ebony sword, he only struck down key targets before immediately shifting to another fight, never letting himself become the focus of concentrated fire. His reputation had been built gradually, bit by bit, rather than through sudden renown in a single battle. Now, with the formidable Mu Yifeng by his side, they had indeed drawn attention; trying to stay hidden was impossible. Qin Sang's reaction shattered the Heaven-Traversing Alliance's design. For an instant, an eerie pause fell over this part of the battlefield. "Tighten the formation!" Qin Sang seized the opportunity to contact other squad leaders to draw closer, tightening the loosened lines before plunging into another round of chaotic fighting. ... A ray of light fell across his face. Qin Sang narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly realized that this wasn't light from a magic tool, but the morning sun! Qin Sang turned to look. Far to the east, where water met sky, a fiery red glow spread. The rising sun seemed to have just emerged from the depths of the water, still veiled shyly behind morning clouds. Only then did Qin Sang realize dawn had broken! The battle had erupted in the dead of night—how many hours had passed? Qin Sang's mind was still consumed by the intense combat, leaving him slightly dazed. Then, suddenly struck by a thought, he hurriedly looked up toward the sky above. The battle between the Core Formation stage cultivators hadn't ended! Moreover, that beam of light was still there. The stars and moon had hidden away. Beneath the morning sun, the beam seemed all the brighter, a marvel to behold. But the battlefield had already shifted to the north of the beam, giving Qin Sang an ominous premonition. In the past, it would usually be time to sound the gong and recall the troops by now. Fighting from midnight until dawn, neither side had gained much advantage. The Heaven-Traversing Alliance held a slight upper hand, but the Lesser Cold Domain's formation remained intact. If they kept fighting, victory and defeat might only be decided once both sides had exhausted their lamps down to the last drop of oil. After a night of fierce warfare, the cultivators of both sides were exhausted in body and spirit. *Shouldn't there be orders by now?* Qin Sang gazed toward the Core Formation cultivators' battlefield, absentmindedly maneuvering his Cold Metal sword in coordination with Mu Yifeng. Unfortunately, his expectations were dashed. After waiting a while longer, dark clouds still rolled in the distant skies, accompanied by lightning and thunder, showing no sign of abating. This set Qin Sang's heart on edge. He wondered nervously, *Are they really going to decide victory and defeat here?* At this thought, Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. After scanning their surroundings, he abruptly sent a voice transmission to Mu Yifeng. Mu Yifeng was startled and shot Qin Sang an inquiring glance. With a grave expression, Qin Sang nodded to Mu Yifeng. After a brief exchange, under the pretense that Mu Yifeng had depleted too much energy and could not keep going, Qin Sang had Mu Yifeng pull back to rest while others took his place. Then Qin Sang and Mu Yifeng took turns resting to maintain the situation. While the squad's strength appeared drastically reduced and in constant peril, everything remained within Qin Sang's control. As time dragged on, changes rippled across the battlefield. The formations on both sides began to fall into disarray. Viewed from afar, cultivators fought for themselves like a rabble in a brawl, entirely bereft of order. Qin Sang dared not relax in the slightest. His gaze darted back and forth between the two battlefields, especially the Core Formation clash, though unfortunately he could discern nothing from it. The morning sun rose steadily. Another two hours passed. Many cultivators were utterly exhausted. The fighting was no longer as fierce as at the start, but it had grown increasingly bogged down. Qin Sang grew even more cautious as casualties mounted. Even though he had been quick to adapt and had preserved his strength early on, he clearly still felt stretched thin, secretly relieved that he hadn't used his ebony sword. The others had it even worse. Time crept by far too slowly, as if stretched to infinity; every single moment was an agonizing ordeal. Hour after hour slipped by. When the blazing sun hung high at zenith. Right past the midpoint of noon. A sudden upheaval finally occurred! Above the Core Formation cultivators' battlefield, a point of light descended from the heavens. At first, it was so inconspicuous that even though Qin Sang had been keeping watch, he hadn't spotted it. Only when that point of light grew larger and descended to the very top of the dark clouds did he notice its presence. Within the radiant light was a glittering silver spirit talisman. Qin Sang's heart tightened. His eyes widened, fixating on the talisman's movement. In three years of standoff, such a spirit talisman had appeared for the very first time. Who had cast it? Qin Sang was not the only one to spot it; more and more cultivators noticed the spirit talisman, looking up one after another to watch. The spirit talisman gathered speed, plummeting straight into the dark clouds and expanding rapidly. Once stretched to its limit, it shattered soundlessly. *Whoosh!* In an instant, the dark clouds vanished, and the lightning faded without a trace. The figures of the Core Formation cultivators from both sides were finally revealed. They were still locked in a fierce, furious battle. Worthy of Core Formation experts, they showed none of the exhaustion that plagued Qin Sang and the others; every clash of spells and collision of magic treasures still carried terrifying power. The appearance of the spirit talisman caught everyone off guard, causing the ferocious battle to grind to an abrupt halt. *Whoosh...* A gentle breeze swept through, yet it carried a power that even Core Formation cultivators could not resist. Everyone was involuntarily separated from their opponents—the Lesser Cold Domain forces were blown to the north, while the Heaven-Traversing Alliance was pushed to the south, leaving the beam of light right between the two sides. Looking at one another in bewilderment, the combatants all stayed their hands. At the same time, several indistinct figures materialized in the sky.