Song Qingshu looked around, then at his severed arm, and gave a bitter smile.
"Breaking out... I’m afraid it won’t be that easy."
According to what Xu Xian had just said...
Within a hundred-mile radius...
There were at least two Nascent Soul Venerables, ten core formation cultivators, several foundation establishment practitioners, and a Weeping Blood formation blocking the way.
Xu Xian had been able to sneak in silently because he possessed methods that even a nascent soul could not detect. They hadn't pried into the specifics of what that was, but Xu Xian had also stated that it could not be applied to them.
Xu Xian would not be noticed.
However, the moment the rest of them left this spot, they would certainly be sensed by the enemy's late-stage nascent soul experts.
This was the primary reason why, even after being rescued by Xu Xian, they hadn't immediately fled but chose to heal their wounds on the spot.
The battles of cultivators were different from the brawls of mortals. If you couldn't be seen, you couldn't be seen.
Divine sense.
Perception.
Spiritual power.
These things acted much like radar in modern information warfare; they were pivotal and could easily dictate the outcome of a battle.
Furthermore...
To prevent word from leaking out, this group had also set up an isolation formation on the perimeter.
If they wanted to leave...
They had to break the formation.
Even if they luckily managed to escape this place without being discovered, the act of breaking the formation would definitely alert the enemy.
They would be hunted down and slaughtered.
If it were any other time, with six core formation cultivators, two Nascent Souls, plus Xu Xian—a foundation establishment practitioner whose strength was not inferior to the core formation stage—they naturally wouldn't be afraid.
While they might not sweep the field, escaping would be no problem at all.
But right now...
The five members of the Supervision Hall basically had zero combat power. Song Qingshu wasn't much better, and Ruan Zhong and Nangong Ning were heavily injured, their strength severely diminished. Facing an enemy several times their number in a frontal breakthrough would be a death sentence.
Split up and run?
That was also definitely hopeless.
The group remained silent until Nangong Ning said in a heavy voice, "Qingshu is right. A clean escape is impossible, but if we bet our lives on it, we might have a chance."
Everyone cast hopeful gazes toward her...
Nangong Ning looked at Xu Xian and continued slowly, "Among us, only our Little Grand-Uncle is uninjured and possesses the means to evade the divine sense of a nascent soul. We will fight our way out and risk everything to tear an opening in the formation. We'll send the Little Grand-Uncle out in the chaos. Once he leaves this formation, he will be like a fish in the sea. As long as the news reaches the sect, the Ancestors will arrive within half a day. The conspiracy of Cangwu and these demonic remnants will collapse on its own."
Ruan Zhong did not hesitate for a second.
"I have no objection."
Song Qingshu nodded heavily.
"It's feasible."
Feng Shisan immediately spoke on behalf of the five from the Supervision Hall, saying decisively:
"The five of us failed to oversee Yecheng properly, bringing shame to the sect and allowing this disaster to brew. If we can make amends, our deaths will not be in vain."
Xu Xian said nothing, silently lowering his eyes.
He remained as steady as a mountain while everyone's gazes converged on him.
Call it selfishness or a fear of death, it was undeniable.
Nangong Ning's proposal was indeed the most feasible and rational plan at the moment.
If only one person could escape, it had to be him.
Even if he chose to sacrifice himself for the sake of righteousness to let one of them live...
Given their condition, they wouldn't get far before being cut down.
But...
He was conflicted.
His nature told him he had to do it because he didn't want to die yet.
His logic told him he had to do it because it was the most reasonable path.
But his sentiment told him: you cannot do this...
When faced with such a choice of life and death, a voice deep within his sea of consciousness kept telling him.
He couldn't do it.
He might live, but he would inevitably spend the rest of his life living in self-reproach.
The moral baseline in his heart had become an impassable chasm at this moment.
The education and experiences he had received were like an unshakable mountain.
Weakness?
Incompetence?
An overactive bleeding heart?
Whatever it was.
Talk was cheap, but reality was a different matter entirely.
Even though...
He didn't really know the five people from the Supervision Hall.
Even with Nangong Ning, Song Qingshu, and Ruan Zhong, they were only acquaintances, not deep friends.
But as it happened...
They, like him, all came from the Wendao Sword Sect.
Even though he had been kidnapped and brought back.
Even though he didn't seem to owe the Wendao Sword Sect anything.
Even though he didn't seem to have such deep feelings for the sect...
There was an unspeakable sense of belonging.
Perhaps even he hadn't noticed when he had begun to accept the Wendao Sword Sect, regarding it as his home, his country...
At this moment...
Scenes from within the Wendao Sword Sect kept playing in his mind.
The stingy Zhou Tao.
The aloof Wen Qingxue.
Li Qingshan, who was always avoiding him.
The Sect Master senior sister who always lectured him.
The wooden Zhang Yang, the generous Yao Xiaoxiao, and the loyal Lin Qianqian...
As well as those unfamiliar yet friendly faces.
The Wendao Sword Sect was righteous.
The Wendao Sword Sect was good.
The people in the Wendao Sword Sect were even better.
Warm, kind, sincere...
Thinking carefully, he couldn't find a single person who made him feel genuine, deep-seated disgust.
Those cries of 'Little Grand-Uncle' and 'Martial Uncle' echoed constantly.
They constantly condemned him.
And they constantly told him:
You can't do this.
You can't run alone.
You can't leave them behind.
They are your comrades, your family, your juniors...
Slowly looking up, Xu Xian's gaze swept across each of them.
The words Ye Xianyu had said to him that day surfaced in his sea of consciousness.
With great power comes great responsibility.
Looking at them, he asked himself.
'Xu Xian, can you really do it? Can you really leave them behind? Are you really going to let them die for you?'
The answer was: No.
He spoke, his tone resolute.
"No!"
Nangong Ning said, "Little Grand-Uncle, this is no time to be headstrong."
The others also hurried to persuade him.
"Yes, Little Grand-Uncle, we must prioritize the big picture."
"Little Grand-Uncle..."
They didn't forget to use logic, analyzing the pros and cons.
How could Xu Xian not understand the logic?
But if he really agreed, even if no one in the world blamed him...
He wouldn't be able to get past the hurdle in his own heart.
In the cultivation world...
This was called a heart demon.
Or an obsession.
He didn't intend to negotiate with them. Instead, he dropped his usual easygoing manner and took a firm stance.
"Since when does an elder let the juniors die for him? I don't know if such a logic exists elsewhere in the world, but in the Wendao Sword Sect, that logic does not exist. My cultivation might be low, but I still have my dignity. I can't afford to lose face like that."
"If you really acknowledge me as your Little Grand-Uncle, and it's not just a title, then you must listen to me."
"Today, if someone has to die, then I must be the first to die."
"If we leave, we leave together."
"As long as I'm still alive, I won't leave a single one of you behind... no one left behind, no one forgotten."
Xu Xian spouted a bunch of strangely passionate, heroic nonsense.
Yet, after hearing it, everyone stood there in a daze.
At that moment, Xu Xian's small figure seemed to grow taller, filling their vision.
He became grander.
More majestic.
Respect was born in their eyes.
A swordsman is fearless, admiring the gentleman, the brave...
At least in this moment...
Xu Xian was that person.
Ruan Zhong swallowed hard and pointed behind Xu Xian. "Little Grand-Uncle..."
"Hmm?"
Ruan Zhong said seriously, "There's something behind your back."
Xu Xian turned around blankly. "What thing? There's nothing there."
"There really is. It's a golden light."
Xu Xian was stunned. Are you kidding me?
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Damn it!"
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