The rearguard general crossed the fractured courtyard before the last fragments of the shattered flight seal reached the ground. Every step broke more of the road beneath it, and black essence streamed from the wounds in its armor only to burn away against the unstable power filling its body. The hooked spear in its hands had grown wider than the gate behind Tianlan, its crescent blade wrapped in a dark current that bent the air and dragged loose stones across the courtyard.
Xiangyin met the charge before it reached the western formations. She lowered her spear, planted her rear foot beside a broken ritual groove, and sent Earth Dao through the road while Metal reinforced the weapon from the butt to the point. Space settled around her stance and fixed the distance between her and the general long enough for her solar Light to gather into a narrow line along the spearhead.
Their weapons collided.
The impact tore the stone beneath Xiangyin's feet and drove her backward despite the Earth and Space supporting her stance. Her spear shaft bowed between her hands while Wind rotated around the point of contact, preventing the hooked blade from sliding down toward her fingers. The general continued pushing without concern for the cracks widening through its right shoulder, using the instability of its own body as additional force.
Tianlan entered from the general's right before Xiangyin lost the ground beneath her. Lightning and Wind accelerated him across the broken road, while Space shortened the final distance and placed his spear beside an open fracture beneath the general's ribs. Metal sharpened the thrust, Dragon Dao strengthened his arms and spine, and the point passed through the damaged armor before the general could turn.
Black blood sprayed across the shaft.
The general closed its right arm around Tianlan's spear.
Tianlan tried to pull free, but the broken armor folded against the shaft and trapped it inside the wound. The hooked blade left Xiangyin's weapon and turned toward Tianlan's neck, the general willingly allowing the spear to remain buried in its body so it could drag him closer.
Baiyun struck from above.
His wings folded as he descended, and Wind compressed beneath his body until the air snapped around him. Lightning and Metal gathered across his claws, reinforced by the rotating Yin–Yang circle on his chest, and he struck the general's weapon arm just above the elbow.
The hooked blade dropped several feet.
Xue'er followed from the opposite side, sweeping frost across the general's shoulder before Fire burned through the exposed corruption around the joint. The sudden change in temperature forced the damaged muscles to contract, loosening the arm around Tianlan's spear long enough for him to wrench the weapon free.
Ling'er remained above the western road rather than joining the attack. The black pressure thrown from the collision had passed Tianlan and Xiangyin and was spreading toward the medical route, carrying pieces of broken stone and burning corruption through the air. She opened both wings, though pain pulled visibly through the left one, and Earth, Ice, Light, and Water formed a curved barrier above the wounded.
The pressure struck the barrier.
Ling'er dropped several feet but did not leave her position.
Lianhua extended lotus light beneath her from the western medical route, reinforcing the minds and bodies of the healers moving the injured through the gate. The two protections overlapped long enough for the black pressure to break apart without reaching the stretchers and medicine tables below.
Tianlan felt the strain in Ling'er's wing through their bond. His attention shifted toward her for only a moment, but that moment was enough for the general to step between him and Xiangyin.
Xiangyin struck the hooked weapon aside before it reached his chest. "Watch the general."
"Ling'er is hurt."
"She is still holding the western line. She needs you here."
Tianlan saw Ling'er stabilize above the medical route and forced his attention back to the enemy. "I know."
The general turned its left shoulder toward Xiangyin and drove the base of the hooked spear into the road. The weapon no longer carried power through the destroyed pillar network, but its physical impact was enough to split the courtyard in a line toward the western formations.
Marephoros cultivators in the third mixed squad pressed their palms to the ground and reinforced the widening fracture. Pyrelith fighters moved ahead of the Veridian healers, planting shields against the fragments thrown from the break, while Celestara specialists kept the damaged road from folding into the unstable spatial layers left by the sacrificial array.
Xiangyin stepped into the new crack instead of retreating from it. Earth Dao climbed around her boots and filled the broken stone beneath them, while Space fixed the general's preferred distance before it could draw the hooked blade back for another swing. She rotated her spear around the outer curve of the weapon and redirected it away from the western squads.
The general let its shoulder dislocate rather than yield the weapon.
Its right arm lengthened unnaturally under the pressure, black cracks opening across the exposed muscle, and the hooked blade completed its swing through an angle no healthy body could have survived. Xiangyin ducked beneath it, but the back of the shaft struck her shoulder and threw her across the courtyard.
Tianlan used Space to close the distance before she hit the ground. He caught the back of her armor with one hand while his spear remained between them and the general, then released Wind beneath both of them to reduce the force of the landing.
Xiangyin regained her footing before he could ask. "My shoulder moved, but it is not broken."
"Are you sure?"
"I can still hold the spear. Keep the general away from the squads."
She turned her injured side slightly away from the enemy and lowered her stance again.
Around them, the wider battle continued through the abandoned camp. Blue Sphere cultivators led squads through the original fortress passages, clearing rooms and towers before the Abyssal soldiers could retreat into them. Umbrel fighters spread shadows across broken walls and sealed the concealed routes the rearguard had used during the ambush, while Pyrelith cultivators broke the remaining heavy formations along the northern gate.
Veridian healers moved with the advancing lines rather than remaining behind them. They purified wounds before black essence could settle inside the blood, then passed the more seriously injured back toward Lianhua's protected route. Marephoros cultivators stabilized the damaged courtyard and underground chambers, while Celestara specialists cut unstable spatial seams before they folded around the squads clearing the towers.
Yueru and Ziyue descended from the northern wall after killing the segmented-blade commander. Their robes and armor carried cuts from the chained weapons, but both remained able to fight. They joined the Blue Sphere and Umbrel pairs pressing the last northern defenders away from the tower stairways.
Yanfei and Shuyue worked through the southern ritual channels. Yanfei froze the remaining black essence before cold flame consumed it, while Shuyue removed the fragments of sacrificial law still trying to claim the bodies left beneath the barracks. Yinxue continued freeing the last spiritual remnants below the central courtyard, her froststeel sword moving carefully through bonds the formation had knotted around the dead.
Haotian remained near the broken center of the camp. Three overlapping authorities surrounded the buried detonation core: Creation preserved the remains and reinforced the underground chambers, the Dao Palace of the Universe isolated the mechanism inside a separate spatial layer, and Destruction prevented the compressed corruption from becoming an uncontrolled explosion.
The work kept him from joining Tianlan and Xiangyin directly.
The general understood that.
It looked past the two spear cultivators toward Haotian, then toward the medical route behind them. The unstable power inside its armor gathered more densely, and a dark pulse moved from the exposed core beneath its chest into the hooked spear.
Xuanyin saw the change through the command projection. "Tianlan, the power is gathering in its chest before moving into the weapon."
Tianlan turned his spear and prepared to strike the exposed core.
"Do not attack yet," Xuanyin said. "I need to see how it stabilizes the release."
The general lifted the hooked spear above one shoulder.
Xiangyin watched its feet. "Its left leg is taking the weight."
The black power moved through the right shoulder and filled the crescent blade. The general planted its left foot deeper into the broken road, and the pressure around its core steadied.
Baiyun cried from above.
Tianlan felt the full stance through their bond. "The planted leg is absorbing the recoil."
Xuanyin marked the sequence on the strategic projection. "Yes. Power gathers at the chest, moves through the right shoulder, enters the weapon, and returns through the left leg after release."
"What happens if we break the leg before it attacks?" Tianlan asked.
"I do not know yet. Do not test it while the western squads are behind you."
The general swung.
A crescent of black force crossed the courtyard at shoulder height, wide enough to cut through Tianlan, Xiangyin, and the formations behind them. Xiangyin anchored her spear with Earth and Metal, while Tianlan released Space through his weapon to bend part of the attack upward.
Ling'er, Xue'er, and Baiyun moved into Shield of Three.
Ling'er held the left and lowest point near the western road. Xue'er crossed the right side in a trail of flame and frost, while Baiyun took the apex above Tianlan. The Yin–Yang circles on their chests aligned, and the Ten Elements spread across the formation in layered bands.
Earth and Metal caught the lower edge of the crescent. Wind redirected its upper force, Water and Ice slowed the burning corruption, and Light exposed the weak sections inside the attack. Fire consumed the loose black essence, while Shadow filled the narrow gaps left between the falcons' wings.
The crescent broke across the shared defense.
The remaining force threw all three falcons backward.
Ling'er struck the road and dragged one claw through the stone before she stopped. Xue'er hit the southern wall with enough force to crack the masonry behind her, while Baiyun remained airborne but lost several feet of height before recovering.
The general's left leg sank deeper into the ground after the attack.
Black power returned through it and stabilized the exposed core.
Xuanyin followed the movement. "The left leg is the return route. It keeps the power from rebounding into the chest."
Xiangyin looked toward the damaged knee. "Then we break the anchor after it commits the weapon."
"Yes, but not until we control the release. If the weapon remains pointed toward the western formations, the rebound may not matter."
Tianlan looked toward Baiyun above the courtyard. "We can turn the weapon."
"Not while the general expects it," Xuanyin replied. "Keep fighting. I need another full cycle."
The general did not give them time to discuss further.
It stepped toward Xiangyin and dragged the hooked spear along the ground, gathering broken stone and black fire around the crescent blade. Xiangyin met the weapon with the reinforced center of her spear rather than the point, but her injured shoulder weakened the rotation and allowed the hook to catch the shaft.
The general pulled.
Xiangyin released one hand before the hook could tear the weapon from her grip. Wind spun the spear along the curved blade, while Space shortened the distance between her rear hand and the center of the shaft. She recovered control, but the maneuver left her chest exposed.
Tianlan attacked the general's right shoulder.
Lightning accelerated the thrust, Metal narrowed it, and Time shortened the interval before the point reached the wound Baiyun had opened earlier. The spear entered deeply enough to expose the black core beneath the chest armor.
Xiangyin had not yet anchored the rear foot.
The general allowed the thrust to continue.
Its left arm closed around Tianlan's spear shaft, and the unstable armor trapped the weapon against the ribs. The hooked spear changed direction, pulling Xiangyin's weapon aside and bringing the crescent blade toward Tianlan from behind.
Xiangyin released her spear from the hook and struck the armor holding Tianlan's weapon. Solar Light and Metal split the overlapping plates, freeing the shaft before the crescent reached him.
The general's knee drove into Xiangyin's side.
Her armor buckled.
She was thrown into a broken section of wall, where the impact cracked the remaining stones and buried one leg beneath falling debris.
Tianlan pulled his spear free and folded Space around his next step, appearing beside her before the general could follow. He drove Earth through the rubble and lifted enough of the stone for Xiangyin to pull her leg free.
Blood touched the corner of her mouth.
"Can you stand?" Tianlan asked.
"Yes."
"Your side is injured."
"I know."
He turned toward the general. "I had the core."
"You attacked before I controlled its footing."
"The opening was closing."
"Then wait for the opening we create together."
Tianlan looked at her.
Xiangyin pushed away the remaining debris and stood with her spear held across the damaged side of her body. "You are fighting beside me. You are not racing me to the core."
The general approached through the dust.
Tianlan adjusted his grip. "You are right."
"Do not move until I tell you the stance is fixed."
"I understand."
The direct answer changed the next exchange.
Xiangyin moved first, but she did not attempt to overpower the hooked spear. She used short thrusts toward the general's hips, knees, and planted feet, forcing it to defend the positions that controlled its movement. Earth and Space shaped the courtyard around each step, narrowing the stable ground available to it.
Tianlan remained outside the first opening.
He used Wind and Lightning only to reposition, attacking the general's weapon arm and exposed side without committing his full spear force. Dragon Dao strengthened his body, but he kept the power contained instead of forcing it into an early core strike.
Ling'er returned to the western line with her injured wing held close to her body. Xue'er pushed away from the cracked southern wall and resumed a lower flight pattern, while Baiyun circled above the general and watched the full stance.
The rearguard noticed Tianlan's change.
It stopped offering the same opening.
Instead, the hooked spear swept toward Ling'er.
The dark crescent appeared to target the western medical route, and Ling'er moved to intercept as her assignment required. Halfway across the courtyard, the force bent upward and narrowed toward her injured wing.
Tianlan felt the change and started toward her.
Ling'er called through their bond.
The meaning was clear: remain where you are.
She folded the damaged wing against her body and rolled through the air with the other. Earth and Ice gathered across her chest and healthy wing, turning her body enough that the crescent struck the layered defense rather than the existing wound.
The impact drove her to the road.
Lianhua's lotus protection spread beneath her and caught part of the remaining force, while the Marephoros pair nearest the medical route stabilized the ground before she hit.
Ling'er remained conscious.
Tianlan did not leave Xiangyin's side.
The general turned toward Xue'er next.
She had frozen the fractures around its left knee and was burning the exposed corruption with narrow lines of flame. The joint began stiffening, but the general drove more weight into it until the bone and damaged armor broke together.
Xue'er hesitated.
The general released the stored force through the shattered joint.
Black pressure struck her at close range and threw her across the courtyard. She hit the side of a defensive tower, broke through the outer parapet, and disappeared behind a rain of stone.
Tianlan's grip tightened.
The general stepped toward the tower.
Xiangyin placed her spear across his path. "Keep it here."
"Xue'er may be trapped."
"Then move her without bringing the general to her."
Tianlan extended the Dao of the Universe through the Space Dao inside his palace. He found Xue'er beneath the broken stone, conscious but unable to spread one wing fully in the narrow gap.
Space folded around her.
She vanished from the base of the tower and reappeared near the western road beside Ling'er. Lianhua's protection reached her immediately, and two Veridian healers moved toward the damaged shoulder.
Xue'er tried to rise.
Tianlan sent a firm command through their bond. Remain there until the wing is checked.
She answered with frustration but did not return to the air.
The general exposed its right shoulder.
Baiyun saw the opening.
The bold falcon descended with Wind and Lightning compressing around his body. Metal gathered across his claws, while Space narrowed the final path toward the damaged weapon arm.
The general waited.
When Baiyun entered the last few feet, the hooked spear reversed.
The crescent blade struck across his chest and lower wing.
Baiyun's cry broke over the courtyard as he was thrown toward the ground. Blood and frost-rainbow light scattered from the wound, and his large body turned once before the road rushed up beneath him.
Tianlan reached through their bond.
Ling'er and Xue'er responded despite their own injuries.
Earth and Wind gathered beneath Baiyun through Shield of Three, slowing the fall before he struck the stone. He landed hard near the western gate, cracked the road beneath him, and remained still for several breaths.
Tianlan almost moved.
Baiyun lifted his head.
The glow around the Yin–Yang circle on his chest flickered but did not vanish.
A Veridian healer ran toward him with two Blue Sphere cultivators protecting the route. Baiyun forced one wing beneath himself and began to stand before Tianlan sent the recall command.
Remain down.
Baiyun resisted.
Tianlan repeated the order.
The falcon lowered himself onto the road and allowed the healers to reach the wound.
The rearguard general had learned what it wanted.
Every threat against Ling'er, Xue'er, or Baiyun pulled Tianlan's attention away from Xiangyin and the central fight. The general began changing its movements to create false openings near the falcons, using the hooked spear to force Tianlan into choosing between his companions and the western squads.
Xuanyin watched the pattern. "It is targeting the bond."
Tianlan stepped beside Xiangyin again. "I know."
"Do not assume the falcons need you to make every decision for them. They are reporting their condition through the bond."
Ling'er was injured but conscious. Xue'er's shoulder and wing required treatment, though she could still circulate power. Baiyun's chest wound was deep enough to limit his descent speed, but the blade had not reached the Yin–Yang circle or the internal core supporting his cultivation.
Tianlan understood all of that through the bond.
His fear had added something else.
"I have been reacting before they ask for help," he said.
"Yes."
Xiangyin kept her eyes on the general. "Can they continue?"
Tianlan looked toward all three companions.
Ling'er stood beside the western formation with her injured wing folded. Xue'er had allowed the healers to secure the damaged shoulder, but frost and flame still moved through the feathers of her healthy wing. Baiyun remained on the ground while Veridian light closed the deepest part of the wound across his chest.
Their answers reached Tianlan together.
They would continue.
"They can," Tianlan said.
"Then trust them," Xiangyin replied.
The general began gathering another full attack cycle.
Power concentrated beneath the broken chest armor and moved toward the right shoulder. The hooked spear rose, while the left foot planted deeper into the courtyard.
Xuanyin enlarged the sequence on the strategic projection. "This is the same cycle."
Xiangyin watched the left leg. "If I pin that foot after the weapon charges, the power rebounds into the core."
"Yes. Its body will contain the first rebound, but we do not know how long."
Tianlan studied the weapon arm. "Baiyun can turn the spear."
"He is injured," Xuanyin said.
"He can still strike once."
Baiyun lifted his head from the western road.
Ling'er stepped forward until her claws touched one of the broken ritual grooves. Xue'er pushed herself upright beside the healers.
Tianlan continued, "Ling'er can anchor the western formation from the ground. Xue'er can attack the damaged left joint. Baiyun only needs to redirect the weapon after the charge reaches the blade."
"What will you do?" Xuanyin asked.
"I will force the right shoulder into full commitment and strike the core after Xiangyin breaks the anchor."
Xiangyin added, "I will hold the left foot to the ground. If it can lift the leg, the rebound may travel somewhere else."
Xuanyin reviewed the positions. "The plan is sound, but the general may change the release when it understands what you are doing."
Tianlan looked toward the hooked spear. "Then the first attempt may fail."
"How many more full attacks can the western formations withstand?" Xiangyin asked.
Xuanyin checked the medical route, damaged barriers, and exhausted squads. "One without major losses. Maybe two if Lianhua and the falcons can reinforce the defense."
Lianhua heard the report through the command channel. "Do not plan around a second."
Tianlan nodded. "We use this cycle."
The general charged before they finished positioning.
Xiangyin moved toward its left side, using short spear strikes to force more weight onto the damaged leg. Xue'er left the healers and flew low over the road, one wing doing most of the work while frost spread toward the knee.
Baiyun climbed slowly from the western gate.
Ling'er remained on the ground and placed both claws against the broken stone. Earth, Metal, Ice, Light, and Wood moved through the Yin–Yang circle on her chest and entered the road beneath the western formations.
The general saw the altered arrangement.
Its hooked spear rose.
Tianlan attacked the right shoulder, not the core. Lightning and Wind carried him close enough to strike the damaged joint, and Space changed the thrust's angle when the general attempted to turn.
Black power gathered inside the weapon.
Xiangyin's spear entered the left knee.
Xue'er froze the fracture around it and wrapped Fire along the outer corruption, preventing the joint from rebuilding even temporarily.
Baiyun descended.
The general changed its plan.
Instead of releasing the charged attack through the hooked spear, it tore the entire right arm free at the shoulder.
Black blood and unstable power erupted from the wound. The detached arm remained wrapped around the weapon, and the general threw both toward the western medical route with the full charge still trapped inside them.
Baiyun twisted away from the unexpected projectile.
The hooked spear passed beneath him and continued toward the wounded.
Ling'er left the ground to intercept.
Her injured wing failed after the first beat.
She struck the weapon with Earth, Metal, and Light gathered across her body, but the charged spear carried her backward toward the medical route. The impact tore more feathers from the damaged wing and opened a deeper cut across her side.
Tianlan broke formation.
Space folded around him, carrying him away from the general and toward Ling'er. He struck the flying weapon from above, redirecting the crescent blade into the courtyard before it reached the medical station.
The trapped power exploded against the road.
Lianhua expanded her protection around the wounded, while Marephoros cultivators reinforced the ground and Celestara specialists prevented the blast from opening a spatial tear beneath the medical route. Tianlan caught Ling'er before she hit the broken stone and carried her beyond the worst of the pressure.
Behind him, the general tore its left leg free from Xiangyin's anchor by ripping through its own knee.
The broken limb remained pinned to the road.
The general continued forward on one leg.
It struck Xiangyin across the chest with its remaining arm and threw her into the outer wall. Her spear fell several paces away, and the impact cracked the armor over her ribs.
The first coordinated attempt had failed.
The general advanced closer to the western formations than at any earlier point in the battle.
Tianlan lowered Ling'er beside the medical route. Blood darkened the feathers along her wing and side, but she remained conscious and pushed her head against his shoulder before he could order her away from the battle.
"You cannot fly," he said.
Ling'er answered through the bond.
She did not need to fly.
She could hold the ground from where she stood.
Tianlan looked toward Xue'er and Baiyun. Xue'er had returned to the air, though her flight remained uneven. Baiyun landed near them and folded his injured wing closer to his chest.
The three companions formed a triangle around Tianlan without being told.
He understood what he had been refusing to accept.
They were not weapons he carried into battle. They were not extensions of his will that existed only to follow his decisions. Ling'er, Xue'er, and Baiyun had chosen to stand beside him, and they understood their own injuries, limits, and responsibilities.
Ling'er knew she could not sustain flight.
She also knew she could still protect the western formation from the ground.
Tianlan placed one hand against the feathers below her neck. "Are you sure?"
Her answer remained steady.
He looked toward Xue'er. "Can you reach the general's left side again?"
She lifted her healthy wing and released a fierce call.
Tianlan turned toward Baiyun. "Can you strike the weapon once?"
Baiyun's answer carried more calm than the others.
"Yes," Tianlan said quietly. "Then we change the formation."
Xiangyin had already retrieved her spear.
She crossed the courtyard with one arm held closer to her damaged ribs, but her steps remained stable. The general stood between her and Tianlan on its remaining leg, the severed shoulder pouring black power into a new limb made entirely from unstable corruption.
It was rebuilding just enough of the arm to hold the hooked spear again.
"The plan failed because we assumed it wanted to keep its body," Xiangyin said.
Tianlan returned to her side. "It will tear off anything that gives it another attack."
"Then we stop planning around what it should protect."
Xuanyin heard them. "Its core is deteriorating faster. The next full cycle may be the last one it can survive."
"What changes?" Tianlan asked.
"The power is no longer traveling cleanly through the right shoulder. The new arm is unstable. It will need longer to fill the weapon."
"That gives us more time," Xiangyin said.
"It also means the attack may discharge before the blade is ready."
Tianlan looked toward the western formations. "Can Haotian contain the release if it turns inward?"
"No," Xuanyin answered. "He is still holding the underground core. Your formation must keep the general's power away from the squads."
Tianlan considered the positions. "Ling'er anchors the western road from the ground. Xue'er holds the left flank. Baiyun takes the upper center. I will carry the inner connection between them."
"That changes Spiral Defense," Xuanyin said.
"It reverses it."
Xiangyin understood. "Instead of stopping power from entering the formation, they force it back toward the center."
"Yes."
Xuanyin examined the geometry through the live projection. "It may work if the three falcons maintain the same elemental sequence. Ling'er cannot adjust her position after the containment closes."
"She will not need to," Tianlan said. "I will move the inner connection."
Xuanyin paused only long enough to confirm the remaining routes and squad positions. "Then use the next full cycle. Do not attack the core before Xiangyin confirms the left anchor is fixed."
Tianlan looked toward Xiangyin.
She tightened her grip around the spear despite the pain in her side. "Wait for me."
"I will."
The general gathered itself for the final charge.
Its severed right shoulder had formed a crude arm of black essence around the hooked spear, but the connection shook under the strain. The exposed core beneath its chest armor had grown brighter, and cracks now covered the body from the neck to the remaining foot.
The western squads began withdrawing the wounded farther toward the ridge. Pyrelith cultivators held the outer line, while Blue Sphere commanders directed each mixed formation around the damaged road. Lianhua's lotus light moved with them, and the Veridian healers continued working without turning their backs on the battlefield.
Haotian looked toward Tianlan from the center of the camp. "How long do you need?"
"One attack cycle."
"I can keep the detonation core contained."
"What if the general reaches you?"
"I will stop it."
Tianlan shook his head. "Keep holding the core. We will stop the general."
Haotian studied his son for one breath, then returned his full attention to the underground mechanism. "Do it."
The general charged.
Ling'er planted her claws into the western road. The Yin–Yang circle on her chest rotated, and Earth spread through the stone beneath every mixed squad still inside the camp. Metal reinforced the broken barrier posts, Ice stabilized the cracked ground, Light revealed the black pressure leaking from the general, and Wood carried strength into Ling'er's injured body.
She became the lowest point of the formation.
Xue'er moved along the general's left side. She flew close enough to the ground that one wingtip brushed dust from the courtyard, using Wind and Space to compensate for the injured shoulder. Frost gathered around her claws, while Fire burned in a narrow line along the edge of her healthy wing.
Baiyun climbed above the general.
The wound across his chest opened again under the strain, but his breathing remained controlled. Lightning and Metal gathered around his claws, Wind compressed beneath his wings, and Space narrowed the route between him and the hooked blade.
Tianlan stood at the center of their shared bond.
The Ten Elements did not pour through him without order. Earth and Metal traveled first toward Ling'er's anchor. Wind and Lightning strengthened Xue'er and Baiyun's movement, while Water and Ice cooled the unstable pressure gathering around them. Fire and Light prepared to consume the released corruption, Wood sustained the falcons through their injuries, and Shadow closed the spaces between their positions.
Yin–Yang harmonized the entire pattern.
Xiangyin entered the general's range.
She attacked the remaining leg with three short thrusts, forcing it to plant more weight into the damaged hip. The first strike used Earth to test the stability. The second used Metal and Lightning to open the fracture wider. The third carried Space through the point and fixed the general's foot to the road for less than a breath.
The general raised the hooked spear.
Power gathered inside the exposed core.
Tianlan attacked the new right shoulder.
His spear did not aim for the chest. Dragon Dao strengthened his body, Lightning accelerated the thrust, and Space turned the point through the unstable arm until the general had no choice but to commit more power into the weapon.
The black charge climbed the shaft.
The general tried to swing early.
Baiyun descended directly toward the blade.
He did not evade when the crescent turned toward him. Wind and Space altered his path only enough to pass above the cutting edge, then both claws struck the flat of the weapon near its widest point.
Metal reinforced the impact.
Lightning disrupted the unstable arm.
The hooked spear tilted away from the western formations, but the general did not release it. It continued forcing power into the blade, intending to crush Baiyun between the weapon and the ground.
Xue'er reached the left hip.
Ice entered the fracture Xiangyin had opened. Fire followed around the outer edge, burning away the black essence trying to hold the joint together. The general shifted more of its weight onto the leg to remain upright.
Xiangyin drove her spear through the knee.
Solar Light gathered around the point, while Earth and Metal concentrated through the shaft. Darkness thickened the general's shadow beneath the damaged foot, and Light exposed the connection between the shadow and the physical stance.
Space fixed both.
Xiangyin pushed the broken joint into the road until the spearhead entered the stone beneath it.
The general tried to lift the leg.
It could not.
Xiangyin looked toward Tianlan. "Now."
Tianlan moved only after hearing her.
Lightning and Wind carried him through the general's right side, while Dragon Dao reinforced every bone and meridian that would absorb the rebound. Space folded around his spear and redirected the point past the remaining armor beneath the ribs.
Time slowed around the release inside the weapon.
His spear entered the core.
The general roared and attempted to complete the swing.
Baiyun held the hooked blade at the upper point of the formation. His injured chest bled across the dark weapon, but Wind and Metal continued forcing the crescent away from the western squads.
The charged attack had nowhere safe to go.
The left leg could not absorb the recoil.
Power returned through the general's body.
The first rebound entered the exposed core around Tianlan's spear, tearing the cracks across the chest wider. Black force ran along the shaft toward Tianlan, but Yin–Yang and Dragon Dao held his body together long enough for him to maintain the thrust.
The general's remaining arm closed around him.
Xiangyin released her anchor from the knee and stepped into the opening on the opposite side. Space lengthened her reach, while Earth stabilized her damaged body and Metal held the spear straight despite the pressure in her shoulder and ribs.
Her weapon entered the core from the left.
Solar radiance spread through the darkness around Tianlan's spear.
The two forces met inside the general.
At first, they resisted one another. Tianlan's Lightning and Dragon Dao wanted to tear forward, while Xiangyin's solar Earth and Metal sought to hold and expose the core. Yin–Yang passed from Tianlan into both spear paths, harmonizing the contradiction without weakening either purpose.
Time held the releases for the same instant.
The general tried to expel the unstable power outward through every wound in its armor.
Ling'er answered from the western road.
Earth and Metal rose around the lower part of the general, while Ice slowed the black pressure entering the air. Xue'er circled the left flank and spread Fire through the loose corruption before it could reach the mixed squads. Baiyun remained above the hooked blade, turning the upper release inward through Wind, Lightning, and Space.
The falcons formed the reversed Spiral Defense.
Tianlan became the inner connection between them.
Light exposed every path through which the general tried to release power. Shadow filled the gaps between the three falcons and prevented the pressure from escaping through the damaged terrain. Water cooled the overloaded channels, Wood sustained the injured companions, and Yin–Yang kept the containment from tearing itself apart.
The spiral tightened toward the center.
The general's power returned to its core.
Xiangyin felt the internal structure begin to fail. "Release."
Tianlan released his spear force at the same moment.
Xiangyin's solar-metal thrust anchored the core in place and stripped away the final armor protecting it. Tianlan's Dragon Dao, Lightning, Metal, Space, Time, and Spear Dao drove through the exposed center from the opposite side.
The two weapons crossed inside the general.
The core split.
Black cracks spread from the chest to the neck, remaining hip, and unstable arm. The hooked spear broke beneath Baiyun's claws, and the crescent blade fell into the courtyard as the corruption surrounding it collapsed inward.
The general opened its mouth, but no final attack emerged.
The reversed Spiral Defense forced the first explosion back through the broken core. Ling'er's claws tore deeper grooves into the western road, Xue'er's damaged wing nearly folded under the pressure, and Baiyun dropped several feet before catching the upper release again.
Tianlan remained inside the collapsing force with both hands locked around his spear.
Xiangyin's weapon shook between them.
The general's body folded inward around the crossed points.
Its remaining armor broke apart.
The unstable power collapsed into the destroyed core instead of spreading through the camp.
The rearguard general fell to one knee.
Xiangyin pulled her spear free and stepped away before the body struck the ground. Tianlan followed, but the rebound along his weapon reached his arms and chest before he could fully withdraw.
Dragon Dao absorbed part of it.
The rest threw him backward.
Baiyun descended behind him and caught the back of his armor with both claws, but the falcon's injuries prevented a full stop. They struck the road together and slid through the dust until Ling'er's Earth Dao reinforced the ground beneath them.
Tianlan remained conscious.
Baiyun lowered his head beside him.
"I am all right," Tianlan said, though his arms were shaking and blood had entered his mouth.
Baiyun released a quiet call.
Xue'er landed near them with one wing held awkwardly, while Ling'er remained at the western anchor until the last black pressure disappeared from the road.
The general's body lay motionless.
No ritual pillar answered it.
No rift connection restored it.
No sacrificial law pulled its core back together.
Xuanyin watched the last enemy marker fade from the strategic projection. "The general is dead."
The words reached every coalition command channel.
The remaining Abyssal soldiers reacted unevenly. Some continued fighting around the towers and barracks, while others abandoned their formations and ran toward the eastern road. Several attempted to enter the underground passages used during the ambush, and a smaller group fled toward the weakened shadow chambers beneath the southern wall.
The mixed legions did not pursue without order.
Umbrel cultivators closed the shadow routes first. Darkness folded around the false chambers and forced the escaping demons back into the fortress corridors, where Blue Sphere and Pyrelith fighters waited.
Celestara specialists sealed the unstable spatial exits near the eastern road. Marephoros pairs collapsed underground passages only after scouts confirmed that no coalition soldiers remained inside them. Veridian healers followed the advancing lines and purified the wounds of fighters who continued clearing the camp.
Yueru and Ziyue joined the northern squads. Yueru identified which tower passages remained connected to the old formation, while Ziyue crossed between roofs and cut off the demons attempting to retreat along the outer wall.
Yanfei froze the southern tunnels after Shuyue confirmed that no trapped spiritual fragments remained inside. Cold flame then burned through the corruption without weakening the foundations.
Yinxue emerged from the central courtyard after freeing the final group of buried dead. Her face remained pale from the spiritual pressure, but the sword in her hand was steady.
A limited number of Abyssal soldiers reached the eastern road before the Celestara specialists completed the seal. Ling'er, Xue'er, and Baiyun saw them from the western side, yet none of the falcons moved beyond Tianlan's position.
Tianlan raised the recall signal.
All three companions remained with him.
The front commander reached the center of the courtyard while the last fighting continued near the eastern towers. His armor was damaged, and black residue covered one side of his shield, but he still carried the command jade linked to Xuanyin.
"The general is down," he reported. "The remaining resistance is breaking."
"Do not chase beyond the camp," Xuanyin said. "Mark the direction of every escaping group. We need to know where they go."
"We may be able to catch them before they reach the next road."
"The formations are damaged, and the wounded are still moving toward the ridge. Hold the camp first."
The commander looked toward the eastern gate, then toward the injured squads behind him. "Understood."
The surviving demons escaped into the dry terrain beyond the camp.
Baiyun watched them until they passed beyond the distant ridge, then lowered himself beside Tianlan. The three falcons had obeyed the return limit despite the battle, injuries, and instinct to follow a fleeing enemy.
The camp belonged to the coalition.
Haotian waited until the final tower was cleared before withdrawing any authority from the buried detonation core. The underground mechanism remained intact inside the layered containment, surrounded by black essence, broken ritual channels, and the remains the Abyss had used as fuel.
Shuyue approached the central courtyard with Yanfei and Yinxue. "The sacrificial claim is broken, but fragments of the law remain attached to the core."
"Can they reconnect to the bodies?" Haotian asked.
"Not while Yinxue's severance remains in place."
Yinxue looked toward the ground. "The spiritual fragments are free. The physical remains still need to be separated from the channels."
Haotian expanded the Dao Palace of Creation beneath the courtyard.
Life-rich authority entered the underground chambers without forcing new growth through the damaged stone. Earth strengthened around each body, lifting it away from the corrupted grooves while Water and Wood separated the living black essence from bone, armor, and cloth.
The Dao Palace of the Universe unfolded the overlapping spatial layers around the mechanism. Some ritual channels existed inside compressed spaces that intersected the physical chamber only at narrow points. Haotian opened each layer and isolated the routes one at a time.
Yanfei moved frost through the exposed channels. "This one is still carrying pressure."
Shuyue read the damaged law-script around it. "It leads to the detonation authority, not the buried remains."
Haotian directed Destruction into the channel.
The black line vanished from one end to the other without disturbing the stone around it.
They continued slowly.
Creation preserved the bodies and reinforced the damaged chambers. The Dao Palace of the Universe disconnected the core from the camp, while Destruction consumed the law that allowed compressed corruption to become an explosion.
Shuyue identified the remaining sacrificial fragments before Haotian removed them. Yanfei froze unstable channels so their pressure could not spread, and Yinxue confirmed that no spiritual remnants remained bound to each section before it was destroyed.
The core became smaller with every layer they removed.
At last, only a dense black sphere remained inside the isolated space. It no longer possessed a connection to the camp, rift, pillars, bodies, or surviving Abyssal formations.
Haotian closed his hand.
"Dao of Destruction — Annihilation."
The black sphere disappeared.
No explosion followed.
The underground pressure faded, and the courtyard settled onto the foundations strengthened by the Dao Palace of Creation.
Haotian exhaled and withdrew the three overlapping authorities. The strain of maintaining them had not injured him, but the work had kept his attention divided through the entire fight.
Yinxue looked toward Tianlan and the falcons near the western wall. "You should go to them."
Haotian nodded. "Finish checking the remains."
"We will."
The medical route had expanded into a full treatment station by the time Haotian reached it. Veridian healers worked beneath Lianhua's lotus protection, treating damaged meridians, broken bones, blood loss, and corruption exposure while servants carried clean water and medicine through the western gate.
Tianlan sat on the ground beside Ling'er.
The stubborn falcon had refused to lie fully on her side until he placed one hand against her neck and remained within sight. Her left wing was stretched across a padded support while a Veridian healer removed the black fragments embedded between the rainbow feathers.
Xue'er occupied the space to Tianlan's right. Her damaged shoulder had been wrapped in medicinal cloth, and one healer was applying a cooling paste beneath the base of the wing. She repeatedly turned toward the eastern road whenever movement passed beyond the wall.
"Stop moving," Tianlan told her.
Xue'er clicked her beak and tried to look past the healer again.
"You cannot fly until the shoulder is examined."
The healer looked toward Tianlan. "She understands you better than she understands me."
"She understands both of us."
"Then tell her the joint may worsen if she keeps lifting the wing."
Tianlan repeated the warning through their bond.
Xue'er lowered the wing with visible annoyance.
Baiyun stood behind Tianlan, though two healers had ordered him to remain down. The cut across his chest had been cleaned, and the deeper wound beneath one wing was closing under Veridian spiritual power.
Haotian stopped beside him. "Why are you standing?"
Baiyun looked toward Tianlan.
"I told him to remain down," Tianlan said.
"He stood when the general died."
Haotian placed one hand against Baiyun's chest, below the bandaged wound. "Lie down."
Baiyun resisted for a moment, then lowered himself onto the prepared mat.
Tianlan looked toward his father. "He listened faster to you."
"He is tired."
"That did not stop him from ignoring me."
Haotian examined Tianlan's arms. The skin beneath the torn sleeves had darkened from the final rebound, and several meridians around the shoulders were strained.
"Are you sure you are all right?" Haotian asked.
"My arms hurt, and the rebound reached my chest. The healers already checked the internal damage."
"What did they find?"
"Strain around the shoulders and several cracked meridian junctions. Nothing is broken."
A Veridian healer behind him corrected the answer. "The left wrist has a small fracture."
Tianlan looked toward her. "You said it might be a fracture."
"I confirmed it while you were speaking."
Haotian held out his hand. "Let me see."
Tianlan passed him the injured wrist.
Xiangyin approached from the other side of the treatment area with her right shoulder bound and the armor removed from her damaged ribs. She carried both her spear and Tianlan's, though a Blue Sphere armorer followed her and objected to the weight.
"You should not be carrying those," the armorer said.
"My left arm works."
"Your ribs are injured."
"I am walking twenty paces."
"That is not the concern."
Xiangyin stopped beside Tianlan and handed him his spear. "The shaft is intact. The forward reinforcement needs to be replaced before you use full Dragon Dao through it again."
Tianlan accepted the weapon with his uninjured hand. "What about yours?"
"The hook cut through two layers near the center. It can be repaired."
Haotian looked toward her shoulder. "How severe is the injury?"
"The joint moved during the first collision. Liora's healers reset it. The ribs are cracked, not broken through."
"Can you breathe without pain?"
"No."
"Then sit down."
Xiangyin lowered herself beside Xue'er without arguing.
Tianlan glanced toward her. "You told me to wait for the shared opening."
"You needed to hear it."
"I did."
"You attacked early twice before that."
"The second time was the mistake."
"The first was also early."
"The first showed us how the armor worked."
Xiangyin looked toward him. "You still attacked before I controlled the stance."
Tianlan considered the distinction. "That is true."
Haotian remained beside them but did not enter the discussion.
Tianlan looked down at the spear across his knees. "I also left the formation when Ling'er was hit."
"You redirected the weapon before it reached the medical station," Xiangyin said. "The problem was not helping her. The problem was that we had not planned for the general to sacrifice its own arm."
"I treated their injuries as reasons to stop using the formation."
Ling'er pressed her head more firmly against his shoulder.
Tianlan rested his hand against her feathers. "They did not ask me to remove them."
"No," Xiangyin said. "They understood what they could still do."
"I knew their condition through the bond, but I reacted to what I feared might happen instead."
"That will happen again."
Tianlan looked toward her.
"Ling'er, Xue'er, and Baiyun matter to you. You are not going to stop worrying when they are hurt." Xiangyin adjusted the support around her shoulder. "You need to listen to what they tell you before deciding for them."
Tianlan nodded. "I will."
They turned to the coordination between the two spear paths after the healers finished the first treatment.
Tianlan traced the general's last stance on the dust between them. "Your anchors controlled its feet, but my first spatial attacks crossed the same routes you were stabilizing."
"I felt the distortion through the spear," Xiangyin said. "I had to reinforce the ground again each time."
"I should have changed the angle outside your anchor instead of folding through it."
"Yes. I also held the general too close to the western line during the first exchanges. That reduced the space you and the falcons had to move."
Tianlan added three marks representing Ling'er, Xue'er, and Baiyun. "The next formation should begin with the falcons controlling the escape directions. You fix the enemy's physical options, and I attack through the remaining path."
"What happens if the enemy changes direction through Space?"
"Baiyun watches from above. Xue'er pressures the side it prefers. Ling'er protects the ground formation and closes the route behind us."
Xiangyin studied the pattern. "Then we both commit only after the same opening exists."
"Yes."
"It will need practice."
"We can begin after everyone heals."
Xue'er released a sharp call.
Tianlan looked toward her. "After everyone heals."
The front commander contacted Xuanyin once the final resistance ended.
His image appeared above the central command table inside the Dao Palace of Creation, showing the damaged western wall behind him and squads carrying the last wounded toward the medical station.
"The camp is secure," he said. "We are inspecting the eastern road and underground rooms."
"How many coalition losses?" Xuanyin asked.
"No final count yet. The healers confirmed several serious injuries, but most of the first scouting squads survived."
"How many died?"
The commander looked toward an aide carrying the first casualty report. "Twenty-three confirmed. Four more are still in critical treatment."
Xuanyin closed her eyes for one breath. "Send the names as soon as they are verified. Their bodies must not remain near any damaged ritual channel."
"They are already being moved under Lianhua's protection."
"What about the Abyssal survivors?"
"Several groups escaped east before Celestara sealed the road."
"Do you know how many?"
"Fewer than a hundred. The falcons and scouts marked their direction."
"Do not pursue them tonight."
The commander nodded. "We will hold the camp."
He hesitated before continuing. "If I had brought the first legion into the courtyard when I requested, the formation would have closed around several hundred soldiers."
"Yes."
"Your order saved them."
"The scouts, falcons, and specialists gave me the information. The squads survived because they followed the withdrawal order before the enemy understood what we knew."
"I understand. I still wanted to tell you that the command worked."
Xuanyin looked toward the live map of the reclaimed camp. "Then use the same inspection rules at the next abandoned position."
"We will."
The commander ended the connection and returned to the eastern wall.
Liora entered the main command room with a cup of medicine. "You need to rest."
"The search reports are still arriving."
"They will continue arriving while you drink this."
Xuanyin accepted the cup. Her back and legs had begun aching from remaining in the chair through the entire battle, and the weakness below her dantian had spread into a dull pressure around the repaired meridians.
She drank without arguing.
Outside, the coalition spent the remainder of the day turning the captured camp into a position they could hold.
The buried remains were removed from the underground chambers one group at a time. Lianhua and Yinxue supervised the work, ensuring that no lingering spiritual fragment remained attached to the damaged ritual grooves. The Blue Sphere representatives began identifying armor, sect emblems, and personal objects recovered with the dead so the remains could be returned where possible.
Yanfei froze the last pools of black essence while Shuyue dismantled the inscriptions surrounding them. Marephoros cultivators repaired the worst foundation damage after Haotian confirmed the detonation core was gone, and Pyrelith fighters broke the corrupted stone that could not be purified safely.
Celestara specialists placed passive sensors along the eastern road and the repaired walls. Umbrel scouts searched every shadow chamber twice, while Veridian teams established a permanent treatment station inside the western barracks after the remaining corruption was removed.
The western gate was lifted back onto reinforced hinges before sunset.
Reserve squads entered from the Dao Palace of Creation and replaced the formations exhausted by the battle. The receiving route through the western ridge remained open, and two secondary paths were cleared around the damaged courtyard in case the central road collapsed again.
Ling'er, Xue'er, and Baiyun were not assigned to the first aerial patrol.
Tianlan refused to allow it.
All three protested in different ways, but the healers supported him. Ling'er could not fully open her left wing, Xue'er's shoulder required several hours without flight, and Baiyun's chest wound would reopen if he used Wind or Lightning too strongly.
"You marked the retreat route already," Tianlan told them. "Other scouts will watch it tonight."
Baiyun looked toward the eastern horizon.
Tianlan placed his uninjured hand against the feathers near the falcon's neck. "You did enough."
Baiyun lowered his head.
The search of the camp's command rooms produced physical records rather than another hidden relic. Blue Sphere translators and Shuyue examined written orders recovered from sealed drawers, wall compartments, and the underground chamber used by the lesser commanders.
The instructions were clear.
The camp had been abandoned deliberately after the main force withdrew. The rearguard was ordered to remain concealed, allow the coalition to enter, activate the sacrificial array, and delay the advance for a fixed number of days.
Supply records showed that ritual engines, food, weapons, and formation materials had been transported east. Wagon schedules identified the nearest remaining rift as the next major supply point, while marked terrain maps showed several outer roads converging there before continuing toward the central corrupted region.
Other camps had received similar withdrawal orders.
The Abyss was giving up the outer territory in stages.
Every delay allowed more soldiers, engines, and supplies to gather deeper inland.
By evening, Xuanyin had placed the recovered records beside the scouts' observations and falcon reports. The tracks Baiyun saw from above matched the wagon routes in the written schedules. The cleared ridge Xue'er inspected had been used to move heavy engines, while Ling'er's observations near the ravine confirmed that the final units had withdrawn in disciplined formations rather than scattering.
The nearest remaining rift stood directly along the eastern road.
Haotian entered the command chamber after checking Tianlan, Xiangyin, and the falcons. Dust and dried black blood remained on his armor, though none belonged to him.
Xuanyin looked toward the projection. "The rearguard was ordered to delay us for three days."
"How long did the battle and clearing operation take?"
"Less than one day, but the main force began withdrawing before we returned."
Haotian studied the transport records. "The nearest rift is receiving the engines from at least four outer camps."
"Yes. It may already have stronger defenses than the camp we captured."
"How soon can the active legions move?"
"Not tomorrow. Too many squads need equipment repairs and replacement members. The camp also needs stronger barriers before we leave it behind."
Haotian nodded. "Two days?"
"If the repair halls can restore the damaged formations and the scouts confirm the road."
"That is reasonable."
Xuanyin placed the next objective marker over the rift. "The surviving rearguard soldiers are heading in the same direction. They will warn the defenders."
"They would realize the camp failed even if no one escaped."
"Yes. Pursuing them would have exposed exhausted squads for little benefit."
Haotian looked toward her. "You made the right decision."
Xuanyin moved the casualty list closer to herself. "Twenty-three people died, and four may not survive the night."
"The first legion would have suffered far more if it entered the courtyard."
"I know."
Haotian did not tell her not to think about the dead. "Review every decision after you rest. Keep what worked and change what did not."
"I will."
Liora appeared in the recovery-room doorway. "She is resting now."
Xuanyin looked toward her. "I am speaking."
"You are finished speaking."
Haotian glanced at the medicine cup beside Xuanyin's hand. "Did you drink it?"
"Yes."
"Then listen to Liora."
Xuanyin gave him a tired look. "You are enjoying this."
"No. I have been told the same thing often enough to recognize when she is right."
Liora moved the support chair away from the strategic table before Xuanyin could reopen another report.
Outside the Dao Palace of Creation, night settled over the reclaimed camp.
Spirit lamps replaced the extinguished Abyssal torches along the walls, and mixed squads stood watch from towers that had belonged to the enemy that morning. The road through the western ridge remained busy with wounded cultivators entering the inner world and replacement supplies coming out.
Tianlan sat near the western wall after the healers finished binding his wrist.
Ling'er rested on his left with the injured wing supported across folded blankets. Xue'er lay on his right, though her eyes remained open and fixed on every person who passed through the gate. Baiyun rested behind them with his chest and lower wing wrapped in medicinal cloth.
Xiangyin approached carrying two cups of warm tea.
She handed one to Tianlan and sat beside the wall. "The scouts confirmed the eastern road."
"How far is the rift?"
"Two days for a careful legion advance. Less for the falcons once they recover."
Tianlan looked toward the three companions. "They will not scout until the healers clear them."
Xue'er made a dissatisfied sound.
Xiangyin drank from her cup. "You may have to repeat that several times."
"I already have."
Ling'er rested her head against Tianlan's shoulder.
The camp around them continued changing. Armorers worked beneath the western tower, healers crossed between the barracks and gateway, and formation masters climbed the repaired walls to place the first coalition barriers.
Tianlan watched the eastern road beyond the gate. "They gave their lives to buy time."
Xiangyin followed his gaze. "Yes."
Inside the Dao Palace of Creation, Xuanyin moved the next objective marker onto the nearest rift before Liora closed the command projection for the night.
"The Abyss bought time," she said. "We do not waste it."
By nightfall, the rearguard was dead, the camp belonged to the coalition, and the road it had protected pointed directly toward the first remaining rift.