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Even though the battle between Landon and his daughter, Liana, had raged fiercely, the true main battlefield of this conflict ultimately remained the Saint Realm battle taking place high above the city.

And at this very moment, that battle was about to determine its victor.

Daoist Kumu suddenly swept his sleeve, sending a scorching gale of astral force sweeping across the battlefield and forcing back the colossal tail phantom that blotted out the sky. He himself instantly retreated ten miles.

His steps staggered, and every footfall he took destroyed countless houses.

His Daoist robe had long since been reduced to tatters, and his aura had become noticeably feeble. The enormous tree projection behind him looked as though it had been ravaged by a storm, with countless branches and leaves scattered and withered.

He coughed up blood, looking utterly battered. Yet the aura of the Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence before him had grown even more formidable. The phantom of that enormous tail swayed slowly. Every sweep seemed to shake space itself, and no one knew how many innocent people had been reduced to bloody pulp by a single casual swing.

“What? Is that all you’ve got, old man?” The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence giggled mockingly, clearly delighted that she had managed to force Daoist Kumu into such a state.

“Cough, cough. It seems this old Daoist really can’t afford to deny his age anymore.” Daoist Kumu gave a helpless, bitter smile. Had this been a hundred years ago, when he was at the height of his strength, how could he have feared this mere drop of blood essence before him?

Unfortunately, even those in the Saint Realm could not escape the ravages of time. The current him was already far weaker than he had once been. Especially after the Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence had absorbed all that blood, he found himself increasingly hard-pressed.

“Hehe, in that case, it seems the victor has already been decided.” The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence giggled.

Even as the two Saint Realm powerhouses fought until the heavens and earth seemed to darken, they could still spare some of their attention to sense what was happening on Landon’s side.

Whether it was Lauren wearing those strange clothes, the Moon Demon suddenly launching an attack, or Liana instantly crossing several major realms and becoming a stage 9 powerhouse, all of it had genuinely caught the two of them by surprise.

But none of those things could affect the outcome of the battle at this moment.

As long as he, a Saint Realm powerhouse, was defeated, the destruction of Maplefall Town would be inevitable.

“Alas, it seems I really have to go this far after all.” Daoist Kumu’s face tightened, making him look as though he had aged another ten years. Whenever he thought about the consequences of using that, his heart ached.

Consuming so many Stabilizing Stones in a single use was something even he could hardly bear. But there was no other choice now. He slowly pulled out a maple leaf. It looked like an ordinary maple leaf. Yet the moment that maple leaf appeared, every maple leaf throughout the entire city began to tremble simultaneously. It was as though a gentle breeze had arisen. But there was no wind at all.

The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence’s pupils constricted. As though she had sensed something, she let out a furious shout and suddenly charged toward Daoist Kumu.

But in the next instant, every maple tree in the city simultaneously bent down. Then, a deep hum resounded between heaven and earth. A scarlet-red line stretched from one end of the sky to the other. Countless maple leaves gathered across the heavens. They resembled a sword. A bloodstained sword.

The sword intent radiating from it alone made the Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence feel as though countless needles were pricking her back.

Maplefall Town’s Demon-Slaying Formation! This was the true trump card Immortal Cloud Pavilion had left behind here. It was not merely a powerful seal meant to imprison the Demon Emperor. It was also an unparalleled sword formation formed from countless maple leaves.

No wonder this city had been named Maplefall Town. No wonder the maple leaves here had remained as red as blood all year round, flourishing without end.

“Fortunately, that Gavin moved quickly enough.” Daoist Kumu quietly exhaled, narrowing his eyes with a smile. “Otherwise, this old Daoist would have been finished here today.”

He gently raised his hand, and the maple leaves began to dance. The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence’s attack was effortlessly dispelled, leaving her with nothing but a futile cry of anguish.

“What is this?” The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence spat out several drops of blood before retreating in disarray.

“Haha, never seen it before? Then that’s exactly how it should be.” Daoist Kumu stroked his beard and laughed in delight.

This sword formation had been personally established by the previous ancestor of Immortal Cloud Pavilion. Once activated, no one except an absolute powerhouse at the peak of the Saint Realm could stop it. The only drawback was its enormous consumption.

The Stabilizing Stones originally used to maintain the seal had to be completely filled into the sword formation. Fortunately, as long as the sword formation slaughtered all these people, the result would be more or less the same.

With that thought, Daoist Kumu abruptly activated the sword formation.

The crimson sword suspended in the sky descended from the heavens like the pronouncement of the highest judgment. As it descended, it illuminated half the sky and struck toward the Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence. As long as she was killed, there would be nothing left to fear.

Beneath that dazzling radiance, everyone looked up at the scene with different expressions. Confusion showed in Liana and Lauren’s eyes. Landon remained calm as ever. The residents huddled in the corners revealed faint glimmers of hope.

As for the Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence, who was closest to that dazzling radiance, she naturally wore an expression of fear… Except she didn’t. She watched the approaching sword light with an amused, unreadable smile, making no attempt to evade it.

Daoist Kumu raised an eyebrow slightly. He could not understand why the Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence had chosen to give up resisting. Had she been frightened senseless? But the sword had already been drawn and could not be held back.

The sword light descended. And then… Nothing happened.

‘Hmm?’ Nothing happened? How was that possible? Daoist Kumu was instantly bewildered. He manipulated the sword formation once more.

“Cut!”

The crimson sword light seemed capable of cleaving heaven and earth apart as it bore down upon her. The Demon Emperor’s Blood Essence should have been reduced to ashes along with the sword light. Yet she remained standing there, her expression full of mockery.

Her composed appearance made it seem as though the Demon Emperor herself were truly standing there. But the Demon Emperor was still trapped within the seal. How could she possibly appear here?

“Don’t bother trying, Ancestor.” A slightly plump figure emerged from the darkness. He stopped beside Landon.

Gavin. It seemed he had been hiding somewhere nearby for a long time, yet no one had noticed him. A smile lingered at the corners of his lips as he tossed out a head, along with… a pile of stones.

The head belonged to one of the Inspection Bureau’s subordinates, and Lauren recognized it at a glance. As for the stones… they were Stabilizing Stones. Stabilizing Stones that had been completely destroyed.

The moment everyone present saw this scene, they immediately understood what had happened. Just as Landon had said moments ago. Would Gavin really help them? The answer was no.

Gavin… no, the entire Gongsun family had betrayed them long ago. From the very beginning, he had been on Landon’s side, no, on the side of the demons.

Therefore, from the moment Daoist Kumu had personally handed the Stabilizing Stones over to him, the outcome of this game had already been decided.

“Gavin, you!” Upon seeing this, Daoist Kumu was overcome with fury and shock. “You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲! Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Of course.” Gavin shrugged and replied calmly, “I spent a full five years plotting for this very moment. Naturally, I know better than anyone what I’m doing.”

“Do you know the consequences of what you’ve done? The Gongsun family was already descended from sinners, and yet you still chose to do this. Aren’t you afraid that…”

“I know the consequences, of course.” Gavin interrupted Daoist Kumu. “But just as you said, Ancestor, a thousand years ago, the Gongsun family allied themselves with the demon race and were branded as sinners. So, a thousand years later, why can’t we, the so-called descendants of sinners, ally ourselves with the demons again, just as we did back then?”