Slight motion to the left caught Healer’s eye. He turned.

Song Wei stood beside him, gritting his teeth, his sword bared at the sky.

“Song Wei! Don’t be foolish. Run!” Healer shouted. What on earth are you thinking? You can’t fight this! I can’t fight this! I’m only standing here because I’m a clone, dammit!

“I won’t leave Master behind,” Song Wei said firmly.

Where did this filial disciple come from? All I remember is the black-lotus brat! Why are you choosing this moment to be devoted and…

Well, wait. I did take his side in the end there. Is this his maddened devotion coming out, but in a positive way rather than a negative way? Rather than being wildly focused on killing me, he’s wildly focused on saving me?

There’s no need! Master has this handled, dammit! Or, well, I don’t, but there’s no need for you to also die!

Healer shook his head. “Song Wei, you heard me. I’m a clone. Even if I die, I’ll still survive.”

“Is that true? Or is Master saying it for my sake?” Song Wei asked, gazing up at the fireball. It eclipsed the sky, it had grown so large, its heat and fire replacing the cool blue overhead.

“It’s true, it’s true! Skedaddle, go! Shoo! Now isn’t the time for heroics. Remember, among all the tactics and strategies, retreating is the wisest!” Healer said, nodding.

“Master… is there a future for us? Even if we flee, if Master dies here…” Song Wei shook his head.

Healer flew over and grabbed Song Wei by the shoulders, leaning in to hiss in his ear, “There is, dammit! Song Wei, I’m stalling for time, you fool. There’s an army on the way. They’ll get here any moment, but Gui Delun is going to land this blow, first! I really am a clone, and even at that, I have my ways to survive. All you’re doing is uselessly sacrificing yourself for nothing!”

Song Wei’s brow furrowed. He blinked. “Oh.”

“That’s why I told you to—”

“That’s right! We can’t abandon Master!”

“Quickly, rally! What’s the point in fleeing now?”

“If we can’t even take the first blow, then we die here as warriors!”

Fuck, Healer thought bitterly.

Rogue chuckled in the background. He reached into the node and hauled out handfuls of talismans. No longer paying any attention to laying them out properly, he threw them out wildly overhead, blanketing the sky above the disciples with talismans. So, Healer, about that bet of yours… shall we combine our gambles?

It’s do or die at this point, Healer returned. He added talismans to the formation, building it up larger and larger, adding twisting lines and whirling figures until the formation of talismans became a talisman itself, the talismans forming the formula lines. The qi stored in the talismans hummed as the talismans called out to one another, syncing together in the enormous talisman spell formation. Dull red light glowed out from each talisman as the cinnabar ink ignited, so that from above, the formula of the massive talisman formation glowed in red.

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Gui Delun cackled. “That’s right. Nestle together, ants. I’ll burn your entire nest out in one hit!”

He threw the fireball. It bore down on Healer, Rogue, and their disciples. Oppressive heat roiled from it, washing over them in waves, each one hotter than the last. Healer and Rogue’s bodies both withered, baking up in the heat. All around them, their disciples wobbled from the heat, sweat dripping down their backs and faces.

Are you ready?

Now!

The talisman formula lit up, flaring to life. Roaring, a blue dragon a hundred meters wide and a thousand meters long coiled up from the formula. It charged at the fireball, smashing into it. For a moment, the fireball stopped, no longer falling.

Gui Delun shook his head. “A meaningless effort!” He flicked his sleeve, and his fireball continued to descend. The dragon fell back on itself, its body coiling in the air as it dropped.

“Meaningless?” Healer pushed his hand up. “Now!”

The talisman burned all at once. Surging with power, the dragon glowed vigorously. Snarling, it opened its jaws and gnawed on the fireball. The front edge of the fireball crumbled, devoured by the dragon.

“What?” Gui Delun said, startled more than anything.

Healer laughed. “This spell was inspired by Zhubi! Devouring Dragon Eats All!”

Or at least the weird shit, Rogue commented silently. Besides, weren’t we not saying that Zhubi is…?

It’s inspired by Zhubi. It isn’t exactly Zhubi. Anyways… shush, Healer said.

The dragon roared again and bit into the fireball. Even as it ate the fireball, the fireball ate through it. Red light burst through the blue of the dragon, threatening to overwhelm it. The dragon stopped in its chewing and fell back, stomach bloating. Half of the fireball chased it down.

Healer swept his hand to the side. The dragon flew off, spiraling toward Gui Delun’s army. They fled, but the dragon moved too fast for them to entirely escape its blast. It exploded, raining both fire and blue draconic energy down on the other army.

“My turn!” Rogue shouted, stepping forward. His barrier talismans lit up. One barrier after another overlapped, combining into one thick barrier.

The remaining half of the fireball smashed into his barrier. One after another, the layers of the barrier broke away, but even as they broke, new talismans lit up, creating new layers to the barrier to stave off the fireball. The fireball, already bitten into, cracked apart. Pieces of fireball split off and crashed down on the peaks around them, splashing off the chains and charring forests.

Rogue’s barrier stood strong, layers still between them and Gui Delun. He looked up, surprised. Huh. Is that—

“You weathered a single strike. Commendable, for a fifth-realm cultivator. I wonder… if you can handle the second?” Gui Delun asked, raising his hand. Another ball of fire accumulated in his palm.

Rogue grit his teeth. The barriers can’t take a full fireball. Healer, do you have another—

That was pretty much it for the dragon talismans. I’m out.

Well, it was good knowing you.

Mmm, that’s right. We’ll greet Elder Sister Reaper together.

Gui Delun threw his fireball. The barrier shattered, the layers crumbling down on each other, as fragile as wafers. The last layer broke. Healer and Rogue charged ahead as one, jabbing their arms forward.

Just one more second.

Another moment, for our disciples—!

Someone flew out ahead of Healer and Rogue, blasting past in a beam of sword light. The sword light shot through the fireball. In an instant, the fireball split in two, the two halves falling down on the peaks below.

Healer and Rogue blinked at one another. They turned.

An army massed behind them. Chen Wuya stood at its head, his robe and short hair flapping on the wind. The Sectmaster and the Starbound Sect Peak Lords arrayed around him, exerting the full weight of their pressure.

Li Xiang stood beside them, her back straight and her sword bared. Even from here, Hui could feel the force of her pressure. High fifth realm. Impressive, Li Xiang!

The army behind them stretched as broad as the sect, thousands of disciples and rogue cultivators, Li Xiang’s army, Starbound Sect’s, and Hui’s own disciples all mixed together. The group exceeded Gui Delun’s by a small margin, all told.

Healer scanned the crowd. Senior Wolf… Senior Wolf…

To his side, the Mountain Lord perked up. She sprinted off into the army, and Healer caught a glimpse of a cowering wolf in the army’s depths.

Ah, there he is. Good, good.

Swishing his sword, Fen Long turned from the far side of the fireball and smiled at Hui. Facing front, he frowned down at Gui Delun. “Gui Delun. It’s been too long.”