157: The Fall of the Fenghua Sect

"What to do... it's simple."

Su Xia narrowed her eyes slightly, intently watching Xue Yue's every move within the array. After carefully observing the array's operational patterns and Xue Yue's increasingly haggard state due to immense consumption, an idea instantly formed in her mind.

A slight smile played on her lips, revealing a confident expression as she slowly spoke.

"Have the Imperial Fighter Jets wait on the periphery, closely monitoring the movements inside. We absolutely cannot let that person escape. We'll just wait for this array to disappear on its own."

Since you chose to use your lifespan to cast this terrifying grand array, then fine, I'll wear you down. I want to see how long you can truly last, and how long this life-for-life move can be maintained.

Meanwhile, the scouts, cautiously observing from a distance, witnessed the Imperial Soldiers and Imperial Fighter Jets retreat in an orderly fashion, then wait in formation on the outer perimeter of the array.

This sudden turn of events led them to discuss amongst themselves.

"What's going on? Are they giving up the attack?"

One scout, full of doubt, scratched his head, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Are you stupid? Can't you see this?"

A slightly more astute scout next to him cast a disdainful glance.

"This is clearly a plan to wear Xue Yue down, waiting for his Sect's grand array to run out of energy and disappear on its own."

"Ah, then wouldn't Xue Yue be the one getting the raw deal?"

Hearing this, another scout couldn't help but exclaim, as using a lifespan to cast a move, only for the enemy to wear him down like this, was indeed a tragic outcome.

"Hmph, what can he do?"

Yet another scout snorted coldly, shaking his head helplessly.

"If he didn't cast this grand array, facing the offensive of that mysterious force, it would certainly be a dead end... Well, he cast this grand array, and it seems like it's also a dead end."

Just as the scouts on the periphery could clearly see the situation, how could the Vice Sect Master, who was inside the array, not understand?

He watched the Imperial Soldiers and Imperial Fighter Jets orderly waiting on the periphery, and a bitter feeling welled up in his heart.

Xue Yue's move, exchanging life for a chance at survival, now seemed to have failed to achieve the desired effect, instead falling into a stalemate.

But at this moment, they had no retreat, and could only hope that this grand array could hold on for a little longer, perhaps then a turning point might appear... "Damn it, they actually chose to wear us down like this..."

The Vice Sect Master's face was etched with urgency and helplessness, his brows tightly furrowed into a ' river' character, his eyes filled with anxiety and anger.

At this time, the area outside the array was completely surrounded by the Imperial Army, forming an impenetrable encirclement that made escape impossible.

Those Fenghua Sect disciples who had managed to escape the array by chance were like lambs to the slaughter, instantly cut down by the cold and ruthless Imperial Soldiers. Screams echoed in the frigid air, like a tragic elegy before the Fenghua Sect's demise.

Time passed by, minute by minute, and in a blink of an eye, half an hour had gone by.

The once glorious Fenghua Sect now had only Xue Yue and the Vice Sect Master left, like two withered leaves in a violent storm.

The other disciples were either tragically killed by friendly fire from their own Sect Master's powerful array or fell under the muzzles of the Imperial Soldiers' guns.

"This old geezer, he's really persistent. It's been half an hour, and it's still not over..."

Su Xia looked at the array, still operating at full power and radiating light, and at Xue Yue in the center of the array, who, though his body was swaying, was still gritting his teeth and holding on. She couldn't help but feel a little speechless.

In her understanding, such a powerful and resource-intensive move should have ended within a few short minutes. But now, a full half an hour had passed, and there were still no signs of the terrifying grand array stopping.

Little did she know, Xue Yue was already at the very end of his life.

His lifespan, like the last grains of sand in an hourglass, was almost completely depleted.

Every minute, every second, was like a countdown to death, relentlessly approaching.

Xue Yue knew perfectly well that the other side was unhurriedly waiting for him to run out of energy, but he was helpless.

Once this Sect's grand array was activated, it was like an arrow shot from a bowstring, irreversible and impossible to interrupt.

He could only watch as his life gradually faded in this stalemate, each breath accompanied by endless pain and unwillingness.

"Damn it..."

Xue Yue used his last shred of strength to raise his head, which had already aged beyond recognition, and looked towards the massive starship in the sky, like a giant beast.

His face had long been withered by the torment of consumption, his deeply furrowed face filled with the marks of time and despair, but his eyes were still fixed on the starship, burning with unyielding fury.

He was filled with defiance. He had clearly resolved to exchange his life for theirs, risking everything to unleash this mutually destructive killing move, but the opponent was so cunning, choosing to hide and wear him down. It was utterly despicable!

Finally, at the last moment of his life, Xue Yue could no longer hold on. A mouthful of old blood, mixed with black clotted blood, suddenly spurted out, tracing a tragic arc in the air.

His life's flame, like a candle in the wind, was completely extinguished. His entire body, like a piece of rotten, withered wood, plummeted straight down from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, completely losing all signs of life.

And with the end of Xue Yue's life, the Sect's grand array, which had once overshadowed the sky and possessed astonishing power, gradually dimmed after losing Xue Yue's continuous energy output.

The ice shards that had once danced across the sky stopped falling, and the ice spikes that had stood on the ground slowly melted away.

In a short while, only a scene of desolation and wreckage remained.

Watching the array finally disappear, a hint of joy flashed in Su Xia's eyes, and she unhesitatingly issued an order to the Imperial Fighter Jets through the communication system.

"Go immediately and deal with the last Vice Sect Master!"

As Xue Yue fell, the Vice Sect Master slowly raised his head, looking at the Imperial Fighter Jets flying towards him like reapers. His face showed no trace of fear or panic, but instead erupted into a fit of wild laughter.

"Hahahaha, I never thought that my Fenghua Sect, a dignified top-tier sect, would fall to such an irredeemable state just because of a single sentence. How laughable! Hahahaha!"

The laughter was filled with self-mockery, helplessness, and despair, echoing across the empty battlefield, sounding particularly desolate.

Facing the annihilating light beams that rained down like raindrops, the Vice Sect Master no longer used a shred of spiritual energy to resist.

He silently closed his eyes, let go of all defenses, and quietly awaited the arrival of death.

One after another, the annihilating light beams ruthlessly pierced through his body.

Ultimately, the Vice Sect Master's body was riddled with holes of various sizes, and he completely lost all vital signs, like a withered leaf, falling straight towards the ground.

Thus, the Fenghua Sect, a top-tier sect, was completely annihilated.