Each step made Bai Qi feel his exhaustion and wounds, and it only increased as he took the next one. Still, Bai Qi advanced.

Was it because he felt something for the [Void Palace]? Was it because of his own objectives? Maybe it was something about his decision to participate? Or could it be that he did not want to avoid anything on his path? Probably no one, even Bai Qi himself, could answer that questions.

Indeed, he advanced as he felt that he had to. As for why? Who would care?

Just a thousand feet, a distance that he could monitor even without expanding senses or could cross in a single moment, took Bai Qi over ten minutes. Ten minutes of forcing his body, mind, and even soul, though it remained unsure what was still present in this land of no qi and no manner of gathering even a strand of it without losing it to the newly added formation effect.

"Enemy!"

"Kill him!"

"For the Souls!"

"May his and our soul strengthen the future!"

"May we live forever as part of the Sect's strength!"

Several shouts entered Bai Qi's ears as he met six [Seven Souls Sect] cultivators, and unable to shut himself from them, he, for the first time, was forced to listen to them.

"Shut the fuck up! Either come or escape, cowards!" Unable to ignore them or concentrate on something else, Bai Qi chose to shout and curse, provoking the enemy. A low move, one that he only used when sure of the results. And still, the only one available to him now.

"KILL!" And far less calm than they should be, the cultivators, now turned mortals, launched at Bai Qi, swinging their various weapons.

***

After several breaths, attacks with one of the randomly picked up sabers, and a fresh wound on his forehead, Bai Qi continued advancing, leaving six bodies behind.

Bai Qi had a true advantage over all of the cultivators inside this formation. Not only had he restarted his cultivation from scratch and fought battles as a Body realm cultivator, but he also did it just two years ago.

While others felt themselves in a hellish nightmare, with them deprived of all their innate or acquired abilities, for Bai Qi, it was just one when he had returned two years ago. And having concentrated on physical improvement, even for a brief time, he held an advantage.

His body was still more resilient and powerful than a mortal's one. What could kill one of the latter only left a wound on him. Bleeding, hurting, and with a high probability to make him die at some point, but still, a simple wound. And what would only leave a wound on a normal qi-covered cultivator was deadly for his opponents. After all, not only was their path one of the soul but also, they had been born as, at least, Spirit realm cultivators.

Not that he enjoyed that advantage or the lack of associations with the hell that plagued the others. As indeed, Bai Qi wasn't keen on pain, wounds, and the constant threat of death. Enjoying fights was one thing, but dying for nothing? That had been a sin even during his original life. So, what to say during this one, where he was aware of being unable to complete the same feat, revive.

Questions, dozens of them, plagued Bai Qi. And be it because he had not enough information, or his mind slowed to the minimum, he could not answer any of them. Thus, he could only make himself continue his advance.

When He Delan stayed back to deal with the enemies blocking the path, it wasn't a decision made on a whim. Her fighting methods could be taken as overly aggressive, bordering mindless, but she had always been one to calculate all the facts. This time it had been so as well. She knew that she could deal with the enemies by herself.

Even if the cost was close to the entirety of her reserves, it wasn't a bad trade when one considered that the amount bordered close to thirty.

He Delan had been lauded as a genius, and whatever she thought of such a term when applied to herself, she was a good fighter and a talented cultivator indeed.

Her chakram, the [Violet Fairy's Ring], danced in her hands, blocking all the weapons, crushing their techniques, and wounding her opponents. With a movement technique that appeared as a double pair of transparent wings on her back, and the flowing, almost dancing movements of her weapon, He Delan was the incarnation of her moniker, the [Void Fairy]. Although, the one she had before joining the [Void Palace] as a 16 years old Sage, the [Dancing Fairy], applied even more. After all, she was using the techniques from that age of hers, not the void ones she had learned, became proficient, and even surpassed her instructors while being part of the Palace.

But it wasn't a fairy that brought happiness or conceded wishes. No, He Delan had always been and probably would always remain a battle-loving fairy. One that reveled in battle, screams, and blood, although none of them stemming from bloodlust but her own code.

*Crash* *Swoosh* *Slash* *Shatter* *Slash* *Swoosh* *Splatter*

And so it was now, when surrounded by thirty enemies, her dance continued while her enemies fell, as they always did.

***

But, it all changed as the changes to the [Mortality Formation] occurred. He Delan wasn't one to be frozen as the [Seven Souls Sect] members who suddenly lost any semblance of connection to their soul, their principal source of power. Still, she neither was someone like Bai Qi, who could shrug off the loss of all, even the limited capacities and continue fighting in earnest.

She did fight, although forced to change to a sword she picked up, with the [Violet Fairy's Ring] requiring qi to be usable, and even managed to down a few enemies while they remained in shock.

But, unused to mortal-like combat and feeling no qi, He Delan's rhythm had been broken. So, when they partially recovered, the remaining enemies felt and acted on that.

*Clang* *Clang* *Clang* *Swoosh* *Tear*

Assaulted by the remaining twenty, He Delan started to retreat, concentrating only on defending from the nearly insane weapon-sweeping of her opponents.

*Clang* *Tear**Drip* *Clang* *Drip*

But only defending was a sure path to losing a battle, and this truth was proved, yet again, with He Delan on the short end of the stick. Her flowing black robe was torn and she bleeding from a couple of wounds while she still found no way to retake the initiative. And so, she continued retreating while trying to create at least some kind of plan.

*Clang* *Tear**Clang* *Clang* *Splatter*

A far more serious wound, from an unexpected and so undefended slash from her right side, left He Delan with a gaping wound beneath her chest. One that affected her already low battle capability even more.

*Clang* *Tear* *Tear* *Slash* *Clang*

Wounded, tired, and stressed to the utmost, He Delan received more and more wounds until one attack, a backhand sweep of a staff that landed on her head, sent her into darkness, making her fall unconscious on the ground.

*Plop*

Or nearly unconscious, as to be honest. After all, with a fogged mind and blurry vision, He Delan still witnessed the events that followed her fall for a few breaths before blacking out, this time for real. Not that she could be sure that they weren't a fantasy.

After all, just how probable was it for a bloodied, panting youth in ragged clothing to suddenly appear? Or for that youth, who was in a condition not better than hers, start killing the opponents that left her in such a state? And do so with apparent ease?

Was the last thought that crossed her mind as she embraced the almost welcomed darkness, one that promised a lack of pain and awareness for whatever happened next.

But, He Delan had not been wrong. It was indeed Bai Qi, and he did arrive in time to prevent what would happen after she had been sent to the ground.

And while battered, wounded, and exhausted indeed, Bai Qi was far superior to his opponents, at least in a combat where no qi, senses, techniques, or anything else but the pure skill was decisive.

Was it because of his accumulated, from both previous and current life, experience? Or because he did not feel so dismayed as a mortal? Or maybe, because he was probably the only cultivator, at least among the [Seven Souls] and [Void Palace] members that had improved his physical prowess and truly trained with weapons? Probably all were true, not that there was anyone to ask or anyone to answer.

In a mix of combat where one's wounds did not matter, quick and decisive attacks, and a severe dose of absolute craziness, Bai Qi dealt with all of the enemies except for three, who being the last ones remaining, chose to escape. Unknowingly, their escape had been a true gift for Bai Qi, like the latter, right as they left, fell to the ground, with absolutely no strength or stamina remaining.

***

He had no reason to care about Chun Hua's master so much, or maybe he did have one. One that he did not even understand or acknowledge yet. But, his thoughts were about the latter indeed,

"Haaa..." A half-sigh, half-attempt to recover his breath escaped Bai Qi's lips. And then, he somehow managed to first raise to his knees and then stand up.

After that, he slowly, carefully measuring each step, approached the unconscious woman, and by almost falling on his knees again, lowered himself to check on He Delan's injuries.

*Rip*

Tearing the robe of one of the enemies, one of whose death was more-or-less clean, Bai Qi improvised a bandage to, at least partially, stop the bleeding on He Delan's torso.

He did the same for his own wounds and then, taking a few breaths to gather some semblance of strength, started walking from body to body, searching through their corpses and possessions.

After the activation of the [Mortality] formation first effect, not only Bai Qi had thought of placing the most useful and relevant pills or items on his body. Some enemies had acted similarly, and now, after searching through their corpses, Bai Qi found several bottles, pouches, and concealed weapons.

And while [Storage] and [Void] rings and other treasures were nothing more than junk now, Bai Qi did not forget to gather them either, placing them into a simple pouch that he found on one enemy belt.

Even Bai Qi could not define if the thought was overly optimistic, materialistic, or foolish. Still, it distracted him from his state. And that was enough for him. At least currently...