Extraterrestrial demons invaded; I laid the groundwork eight years in advance.

The light membrane shattered, and the golden fragments scattered.

Li Yang lay in the mud, breathing weakly, but still alive.

Fang Yan and Sun Chen arrived from afar. There was still blood on the corner of Fang Yan's mouth, and he had a recovery potion in his mouth.

He pulled another one from his side pocket and threw it at Li Xiuming without turning his head.

"We gave it to him," Fang Yan said.

Li Xiuming caught the medicine, ran to Li Yang's side, squatted down, and held the back of his head to pour the medicine into his mouth.

Li Yang choked, coughing up a mouthful of blood. As the medicine went down his throat, his eyelids twitched, and he barely opened them a crack, seeing a young face taking the empty medicine bottle away from his mouth.

"Are you feeling better?" Li Xiuming asked.

Li Yang opened his mouth, but he didn't have the strength to speak.

His gaze passed over Li Xiuming's shoulder and fell upon Fang Yan and Sun Chen rushing toward the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat was hovering low in the air, its wings lowered to less than two zhang above the ground. Each flap of its wings stirred up a gust of wind with an earthy smell, blowing the black blood on the muddy ground into thin, dark streaks.

Fang Yan leaped up, his broken sword slashing upwards towards the base of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat's wing.

  

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat veered slightly, its claws sweeping back. Fang Yan twisted his body in mid-air to dodge, but staggered a couple of steps before regaining his balance upon landing.

Taking advantage of the moment when the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat was flying low, Sun Chen cut in from below, the blade slicing across the bat's belly, leaving only a white mark on its gray fur.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat flapped its wings and rose, circling halfway over the battlefield before descending again, its dark golden eyes locking onto Sun Chen.

Sun Chen rolled to the side, the sharp claws of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat grazing his shoulder, tearing a hole in his combat suit.

He braced himself on one knee to steady himself, blood from his shoulder flowing down his arm.

Fang Yan approached from the other side, and the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat folded its wings and turned, slapping its forelimbs onto Fang Yan's broken sword.

Fang Yan was immediately thrown back, his heels carving two deep furrows in the mud, and his injuries worsened.

From the direction of the flank fields, Meng Xing circled around to the edge of the battlefield along the ditch outside the field ridge. His feet were covered in wet mud, and he sank in and out with every step. He was breathing rapidly, and his chest rose and fell with each step.

He crouched behind a field ridge, raised his crossbow, aimed at the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat's dark golden eyes, and pulled the trigger.

The arrow shot out through the air.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat glanced at it, then flapped its wings, sending the arrow flying and embedding it diagonally into the mud.

Seeing that no harm had been caused, Meng Xing did not stop.

He pressed the second arrow into the slot, pulled the trigger again, and was knocked away once more.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat's attention was momentarily diverted, and Fang Yan and Sun Chen took the opportunity to regain their footing.

Li Xiuming glanced at Li Yang—the medicine was starting to take effect, his breathing had become more steady, and his gaze was refocusing.

"Can you still move?" Li Xiu asked.

Li Yang remained silent.

His spiritual power emanated from between his eyebrows and entangled the broken spearhead not far away.

The spearhead trembled in the mud, then slowly rose and hovered beside him.

Li Xiuming nodded, stood up, and faced the battlefield.

He took out the last two golden talismans from his pocket, poured spiritual power into his fingertips, and flung them toward Fang Yan and Sun Chen.

"Imperial Edict of Jade Purity, divine light protects you, defend!"

Two golden talismans drew golden lines in the night and were affixed to the backs of the two people, condensing into a layer of light golden film.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat lowered its wings and swooped down again. Fang Yan slashed horizontally with his broken sword. The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat suddenly retracted its wings, turned half a circle, and its claws collided head-on with the light membrane on Fang Yan's body.

Fang Yan was forced back five or six steps, and the light membrane darkened by a layer.

Sun Chen moved in from the flank, pushing his Blood Burning Technique to its limit. His blade sliced ​​across the belly of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat, causing it to wince in pain. The bat swung its forelimbs back, striking the light membrane and dimming the golden light slightly.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat rose and circled, each flap of its wings stirring up a gust of foul wind.

Li Xiuming then took out the immobilization talisman from his pocket, poured spiritual power into it, and the cinnabar patterns emitted a yellow light.

He waited a moment—the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat was lowering its wings and diving towards Sun Chen's path—before throwing out the talisman.

"By the decree of the Three Pure Ones, evil spirits shall be subdued! The matter is settled!"

The talisman flashed through the air and stuck to the base of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat's wing, causing a sudden spread of yellow light.

The Sky-Splitter Bat's wings suddenly froze in mid-air, its entire body as if embedded in cement, plummeting diagonally from low altitude and crashing into the mud, its legs remaining motionless in the flight posture.

Li Xiuming didn't stop. He took out another exorcism talisman from his pocket and poured spiritual power into it.

"By imperial decree of Taiyi, vanquish evil and slay demons! Execute them!"

He flicked his fingers, and the talisman flew through the air like a blade, striking the side of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat.

The talisman exploded into a dazzling golden light, burning against the monster's skin and burning a basin-sized wound through the side of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat. The charred edges turned outwards, revealing the pinkish-white fascia underneath.

Taking advantage of the moment, Fang Yan and Sun Chen swung their knives into the wound created by the exorcism talisman, pushing the blades deeper into the wound from the left and right.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Four seconds later, the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat broke free from the dissipating yellow light, pushed itself up with its legs, and rolled over to its feet.

Dark blood gushed from the wound, flowing down the lines of his body, while his dark golden eyes churned with fury.

It rushed straight towards Sun Chen.

Sun Chen parried with his sword, but the forelimbs of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat slammed into the blade, sending it flying. The light membrane suddenly dimmed.

Slightly behind him, Li Yang struggled to sit up, supporting himself on the ground with his right hand, his brows furrowed.

The broken spearhead silently rose from his side and pierced the side of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat flapped its wings, sending the spearhead flying. The spearhead bounced twice on the ground before being pulled back up by its mental power.

At the same time, an arrow flew from the flank, but was blown away by the whirlwind of flapping wings before it could hit.

Meng Xing squatted behind the ridge of the field, cursed under his breath, and nocked another arrow.

Li Xiuming took out his last immobilization talisman, poured spiritual power into it, and flung it at the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat. The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat froze again and fell to the ground.

"Quick!" Li Xiuming shouted, simultaneously pulling out the last two exorcism talismans and flicking them with his fingers. The talismans were stuck to the wounds of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat, and golden light exploded again, burning two more charred holes at the edge of the old wounds.

Fang Yan and Sun Chen pressed forward again, exerting their strength simultaneously. The blades dug deep into the wound created by the exorcising talisman, splattering black blood all over them.

Four seconds again.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat broke free of its restraints and flapped its wings violently at Fang Yan, causing the broken sword to slip from his hand and embed itself in the mud.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat did not pursue, but remained in place, its dark golden eyes scanning everyone.

Its throat bulged slightly, and a dark red light gathered deep inside its mouth, brighter than ever before—it was about to kill all those in front of it.

Li Xiuming watched as the dark red mass grew thicker and thicker.

He reached into his clothes and felt around, only to find the front of his garment empty.

No more.

All nine talismans had been used up in the battle, but the Sky-Splitting Demon Bats' eyes were still bright, and they couldn't hold out for much longer.

Li Xiuming frowned.

No, there's still one method he hasn't used. A spell he's practiced many times but hasn't succeeded with yet.

Although we don't know how effective it will be, there's no other way now.

He took a deep breath, sensing the dwindling spiritual energy within him, and raised his hands in a mudra above his head, his fingertips glowing faintly. The incantation rolled across his tongue, each word resonating weakly within his lungs, striking his sternum with each stroke.

With his last ounce of spiritual energy, he sent the faint light between his fingers into the night sky, his voice squeezed out from the depths of his throat, dry and hoarse, but clearly articulated:

"I appeal to the heavens above and to the netherworld below; in my mortal form, I sincerely plead with the gods of the Thunder Department..."

A deep echo resounded through the night sky, like a giant drum being struck behind the clouds.

"...The Nine Heavens respond to the Origin, thunder resounds everywhere, wherever the Heavenly Dipper points, thunder and fire follow..."

As he recited the second part of the incantation, a warm liquid welled up from his nostrils and dripped down his chin. His spiritual energy surged backward as if burning within his meridians. This spell had already exceeded the limits of what he could cast.

"……lead!"

As the last word fell, a ghastly white gash was torn open in the clouds above the night sky.

A bolt of lightning, thicker than a human body, poured down from the crack, its incandescent light tinged with a pale purple. The moment it hit the ground, it exploded into a massive halo of light, engulfing the entire head of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat, along with its soon-to-form dark red breath, in blinding white light.