Swoosh!

The fileting sword attack bore a hole through the Bloodtailed Other's forehead in an instant, a clean, well-placed, and decently powerful attack from an unexpected direction. Any ordinary person would have died instantly from such a wound, but the Bloodtailed Other demonstrated incredible resilience and vitality. It screamed, still alive.

Still, it was undeniably a heavy wound, inflicted with high technical skill and shifting the balance of the fight.

The Bloodtailed Other's tail shrank rapidly again, and the corruptive aura around it was diminished further as well.

"Qing'e, well done!" the First Princess cried out happily. This attack had been the most effective shot landed on the Bloodtailed Other so far.

Boom!

The remaining balls of light from Lan Lan's attack continued to streak in mercilessly, intent on taking down their injured opponent. A few managed to connect successfully, further injuring the Bloodtailed Other.

It was driven backwards again and again, tanking a series of wounds in quick succession. Soon, even its illusion of human beauty started fading, revealing the horrific, pulpy flesh below.

Lan Lan's face was pale, sweating pouring off his brow. He desperately stared at the Bloodtailed Other, even as the kingly figure behind him started to wane.

He was at his limit too.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The resonant power within him was dry as a desert.

Still, he had done what he needed to do. Although Jiang Qing'e had been the one to land the crucial blow, everyone present understood that if not for his Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage burning through its defenses, no Fiend Finisher cultivator would have ever managed to hurt the Bloodtailed Other for real.

Lan Lan was the real MVP here.

"We won!" Lu Ming threw her hands up in the air happily.

Sun Dasheng and Jing Taixu pumped their fists excitedly as well.

Finally, a glimmer of hope in this fight.

Li Luo, on the other hand, was rather worried. There was still no trace of the crimson knight-general up until now.

The crimson knight-general was the puppet master behind what had happened at the Red Clay Province, and he was of unknown strength. If he had truly run away, then all was well and good, and they could end the mixed-level competition with no other problems. But what if he was still here, waiting for his chance?

"We can't dawdle anymore," he muttered to himself. "The Bloodtailed Other needs to be finished off quickly."

Lan Lan was of the same mind. "Everyone, use all that you've got. Kill it quickly, allow no turnarounds!" His voice was hoarse from fatigue.

The other squad leaders tiredly nodded in approval, digging deep one last time to deliver the final blow to the grievously injured Bloodtailed Other.

“Eek!”

The Bloodtailed Other squealed, sensing its life being threatened. The bushy, red tail was thrashing in a panicked fashion as it desperately tried to outlast the tired squad leaders' attacks.

Boom!

Just then, there was a huge explosion from underneath the city, and a crater appeared.

A black structure started rising up from the yawning hole, slowly and silently.

Li Luo looked at it with dread. So the worst had happened.

"It's that crimson knight-general!" he shouted desperately to warn the squad leaders.

Lan Lan and the others turned in dismay at his shout.

They had, of course, heard the information regarding the crimson knight-general, but there had been more urgent and deadly concerns up till now... like the Bloodtailed Other.

If the crimson knight-general truly had Heavenly Resonance Stage strength as well, there was no way that they could take on both of them at once.

And since the crimson knight-general had been quiet all this while, they had hoped against hope that he had long since fled. But now they knew that it had all been a trap. The crimson knight-general had been waiting for them to wear themselves out against the Bloodtailed Other.

Rumble! Roar!

As the black altar rose out of the ground, black, runic chains appeared and wrapped around the Bloodtailed Other, securing all four of its limbs as well as its tail.

The Bloodtailed Other struggled, but it was unable to break free.

"What's going on?! Aren't they allies?" the seriously wounded Qin Yue spluttered.

The First Princess did not like the situation one bit. "Something's fishy!" she shouted. "The crimson knight-general wants to seize the Bloodtailed Other! I don't know why, but we must deny him!"

Lan Lan agreed. "Everyone, attack! Kill the Bloodtailed Other!"

All the squad leaders were elites of the Academic Federation. They did not know why it was being done, but they knew that not letting their enemy get away was basic common sense.

All of them attacked again.

It was fruitless. A figure clad in red armor from the black altar rose, and he sent out a single palm attack that blasted all of their attacks into nothingness.

"It's really the crimson knight-general!"

"And he's so damned strong... he's really at the Heavenly Resonance Stage!"

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen." A laughing, muffled voice came from behind his visor. "You want to get rid of the Bloodtailed Other. Consider your job done. Leave it to me now. If you back away, I can allow you to leave unharmed."

They stared at him.

So he was trying to swoop in and take away their prize.

This guy was extremely cunning, of that they were sure.

But if the Bloodtailed Other was not destroyed, would the mixed-level competition even end?

All of them stood frozen, undecided.

Seeing the situation, the crimson knight-general sighed, and his killing intent rose.

"Since you don't know what's good for you, then I'll just have to wipe out an entire generation of elite students in the East Divine Continent."