The Yu clan was now at a disadvantageous position in the battle. They had been winning until the point that the Song clan elders unleashed the power of their demonic cultivation technique. Yu Jian had to admit that it was very powerful, though the most troublesome part was the corrosive wounds it created. It required those who were injured to spend energy just to maintain their state, which was the real advantage the Song clan now possessed. As the fight dragged on, Yu Jian became less convinced that the assistance of the rest of the Yu clan would be sufficient, and in time.

So far, only one elder from the Yu clan had died, but it wouldn’t be long before more fell… and by that point it would be a rapidly approaching end to the battle. Yu Jian pondered what else they could have done. It wasn’t like there were miraculous items they could use to save the battle. Although a few members of the Yu clan had magical weapons, there were equally as many in the hands of the Song clan. These had all been collected over many generations. There weren’t an abundance of magical weapons in Ostana, let alone in Liaoyang. Even the best magical weapons eventually wore out, and very few people could make the best. There weren’t any miracle pills or drugs they could take to give them an advantage- they had already used their few energy enhancing pills earlier, because they knew it wouldn’t be a trivial fight. As for avoiding the battle altogether… that possibility had never existed in the first place. The only question was when it would happen.

Yu Jian frowned, a look of determination filling his face. He had heard of great warriors in the past who had burned their lifespan away for power. Yu Jian would gladly have done the same for his clan now, but it wasn’t such an easy thing to do. It wasn’t like he could just think about it and it would happen. However, there were always other methods. Yu Jian was currently locked in combat with one of the grand elders of the Song clan. He was currently being suppressed, and had taken a few wounds.

He and his opponent both used swords, which wasn’t strange since swords were the most common weapon. Yu Jian showed a slight opening, and his opponent fell for it, thrusting. Then, he found himself with his head on the ground. He couldn’t have expected the burst of power that Yu Jian was showing. Then, a moment later, another elder fell to Yu Jian. Finally, a third one managed to bring up his weapon to block… only to find his weapon sundered, and his life taken as well. Everyone who noticed was surprised. How could Yu Jian suddenly grow stronger? Then, those who were looking carefully noticed the wounds on his body dripping blood.

It was not that Yu Jian had a special technique or was that much stronger than any of his opponents. Instead, he had just stopped using his ki for defense. He wasn’t suppressing the corrosive wounds, and he wasn’t using any ki to protect his body. Instead, he was channeling everything onto his sword, with the exception of what he was using to increase his speed. However this allowed him to instantly kill some opponents. It seemed an unbeatable strategy… but only at first glance. If his opponent could parry or dodge his attack, they could use a simple counter attack to kill him.

Yu Jian picked off another elder who was distracted by his own fight. However, after a few moments the Song clan had started coordinating their members to defend each other. The moment of surprise was over. Perhaps other members of the Yu clan could pull off the same method, but the more likely result was that they would just perish. The Song clan reorganized their members, and devoted several elders to combat Yu Jian.

He stared at the three opponents he now faced. He no longer had the element of surprise… and the rest of the elders could hold off his allies for at least a few moments. A look of stubborn determination grew on his face. He would take down at least one more of them… He charged forward, thrusting his sword through the throat of one. At the same time, he felt a pain in his sides, and blood flowing down.

However, the pain wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. As he turned, he realized the pain was from an earlier wound. As for the other two elders that had been engaged with him… they only stared at him for a moment, before pitching forward, dead. Yu Jian saw a familiar face. “Oh. You’re here. I thought members of the Order wouldn’t interfere with personal issues… Thank you, though.”

The other man smiled. “No problem, friend. However, what you said is right. Did you somehow fail to notice that this is our business?”

Yu Jian looked around, where he saw over a dozen new figures… and a significant number of bodies of Song clan elders. “Ah… we hadn’t even managed to get you the information yet.”

“You didn’t need to tell us. We were watching. After all, we had one of their elders captive. He was stubbornly silent… but that told us something as well. You might want to start suppressing your wounds, by the way.”

Yu Jian did so. He surveyed the battlefield. Obviously the Song clan hadn’t been expecting any outside interference. Yu Jian had been so swept up in the battle that he had forgotten the Order’s promise to help if the clan truly used a demonic cultivation method. He found it somewhat ironic that their trump card was their downfall… but then he looked around at the fallen elders on his side as well. The Song clan wouldn’t have been able to cause so much harm with their previously displayed strength.

It wasn’t long before all of the members of the Song clan had fled, were captured, or killed. Yu Jian was surprised at some of the faces he saw among the members of the Order. They didn’t live in the city, so obviously they had been summoned ahead of time. Yu Jian might have wanted them to show up earlier… but he supposed they weren’t all gathered, and a coordinated attack by a dozen was better than a few staggered attacks by less. Regardless, the Yu clan had survived, and as a bonus, Yu Jian himself was pretty sure that he would live. Though it would take some time to recover from his wounds.