The battle had ended, and the casualties were counted. The heavenly sect had lost 10 disciples, including Wang Xiao, reducing thier numbers to 40. The demon clan had lost 40 fighters, leaving only 10 remaining.
Master Huo, was furious. " How could they be so reckless? He thundered. " Wang Xiao was sent to battle with a fellow fire user. It wasn't a fair battle! They knew he was no match for the fire demon!"
The other heavenly masters and the disciples mourned the dead especially Wang Xiao. Feng Wu's eyes were red- rimmed as he spoke , " We'll never forget Wang Xiao's bravery. He fought valiently,but the fire demon was too powerful."
Jian Wei nodded,his voice heavy with grief. " We'll make sure to avenge his death. The demon clan will pay for what they've done. "
Meanwhile, the demon clan's five masters gathered, thier faces etched with shame and anger. " How did we lose so many fighters?" Master Mo demanded. " You were supposed to be the strongest and yet you were defeated by the heavenly sect's disciples."
One of the demon fighters, a young girl named Yin, trembled before the masters. " We underestimated them, masters. They were stronger than we thought."
Master Rou's eyes narrowed. " Tell us about Bai Lu. What happened to her?
Yin hesitated before speaking. " She was ... sleeping , masters. I saw her lying on the ground, undisturbed by the battle."
The masters exchanged skeptical glances. " Sleeping?" Master Hu repeated. " That's impossible. She must have been hiding or using some kind of technique."
In the heavenly sect,the disciples whispered among themselves about Bai Lu, " she's the only one without any injuries." Jian Wei said, his brow furrowed. " And she wasn't even nervous or scared like the rest of us ."
Feng Wu's eyes narrowed. " Yeah, it's suspicious... Maybe she didn't even fight at all ."
Bai Lu, sensing the suspicion,spoke up. " I did fight, of course. But the demon I faced was an amateur, so it was easy for me to defeat it ."
The disciples looked at her incredulously. " An amateur?" Mei Ling repeated. " You expect us to believe that?"
Bai Lu shrugged, " Believe what you want . I'm just telling the truth."
...
The demon clan's master, were determined to regroup and plan thier next move. " We'll not be defeated so easily," Master Mo vowed. " We'll crush the heavenly sect once and for all and claim the Jade Phoenix."