The confrontation between Pei Xuanjing and Empress Wu just made them realize that they could not intervene in this battle, or in other words, they didn't qualify to intervene.
Their gazes clashed, each shifting their focus onto their recent adversaries, and so the fight resumed.
The smoke cleared, and Pei Xuanjing and Empress Wu stood facing each other.
The terrifying aftermath of their earlier clash had almost eradicated everything. It could be said that within a circumference of several miles around the palace, where the two of them were standing, only the Palace of Myriad Images behind Empress Wu were left undamaged, while the rest of the palaces and buildings had all been destroyed, reducing the area to ruins.
Pei Xuanjing stood on a collapsed pillar, holding the Longevity Sword upside down, his gaze calmly resting on Empress Wu in the distance.