852: lady

"Am I worthy?" Zhu Wuneng's sinister, strange laughter was like a steel knife scraping bone, harshly gouging Abyssal Heaven Hero's heart!

However, this infamous Nine Nether Sect Leader was not completely consumed by rage. The black Evil Flames burning around him instead solidified slightly, and his demonic eyes, like deep abysses, stared intently at Zhu Wuneng, as if trying to see straight through him!

'Something is wrong!' An alarm blared in Abyssal Heaven Hero's mind! 'This old ghost seems arrogant, but his aura is actually unstable, and he has no intention of fighting to the death! He is stalling!'

Just as Abyssal Heaven Hero expected, thoughts were also racing through Zhu Wuneng's mind:

'The Ten Directions Annihilation Array has been activated. The low-level Cultivators in the city and those lurking Nine Nether Sect members are already trapped like turtles in a jar. The Cult Master should have succeeded! The objective has been achieved!'

'This place is ultimately the heartland of the Xuan Ye Dynasty, and it borders the Nine Nether Sect's main altar! Although this array is powerful, it can at most trap and kill Void Refining Cultivators; its restraint on Body Integration Cultivators is limited. If Abyssal Heaven Hero, this old demon, throws caution to the wind and forcibly summons an Old Ancestor from his Sect at the cost of self-damage, the consequences would be unimaginable!'

'Although the Heavenly Demon Sect is strong, a mighty Dragon cannot suppress a local snake. The power we have here right now is not enough to completely stop a maddened Integration Realm Sect Leader! We must know when to quit!'

Thinking this, Zhu Wuneng's body, covered in Foul Mist, suddenly dispersed, turning into a silent, strange black light that merged into the array's demonic clouds and shot toward the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower inside the city! His movement was so fast that it left streaks of afterimages in the air!

"Old demon, stop right there!" The Ghost-Faced Old Man was shocked and furious, struggling to chase after him.

"Shut up!" Abyssal Heaven Hero roared, sounding like a clap of thunder, nearly causing the Ghost-Faced Old Man's Primordial Spirit to collapse! He did not move to stop Zhu Wuneng. His demonic eyes merely stared intently at the Ten Directions Annihilation Array hovering above River of Oblivion City, which was slowly rotating like a giant millstone and emitting Soul Refining Demonic Sounds. His face was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.

'As expected... the core killing move of this grand array is refining the Divine Souls and flesh of low-level Cultivators to extract power. For Body Integration Cultivators who can initially control Law, it mainly serves as suppression and interference... but since the array is already complete, the cost of forcibly breaking it is too high!'

'Sun Moon Divine Cult... what a vicious tactic! Setting up this array wasn't meant to wipe out our high-level members, but to slaughter our Sect's elite Disciples, weakening the Nine Nether Sect's Foundation! Furthermore, they plan to capture the Elders who were secretly attending the auction... as bargaining chips!'

Abyssal Heaven Hero instantly understood the key point, and a surge of furious rage at being calculated and humiliated nearly burst through his chest! He had thought he could catch them off guard, but he never expected the opponent's strategy was a poisonous plot to "capture the king by capturing the chief bandit" and "suck the marrow from the bone"!

His icy gaze swept over the Ghost-Faced Old Man, who was slumped on the ground and barely breathing, then looked toward the direction in the city where screams constantly echoed, like a living hell, and finally settled on the spot where Zhu Wuneng had vanished. He squeezed a few words out from between his teeth:

"Good! What a Heavenly Demon Sect! What a Zhu Wuneng! This vengeance... I shall remember it!"

"Go!"

Abyssal Heaven Hero hesitated no longer. He grabbed the heavily injured Ghost-Faced Old Man, erupted with terrifying Nine Nether Evil Qi around him, forcibly tore apart the sticky Soul Refining Demonic Might and spatial constraints surrounding them, and transformed into a pitch-black demonic rainbow tearing through the sky, fleeing at maximum speed toward a pre-arranged secret rendezvous point! He had to immediately gather his forces to deal with the even crueler situation ahead! The Ghost-Faced Old Man's life still needed to be preserved for now!

River of Oblivion City, Ten Thousand Treasures Tower's top floor, Crystal Palace.

Zhu Wuneng's figure silently materialized. The Foul Qi swirling around him merged into the pure Devilish Qi inside the tower.

Xin Yingying was elegantly seated upon the Crystal Throne, her blood-red eyes indifferently observing the hall below. There, dozens of pitch-black chains, shimmering with Law runes, firmly bound the captured Nine Nether Sect members.

Some Nascent Soul Disciples were pale and slumped on the ground; some Soul Transformation Elders had bloodshot eyes, struggling frantically but in vain; and four core powerhouses of the Void Refining Realm were bound like zongzi by layers of Chains of Law, their auras completely suppressed, their eyes filled with humiliation and despair.

"How is it?" Zhu Wuneng asked hoarsely.

Xin Yingying curled her lips into an eerie arc, like a blossoming, thorny rose: "Fifteen Nascent Soul, nine Soul Transformation, four Void Refining... all elites. One Void Refining Perfection is even 'Ghost Hand' Elder, highly valued by Abyssal Heaven Hero. Decent bait." She lightly flicked her jade hand, and an invisible force swept over, instantly causing the struggling captives to slump down as if their strength had been drained.

"It's a pity that old ghost, the Ghost-Faced Old Man, escaped." Zhu Wuneng glanced over the captives, his tone flat. The Ghost-Faced Old Man's value was far greater than that of an ordinary Void Refining Cultivator.

"No matter." A profound look flashed in Xin Yingying's blood-red eyes. "With these people in hand, plus the 'blood evidence' of the thousands of low-level Cultivators slaughtered in River of Oblivion City, it is enough to make the Nine Nether Sect... carve off a significant amount of flesh at the negotiating table."

She looked toward the direction outside the city, where bloody light still soared into the sky: "Where is Abyssal Heaven Hero?"

"He ran." Foul Mist surged in Zhu Wuneng's eyes. "That old demon was very vigilant and didn't fall for it. However, his Nine Nether Sect suffered a great loss of Origin Qi this time and lost all face! Our objective is mostly achieved."

The two exchanged glances, both seeing the cold calculation in the other's eyes. A bloody storm that shook the Eastern Region temporarily came to an end after a brief confrontation that seemed like a lot of thunder but little rain. But everyone knew this was merely a moment of respite before the storm arrived; the true reckoning was yet to come!

Several days later, deep within the Demon Summoning Abyss, Qiong Shuang's secluded quiet room remained tightly shut, emitting terrifyingly cold Demonic Qi. She was clearly still at the critical juncture of breaking through to the Tenth Rank Demon King.

Meanwhile, Luo Tianying's quiet room stone door slowly opened.

A breathtaking graceful figure slowly walked out. Her skin was fairer than snow, and her complexion, which had been slightly pale due to Primordial Spirit damage, was now restored to a healthy rosy hue, like a newly bloomed cherry blossom. Her pair of charming peach blossom eyes shone brilliantly, radiating a natural allure as they moved, seemingly gathering all the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth.

"Madam." Yao Delong, who had been waiting outside, stepped forward and naturally reached out to pull the soft, fragrant beauty into his embrace.

Luo Tianying obediently nestled against his firm chest. Feeling his familiar and reassuring aura, she slightly raised her head and smiled radiantly. The momentary charm brightened the gloomy Immortal Cave slightly: "Husband, your Divine Pill is truly miraculous. The Primordial Spirit injury that troubled me for so long has been completely healed." Her voice was sweet and soft, filled with the joy of surviving a catastrophe and undisguised dependence on the man before her.

Yao Delong felt the astonishing softness and warmth of the beauty in his arms, feeling satisfied in his heart. He gently stroked her silk-like black hair: "It's good that Madam is safe. The matter in River of Oblivion City is concluded, and various forces have been stirred up. This place is no longer suitable for long stays, and I need to return to the Sect."

"Husband..." Hearing this, Luo Tianying's delicate body stiffened slightly. The brightness in her eyes instantly dimmed, replaced by deep reluctance and melancholy. She knew her identity was sensitive; if she accompanied her Husband now, she wouldn't just be unable to help, she would bring him immense disaster. Thousands of emotions clogged her heart, finally condensing into a choked sigh: "...Please... take care."