33: Chapter 33 Inside and Outside the Light Curtain! A Cruel Contrast Between Life and Death!

Duan Gujin shouted, "Killing Formation! Activate!"

He slammed his hands onto the ground.

With a boom,

A massive translucent light barrier instantly expanded, forming a giant hemispherical boundary that enveloped the remaining Hehuan Sect Disciples.

Mysterious runes moved across the surface of the light barrier, emitting a terrifying pressure.

The Disciples were shocked by this power:

"Hiss! This... what kind of power is this?!"

"Heavens! This... this is definitely not a power that someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage can control!!"

"I... I feel like this light barrier could crush me into nothingness!"

"Senior Brother Duan... he can actually set up such a terrifying killing Formation?!"

"We're saved! We're saved! Why should we fear the Demon Race!"

Duan Gujin sat cross-legged at the center of the Formation eye, his voice echoing in everyone's minds:

"Everyone! This is a simplified version of the 'Hunyuan Zhoutian Slaughtering God Profound Gang Formation'! It is enough to slay demons and protect ourselves! Furthermore, it can move according to my will!"

His tone suddenly became stern:

"Remember! When moving, everyone must stay within the range of this Formation at all times! Beyond the light barrier is a realm of death!"

"Do you understand?!"

"Understood!"

"We shall obey Senior Brother Duan's (Uncle-Master Duan's) orders!"

The Disciples answered in fear, desperately crowding toward the center.

"Good! Everyone, recover your breath and prepare for battle!"

Time passed bit by bit.

Late at night.

"Aaaaaah!"

One soul-shuddering scream of terror after another could be heard.

It turned out that the Demon Race members who tried to break into the Formation were burned and repelled by the Profound Gang.

Hair-raising howls and the feeling of malicious gazes surged from all directions, making the Hehuan Sect Disciples feel terrified.

The blood moon hung high.

Countless dense black shadows flashed through the forest.

Dawn was approaching.

But the blood moon still hung in the sky, and the forest was a blood-red color.

"Ow-woooo—!"

"Hiss-haaa—!"

Piercing shrieks rang out, and countless black shadows in the forest moved.

They no longer hid, pouncing like a black flood from all directions toward the profound-azure light barrier outside the Hehuan Sect camp!

"They're here!"

A Disciple's voice trembled.

What happened next left all the Disciples stunned.

There was no loud bang, nor any violent vibration.

Only a dense "Sizzle!" sound rang out.

Dozens of low-level demonic creatures charging at the front rapidly dissolved and decomposed the moment they touched the light barrier!

Mysterious runes lit up where they made contact.

Those demonic creatures were incredibly fragile under the runes, vanishing into black smoke in the blink of an eye!

"Hiss!"

"This... this..."

The Disciples inside the Formation gasped, their faces full of shock.

They saw a giant demon wolf, whose aura was comparable to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, crash into the light barrier and be instantly swallowed whole!

"So... so strong!"

A young Disciple murmured, "Uncle-Master Duan's Formation is too terrifying!"

"They're being killed so easily! These demonic creatures are like ants before the light barrier!"

Another Disciple shouted excitedly, their previous fear dissipating quite a bit.

Duan Gujin sat at the Formation eye, his face solemn and his gaze sharp.

His hands formed seals to maintain the Formation, and his voice rang out in everyone's minds:

"The Profound Gang of this Formation specifically counters evil! Low-level demonic creatures will die upon contact! Everyone, steady your minds and do not be deceived by appearances; the true trial is still to come!"

His words made the hearts of the Disciples, who had just relaxed, tighten again.

There were too many demonic creatures, and they were completely unafraid of death.

Sure enough, low-level demonic creatures continued to throw themselves at the barrier one after another, vanishing into nothingness amidst the sizzling sounds.

The light barrier stood firm, its profound-azure light flowing, supporting a safe zone within.

Watching the heavy shadows of demons and hearing the sky-shaking roars outside, only to see them turn to ash before the light barrier, the Hehuan Sect Disciples were deeply shaken.

Everyone looked toward Duan Gujin's figure at the Formation eye, their eyes filled with relief and admiration.

"Uncle-Master Duan saved our lives!"

A female Disciple's voice trembled.

"It's all thanks to Uncle-Master Duan's Formation!"

Another Disciple sighed from the bottom of their heart.

"I previously thought Uncle-Master Duan was making a mountain out of a molehill! I'm truly ashamed!"

A Disciple's face was full of shame.

"We... we were even calculating against the people from the other Six Sects before!"

A female Disciple thought of their previous struggles, her voice bitter. "We thought they were the most dangerous enemies in the Secret Realm, and we fought each other to snatch opportunities!"

"Indeed,"

An older Disciple nearby chimed in, his voice dry. "We plotted against each other, guarded against one another, and even didn't hesitate to kill our own fellow Disciples!"

"But who could have imagined that such a terrifying Demon Race was hidden in this Secret Realm?"

"They... they aren't here for any opportunities at all; they want to kill all of us of the Human Race!"

This thought made everyone sober up.

Competition with Disciples from other Sects still had rules and a chance of survival.

But these surging demons before them brought only indiscriminate extermination!

Looking at the seemingly endless tide of demons outside the light barrier, all the Disciples understood: in the face of this Demon Race calamity, their previous calculations and grudges seemed utterly ridiculous and insignificant.

The true horror had been lurking in the shadows all along.

Duan Gujin's killing Formation had become their only way to survive.

Beyond the light barrier was a land of death a hundred or a thousand times more terrifying than any rival Sect!

Duan Gujin activated the hand seals, and the massive light shield of the "Hunyuan Zhoutian Slaughtering God Profound Gang Formation" protected the group as it slowly advanced across the scorched earth.

The Disciples stared warily outside the light barrier.

Suddenly, the runes on the left side of the light barrier lit up!

"Sizzle!"

With a short, mournful wail, a Shadow Demon pounced from a pile of withered leaves, but the moment it hit the light barrier, it dissolved and carbonized, turning into black smoke.

Similar attacks happened several more times.

Vine Demons, Earth-boring Magic Worms, Phantom Demons...

No matter how they ambushed, they all turned to nothingness upon touching the light barrier.

Seeing the demonic creatures being easily destroyed, the Disciples relaxed a little.

They began to notice the ground within the light shield.

"Look! It's Bloodvein Grass! It's quite old!" a female Disciple pointed at a Spiritual Plant near the edge of the light barrier and cried out in surprise.

Under the protection of the light barrier, she carefully harvested it.

"There's some over here too! Purple Cloud Ganoderma!"

Another Disciple made a discovery at the base of an ancient tree.

The group's progress slowed down further.

Duan Gujin tacitly allowed it, and the Disciples searched for precious Spirit Medicines within the safe zone.

Looking at the Spirit Medicines in their hands, the Disciples felt fortunate to have Duan Gujin.

Without his Formation, they would have been dead long ago.

Around noon, a strong scent of blood wafted toward them.

The scene ahead made all the Hehuan Sect Disciples feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

The clearing had become a slaughterhouse.

A tattered Tianjian Sect banner was stuck in the bloody mud.

Shattered Magical Artifacts, torn Talismans, and broken Flying Swords were scattered everywhere.

Even more numerous were the dozens of corpses of Tianjian Sect Disciples.

Their deaths were gruesome: some were disemboweled, some were charred black, some had their essence blood sucked dry until only skin and bones remained, and others had their limbs torn apart and heads rolling away.

Blood soaked the soil.

The broken trees, claw marks, frost, and scorch marks in the surroundings showed that they had resisted to the death, but they had been completely wiped out.

"Urgh..." Some Disciples gagged on the spot.

"It's... it's Senior Brother Li from the Tianjian Sect... he, he was just..." A Disciple recognized the jade pendant on a headless corpse, their voice trembling with a hint of crying.

"They're all... all dead..." Someone murmured absentmindedly, their face pale.

Cold fear gripped everyone once again.

Duan Gujin stopped his footsteps, sharply scanning the battlefield, his voice low and solemn:

"Do you see? This is the fate of those outside the light barrier."

"The Demon Race is cunning and cruel; they will lurk, set ambushes, and concentrate their strength to attack a single point."

"This is no joke! Cast away any thoughts of luck you may have. Within this Formation, there is still a glimmer of hope for survival; step out even one pace, and you will be beyond redemption!"

The group was deathly silent.

Only the faint light from the flowing runes of the light barrier reflected everyone's pale faces and the bloodiness on the ground.

What chilled their hearts even more was that similar tragic scenes appeared one after another.

Quite a few Disciples from the Six Sects had died under the demonic tide.

The Hehuan Sect members looked at the hellish scenes outside the barrier and felt the safety within.

Their gazes toward Duan Gujin at the center of the Formation eye were filled with a near-pious reliance and awe.

He was the god protecting them all!!!