289: Void Annihilation Thunder Purification Land

The Southern Demon Lair is undergoing abnormal changes; the Netherworld Path wants to forcibly open a stable channel to let the Nine Nether demonic creatures descend! The situation is critical and brooks no delay! The transaction conditions proposed by the Captain of the Seventh Squad are harsh, but they are the only chance to turn the tide.

Peak Master Tianshu makes a prompt decision, promising to provide enough warm sun jade marrow spiritual milk as a fuse, and opening up some (non-core) records in exchange for the right to use that powerful "void annihilation thunder".

At dawn the next day, an elite assault team consisting of all members of the Qin Gang Squad, Peak Master Chiyang, Sun Yan, and ten death soldiers from Zhenbei City quietly left the city, like a poisoned dagger thrusting straight into the heart of the Zhangye Clan's demon lair in the Southern Demon Lair.

Inside the City Lord's Mansion, the atmosphere is as heavy as iron. Peak Master Tianshu, Ling Yunzi, Lin Shanhe, and others sit in the command center, remotely monitoring the movements of the assault team through a special Formation Plate (urgently improved by Elder Xuanji, with enhanced long-distance communication capabilities). Everyone's heart is in their throat.

The assault team's advance is extremely difficult. The closer they get to the core of the demon lair, the more viscous and bone-eroding the Devilish Qi becomes, and the hidden sentries and patrolling demonic creatures set up by the Netherworld Path become denser and more powerful.

Fortunately, the Qin Gang Squad is experienced, and the Sky Patrol Division's stealth and reconnaissance Magical Artifacts are extremely clever, always able to detect and avoid danger in advance. Sun Yan's familiarity with the terrain and Peak Master Chiyang's powerful Heaven Burning Sword Intent (used to instantly clear enemies that cannot be avoided) also played a key role.

But even so, when they approached within a hundred miles of the demon lair's core, they were still discovered!

A Nascent Soul-level "Demon Commander" lurking underground with extremely keen perception sensed the spatial fluctuations and issued a shrill alarm!

In an instant, countless demonic shadows swarmed out from the churning Devilish Qi! Three huge Demon Commanders, exuding terrifying pressure (one of whom was the one who discovered them), surrounded them in a triangular formation. Further away, the figures of Netherworld Path Cultivators could be vaguely seen quickly setting up formations!

"We've been discovered! Follow the plan!" the Captain of the Seventh Squad shouted sharply, without panic. "First group! Block the enemy on the left flank! Second group! Block the enemy on the right flank! Fellow Daoist Chiyang! Follow me to break through the center! Sun Yan! Locate the channel core!"

The orders were concise and powerful. The four Golden Core members of the Sky Patrol Guard instantly split into two groups, sacrificing standard "Sky Patrol Demon-Breaking Crossbows" and "Star Lock Formation Plates" to accurately and efficiently intercept the demonic tide on the left and right flanks. Although they couldn't kill the Demon Commanders, they successfully entangled them temporarily.

The Captain of the Seventh Squad and Peak Master Chiyang turned into two rainbows, one black and one red, rushing straight at the strongest Demon Commander in the center! The Captain of the Seventh Squad swung a long sword wreathed in starlight, slashing out a brilliant sword aura that actually carried wisps of evil-breaking Star Power! Peak Master Chiyang's Heaven Burning Sword Intent erupted with full force, with raging flames! The two joined forces to instantly suppress that Demon Commander!

Sun Yan took the opportunity to lead the death squad to charge inward at all costs, while crazily scanning the place where the spatial fluctuations were most intense with a special compass!

"The channel core is on that bone altar thirty miles ahead!" Sun Yan roared hoarsely, three death soldiers having already fallen by his side.

"Now is the time!" The Captain of the Seventh Squad forced the Demon Commander back, and with a backhand, took out a metal ball the size of a fist, pitch black, and covered with profound silver runes—the void annihilation thunder! He poured the entire bottle of warm sun jade marrow spiritual milk provided by Zhenbei City onto it without hesitation!

Hum—! The silver runes on the surface of the void annihilation thunder suddenly lit up, emitting terrifying spatial fluctuations!

"Fellow Daoist Chiyang! Help me!" the Captain of the Seventh Squad shouted, and he and Peak Master Chiyang both poured their vast Nascent Soul true Qi into the thunder!

"With my blood! Guide the star annihilation!" The Captain of the Seventh Squad forced out a drop of essence blood and pointed it at the thunder ball, instantly locking onto the violently rotating dark channel vortex thirty miles away!

"Go!" The Captain of the Seventh Squad used all his strength to throw the void annihilation thunder, which had absorbed massive amounts of energy and become extremely unstable, violently toward the channel core!

The thunder ball turned into a stream of light interwoven with silver and black, ignoring spatial distance, and instantly appeared directly above the channel vortex!

"Not good! Stop it quickly!" the angry and shocked roar of a Netherworld Path Cultivator came from afar, and a pitch-black demonic banner rolled over like it was covering the sky, trying to intercept it!

But it was too late! Boom!!!!!!!!!!

A loud noise that could not be described in words, as if the world had just been created, suddenly erupted! It was not a sound, but a pure, world-destroying fluctuation at the level of Law!

Centered on the channel core, a huge, absolutely dark sphere that swallowed all light suddenly expanded! Wherever the sphere passed, space shattered like glass! That huge bone altar, the surging Devilish Qi, the ferocious demonic creatures, and even the few Netherworld Path Cultivators who tried to stop it... Everything, at the moment of contact with the dark sphere, silently turned into the most primitive nothingness!

There was no explosion, no fire, only complete annihilation!

A terrifying shockwave followed, spreading crazily in a ring, instantly clearing the Devilish Qi within a hundred miles! The earth looked as if it had been plowed, all protrusions turned into powder!

The assault team members on the periphery, even though they were prepared, were shaken by this terrifying power, their Qi and blood churning, and the weaker death soldiers fainted on the spot! The defensive light shield set up by the Captain of the Seventh Squad and Peak Master Chiyang flickered violently and nearly shattered!

The huge dark sphere lasted for a full three breaths before slowly shrinking and dissipating.

In place, only a bottomless, mirror-smooth huge pit remained! That bone altar, that rotating channel vortex, and all the demonic creatures and Netherworld Path Cultivators within range... all disappeared without a trace!

The power of one strike from the void annihilation thunder was so terrifying! Success! The channel was successfully destroyed!

However, before everyone could rejoice, another anomaly occurred!

At the deepest part of the pit, the ground did not return to normal, but instead, a crack of about a zhang in size remained—an extremely unstable space crack emitting chaotic spatial fluctuations and residual Nine Nether aura! Although it no longer formed a stable channel, it was still a dangerous gap!

Even more terrifying, a furious, crazy, and terrifying aura containing endless destructive will was vaguely coming from the depths of the crack! It was as if some extremely terrifying existence had been enraged and was trying to force its way through the crack!

"The channel is destroyed, but the crack remains! Something big is coming through!" the Captain of the Seventh Squad's face changed drastically. "Fellow Daoist Chiyang! Quick! Seal it!"

Peak Master Chiyang did not hesitate, condensing his Heaven Burning Sword Intent to the limit, turning it into a huge flame sword Seal, and pressing it hard against the crack! The Captain of the Seventh Squad also fully exerted his Star Power to lay down layers of Seals!

But the crack was extremely unstable, and even with the two Nascent Souls working together, they could only barely suppress it temporarily, unable to close it completely! And the pressure from the other side of the crack was getting greater and greater!

"We cannot stay here for long! We must evacuate immediately!" the Captain of the Seventh Squad made a prompt decision.

The assault team quickly assembled, carrying the wounded, and taking advantage of the moment when the surrounding demonic creatures were cleared and in temporary chaos, they fled for their lives!

Behind them, the crack in the deep pit continued to twist and vibrate, and terrifying roars vaguely came out, making people's hair stand on end.

This decapitation operation, although it successfully destroyed the channel and avoided the worst outcome, also left behind huge hidden dangers and completely enraged the existence deep in the demon lair.

The assault team fought their way back, losing nearly half of the death soldiers, and everyone was injured before they barely managed to retreat to the Southern outpost fortress. When the news reached Zhenbei City, everyone had mixed feelings, both relieved that the crisis was temporarily resolved and worried about the unclosed space crack.

After the Qin Gang Squad returned to the city, they immediately demanded that the promise be fulfilled and began to consult the "relevant records" provided by Zhenbei City. Their careful scrutiny and tricky questions put immense pressure on Elder Mo and Elder Jiang, who were responsible for the connection. Many details about the anomalies in the earth veins, the characteristics of the jade marrow mineral veins, and even the early fluctuations of the demonic calamity were repeatedly questioned, obviously trying to piece together the truth. Zhenbei City held its bottom line and dealt with them.

After this battle, the existence of the Sky Patrol Guard made the top management of Zhenbei City feel another form of pressure from a higher level.

However, fortune and misfortune always depend on each other. Just as the crisis in the Southern Demon Lair was temporarily eased (with hidden dangers remaining), unexpected good news came from the Western Front.

Perhaps it was a chain reaction caused by the destruction of the Southern channel and the annihilation of a large amount of Devilish Qi, or perhaps it was the feedback brought by the increased spirituality of the jade marrow heart after experiencing the Heavenly Tribulation, the expansion speed of the soul-eroding gloom Sea of Fog that had been slowly expanding on the Western Front had actually slowed down significantly! Even the concentration of Devilish Qi in its marginal areas showed a slight downward trend!

At the same time, the Formation Hall Disciple who had been responsible for monitoring the energy fluctuations of the Sea of Fog found that the evil heartbeat of the fourth altar seemed to have been affected to a certain extent, becoming slightly disordered.

Although this change was not significant, it was undoubtedly a positive signal! It meant that the demonic calamity was not unstoppable, and there was some kind of balance and connection within it.

This discovery greatly boosted the morale of the garrison. Zhao Baichuan took the opportunity to organize several small-scale counterattacks, cleared some peripheral demonic creatures, and consolidated the defense line.

What was even more surprising was that, nourished by the increasingly pure life spirit rhyme fed back after the jade marrow heart's Heavenly Tribulation, the batch of "jade dew flower" carefully cultivated by Su Wan's Pill Hall finally matured! Their quality far exceeded expectations, with full petals and glowing spiritual light, and their medicinal effect was a full 50% higher than ordinary jade dew flowers! The "jade marrow restoration pill" refined with this as the main medicinal ingredient had amazing effects, and even had a significant miraculous effect on the recovery of injuries for Nascent Soul Cultivators!

The first batch of Medicinal Pills was prioritized for the wounded such as Peak Master Chiyang and Huo Chen (who had been retrieved and was in a coma with serious injuries), and the effect was immediate. Peak Master Chiyang's injuries improved rapidly, and Huo Chen was also out of danger.

The success of the new Pill Formula meant that Zhenbei City had made a major Breakthrough in the field of high-level Medicinal Pills, possessing a true "fist product" that could be traded externally, and its strategic and economic value was immeasurable.

At the same time, the Artifact Hall's applied research on "jade marrow geng metal" also made another Breakthrough. Wei Rong discovered that integrating trace amounts of geng metal powder into the core runes of the "primal jade heart protection pendant" could increase its defense effect against Golden Core-level Nether Evil by more than 30%! Although the cost was high, it was enough to equip elite squads and high-level Cultivators.

Continuous technological progress was slowly transforming into tangible combat power and appeal.

However, the road to development was never smooth. Just as Zhenbei City was rejoicing in the technological Breakthrough and beginning to cautiously deal with the Sky Patrol Guard, the "Stone Claw Tribe" team that had fled from the West, after experiencing hardships, finally arrived outside the East Gate of Zhenbei City.

This team of more than twenty people was ragged, hungry, and their eyes were full of fatigue, vigilance, and a trace of faint expectation. Their arrival was like a microcosm, indicating that the refugee wave brought by the expansion of the Western Front's demonic calamity had begun to appear.

How to resettle these refugees, how to screen their identities, how to prevent spies from mixing in, how to balance humanitarian aid with city security... This series of unprecedented governance problems was placed in front of Lin Shanhe and the Internal Affairs Hall.

The road to starting a business and becoming rich was not just about technological improvement and resource accumulation, but also about the integration and growth of population, governance, culture, and identity. New challenges had arrived.

Inside the City Lord's Mansion, Lin Shanhe looked at the preliminary verification report on the Stone Claw Tribe on his desk, and then looked at the bustling and increasingly prosperous city outside the window, his eyes deep.

"Order: Open the temporary resettlement area outside the East Gate, and conduct strict screening and medical treatment for the Stone Claw Tribe personnel. Use labor as relief, allowing them to participate in city wall reinforcement and Spirit Garden expansion work in exchange for food and shelter. Notify Sun Yan to increase the background investigation of outsiders. At the same time, inform allies such as the Rock Sheep Clan and Fengsha Market, and request them to pay attention to the movements of refugees on the Western Front."

The order was given, and Zhenbei City, this precise machine, began to try to deal with the challenges in this brand-new field. And everyone could feel that the wheel of fate of this city, which was constantly growing in the wind and waves, was driving onto a wider, more complex, and unknown track. The future chapters will surely be forged by the game of blood and fire, technology, wisdom, and human hearts.