Chapter 390 The Eternal Mother Descends

A moment later, at Zhennan Pass.

"Hmm?"

The Holy Lotus Sect Venerable slowly descended from high in the sky, only to see the City Lord's Mansion and the surrounding miles reduced to ruins, with the wails of the Holy Lotus Cult Members stationed there echoing from the distance.

His expression suddenly turned gloomy.

Scanning with his Divine Sense, he found no trace of the several Devas stationed at Zhennan Pass. He grabbed a Holy Lotus Sect Great Grandmaster to question him, but naturally, he learned nothing.

At that moment, he suddenly noticed a patch of scorched blackness among the ruins.

Furthermore, a faint, lingering Aura of "Tribulation" hung in the air, very similar to the Heavenly Tribulation that had descended when he achieved Innate Fetal Respiration years ago.

"That sound just now... it sounded a lot like thunder..."

"Could it be..."

He abruptly looked up at the sky; for ten thousand miles, the sky was clear and blue as if it had been washed.

The place where Yan Chu was undergoing his tribulation was already far higher than what Divine Sense or the naked eye could see, having entered the deepest layers of the Astral Wind.

The Astral Wind masked all movement, making it impossible for anyone to sense.

The Holy Lotus Sect Venerable narrowed his eyes and slowly rose into the air, intending to charge into the depths of the clouds to see clearly.

Suddenly, a thousand-foot-long bolt of lightning exploded in the distant clear sky, causing the Holy Lotus Sect Venerable to halt his movement.

A second later, a charred figure fell straight down from the high heavens.

Thump!

The charred figure smashed violently into the ruins of the City Lord's Mansion, cratering the ground into a hundred-foot-wide pit as dust billowed up.

Whoosh!

The Holy Lotus Sect Venerable flicked his sleeve, and a violent gust of wind swept the dust away, revealing the scene inside the deep pit.

The charred figure sat cross-legged, enveloped in pure white flames that radiated a vigorous life force. The charred skin peeled away inch by inch, revealing skin more delicate than a woman's.

Blade Demon Yan Chu!

The Holy Lotus Sect Venerable's pupils constricted.

The thing he feared most had happened.

If there was anyone he feared appearing at this juncture, it was undoubtedly Yan Chu; no one else could possibly interfere with the Holy Lotus Sect's plans.

Yan Chu slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. The airflow whipped up sand and wind, completely obscuring the area for several yards around him, so the Holy Lotus Sect Venerable could no longer see inside.

However, he did not dare to make any reckless moves.

A man's reputation is like the shadow of a tree!

Now, he no longer dared to look down on Yan Chu with a condescending attitude. After all, Yan Chu's cultivation and battle record were right there; he didn't dare show the slightest contempt.

After a moment, the wind and sand dissipated, revealing Yan Chu's figure once more.

By now, he had returned to his normal state. His condition was not weakened at all; instead, it seemed even more powerful.

Having achieved the Pure Yang Body, Pure Yang Qi circulated within him. This was one of the most life-force-abundant forms of Innate Fetal Respiration in martial arts cultivation, and the injuries caused by the Heavenly Tribulation left no hidden damage.

Furthermore, his physique grew stronger with every tempering from a Heavenly Tribulation, so it wasn't entirely a bad thing for him.

"Xiao Mian, Holy Lotus Sect Venerable, greets Great Hero Yan!"

This wasn't the first time Xiao Mian had met Yan Chu; they had crossed paths at Heavenly Pillar Mountain. But seeing him again now undoubtedly put immense pressure on him.

Yan Chu didn't beat around the bush. He had already received word from the Qu River Divine Turtle, so he said directly:

"I heard your sect has set up a grand Formation to invite the Wusheng Old Mother to the Lower Realm. I wonder if I might have a look?"

Xiao Mian's breath hitched. Inviting the Old Mother to the Lower Realm was a top secret within the Holy Lotus Sect, known only to the core members at Hundred Battles Valley.

However, looking at the City Lord's Mansion, which had been turned into ruins, he wasn't surprised. Yan Chu must have learned this news from the Immortal Elder and the others.

"My Holy Lotus Sect has kept a respectful distance from Great Hero Yan recently and has never actively offended you. Does Great Hero Yan intend to become an enemy of our Holy Lotus Sect?"

"Wrong!"

Yan Chu extended a finger and wagged it:

"Your Holy Lotus Sect isn't qualified to be my opponent. I intend to be an enemy of the Wusheng Old Mother!"

"You—"

Xiao Mian was shocked and furious, but before he could make a move, three giant cauldrons flew out from Yan Chu's body one after another, suppressing the surrounding miles.

The Holy Lotus Sect Venerable suddenly felt as if he were carrying hundreds of mountains on his back. The pressure forced him to his knees, his bones creaking loudly. His three Divine Treasuries were on the verge of collapsing, and cracks appeared on his skin, with beads of blood seeping out.

His face was full of disbelief.

He knew he was no match for Yan Chu, but he hadn't expected the gap to be so vast.

"Don't worry, you are more than welcome to summon the Wusheng Old Mother to the Lower Realm!"

Yan Chu held his hands behind his back, his expression calm and exuding a domineering sense of total control.

"I am already invincible in this world. Only an enemy from the heavens is qualified to fight me. I just happen to want to see if my precious blade is still sharp!"

The Holy Lotus Sect Venerable's mouth was filled with blood. With a twisted expression, he gritted his teeth and said:

"Yan Chu, you consider yourself invincible, but before the Old Mother, you are merely a firefly compared to the bright moon. You have no understanding of the Old Mother's mysterious power."

"The Old Mother dwells high in the Vacuum Home, as old as Chaos and eternal. To think of challenging her is simply sacrilegious!"

As soon as he finished speaking, with a boom, the three giant cauldrons pressed down simultaneously. The Holy Lotus Sect Venerable's body sank, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood mixed with bits of internal organs.

"Aghh!!"

The heavy pressure and intense pain forced a groan from him.

He hadn't suffered such an injury in hundreds of years. Ever since his divine arts reached Major Achievement and he took the throne of the Sect Venerable, he rarely even had the chance to fight.

He hadn't expected that today, in just one encounter, Yan Chu's Aura alone would cause him such heavy injuries.

"I don't want to waste words with you!"

Yan Chu said indifferently:

"Isn't your goal to summon the Wusheng Old Mother? Once she truly descends, what happens next will have nothing to do with you!"

"Fine!"

Xiao Mian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said in a low voice:

"Then please release your Aura, Great Hero Yan, and I will take you to see the Old Mother!"

"I hope you can still maintain this attitude when the time comes!"

Yan Chu retracted the three giant cauldrons. Seeing the Holy Lotus Sect Venerable fly toward Hundred Battles Valley, he followed unhurriedly...

...

Inside Hundred Battles Valley, a concealment Formation was set up around the periphery of the Blood Lotus Descent Grand Array.

The entire Hundred Battles Valley was over ten miles wide and nearly a thousand miles long.

If one didn't search carefully, it would be truly difficult to discover that hundreds of Holy Lotus Cult Members were gathered here.

When the Venerable Xiao Mian appeared outside the Formation with a weakened Aura, the cultists there were startled, and several people immediately came forward to meet him.

The others continued to chant the Holy Lotus doctrines in low voices.

This chanting resonated with the Blood Lotus Descent Grand Array, serving as an essential link to maintain the Formation and ensure the Wusheng Old Mother's successful descent.

For the Wusheng Old Mother, the devout Power Of Faith of her followers was a major source of her strength.

Yan Chu looked over and saw three thousand young boys and girls distributed throughout the Formation's positions. Their essence, energy, and spirit were being drained by the white lotus at the center of the Formation, turning them into small mummies.

Their features were distorted, and they were nothing but skin and bones.

Rather than a Formation, it was more like a sacrifice.

The Materials used to set up the Formation were secondary; the key was these three thousand children and the white lotus rooted in the ground at the center.

The Holy Lords of the three lineages of the Holy Lotus—the White Lotus, Black Lotus, and Red Lotus—each led a Saint and Saintess. They knelt on both knees in three directions, chanting scriptures and presiding over this grand sacrificial ritual.