137: Who lured this evil spirit to its lair?

Deepest within the Eternal Life Cult headquarters.

The atmosphere was incredibly heavy, and a thick, strange, nauseating odor permeated the air.

The Yongsheng Cult Leader sat atop a throne.

At this moment, his face was shrouded in a layer of anger and unease so thick it wouldn't dissipate.

Before him, three trusted Elders with powerful auras also wore solemn expressions, their eyes filled with unbelievable panic.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Rumble—!"

Terrifyingly loud crashes, interspersed with faintly audible screams, came wave after wave from the direction of the altar, penetrating the thick walls and echoing clearly through the scene.

"What on earth is going on?!"

The Cult Leader's voice was hoarse, filled with irrepressible, suppressed rage.

"Why is there such a commotion coming from the altar?"

"The Fusion ritual for the heart of the evil god is at its most critical moment and must not be disturbed. What the hell is happening outside?"

"Where is the High Priest? Where are Elder Zhang and Elder Li? Are they all dead?!"

He couldn't understand it. The headquarters' Sanctuary was as solid as a fortress, protected by layers of Formations on the periphery.

Inside, thousands of elite cultists and several Elders stood guard, with the Ten Thousand Soul Blood Hell Formation as their final trump card.

How could someone have fought their way near the core area?

This was simply a fantasy!

One trusted Elder swallowed hard, suppressed the throbbing in his heart, bowed, and replied:

"Reporting to the Cult Leader, the specific situation... your subordinate also does not know."

"A few minutes ago, violent energy fluctuations and alarms suddenly came from the altar. Several Elders immediately led men to investigate and suppress it..."

"By, by all rights, it should have been quelled by now..."

His voice grew smaller and smaller, clearly lacking confidence.

Because the commotion outside had not only failed to subside, but was getting closer and more violent!

That booming sound, like the footsteps of the Grim Reaper, was approaching this final hiding place step by step.

Another trusted Elder added, "Cult Leader, perhaps the sacred heart is about to awaken and its power is running wild?"

He tried to find a reasonable explanation, but even he couldn't believe it.

Those clear shouts of killing and destructive energy collisions could never be explained by the awakening of the sacred heart.

"Bullshit!" The Cult Leader interrupted sharply, his pupils fixed on the entrance of the secret chamber. "This is clearly an invasion by an external enemy. How could the awakening of the sacred heart cause such a commotion?!"

Just as he finished speaking—

"Bang—!"

The door to the secret chamber was violently pushed open.

Following that, a Black-Robed Cultist stumbled and crawled through the door, which hadn't been fully locked, and fell to the ground.

Extreme fear was written all over his face, and his voice shook uncontrollably:

"C-Cult Leader, it's bad, something terrible has happened! Someone has fought their way in! He kills everyone he sees! We can't stop him, we can't stop him at all!"

This cultist had clearly fled from the front lines, and his mental state was on the verge of collapse.

"What?!"

Inside the secret chamber, everyone, including the Cult Leader, was shaken to the core and stood up abruptly!

Someone had fought their way in?

This was the Eternal Life Cult headquarters, the Sanctuary hidden in the deepest part of the Secret Realm space.

There were countless maze Formations, killing Formations, and illusion Formations on the periphery.

Inside were thousands of cultists, several fifth-rank Elders, and even the soon-to-be-revived heart of the evil god.

Who could possibly be alone and cut a path all the way here with such unstoppable force?

"Who? Exactly who dares to be so bold? Where are the Elders? Where are Elder Zhang and Elder Li?" A trusted Elder stepped forward and questioned sharply.

The cultist was scared out of his wits, tears and snot flowing freely:

"I-I don't know who it is!"

"He's wearing very ordinary casual clothes, but his strength is too terrifying! With a wave of his hand, heavenly thunder and earthly fire descend, and the brothers are dying in swathes!"

"The Elders are gone too, they might have already..."

He didn't dare continue, but the meaning was already self-evident.

"Casual clothes? Terrifying strength..." another trusted Elder murmured to himself.

Suddenly, as if he had remembered something extremely frightening, his face turned as pale as paper in an instant.

He abruptly turned to look at the Cult Leader, his voice carrying an uncontrollable tremble:

"C-Cult Leader!"

"Weren't Protector Wang and the others ordered to try and contact that Chen Nian today?"

"Could, could this be..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire secret chamber instantly fell into a dead silence, so quiet a needle could be heard dropping.

It felt as if everyone's brain had been hit hard by a heavy hammer.

The two words 'Chen Nian' seemed to possess a certain magic, instantly awakening the most primitive fear deep within their hearts.

That madman who had shocked and killed countless experts, acted without any taboos, and would wipe out everything at the slightest provocation!

"That's it, it must be him!"

"Besides him, who else in Donghai City could have this kind of strength, this kind of audacity, and these kinds of methods!"

Another trusted Elder's voice was dry, his eyes filled with despair.

People suddenly realized that this intruder was, in all likelihood, that Chen Nian.

But why?

Didn't Protector Wang and the others go to contact him and show goodwill?

Even if the talk failed, it shouldn't have led to directly bringing this fiend to their lair, right?

They couldn't understand what kind of accident had happened in between.

But at this moment, the reason was no longer important.

What was important was that the madman who could even blow up a Fifth-Rank Demonic Evil with his bare hands had already fought his way to their doorstep!

And looking at this posture, he clearly came with ill intent, wanting to wipe them all out!

Based on their understanding of Chen Nian's past behavior, the Elders who went out to check the situation were likely already dead.

And if this continued, that madman would soon fight his way here!

When that time came, all of them, along with the foundation they had built for hundreds of years, would be completely reduced to ashes!

"Boom—!!!"

Another clearer, more deafening roar came from the other end of the passage.

Accompanied by the collapse of rocks and shrill, short-lived screams, it was clear that the final line of defense was being rapidly breached.

The footsteps of death were almost ringing in their ears.

The muscles on the Cult Leader's face twitched violently; shock, anger, fear, unwillingness, malice... all sorts of emotions were intertwined.

Was everything he had painstakingly built, his ambition for eternal life, going to be destroyed in a single day?

"Cult Leader, we can't hesitate any longer!" a trusted Elder shouted in extreme anxiety. "As long as there's life, there's hope. We must immediately activate the Emergency Teleportation Formation and leave!"

"Yes, Cult Leader, let's go quickly, it'll be too late if we wait!" another person also hurriedly echoed.

The Cult Leader looked toward a corner.

There was a small but extremely complex teleportation Formation carved there, the final escape route known only to him and a few core confidants.

"Go!" Squeezing a single word through his teeth, the Cult Leader no longer cared about his dignity or his great cause of eternal life; survival was the primary task.

However, before they could move.

"Boom—!!!"

A terrifyingly loud sound, as if the heavens and earth were splitting apart, suddenly exploded behind them.

The indestructible wall, a mixture of obsidian and anti-magic metal, was struck head-on like it had been hit by a meteor and shattered with a roar.

Countless fragments of stone mixed with metal blasted inward.

Dust filled the air.

A violent air current swept through the entire space.

The people present were knocked back by the sudden shockwave, nearly falling to the ground.

They turned back in absolute horror.

Through the thick dust, a tall and slender figure slowly walked in from outside the broken hole.

His pace was leisurely, his expression calm, and the ordinary casual clothes he wore were spotless, forming an extremely eerie contrast with the flying debris and thick dust around him.

The newcomer's gaze casually swept over the messy scene, finally landing on the four pale-faced people frozen at the edge of the teleportation Formation.

The corners of his mouth slowly curled into a cruel arc as he spoke faintly:

"Running?"

"Did I give you permission to run?"