361: Who exactly is this powerful figure who has come to punish us?

As soon as these words were spoken, the square instantly erupted into an uproar!

"What?! How could the Spiritual Energy Bureau have arrived so quickly?!"

"Furthermore, Elder Yun Song is at the peak seventh-tier! He couldn't even block a single move?!"

"What's going on with this Spiritual Energy Bureau? What kind of powerhouse did they send?"

Panic spread through the crowd like a plague.

The originally fanatical atmosphere cooled down instantly.

Many Disciples' faces turned pale, their eyes filled with unbelievable horror.

Sect Master was also deeply shaken, his expression instantly turning as dark as iron.

Killing a seventh-tier cultivator with a single finger!

How could such a thing happen!

Just what kind of powerhouse has come to subjugate us?!

At this moment, Sect Master's heart was filled with immense shock.

However, he still forced down the fear in his heart and shouted sternly:

"What is there to panic about!"

"The Mountain-Protecting Array, the 'Profound Azure Returning Origin Array,' is already completely connected to the ley lines. All thirty-six layers of talismans are active, cycling endlessly!"

"No matter who the newcomer is, breaking the array will be no easy task; it will surely buy us plenty of time!"

"Pass down the order: activate all peripheral Restrictions! Turn on all illusion arrays, Killing Arrays, and Trapping Arrays!"

"Hold them back at any cost!"

"The ritual continues! Speed up the progress!"

"As long as the Demon General descends, with his great power and the Abyss's blessing, we might still have a chance to fight!"

Hearing this, several trusted Elders quickly took their orders and hurried off to make arrangements.

Sect Master looked toward the core of the altar, a trace of ruthlessness and determination flashing in his eyes:

"Spiritual Energy Bureau... you've gone too far!"

"Since you won't give my Qinglan Sect a way to survive, then let's all fall into the Abyss together!"

The ritual accelerated once more.

Driven by coercion and the desire to survive, the Disciples and Elders...

...desperately poured their Evil Energy into the Magic Formation, chanting obscure and profane abyssal incantations.

The core of the altar pulsed more and more violently, with dark purple light shining brilliantly.

It resonated with a terrifying Sealed existence deep underground.

However, before they could complete the final summoning steps...

"Rumble—!!!!"

A terrifying boom, as if the world were being split apart, accompanied by a shockwave that made all of Qinglan Mountain tremble violently...

...came forcefully from the direction of the mountain gate!

Immediately after, the light green barrier covering the mountain gate shattered instantly!

The resulting energy turbulence swept in like a tsunami, scattering the Evil Energy around the edge of the square!

"What happened?!"

"The Mountain-Protecting Array... is broken?!"

"How long has it even been?! How is this possible?!"

The entire place instantly fell into extreme chaos and panic!

Sect Master suddenly turned his head toward the mountain gate.

His pupils constricted, and for the first time, his face showed unbelievable horror!

The "Profound Azure Returning Origin Array"... was actually broken?

Just what kind of monster is this?!

"Report—!!!"

Another Disciple rushed in, face pale and voice tearful:

"Sect Master! We can't stop them! Those people from the Spiritual Energy Bureau have already fought their way in!"

"All the Restrictions and illusion arrays we set up on the perimeter couldn't stop them at all!"

"The guy leading them slashed through all our brothers in ambush and the demonized Spirit Beasts!"

"Even the sixth-tier Black-Scaled Profound Flood Dragon... was exploded by a single finger of his!"

The entire field fell into a deathly silence.

Only the dull thud of the altar core's pulsing and the restless roars of the underground monsters remained.

Sect Master's face was deathly pale, veins bulging on his temples, and his teeth ground together audibly.

Shame! Anger! Fear!

All sorts of emotions churned wildly in his heart.

He suddenly looked at the two elderly men beside him who had remained silent, yet whose auras were the most solid and profound.

The two Grand Elders of the Qinglan Sect—Xuan Ming and Chi Xiao.

These two had been in secluded cultivation for many years, but they were also eroded and controlled by the Abyss's Evil Energy.

Their cultivation had been forcibly raised to the Peak eighth-tier, making them the strongest combatants in the Sect besides him.

"Junior Martial Uncle Xuan Ming, Junior Martial Uncle Chi Xiao!" Sect Master's voice was hoarse, filled with desperate madness.

"Please, Junior Martial Uncles, take the 'netherworld bone-corroding banner' and the 'blood-refining demon-slaying sword' and go stop them!"

"At any cost, even if you have to detonate your Magic Treasures or destroy your Primordial Spirits, you must hold back that Chen Nian for half an incense stick's time!"

"Just half an incense stick's time! The ritual can be completed, and once the Demon Lord descends, we will have a chance to turn the tables!"

Xuan Ming and Chi Xiao slowly opened their eyes.

Their eyes had completely turned dark purple, cold and heartless, filled only with devotion to the Abyss and bone-deep Killing Intent for those who would disrupt the ritual.

"Rest assured, Sect Master," Xuan Mingzi's voice was dry, like grinding sand and stone. "Even if we suffer Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, we two old men will never allow any petty scoundrels to defile the sacred moment of the Demon General's descent."

Chi Xiaozi directly summoned a sword that was blood-red all over, entwined with the wails of vengeful spirits, its Killing Intent soaring to the heavens:

"How dare an ant invade our sacred domain? Today, I shall use his blood to sacrifice for the completion of my divine banner!"

Before his voice even faded, their figures turned into two streaks of light, one black and one red, carrying overwhelming Evil Energy as they streaked through the air toward the mountain gate!

Sect Master watched the direction they disappeared, took a deep breath, turned toward the altar, and roared hoarsely:

"Everyone! Cast aside all distracting thoughts! Burn your Soul Blood! Sacrifice your Origin!"

"Welcome our Lord's descent into this world!!!"

He was the first to slice open his palm, spraying a burst of pure dark purple Soul Blood toward the core of the altar.

Seeing this, the other Disciples and Elders also gritted their teeth and followed suit.

For a moment, hundreds of streams of Soul Blood converged like rivers into the sea, frantically pouring into the Magic Formation.

The core of the altar suddenly erupted with an unprecedented piercing light.

A massive dark purple pillar of light soared into the sky, forcefully piercing into the depths of the Demon Suppressing Cave!

"Roar—!!!!!"

The roars coming from underground instantly became clear and violent, filled with a thirst to destroy everything!

The entire Qinglan Mountain began to shake violently.

Countless bottomless cracks split open on the mountain's surface, and dark purple evil light gushed out from them!

The ritual entered its final and most dangerous stage.

...

...

And at the same time—

Chen Nian was stepping over the remains of monsters and building ruins scattered across the ground, walking slowly toward the depths of the Qinglan Sect.

Behind him, Zhou Zhen and the others from the Spiritual Energy Bureau followed nervously and excitedly.

They gripped their weapons tightly, vigilantly scanning the Evil Energy mist that was still dissipating around them.

Chen Nian suddenly stopped and looked up toward the Demon Suppressing Cave.

There, a dark purple pillar of light connected heaven and earth, with evil fluctuations surging like tides, each wave stronger than the last.

The corner of his mouth curled into a cold and expectant arc.

"It seems something interesting is coming."

"I hope it doesn't disappoint me."