111: The evil-suppressing stone seals the core.

At the top floor of the Evil Suppressing Pagoda during the Wei Hour, sunlight pierced through the hollowed-out runes of the pagoda's body, casting mottled light and shadows on the white jade floor. The space on the top floor was far more expansive than the levels below, with a stone platform about ten feet high standing in the center. Hovering above the platform was a dark blue crystal the size of a human head—it was the core of the Evil Suppressing Pagoda, the town evil stone.

The surface of the town evil stone was densely engraved with ancient evil-suppressing runes. The runes shimmered with a faint golden light, continuously emitting a majestic evil-suppressing power and Holy Spirit Power, which resonated with the Seal at the base of the pagoda, forming an invisible energy barrier that suppressed the Aura of the Evil Clan King. Surrounding the stone platform were eight Coiled Dragon Stone Pillars, carved with reliefs of the Holy Spirit Guards and the Yu Family Ancestor joining forces to Seal the Evil Clan. Each stone pillar radiated pure spiritual energy, providing a continuous stream of energy to the town evil stone.

"So this is the town evil stone!" A look of shock flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. He could clearly feel the majestic power contained within the town evil stone; it was a pure force of suppression and purification. Even the dense Evil Energy coming from the bottom of the pagoda could only shrink back in the face of this power. Following the records of the "Three Elements Return to One Formation" that Elder Feng had found in the Secret Records of Suppressing Evil, he held the holy spirit token and walked slowly toward the stone platform. "Yu Lan, prepare to activate the town evil stone with your Bloodline Power; Elder Feng, please preside over the Formation and assist us in completing the Strengthening Ceremony."

Yu Lan nodded and walked to the other side of the stone platform. The myriad manifestations pendant and the evil suppressing jade pendant around her neck simultaneously erupted with dazzling spiritual light. She took a deep breath and operated the Bloodline secret technique from the yu clan secret codex. The Yu Family Bloodline Power within her surged rapidly, and a pillar of green Bloodline light shot from between her brows, striking the town evil stone directly. Elder Feng, holding eight Spirit Stones engraved with ancient runes, embedded them into the grooves of the eight Coiled Dragon Stone Pillars. At the same time, he quickly formed hand Seals and chanted under his breath, activating the "Three Elements Return to One Formation."

As the Bloodline light pillar hit the town evil stone, the runes on its surface glowed intensely, and the originally faint golden light became increasingly brilliant. Lu Chen took the opportunity to press the holy spirit token against the town evil stone. The holy spirit token instantly burst with a golden-green intertwined spiritual light, echoing the power of the town evil stone. "Three Elements Return to One Formation, rise!" Elder Feng shouted loudly. The eight Coiled Dragon Stone Pillars simultaneously erupted with dazzling spiritual light, and a massive Formation light screen enveloped the entire top floor, surrounding the town evil stone, Lu Chen, and Yu Lan.

Within the Formation light screen, the sacred power of the holy spirit token, the suppression power of the town evil stone, and Yu Lan's Bloodline Power intertwined, forming a tri-colored energy stream that continuously poured into the town evil stone. The light of the town evil stone grew brighter and brighter, and the evil-suppressing power it emitted became more majestic. The Evil Energy Aura coming from the bottom of the pagoda was forcibly suppressed, and the tremors gradually weakened.

"It's working!" Lu Chen was overjoyed and continued to drive the holy spirit token, pouring a steady stream of Holy Spirit Power into the town evil stone. He could clearly feel the connection between the town evil stone and the Seal at the bottom of the pagoda becoming tighter, and the power of the Seal was rapidly increasing.

Yu Lan's face, however, gradually turned pale. The continuous consumption of Bloodline Power made her struggle to hold on, but she knew the importance of strengthening the Seal. She gritted her teeth and persisted, continuously injecting Bloodline Power into the town evil stone. Sensing the power of the town evil stone, the evil suppressing jade pendant around her neck also actively released purification power, helping her stabilize the flow of her Bloodline.

Just as the ceremony reached its critical moment, the town evil stone suddenly erupted with a dazzling golden light. Within the golden light, a massive phantom emerged—it was a figure clad in black evil armor with a hideous face, surrounded by Evil Energy and emitting a heart-palpitating, ferocious Aura. It was none other than the Evil Clan King sealed at the bottom of the pagoda!

"Who is strengthening the Seal?!" The phantom of the Evil Clan King let out a deafening roar, its voice filled with anger and resentment. "This King is about to awaken! You ants, how dare you ruin my great plans!" The phantom's gaze swept over Lu Chen and Yu Lan with thick killing intent. Even as a mere sealing phantom, its Aura far exceeded that of the previous Evil General, causing everyone's hearts to tremble.

Lu Chen's expression was grave. He hadn't expected the Strengthening Ceremony to trigger the sealing phantom of the Evil Clan King. He immediately increased the output of the holy spirit token and said in a deep voice, "Evil Clan King, you have committed many evils; being sealed here is your own doing. Today, we shall strengthen the Seal and ensure you never rise again!"

"Never rise again?" The phantom of the Evil Clan King laughed wildly, its Evil Energy surging as it tried to break through the suppression of the town evil stone. "With just this broken Seal and you lowly Cultivators? Once my true body awakens, the entire Cultivation World will become my pasture, and you will all become food for my Evil Clan!"

The phantom suddenly waved its hand, and a massive palm print of Evil Energy condensed, carrying an Aura that could destroy heaven and earth as it slammed toward Lu Chen and Yu Lan. Seeing this, Elder Feng immediately activated the Formation light screen, and a solid defensive barrier condensed, blocking the Evil Energy palm print. "Bang!" The Evil Energy palm print collided with the defensive barrier, producing a deafening boom. The Formation light screen shook violently, and the light of the eight Coiled Dragon Stone Pillars dimmed significantly.

"The strength of this Evil Clan King is too terrifying; just a single phantom possesses such power!" Elder Feng's face was pale; clearly, maintaining the Formation's defense had consumed a large amount of his spiritual energy.

Yu Lan's condition also grew worse. The Aura of the Evil Clan King's phantom made the flow of her Bloodline Power sluggish, and a trace of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. Seeing this, Lu Chen immediately injected a strand of Holy Spirit Power into Yu Lan's body to help her stabilize her breath. "Yu Lan, hold on! The ceremony is almost complete; we cannot let it fail now!"

At that moment, a green phantom slowly emerged from the town evil stone, dressed in ancient Yu Family attire. It was the remnant soul of the Yu Family Ancestor, Ancestor of the Yu Family. "Evil Clan King, it has been thousands of years, and you still haven't changed your wicked ways!" Ancestor of the Yu Family's remnant soul spoke in a cold voice, her Bloodline Power surging and resonating with Yu Lan's. "Today, a descendant of my Yu Family is here, and we will ensure you remain sealed!"

Ancestor of the Yu Family's remnant soul raised a hand and waved it, and a green pillar of light containing pure Bloodline Power shot directly at the phantom of the Evil Clan King. The light pillar struck the phantom, which let out a shrill scream as its Evil Energy dissipated considerably. "Ancestor of the Yu Family! You damned woman! If it weren't for you and the Holy Spirit Guards joining forces back then, how could this King have ended up like this!" The phantom of the Evil Clan King's eyes were full of malice as it condensed Evil Energy once more, attempting to launch an attack.

"Ancestor, help me!" Yu Lan shouted loudly. Under the empowerment of the ancestor's remnant soul, the Bloodline Power within her surged once again, and an even more powerful pillar of Bloodline light shot into the town evil stone. Lu Chen also took the opportunity to push the power of the holy spirit token to its limit. The Holy Spirit Power and the power of the town evil stone underwent a perfect Fusion, and the light of the Formation light screen grew brighter and brighter as the progress of the Strengthening Ceremony rapidly advanced.

Looking at the ever-strengthening sealing power, the phantom of the Evil Clan King's eyes were filled with fear and resentment. He frantically channeled Evil Energy, trying to disrupt the ceremony, but under the obstruction of Ancestor of the Yu Family's remnant soul and the Formation light screen, he could not get close to the stone platform. "No! I am not reconciled! This King will surely awaken!" The phantom let out a desperate roar, its body gradually becoming transparent before finally being forcibly suppressed back into the Seal by the power of the town evil stone.

As the phantom of the Evil Clan King dissipated, the light of the town evil stone reached its peak. The Evil Energy Aura and tremors from the bottom of the pagoda completely vanished; the Seal had clearly been successfully strengthened. Lu Chen breathed a long sigh of relief and withdrew the holy spirit token. Most of the Holy Spirit Power in his body was consumed, and his face was somewhat pale. Yu Lan collapsed directly to the ground, her overdrawn Bloodline Power leaving her extremely weak. Ancestor of the Yu Family's remnant soul also gradually became transparent, offering a gratified smile to Yu Lan. "Good child, you have not failed the expectations of the Yu Family. You have protected the Evil Suppressing Pagoda and the Cultivation World."

"Ancestor..." Yu Lan looked at her ancestor's remnant soul, her eyes full of reluctance.

Ancestor of the Yu Family's remnant soul shook its head slightly, her figure gradually fading. "I have fulfilled my mission; the road ahead must be walked by yourselves. Remember, the Evil Clan King has not been completely destroyed; the Seal has only been strengthened. If you have the chance in the future, you must thoroughly eradicate the Evil Clan to eliminate the threat forever." After speaking, the remnant soul completely dissipated, turning into specks of spiritual light that merged into the town evil stone.

Lu Chen stepped forward, helped Yu Lan up, and handed her a restoration Medicinal Pill. "You've worked hard, Yu Lan."

Yu Lan took the Medicinal Pill and smiled weakly. "I am happy to have been able to contribute to strengthening the Seal."

Elder Feng also breathed a sigh of relief and walked to the stone platform. Looking at the town evil stone, his eyes were full of gratification. "It's a success. The Seal has been thoroughly strengthened; the Evil Clan King won't be able to awaken for a short time." He picked up the Secret Records of Suppressing Evil from the ground and handed it to Lu Chen. "This Secret Records of Suppressing Evil also records many secrets about the Evil Clan; it might come in handy in the future."

Lu Chen took the Secret Records of Suppressing Evil and was about to put it away when he suddenly noticed the runes on the surface of the town evil stone flash with a strange light. A fine blood-colored line quietly emerged, producing a faint resonance with the blood god pearl fragment inside him. His heart stirred, and his spiritual sense sank into his body, finding that the blood god pearl fragment was slightly agitated, as if it had a special sensitivity to the Aura of the Evil Clan King.

"Could there be some connection between the blood god pearl fragment and the Evil Clan King?" Lu Chen was filled with doubt. Previously, during the battle with the Evil General, the blood god pearl fragment had been agitated, and now, facing the sealing phantom of the Evil Clan King, the fragment resonated again; this was definitely no coincidence. He vaguely felt that a massive secret was hidden behind the blood god pearl fragment, one that likely had thousands of threads of connection with the Evil Clan.

Just then, a tattered beast-hide booklet fell from beneath the base of the town evil stone. The cover read "Seal Strengthening Technique," and inside were detailed records of the complete use of the "Three Elements Return to One Formation," as well as methods for periodically strengthening the Seal and repairing cracks in it. Lu Chen properly put away the booklet, his heart full of joy. With this technique, he would be able to periodically strengthen the Seal of the Evil Suppressing Pagoda in the future, preventing the Evil Clan King from awakening again.

The atmosphere on the top floor gradually eased, and the joy of the successful Seal strengthening enveloped everyone. But the doubts in Lu Chen's heart only deepened. The connection between the blood god pearl fragment and the Evil Clan King, the whereabouts of the Evil General after fleeing to the bottom of the pagoda, and the blood-colored lines appearing on the surface of the town evil stone all suggested that things might not be so simple. He knew that although the Seal had been successfully strengthened, the threat of the Evil Clan had not been completely eliminated, and they still had a long way to go.

After resting for a while, Lu Chen supported Yu Lan and walked toward the bottom floor with Elder Feng. They needed to find the Evil General who had fled to the bottom of the pagoda as soon as possible and kill him once and for all; at the same time, they had to uncover the connection between the blood god pearl fragment and the Evil Clan King to resolve the doubts in their hearts. The crisis within the Evil Suppressing Pagoda had not been fully resolved; a new exploration and battle were about to unfold at the bottom of the pagoda.