112: Strange activity at the bottom of the tower, the evil king awakens.

In the lower level of the Evil Suppressing Pagoda at shen hour, bone-chilling Evil Energy surged like a tide. The dark corner, originally suppressed by the town evil stone, now had a chasm several zhang wide. Thick black evil mist continuously poured out from the dark crack, accompanied by a grating sound of shattering. The Seal's patterns were rapidly disintegrating. Lu Chen, leading Chu Feng, Zhao Feng, and dozens of elite Alliance Disciples, stood before the crack, holding Magical Artifacts. A light barrier formed by Holy Spirit Power expanded in front of them, barely resisting the erosion of the Evil Energy.

"Rumble—"

A deafening roar, shaking the entire pagoda, came from deep within the crack. The entire Evil Suppressing Pagoda trembled violently, and the Formation's spiritual light from the top floor dimmed slightly. Lu Chen's expression changed drastically. His spiritual sense probed into the crack, and he perceived a terrifying aura far exceeding an Evil General rapidly rising. This aura was cold, domineering, and carried a destructive ferocity. Just a wisp of its leaked pressure caused the Golden Core Stage Disciples' blood to surge, almost making them lose their footing.

"Not good! The Evil General really awakened the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King!" Lu Chen roared, the holy spirit token above his head erupting with dazzling golden-green spiritual light. "Yu Lan, Elder Feng! Continue to reinforce the ritual; leave the bottom floor to us!"

Yu Lan's slightly urgent reply came from the top floor: "Alliance Leader, don't worry, we will complete the ritual as soon as possible! You all must be careful!"

Before her voice faded, a giant hand covered in black scales suddenly stretched out from the crack. The giant hand's five fingers were like hooks, its nails glowing with a faint green poisonous light, tearing through the Holy Spirit light barrier in the air with a casual swipe. Immediately after, a phantom clad in tattered black armor slowly rose from the crack. The phantom was three zhang tall, its face shrouded in evil mist, revealing only a pair of blood-red eyes. Substantial Evil Energy vortexes swirled around its body; each breath could absorb a large amount of Holy Spirit Power and convert it into Evil Energy.

"Insignificant human Cultivators, how dare you disturb this King's slumber!" The Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King's voice boomed like thunder, making everyone's eardrums ache. "Thousands of years of Seal, in the end, still couldn't trap this King! Today, you shall pay the price for this arrogance!"

The phantom raised its hand and waved, sending out several streaks of black Evil Light. Where the Evil Light passed, space subtly warped. The Disciples, unable to dodge in time, turned into wisps of black smoke the moment they were hit by the Evil Light, their Divine Souls even devoured by the Evil Energy. Lu Chen's pupils constricted. The Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King's strength had actually reached the Late Nascent Soul Stage level, far exceeding his estimation.

"Holy Spirit Domain, open!" Lu Chen unhesitatingly activated the Holy Spirit Power within his body. A golden-green Domain spread out with him as the center. The Holy Spirit Power within the Domain transformed into countless tiny light blades, attempting to cut the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King's Evil Energy. However, this Holy Spirit Domain, which was strong enough to suppress Late Golden Core Stage evil Cultivators, was like paper in front of the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King. The Evil Energy vortex gently swirled, swallowing all the light blades, and the Domain's range was forcibly compressed to within three zhang.

"Just these meager tricks?" The Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King sneered, its figure instantly appearing before Lu Chen. Its giant hand descended with world-destroying power. Lu Chen gripped the demon breaking sword horizontally, injecting the power of the holy spirit token into the sword body. Golden-green spiritual light surged, and a Sword Qi containing Holy Spirit Power and the power of the five elements spirit items directly pierced the giant hand.

"Clang!"

The Sword Qi collided with the giant hand, emitting a deafening roar. Lu Chen was sent staggering backward by a massive rebound force, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, and the spiritual light on the demon breaking sword dimmed slightly. The Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King merely paused for a moment before attacking again, its giant hand like a dark cloud covering the sky, giving Lu Chen no chance to breathe.

"Alliance Leader, I'll help you!" Chu Feng leaped up, his azure cloud sword erupting with Holy Spirit Sword Intent. A green Sword Qi aimed directly at the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King's eyes, a vital point. He knew his strength was insufficient and could only hope to distract the opponent, creating an opportunity for Lu Chen.

A hint of disdain flashed in the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King's eyes. It sidestepped the Sword Qi, simultaneously striking out with a backhanded Evil Light. Chu Feng tried to dodge but found his body constrained by the Evil Energy, unable to move. He could only watch as the Evil Light struck his chest. "Pfft—" Chu Feng spat out a large mouthful of blood, his body flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the stone wall. His aura instantly weakened, and he fell unconscious.

"Chu Feng!" Lu Chen's eyes were bloodshot, and a monstrous rage surged within him. His spiritual power circulated wildly, and the holy spirit token's light reached an unprecedented brightness. But the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King's attack had already descended, its giant hand about to touch his head, and the shadow of death loomed.

At this critical moment, the blood god pearl fragment within Lu Chen's body suddenly stirred violently. A scorching aura spread from his Dantian throughout his entire body. The blood god pearl fragment, originally suppressed by Holy Spirit Power, broke free from its restraints under the stimulation of the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King's aura, releasing a dense blood mist. The blood mist, as if alive, instantly enveloped Lu Chen and simultaneously spread towards the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King.

The moment the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King's giant hand touched the blood mist, it was firmly entangled by it. The strange power contained within the blood mist caused him a hint of discomfort, and his movements noticeably slowed. "What kind of power is this?" A hint of surprise flashed in the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King's eyes; he clearly hadn't expected Lu Chen to harbor such a strange item within his body.

Lu Chen seized the opportunity to retreat several zhang, looking at the blood mist swirling around him, his heart filled with doubt. This blood god pearl fragment, ever since it integrated into his body, had always been suppressed by his Holy Spirit Power. Why did it suddenly erupt today? And this blood mist seemed to have a special restraining effect on the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King. What shocked him even more was that the moment the blood god pearl fragment erupted, some unfamiliar syllables surged into his mind. He could vaguely understand that the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King's roar earlier contained words like "Blood God" and "betrayal."

"Never mind, just stall for time!" Lu Chen suppressed the doubts in his heart and once again activated the holy spirit token. A pillar of light containing sacred power shot directly at the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King. The pillar of light passed through the blood mist, striking the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King's chest. Although it failed to break through the Evil Energy defense, it caused his movements to pause again.

Zhao Feng seized the chance to rush to Chu Feng's side, carrying the unconscious Chu Feng on his back, and loudly said, "Alliance Leader, Chu Feng is heavily injured; I'll take him back to the top floor for treatment first!"

"Good! Be careful!" Lu Chen nodded, simultaneously increasing the output of Holy Spirit Power, attempting to use the blood mist and Holy Spirit Power in conjunction to trap the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King. The Evil Clan Cultivators continuously pouring out from the crack had also rushed closer. The Alliance Disciples fought desperately, but still found it difficult to resist the Evil Clan's frenzied assault, and casualties gradually increased.

During the fierce battle, a tattered beast skin booklet fell from the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King's Evil Energy vortex, landing right at Lu Chen's feet. Lu Chen glanced at it; the cover read "Urgent Enemy Repelling Art." Without time for a closer look, he put it into his Storage Pouch. He knew that the most important thing now was to guard the bottom floor, to buy enough time for the ritual on the top floor. Once the ritual was completed, the power of the town evil stone would be able to completely suppress the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King, and all crises would then be resolved.

The Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King broke free from the blood mist's entanglement, his eyes full of anger and curiosity: "Human Cultivator, you actually harbor the power of the Blood God within you. Interesting, truly interesting!" His surrounding Evil Energy surged again, and an Evil Light even more powerful than before condensed. "However, even with the Blood God's power assisting you, you cannot escape death!"

Lu Chen took a deep breath, offering all the five elements spirit items. Five-colored spiritual light surrounded his body, intertwining with the Holy Spirit Power and blood mist, forming a solid defensive barrier. He knew that every moment from now on would be a life-or-death test. Only by holding on until the ritual was completed would they have a glimmer of hope. And the anomaly of the blood god pearl fragment, his sudden ability to understand the Evil Clan language, and the "Blood God" mentioned by the Remnant Soul of the Evil Clan King, all hinted that a greater secret was about to be unveiled.