90: Ether Coral Fortress Riot!

Everyone left one after another, until finally only the ten managers remained in the room.

"Zhao Dongming, that was quite a clever move of yours."

"Hahahaha, indeed, indeed."

"Shh, say no more, lest our schemes be ruined."

...Time flew by amidst the tense atmosphere of many Cultivators, though to most, everything seemed normal.

During these three days, Yao Yian did not see Tang Heng again.

Not only that, but even Xu Yimo, who often frequented Corpse Dismemberment Cave No. 7, was in a great hurry these days, seemingly busy with many things.

However, to his surprise, one night, a dark-faced Cultivator found him.

"Beware of Xu Yimo; his contact with you definitely has an ulterior motive!"

"Don't ruin our great cause!"

"Additionally, a piece of advice: stay away from Tang Heng; he has no principles in how he does things."

As soon as Yao Yian heard the voice, he immediately recognized the other person's identity; it was Chen Tingxuan, the Cultivator from Corpse Dismemberment Cave No. 7 who had already 'died'."

During this period, Yao Yian secretly increased the speed of blood absorption, but generally speaking, he didn't dare to go too far, maintaining a measured pace.

Until the third day, with less than half an hour left before the Hour of the Rooster.

Yao Yian let loose his absorption, mobilizing the twin star mirror to frantically absorb from the blood grooves on the ground!

His cultivation rose steadily, showing a momentum as if he were about to forcefully Breakthrough to the Spirit Manifestation Realm.

Meanwhile, within the entire Coral Fortress, undercurrents had already begun to surge.

Soon, the Hour of the Rooster arrived.

With a thunderous "boom," the entire Coral Fortress shook violently as if the world were being turned upside down.

The Cultivators in the five great halls all heard the sound.

Some people's expressions changed slightly, some were astonished, and others looked determined.

"Oh no! Has something happened?"

"Fellow Daoists! A large number of elites have already left the Coral Fortress; why don't we take this chance to break out!"

A Cultivator from Corpse Dismemberment Cave No. 7 raised his arm and shouted, holding up a corpse-dismembering dagger.

Under his roar, a group of plants also responded one after another, and the atmosphere instantly surged like a tide.

Seeing more and more people resisting, many Cultivators steeled their hearts and joined in.

"Staying here is a dead end; we'll die sooner or later. We might as well charge out together!"

"That's right! Charge out!"

In every hall, the resisting Cultivators suddenly rose up in rebellion, their shouts shaking the air.

"How dare you revolt!"

"Ah!"

A Cultivator from the Execution Squad had just shouted out when he was immediately hacked to death by a crowd of angry Cultivators, blood splattering on the spot.

These Cultivators did not stop; instead, they continued to wave their weapons and shouted to the others.

"Brothers! Charge! See you outside the Coral Fortress! Charge out!"

"Right! See you outside the Coral Fortress!"

"Fight our way out!"

Every hall responded one after another, as thousands of resisting Cultivators clashed with the remaining Execution Squad in the Coral Fortress. In an instant, the originally silent Coral Fortress was plunged into chaos.

Although the Cultivators of the Execution Squad could exert higher cultivation, facing the vast tide of people, they could only be drowned out.

"Hahaha... Great, I can finally leave the Coral Fortress!"

"We have suffered for ten years of cultivation just for today's resistance!"

"Kill all those bastards!"

"Kill these lackeys!"

It was chaos; the entire Coral Fortress was in turmoil. Many Cultivators were swept up in it, charging outward with all their might.

Yao Yian was also pushed out of Corpse Dismemberment Cave No. 7 by this tide of people. It was a pity; his cultivation had ultimately only reached the Half-step Spirit Manifestation Realm.

Among this crowd, besides a small number of Cultivators shouting loudly, most were just following along to join the commotion.

This didn't mean they didn't long to escape Coral City, but rather they were worried about one thing.

And that was the five Hall Masters!

Although it was said that only two of the five Hall Masters remained, both of them were powerful Cultivators at the Middle Stage of Spirit Manifestation!

Besides them, there was also the Execution Squad Commander!

These three were like great mountains, pressing down so hard they couldn't breathe, yet they couldn't stop those people's hearts from wanting to flee.

"How could this be?"

"What on earth happened to the Coral Fortress? Why are so many people running around in a mess?"

"It's chaos, everything is in chaos. Fellow Daoist, let's charge together."

"No! I can't run; it's fine here!"

"Exactly! I don't want to die; I want to do my tasks properly."

"Sigh! Then stay here for the rest of your life!"

People acted differently, but one Cultivator watched from the side for a long time before suddenly turning and leaving.

This action immediately aroused the suspicion of several surrounding Cultivators, so they also quietly followed him.

"Fellow Daoists! Charge!"

Fifteen figures stepped onto Flying Swords and soared out. The crowd looked closely and saw that these were the many managers from usual times.

Standing at the very front was Manager Zhao of the Hundred Treasures Hall.

"Fellow Daoists, catch!!!"

Zhao Dongming waved his Daoist robe, and suddenly several small silver keys scattered from the air into the crowd.

The Cultivators picked up the keys and unlocked their collars one after another. Although there weren't many keys, in the haste, nearly a hundred Cultivators regained their cultivation.

"Wonderful! This was planned by manager-level figures; we'll succeed this time!"

"Good, I'm coming too!"

With many Spirit Manifestation Cultivators stepping forward, the resistance force expanded rapidly, reaching over ten thousand people.

Flames blazed, and the Coral Fortress was in utter chaos.

This time, Tang Heng finally appeared as well. Under his control, Yao Yian stayed by his side, and the two of them followed at the rear of the resistance force.

Led by Zhao Dongming, the resistance force fought its way north, soon reaching the North City Gate of the Coral Fortress.

They only needed to charge over the city wall to escape this ordeal, but unexpectedly, they were suddenly blocked by an invisible barrier and couldn't get out no matter what.

"This is the Coral Fortress Formation; everyone, do not panic!" Manager Zhao said loudly.

"Break the Formation!"

"Break the Formation!"

...Everyone performed their best Cultivation Techniques and Spells, bombarding the invisible barrier.

Nearly ten thousand Daoist Magics were blasted out, and the Formation immediately shook incessantly.

But just as everyone was rejoicing, a change occurred.

At that moment, a rumbling hum came from the sky.

Following that, three massive pressures swept across the field, enveloping everyone within, as if a heavy mountain had landed, making everyone unable to breathe.

Buzz—

In an instant, the sky changed color, and the clouds surged.

Simultaneously, the entire Coral Fortress was enveloped by an even larger Formation.

The resisting Cultivators looked up and saw the Hundred Treasures Hall Master, the Refining Hall Master, and the Execution Squad Commander hovering in mid-air on Flying Swords.

The Hundred Treasures Hall Master and the Execution Squad Commander were in Peak condition; how did they look like they had both suffered losses?

Below them, a large number of Execution Squad members emerged from secret passages, all wearing Dharma robes and battle armor, holding long spear Magical Artifacts.

Some had serious expressions, some were laughing gloatingly, and some had faces full of sighs.

"Hmm... you really are naughty boys, making such a mess of our Aether Coral Fortress; you've really put this big sister in a bad spot."

"If the Fortress Master returns, he'll definitely punish me again. How could you have the heart?"

"Do you still want to resist!!!"

Kui Gang shouted coldly, his voice reaching every corner of the Aether Coral Fortress, radiating incomparable pressure.

On the ground, many Cultivators stared in terror at the three Middle Stage Spirit Manifestation experts in mid-air, their eyes filled with despair and helplessness.

"It's over, we've walked into a trap!"

"This is a setup! We've been sold out!"

"This is a scam!"

"Have mercy! We were wrong; we were incited."

"It's them, these managers coerced us!"

Many people immediately recognized the situation and pointed at those who had led the escape, as well as the fifteen managers.

Those fifteen managers also landed on the ground, all remaining silent.

They clearly chose to no longer resist.

Seeing this, Kui Gang couldn't help but laugh loudly, mocking, "A bunch of rabble, you don't even know you've been played to death!"

"The Fortress Master was indeed correct! You people were colluding in secret; this time happens to be perfect for wiping you all out at once."

Kui Gang laughed heartily, his laughter echoing throughout the Coral Fortress.

He waved his hand, his eyes flashing with thick killing intent.

"Kill them all!"

"Summarily execute the main culprits! Cut off one foot of the accomplices! Those who dare to be obstinate..."

However, in the next breath, a hair-raising sensation came from behind him.

Kui Gang turned around abruptly, his pupils shrinking to the size of needlepoints.

He saw that the expressions of the Hundred Treasures Hall Master and the Refining Hall Master had already changed; they struck out boldly, both palms slamming down with incredibly powerful might!

The strong pressure was suffocating.

"Damn it!"

Kui Gang roared, wanting to cross his arms to block his vital points, but suddenly, his movement came to an abrupt halt.

Not good! They've used some trick on me... The next moment, he was hit squarely in a vital spot, the force of the strike knocking him back dozens of yards, falling heavily onto the ground of the Coral Fortress.

Boom... However, the two Hall Masters combined were comparable in strength to the Late Stage of the Spirit Manifestation Realm!

How could it be easy to take?

Kui Gang's body fell heavily into the Coral Fortress, smashing into the ground in a miserable state.

This sudden turn of events instantly left everyone dumbfounded.

"How can this be?"

"What kind of game are they playing now?"

"Impossible, I clearly saw them standing together just now, and now they're fighting each other."

Many Cultivators began to discuss in disbelief; under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the Execution Squad and all the managers were stunned.

Of course, in just an instant, everyone suddenly understood something.

"The key to opening the second layer of the Coral City Formation is on him!"

"Corpse Dismemberment Hall Master! Finish this quickly!"

The Hundred Treasures Hall Master said a word, then pinched a hand seal and took out a purple circular treasure mirror, throwing it into the air.

The mirror was transparent throughout, purple-gold in color, emitting a faint purple light.

At this moment, it floated in mid-air, radiating a dazzling purple-gold brilliance!

"Alright, big sister! Let's hurry and kill him!"

The Corpse Dismemberment Hall Master gave a cold laugh and immediately activated a hand seal, also transmitting True Yuan into the purple treasure mirror.

Purple Gold Blazing Sun Mirror!

"What! The Fortress Master actually gave you this ancient treasure as well!"

Absorbing the True Qi of the two, the purple treasure mirror suddenly shot out a dazzling purple light, heading straight for Kui Gang!

This purple light contained extremely terrifying power, enough to scorch the earth!

"No—!"

Kui Gang's pupils contracted in horror, but in an instant, there was another force of stagnation.

He suddenly looked down and saw a fingernail-sized blue Gu insect emerging from his body one after another, constantly biting his flesh.

Middle Stage Spirit Manifestation Realm, Twelfth Grade Spirit-Devouring Soul-Shifting Gu!

To deal with him, they actually went to such great lengths!

Meanwhile, he was already too late to dodge.

Bang!

The scorching purple light struck Kui Gang in an instant, completely submerging him within. What was even more terrifying was that it also had a confining force.

It made him unable to move, and he couldn't use any of his many methods or treasures.

Amidst the overwhelming purple light, Kui Gang screamed incessantly as the black armor on his body melted into molten iron and flowed into his body.

"Hiss!"

Many onlookers gasped and dodged far away, fearing some collateral damage.

The dazzling purple light soon disappeared, revealing Kui Gang's charred body.

He was charred all over, his skin cracked, flesh and molten iron intertwined, his body mangled and on the verge of death.

Whoosh!

The Hundred Treasures Hall Master once again sacrificed a jade talisman.

The surface of the jade talisman burst with brilliant light, condensing into a fire dragon burning with raging flames, which flew toward Kui Gang.

With a muffled thud, the fire dragon opened its mouth and bit into Kui Gang.

The other party was no longer able to scream, finally turning into a piece of lifeless charcoal.

Seeing this scene, the Execution Squad, which had been aggressive just a moment ago, immediately dispersed; they either fled or joined the escaping crowd on the spot.

After Kui Gang died, his spatial ring and the token on his body flew out, landing in the hands of the Hundred Treasures Hall Master.

With a thought from the Hundred Treasures Hall Master, two Formation keys appeared before her.

"Formation, open!"

The Hundred Treasures Hall Master gave a delicate shout, her hands quickly pinching seals, and a white light shot toward the sky.

Those two Formations blocking the many Cultivators from escaping finally opened.

Seeing this, the many Cultivators decisively used their respective skills and fled out of Coral City like crazy.

"Great, we've escaped!"

"Good, good, good, run now!"

"Hahahaha, I've left the Coral Fortress."

After opening the Coral Fortress's Formations, many Cultivators rushed out in a panic.

In the sky, the Hundred Treasures Hall Master and the Corpse Dismemberment Hall Master glanced at each other.

They immediately went their separate ways.

But to Yao Yian's surprise, the Hundred Treasures Hall Master actually landed next to Tang Heng and took his hand.

"Tang Heng, let's go."

Yao Yian was beyond shocked in his heart.

Well played, Tang Heng, you actually won her over without saying a word..."