Chapter 254: Chapter 43: Sudden Surge of Killing Intent
It was far too coincidental for crises to erupt in both the Earth Abyss and with the Ao Mountain Dong Family at the same time.
Just then, several more streaks of Escape Light arrived. The Seven Fierce of the Law Enforcement Hall had all gathered.
Without entering the hall, Cai Li spoke. "The third level of the Earth Abyss has had another Demon Tide outbreak. Wo Yun Peak is struggling to hold it back. We will go and set up the Seven Kills Array, same as last time, to help the Sect suppress the Earth Abyss Demons."
Everyone had already learned of the matter through the Divine Sense pings from their Identity Tokens. Hearing her words, they all nodded in acknowledgment.
Cai Li, her heart heavy with worry, was unwilling to delay. She immediately flew toward Wo Yun Peak with the others.
Before long, they arrived at Zhenyuan Hall.
In front of the hall, an Elder from Celestial City Peak blocked their path, his expression grave. "Elder Cai, Dong Baishuang of Ao Mountain Island went mad practicing a Demon Skill and was corrupted by a Celestial Demon. She has now transformed into a Demon Fiend and attracted Celestial Demons to descend to the Lower Realm. The Dong Family can’t hold on much longer."
Hearing this, Cai Li sighed, "How could such a disaster happen at such a critical time?"
The Elder from Celestial City Peak said in a low voice, "We do not know yet, but if this demonic scourge is not eliminated, other places in the Abyssal Marsh might also suffer demonic corruption. Therefore, the Sect Leader has ordered the Cultivators of the Nine Peaks to go to Ao Mountain Island, set up the Netherworld Prison Suppression Array, and use the Demon-Suppressing Stake to quell the demonic chaos."
"As for the Demon Tide in the Earth Abyss, the Sect Leader has made other arrangements. You need not worry, Elder Cai."
Cai Li nodded. "We will follow the Sect Leader’s orders."
The Elder from Celestial City Peak said, "Please wait here for a moment. Once our fellow cultivators from the other peaks have arrived, you will all depart together."
...
「West of the Abyssal Marsh.」
Above a snowy mountain range stood a colossal, towering tree. Beneath it, within a grand and majestic Celestial Palace, the elders of the Flame God Palace waited patiently.
Ren Yan, who was standing with his back against a bronze pillar, suddenly opened his eyes and said to Xu Tianci, who sat cross-legged in the center of the grand hall, "Elder Xu, the time has come."
Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed through Xu Tianci’s eyes. "Good," he said in a low voice.
As soon as he finished speaking, the colossal tree uprooted itself and soared into the sky, wreathed in blazing flames as it shot eastward with a roar.
Its destination was none other than Yinluo Island!
...
「Ao Mountain Island.」
Thick, black Demon Fog had already flooded the entire island.
From high above, the island was enveloped in a Grand Array formed from countless Talismans. Within, darkness churned and swirled.
There was an opening in the Grand Array, from which Demon Fog and a large number of Celestial Demons were continuously pouring out.
The Grand Array itself was under constant assault, eroded by various forms of Demonic Light until it was on the verge of collapse.
The elders of the Dong Family had all retreated from the island. They were now struggling to maintain the Grand Array and contain the Demon Tide.
The Celestial Demons that broke through were surrounded and slain by the elders. They had no time to worry about the one or two that slipped past the blockade and escaped.
They were only Tier One Celestial Demons. Someone in the Abyssal Marsh was bound to deal with them eventually.
What worried the Dong Family now were the several Three-headed Six-armed Celestial Demons!
Over a hundred such Celestial Demons had now emerged on Ao Mountain Island. Each was at the Tier Two level with immense Magic Power. If they all attacked at once, it would only be a matter of time before the Dong Family’s Grand Array collapsed.
The current Patriarch of the Dong Family, despite being at the Late-Life Talisman Stage, had spent years engrossed in his own cultivation, rarely involving himself in the family’s affairs. He was secretly regarded as the most mediocre patriarch the Dong Family had seen in a millennium.
By now, he had placed all his hopes on receiving aid from the Yinluo Sect.
Suddenly, a strange sound echoed from the distant sky. The Dong Family elders looked toward the source and saw vast clouds of dark gold appearing on the horizon. They surged forward like a tide, blanketing the sky and sweeping toward them as fast as lightning, flying both low and wide.
Seeing this, the Dong Family Patriarch’s face lit up with joy. "The Yinluo Sect has come to our aid!"
In the blink of an eye, the dark golden clouds arrived, spreading over Ao Mountain Island and blotting out the sky. They were interspersed with millions of tiny golden specks, like a meteor shower streaking across the firmament, moving with the speed of shooting stars and concealing a profound mechanism.
More Cultivators arrived from the horizon in a steady stream, all of them from the Nine Peaks of Yinluo Island. They took up positions on the periphery of the dark golden clouds, each occupying one of eight cardinal directions. They unfurled an array and merged into the clouds, causing their power to swell instantly.
Fang Cheng, Cai Li, and the others once again chose the southeastern position. They activated the Seven Kills Array, its energy linking and fusing with that of the clouds.
The dark golden clouds gradually faded, revealing a Grand Array of the same color. It was shaped like a gigantic inverted bowl, sealing Ao Mountain Island completely beneath it.
The array’s wards burst forth with a dazzling radiance. Countless gigantic runes, each the size of a small hill, floated within the array’s glowing light, arranged like constellations stretching across the heavens.
A Third-tier Top-grade Formation, the Netherworld Prison Suppression Array.
Unlike the purple and blue light Fang Cheng had seen in the Earth Abyss, the glow from this Grand Array’s wards was a dark, metallic gold.
The array was once again presided over by the Elder from Celestial City Peak, with the other eight peaks providing support.
The contingent from Celestial City Peak was positioned directly above the center of the Grand Array. Together, they summoned a pitch-black iron stake, one hundred feet thick and a thousand feet tall. It was covered in layer upon layer of Spirit Patterns that flickered erratically with a strange, shimmering light.
This was a Third-tier Magical Artifact from Celestial City Peak, the Demon-Suppressing Stake.
Only this treasure could seal the tear in the Boundary Membrane opened by the descending Celestial Demons, completely closing the breach between this world and the Outer Void.
The Yinluo Sect had been established for five millennia. Similar incidents were not uncommon, so they had developed a highly refined system for dealing with them.
The Dong Family elders also flew into the Netherworld Prison Suppression Array. The Elder from Celestial City Peak guided them to a specific area and began to question them about the events that had led to this crisis.
Just then, an earth-shattering BOOM erupted from below. The Dong Family’s Island Defense Array had shattered violently, its illusory talismans scattering like dust across the sky.
Demon Fog billowed out, and a dense swarm of Celestial Demons, like a plague of locusts, charged toward the Netherworld Prison Suppression Array.
Among them were a hundred Three-headed Six-armed Celestial Demons, each a hundred feet tall and radiating intense demonic intent. They rode clouds of Demon Fog, unleashing beams of Demonic Light as they attacked the eight primary nodes of the Grand Array.
