Chapter 1309: Encircling the City

The turbulence within Abyssal Ruin had reached its fiercest peak. Not a single person could be seen.

A streak of blood-colored evasion light tore into Abyssal Ruin, swift as lightning, and plunged into a vast sea of mist.

Not long after, four more streaks of evasion light arrived one after another. They were Canghong, Fairy Qiuzhi, and the others. The blood-colored evasion light ahead of them belonged to none other than Old Devil Ye, who had fled all the way here.

"His target is Sin God Palace!"

The entrance to Sin God Palace lay deep within the mist sea.

"Hurry!"

The four dared not hesitate and rushed into the mist sea. Suddenly, a thunderous explosion erupted from deep within the sea of mist, deafening enough to shake the spirit.

Their hearts trembled violently. Immediately afterward, a terrifying wave of energy swept outward, carrying boundless pressure that filled the entire region.

Rumble... The sea of mist descended completely into chaos. Countless violent currents collided wildly in every direction, and each current contained astonishing destructive force.

This place had always been the source of Abyssal Ruin’s disturbances.

But now, the upheaval had grown even more violent. Though all four were supreme experts, they felt their breathing tighten. They poured out their full strength to stabilize themselves, terrified of being swept away by the mist currents and forever lost within the endless mist.

Then, all four suddenly stopped. They stared blankly ahead.

Through the thick haze, deep within the dense mist, the faint outline of a celestial gate slowly emerged.

The celestial gate towered between heaven and earth, vast beyond measure. The moment it appeared, countless strange phenomena manifested around it.

Yet none of them carried the grandeur of an immortal. Instead, they resembled scenes from the eighteen layers of hell, images of endless punishment, mountains of blades, seas of fire, heavenly lightning, pools of blood. Every horrific torment imaginable appeared there in endless succession.

The tortured souls writhed in agony, sinking forever into suffering. Though everyone knew these were illusions, the sight still filled them with dread.

The celestial gate remained tightly shut. At its very center was a single ancient blood-red character: "Sin"

Surrounded by those horrifying visions, that blood character appeared incomparably scarlet!

The next moment, the gate trembled. Under the stunned gazes of the four, it slowly opened a narrow crack. But this was not yet the time for Sin God Palace to emerge. The gate slammed shut once more with a boom. Yet in that fleeting instant, a faint blood shadow flashed past and shot through the gate.

"Old Devil Ye got in!" The cultivator surnamed Shan cried out in alarm.

The others froze in place. Only now did they understand why Old Devil Ye had dared commit such outrageous crimes. He had already prepared a retreat, an absolutely safe sanctuary!

Since ancient times, this had never happened before. Only when Ziwei Palace emerged would Sin God Palace’s gate appear and open. No one had ever been able to open it by their own power.

Old Devil Ye was the first! Before Ziwei Palace emerged again, no one could enter to hunt him down.

The shadow of the gate gradually faded into illusion.

The four inwardly cursed their luck and rushed toward where it had appeared. But by the time they arrived, the gate had already vanished. All that remained was a massive vortex of mist.

Standing at its edge, each wore a different expression. Yet none dared step inside. The vortex was filled with chaotic currents capable of shredding intruders to pieces in an instant.

The entrance to Sin God Palace, that celestial gate, normally remained hidden deep within that vortex. Only when Ziwei Palace emerged and disturbed the ancient barriers would the gate manifest and open.

"How did Old Devil Ye do it?" Canghong murmured in disbelief.

The four began trying every method they knew, attempting to force the celestial gate to appear. But no matter what techniques they used, the mist vortex showed no response. There was no trace of the gate.

A sense of helplessness settled over them. Old Devil Ye had accumulated countless blood debts, yet now there was nothing they could do to him.

"Old Devil Ye’s intentions remain unclear. We must guard against his return. But the battle at Yu City is urgent. With only Daoist Qi and the others, they are no match for Daoist Master Zhenyi." A trace of exhaustion appeared between Canghong’s brows. Only now had true internal and external calamity struck together. Tianzheng was still gravely wounded, and Canghong alone could not divide himself in all directions.

After pondering briefly, Canghong instructed, "Daoist Shan, you two remain here for now and keep watch. Fairy, if I remember correctly, your sect’s Heavenly Net Origin-Locking Array can trap people. Set it up here. If Old Devil Ye attempts to force his way out, it can serve as an emergency measure. Once we sort through this chaos, we will make further arrangements."

Fairy Qiuzhi nodded. "I will fetch the Heavenly Net Origin-Locking Array Disk at once. Daoist Canghong, return quickly to Yu City and stabilize morale. The chaos within the city cannot be hidden from the spies of the Two-Domain Alliance. They certainly will not miss such a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity..."

Having weathered countless storms, they did not panic even in the face of this unprecedented upheaval. They swiftly sorted through the tangled situation and distinguished what was urgent from what could wait.

As Canghong and Fairy Qiuzhi flew out of Abyssal Ruin, they saw a young Golden Core cultivator pacing anxiously in circles like an ant on a hot pan, his face full of panic.

"Senior, something terrible has happened..." The moment he saw them, he hurried over and urgently spoke several words.

Canghong’s expression changed drastically. All of his previous composure vanished without a trace.

***

Yu City.

The lotus had vanished. The city-guarding array had been broken!

Daoist Qi led his forces in retreat, shrinking back into the inner city.

After enduring the flames of war, the outer city had become a wasteland of ruins. Not the slightest trace remained of its former prosperity. Meanwhile, the armies of the Two-Domain Alliance continued arriving one after another, gathering there in ever greater numbers.

A vast army pressed against the city walls. The inner city was the original Yu City. There, a complete defensive ancient array still remained, and Daoist Qi had already activated it.

Now golden light shone brilliantly above the city. The array formed a golden hemispherical barrier that covered the city upside down like a giant tortoise shell, firmly protecting the inner city.

The Two-Domain Alliance did not rush to attack. Instead, all of their Spiritual Infant cultivators gathered together to discuss their next move.

Sin Abyss’s internal conflict had already killed or wounded more than half of its experts. Defeating them was only a matter of time. But they still needed to guard against a cornered enemy making a desperate last stand. No one wanted to fall on the eve of victory.

Inside the inner city.

Sin Abyss’s Spiritual Infant cultivators had likewise gathered in the main hall. But unlike the high spirits of the Two-Domain Alliance, the atmosphere here was suffocatingly heavy. Especially those who had consumed the Withered Origin Pill and suffered its backlash. Their essence, qi and psyche were still slowly declining. Thinking of their uncertain futures, and the uncertain fate of their sects, their faces grew dark and gloomy, and none spoke a word.

Daoist Qi silently observed their expressions. He knew clearly that their morale had sunk to rock bottom. He could also guess what they were thinking.

Previously, they had willingly made enemies and personally entered the battlefield because they sought the Withered Origin Pill. Now that they knew it was a trap, what benefit remained in continuing this war?

Yet the tides had turned. The Two-Domain Alliance now held overwhelming momentum.

If their positions were reversed, after being suppressed for over a hundred years, they too would want to vent their fury. Whether peace could be negotiated was no longer for Sin Abyss to decide.

The reason no one had spoken yet was because all were waiting for news from Canghong.

A sliver of hope still remained in their hearts. If Canghong could kill Old Devil Ye, perhaps there was still room to reverse the situation, perhaps there was a way to resolve the hidden danger of the Withered Origin Pill.

Of course, capturing Old Devil Ye alive and forcing out the truth behind his schemes would be even better.

Old Devil Ye had laid plans for hundreds of years, plotting against everyone. His scheme ran extremely deep, and what he sought was surely immense. It might be some unimaginable supreme treasure. Or perhaps an opportunity to break through the late stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm and ascend to an even higher realm.

Compared to such things, the outcome of this war suddenly seemed far less important.

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