At the same time, in the depths of the Netherworld, sounds of tearing through the air were incessant.
Cultivators from the Various Great Dao Lineages arrived one after another; some were drawn by the aura of the nine nether underworld lotus, while others, sensing the anomaly through secret arts, swiftly gathered.
Shen Gaomin, the First Prince of the Divine Firmament Immortal Dynasty, clad in a golden-patterned battle robe, walked at the very front with a solemn expression.
His eyes, bright and piercing, were fixed on the black mist-shrouded, blood-lotus-filled sea of flowers ahead.
"This is it!"
"Form the array! Use the Divine Firmament Immortal Dynasty's Spirit Purifying Heavenly Array to dispel the external Nether Qi and protect the team!"
At Shen Gaomin's command, the numerous Cultivators of the Divine Firmament Immortal Dynasty behind him immediately acted. Dozens of spirit talismans flew out, forming a vast Spirit Purifying Array that firmly protected them.
Concurrently, Prodigies from other Daotong also arrived, each setting up their own protective arrays. While purifying the Nether Qi, they approached the area where the nine nether underworld lotus grew.
The Nether Qi was almost tangible, as if countless vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts were whimpering and moaning.
But it couldn't deter the greedy.
"Look quickly, there are several three-petaled Nether Lotuses over there, almost a thousand years old!"
"If we can pick them, it will surely elevate our sect's foundation to a higher level!"
Exclamations frequently erupted from the crowd. More and more Cultivators rushed towards the sea of flowers, jostling and competing with each other, their eyes filled with fervent greed.
However, Shen Gaomin walked slower and slower. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his expression grew increasingly solemn.
He vaguely sensed that something was amiss, but couldn't pinpoint exactly what the problem was.
"This sea of flowers..."
"It doesn't seem to have grown naturally..."
He murmured softly, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.
But just then, a cold, deep voice abruptly echoed from the depths of the Netherworld, as if from the Nine Nether Yellow Springs:
"You ants, how dare you act so wildly in this place!"
As the words fell, the heavens and earth trembled violently!
The entire expanse of Nether Qi immediately surged fiercely, sweeping in all directions like a tsunami.
The sea of nine nether underworld lotus flowers suddenly lit up, and thousands of petals scattered, actually forming the phantom of a colossal array!
Nine Nether Yellow Springs Array!
The moment the array formed, the heavens and earth seemed to be sealed by a Nether God. Light was stripped away, all four directions became silent, leaving only boundless dead silence and chilling cold!
"This is... this is a grand array that was set up long ago?!"
"Retreat quickly! This is not a natural Secret Realm, it's a man-made trap!"
The Cultivators from the various major forces immediately fell into chaos. Some were horrified, desperately activating immortal arts, wanting to break through the array and escape.
But no matter how they struggled, they seemed trapped in a death prison, with no way out at all!
And within the Nether Qi, a figure slowly emerged.
It was a young man dressed in black and gold robes, with a dark nether lotus branded on his brow. His long hair cascaded to his waist, and his eyes were as deep as an abyss.
He was like the Netherworld Lord, controlling life and death.
"Hmph... purifying Nether Qi? Frogs in a well, do you really think this place is for you to pick flowers?"
Zhong Tianyi's voice was full of contempt and callousness.
He raised his right hand, and a pale white bone token appeared in his palm. With a gentle shake, the entire Nine Nether array pattern was completely activated!
In the next instant, the Nether Qi transformed into tens of thousands of ghostly figures, surging like a tide towards the Cultivators of the various Daotong!
"Retreat quickly!"
"Quickly protect the Dao Seeds!"
"Don't separate!"
"Please Old Ancestor, make your move!"
Screams immediately followed.
Countless Cultivators were torn apart and devoured by the ghostly figures; even their Primordial Spirits were directly annihilated!
A Prodigy from the Divine Firmament Immortal Dynasty had just summoned a golden bell to protect himself, but it was directly corroded into black water by the Nether Qi, without even a single cry of agony.
People shouted to break the array, but suddenly a chasm-like rift opened beneath their feet, pulling them into the dark depths, never to see the light of day again.
Above the Nether Lotus sea of flowers, it had actually transformed into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!
Shen Gaomin roared, forcefully summoning the Immortal Dynasty's supreme treasure, the Divine Firmament Heavenly Command, and with a wave of his hand, unleashed ten thousand feet of lightning, repelling a wave of ghostly figures.
But he was quickly submerged by new Nether Qi.
"Who are you!? Are you insane?"
"Are you trying to annihilate all the Prodigies from all the Daotong present here? You are making an enemy of the entire Myriad Heavenly Daotong!"
Facing Shen Gaomin's roar, Zhong Tianyi remained unmoved, a hint of mocking smile even playing on his lips.
Myriad Heavenly Daotong? Heh... Since he, Zhong Tianyi, intended to embark on that supreme Dao path, how could he care about such trifling matters?
If they hadn't come here, he wouldn't have bothered with these people.
But since they came, let them all die here.
Zhong Tianyi said nothing, but abruptly pointed a finger. The Void Realm cracked open, and tens of thousands of strands of Nether Qi transformed into chains, wrapping around Shen Gaomin's feet, forcefully dragging him into the abyss!
"Ah!!!"
He roared and struggled, his golden body shaking, immortal power surging.
But he still couldn't resist the restraint of the chains.
His eyes were filled with horror, and only then did he realize he had overestimated himself.
"I... I cannot die here!!!"
Shen Gaomin's face was distorted with rage. He desperately activated a secret art of the Immortal Dynasty, and a phantom of a Thunder God emerged, wielding a battle-halberd, forcefully severing some of the chains and seizing the opportunity to retreat thirty feet!
But before he could catch his breath, Nether Qi condensed into a grotesque face and lunged, striking him directly in the chest!
Pfft!
A mouthful of fresh blood spewed out. Shen Gaomin's face was ashen, and he retreated repeatedly, hope already lost in his eyes.
He finally understood that Shen Luowan had withdrawn early, probably because she had sensed all of this!
"That woman, she actually calculated it all in advance..."
Alas, it was too late for regret now.
The entire Netherworld had completely devolved into a purgatory!
Zhong Tianyi stood proudly atop the Nether Qi, his gaze overlooking this slaughter feast, and he murmured softly with some doubt:
"What exactly did Jiang Ye go to do?"
...Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Dragon Vein Secret Realm, a colossal golden warship tore through the Void Realm and arrived.
The ship's hull was engraved with Divine Firmament immortal patterns, and Divine Might surged.
Several Elder-level figures from the Divine Firmament Immortal Dynasty appeared, each with an aura as deep as the sea. Their gazes swept over the Secret Realm entrance, their eyes filled with solemnity.
"Everyone, have you sensed it?"
"The Spiritual Qi in this world... is at least thirty percent thinner than before!"
A grey-robed old man said in a deep voice, his sharp gaze fixed on the portal ahead.
Another purple-robed Elder's face was gloomy: "Not only that, the rules suppressing the Realm are also loosening. I just probed with my Divine Thought, and the Heavenly Dao Law can now no longer Seal cultivation above the Saint King Realm!"
"It is indeed as the Second Princess predicted."
The golden-robed Elder leading the team had a solemn expression. His Divine Thought swept out, and he muttered, "The Heavenly Dao Law's suppression is slowly unsealing... If not for the prior warning, we might not have noticed."
"This Dragon Vein Secret Realm... I'm afraid something is going to happen."
The few exchanged glances, their expressions growing even more serious.
"Let's go in and see! Our people are still inside!"
"We must find out what exactly is going on with that nine nether underworld lotus sea!"
"Go!"
With a low shout, several streaks of light rushed into the Secret Realm... And just outside the Dragon Vein Secret Realm, in the distant Void Realm, powerful Divine Thoughts suddenly surged. Terrifying auras from the Myriad Heavenly Daotong pressed down, making the entire heavenly domain tremble.
Boom!!
A black Jade Slip suddenly shattered in the air, then turned into dust and vanished without a trace.
"It's our sect's Saint's life tablet! It's shattered!"
"Damn it! He couldn't even escape with his Primordial Spirit, he's completely fallen!"
"And our sect's Dao Child, his life tablet is also shattered!!!"
"How is that possible!? With the Law suppression inside the Secret Realm, even if there were conflicts, it's impossible to annihilate them so thoroughly!"
Angry and terrified voices exploded in the encampments of numerous ancient forces, instantly startling the old monsters who had been slumbering in the depths of the Void Realm.
Some of these people had been in seclusion for tens of thousands of years, oblivious to worldly affairs; others had long since retired.
But at this moment, they were all awakened, their faces ashen.
"Who is it? Who dares to act in the Dragon Vein Secret Realm and kill our sect's core successors?"
"This is not an accident, but someone has set up a killing trap!"