Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 169 We can't let him complete the sacrifice.
While Gao Kuo and the six Nascent Soul stage experts fiercely fought against the surrounding black-robed cultists, they continuously channeled their spiritual energy into Gu Changzhou and Tong Lei. Their foreheads were covered in fine beads of sweat, and their breathing became rapid, but their eyes shone with determination, determined not to let the black-robed cultists' conspiracy succeed.

Liu Sijun activated the Taixu Mirror with all her might, and the mirror shone brightly, almost engulfing her entirely.

The runic rays poured towards the black curse power like a torrent, each ray containing a powerful purifying force, and bursting forth with dazzling light when they collided with the curse power.

Just when the two sides were deadlocked, Gu Changzhou suddenly had a brilliant idea.

Simply resisting will not completely resolve the crisis; we must find the weakness in this "Blood Curse" and deliver a fatal blow.

He channeled the power of the stars, attempting to explore the spiritual energy channels within the black curse power.

After careful perception, Gu Changzhou finally discovered that at the core of the black curse power, there was an unusually active spiritual energy fluctuation, which seemed to be the key to the entire curse.

He was overjoyed and hurriedly shouted to Tong Lei, "Brother Tong, concentrate your efforts on attacking the core of the curse, that's the key!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Lei immediately understood.

He gritted his teeth and plunged his longsword into the ground: "Flaming Dragon's Reverse Scale, Burning Heaven and Destroying Curse!"

The fiery dragon roared to the sky, its scales standing on end and flashing with a blinding red light. Then, the fiery dragon charged headlong towards the core of the black curse power.

At the same time, Gu Changzhou unleashed the ultimate form of the "Starry Sky Rift Technique"—"Starry Sky Breakthrough".

He concentrated all the power of the stars in his body onto the sword, and the sword's light surged, as if it would illuminate the entire passage.

A sword aura containing the power of the stars' origin, like a dazzling meteor, pierced through space and shot towards the core of the curse.

Seeing this, Min Rui also pushed his Wind Spirit power to its limit, shouting, "Wind Spirit Buries Heaven, Shatter Curse!"

The wind spirit storm instantly condensed into a huge wind blade, like an unparalleled sharp blade, which rushed towards the core of the black curse power along with the star sword energy and the flame dragon.

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Sijun activated the Void Mirror with all his might, unleashing a massive pillar of light containing the power of the Void, carrying the power to purify everything, towards the core of the black curse power.

Gao Kuo and the six Nascent Soul stage experts also unleashed their strongest skills, bombarding the black curse with various powerful spells in an attempt to distract the black-robed man and create an opportunity for Gu Changzhou and the others to attack.

Under the combined attack of everyone, the core of the black curse power finally began to shake.

With a muffled thud, the core of the black curse shattered instantly, and the entire curse vanished like a collapsing building.

The leader of the black-robed figures let out a desperate scream. His body trembled violently as the curse shattered, and blood gushed from his mouth. Without the support of the curse's power, a hint of fear finally appeared in his eyes.

Without hesitation, Gu Changzhou and the others launched another attack while the man in black robes was weakened.

Gu Changzhou flashed like a star, instantly appearing in front of the man in black robes. With a swing of his sword, a sharp sword aura slashed towards the man's throat.

Tong Lei unleashed the "Flaming Dragon Slash," and a massive flame dragon roared forth from his longsword, lunging towards the man in black robes.

Min Rui manipulated wind blades to form a wind cage, trapping the black-robed man inside and preventing him from escaping.

Gao Kuo and six Nascent Soul stage experts also gathered around, completely surrounding the black-robed man, their various spells ready to be unleashed. The black-robed man looked at the crowd surrounding him, a resolute glint in his eyes.

Knowing he was doomed, he slammed his staff into the ground: "Since I am destined to die, then you will not have an easy time either! Blood sacrifice, let us all perish together!"

As the black-robed man finished his incantation, crimson light surged from the cracks in the ground like a raging tide, instantly raising the temperature inside the passage to a terrifying level.

Within the light, faint, mournful howls could be heard, as if an evil soul, sealed away, was struggling to break free of its restraints.

The passageway shook violently, and stones overhead began to fall, hitting the ground with dull thuds.

Liu Sijun's heart tightened, and he shouted, "Oh no! He's going to cause the passage to collapse! We must stop him as soon as possible!"

Gu Changzhou's eyes were firm, and the light of the sword in his hand did not diminish. He circulated the power of the stars, trying to find a weakness in the black-robed man in the chaotic situation.

"Everyone, stay calm and don't panic! Focus your attacks on the man in black robes; we can't let him complete the sacrifice!"

Tong Lei wielded his longsword with great force, and the Fiery Dragon, under his control, charged towards the man in black robes once again, carrying intense heat.

Wherever the Fiery Dragon passed, the crimson light was somewhat dispersed.

Min Rui quickly formed hand seals, and the wind cage became increasingly solid under his control. At the same time, countless tiny wind blades shot out from the cage, attacking the black-robed man like raindrops.

The man in black robes remained unmoved, engrossed in his frenzied sacrificial ritual, his incantations growing increasingly rapid.

His body, illuminated by the crimson light, became twisted and terrifying. He raised his staff high, the red gem at the top of the staff shining brightly, as if drawing power from the entire passage.

The situation was critical. Ignoring the pain in her meridians, Liu Sijun activated the Taixu Mirror with all her might, and beams of runic light containing powerful purification energy shot out from the mirror.

The runic beams struggled forward in the crimson light, attempting to interrupt the black-robed man's sacrificial ritual.

Just as everyone's attacks were about to hit the man in black, suddenly, a blood-red barrier emerged from his body, blocking all of their attacks.

The barrier flickered with eerie runes, emanating a powerful, malevolent aura.

"This is the Blood Spirit Cult's ultimate defensive spell; we must find a way to break through it!"

Liu Sijun shouted.

Gu Changzhou frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "Although this barrier is powerful, it must have consumed a lot of his spiritual power. If we concentrate our efforts on attacking one point, we might be able to find a weakness."

Upon hearing this, everyone adjusted their attack direction, concentrating all their spells and spiritual power on the same spot on the blood-red barrier.

Under the combined attack of everyone, the blood-red barrier began to fluctuate, and the runes on it flickered erratically. The man in black robes felt unprecedented pressure; his body began to tremble slightly, and his forehead was covered in sweat, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered, trying to complete the sacrifice.

Suddenly, Liu Sijun noticed a brief commotion in the runes on the barrier. A thought struck her, and she hurriedly shouted to Gu Changzhou, "Changzhou, now! Attack that spot!"

(End of this chapter)