Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

Deep within the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Palace.

A side hall, far from the main hall complex, hangs quietly amidst the sea of ​​clouds.

The palace gates were dilapidated, and the plaques were long gone. From the outside, it looked no different from any other abandoned palace that had been looted countless times.

Until several figures filed in.

The last person stepped into the side hall, and the heavy stone door slowly closed.

The previously still crimson clouds suddenly began to churn, completely obscuring the entire palace.

In just a few breaths, the side hall disappeared from the sea of ​​clouds.

Even if someone passes by, they will only see a perfectly flat void.

There were seven people in the hall, the one with the weakest aura was at the late stage of the Returning to Emptiness realm.

Standing at the very front was a tall, thin middle-aged man with cold eyes.

His skin was pale, his pupils were dark yellow, and fine snake scales could be faintly seen on both sides of his neck.

The Great Sage of the Serpent Swamp.

To be precise, this is not its combined true form.

The rules of the Crimson Abyss Secret Realm are special. If a Nascent Soul expert forcibly enters, it will immediately trigger a rejection from the entire third layer of the cave heaven.

The body before me is an avatar created by the Great Sage of the Serpent Swamp using the molted skin of his own natal snake.

The realm is only at the peak of the Returning to Emptiness stage, but the soul, vision, and combat experience all come from a true Great Sage of the Demon Clan.

Even a person at the peak of the Void Returning Realm wouldn't last more than a few moves against it.

The Great Sage of the Serpent Swamp did not speak. He walked to the end of the hall and placed his hand on a cracked red jade wall.

hum!

The jade disc trembled.

A huge array plate rose from the ground, with a total of 108 grooves on its surface.

Several demon clan members who had returned to the Void Realm stepped forward from behind.

Black bear, eagle, white tiger, blood python, ancient ape...

One by one, tokens representing different demon bloodlines were taken from their bodies and placed into the array plate.

As the last token fell.

The entire side hall suddenly lit up, with dense crimson lines spreading outwards along the walls, floor, and dome, quickly passing through the sea of ​​clouds and connecting to various parts of the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Palace.

The Great Sage of the Serpent closed his eyes, and an ancient demonic power flowed through the formation, pouring into the silent palaces.

"wake up."

The deep voice echoed throughout the depths of the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Palace.

On a long corridor made of red jade, dozens of tall puppets clad in red armor stood on both sides like sculptures.

The next moment, two red lights suddenly appeared in the eyes of the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Soldier at the very front.

The sound emanating from the gaps in the red armor was not the turning of gears, but heavy breathing.

It stretched its stiff neck, and a small patch of grayish-black fur was faintly visible below its armor.

Then, the second, the third... the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Soldiers along the entire corridor awoke one after another.

The same thing happened everywhere in the Heavenly Palace: outside the palace gates, on the stone steps, deep in the sea of ​​clouds, and even in some ruins that had long been demolished. One after another, the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Soldiers opened their eyes.

Deeper still, the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Generals, who were over a hundred feet tall and wielding crimson jade swords, slowly raised their heads.

These are not the original puppets left behind by the secret realm.

For five thousand years, whenever the Crimson Abyss Secret Realm opened, the demon race would secretly send in a batch of demon generals.

Using the transformation method left behind by the Crimson Jade Glazed Dragon, they sealed living demon clan powerhouses into puppet armor.

He concealed his bloodline with the power of the Crimson Abyss, and then used great supernatural powers to fall into a deep slumber.

More than a thousand Nascent Soul demon generals and over a hundred Void Returning demon lords.

It took the demon race five thousand years to gradually send them into the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Palace.

This has affected nearly 30% of the demon race's current core strength.

This time, they will all awaken, serving as the main force to attack the humans who have entered the secret realm, and also as the vanguard force in this counterattack on Zhongzhou.

The Great Sage of the Serpent opened his eyes, and on the array plate, the points of light representing the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Soldiers from various places lit up continuously.

"Pass on the order."

"As planned, seal off all Heavenly Palaces."

"Assassinate the human prodigy, and let the pre-selected person go."

"Use the pieces that have already been replaced to send the message back to Zhongzhou."

It paused, its voice turning colder.

"Ye Wudi must die."

Ye Wudi's identity is too special. He was born as a rogue cultivator, but he has been blessed with good fortune all the way. It is suspected that he has already attracted the attention of the human immortal palace.

If such a person survives and leaves the Crimson Abyss Secret Realm, they could very well become the biggest variable in the entire plan.

The Great Sage of the Serpent Swamp dislikes variables.

Just like that suddenly appearing Great Sage Bashe...

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the Great Sage of the Serpent Swamp.

The wise ruler instructed it not to engage in direct conflict with the other party for the time being.

But how dare a snake of unknown origin steal its opportunity?

The essence and blood left behind by a true dragon can only belong to oneself.

Let's begin!

Seven figures disappeared simultaneously from the side hall.

The clouds and mist closed in again, leaving only the dense red dots on the array plate, which were rapidly approaching the cultivators from all sides who were entering the Heavenly Palace.

……

On the other side, Gu Changjin followed the group from the Supreme Profound Yang Dao Sect through the crimson vortex.

My vision went dark for a brief moment, and when I opened my eyes again, I was standing on an excessively wide red jade stone path.

Each step of the stone path is several meters high, with palace walls on both sides that stretch as far as the eye can see.

Chu Tianheng did not rush on his way. After all the cultivators of the Supreme Profound Yang Dao Sect had entered, he led everyone forward along the stone path.

Many cultivators from the pioneering cultivation world have begun to observe their surroundings.

Some people probed the palace walls with their divine senses, some stared at the distant sea of ​​clouds, and some were preparing to leave the group and go find opportunities.

Chu Tianheng saw this and smiled as he spoke.

"There's no need for you all to be in a hurry."

"There aren't many treasures left in this Crimson Abyss Heavenly Palace."

The group, who had been eager to try, immediately stopped moving.

An elderly man at the Nascent Soul stage couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Chu, what do you mean by that?"

"According to records in Zhongzhou, the Crimson Abyss Secret Realm has been opened thirteen times."

Chu Tianheng pointed to a large hall in the distance that had been demolished and only the foundation remained.

"When it was first opened, there were indeed treasures everywhere."

Ancient elixirs, cultivation manuals, jade slips, and ancient treasures are everywhere.

"But after thirteen trips, the people before us had already moved everything that could be moved."

"Even some of the palace pillars were dismantled and used to refine weapons."

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed.

The main hall was indeed completely demolished; not only were the pillars gone, but even most of the floor tiles were missing.

The excitement on many people's faces quickly turned into disappointment.

They were just regretting that they shouldn't have dawdled and followed behind the Supreme Profound Yang Dao Sect.

In treasure hunting, those who get in first naturally have the advantage.

It's only now that we realize it wasn't that Chu Tianheng wasn't in a hurry, but rather that there was practically nothing left here.

"Then isn't this second layer completely meaningless?"

Someone frowned and asked.

Chu Tianheng shook his head.

"No, that's not quite right. There's another special kind of puppet in the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Palace called the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Soldier."

"Most of them are at the Nascent Soul stage, while a few Crimson Abyss Generals can reach the Void Return stage."

"After being killed, the puppet's core will retain pure Crimson Abyss Power."

"Whether it's for refining treasures or cultivating fire-based or blood-based divine abilities, it's somewhat useful."

"However, its value is not very high."

After listening, the crowd remained largely uninterested.

For their team of seven Void Returners, the Nascent Soul puppets were indeed not much of a threat.

As for the power of the Crimson Abyss, it's better than nothing.

What truly captivated them was the third floor.

The legendary Tai Xu He Tian Dan, which can assist in breaking through to the next stage of the Void Returning Realm and achieving the Body Integration Realm.

And that combined ancient treasure—even if they don't need it for the time being, it's enough to exchange for an unimaginable amount of resources.

The group continued forward, but hadn't gone very far.

A loud bang suddenly came from the distant clouds.

boom!

Immediately following was the rapid sound of magic colliding.

Some people gasped in surprise, while others screamed in terror.

Everyone stopped at the same time.

Chu Tianheng frowned.

"We've only just entered the entrance."

"The fighting started up ahead?"

Logically speaking, even if the powerful figures from all sides really wanted to compete for the opportunity, they should have waited until they entered the main hall area.

We haven't even left the outer perimeter of the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Palace yet, so what's there to rob?

The next moment, the clouds were torn apart by a tremendous force, and a figure flew out – a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

His chest had completely collapsed, and blood gushed from his mouth. After landing, he rolled dozens of feet away and then fell silent.

Immediately afterwards, a crimson figure, hundreds of feet tall, emerged from the clouds.

It was covered in heavy red armor, and held a red jade celestial sword that was almost as tall as its body in both hands.

Every time a foot lands, the entire stone path vibrates.

Behind it followed four smaller Crimson Abyss Heavenly Soldiers.

As soon as the puppets appeared, their crimson gazes locked onto the group from the Supreme Profound Yang Dao Sect.

Gu Changjin's eyes flickered slightly.

No, these guys have a demonic aura about them!

Moreover, the aura of the leading Crimson Abyss Heavenly General was not merely "touching the Void Returning Realm"; it had clearly reached the mid-stage of the Void Returning Realm.

Chu Tianheng, however, had not yet realized the problem. He looked at the hundred-foot-tall figure in crimson armor and instead smiled.

"You guys are in luck."

"Just as we mentioned the Crimson Abyss Heavenly General, we encountered one."

The two elders protecting him behind him looked relaxed.

Others who had returned to the Void Realm showed no intention of making a move.

It's just a puppet at the Nascent Soul stage.

This is a perfect opportunity for Chu Tianheng to show off his skills in front of everyone.

Chu Tianheng took two steps forward, his white jade sword still sheathed, his tone remaining calm.

"Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving."

"Today I will show you all how to obtain the power of the Crimson Abyss..."

The next second, Chi Yuantian suddenly disappeared.

Chu Tianheng paused, and before he could react, a huge crimson jade sword tore through space and appeared above his head.

"What?"

Chu Tianheng's expression changed drastically, and his protective divine light had just begun to shine.

boom!

The Crimson Jade Heavenly Sword slammed down fiercely.

Chu Tianheng flew out like a stone that had been hit and hurtled, skimming across the stone path.

It flew dozens of feet before crashing into the palace wall and barely coming to a stop.

If the space of the Crimson Abyss Heavenly Palace hadn't been far more solid than the outside world, this sword strike would have been enough to send him flying thousands of feet away.

The scene fell silent instantly, and the smiles on the faces of the two elders protecting the Supreme Profound Yang Dao Sect froze.

The rest of the Void Returners were also stunned and stood there.

No? What happened to the promised Nascent Soul puppet?

Gu Changjin stared at the Crimson Abyss Heavenly General.

The moment the attack was launched, demonic energy surged from the gaps in the armor.

A distinctly mocking glint flashed in those scarlet eyes.

This isn't the look a puppet should have! Combined with the demonic aura from before, the answer is obvious.

Gu Changjin's lips slowly curled up.

"interesting."