Shocking Change

The ice crystal cage trembled amidst the howls of evil spirits. Before You Su could finish speaking, spiderweb-like cracks suddenly appeared on the dome of the Heavenly Prison.

Countless tiny evil spirits, like maggots on rotting flesh, poured out from the cracks. Their skin was a glossy purplish-black, and black blood seeped from every fold.

Everyone was startled by the sight, but what was even more terrifying was yet to come—the surrounding rock walls seemed to be shaking, and fine dust mixed with ice shards drifted into the air.

This place, the most Evil Warding Department site in the entire sacred mountain, was now somewhat crumbling.

The Flower Daoist quickly started counting on his fingers, and then his pupils suddenly contracted:

"They've gone mad! The evil spirits in the Heavenly Prison of the Evil Warding Department have all gone mad!"

Without hesitation, You Su drew his ink-black sword and plunged it into the handsome young man's throat.

"Tell me! What exactly happened?!"

The young man trembled with fear, almost bursting into tears. "I... I don't know either!"

You Su kicked him away angrily. He noticed that everyone present, except for his senior sister, had serious expressions, so he quickly asked Wangshu:

"Senior sister, do you know why they rioted?"

Wangshu paused for a moment, seemingly sensing it carefully:

"They are crying out, they are angry, they are calling for help."

Upon hearing this, You Su was shocked. Cry for help? Who would come to save these creatures that everyone wanted to kill?

The Divine Mountain Prison has a history of four thousand years, and its technology for binding evil spirits is already highly refined. If these evil spirits could escape, they would have escaped long ago. Therefore, this large-scale mass riot must be due to a signal from the outside world!

Ganlong Venerable realized the problem even faster than him; her voice was somewhat hoarse:

"It seems their plan is nearing completion... an even more powerful evil spirit outside is sending them a signal!"

A cacophony of voices arose at the entrance of the corridor, as a number of powerful Northern Ao cultivators entered one after another. These high-ranking officials of the Evil Warding Department all wore extremely grim expressions.

"My Sovereign Lord! The evil spirits in the nine levels of the Heavenly Prison have all rioted! There are also reports that evil spirits are roaming around the Divine Mountain!" The leader reported anxiously, too lazy to even investigate the appearance of so many outsiders in their forbidden area of the Evil Warding Department.

Ganlong Venerable's eyes flashed with a cold light, as if solidified, and her hands clenched into fists.

"Can it be exorcised?"

"We can still control the situation for now, but there seem to be too many roaming evil spirits..."

"What exactly are you trying to say!" the woman shouted, noticing the hesitation of the person giving the report.

The person reporting bit his lower lip until it bled, "In the five thousand years of its history, this sacred mountain has never seen any evil spirits invade its heartland. This is the first time since the mountain was opened! Although the evil spirits that have appeared so far are not very powerful, many people are terrified, and some are even constantly predicting that Bei'ao will perish! Some people even say..."

"Say what!"

"They say... they say that the Sovereign Lord and Venerable Ningshuang are not good people... they all want to destroy Bei Ao..."

Upon hearing this, Ganlong Venerable's aura faltered, but then a surge of even more intense rage erupted within him. "A bunch of fools who think they're safe and sound just because they're enjoying their wealth and luxury in the sacred mountain!"

"Please, Venerable One, save Bei Ao!" The man knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily.

Upon hearing this, You Su felt his chest pound and his spine go cold, realizing that he was probably in the midst of the biggest conspiracy he had ever experienced.

If even a cultivator at the Feather Transformation Realm from the Evil Warding Department Division is this frightened, what will the attitude of the people at the foot of the sacred mountain be?

The battle between the two factions at Kong Yuan Divine Mountain had just ended, but it was immediately met with an unprecedented upheaval in the history of the Five Continents—evil spirits had actually set foot on this purest land belonging to mankind with their filthy tentacles!

The external evils haven't been cleared away yet, but the core area has already been contaminated. Even the most concentrated and powerful divine mountain in the entire North Ao region will inevitably be filled with panic.

At this moment, everyone was staring at Ganlong Venerable. She took a few deep breaths, You Su could even feel her exhaustion, but she still waved her wide sleeves, and the dragon-patterned skirt swept across the mottled bluestone bricks of the prison.

The members of the Evil Warding Department immediately held their breath and lowered their heads, listening as she threw her commands into the icy mist:

"Go and request Venerable Xuanji to lead his golden-armored puppets to seal off the mountain gates. Wherever evil spirits roam, deploy the 'Nine Palaces Evil-Locking Array' that Venerable Xuanji keeps within the temple; establish contact with the Immortal Ancestor Temple, ensuring the Mountain Protection Grand Formation is firmly guarded; order all sects of the Divine Mountain to ignite the Evil Warding Department talismans issued by the Evil-Repelling Department—do not be stingy! Remember, for each talisman lit, recite the scripture three times—"

Evil spirits fear light and purity, but the human heart needs cleansing even more than evil spirits! A group of usually arrogant immortals, who occupy the safest place in Bei'ao, are terrified by a few rats!

Her voice was as cold as millennia-old ice, each word piercing into the souls of everyone present.

The head of the Evil Warding Department tremblingly presented the black iron token, but she pressed it back into his palm:

"I will personally go to the source of these evil spirits. The remaining affairs of the sacred mountain will be temporarily entrusted to Venerable Qingsong. If any unusual activity is encountered—" Her gaze swept over the Frostborn Child huddled in the corner, "Kill."

As she uttered the last word, she had already walked out of the prison.

The countless stars fell into the abyss, replaced by a writhing crimson curtain of sky—the frost and mist that had remained unchanged for millennia on the Kong Yuan Divine Mountain were now stained a dark red, like flesh and viscera.

The mountain's outline is twisted like spasmodic knuckles, and the ice crystal palace is covered with spiderweb-like black patterns, as if the entire sacred mountain is being chewed and swallowed by an invisible giant mouth.

"Master! Master!"

Long Chiyu stumbled in, the once radiant and beautiful Dragon Girl now her plain dress soaked in black blood.

The array plate she was holding had shattered into dust, and the divination patterns wrapped around her fingers were being slowly devoured by some viscous substance.

With a sob in her voice, she said, "I'm so sorry, Master! I failed to protect the array plate..."

The tall woman paused, as if the entire sacred mountain she carried was about to crush her, yet she still gently helped her beloved disciple to his feet.

"It's not your fault... you didn't want to forget it either."

Long Chiyu raised her head in a daze, but stubbornly refused to get up. How could she forgive herself so easily?

"Get up! If you kneel here, who will exorcise the evil spirits?"

Long Chiyu was in a daze before wiping away the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes and standing up blankly. In fact, she had not been following Ganlong Venerable's side all along, but had been sent by her to place the newly carved evil-suppressing seal at the Sea Well under the sacred mountain.

But by a twist of fate, Long Chiyu didn't know how he had forgotten about it. By the time the evil spirit had crawled out of the Sea Well, it was too late, and the evil-suppressing seal was useless.

"You few, come down the mountain with me." She glanced at You Su and the others, then leaped down on her own.

Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace's body was already at the Feather Transformation Realm, and the Archimedes Venerable was even at the Void Realm, only You Su was still at the Water Condensation Perfection. He had no choice but to hold onto his senior sister's slender waist and be carried away, but he couldn't muster the slightest romantic thoughts.

Just as they were rushing down the mountain, a clear, cold female voice broke through the stench, and thousands of silver threads fell from the clouds.

Qianhua Venerable and the other Venerables arrived gracefully, stepping on streams of light of various colors. However, the beautiful female immortal's gold-rimmed glasses were shrouded in a layer of shadow by the blood-red mist.

With a furrowed brow, Ganlong Venerable began to explain the situation concisely and assigned tasks to each of the Venerables.

Her composure and sense of responsibility truly impressed You Su, who felt that this woman was like the anchor of this mountain, and he understood why she could become the longest-serving Sovereign Lord of Bei Ao. It should be noted that the title of Sovereign Lord, which has absolute authority, does not exist in the other four continents.

"So many venerable ones have come to her alone to make a decision; I think she's practically the mountain's Mountain Protection Grand Formation," You Su murmured.

"Yes, she's different from me, who only knows how to hide away and cultivate. Bei Ao can live without me, but not without her." The Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace's voice was also serene, filled with deep emotion.

You Su, however, turned back to look at the snow-white Fairy while holding her waist. "But she can't live without you."

He couldn't resist and spoke well of that woman to her other self.

Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace's gaze falter slightly, he quickly withdrew his flickering eyes.

"If we leave now, the evil spirits won't be able to catch up with us, and we can reach the nearest Divine Ark."

A familiar, seductive voice suddenly rang in You Su's ears. He looked at the woman in the Black Gold Qipao in surprise, but shook his head gently without hesitation.

Seeing this, Qianhua Venerable sighed silently.

As Venerables, they all have the Unseen connection to the Heavenly Dao. All the Venerables present, including her, could sense that Kong Yuan Divine Mountain was about to experience the greatest calamity in its history.

"I hope betting on you was the right decision..."

The shrewd businesswoman sighed inwardly. She never imagined that someone as meticulous as herself would one day become a lamb to the slaughter, losing her mind because she liked a certain product too much.

"Wangshu Fairy, please lend me your junior brother. I need him to go to Sea Well with me."

After quickly arranging everything, Ganlong Venerable flew to Wangshu's side, his attitude extremely sincere, "I can assure you, I will definitely bring him back to you safely."

"If you want to go, then go. Why do you have to take him with you?" The Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace interrupted.

These were originally two souls from the same origin, but their first words upon reuniting were about vying for a young boy.

"I can sense that he will be of help." Ganlong Venerable had not spoken to this version of himself for many years, so he patiently tried to be as gentle as possible.

"I'll go!" You Su exclaimed confidently.

"I'll go with my junior brother." Wangshu Fairy's attitude was also very firm. She couldn't hand her junior brother over to anyone else; she could only feel at ease with him by her side.

"Then let's go quickly, there's no time to lose!" Palace Lord of Dragon Seeing Palace give the order, he made a move to leave first.

Ganlong Venerable was taken aback. According to her original plan, she should have been traveling alone. But she never expected that the path she thought would be lonely would already have many companions.

"What are you standing there for? What have you done while I was gone?" The girl turned around and glared at him, her tone reproachful.

However, this complaint somewhat diminished the chilling aura of the Ganlong Venerable. She had thought about her reunion with herself, and perhaps this complaint would put her at ease rather than becoming strangers and never speaking to each other again.

"Walk!"

This Sea Well is located deep within the sacred mountain. None of the five sacred mountains of the five continents are actually solid. For such massive mountains, there are too many secrets to be discovered, which eventually formed a series of holes hidden within the mountains.

As You Su and his group ventured deeper, their suspicions about Ganlong Venerable were increasingly confirmed: the evil spirits roaming the sacred mountain originated from here.

According to her, in order to be on the safe side, she had actually gone to great Heart's Blood to use a different Formation Technique for this Sea Well on the sacred mountain than for the other six Sea Well.

This meant that the Sea Well could only be entered but not exited, so the dark tunnel that You Su saw when she first fell into the Sea Well was completely different from the one she encountered when she came out.

But clearly, those people discovered this secret that no one else knew, and then modified it.

By this time, they had realized that this factional struggle between the turbid and the pure was a joke from the very beginning.

The so-called "sage" is nothing but a fraudulent fraudster; these people think they are saving the world, but in reality, they are being bewitched.

"It's not bewitching, it's just that Evil Demon have exploited their desires." Ganlong Venerable pierced the throat of an Evil Demon with an ice blade, his voice as cold as iron. "Those who think like Venerable Chengliang are ultimately a minority. Most people concentrate their resources not for Bei'ao, but for themselves."

You Su remained silent, thinking to himself: Yes... Flies don't land on eggs without cracks. If this were their true ideal, how could they have become as lost as that handsome young man after forgetting that gentleman?

True ideals are not easily forgotten.

An incredibly foul-smelling wind wafted from the end of that familiar ice crystal corridor; You Su felt he had never smelled such a disgusting odor even in the underwater evil nest.

What's even more shocking than the taste is this Sea Well that has been completely altered.

At the end of the ice crystal corridor, the dome had collapsed into jagged cracks. A cold, eerie blue light poured down from the cracks, making the scattered fragments of Divine Radiance Stone on the ground look like stardust.

But what fills the eye is not the deep blue of ice or the pitch black of Divine Radiance Stone, but a whole mass of mesmerizing and colorful hues.

This writhing, colossal creature, existing between flesh and rainbow light, completely blocked the vast ice crystal palace—it was a monster beyond comprehension, with thousands of tentacles cascading down like a colorful galaxy waterfall, each covered with dreamlike phosphorescent suckers. As the suckers opened and closed, the fine, sharp teeth shimmered with a nebula-like brilliance, as if the strangeness of the entire universe had been kneaded into this body.

The monster's thickest tentacles had already reached the dome, and the ice crystal beams turned to dust as it gently curled up. Fragments of the Divine Radiance Stone that were supposed to suppress evil spirits clung to its body, scorching black holes, but the scorch marks were instantly filled by new fleshy growths, like the starry sky swallowing fallen stars.

"Step back!"

Suddenly, Ganlong Venerable roared, his wide sleeves billowing up a hurricane of icy wind. Almost simultaneously, three tentacles pierced through the icy mist like lightning, and the giant maw of the Star Abyss, which had split open in the center of the sucker, spewed out viscous rainbow light.

Wangshu Fairy swept her sword across, the moment the Sword Qi collided with the rainbow light, the floor tiles of the entire palace surged and cracked like waves.

You Su was stunned as Wangshu pulled him backward, the Ink Pine Sword trembling uncontrollably in his hand.

But this wasn't because he was afraid, but because his body was extremely excited.

He had killed so many evil spirits in his desire to restore the True Lord's Power, but never before had he so desperately craved to devour the evil spirit before him.

This feeling of excitement that makes your teeth itch... is just like...

I've met my mortal enemy!

Lord of Dreams - Empty Nightmare!

This is a physical act of breaking my fast, haha. I originally planned to write 6k words, but I was too busy over the weekend. Sorry!