Zhu Wuyuan subconsciously reached out and caught the Jade Seal, a look of extreme pride on his face. He thought to himself, "My Trial has finally been completed."
At that moment, he didn't consider at all the disaster his actions would bring to the Eastern Sheng Kingdom.
All eyes turned to the bottomless black hole.
An invisible force seemed to be lurking within the black hole, frantically devouring the surrounding light, giving one a chilling feeling.
"What... what is this?" someone in the crowd cried out in terror.
A sense of foreboding welled up in Zhu Wuyuan's heart, but he still forced himself to remain calm and said:
"Hmph, Zhang Yu must be making a fuss to sow discord."
Don't panic!
However, Zhang Yu looked calmly at the black hole and slowly said:
"This is the sign that one of the Divine Weapon to suppress the Demon Grotto — the Azure Cloud Sword— is about to be born."
I have abdicated, and from now on the Li Family will no longer bear the responsibility of suppression.
Since you so distrust the threat from the Demon Grotto, then you should bear the consequences yourselves.
Hearing Zhang Yu's words, everyone felt a chill, and even those who had been questioning the legend of the Demon Grotto were now filled with fear.
For some deep-seated individuals, their anxieties intensify.
But their figures appeared so small in the chaotic crowd.
Just then, a violent tremor came from the black hole, as if a sleeping behemoth was awakening.
A sharp Sword Intent emanated from the black hole, and wherever it went, the air seemed to be cut by a sharp blade, making a "hissing" sound.
"This is bad, this power..."
Zhu Wuyuan's face turned deathly pale instantly; he sensed the immense power contained within that Sword Intent.
Just as everyone was in a panic, a beam of azure light shot into the sky from the black hole, and within the light, an ancient longsword was faintly visible.
The Azure Cloud Sword finally broke through the seal and appeared in the world.
The Azure Cloud Sword shimmered with light and its Sword Qi energy surged, as if proclaiming its majesty to the world.
"This is the Azure Cloud Sword..."
Zhang Yu looked at the Azure Cloud Sword, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.
As he raised his hand, the Azure Cloud Sword, imbued with immense power, flew into his hand as if it were sentient, its blade trembling slightly as if resonating with him.
"From now on, you'd better take care of yourselves."
Zhang Yu knew that a large number of monsters were about to emerge from the Demon Grotto, and he had no intention of protecting these ungrateful wretches from disaster any longer.
Having said that, he held the Azure Cloud Sword, and with a flash, he sped off towards the Imperial Palace.
He must rely on the Divine Artifact to redeploy the formation before the Devil Creature completely invade, in order to protect the Imperial Palace and Murong Bai and the others, and at the same time buy some time for his next actions.
At this moment, everyone at the scene looked at the pitch-black, black hole filled with dark energy, exchanging bewildered glances with various expressions.
"This is the Demon Grotto?"
Some people whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with fear and curiosity.
"Didn't you hear what the Prime Minister said? Sheng Yu is just making things difficult for himself."
Some people feigned composure and retorted, trying to embolden themselves and those around them.
Among the crowd, some bolder individuals, driven by curiosity, actually went forward to observe.
However, just as one of them approached the black hole, a sinister and eerie laugh suddenly came from within, as if it came from the deepest hell, sending chills down one's spine.
Immediately afterwards, a black aura, like a python, quickly coiled around the man.
"Ah, no, help!"
The man instantly let out a painful howl, his face filled with fear and despair.
The man was slowly swallowed up by the black mist that emitted an eerie smile, and his pitiful screams echoed in everyone's ears.
"What's going on? Is there really Demon Grotto here?"
Witnessing this horrifying scene, and recalling Zhang Yu's earlier warnings, some people couldn't help but feel worried.
"The taste of blood and flesh is so delicious, I can't wait, hahaha."
Countless eerie sounds emanated from the black hole, as if countless terrifying monsters were cheering.
Ten thousand Devil Qi, like a black torrent bursting its banks, surged out of the black hole and instantly engulfed the entire East Square.
That was not fog, nor smoke, but death itself, solidified into a tangible force.
Each wisp of Devil Qi was like a cold, venomous snake, slithering along the ground.
Wherever it passed, the Bluestone Slab pavement corroded into honeycomb-like holes at a visible speed, emitting pungent white smoke.
"Ah--!"
The first to suffer were the ordinary people who had just been watching the spectacle in front of the black hole.
A man dressed in coarse cloth had just craned his neck to take another look when a wisp of Devil Qi wrapped around his ankle like lightning.
His skin instantly turned bluish-purple, as if being gnawed by thousands of ants. He writhed on the ground, clutching his leg, and spitting out white foam mixed with black blood.
"Help... help me."
His screams acted as a fuse, instantly igniting fear throughout the entire arena.
"Run! The Devil Qi is killing people!"
"It's Demon Grotto; the history books say it's true. Zhang Yu didn't lie to us."
"Zhu Wuyuan, it was you who forced Sheng Yu to abdicate; you're the one who ruined us."
The crowd, like ants in a boiling pot, cried and pushed as they fled out of the square.
But Devil Qi is everywhere; it seeps into the gaps in the crowd, crawls along people's heels, and can even penetrate clothing to stick directly to the skin.
A woman holding a child was pushed to the ground by the crowd, and Devil Qi immediately coiled around her back.
She screamed and pulled the child into her arms, but the child's little arm quickly turned bluish-purple.
The child's crying stopped abruptly, and his small body, as if all his strength had been drained, slumped down limply.
"My child, my child."
The woman frantically tore at her hair.
But the moment her hand touched the child, Devil Qi crept up her fingertips and up her arm, and in the blink of an eye, half of her body turned bluish-purple.
Her voice had become like a broken gong. "Zhu Wuyuan, I will haunt you even as a ghost! You killed my son!"
"It was Zhu Wuyuan; he forced Sheng Yu to abdicate."
"We were wrong, we shouldn't have believed him."
"Sheng Yu, I beg you, please come and restore the seal quickly."
Some people knelt on the ground, kowtowing in the direction Zhang Yu had left, their foreheads hitting the Bluestone Slab, blood streaming down their faces;
Martial Artist used True Qi Internal energy to attack the Devil Qi, but to no avail; they could not affect the Devil Qi at all.
"How so?"
An Ascension to Heaven expert above the Feathered Realm unleashed a devastating attack, which dispersed the Devil Qi, but the Devil Qi quickly regrouped without any damage.
Zhu Wuyuan was squeezed in the crowd, his clothes torn to shreds, and his face smeared with someone's blood.
Looking at the hell on earth before him, and at those who had once shouted "Prime Minister be mighty!" now cursing and attacking him, he felt dizzy and his stomach churned.
No... it wasn't me!
It was Sheng Yu, it was Sheng Yu who released the Demon Grotto.
He tried to explain himself, but his voice was drowned out by cries and curses.
The next moment, Zhu Wuyuan's expression hardened, and a surge of Righteous Qi rose from his body.
That aura was like the blazing sun breaking through the clouds; wherever the Golden Light reached, the yin Yin Wind stopped abruptly, the black mist dissipated, and even the air seemed to be purified and made clearer.
"All evils will be dispersed, and Devil Creature will be eliminated."
His hair and beard stood on end, his voice boomed like a bell, and his Righteous Qi spread outwards like a tide, colliding fiercely with the Devil Qi and producing a "sizzling" corrosive sound.
The moment the countless Devil Qi came into contact with this supremely strong and righteous energy, they instantly shrieked like ice and snow meeting the sun.
The ferocious smile froze on the "face" formed by black mist, then crumbled inch by inch, turning into green smoke and dissipating.
"Your Prime Minister awe-inspiring!"
"It is the Righteous Qi that can save us, Your Prime Minister."
The crowd surged toward Zhu Wuyuan like drowning people clinging to a piece of driftwood, crying and shouting.
Those who had just been cursing him were now praising him:
"Your Prime Minister, the Prime Minister, is awe-inspiring..."
"As expected, you told Sheng Yu that he was just exaggerating. It's just a mere Demon Grotto's lair; the Prime Minister could easily suppress it with a flick of his wrist."
Seeing that the Devil Qi was suppressed by the Awe-Inspiring Righteous Qi, these people felt much relieved.
However Zhu Wuyuan did not become arrogant because of everyone's praise.
Although his Cultivation was high, he was already somewhat overwhelmed after continuously outputting such a massive amount of Awe-Inspiring Righteous Qi.
What terrified him even more was that the Devil Qi surging from the black hole was becoming increasingly dense and powerful, seemingly endless!
"Awe-Inspiring Righteous Qi, the power that those Three Realms Traitor excel at?"
A chilling voice came from above the entrance to the Demon Grotto Cave, carrying undisguised contempt.
Immediately afterwards, a figure slowly emerged.
The figure was dressed in white armor, its face hidden in the shadows.
Only his eyes, as cold and abyssal as an abyss, seemed capable of devouring all light.
He looked down at Zhu Wuyuan from his elevated position, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"You mere mortal, so corrupt, dare to act arrogantly before this general?"
Before he finished speaking, he extended a pale hand and gently clenched it towards the area enveloped by the Righteous Qi.
"Disperse."
Each word uttered was like a Heavenly Dao decree, carrying an unquestionable authority.
"Snap--!"
That indestructible Righteous Qi shattered like a mirror, turning into specks of Golden Light that dissipated into the air.
Zhu Wuyuan felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer in the chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the distant city wall and creating a large crater in the bluestone surface.
"This... this is impossible... the Demon Grotto Zhang Yu spoke of actually contains such powerful Devil Creature?"
He struggled to lift his head and look at the figure, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Who... who are you?!"
The figure in the black robe sneered, his voice like a chilling wind from the depths of hell, piercing everyone's eardrums:
"Longqie, under the command of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon- Hegemon-King of Western Chu."