The Thunder Emperor's Might

The concealment formation, like a veil woven into shadows, enveloped Mo Yuan and the other three as they moved through the jagged rocks and blood-colored mist.

The closer they got to the canyon entrance, the heavier the oppressive aura became, a mixture of blood, resentment, and ancient chaos that felt like it could freeze and twist one's soul. Luo Li's fingertips flickered with flowing light as she continuously adjusted the formation, making it perfectly adapt to the turbulent energy field around them.

Ying Wuhen, meanwhile, was like a true shadow, his presence completely vanished, making him almost imperceptible to the senses if not for his visible form.

Zhang Tianyun held his breath, his long sword behind him humming softly, ready to strike.

Mo Yuan followed closely behind Luo Li, the Thunder True Essence within him flowing slowly, like a dormant volcano.

He deliberately suppressed the natural pressure of the Thunder Emperor's Will to avoid alerting the enemy prematurely, but his sharp eyes...

had already locked onto the three relatively isolated totem pillars to their side and rear, which exhibited unusually strong energy fluctuations—these were the key nodes that Martial Grand-Uncle Xuan Ji had identified as being simultaneously destructible and capable of maximally disrupting the blood ritual.

Ahead, deafening explosions and shouts of battle had already erupted.

Martial Uncle Xuan Ji and Elder Qing Ming's diversionary team, like unsheathed swords, had launched their attack.

Brilliant golden light from lightning techniques, fierce Dragon-Tiger Taoist Arts, and profound Gezao formations clashed violently with the dark light and ghost-fire skeletons of the Black Fiend Sect and the Netherworld organization, instantly igniting the battle at the canyon entrance.

As expected, the enemy's main force, including the late-stage Foundation Establishment Netherworld Elder and the majority of their Foundation Establishment cultivators, was immediately drawn to the powerful frontal assault, roaring as they charged forward.

The guard force around the totem pillars was significantly weakened, leaving only a few patrolling cultists and a single early-stage Foundation Establishment Netherworld assassin stationed near the target area.

"Now!"

Luo Li grunted, forming hand seals. The concealment formation flashed, and the four of them, like phantoms, suddenly accelerated, charging straight for the three totem pillars.

"Enemy attack! On the flank..."

A patrolling Qi Refining cultist had barely let out half a cry when an almost invisible phantom figure swept past his throat. It was Ying Wuhen, moving like lightning, delivering a swift and fatal blow.

But this slight disturbance had already alerted the Netherworld assassin.

He turned abruptly, his sickly green gaze instantly locking onto the group, especially Mo Yuan and Zhang Tianyun, whose auras were the most prominent.

"You're seeking death!"

The assassin let out a sharp cry, his body transforming into a distorted wisp of black smoke. The two poisoned daggers in his hands darted out like venomous snakes, bringing with them a bone-chilling wind as they lunged at Mo Yuan and Zhang Tianyun respectively.

Their speed was incredibly fast, clearly the assassination secret art of the Netherworld organization.

"Your opponent is me!"

Zhang Tianyun roared, his long sword behind him letting out a "clang" as it unsheathed, transforming into a brilliant golden sword aura that, like the rising sun, precisely slashed towards the black smoke, intercepting its attack.

The sword aura collided with the daggers, producing a sound of metal striking metal, with energy radiating outwards.

At the same time, Mo Yuan moved.

His target was not the assassin, but the three totem pillars within close reach.

He unleashed the Swift Lightning Step beneath his feet, his figure leaving behind a trail of lightning afterimages as he instantly bypassed the battling Zhang Tianyun and the assassin, charging directly towards the largest totem pillar in the center.

"Stop him!"

The assassin panicked upon seeing this, trying to break free from Zhang Tianyun, but he was tightly entangled by the sharp and powerful Dragon-Tiger Sword Art.

The remaining seven or eight Qi Refining cultists around them also reacted, roaring as they charged at Mo Yuan, various evil techniques and bone arrows raining down on him.

"Get lost!"

Mo Yuan's eyes turned cold. Without even looking back, the Thunder True Essence within him erupted, his entire body enveloped in purple-gold lightning, forming a temporary lightning field! The low-level evil techniques that struck the field dispersed like snow in the sun.

He flicked his hand, unleashing a hand blade. A condensed lightning aura swept out like a crescent moon, instantly cutting the three cultists who had rushed to the front in half.

Fierce! Overbearing!

Taking advantage of this momentary opening, he had already reached the central totem pillar.

The pillar was ten feet tall, requiring several people to embrace it. Its surface was covered in twisted blood-sucking runes, greedily drawing in the river of blood flowing from the ground, emitting a nauseating stench and powerful energy fluctuations.

No time to delay! Every second that passed meant the blood ritual was one step closer to completion.

Mo Yuan thrust the Thunder Dragon Evil-Slaying Spear into the ground beside him and quickly formed hand seals.

These were no longer the talisman arts from the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman Grand Codex, but rather he was channeling the trace of indestructible Thunder Emperor's Will integrated into his Dao Foundation, as well as the introductory incantation from the Five Thunder Righteous Method - Heavenly Heart Scroll that he had just obtained through the sign-in system.

"Majestic heavenly might, guided by thunder! Five Thunder Righteous Method, slay evil and shatter illusion!"

He chanted the incantation, his voice not loud, but it seemed to awaken the hidden Thunder Great Dao.

The purple-gold lake of True Essence in his Dantian churned, and the trace of Thunder Emperor's Will let out a silent roar. A terrifying thunderous intent, purer and more majestic than when he had drawn lightning for Foundation Establishment, as if representing the heavenly punishment, surged from within him towards the sky.

In an instant, the space within dozens of feet around him seemed to freeze.

Both the disciples from the attacking and defending sides, whether righteous or evil, felt a tremor and awe originating from the depths of their souls, their movements involuntarily pausing.

Even the late-stage Foundation Establishment Netherworld Elder and Martial Uncle Xuan Ji, who were locked in fierce combat, turned their heads in shock.

Behind Mo Yuan, the blurry phantom image of the Thunder Emperor reappeared, but this time, it was several times clearer than during his Foundation Establishment. Although its face was still indistinct, the supreme majesty of commanding all thunder and holding the power of punishment spread out like a tangible force.

"What is that?!"

"Such terrifying thunderous might!"

Under everyone's stunned gazes, Mo Yuan pointed his fingers together like a sword, channeling the vast thunderous energy that combined the Thunder Emperor's Will and the power of the Five Thunder Righteous Method, and pointed it fiercely at the central totem pillar before him.

"Destroy!"

There was no deafening explosion, only a heart-pounding "hum" as if the rules themselves were being erased!

A beam of light, only as thick as an arm but colored with chaos, within which countless miniature thunder worlds seemed to be born and die, shot from Mo Yuan's fingertip. It struck the totem pole silently.

The dark red pillar, capable of withstanding multiple attacks from Foundation Establishment cultivators, acted as if it had met its natural enemy the moment it was hit by the chaotic lightning.

The blood-sucking runes on its surface let out a mournful cry like living creatures, instantly dimmed, and shattered.

The pillar itself then dissolved like a sandcastle, starting from the point of impact, rapidly disintegrating and vanishing without leaving a single speck of dust, as if it had been completely erased from existence.

Not only that!

After destroying the central main pillar, the chaotic lightning, its power undiminished, seemed to possess sentience. It split into two slightly thinner streams, like thunder dragons wagging their tails, precisely striking the two adjacent sub-pillars.

"Bang! Bang!"

The other two totem poles followed suit, silently dissolving into nothingness within the chaotic lightning.

All three pillars destroyed!

The entire process took place in the blink of an eye.

"No—!!!" The Netherworld assassin, who was fighting Zhang Tianyun, let out a desperate roar.

And the entire blood sacrifice site, with the destruction of the three core totem pillars, seemed to have its spine ripped out.

The blood trenches on the ground instantly stopped flowing, the remaining four totem poles' blood-red light rapidly dimmed, and their connection to the distorted space in the depths of the canyon became extremely unstable, shaking violently.

The blood sacrifice ritual had been forcibly interrupted.

"We succeeded!" Zhang Tianyun rejoiced, his swordplay becoming even fiercer, forcing the stunned assassin to retreat repeatedly.

Luo Li and Ying Wuhen quickly finished off the remaining cultists and moved closer.

Mo Yuan panted slightly, his face pale.

That single strike had almost drained more than half of his True Essence and mental energy. It had also utilized the Thunder Emperor's Will and the fundamental power of the Five Thunder Righteous Method, consuming a tremendous amount.

But the effect was obvious.

He looked up towards the depths of the canyon. The entrance to the distorted space, due to the sudden interruption of energy supply, had become extremely unstable, expanding and contracting erratically. The chaotic roars and oppressive pressure emanating from within also became more violent.

"You wretched creature! Ruining my Holy Cult's grand plan! I will flay your soul and refine your spirit!"

A roar filled with boundless rage came from the main battlefield. The late-stage Foundation Establishment Netherworld elder abandoned Martial Uncle Xuan Ji, transforming into a shadowy figure that blotted out the sky. Carrying a suffocating pressure, he charged madly towards Mo Yuan and the other three.

He clearly realized that Mo Yuan, this variable, was the key to disrupting their plan.

How terrifying was the power of a furious strike from a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Before the ghost image even arrived, the chilling killing intent and soul impact had already turned Zhang Tianyun, Luo Li, and Ying Wuhen deathly pale, making them almost unable to move.

"Be careful!"

Martial Uncle Xuan Ji and Elder Qing Ming wanted to rescue them but were fiercely entangled by two other mid-stage Foundation Establishment evil cultivators.

Facing this fatal blow, a hint of madness and resolve flashed in Mo Yuan's eyes.

Instead of retreating, he took a step forward, shielding the exhausted Zhang Tianyun and the other two behind him.

He took a deep breath, and the Soul Cleansing Banner in his sea of consciousness shone brightly, fiercely protecting his soul.

At the same time, he once again communicated with that wisp of inextinguishable Thunder Emperor's Will, and gathered all the remaining True Essence in his body, along with the wisp of chaotic energy he had just obtained from the sign-in and hadn't had time to study carefully.

He intended to use this final strength to directly confront the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

At this critical juncture, a change occurred.

The unstable ruins entrance, due to the interrupted blood sacrifice, suddenly collapsed inward, forming a massive black hole.

A suction force far more pure, ancient, and chaotically terrifying than before suddenly erupted.

The first to be affected was the Netherworld elder's ghost image, which was charging towards Mo Yuan.

He let out a scream of utter horror as his body was uncontrollably pulled towards the black hole.

"No—!!!"

In everyone's horrified gaze, the late-stage Foundation Establishment Netherworld elder, along with the vast ghost energy surrounding him, was grabbed by an invisible giant hand and instantly pulled into the bottomless black hole, disappearing without a trace.

Only a prematurely ended scream echoed in the canyon.

After swallowing the Netherworld elder, the black hole seemed satisfied, its suction force greatly reduced, but it continued to rotate slowly, emitting a heart-pounding aura.

The battlefield fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

Mo Yuan also breathed a sigh of relief, dispersing the gathered power. A strong sense of weakness washed over him, which he forcefully suppressed.

He looked solemnly at the deep black hole, knowing in his heart that the real adventure might have just begun.

This ancient demonic ruin was more dangerous and bizarre than he had imagined.

Martial Uncle Xuan Ji and Elder Qing Ming seized the opportunity to exert their strength, forcing their opponents back, and quickly converged with Mo Yuan and the other three.

"We shouldn't stay here for long! The ruins entrance has become unstable, and we don't know what else might happen. Let's retreat first and make plans later!" Martial Uncle Xuan Ji decided decisively.

Although they hadn't completely destroyed all the totem pillars, the core blood sacrifice had been interrupted, and the ruins entrance had become extremely unstable. Their objective had been achieved.

The disciples of the three sects quickly gathered, carrying the injured, boarded the flying ship, and turned into streaks of light, leaving this place of trouble without hesitation.

On the flying ship, those who had survived the ordeal were still shaken, but their gazes involuntarily focused on Mo Yuan.

If not for his critical burst of power at the crucial moment, destroying the totem pillars and indirectly triggering the ruins' anomaly to swallow the powerful enemy, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Mo Yuan sat down cross-legged, silently recovering his True Essence.