Atop the steps of the Main Hall, the faces of Emperor Jiang Wu, the Alliance Leader, and the other two Longevity Realm experts had grown so dark they seemed ready to drip water.
They knew more than the Sect Masters did, and understood far better the terrifying weight behind the words "Twin-born Pair."
It meant that the Court Guardian Pavilion Master also held a mighty artifact of the Immortal Court!
An instrument of slaughter that shared the Earth Vein Instrument's roots and origin, yet served the exact opposite purpose!
"Back to the Secret Chamber."
The Alliance Leader's voice was hoarse. With a wave, he laid down a Soundproof Barrier, shutting out all those terrified gazes before turning and entering the hall first.
Emperor Jiang Wu and the others followed close behind, each step unusually heavy.
The Secret Chamber's stone door slammed shut.
The dim candlelight cast four elongated, twisted shadows across the walls, like the turmoil and unease in their hearts.
The atmosphere was stifling to the extreme. Even the air seemed to have congealed.
Bang!
Old Ancestor Xuanming slammed his fist onto the stone table before him, instantly covering its hard surface in cracks.
His eyes were bloodshot. No longer able to maintain the composure of a Longevity Realm expert, his voice grew shrill and distorted with overwhelming fear.
"The Ten Thousand Spirits Blood Pool! That old hag wants to use us as sacrifices! She wants to sacrifice those of us who've been corrupted!"
He clutched his chest, where the aura of "Nothingness" had once eaten away at him. Though Zhou Xuan had purified him, that marrow-deep terror had remained forever.
**"Her realm has fallen, and her foundation is damaged, so she's going to activate the Blood Pool... She wants to fill it with the Cultivators of the