The Breaching Cultists, Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array!

The passage was deep and dim.

Blood-colored spirit patterns flickered on the walls on both sides.

A thick, pungent aura of demons surged up from the ground, mixed with the stench of rot and blood.

Lin Changqing walked in front, with Xiao Qianjun following closely behind.

The moment the two stepped into the underground palace, their hearts stirred in unison.

Silver light flowed over Lin Changqing's body as the invisible protective holy energy of the Heavenly Gang Saint Armor activated instantly.

A layer of pale golden light emerged on the surface of his skin as he simultaneously activated his Primordial Indestructible Golden Body.

With these dual layers of protection, even a trap would not be able to harm him in the slightest.

Xiao Qianjun also brought forth his own defensive treasure.

The first level of the underground palace.

The vast hall was empty, its walls covered in eerie, blood-colored spirit patterns.

Scattered on the ground were documents and items that had been left behind in the haste, along with several blood-stained torture instruments.

It was clear that the people here had evacuated in a great hurry.

And at this moment.

In the deepest part of the underground palace.

Sect Master Red Python stood before a blood-colored crystal, his expression terrifyingly grim.

Behind him, several core members were frantically destroying the final classified documents.

The flames in the brazier crackled as scrolls of ledgers and rosters were tossed in and reduced to ash.

One member asked with a trembling voice, "Sect Master, they have already entered! What should we do?"

Red Python did not speak.

He stared at the blood-colored crystal, which displayed the image of the underground palace entrance.

Two figures, one behind the other, were walking down the passage.

The young man in the black robe walking in front had a clear, handsome face and a calm expression.

But the moment Red Python saw this young man, his pupils constricted sharply.

Lin Changqing.

Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak.

Only twenty years old.

These three pieces of information combined were enough to make the leader of any faction on the Heavenly Martial Continent break into a cold sweat.

He had thought his preparations were thorough enough.

Three seals, the branch sect's ultimate Ancient Concealment Mirror, and his own personal guard at the entrance.

With so many layers of measures stacked together, logically, even a late-stage Martial Saint should not have been able to discover them.

Yet, this Prince Wu'an had seen through it at a glance, even shattering the three seals he had personally laid down with a single punch!

Red Python gritted his teeth, a flash of intense unwillingness and resentment crossing his eyes.

"I truly underestimated this Evergreen Saint Venerable..."

His voice was hoarse and low, carrying a tone of gnashing teeth.

"He is worthy of being an heaven-defying existence who broke through to the Martial Saint Peak at twenty. With such perception and such strength, This Seat is indeed no match for him."

The members behind him looked at each other, their eyes filled with panic.

If even the Sect Master admitted he was no match, then were they not even less significant?

"Sect Master!"

One member grew anxious. "Then what should we do? We certainly cannot win in a head-on fight; are we just going to surrender?"

"Surrender?"

Red Python slowly turned around.

A look of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

"Who said anything about surrendering?"

He flicked his large sleeve and retrieved a palm-sized metal disc from his storage ring.

The disc was pitch black, its surface engraved with dense, blood-colored spirit patterns.

Those spirit patterns squirmed slowly on the surface of the disc as if they were alive, emitting an extremely violent energy fluctuation.

Seeing this disc, the expressions of the several members changed simultaneously.

"This is... the Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array?!"

One member exclaimed in shock, subconsciously taking two steps back.

The Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array was the ultimate method used by the Holy Demon God Sect specifically to destroy evidence.

At the inception of every branch sect, such an array disk would be buried in the deepest part of the underground palace.

Once activated, the violent Spiritual Power stored within the array disk would be completely released within ten breaths.

By then, everything within a radius of several dozen miles would be blasted into ruins, erasing all traces!

Unless absolutely necessary, it would never be used!

Red Python injected his Spiritual Power into the array disk.

The blood-colored spirit patterns on the disk flared up violently, and a circle of crimson light spread out from it.

The entire underground palace began to tremble slightly.

"Activate the Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array, set for ten breaths," Red Python said in an icy tone.

"Since this branch cannot be saved, let it be buried along with that Prince Wu'an."

"Leave nothing for those hounds of the Great Yu, and certainly nothing for that Prince Wu'an."

A core member asked with a trembling voice, "Lord Sect Master, then... what about us?"

"Us?"

Red Python sneered and turned to walk toward the depths of the underground palace.

"Follow This Seat and break out through the secret passage dug in advance."

The group hurriedly followed.

Red Python spoke rapidly as he walked.

"Once the Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array detonates, not only this underground palace but most of the west side of the city will be reduced to ruins."

"By then, everyone's attention will be drawn to the explosion, and the defenses within the Capital City will inevitably fall into chaos."

"We will take that opportunity to kill our way out from the back door and rush out of the Capital City at top speed."

He paused, a hint of gravity flashing in his eyes.

"However, we must be quick."

"Once the explosion sounds, the Boundless Saint Emperor stationed deep within the Imperial Palace will surely react immediately."

"This Seat is no match for Evergreen Saint Venerable alone; if the Boundless Saint Emperor comes as well, This Seat will never be able to escape."

"Furthermore..."

His tone grew even more somber.

"The Great Yu Dynasty only has a few ninth-rank Martial Saints on the surface, but there are definitely more in the shadows. This Seat does not believe they haven't been hiding their strength."

"If we draw out a few more hidden Great Yu Martial Saints, none of us will be able to leave alive."

Hearing this, the group felt even more terrified.

Their pace quickened even further.

Red Python led the group through a hidden passage to the exit at the rear of the underground palace.

The exit was a heavy stone door, also carved with blood-colored spirit patterns.

Red Python formed seals with his hands to undo the seal on the stone door.

The stone door slowly opened.

It revealed the pitch-black night outside.

At this moment.

The number on the Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array had already ticked down to "three."

Three breaths later, this place would be reduced to ruins.

"Go!"

Red Python was the first to rush out of the stone door.

He sneered inwardly.

Once the Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array exploded and the Capital City fell into chaos, he would break out amidst the confusion.

When that time came, the world would be vast and open; no one would be able to catch him!

As for these subordinates, who were terrified but very loyal to him, he would take them if he could, but if he couldn't, he would have to cut his losses and abandon them.

Meanwhile.

On the first level of the underground palace.

Lin Changqing and Xiao Qianjun had just finished the last step and entered the main hall of the underground palace.

At this very instant.

An extremely violent energy fluctuation surged from the depths of the underground palace.

The intensity and violence of that energy caused the surrounding air to begin twisting violently!

The blood-colored spiritual patterns on the walls flickered like mad, and the entire underground palace trembled.

Xiao Qianjun's expression changed abruptly.

"Not good!"

He whipped his head around toward the source of the energy fluctuations, his eyes filled with shock.

"Prince Wu'an! This is the Holy Demon God Sect's ultimate method for destroying evidence: the Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array!"

His voice was extremely urgent, his words tumbling out like a rapid-fire cannon.

"Once this thing is activated, it cannot be stopped! The violent Spiritual Power inside will be completely released within ten breaths, and its power is enough to blast the entire west side of the city into ruins!"

"This is the Holy Demon God Sect's trump card for mutual destruction. I encountered something similar while hunting down a border branch, though the scale wasn't nearly this large!"

"The one that detonated last time razed a small town with a radius of ten miles to the ground! And the energy fluctuations from this array disc are several times stronger than that one!"

"Once it fully detonates, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

He looked at Lin Changqing, his eyes filled with anxiety.

"Prince Wu'an, there is no time! Once this array disc is activated, it cannot be reversed; we must evacuate immediately..."

"Leave it to This Seat."

Lin Changqing's voice was as calm as a stagnant pool; he did not even furrow his brow.

Xiao Qianjun was stunned.

"Prince Wu'an, the energy in this array disc has already..."

"The rats inside have already fled through the back door," Lin Changqing interrupted him.

"The back door is located thirty zhang underground to the northwest of the residence, and the exit leads to the abandoned stables in the west of the city."

"Take your men to intercept them now; don't let them escape in the chaos."

Xiao Qianjun opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But seeing Lin Changqing's eyes, calm as water, he swallowed his words.

He took a deep breath and cupped his fists heavily.

"This subordinate obeys! Please take care, Prince Wu'an!"

With that, he turned and activated his movement technique, his figure turning into a blur as he dashed toward the surface.

Lin Changqing withdrew his gaze and looked toward the source of the energy fluctuations. He raised his right hand and slashed at the void before him.

"Rip!"

Space was torn open, and he stepped into the rift.

Deepest within the underground palace.

The Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array disc hovered in the center of the great hall.

The blood-colored spiritual patterns on the disc were glowing to their limit, and the entire disc was trembling violently.

The surrounding air was twisted and deformed by the violent energy, and the stone bricks on the walls were peeling off piece by piece.

The countdown had reached its final three breaths.

Just then.

The space in front of the array disc suddenly split open.

A figure stepped out from the rift—silver armor, black hair—it was Lin Changqing.

He glanced at the array disc about to detonate and extended his right hand.

He opened his palm toward the disc.

A majestic, indescribable holy might surged from his palm.

Purple Gold light spread out like a tide from his palm, enveloping the array disc and the surrounding space.

"Suppress."

Lin Changqing uttered the word softly.

The Purple Gold light suddenly contracted.

The energy that had been violent enough to tear space apart was now gripped tightly by an invisible hand under the pressure of this power!

The blood-colored spiritual patterns on the array disc flickered frantically, emitting a piercing, buzzing sound.

It resisted, but the resistance was meaningless.

Lin Changqing compressed all the explosive energy into an extremely small range, not allowing even a trace of fluctuation to leak outside.

Then, the array disc exploded.

"BOOM!!!"

A muffled, thunderous boom erupted from deep within the underground palace.

The energy, compressed to its absolute limit, detonated completely within the control of Lin Changqing's palm.

The great hall on the third level of the underground palace collapsed instantly.

Stone pillars snapped, the dome caved in, and the walls were ground into fine powder.

The residence on the surface also plummeted with a roar, the entire estate seemingly stomped into the earth by an invisible giant foot.

Blue bricks, grey tiles, carved beams, and painted rafters were all reduced to rubble and wood splinters.

Dust and smoke billowed into the sky, forming a small mushroom cloud against the night.

But that was all.

The vast majority of the explosion's power had been forcibly suppressed by Lin Changqing's own strength, causing the collapse to remain contained strictly within the grounds of the residence.

Beyond the estate, not even a single window of the neighbors' houses had shattered.

The dust and smoke gradually dissipated.

In the center of the ruins.

A figure descended slowly from mid-air.

His silver armor was dusted with grime, but he remained completely unscathed.

Lin Changqing brushed the dust off his shoulders and glanced at the collapsed ruins beneath his feet, his expression indifferent.

"That was quite a commotion; it nearly dirtied this Prince's clothes."

At this moment.

Outside the back gate of the underground palace, in a derelict stable.

Red Python had just rushed out of the secret passage with a few core members, not even having had the chance to catch his breath.

He felt the ground beneath his feet tremble violently.

Looking back, he saw the distant residence collapse with a roar, smoke and dust soaring into the sky.

But the tremor was far smaller than he had anticipated.

Let alone half of the West City, even the neighboring alleyway had remained unaffected.

Red Python's face turned ashen instantly.

"How is this possible?!" he hissed, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He knew the power of the Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array better than anyone.

The violent Spiritual Power stored within that array disk was enough to blast a radius of dozens of miles into ruins!

Yet now?

It had only demolished a single residence!

Needless to say, it must have been that Prince Wu'an who intervened.

In the presence of that man, even the Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array could not stir up any waves.

Red Python gritted his teeth, suppressing the horror in his heart.

Now was not the time for shock.

While that Prince Wu'an was still dealing with the explosion, he had to break out immediately.

"Move!"

He let out a low growl and took the lead, charging out of the stable.

However, he had barely rushed out of the stable.

In the darkness ahead, three figures already blocked his path.

The man in the lead wore the official robes of the Demon Suppressing Division's Chief Commander and held a silver-white long blade; it was Xiao Qianjun.

Standing beside him were two others.

Chen Zhan, Commander of the Imperial Guard, and Han Yue, Commander of the Royal Forest Guard.

Behind the three of them, hundreds of Demon Suppression Guards and Imperial soldiers had surrounded the entire alleyway, leaving no room for escape.

Furthermore, more elite soldiers were on their way.

The glow of torches reddened half the sky, and the sound of blades being drawn merged into a single, continuous roar.

Xiao Qianjun pointed his long blade forward, his voice shifting.

"You lackeys who have defected to the Demons, where do you think you're running to?!"

Red Python stopped in his tracks, looking at the formation before him.

His expression darkened for a moment, then he reverted to his cold, sneering demeanor.

"Hmph, do you few ants really think you are worthy of stopping this Seat?"

As the words fell.

The aura on his body erupted with a roar.

The pressure of an early Ninth-tier Martial Saint was released without reservation, crushing the surroundings like a violent hurricane!

"Crack..."

The ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, and the surrounding air twisted violently.

The roof of the stable was ripped clean off, sending shards of wood and thatch flying through the sky.

The expressions of Xiao Qianjun and his two companions changed simultaneously.

Although they were all top-tier experts among Eighth-tier Grandmasters, the suppression of realms when facing a true Ninth-tier Martial Saint still caused their breathing to hitch.

Yet, no one took a step back.

"Heh..."

Seeing their reaction, Red Python curled his lips into a sneer.

He had no time to tangle with these three.

The Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array had not caused the expected chaos, and he did not have much time left.

He had to shake off these few ants as quickly as possible before Prince Wu'an and the other Martial Saints of the Great Yu reacted.

Once he was dragged into a stalemate and Prince Wu'an arrived, he would truly be unable to escape!

Red Python raised his hand.

A sphere of dark red Spiritual Power condensed in his palm.

Demonic energy churned on the surface of the light sphere, emitting a shrill, hissing sound.

He had already made his plan.

He would force these three back with a single strike and immediately tear through space to leave.

However, at this very moment.

The expressions on the faces of the core members behind Red Python were completely different from their Sect Master's.

A core member with Sixth-tier cultivation looked at the dense ranks of Demon Suppression Guards ahead, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

He looked at Red Python's back, his eyes filled with despair.

The Sect Master was a Ninth-tier Martial Saint; if he disregarded them and broke through alone, there was a high probability he could actually escape.

But what about them?

Among them, the strongest was only at the Eighth-tier.

Surrounded by hundreds of elite Demon Suppression Guards and blocked by three peak Eighth-tier Grandmasters, they had absolutely no chance of escaping alive!

From the moment the Sect Master activated the Heaven-Burning Earth-Destroying Array, they had been treated as abandoned pawns.

All that talk of "follow This Seat" was merely to have them serve as cannon fodder at the final moment to delay the pursuers.

The core members exchanged glances, seeing the same despair in each other's eyes.

But no one dared to say a word.

In the Holy Demon God Sect, questioning the Sect Master's decision led to a fate worse than death.

The dark red light sphere in Red Python's hand grew larger and larger as he prepared to strike.

Just then.

A more majestic and terrifying holy might descended from the sky, instantly crushing the Martial Saint aura released by Red Python into pieces!

The dark red light sphere in Red Python's hand extinguished instantly.

It was not that he had retracted it voluntarily, but rather that under the suppression of that might, he could not even maintain the sphere.

Red Python's pupils contracted sharply.

He slowly raised his head to look at the night sky above.

In the night sky, a spatial rift tore open silently, and a young man in black robes stepped out from it.

A cyan longsword hung at his waist, the lotus patterns on the scabbard shimmering with a faint light under the moonlight.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at Red Python from above.

His gaze was calm, yet it made one's blood run cold.

"Can you escape?"

Red Python's hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

He gritted his teeth, trying to suppress his body's instinctive reaction.

But it was useless.

The trembling that surged from the depths of his soul was simply not something that could be suppressed by willpower.

Is this the power of a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint Peak?

Even though they were both in the Martial Saint realm, the mere Saint Might radiating from his opponent made it impossible for him, a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint at the early stage, to even conceive of resisting!

Red Python had cultivated for over two thousand years and had seen countless powerhouses.

Yet, he had never felt such terrifying pressure from anyone before!

The strength of this Prince Wu'an was far more frightening than he had previously imagined!

This single word occupied his entire mind.

Red Python turned abruptly, tearing open the space before him regardless of the cost.

Even if he had to burn his essence blood, he had to escape.

However, just as his hand touched the edge of the spatial rift.

A cyan sword light flashed before his eyes, moving so fast he had no time to react.

"Pfft!"

The arm Red Python had used to tear the space was severed at the shoulder.

Fresh blood gushed out, splashing a patch of scarlet under the moonlight.

The severed arm landed on the ground, its fingers still twitching.

Red Python let out a shrill, miserable scream, staggering back several steps.

Clutching his severed arm, his eyes were filled with shock and terror as he looked at Lin Changqing.