The original White Stone Mountain Castle is now engulfed in flames.
This was not an ordinary explosion or flame, but rather the effect of a powerful magic array.
The Fire Element within the crystal resonates with the magic circle, achieving an effect similar to a "Profound Mysteries" attack, whose power can far exceed that of the magic circle's creator.
Whether they could stop those who didn't have time to escape is unknown.
This was the first time Jason had flown so high in the Netherworld. By the time the shockwave from the magic circle's explosion was neutralized, the gravitational pull from the Netherworld's surface had become too strong for Jason to resist.
Under the powerful gravitational pull, Jason began to fall uncontrollably, only able to use his remaining Divine Power to slow his descent.
Jason barely survived the explosion thanks to Delisha's protection and the high-quality leather armor he had bought. However, the powerful impact shattered all his bones, and it will take a long time for him to recover. His Divine Power is also nearly exhausted, and he is desperately drawing it from the Elemental Sea using his Divine Spark.
"If a few Highgod from the Bogdan Clan were to rush out at this moment, all of us floating in the sky would die," Jason thought to himself.
Looking around, there were more than thirty others like Jason who had survived, including several Midgod. In terms of escape ability, Midgod Fiend were not necessarily weaker than Highgod.
On the contrary, there were only a handful of Highgod, probably because they were held back by the Highgod of the Bogdan Clan at the end, and it is unknown whether anyone could withstand that level of attack.
"Neither of your clones died, right?" Delisha's voice rang out.
"Thank goodness, thank you for saving me, Chieftain. Are you alright?"
Delisha used her domain to shield Jason earlier; otherwise, Jason estimated he would have lost a clone to survive.
"Fortunately, hopefully the Bogdan Clan doesn't have any backup plans." Delisha was clearly not in good condition either, and probably didn't have the strength to deal with a powerful enemy.
Everyone is falling.
Jason estimated that he was at an altitude of 100,000 meters, a height that even a high- Highgod could barely reach. However, the few remaining Highgod around him were all seriously injured and had no strength left to maintain their altitude.
"How are you all?" Kuxilai's voice resonated in everyone's soul.
He was the first to spot the danger and managed to escape, but judging from the situation, Kuxilai cultivates the death attribute, is not good at defense and suffered serious injuries.
"It's alright." "It will take some time to recover." "I lost a clone." These voices rang out one after another.
"Belding hasn't come out," said a Highgod Fiend.
Most of the Highgod on this mission knew each other; even if they weren't friends in Falling Rain City, they had at least crossed paths with each other. Otherwise, they wouldn't dare to come on this dangerous advancement mission with people they didn't trust.
Kuxilai sighed, "Belding was the first to discover the danger, but he was held back by the patriarch of the Bogdan Clan."
"That Olsen guy, he didn't even notice such a dangerous magic array!" someone said resentfully.
It was expected that the Bogdan Clan would focus on magic arrays, Olsen was proficient in magic arrays, was specially invited by other Highgod at a high price.
"Olsen didn't get out either," someone reminded them.
"With his strength, he's probably doomed."
"Those who didn't escape are probably all dead."
The group used Divine Power as a buffer during their descent, which slowed them down to about 1,000 meters above the ground after more than ten minutes.
The remaining thirty-odd Fiend had recovered some of their strength and were able to hold off the enemy's counterattack for a while.
"Look! Who's that?"
Below, where the castle once stood, flames still burned, and the heat emanating from them was palpable even from this distance, demonstrating the immense power of this magic array.
But in the center of the sea of fire, there was a bright blue water sphere. The blue water sphere was circular and constantly being evaporated by the flames but also constantly replenished, temporarily achieving a balance with the external flames. And as the power of the magic array continued to weaken, it gradually gained the upper hand.
"It's Belding. It seems his Water Clone broke through at the last moment. He was confident of advancing to Six-Star Fiend before accepting the mission, and now he should be absolutely certain of stabilizing his Six-Star Fiend realm." A Highgod Fiend said, clearly the two were already quite familiar with each other.
As they descended in altitude, gravity also decreased, and the group was able to maintain their balance.
Scanning the surroundings, no other figures were found. It seemed that the Bogdan Clan had set up the magic array with the intention of mutual destruction.
The magic array completely destroyed the surrounding area. Only some Divine Spark remnants remained. Divine Artifact, Interspatial Ring, and Deity-level remains had all disappeared. Even the magic array itself was melted down.
After waiting for a while, the flames of the magic circle gradually died down. The castle, which originally had a precious metal interior and Black Yu exterior, had completely melted. In addition, the Divine Artifact destroyed by the high temperature had melted together, and the original forms of the various metals were indistinguishable.
Except for a ten-meter radius around Belding, which was blocked by his Water Element shield.
Jason took out a Floating Shadow Crystal and recorded the operation of Belding's Water Element shield up close.
Others around were doing the same thing; after all, the cultivation footage of a Six-Star Fiend- level expert was valuable even if they didn't need it themselves.
It was discovered that Belding did not seem to show any immediate signs of emerging from the state of enlightenment.
Kuxilai ordered, "Search the surrounding area, in case the Bogdan Clan has any backup plans."
Having fully recovered their strength, the group immediately flew to the ground to explore their surroundings.
"There seems to be a passage somewhere deeper underground," said a Midgod.
Are there enemies inside?
"Probably not. I used Earth Pulsation to probe, and it's empty inside. Of course, it's also possible that the other party has very strong concealment abilities."
None of the Highgod Fiend present cultivated earth-attribute techniques, so they couldn't explore any deeper. As for digging a tunnel in, the Fiend felt it was too risky.
After all, there are only five Highgod who have survived, including Delisha; the rest are Midgod who have completed their respective missions.
Kuxilai, "It must have been used by the remnants of the Bogdan Clan to escape. They used the power of the magic array to kill all the Highgod of the family and sever the control of the Soul Seed of the entire family, which allowed them to escape."
"Control of the entire family's Soul Seed?" Delisha asked.
"Yes, this is something that only powerful Death Edict Highgod can do. First, use Soul Seed to control a Death Edict Highgod, and then let him control other Deity-level. In this 'tree-like' method of controlling Soul Seed, one can control a large number of loyal servants. This method is especially effective for families like the Bogdan Clan that specialize in the attributes of death."
Of course, this method also places a great burden on the soul. With each additional layer of Soul Seed, some of the pressure is transmitted to the soul of the original controller. A feat like controlling the Bogdan Clan is at least at the "Asura" level.
There are ways to escape this control. The simplest and most direct way is to increase one's strength and break free, but the person who implanted the Soul Seed usually forbids the controlled person from continuing to cultivate, so it is generally difficult to achieve.
The second method is to cause the death of the higher-ranking controlled person, so that the controlled persons below them can break free from control. After being controlled by Soul Seed, although they will be forced to abide by some rules, their instinct for survival cannot be extinguished. No matter how strong the person who planted the Soul Seed is, they cannot completely avoid this situation.
Therefore, once the high-ranking patriarch dies, the control of the Soul Seed of the Midgod and Lowgod of the Bogdan Clan will be severed. However, the powerful figure behind them should not leave too many loopholes in the command; they need to find a "fighting force majeure" that complies with the regulations before all the clan members die, within the conditions permitted by the "command," to cause the death of their patriarch.
Everyone understood that the Bogdan Clan's suicidal provocation would not benefit them at all; it could only mean they had been implanted with Soul Seed and were being driven by them.
By directly using the magic array to perish together with the approaching Fiend, they not only fulfilled the orders of the powerful figure behind them but also caused the clan leader's death, thus securing a glimmer of hope for the other lower-ranking members.
Kuxilai chuckled sinisterly, "Alright, the Bogdan Clan's strength is just a pawn to big shots like the Asura or the Lord of the Palace. We just happened to accept the Fiend mission, and it won't provoke any retaliation from them. Besides, power struggles between big shots are common. If we're so hesitant about such a small matter, we won't be able to accept any more Fiend missions in the future!"
At this moment, the Water Element shield in the center of the ruins gradually dissipated into a wisp of water vapor, revealing the handsome Belding.
"The water vapor just now was a fusion of the ' Mysteries of Mist ' and the ' Water Element ' to resist the high temperature? It can be used like that?" Jason suddenly realized this when he saw the scene.
To the surprise of those around him, a jet-black raven lay beside Belding, its crimson feathers confirming that it was the true form of the Bogdan Clan patriarch.
Clearly, the patriarch of the Bogdan Clan is dead, and these are his remains. Because they were close to Belding, they were preserved along with the remains.
Belding's golden armor was damaged in many places, clearly indicating that he had broken through in the heat of battle and almost died.
"Congratulations, Belding, on becoming Six-Star Fiend!" People around him offered their congratulations.
Six-Star Fiend is already considered to be among the top-tier experts.
Among the Fiend, the difference in strength between four-star and above is enormous. The Four Star Fiend around him could still be neither humble nor arrogant when Belding was Five-Star Fiend, but now they can no longer be so casual.
"Congratulations on completing the task. Thank you for your reminder earlier." Kuxilai, unusually, didn't argue.
The two men's mission was to kill the patriarch of the Bogdan Clan. Clearly, the main force this time was Belding, while Kuxilai had fled before the explosion, feeling somewhat guilty towards him.
Belding simply nodded in acknowledgment, then changed into a set of Defensive Divine Artifact: "Let's go back to the city first."