Crisis: Phantom Figures of the Sages

"Kid, give up resisting. Become a vessel willingly, and you'll have a chance to live. Otherwise..."

Before the words were finished, the black eye in the sky suddenly burst forth with a dazzling black light.

A thick, black beam of light, as thick as a mountain range, descended from the sky and shot straight toward the huge crack in the center of the ground.

"Boom--!"

The entire Myriad Spirits Ruins of Return suddenly sank.

The ground beneath Li Yunjing and his companions instantly collapsed, sending countless rocks tumbling into the abyss.

An indescribable, terrifying aura erupted from the abyss, hundreds or even thousands of times stronger than the aura of the previous great demon.

At the bottom of the abyss, a black sphere a hundred miles in diameter slowly rose. A viscous black liquid flowed on the surface of the sphere, and countless distorted human faces appeared and disappeared in the liquid, emitting mournful howls.

At the very center of the sphere, there is a small point of light, which is the only remaining, unpolluted source power of the Black-Yellow Realm.

And this black sphere is the Core of the Ruins of Return.

"Finally... it's out..."

A voice came from within the black sphere; it was the voice of the Lord of the Ruins of Return.

The Core of the Ruins of Return slowly rotated, emanating a terrifying devouring power.

Everything around it was being sucked into it; the sky, the earth, and even the light could not escape.

Ignoring the fact that their injuries were worsening, Fang Hexuan and the others were forced to join forces to resist the devouring power.

However, the devouring power was too strong, and even the three of them working together were of no use.

Even if the three of them were at their peak, they wouldn't be a match for the power of devouring, let alone now that they are already quite injured.

"I can't hold on any longer!" Fang Hexuan spat out a mouthful of blood, his face ashen white.

"Yunjing, you go, we'll cover you!"

Li Yunjing's pupils contracted. From these words, it seemed that Fang Hexuan and the others were planning to sacrifice themselves.

However, Li Yunjing did not do as Fang Hexuan said.

The main problem is that walking won't help.

The devouring power was too strong, and Fang Hexuan and the others could not withstand it.

Even if Li Yunjing ran now, he couldn't outrun that devouring power.

Not to mention, letting Li Yunjing abandon Fang Hexuan and the others and run away alone is not Li Yunjing's style.

Just then, the devouring power actually became even stronger.

Li Yunjing felt his bones creaking and his magical Law Power draining away like a tide.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

At the Core of the Ruins of Return, the tiny point of light that had been dim and almost completely enveloped in black liquid suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light.

The light was not dazzling, but carried a warm and sacred aura, like the rising sun, instantly piercing through the thick darkness.

Wherever the golden light passed, the raging Power of the Ruins of Return melted away as quickly as ice and snow meeting the scorching sun, and tender green grass actually grew back on the land that had been corroded by the Power of the Ruins of Return.

"What?!"

The Lord of the Ruins of Return let out an incredulous exclamation, and the half-formed humanoid silhouette instantly disintegrated.

It frantically urged the Power of the Ruins of Return to try and devour the point of light again, but the golden light was like an impenetrable wall, blocking all the Power of the Ruins of Return outside.

The golden dot of light slowly flew out from the Core of the Ruins of Return and hovered in mid-air.

Nine blurry figures gradually emerged from the light.

These figures were dressed in simple robes, exuding an aura of antiquity and vastness. Although they were just phantoms, they gave people a feeling of towering height and unshakeable power.

"How could it be the Sages of High Antiquity!?"

Within the Void Divine Treasury's Treasury, the Great Demon's incredulous voice rang out.

Li Yunjing's pupils contracted. The Sages of High Antiquity —were they the powerful beings who sealed away the Lord of the Ruins of Return?

At this moment, the nine illusory figures of the saints simultaneously raised their hands, and countless golden rays shot out from their hands, weaving into a huge golden net that enveloped the Core of the Ruins of Return.

"No--!"

The Lord of the Ruins of Return let out a desperate roar, Core of the Ruins of Return spun wildly, spewing out countless black demonic flames in an attempt to resist the golden magic net.

But the moment the demonic flames came into contact with the golden light, they instantly vanished into nothingness. The golden net effortlessly enveloped the Core of the Ruins of Return, pressing it back into the abyss below.

"Boom--!"

The earth shook violently, the abyss slowly closed, and the roar of the Lord of the Ruins of Return grew farther and farther away until it finally disappeared completely.

The giant black eye in the sky disappeared, and the dark sky was once again illuminated by bright sunlight.

The mountains and rivers that had been swallowed by the Power of the Ruins of Return were gradually restored to their original state under the nourishment of the golden light.

Li Yunjing stood there dumbfounded, staring at the unbelievable scene before him.

He had thought he was going to die, but he never expected to be saved by the will of the Sages of High Antiquity.

Just then, the nine illusory figures of the saints slowly turned around and their gazes fell on Li Yunjing.

The leading phantom figure stretched out his hand, and a golden stream of light shot from his fingertip, disappearing into Li Yunjing's brow.

A vast amount of information flooded into Li Yunjing's mind.

Those are fragments of memories left behind by the Sages of High Antiquity, recording the truth behind the destruction of the Black-Yellow Realm and the true origin of the Lord of the Ruins of Return.

There is also an ancient map marking the locations of the relics of saints scattered throughout various places.

Then another sage pointed a finger, and the great demon within the Void Divine Treasury Space was instantly refined, leaving only a vast and pure energy.

Li Yunjing could sense that if he absorbed and refined this energy, he might be able to step into the Dao Integration Realm.

"Child, this is all we can do for you."

The leading phantom of the saints spoke, its voice gentle yet tinged with weariness, "Our will has been exhausted. We can only temporarily reseal the Lord of the Ruins of Return for a hundred years. After a hundred years, it will inevitably break free again, and it will be even more powerful than it is now."

"The essence of the Black-Yellow Realm is almost depleted and can no longer support a second seal."

"In the next hundred years, it all depends on how far you grow. If you can't contend with them, I'm afraid your Tianyuan Realm will also be swallowed up by the Lord of the Ruins of Return and the like."

As the words fell, the nine illusory figures of the saints gradually became transparent, eventually transforming into specks of Golden Light and dissipating into the air.

The golden primordial light spot then landed in Li Yunjing's hand, transforming into a small, exquisite golden mark that merged into his palm.

Li Yunjing clenched his fist, the mark on his palm radiating a faint warmth.

"So this heavy burden has fallen on my shoulders?" Li Yunjing sighed.

I came to this secret realm hoping to find treasure, but who knew I'd run into something like this? It's utterly speechless.

A hundred years is enough.

Li Yunjing was confident that he would have enough time, perhaps even less than a century, to grow up to the point where he could solve this problem.

He stood up and looked up into the distance.

The sky over the Myriad Spirits Ruins of Return has returned to its azure blue, and the sunlight shines on the earth, warm and bright, but this is only a temporary peace.

Fang Hexuan and the others, despite their injuries, came to Li Yunjing's side.

Just as Fang Hexuan was about to speak, the Black-Yellow Origin Mark on Li Yunjing's palm suddenly began to throb violently.

A faint black aura silently emerged from the newly closed crevice of the abyss.

This aura was extremely well concealed; even Li Yunjing didn't notice it.

It hovered in the air for a moment, then transformed into a black streak of light and flew towards the exit of the secret realm.

In the deepest part of the abyss, the Core of the Ruins of Return slowly rotates.

The Lord of the Ruins of Return' cold voice echoed in the darkness:

"The afterglow of the Nine Sages... The Origin of Xuanhuang..."

"A hundred years... that's enough."

"I'll be outside, waiting for you."