Chapter 1131: Sacrifice and Preservation

"With their strength, nothing unexpected should happen inside, right?" Han Li speculated.

At that moment, a rumbling sound came from the void near the Age Tower, and a large spatial hole emerged, from which three figures shot out like lightning—Jiao San, Li Qima, and Qu Lin.

The three looked somewhat disheveled, clearly all injured, especially Jiao San, who was half-covered in blood, but fortunately none were in mortal danger.

"Fellow Daoist Han, it's good that you're safe... Earlier, when we were separated, I worried something might have happened to you, but now it seems I was overthinking," Jiao San said, her face brightening upon seeing Han Li, letting out a light sigh.

"Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist Jiao. I merely escaped by luck. You should rest and recover a bit—this is no place to linger," Han Li nodded to Jiao San and said.

Li Qima and Qu Lin also relaxed upon seeing Han Li unharmed, and they immediately sat cross-legged, trying to stabilize their injuries as quickly as possible.

...

Qingsi Hollow, Jinyuan Mountain Range.

It was dusk, and in the ancient village nestled among the lush green mountains, every household was busy preparing the last meal of the day, with wisps of cooking smoke rising from the chimneys of low village houses.

The village chief was sitting with a few old friends at a low table in front of his house, sipping coarse homemade wine, waiting for his wife to bring out the side dishes to go with the drink.

With a loud "boom!"

The entire ground of Qingsi Hollow shook violently, and the wine table in front of the old village chief jumped, spilling much wine from the several chipped bowls on it.

"Ouch, how long has this ruckus been going on? Can't we have some peace?" The old village chief quickly steadied the wine pot and bowls, complaining.

"These immortals come and go as they please. Why can't they just mess with their own affairs and leave us alone? What's all this about?" A dark-skinned old man sitting across from him couldn't help but say.

"Uncle, I heard some treasure appeared near Qingsi Hollow. Many immortals came earlier, then many disappeared, and the rest sealed the place off. No one can go there now," a slightly younger middle-aged man said.

"I don't care what they're up to, as long as they don't ruin our spring water," the old village chief said worriedly.

Just as they were talking, another loud "boom" rang out.

Little did they know that this brief moment of tranquility was already their last.

……

Within White-Haired Valley, rumbling sounds rang out from time to time, and the earth tremors grew increasingly frequent.

Deep in the valley, around two enormous rocks arranged in an inverted V shape, cultivators dressed in the attire of the Heaven-Piercing Sword Sect had gathered in a dense crowd. All wore tense expressions, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the space beneath the two rocks, not daring to relax for a moment.

Just then, a layer of silver ripples suddenly shimmered in that space, and five or six figures emerged from within.

The people gathered around, upon seeing the faces of these individuals, immediately relaxed their expressions and, one after another, clasped their fists in salute:

“We welcome the Ancestor’s safe return…”

The figures appearing in the silver light were none other than Lei Yuce and his companions.

Dao Yin True Person’s face was still somewhat pale, with an anxious expression, and coupled with the grim looks on Lei Yuce and the others, those waiting immediately sensed that something was amiss.

“Chen Chuan, how is the task I entrusted to you earlier progressing?” Dao Yin True Person swept his gaze around and asked.

“Reporting to Master, as per your instructions, everything was arranged over half a month ago. I have inspected it twice, and it is foolproof.” A tall, slender man with a black beard stepped forward from the crowd and clasped his fist in salute.

“Give me the Dragon Tooth Key, and you may withdraw.” Dao Yin True Person frowned deeply and said.

Chen Chuan’s brow furrowed slightly; he wanted to ask but dared not defy his master’s orders. He could only flip his palm, produce a crescent-shaped blood-red jade pendant, and present it with both hands to Dao Yin True Person.

“Master, you are too severely injured. Let me handle this matter.” Lei Yuce said with a grave expression.

“Brother Shi, is it truly necessary to use this item?” Chen Chuan looked at Lei Yuce, clasped his fist, and asked.

“The demon-extermination plan has failed, the Divine Lamp could not be recovered, and the Time Tower has fallen. If we delay any longer… the group of prisoners sealed inside will break into the secret realm, and then the entire Golden Source Immortal Domain may suffer a catastrophe.” Lei Yuce said in a deep voice.

“To activate the Dragon Tooth Extermination Array, someone must be inside the array to trigger it. Once the array starts, chain explosions will begin after ten breaths. Although the main force will be released into the secret realm, the residual power will also destroy nearly ten million miles of mountains and rivers, and half of the Golden Source Mountain Range will be doomed to be buried with it. In your current state, are you confident you can escape safely?” Dao Yin True Person asked with a frown.

“Master, do not underestimate your disciple. I still have the ability to protect myself. You should leave first.” Lei Yuce revealed a faint smile, then his gaze fell on Su Quanxi.

“Senior Dao Yin, is there truly no other remedy besides this method? The foundations of both our Heavenly Water Sect and your Heaven-Piercing Sword Sect lie within the Golden Source Mountain Range, so they will inevitably be affected. Moreover, what of the countless living beings in this vast region? Will they not suffer this undeserved calamity in vain…” Su Quanxi frowned and could not help asking.

At her words, everyone, including Chen Chuan, fell silent, clearly sharing the same question.

Upon hearing this, Dao Yin Zhenren's face showed a trace of hesitation, but in the end he let out a faint sigh and said:

"You don't understand—we are now like riding a tiger, unable to dismount; we have no choice but to act..."

"Enough, let me explain. The Dragon Fang Extermination Array was set up at the behest of the Heavenly Court, not from the Golden Origin Immortal Palace, but directly by decree from the Heavenly Court. They demanded that we directly blow up the entire secret realm. To preserve the Golden Origin Mountain Range, we took the risk of entering the secret realm, intending to slay the Black Heaven Demon Ancestor and retrieve the Lamp of Time..." Lei Yuce took over the conversation, saying.

Upon hearing this, Su Qiangxi's expression also shifted slightly; she too understood the weight of a decree from the Heavenly Court.

"Originally, if the plan had succeeded, we could have used the Lamp of Time to gradually suppress the demons within the Tower of Time. Unfortunately, it failed, and now we have no choice but to activate the Dragon Fang Extermination Array," Lei Yuce continued.

"Once the demons sealed within the tower escape, the Heavenly Court will inevitably intervene directly. Then it won't be as simple as slaying demons. Our Tongtian Sword Sect will hardly be able to protect itself, and the Tianshui Sect will likely be held accountable. Under these circumstances, some sacrifices are unavoidable," Dao Yin Zhenren said with a sigh.

As his words fell, another rumble echoed through the valley, and the earth trembled even more violently than before.

"Bad news, the Tower of Time may not hold much longer. We must act immediately, without delay," Dao Yin Zhenren said, his expression changing.

"I implore Master to lead everyone away. Leave the activation of the array to your disciple," Lei Yuce said with a cupped-fist salute.

"Very well, I entrust this matter to you. Be sure to return safely." Seeing his resolute expression, Dao Yin Zhenren no longer hesitated and said.

With that, he handed the crescent-shaped jade token to Lei Yuce.

The latter took it, stroked the intricate secret patterns on its surface, felt its warm touch, and a glimmer of light shone in his eyes as he nodded heavily.

"Take care of yourself." At parting, Su Qiangxi turned back to look at Lei Yuce and said.

Lei Yuce showed a faint smile and nodded again.

Then, Dao Yin Zhenren led the others out of Baishou Valley, fleeing away in flight.

Su Qiangxi's gaze caught sight of the small mountain village in Qingsi Hollow, shrouded in cooking smoke and twilight, and she sighed softly in her heart.

After everyone had left, Lei Yuce soared into the air, hovering high above, clasped his hands together holding the Dragon Fang Key, and began to chant incantations.

As his chanting sounded, the entire Baishou Valley began to tremble continuously. Thick, semi-arc-shaped stone pillars broke through the ground in various places, extending endlessly from the earth and mountain walls.

Soon, the entire valley seemed to sprout countless sharp bones, with hundreds of black stone pillars emerging.

These stone pillars were inscribed with dense rings of strange runes, dark red in color, containing an indescribable scorching sensation and waves of irrepressible spiritual energy fluctuations.

Holding the jade token, Lei Yuce felt the surrounding aura and couldn't help but feel parched.

But time was pressing, leaving him no room for further deliberation. He steeled his heart, changed his hand seals, and flung the Dragon Fang Key into the air.

The Dragon Fang Key glowed with a bright blood-red light, soaring high like a crescent blood moon hanging above the valley.

The blood moon flickered, emitting waves of light, and the rings of runes on the stone pillars below also flickered in response, brightening and dimming.

"Open!" Lei Yuce chanted for a moment, then parted his hands and let out a fierce shout.

At this command, the crescent blood moon instantly blazed with intense blood light, suddenly flashed, and shattered directly, scattering into countless blood-red crystalline lights that drifted down onto the stone pillars in the valley.

As these crystalline lights sprinkled onto the stone pillars, the runes on the pillars lit up ring by ring.

"Ten breaths, nine breaths, eight breaths..."

Lei Yuce silently counted his breaths, his body shooting up like an arrow, dashing swiftly out of the valley.

Close behind, another streak of light shot out from the valley, choosing a different direction.

Within the light, it was none other than Xiong Shan, riding the golden longsword, his speed no less than Lei Yuce's.

"Four breaths, three breaths..."

"One breath..."

"Boom..."

A thunderous roar shook the heavens. In Qingsi Hollow, a red light shot into the sky. Countless fang-like pillars of light continuously burst forth from beneath the earth. The ground within a thousand li trembled violently, as if an earth-ox had turned over, and was upheaved entirely.

Following that, the upheaved earth was swept by a layer of red light, and all the forests, soil, and structures on it instantly turned to powder.

In the entire Yuliang Village, all the villagers, even before the red light approached, were torn apart by the raging wind that swept through. Along with all the buildings in the village, every trace of existence was erased in an instant.

Nearly half of the Golden Origin Mountain Range began to collapse amid rumbling sounds. The cities, towns, and immortal sects built upon it were all destroyed, with countless casualties.