I am Master Maoshan

This super spirit-gathering array, a masterpiece meticulously arranged by Liu Jun, is now surrounded by turbulent spiritual energy, as if drawn by an invisible force, or as if desperately resisting the destruction of these intruders.

The enormous vortex formed by spiritual energy swirled in the air, emitting a buzzing sound, as if it were roaring.

As time passed, fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on the foreheads of the masters, and their expressions became increasingly solemn. Elder Zong, standing at the very front, undoubtedly bore the greatest pressure.

His body had begun to tremble slightly, but his eyes remained firm, as if he would not give up until he achieved his goal.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Liu Jun appeared unusually calm. He gently put down his teacup, the tea inside still rippling slightly. He looked up at the ceiling, his gaze deep and unwavering, as if trying to pierce through all obstacles and reach the core of the fiercely contested formation on the rooftop.

"I set up this formation, so I'm well aware of its power," Liu Jun thought to himself. "If these people's skill in formations is truly superior to mine, then they might have a chance to break the formation. But if they attempt to force their way through, then what awaits them is a big surprise."

Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on Liu Jun's lips. He began to softly mutter, "Ten, nine, eight..."

Although his voice was soft, it sounded exceptionally clear and powerful in the tense atmosphere.

The nineteen holy maidens around him exchanged bewildered glances, wondering what 'Emperor Long Ao's' sudden counting meant. Their faces were filled with doubt and curiosity, but even more so with trust in 'Emperor Long Ao'.

After all, 'Emperor Long Ao' helped them repair and improve the Spirit Gathering Array, and also helped their second Holy Maiden break through the bottleneck. This favor was immense.

Finally, as Liu Jun counted to "one," a deafening roar came from the rooftop—"Boom!" The sound seemed to come from the sky, or perhaps it was an explosion from the earth's core, shaking the entire building.

In an instant, dust billowed and rocks flew everywhere. The seemingly indestructible super spirit-gathering array finally crumbled under everyone's watchful eyes.

Liu Jun, however, merely smiled faintly, as if everything was within his expectations. He turned to look at the saintesses, his eyes gleaming with confidence, as if to say, "See, I was right."

At this moment, the saintesses were filled with horror and disbelief. With that deafening explosion, the once solid ceiling above them vanished instantly, debris flying everywhere and smoke billowing.

Even more shockingly, the three-story pavilion above seemed to be swallowed up by an invisible force at that moment, disappearing without leaving behind only a void, which sent chills down one's spine.

As for Elder Zong and the others who were struggling to break the formation on the top floor, their fate was even more tragic.

In the instant of the explosion, the powerful shockwave swept over them, mercilessly blasting them away like kites with broken strings, drawing tragic arcs in the air.

Those who fell the closest were on the ground hundreds of meters away, disheveled and covered in injuries; while the one who fell even further was hanging miserably on the towering tower of the city, his fate unknown.

However, this is not the most crucial point. The crucial point is that, with the destruction of the super spirit-gathering array, the spiritual energy around the Saintess Pavilion began to flow away rapidly like water, as if swallowed by an invisible black hole, leaving not a trace behind.

The two saintesses, who were currently breaking through to a higher realm, desperately needed a large amount of spiritual energy to solidify their foundation. Seeing that their spiritual energy was about to run out, the saintesses couldn't help but show expressions of anxiety and helplessness.

At this critical moment, before the saintesses could even cry for help, Liu Jun smiled calmly.

He instantly retrieved over a hundred high-grade spirit stones from his storage ring. These spirit stones were crystal clear and exuded a rich spiritual energy. With practiced skill and swift movements, he set up a simple spirit-gathering array in the blink of an eye.

Although this spirit-gathering array looks much simpler than the damaged one on the top floor, and its speed of gathering spiritual energy is far slower, it is enough to stabilize the Second Saintess's realm in this emergency.

As the simple spirit-gathering array slowly activated, streams of spiritual energy seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, beginning to converge from all directions.

Although the process of this convergence is not rapid, it is exceptionally stable, like a gentle, continuous stream.

The two saintesses sat quietly in the center of the bed, their eyes closed, their faces calm and focused. Although they had not yet opened their eyes, the restoration of spiritual energy was like a refreshing rain, causing their tightly furrowed brows to slowly relax unconsciously, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

The other saintesses, surrounding the second saintess, witnessed this scene and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

In their eyes, as long as it doesn't affect the Second Saintess's breakthrough, everything else is secondary.

The explosion of the Saintess Pavilion's spirit-gathering array was so loud that it alarmed the entire main city. Experts and guards from the Heavenly Lord's Temple, as well as ordinary citizens of the main city, all flocked to the Saintess Pavilion, eager to find out what had happened.

In the chaos, Elder Zong and others, who were seriously injured by the explosion, were fortunately rescued by passing rescuers. They lay on stretchers, their faces pale, but their eyes shone with the relief of surviving a disaster.

At this moment, Peng Cheng, the deputy head of the Catholic Temple, and Liu Yuan also rushed over with their men. They looked solemn and walked hurriedly, clearly very worried about what had just happened at the Holy Maiden Pavilion.

On the way, Peng Sheng and Liu Yuan were still communicating with serious expressions.

"What's going on? Why did it explode again? Didn't Liu Jun give up on alchemy?" Peng Cheng looked at Liu Yuan with a puzzled expression, trying to get an answer from him. Vice Hall Master Liu Yuan sighed softly and replied, "This time it's not Liu Jun's problem; it's the spirit-gathering array above the Saintess Pavilion that exploded. I don't know what happened; how could a perfectly good spirit-gathering array suddenly explode?"

"I'm not well-educated, don't try to fool me. This spirit-gathering array exploded, and it can cause such serious injuries? I heard that Elder Zong was seriously injured and can't get out of bed. Now the whole Heavenly Lord City is in a state of panic." Peng Cheng said in astonishment, his eyes full of disbelief.

“That’s what I’m wondering about too,” Liu Yuan frowned, looking puzzled. “Elder Zong is quite strong, and his mastery of formations has reached the level of a grandmaster. He is one of the top experts in the entire sect. How could he let a spirit gathering formation explode like this? It’s really puzzling.”

"Sigh, do you think it might be related to the previous fluctuations in spiritual energy?" Peng Cheng sighed and offered his conjecture. "I remember an hour ago, the spiritual energy of the entire Heavenly City was converging towards the Saintess Pavilion. The scene was terrifyingly spectacular. I even sent people to check it out, but they didn't go inside the Saintess Pavilion, so we don't know what happened inside."

“It’s possible,” Liu Yuan nodded, his expression grave. “The spiritual energy fluctuations were indeed abnormal before. I sent people to investigate, but they found nothing. If the explosion of the Spirit Gathering Array is really related to those spiritual energy fluctuations, then this matter is not simple.”

“I have a feeling this is related to Liu Jun.” Peng Cheng suddenly frowned, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. “Although he is young, he is cunning. He might have played some role in the explosion of the spirit gathering array this time.”

“Sigh, I had the same feeling.” Liu Yuan sighed, his expression growing even more grave. “But I confirmed before I came that Liu Jun had remained in his residence the entire time, and the Heavenly Guards had been keeping a close watch, without noticing anything unusual about him. If it really was him, I can’t understand how he did it.”

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the worry and unease in each other's eyes. The explosion of the Spirit Gathering Array had not only severely injured Elder Zong, but had also plunged the entire Heavenly Lord's Palace into an unprecedented crisis.

They both knew about Palace Master Yu Qiushui's plan to create a God King, and they also knew that the Blood Pool's formation needed Elder Zong and others who were proficient in formations to maintain it.

The fact that Elder Zong and other formation masters have been severely injured by the explosion speaks volumes.

"No matter who's behind this, we can't let them succeed. Let's go check out the Saintess Pavilion again; maybe we can find some clues," Liu Yuan said.

With a flash, the two sped off towards the Saintess Pavilion. Behind them, a group of experts from the Heavenly Lord's Palace followed closely.

When Peng Sheng and Liu Yuan rushed to the Saintess Pavilion, the area around it was already packed with people.

These people seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, and they all maintained the same posture—looking up at the top of the Saintess Pavilion, their faces filled with surprise and curiosity.

After passing through the dense crowd, Liu Yuan and Peng Sheng were finally able to catch a glimpse of this astonishing scene.

Their faces also showed disbelief as they looked up at the Saintess Pavilion, their eyes filled with doubt and shock.

"If I remember correctly, this Saintess Pavilion should be a nine-story tower, right?" Peng Cheng's voice was particularly deep as he tried to search his memory for any details about the building.

“Yes, that’s right.” Liu Yuan frowned, his gaze lingering on the ruins of the Saintess Pavilion. “But now, look, three floors have been blown away, leaving only six floors.”

As Liu Yuan finished speaking, both of their expressions grew even more solemn. The Saintess Pavilion, as one of the iconic buildings of the City of Gods, was undeniably important.

Now, this tower, which carries countless history and legends, has suffered such severe damage. How can it not be heartbreaking?
"Where are the guards? Clear the area quickly!" Peng Sheng suddenly shouted, his voice echoing through the crowd and attracting the attention of those around him.

Upon hearing this, the guards of the Catholic city immediately sprang into action. They quickly dispersed into the crowd and began to evacuate the people in an orderly manner.

Before long, the area around the Saintess Pavilion became much emptier, with only a few residents who were unwilling to leave standing at a distance watching, their faces still full of curiosity and worry.

"Let's go up and take a look." As the deputy hall master, Liu Yuan naturally had to take on the responsibility of leadership at this moment.

He took a deep breath to calm his inner turmoil, then stepped onto the stairs of the Saintess Pavilion.

Peng Sheng naturally followed closely behind, and they went up to the sixth floor of the Saintess Pavilion together.

At this moment, the two saintesses had just completed consolidating their realm and opened their eyes.

"Second Sister, Second Sister!" A group of holy maidens stepped forward, their faces filled with anxiety and concern.

"What happened?" The Second Saintess frowned, a hint of doubt in her eyes.

The holy maidens seemed to have found an outlet for their emotions, and they began to talk all at once. Some described the thrilling events that had just transpired, some discussed Liu Jun's astonishing act of exploding the furnace, and others talked about how Elder Zong and the others were blown away by the exploding spirit-gathering array.

In short, the scene was in complete chaos, and it was impossible to hear what anyone was saying.

(End of this chapter)