Alert! The Dragon Lord has emerged from seclusion!

At the center of the altar, the silver star core crystal that Luo Yunyi had transformed into suddenly burst forth with an unprecedentedly pure silver light!

Amidst the light, cracks spread across the surface of the crystal, and then it exploded completely with a loud "bang"!

Countless silver specks of light danced like fireflies, quickly converging above the altar to outline the silhouette of a curled-up, sleeping girl.

Luo Yunyi's illusory figure slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes were initially somewhat confused, but then she saw Lin Chen in the flames below, Su Qingxue and Ye Qingcheng with blood on their lips, and Jiang Wuyai with a livid face.

Memories flood back like a tide.

The resolute separation between star cores, the long darkness that followed their transformation into star cores, and the chilling, devouring sensation that seemed to drain her soul just now…

"Jiang! Wu! Ya!"

Luo Yunyi's illusory figure emitted a clear yet hateful shout. Although she was only in the initial stage of soul formation and extremely weak, the starlight of Yao Guang had an innate sensitivity and destructive power towards "rules", "contracts" and "connections".

She gestured with both hands, and the silver light around her transformed into countless tiny starlight, like living silver fish, actively rushing towards the rule lines on the altar that connected the other six soul lamps!

Tiny specks of silver light adhered to the invisible threads, rapidly spreading, penetrating, and corroding!

The process of deviating from the source is further interfered with and delayed!

"You...you're asking for it!"

The series of unexpected events and backlashes finally drove Jiang Wuyai into a complete rage.

He no longer maintained that gentle facade; a ferocious expression appeared on his face, and his aura became violent and chaotic, causing his white robe to flutter wildly and rustle without wind.

"Since you are all so stubborn, then you will all become nourishment for the ritual!"

He suddenly raised his hands high and began chanting ancient and obscure incantations.

The chaotic energy of the entire Heavenly Evolution Tower, no, the entire Ruins of Return, began to converge on him frantically!

The altar shook violently.

The light of the seven soul lamps (including Luo Yunyi's empty lamp base) distorted, and an even stronger and more domineering suction force was generated, which not only targeted the origin of the seven stars, but also began to draw out the life force and soul of everyone present!

Su Qingxue and Ye Qingcheng were the first to be affected, feeling as if their souls were being torn out of their bodies, and their vision went black.

Even the chaotic flames surrounding Lin Chen began to flicker, like a candle burning in the wind.

Jiang Wuyai is determined to push the ceremony through regardless of the cost!

Even if the final result has flaws, we must first suppress all variables!

Despair has struck again.

However, just when Jiang Wuyai was determined to succeed and Lin Chen and his two companions were in grave danger—

Anomalies are brewing once more!

It came not from inside the tower, but from outside.

From the outside world, which was isolated by the "Zhou Tian Xing Chen Grand Array" and the Gui Xu Restriction!

Om-! ! !

A distant, grand bell tolled, seemingly from beyond the heavens, piercing through layers of spatial barriers and faintly reaching the ninth floor!

Then came the second, the third… The tolling of the bells grew clearer and clearer, accompanied by vast chanting, the melodious sound of swords, the desolate sound of shamanic drums, and the ethereal sound of sorcerer's flutes…

"This is..." Su Qingxue struggled against the suction, her icy blue eyes gazing into the void, a hint of disbelief flashing across them.

"The Zhou Tian Star Array... has been strengthened!" Lin Chen also sensed it.

That was the combined power of Zhang Qingyuan Celestial Master, Huiming Abbess, Ling Xuzi, High Priest Saru, Living Buddha Danzeng, Sect Master Lan Fenghuang, and all the righteous experts outside the tower, working together from the outside, led by the three elders of Xiaoyao Valley, bombarding the Guixu Restriction without regard for losses!

They sensed the dramatic changes within the tower, and the crisis facing Lin Chen, the other two, and the Seven Star Origin. They were forcibly opening a passage!

"Wishful thinking!" Jiang Wuyai shouted, diverting some of his attention to try and stabilize the Return to Nothingness restriction.

However, beset by internal and external troubles, his strength was inevitably scattered.

The suction of the altar loosened slightly, almost imperceptibly.

For ordinary people, this slight relaxation is meaningless.

But for Lin Chen, who had been waiting for his opportunity; for Su Qingxue, who burned her life force to unleash a forbidden technique yet remained as calm as ice; for Ye Qingcheng, who disregarded life and death and sought only to kill her enemy; and for Luo Yunyi, who had just awakened and was filled with hatred—

That's enough!

The four of them did not exchange any words.

At the same moment, they made the same choice—

Abandon all defenses!

Concentrate all remaining strength on one point!

Lin Chen's chaotic flames contracted to their limit, transforming into a thin, gray needle that pierced the weakest point of Jiang Wuyai's protective spiritual light, which was slightly disordered due to his distraction.

Su Qingxue bit her tongue and spat out a mouthful of her life essence blood, which merged with the Xuan Yin Sword Qi. The blood-red ice rainbow instantly solidified tenfold, carrying a chilling cold that could freeze the soul, and pointed directly at Jiang Wuyai's brow!

Ye Qingcheng let out a low roar, and the dark red and ice blue patterns on her right arm burst forth, as if her entire arm was about to explode, unleashing all the violent energy that had fused with the killing intent and the power of frost into Jiang Wuyai's dantian without any fancy moves!

Luo Yunyi's phantom then burst into flames, transforming into a pure, silver meteor.

Carrying the resolute will of Yao Guang Po Jun and the transformation and rebirth, it crashed into the central disc of the altar—the true core of the ritual!

Four attacks, arriving simultaneously without any order!

Jiang Wuyai's expression changed completely.

He felt a deadly threat!

It wasn't a single attack, but rather a "momentum" generated by the four people sacrificing themselves and attacking with perfect coordination—a "calamity" powerful enough to shake his foundation as a Nascent Soul cultivator!

"Get out of here!"

He roared, his hands clasped together, attempting to unleash his strongest defensive technique.

But under pressure from both inside and outside, his movements slowed down by a negligible moment.

The gray needle pierces the spiritual light!

A rainbow of ice pierces between the eyebrows!

The force of the punch shakes the dantian!

Meteor hits the core!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!

The four earth-shattering roars almost came together as one.

The dazzling light consumed everything.

The altar collapsed.

The golden light shattered, the soul lamp exploded, and the sun pattern on the disc cracked inch by inch.

Jiang Wuyai's figure was swallowed up by the raging explosion, letting out a painful and furious roar.

Lin Chen, Su Qingxue, and Ye Qingcheng were violently thrown away by the shockwave like rag dolls, crashing into the broken tower wall. They spat out blood and their auras were extremely weak.

Luo Yunyi's phantom completely dissipated after the impact, leaving only a faint silver light that drifted and swayed towards Su Qingxue's direction.

The ninth floor was a complete mess.

The light and smoke slowly dissipated.

In the center of the altar ruins, Jiang Wuyai's figure reappeared.

He remained standing.

But he looked utterly disheveled.

The white robe was torn, revealing charred skin underneath. A deep, icy blue sword mark was visible between the eyebrows, and a fist-shaped indentation was visible in the dantian.

His body was surrounded by dim and chaotic spiritual light, and golden blood kept spilling from the corner of his mouth.

He was injured, and seriously so.

His peak Nascent Soul cultivation level allowed him to save his life and most of his combat power, but his foundation was shaken.