Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

Within the crimson barrier, panic spread like a plague.

As the cultivators watched their companions wither and fall one by one, turning into lifeless dried corpses, their morale instantly collapsed.

"Stay calm! Everyone stay calm!"

Suppressing his fear and anger, Song Zongxiang shouted loudly,

"Circulate spiritual energy to resist the array's suction force! Form a defensive array!"

Although the imperial guards were terrified, they forced themselves to remain calm under Song Zongxiang's orders.

They channeled their spiritual energy to resist, simultaneously forming a battle formation in an attempt to block the devouring force.

However, the suction force of the formation grew stronger and stronger, and soldiers kept collapsing with screams, their bodies rapidly shriveling up and turning into terrifying dried corpses.

"Uncle... what do we do now?"

Qian Xiao turned pale with fright and rushed to Song Zongxiang's side, asking in a trembling voice.

At this moment, he had lost all his previous high spirits; only fear remained in his eyes.

Song Zongxiang watched as his soldiers fell one after another, his heart bleeding, but he forced himself to remain calm:

"Xiao'er, stay close to me and don't run around!"

He turned to the five Nirvana Realm elders and said in a deep voice, "All of you, attack together."

The five elders exchanged glances and, together with Song Zongxiang, launched their attack. Their immense spiritual power coalesced into a massive, pale golden light shield.

This temporarily protected the soldiers in the center, slowing down the absorption of blood energy.

An old man smiled wryly and said, "General Song, this formation has such power as soon as it is activated. It has obviously been set up for a long time and has a deep foundation."

"Although the six of us can barely hold out, we don't think we can last long."

Song Zongxiang's heart sank to the bottom.

The three Mirror Heart Demons, who were hiding somewhere in the city, were also quite startled by the sudden Bloodlust Array.

"What a terrifying formation!"

Yelü Tabuyan's face was pale as she circulated her spiritual power to resist the suction force.

"Is this their conspiracy?"

A solemn light flashed in Mirror Heart Demon's eyes as he said in a deep voice:

"It seems so."

"Their intention in setting up this formation is to wipe out both the imperial army and King Wu's rebel forces, and to absorb the life essence of everyone involved!"

He could feel his soul power being slowly devoured by the formation.

"What do we do now? This formation is so terrifying, we can't get out, and we'll be swallowed up!" Yelüta Buhua asked anxiously.

Mirror Heart Demon took a deep breath: "Don't panic. Our cultivation is not weak, we can still hold out for now."

"Let's find a place to hide first. News of the situation here has already spread, and I believe the commander-in-chief is already on his way."

The three of them dared not delay and immediately channeled their spiritual power, rushing towards a relatively hidden ruin in the city.

Tianfeng City, shrouded in a blood-red barrier, has now become a living hell.

Not only the imperial guards, but also the rebel army under King Wu's command were not spared.

Those soldiers who had followed him through thick and thin were now withering and collapsing under the devouring power of the formation, turning into lifeless, dried corpses.

High above, King Wu looked down at his own army as it dissipated, his face pale, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.

These soldiers were a force he had painstakingly built up over several years.

Now, however, he has become a sacrifice to the Bloodlust Array, and an indescribable grief and struggle welled up in his heart.

Leng Ming took in all of this, but the smile on his lips grew even colder.

He glanced at the crimson runes flowing on the array's light screen, felt the tremor emanating from the stone coffin at the array's core, and his gaze suddenly locked onto the pale golden light shield in the city.

The defense set up by Song Zongxiang and the five Nirvana Realm elders together blocked the devouring power of the formation and slowed down the operation of the Blood Devouring Formation.

"A bunch of clowns trying to stop a chariot with their bare hands."

Leng Ming snorted coldly, his voice full of disdain, and said to the people beside him, "Luo Mie, it's your turn to make a move."

"Go, get rid of all those troublesome fellows!"

"Yes, sir."

Luo Mie stepped forward to receive the order.

As soon as he finished speaking, he led the dozens of men in black behind him and set off simultaneously.

These people were like ghosts; in a flash, they leaped out of the high pavilion, their feet treading the void, heading straight for the pale golden light shield in the city.

The chilling killing intent tore through the pervasive stench of blood, making the chill in the air even more intense.

Inside the light barrier, Song Zongxiang suddenly looked up, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.

The next moment, dozens of dark figures descended.

They were dressed in matching dark, close-fitting outfits, with a dark abyss flower embroidered on their collars.

—That is the symbol of Mo Yuan, the most feared assassin organization in the martial arts world!

Song Zongxiang's pupils constricted sharply, and he shouted in a hoarse voice,

"You're actually Mo Yuan's men! You're the ones supporting King Wu's rebellion behind the scenes?"

"This damned Bloodlust Array, you set it up too?"

He suddenly remembered something, his face turned even more pale, and his voice trembled slightly:

"Are you remnants of the Bloodstained Temple from five thousand years ago?!"

"Hahaha--"

Luo Mie, who was in the lead, burst into loud laughter, his laughter arrogant and unruly.

His aura was deep and his spiritual energy surged, revealing that he was at the late stage of the Celestial Realm!

"Congratulations, you guessed right."

"Unfortunately, knowing too much isn't a good thing for you."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his figure appeared outside the light barrier as if by teleportation.

The overwhelming pressure of a late-stage Celestial Being erupted: "Prepare to die!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already punched the light barrier. The force of his punch, carrying a dense aura of bloodlust, actually cracked the light barrier.

"not good!"

The five Nirvana Realm elders' expressions changed drastically, and they hurriedly activated their spiritual power to reinforce the light barrier.

"Divide your forces to meet the enemy!"

Song Zongxiang shouted sharply, his spear flashing like a dragon, aimed straight at Luo Mie.

"I'd like to see what you rats in the gutter can do!"

"You?"

Luo Mie sneered, neither dodging nor avoiding, and stretched out his hand into a claw to take Song Zongxiang's shot head-on.

"clang!"

The gun and claws clashed, producing a metallic clang, and the force of the impact caused the surrounding houses to collapse instantly.

Song Zongxiang felt a tremendous force coming from him, his arm went numb, and he was even forced to take half a step back.

"Late stage of Celestial Being!"

His heart sank; this person's cultivation was actually a notch above his own.

At the same time, the remaining Nirvana Realm assassins had already pounced on the five elders of the Imperial Clan Court.

"Keep them occupied!"

"Don't give them a chance to reinforce the light shield!"

Black robes fluttered, and demonic energy filled the air; the two sides instantly clashed.

The clash of Nirvana Realm powers made the already dilapidated streets even more chaotic, with cracked ground and flying gravel.

The remaining Mo Yuan assassins pounced on the Imperial Guards outside the light barrier like hungry wolves.

They specifically targeted centurions and chiliarchs with high levels of skill, their attacks ruthless and deadly.

"Pfft!"

Just as a commander of the Imperial Guards raised his long sword, he was pierced through the chest by an assassin from the Ink Abyss.

Blood spurted out, and before it even hit the ground, it was swept away by the suction force of the Bloodlust Array.

It transformed into a wisp of blood-red mist and merged into the massive barrier.

"ah--"

A series of piercing screams rang out. The Imperial Guards, already exhausted both physically and mentally from the torment of the formation,

Faced with these ghostly assassins, they were utterly powerless to fight back!