Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

At the same time, the shadow behind shouted to the Shadow Guards behind him:

"Stop those assassins! I'm going to find the Second Prince and the Protector General!"

"Yes!" Several Shadow Guards drew their swords and charged towards the four Mo Yuan assassins.

The underground altar was churning with blood and qi.

Beneath the altar, the tremors of the underground stone coffin grew increasingly violent.

The crimson blood seeping from the cracks in the coffin was thick and viscous, carrying an ancient and malevolent aura that soared straight into the sky.

The eight black-robed figures maintaining the formation felt the ever-increasing, intense pressure emanating from within the stone coffin, and their faces were filled with wild joy.

Their hands moved so fast that afterimages blurred as they formed hand seals, and they shouted in unison:

"Ancestor! Wake up!"

"The Bloodstained Palace is on the verge of revival; it's time for the world to once again taste your might!"

As they shouted, the stone coffin shook violently, emitting muffled thuds, as if a sleeping giant beast was about to break out of the coffin.

The eight men in black robes sensed this aura, but instead of being afraid, they became even more excited, and their chanting of incantations became more and more rapid.

"Blood energy...more blood energy..."

A faint, hoarse voice came from the stone coffin, seemingly from the ancient wilderness, carrying an endless thirst for the essence and blood of living beings.

The eight men exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes they saw ecstasy:

"The Ancestor has awakened! Quick! Activate the formation to its maximum to provide the Ancestor with sufficient blood and energy!"

As they manipulated it, the crimson barrier enveloping Tianfeng City suddenly contracted, then unleashed an even stronger suction force.

The blood and energy of the cultivators in the city who were not yet dead were forcibly extracted.

It transformed into streaks of blood, converging into the barrier and ultimately flowing towards the underground altar, where it was poured into the stone coffin.

The tremors in the stone coffin grew more violent, the cracks widened, and the terrifying aura intensified...

the other side,

Following the faint fluctuation of soul power, Yan Shisan found Jing Xinmo and his two companions in a dilapidated courtyard in the city.

Mirror Heart Demon was sitting cross-legged, his face as pale as paper, with bloodstains at the corner of his mouth.

He erected a pale blue spiritual energy shield in front of him, protecting Yelü Tabuyan and Yelü Tabuhua within it.

—The two had their eyes closed and were breathing weakly; they were unconscious.

"Who?"

Mirror Heart Demon sensed someone approaching, suddenly opened its eyes, a hint of vigilance flashing in them, and subconsciously tried to activate its remaining soul power.

His spiritual energy was severely depleted at the moment, and he was at his last gasp. Any slight disturbance was enough to make him tense.

Yan Shisan slowly stepped out of the shadows, his green robe fluttering, his long sword sheathed, his tone calm:

"Don't be nervous, we're on the same side."

He looked at the Mirror Demon and took out a token engraved with the words "Eternal Night":

"Yan Shisan, one of the Six Great Sword Masters of Eternal Night, has come to lead you away on the orders of the Sovereign."

Upon seeing the image on the token and hearing the words "Eternal Night Heaven" and "Monarch," the Mirror Demon's tense nerves suddenly relaxed.

A flicker of relief at surviving the ordeal flashed in his eyes as he struggled to his feet and bowed.

"Your subordinate, Jing Xinmo, greets Lord Jian Jue!"

"No need for such formalities."

Yan Shisan stepped forward, took out a jade bottle from his robes, and handed it over.

"This is a Rejuvenation Pill prepared by Master Su; it can quickly restore spiritual power."

"You take this first, then give each of them one pill."

Mirror Heart Demon hurriedly took the jade bottle, poured out a pill, and swallowed it.

The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, and a gentle spiritual energy flowed throughout the body in an instant.

It warmed his almost depleted dantian, and finally brought some color back to his pale face.

He dared not delay and quickly took out two more pills, carefully feeding them to Yelütabuyan and Yelütabuhua.

A moment later, the two women's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and they slowly opened their eyes, still looking somewhat confused.

"Are we... still alive?" Yelütabuhua asked softly, her voice weak.

"It was Lord Jian Jue who saved us!" Jing Xinmo whispered, gesturing for them to look at Yan Shisan.

Yelü Tabuyan and Yelü Tabuhua then noticed Yan Shisan standing to the side, and hurriedly struggled to their feet to express their gratitude:

"Thank you very much, Lord Jianjue!"

"It's alright," Yan Shisan waved his hand, looking out of the courtyard.

"We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's quickly circulate our energy to digest the medicinal effects and restore our spiritual power. Then we'll go find Ji Jue and reunite."

The three nodded, sat down cross-legged, and made the most of the time to digest the medicinal effects of the pill.

On the other side, in the central area of ​​Tianfeng City, the once bustling streets have now become a battlefield.

The ground was littered with shriveled corpses, and the air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood.

Song Zongxiang, leaning on his broken spear, was covered in blood, his armor tattered and mangled.

Only two Nirvana Realm elders from the Imperial Clan Court remained by his side, both of them heavily wounded and on the verge of death.

Before them, a pale golden spiritual energy shield trembled precariously.

Inside the protective shield, Qian Xiao huddled in a corner, his face pale and his eyes filled with fear.

The armor he wore, enhanced by royal secret techniques, was already broken. If Song Zongxiang hadn't risked his life to protect it, it would probably have turned into a dried-up corpse long ago.

Luo Mie, leading more than ten Mo Yuan assassins, was constantly attacking the protective shield. Each attack caused the shield to shake violently and emit a piercing buzzing sound.

"Song Zongxiang, give up," Luo Mie sneered.

"You have no hope left. Surrender obediently, and you might at least be able to leave with a whole corpse."

Song Zongxiang coughed up blood, but still stood tall with his spear planted firmly on the ground.

"I am the Great Qian Protector General. As long as I have a breath left, I will not tolerate your insolence!"

"Even if I die, I'll take you all down with me!"

"Stubborn fool!" Luo Mie's eyes flashed with killing intent, and he swung his bone blade, about to strike.

Just then, a dark figure flashed past like lightning and blocked the barrier; it was Shadow who had rushed over.

The shadow's voice was urgent: "Your Highness, I'm late in protecting you, and I've caused you distress!"

He looked up at Song Zongxiang and the two cultivators, "General, how are things, you two elders?"

Song Zongxiang shook his head, panting, "It's alright... help His Highness leave first."

Qian Xiao raised his head, and when he saw that the person who came was Shadow, a glimmer of hope instantly shone in his previously despairing eyes, and his voice trembled with tears:

"Shadow, if you had arrived any later, you truly would never have seen me again!"

"Quickly, get me out of this awful place!"

The shadow looked up and then said to Qianxiao:

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will protect you perfectly!"

He stood up, his gaze turning to Luo Mie, and the aura of a mid-stage Celestial Being erupted from his body:

"That scum of Mo Yuan dares to harm my Great Qian prince and general?"

Luo Mie looked at the suddenly appearing shadow and sneered, "Shadow Guard? Well, let's send you on your way first!"

Before he could finish speaking, Luo Mie transformed into a blur and pounced on the shadow.

Seeing this, Song Zongxiang immediately said to Qianxiao:

"Xiao'er, hide well!"

He mustered a burst of spiritual energy, flicked his spear, and rejoined the battle.

Meanwhile, the two heavily wounded Nirvana Realm cultivators from the Zongren Mansion also attacked the remaining Mo Yuan assassins.

On the battlefield, the fighting resumes.

The stone coffin underground trembled even more violently, and the aura emanating from the crack was enough to make even a Celestial Realm expert tremble in fear.