109: The Cangxuan Realm is facing a tremendous crisis...

In the past, the fires of ten thousand Artifact Refining furnaces burned day and night without ceasing, the sound of hammering echoing like the roars of Dragons and tigers, and the sky-filling mist was dyed crimson by the Earth Vein True Fire; now, all of that has vanished.

Now, the mountain range is deathly silent, and the sky is covered with thick clouds.

The Sect Protecting Grand Array, the 'Ten Thousand Artifacts Pilgrimage Array', is fully activated, its spiritual light flashing intensely, yet it fails to bring even a shred of security to the disciples.

Panic spreads like a plague within the Shenbing Sect.

Inside the discussion hall, the atmosphere is as heavy as frozen Profound Ice.

Sect Leader Iron Maniac, a man as sturdy as an iron tower with Flame Dao Patterns engraved on his bare torso, was usually bold and carefree; now, however, his face was sallow, and his fingers trembled slightly from extreme exertion as he gripped crumbling communication Jade Slips.

"Report—!"

"Dayan Sect... the entire Sect of over twenty thousand people... has fallen! Only a patch of silent, scorched earth remains at the scene!"

"Report—!"

"Feihong Pavilion has been breached! Several Old Ancestors self-detonated, yet they could not stop that 'Demon Ancestor Lord'!"

"Report—!"

"Nanli Fire Palace has lost contact! All communication stones are dim, and blood-Qi surges towards the sky from the direction of the mountain gate!"

"..."

Every piece of news that arrived made the faces of everyone present turn a shade paler.

That suddenly appearing 'Demon Ancestor Lord' acted without any pattern, his methods were extremely ruthless, destroying Sects as if crushing ants, making him impossible to predict or resist!

Even the number one power in the Imperial Continent had been wiped out before this.

It is said that Huyan Bao, blinded by greed, privately undid the Seal, allowing the Demon Ancestors Split Soul, which had been sealed for over two hundred thousand years, to reappear in the world. After the Demon Ancestors Split Soul committed Possession on Qing Ming Old Ancestor and killed the other Three Old Ancestors of the Batian Sect, Huyan Bao immediately rebelled and became a servant to the Demon Ancestor!

It is simply a disgrace to the Human Race.

And this time, the Demon Ancestor's strength is even greater than it was two hundred thousand years ago!

Many Sects were wiped out while completely unprepared.

This time... who knows if anyone can stop the Demon Ancestor!

"It's over... everything is over..."

A young Elder slumped into his chair in a daze, his eyes hollow: "Even an ancient Sect like the Dayan Sect was destroyed in an instant. Although our Shenbing Sect is skilled in Artifact Refining, our combat power is hard to describe... Sigh... how can we possibly resist?"

Despair, like cold tide water, submerged everyone present.

Tie Kuangge suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, yet burning with the last of his unwillingness and resolve: "An Artifact Refiner can die before the furnace, but we cannot die without knowing why, and we certainly cannot be slaughtered like pigs or dogs!"

"We must survive and continue the Legacy of the Shenbing Sect!"

His gaze swept across the statues of Ancestral Masters in the hall and the desperate figures, finally looking far towards the Eastern Region, roaring: "Now in this Cangxuan Realm, perhaps there is only one place that can still withstand this catastrophe..."

"Sect Leader, are you saying..."

"Correct, it is precisely the Wending Sect!" Iron Maniac gritted his teeth: "Wending Sect is already the undisputed number one power in the Cangxuan Realm. Back then, more than a dozen Great Emperors from the Eastern Region couldn't breach their mountain gate, and now they have absorbed forces like Misty Rain Tower, Ancestor of Wonderful Elixir Valley, and Ancient Moon Tower..."

"Sects like Yushuang Palace are also their firm allies!"

"In addition, there are forces like the Northern Darkness Mystic Palace and Nine Heavens Sword Pavilion, which are all their affiliated forces. Their strength is extremely powerful, without a doubt!"

"Perhaps they can resist that Demon Ancestor, who knows!"

"Yes, yes, yes, the Sect Leader is right, they must be able to!"

"Now the only way to survive is to seek refuge with the Wending Sect!"

"Who knows when that Demon Ancestor will attack the Shenbing Sect? There's no time to lose, we must set out immediately!"

The people present were like drowning men who suddenly found a life-saving straw; light immediately ignited in their eyes.

"But... but our Shenbing Sect has no deep connection with the Wending Sect. Will they be willing to protect us?" an Elder questioned.

"Bring our sincerity!"

Iron Maniac slammed his fist onto the stone table in front of him and said solemnly: "Take the three top-grade Magic Treasures in the treasury, the original copy of the 'Zhou Heaven Star Forging Method' left by the Ancestral Master, and all the top-tier Heaven And Earth Treasures that can be carried away, and offer them all to the Wending Sect!

"This is the life-saving money for all our Sect members!"

"It is also our final gamble!"

At this point, no one would object.

Two days later, everyone in the Shenbing Sect packed up everything they could take, even digging out all the Spiritual Veins from underground. Carrying the Sect's ten-thousand-year foundation, they boarded the warship shaped like a giant shuttle and built entirely of 'Void God Crystals'.

Iron Maniac personally drove it. The warship tore through the Void Realm, turning into a streak of light, and fled desperately towards the Wending Sect.

A desperate gamble.

If the Wending Sect did not take them in, they would have nowhere to go.

Along the way, they could even see the phantom of a giant demon claw passing across the distant horizon, Laws collapsing. That was the tragic scene of other Sects being destroyed, which urged them to push their speed to the limit.

Similar things were constantly happening in other forces as well.

For a time, countless forces flocked towards the Wending Sect... "The Sect Master is here."

When Lin Chen walked into the discussion hall yawning, everyone stood up.

Chu Nansheng, Yu Xuanji, Xu Zhishan, the Ancestor of Wonderful Elixir Valley, and other high-level officials were all gathered here, each with a serious expression, as if a major event had occurred that required Lin Chen, the Sect Master, to decide personally.

"What's the matter?"

Lin Chen asked somewhat blankly.

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing how to start for a moment.

Finally, Yu Xuanji stepped forward: "Sect Master, the scouts of Xuanji Hall have sent back news. A major event has occurred in the Cangxuan Realm; the Batian Sect has been wiped out..."

"Wiped out?"

"Yes."

"No one survived?"

"No... wait, there is one... the Sect Master of the Batian Sect, Huyan Bao."

"Only him left?"

"Yes."

"Who did it?"

"A member of the Yao Race called Nine Infant Demon Venerable."

"...Nine Infant Demon Venerable?"

Lin Chen had never heard of this name and didn't know where this guy had come from. Previously, he had been thinking that with the Time Tower, in a few more years when the Wending Sect's strength was greater, he would personally lead people to wipe out the Batian Sect.

He never imagined in his wildest dreams that someone would beat him to it.

It seemed this Nine Infant Demon Venerable really had some strength.

"Sect Master, this Nine Infant Demon Venerable..."

Seeing Lin Chen's confusion, Yu Xuanji didn't wait for him to ask and immediately began to explain to Lin Chen.

From Qing Ming Old Ancestor breaking through to the Peak Great Emperor, to using the soul blood stone to set up an altar to release the Seal on Nine Infant Demon Venerable, to Qing Ming Old Ancestor's failure to fuse with the Demon Ancestors Split Soul and being possessed by Nine Infant Demon Venerable... Since Yu Xuanji no longer suffered from the backlash of the Heavenly Dao, from the moment he received the news from the scouts, he began to repeatedly deduce. The results he obtained were almost 100% close to the truth.

Moreover, he also learned of Nine Infant Demon Venerable's plan.

"This Nine Infant Demon Venerable wants to devour the heavenly dao origin?"

Lin Chen was extremely surprised. He had never thought that the heavenly dao origin could actually be devoured. He asked in surprise, "Can it be done?"

"Theoretically, everyone in the Cangxuan Realm is restricted by the Heavenly Dao and cannot do it, but..." Yu Xuanji took a deep breath: "But Nine Infant Demon Venerable is not a member of the Yao Race from the Cangxuan Realm, but comes from the outside world..."

"He has now slaughtered many forces and refined more than a hundred soul blood stones."

"His current strength has long surpassed the Peak Great Emperor and reached an incredible level."

"I... I don't know if he can actually do it."

"..."

Yu Xuanji continued to explain, and Lin Chen finally understood.

To put it simply, the Cangxuan Realm is just a Small World within the Turbulent Star Domain, always in a closed state, while this Nine Infant Demon Venerable comes from the unknown outside world, and his strength is inconceivable.

If he came to attack the Wending Sect, Lin Chen didn't know if they could hold out.

And even if he didn't come, once he devoured the heavenly dao origin, the Cangxuan Realm would be refined, and by then, the Wending Sect would still be unable to escape misfortune.

Either way, things looked grim.

"This..."

Lin Chen also felt an unprecedented pressure.

Just as everyone was frowning in worry, Fang Hong suddenly came in to report: "Sect Master, warships from many forces have arrived outside, saying they want to seek refuge with the Wending Sect and become our affiliated forces. I didn't dare to agree, so I've come to ask the Sect Master to decide..."