162: A supreme ruler has emerged in the restricted area, poised to launch a massive purge?

The pillars of light dispersed.

The seven pillars of light that pierced through heaven and earth slowly dissipated into the Void Realm, as if they had completed their mission.

The world returned to gloom once more.

But the sense of oppression was now ten thousand times stronger than before.

High above the northernmost sky.

Several towering figures stepped through the Void Realm, slowly revealing their true forms.

The leader was a man of sturdy build, his entire body covered in black stone armor, holding a heavenly desolation halberd forged from Dragon-Patterned Black Gold.

His eyes were cold as knives, devoid of any human emotion.

Stone Emperor.

A Supreme sovereign who had attained the Dao as a Holy Spirit.

By his side.

A man wearing Feathered Cyan Gold battle armor was surrounded by six black whirlpools, as if they were connected to the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Lord of Reincarnation.

There was also an old Taoist with white hair and beard who looked like an immortal, but was actually filled with Death Qi.

Longevity Celestial... every name had once left a heavy mark in ancient history.

Every figure had once suppressed the ages, commanding the worship of all living beings.

They were once the guardians of this world.

They were once the Great Emperors respected by all races.

But now.

They were just... a group of old ghosts who didn't want to die and would use any means to stay alive.

"The Path to Immortal Ascension is severed."

"The Immortal Realm has no gate."

Stone Emperor spoke slowly, his voice like a cold wind blowing from the Nine Serenity Hell.

"We slashed ourselves once to survive until now."

"All for the sake of waiting for the right time."

"A pity."

He shook his head, a flash of disappointment in his eyes.

"This era, it seems, is not it either."

"But... this old man is hungry."

Hungry.

Two simple words.

Yet they caused the billions of living beings in the Central Region to turn cold from head to toe.

Longevity Celestial sighed, stroking the Longevity Sword in his hand.

"Lifespan is nearing its end, and the Immortal Platform is covered in dust."

"If we don't supplement our energy now, I'm afraid we won't last until the day the Path to Immortal Ascension opens."

"In that case..."

The Lord of Reincarnation's pitch-black eyes swept across the prosperous land below.

The corners of his mouth curled into a cruel arc.

"Then... let the feast begin."

"The crops raised for ten thousand years are ripe."

"It is time... to harvest."

These words were spoken without the slightest concealment.

It was like a farmer discussing how the leeks in his field were growing.

In their eyes.

The people of the world, these billions of living beings.

Were not of the same kind at all.

They weren't even worth being called ants.

At best, they were just... Great Medicines used to prolong life.

"Run!!"

"Dark Turmoil! It really is the Dark Turmoil!"

On the ground, countless Cultivators broke down.

Looking at those Supremes standing in the clouds like demon gods, their mental defenses collapsed instantly.

Run?

Where to?

The entire Central Region was under the shroud of the Supremes' Divine Thought.

"Activate the Emperor Formations! Seal the mountain gates!"

The various Holy Lands and ancient families of the Central Region reacted the fastest.

They did not step forward to protect the common people.

Instead, they immediately activated their ancestral Mountain-Protecting Formations, tightly sealing off their own small territories.

"Quick! Cut off all contact with the outside world!"

"Don't let the Supremes sense our blood Qi!"

"As for those Mortals..."

One Holy Lord gritted his teeth, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.

"We can't worry about that much anymore!"

"As long as we survive, the Legacy remains!"

Even worse.

Some second-rate Sects that usually relied on the Holy Lands committed even more insane acts to beg for their lives.

"Supreme One above!"

A Sect Master knelt before his mountain gate, pointing at the crowded Mortal city below, and shouted loudly.

"This humble one is willing to offer all the citizens of this city for the Supreme's enjoyment!"

"I only beg the Supreme to show mercy and spare my entire Sect!"

A display of utter disgrace.

The greatest evil in human nature was fully exposed at this moment.

Above the Kaoshan Sect.

Li Daoxuan watched all this coldly.

His gaze grew colder and colder.

His fists clenched tighter and tighter.

"These are the so-called... Great Emperors?"

"To save their own lives, they would drag the whole world into the grave with them?"

"Such things are worthy of being called Supremes?"

Beside him.

Shi Tian, Ye Fan, and the others were already shaking with rage, their eyes bloodshot.

"Beasts!"

"They are worse than beasts!"

"Revered Master! Let me go and cut them down!" The immortal slaying sword in Xiao Chen's hand let out an angry hum.

"Don't be in a hurry."

Li Daoxuan pressed down on his shoulder.

"Look."

He pointed to the north.

There.

Stone Emperor moved.

He ignored the pleas of those ants and didn't care about the seals of the Holy Lands.

He just slowly lowered that noble head.

He looked down at the Great Yan Ancient Kingdom, which had just experienced a baptism of bloody rain and was in a state of extreme panic.

There was a population of over ten million there.

In his eyes.

That was a mass of... extremely vigorous and tempting... life essence.

"Whoosh—"

Stone Emperor opened his mouth.

Towards that ancient kingdom.

Gently.

He took a breath.

There were no world-shaking Divine Abilities.

Nor were there any complex Spells.

It was just a simple breath.

"Buzz—"

A gust of wild wind suddenly blew through the world.

That wind was red.

Inside the imperial capital of the Great Yan Ancient Kingdom.

Countless people who were fleeing, crying, and in despair.

Suddenly felt their bodies go light.

Immediately after.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Millions of tiny blood lines erupted uncontrollably from their seven orifices and their pores!

That was their essence blood!

It was their Souls!

It was their life Origin!

"Ahhh—!!!"

There wasn't even time for the screams to gather into a single sound.

Millions of blood lines converged in mid-air.

Turning into an incredibly wide, surging and roaring... river of blood!

That river of blood crossed the Void Realm like a red ribbon and flew straight into the Stone Emperor's mouth.

"Gulp."

Stone Emperor swallowed that river of blood.

A look of intoxication appeared on his face.

His originally somewhat shriveled skin became slightly more ruddy.

And on the ground.

That once prosperous Great Yan Ancient Kingdom with a population of over ten million.

At this moment.

Had turned into a... silent... graveyard.

In the streets, in the houses, in the fields.

It was densely packed, covered with withered corpses.

Some still maintained a running posture, some were still tightly holding their children.

But their bodies had shriveled until only a layer of skin and bones remained.

As the wind blew.

They turned into ashes that filled the sky.

One breath.

Destroyed a nation.

Millions of living beings were reduced to ashes.

This was... the Dark Turmoil.