Outside the secret realm.
The Qinglian Sect Master, Elder Zuizhi, and Elder Qu were extremely anxious.
Ancestor Wu Gan had entered the void rift for half an hour with no news.
The Qinglian Sect Master, recalling the premonition he had, felt even more restless, wishing he could enter the secret realm himself to investigate.
Elder Zuizhi and Elder Qu, however, had great confidence in Ancestor Wu Gan, so they were not overly worried about his safety. Their concern was for the disciples and their beloved daughter trapped within the secret realm.
Although their concerns differed, their feelings were the same.
Just as the Qinglian Sect Master gritted his teeth, deciding to tear open the void to search for Ancestor Wu Gan, the world suddenly changed. Thick dark clouds instantly enveloped the sky, making it impossible to see anything.
What was most shocking was the immense pressure that surged through the heavens and earth, like the wrath of an immortal.
The Qinglian Sect Master and the other two immediately tensed up, their faces filled with horror.
Before they could ascertain the cause, a purple lightning bolt, like a swimming dragon, tore through the sky and plunged into the void, disappearing without a trace.
The Qinglian Sect Master exclaimed in shock, "It's Immortal Lightning!"
As the words fell, his expression changed dramatically. Without further hesitation, he reached out and grabbed the void, forcibly tearing open a rift.
"Sect Master, what are you doing..." Elder Qu instinctively tried to stop him.
Ancestor Wu Gan had instructed the three of them to wait here. Elder Qu, being the most rigid and upright, hesitated whether to defy the ancestor's wishes.
"That Immortal Lightning came from the Immortal Lightning Bottle, which I gave to Haotian as a life-saving artifact."
The rest was unspoken.
Long Haotian's use of the Immortal Lightning Bottle at this moment undoubtedly meant he was in a life-threatening crisis.
If even the Immortal Lightning Bottle couldn't save Long Haotian, the fate of the other disciples of the Xuanqing Sect could be foreseen.
"Sect Master, I'll go with you!"
The Qinglian Sect Master glanced back at Elder Zuizhi and nodded slightly.
Seeing that both were about to enter the void rift, Elder Qu gritted his teeth and shouted, "I'm going too!"
Compared to his daughter's life, what was the ancestor's punishment?
The Qinglian Sect Master was not surprised by Elder Qu's decision. Just as he was about to step into the void rift first, another change occurred.
The dark clouds, which had begun to dissipate after the Immortal Lightning descended, were gathering again at an even faster pace.
Concurrently, a vast aura of demonic energy, pervading heaven and earth, descended with a roar.
Before the Qinglian Sect Master and the other two could react, they were struck by the immense pressure that suddenly descended upon them.
Bang! Bang!
Elder Qu was the first to buckle, collapsing to his knees with a contorted face.
Elder Zuizhi used her twin butterfly blades to deflect some of the pressure, but she still couldn't control her body, falling to one knee.
Only the Qinglian Sect Master could still stand, though his limbs trembled uncontrollably, and a powerful roar erupted from his chest.
He was unable to speak, his eyes rolling with shock, anger, and other emotions.
He had already deduced the current situation from the unusual occurrences.
A demon king had descended.
No, it wasn't a demon king descending, but a demon king unleashing his divine powers to interfere with the Kyushu Continent.
What a despicable and shameless tactic.
The Qinglian Sect Master was both shocked and enraged.
He couldn't understand why a demon king, after ascending, could still interfere with the lower realm at will.
The ancestors of the Xuanqing Sect, after ascending, had never communicated with their descendants, let alone intervened in the affairs of the Kyushu Continent. Yet, the demonic race could act so wantonly. How unjust.
What worried the Qinglian Sect Master even more was that this demon king's attack was likely aimed at his master, Ancestor Wu Gan.
Although Ancestor Wu Gan was already a prominent figure among the cultivators of the Kyushu Continent, he was no match for a demon king who had ascended to the upper realm.
The Qinglian Sect Master finally understood the source of his unease.
What was hateful was that he could hardly resist this pressure, let alone help.
Could it be that the Xuanqing Sect was truly destined to face this calamity?
Within the rift, Ancestor Wu Gan's pupils constricted as he felt the astounding demonic energy from outside, a bitter smile appearing on his face.
His current cultivation had not yet reached the threshold of ascension.
He also did not believe he had the strength to contend with a demon king from the upper realm.
He was simply unwilling.
"Demon King! You are in the upper realm yet dare to interfere with the lower realm. You are truly the epitome of shamelessness!"
Ancestor Wu Gan cursed loudly, his hands dancing rapidly in front of him, erecting an invisible defensive shield.
Rumble.
A piercing roar that shook the heavens and earth suddenly sounded, as if in response to Ancestor Wu Gan's curse.
The sound was like a sharp arrow, piercing through heaven and earth.
The Qinglian Sect Master and the others felt their ears ring and their vision turn pale.
"Demon King!"
Elder Zuizhi roared silently in her heart, her face flushing, her eyeballs filling with deep red bloodshot veins.
At that moment, a plume of black smoke suddenly shot out from the clouds and rapidly headed towards the rift.
A cold demonic aura instantly swept towards the Qinglian Sect Master and the other two.
"Ugh!"
The three let out stifled groans almost simultaneously. Elder Qu almost bit through his teeth to suppress the urge to vomit blood.
With his eyes splitting open in fury, the Qinglian Sect Master watched the black smoke enter the rift. A heavy dull thud suddenly erupted within his body.
"Master..."
He laboriously lifted his foot, moving it step by step towards the rift, with only the thought of saving him in his mind.
Meanwhile, in the void, the black smoke had found Ancestor Wu Gan's location, transforming into a shadowy figure nearly two meters tall, rapidly hurtling towards him.
The destructive force first struck the shield, then surged into Ancestor Wu Gan's body.
An unnatural blush appeared on Ancestor Wu Gan's face, yet his body remained firmly in place.
Having blocked the first attack, he felt no joy, only a growing solemnity, for he knew this was merely the first appetizer and that more violent attacks would follow.
As he expected, the figure formed by the black smoke, unwearied, repeatedly struck the shield without any intention of stopping.
Ancestor Wu Gan's body was pushed back by the impacts until his body hit the skull behind him, leaving him with nowhere to retreat.
The moment his body touched the skull, the black smoke struck the shield once more.
And this time, its power was greater than all previous attacks combined.
Ancestor Wu Gan vomited a mouthful of blood with a loud cry, his body and the skull retreating backward simultaneously.
Ancestor Wu Gan's face was ashen, and his expression was withered.
He stared at the black smoke in front of him, his heart hardening. Since the demon king in the upper realm was so intent on stopping his actions, the skull must have some crucial, hidden purpose.
If that were the case, even if it cost him his life, he could not let the demonic race succeed.
Ignoring the tearing pain in his limbs, he began to reverse the spiritual energy within his body.
A tearing pain erupted from within him, and fine beads of blood continuously seeped out, gradually staining the skull behind him through his robes.
Ancestor Wu Gan's expression showed a hint of madness, and a destructive aura began to climb from within his body.
Just as he was preparing to sacrifice his old life and self-destruct, an enraged beastly roar suddenly came from behind him.
Ancestor Wu Gan's actions instantly froze.