The Grand National Master also fought against four opponents, sending the four ghost marshals flying before returning to the altar himself.
The moment he landed, he struck the altar with his palm.
"The sacrifice begins!"
As this piercing cry rang out, the pillars of light that shot into the sky began to emit a red glow.
Soon, the entire valley was enveloped, forming a cage.
Some fellow cultivators nearby, seeing this, attempted to break through the red light.
However, the instant they touched it, they were repelled.
Simultaneously, a terrifying aura spread within the cage, striking fear into all. Even malevolent spirits and demonic souls felt an unbearable discomfort, as if their very bodies were evaporating…
"What's happening!"
"We're trapped."
"I can feel my spiritual energy draining away at an alarming rate."
"Why is this happening?"
"He's sacrificing us."
"We must destroy that altar."
"..."
Many realized what was occurring and began to charge forward.
The malevolent spirits and demonic souls blocking their path let out howls of anguish as their bodies gradually decomposed, floating upwards like dissipating gas.
The Demon Emperor Mang, located at the center of the altar, slowly ascended.
He finally hovered above the altar, looking down upon everyone.
"I have waited for this day for many years. You are all cultivators blessed with destiny, the most perfect sacrifices. I shall offer you up, and you will help me become a Ghost Immortal. Then, I shall reign supreme, and I will be the new master of this heaven and earth. Hahahahaha..."
At this moment, everyone understood his plan. He intended to sacrifice them all to become a Ghost Immortal, and even his subordinates were merely his pawns!
"Your Majesty, why do you abandon us?"
"Your Majesty, I have been loyal to you with all my heart, why must I be sacrificed too?"
"Your Majesty, if you sacrifice us, my Heavenly Radiance Alliance will not stand idly by."
"..."
Several demon cultivators began to stir, calling out to the Demon Emperor on the altar.
However, he remained deafeningly silent, treating their pleas as if they were inconsequential.
The cage of light in the valley grew brighter, and the speed of the sacrifice quickened. For living beings, it was one thing, but for spectral forms like Qing Dai, Master, and demonic souls, their strength drained rapidly. Those created from artificial demonic evils suffered even faster soul-power depletion. The remaining thousands of malevolent spirits wilted in an instant, collapsing to the ground, near death, their bodies continuously breaking down into energy that flowed into the altar.
At this point, the hordes of demonic entities retreated and gathered together. Seeing this, True Person Cang Song’s expression grew grave. Nevertheless, he issued an order:
"First, we eliminate all these demonic entities, then we devise a method to break the formation."
"Yes!"
"Annihilate them all!"
"..."
Taking advantage of the weakened state of these malevolent spirits and demonic entities, the Dao Alliance members launched their attacks in separate waves. At this moment, these demonic entities were almost completely defenseless. Even the demon cultivators were the same. Their leaders, their kings, their emperors, had abandoned them. Devoid of fighting spirit, they were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.
The last stubborn ghost general soon fell to the hands of numerous fellow cultivators. In a mere half-hour, the battlefield was cleared. Those who remained were all from our side. Everyone began to furiously attack the surrounding crimson light barrier, attempting to break the formation.
Alas, all their efforts proved futile.
I supported Qing Dai, who was surrounded by over eighty Imperial Guards, five demonic souls, and more than two hundred shadowy subordinates. However, all were weakened and terrified, their soul power draining at an alarming rate. Some of the shadowy subordinates were on the verge of complete disintegration. Qing Dai could barely stand.
"Qing Dai!"
"I… I am alright, but… I never expected our thousand-year destiny to crumble at the very last step."
Qing Dai’s resentful gaze fixed fiercely on the Demon Emperor.
"No, it won't happen! There must be another way!"
With that, I charged towards the light barrier, striking it relentlessly. My Dao energy vibrated, emitting muffled thuds, but it was useless. I was thrown back myself. The hovering Demon Emperor, observing our futile attacks, spoke again.
"This is the Demonic Light Great Formation. I have spent a millennium setting it up. Once activated, not even Earth Immortal realm experts can break it. Not to mention this era of declining magic, where even Void Realm experts are non-existent, let alone Earth Immortals? Hahahaha..."
He laughed arrogantly, but every word struck the hearts of the gathered people. They realized it was truly useless. No matter how they attacked, the light barrier would absorb the force. Coupled with their constantly draining spiritual energy, everyone grew weaker. Some fellow cultivators simply sat down, surrendering. Despite their unwillingness, there was nothing they could do. They were truly in a desperate situation.
But I refused to give up. Having fought so hard to reach this final stage, how could I abandon it now? I tried repeatedly. Seeing this, Old Mo came to help me. Qiu Xi and Xiao Yao, despite their injuries, also joined in. A number of fellow cultivators, perhaps inspired by our actions, also rushed forward to attack the light barrier with us. Sword energy, magical artifacts, talismans, Five Elements secret techniques, even Xiao Yao’s blood, were all thrown at it, but to no avail. It was utterly without effect.
Seeing Master and Qing Dai, whose bodies were flickering and fading, as well as the demonic souls, I clenched my fists. Then, my gaze fell upon the Ghost King Blade in Master’s hand, and I quickly said, "Master, may I borrow your Ghost King Blade?"
Master and the other spirits were already very weak. Without a word, he tossed the long saber to me. As I took the Ghost King Blade, a chilling aura surged through me. However, I did not immediately swing it, as Master had tried many times before with no success. I closed my eyes slightly, gathering my energy at my dantian. I converted all my spiritual energy into Yin and Yang energies, then mixed them together to form the Yin-Yang Primordial Qi.
I knew that all things in heaven and earth have their counterparts. But no matter what the Five Elements were, in the face of Yin and Yang, they were mere subordinates. If I could meld the Yin and Yang energies together and unleash them in a single burst, combined with the power of the Ghost King Blade, there might be hope. This idea formed in my mind, but I didn't know if it would work, so I had to try.
After about two minutes, I felt the Yin and Yang energies circulating. I opened my eyes abruptly and infused them into the Ghost King Blade. Instantly, the Ghost King Blade emitted an extremely powerful Yin-Yang aura, even amplifying and expanding it. The aura covered the entire scene, enveloping everyone.
The draining spiritual and soul energy from everyone’s bodies slowed down at this moment.
"The spiritual energy loss has slowed."
"That's Yin-Yang Qi."
"Can Yin-Yang Qi counter this formation?"
"Look over there, Qin Ze!"
"That's right, in the world today, he is the only one who has cultivated Yin-Yang Primordial Qi."
"He's going to make his move!"
"Will he succeed?"
"..."
At that instant, many stared with wide eyes, praying for me. Even demon kings like Hu San Tai Nai and Wu Di Lao Mu, along with sect leaders, elders, and seniors, looked at me with anticipation. They had exhausted all other methods. Only Yin-Yang Qi had not been tried, simply because no one else knew how...