Gu Yuan didn't think much of it. He returned to his seat and immediately began to meditate to regulate his own body.
Because he and Monk Miao Zhen had settled their match with a final decisive blow, he hadn't sustained any serious injuries.
He merely needed to circulate his qi and blood, and he would recover shortly. After all, they were martial artists at the peak of the Body Forging realm, and their bodies possessed extremely potent self-healing abilities.
***
At this moment, deep beneath a derelict residential area on the outskirts of Tianyuan City.
A vast underground space had been artificially carved out, where many figures clad in black robes moved silently.
In the center of the underground space stood an altar that seemed to be forged from flesh and blood, upon which lay several mangled human corpses.
A man in a black and gold robe stood before the altar, mumbling incantations incomprehensible to humans, his face a mask of piety and madness.
Drip, drip...
The sound of blood dripping onto the ground echoed throughout the silent space.
After an unknown period, the man in the black and gold robe stopped his incantations. He raised his hands, tilted his head towards the sky, and shouted, "Wura!"
The human corpses on the altar began to slowly dissolve into flesh and blood, coalescing into a small, rapidly spinning mass that transformed into a dark red meatball.
It erupted with a crimson light that shot upwards, as if beckoning an unknown entity.
The robed figures ceased their activities and knelt towards the red light, their pale faces etched with fervent madness as they continuously prostrated themselves.
The dark red blood sphere spun, emitting waves of sinister black energy that corroded everything around it. Anything touched by the black energy rapidly decayed into dust. Stones and other objects alike were consumed by this corrupting force.
This black energy flowed into the bodies of the kneeling robed figures below. Their faces contorted with expressions of pain and frenzy. Their bodies began to swell and contort as if something was trying to break free from their shells.
The middle-aged man in the black and gold robe watched the robed figures below being consumed by the black energy, his madness deepening. His originally black and white eyes were gradually engulfed by darkness, until his irises turned completely black.
He too began to absorb the black energy into his body. However, his absorption was not passive; he actively pulled the black energy into himself, merging with it, his physique expanding at an alarming rate, progressing towards an unknown state.
Above this abandoned residential area, teams of uniformed personnel began to surround the area.
A valiant woman in uniform and a handsome man arrived at the forefront of the team, directly above the underground space.
These two were the Director of the Night Watch, Li Yan, and the Garrison Commander, Wei Yue.
"This is the sacrificial ground of the Demonic God Cult, isn't it?" Wei Yue tapped the slightly blackened ground with his foot.
Li Yan nodded and asked, "When will Lu Feng arrive?"
"I just messaged him. He's probably on his way."
"Good, let's begin," Li Yan commanded directly.
She then signaled the Night Watch personnel behind her to retreat, leaving Wei Yue with ample space.
Wei Yue took a deep breath, and a long sword radiating sword qi flashed into his hand.
He formed a sword seal with his fingers, and a sword of pure energy materialized before him.
Wei Yue stepped back swiftly, leaving only the long sword to rotate and gather sword qi, eventually forming a spectacular vortex resembling a tornado.
Seeing this, Li Yan produced a cube-like object, similar to a Rubik's Cube. She repeatedly tapped it with her palm, which then transformed into a spiritual energy barrier, sealing the area to prevent ordinary people from approaching and to contain any demonic energy leakage.
With all preparations complete, Li Yan looked at Wei Yue, signaling him to continue. Wei Yue, receiving the signal, lightly pointed his sword finger downwards. The tornado-like sword qi dragon instantly pierced the earth, descending halfway in the blink of an eye. Countless soil particles were thrown into the air but were ground into extremely fine grains by the sword qi. These particles were then controlled by spiritual energy and deposited elsewhere.
The entire process was executed silently as the sword qi vortex continued to bore downwards.
Within the underground space, the middle-aged man in the black and gold robe looked up at the constantly shedding ceiling, a glint of ferocity in his eyes.
These detestable Night Watchmen were here again to disrupt his ritual to the great Demon God.
Ignoring the dust falling from above, he lowered his gaze to the continuously expanding meatball, muttering incantations.
Below, the kneeling robed figures had already transformed into a horde of monsters. Bony protrusions pierced their skin, gleaming with a pale, cold light. Their faces were no longer human.
Their claws had also morphed into pale bone talons, their faces covered by white bone masks, their eyes replaced by two points of red light, emanating demonic energy.
They had been transformed from humans into beings resembling ferocious beasts.
Finally, the middle-aged man in the black and gold robe finished his incantation. He swallowed the meatball directly into his body.
Boom.
An extremely powerful demonic aura erupted within the man's body, and his physique began to change rapidly, mirroring the transformation of the robed figures.
From his chest, countless crimson flesh burst forth, enveloping him.
He transformed into a cocoon of flesh and blood, from which rhythmic heartbeats emanated.
The transformed robed figures, maintaining their posture, began to worship this pulsating cocoon of flesh and blood.
*Pfft.*
A crimson arm, intertwined with muscle, burst from the flesh cocoon.
Another arm followed, and with a mighty tear, the flesh cocoon was ripped open. A flesh giant, standing ten feet tall, appeared in its place. It resembled a human whose skin had been peeled off and then magnified to that height.
Dark red muscles bulged across its body, coiling like dragons. Its slightest movements caused the air to tremble. Its face was covered by the same pale bone mask, its eyes replaced by two red lights, emitting boundless demonic energy.
The remnants of the torn flesh cocoon were casually tossed into the midst of the transformed robed figures.
A struggle ensued, with dark red blood splattering everywhere, as if the flesh remnants contained an immense delicacy, causing them to fight over it without regard for their own lives.
Rumble!
The ground shook violently as the sword qi dragon pierced the earth and rock, entering the underground space.
Wei Yue, above, felt the underground space reveal itself and turned to look at Li Yan.
Li Yan understood and waved her hand backward. The Night Watch personnel behind her quickly drew their weapons, preparing for the impending battle.
Threads of sword qi leaked out, tearing at everything in the underground space. The flesh giant raised its bone mask, looked at the sword qi dragon that had appeared close by, clenched its fist, and unleashed a powerful punch. A massive beam of crimson light shot out.
Boom!
An explosion of crimson energy and sword qi tore through the earth and the underground space. After a violent tremor, the crimson giant raised its arm, waved its large hand, releasing a crimson glow that enveloped the bone-like beings behind it. Its pillar-like legs squatted down forcefully, and with a sudden leap, the original altar instantly shattered into fragments. Cracks spread across the ground.
Transforming into a streak of crimson light, the crimson giant, with the bone-like beings enclosed within its crimson barrier, shot upwards like a tail flame, towards the surface.
"They're here!" Wei Yue's eyes narrowed.
The Night Watch personnel behind Li Yan quickly shifted their formation. The captain at the front roared, "Form the array!"
Roar!
A ferocious beast, condensed from crimson energy, appeared on the ground, roaring to the sky, unleashing boundless might.