"What's going on? What's wrong with them?"
"Hey, wake up! Stop sleeping! You are sinking into the ground!"
"That's Ah Qi from the Red Axe Escort Agency! His group has yet to return after escorting a merchant out of the city last week. So, he actually ended up in the hands of the Scarlet Leaf Sect!"
"That girl too! She went missing around a few days ago!"
"And that man as well!"
Members of the vanguard party started to mutter loudly among themselves, confused by the strange sight confronting them right now. The fact that they could recognise familiar faces only served to heighten their sense of unease.
"They aren't responding! We need to get them out of there!"
"Yes! Someone get them out of there!"
"Damn it, is nobody going to help? If that's the case, I will do it myself!" a young man exclaimed in frustration after seeing that everyone was just talking and not acting.
He did as he said he would, charging into the centre of the red emblem without hesitation. His sudden burst of courage seemed to have riled up several other members of the vanguard party, causing another dozen young men to rush forward in unison.
They grabbed onto the arms of the unconscious group and pulled. Yet despite using all of their strength, they could not even slow down the rate at which the group was sinking, not to mention pull them out of the rock floor.
"Wait, I... I can't move my arms!" one of them shouted in horror.
"What do you mean you can't move your arms?"
"It's stuck! My hands and arms are stuck to her!"
"Wait, shit! My hands are stuck as well!"
"Damn it, I can't pull myself free!"
"What's going on? Help me! Get me out of here!"
"I-I suddenly feel sleepy..."
Before everyone's eyes, the few young men of the vanguard party quickly went from exuding hot-blooded vigour to being terrified, to finally closing their eyes and seemingly entering a state of slumber while standing, all within the span of a minute.
As though that was not enough, the dozen young men started sinking into the ground as well, ending up in the exact same state as those whom they had attempted to rescue.
The members of the vanguard party, and even the trailing group, could not help but feel a chill run down their spines, creeped out by what just transpired before their very eyes. Many of them subconsciously took a few steps back, wanting to stay as far away from the sinking group as possible.
"The intelligence is accurate. This is a summoning array that runs on blood sacrifice as its main source of energy," Ren Xiexing remarked warily. "But where are the members of the Scarlet Leaf Sect? Have they already abandoned this place and escaped?"
"Hah, what a disappointment! I guess they aren't all that much after all! Now, all that's left is to clean up here," Nian Qin scoffed. "That said, is Fellow Cultivator Ren able to tell what they are trying to summon here?"
"This is not an array that I am familiar with, so I'd have to study it a little to find out more," Ren Xiexing shook his head. "Does anyone else have any ideas?"
The members of the main strike force exchanged glances, but the uncertain looks on everyone's faces were telling enough – no one could pinpoint what the array was trying to summon.
Zhao Yunxiao, observing the situation from within the trailing group, did not recognise the array either. However, the ominous aura that it emanated was unmistakable.
Whatever it was that the Scarlet Leaf Sect was trying to summon here, it could not be anything good!
"Those cowards from the Scarlet Leaf Sect have escaped, and we have no idea what this summoning array does. How about we just destroy this place entirely and call it a day? That will save everyone's time," a member of the main strike force suggested.
"Don't speak nonsense if you aren't familiar with how arrays work," Nian Qin immediately chided. "Doing that without fully understanding this array could easily result in a backlash or explosion. Such carelessness might just end up killing us all!"
"If you are so afraid of dying, you can wait outside first while the rest of us destroy the array," the other party did not back down either.
"Hmm? What are you trying to say?" Nian Qin sneered. "I am reminding you out of goodwill, but are you calling me a coward right now?"
"Am I wrong? If you can't even defend yourself against a mere array explosion, then you should not be here at all!"
"What an idiot. Did you attain your current cultivation level purely through gifts and luck? Why don't you ask Fellow Cultivator Ren if he agrees to your suggestion?"
Upon hearing that, everyone's attention inevitably fell upon Ren Xiexing once again.
At this moment, Ren Xiexing had his eyes closed and was pressing his fingers together in a calculating manner. It was clear that he was performing some sort of divination technique, so everyone quickly fell silent to avoid disturbing him.
This silence in the chamber did not last for long.
"Petty tricks!" Ren Xiexing's eyes suddenly shot open after a few moments, revealing a fierce light within.
Essence energy erupted from within him as he suddenly pointed two fingers at the nearest stone pillar. A black tendril rose up from his shadow and shot towards the stone pillar with shocking speed.
Bang-!
The black tendril slammed into the stone pillar like a metal whip, instantly shattering the entire bottom section of the pillar. And with that, he directly forced out the man who had been hiding inside the pillar.
"Damn it!" the black-robed man hurriedly retreated, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. "We've been discovered!"
Within moments, the numerous other stone pillars in the chamber burst apart. From within each stone pillar, people wearing similar black robes appeared.
But unlike the first person who had retreated the moment he appeared, the rest of them actually shot towards the main strike force. Weapons fully at the ready, they attacked without hesitation!
"Hahaha! Trying to catch us by surprise? Too bad for you, but we have the Shadow Noble on our side!" Nian Qin laughed as he raised his hand in front of him. "Wheel of Stone!"
Another giant stone wheel formed in front of him, this one a lot bigger than the previous, which then spun towards the ones charging towards him.
Similarly, the other members of the main strike force might have been caught off guard for a moment, but they did not falter. All of them had been rather wary of this place from the start, so they quickly recollected their senses and launched their own counterattacks.
The area within the chamber instantly descended into a state of chaos, with shockwaves and tremors assaulting the area as the members of the main strike force directly clashed against the members of the Scarlet Leaf Sect.
Almost immediately after the fight broke out, a stray fireball struck a young lady who was part of the vanguard party, directly incinerating her and leaving nothing but ashes. She did not even have the chance to scream, though it might also have been fortunate that her death came swiftly instead of slowly.
Nevertheless, her tragic outcome instantly broke the others out of their daze.
"R-Run! We are not safe here!"
"Shit! We need to get out of this place!"
Be it the vanguard party or the trailing group, everyone immediately started to run for the exit. They understood that in a fight between cultivators, just being nearby as an ordinary mortal could prove fatal!
But to their horror, they quickly realised that there was nowhere to run.
Previously, the entire coalition had delved too far into the chamber when they gathered around to observe the strange state of the people at the centre of the emblem. So, the moment the Scarlet Leaf Sect members broke out of the stone pillars, they had effectively already encircled the entire coalition.
In order to break past the encirclement, they would have to brave the shockwaves and stray attacks from the ongoing battle. That was simply an impossible task for ordinary mortals!
"Don't worry, everyone. Stay behind us, and we will protect you!" Ke Huofen quickly recognised the gravity of the situation and shot a glance at his companions.
Understanding his intention, his companions spread out to form a circle around the trailing group, as well as those among the vanguard party who had the clarity of mind to sneak over. Each of them clasped their hands over identical jade pendants that they wore on their necks, and a translucent green barrier appeared around them.
Ripples could be seen appearing on the green barrier as it was bombarded by the aftershocks of the surrounding battles. Still, it held strong, keeping the attacks out and everyone within safe.
The members of the trailing group let out sighs of relief upon seeing this, and were about to heap praises upon Ke Huofen when their words were cut short.
"Don't be complacent! Close your eyes and clasp your ears shut. It might not be perfect, but at least you can reduce the impact of certain special techniques this way!" Ke Huofen shouted.
"Y-Yes, Sir!"
The members of the trailing group did not have to be told twice, immediately doing as they were told. At this point, they all realised that Ke Huofen was their only lifeline. Whatever he said, they would definitely follow!
Hiding behind the protection of Ke Houfen's group, Zhao Yunxiao observed the green barrier in surprise.
To be able to keep out aftershocks from not just one, but multiple battles at the Origin Core realm, this green barrier was truly impressive!
Unfortunately, it was likely the result of a mini defensive array, activated with the combination of multiple array nodes in the form of the jade pendants. Had it been activated by a single pendant, such a pendant would have to be at least a treasure at the Origin Core realm!
But judging from Ke Huofen's words, the barrier was not able to keep out every type of attack. In that sense, it was not all perfect either.
Just then, an eerily soothing voice sounded out, easily reaching everyone's ears over the loud sounds of battle.
"How lively. You guys are not too bad, but not nearly good enough either."
As though drawn by instinct, everyone looked up all at once – at the beautiful lady who was hovering near the high ceiling of the chamber.
Just like the rest of the Scarlet Leaf Sect members, she was donned in loose black robes that fluttered wildly along with the storm of energy roiling within the cave. Her hood was pulled back, revealing her luscious red hair and snow-white skin. With her sharp and seductive eyes that were capable of toppling kingdoms, she looked down at the Righteous Coalition with a clear sense of condescension.
The red-haired lady waved the treasure fan in her hands, creating what appeared to be a rupture in space along the trajectory of the fan. The next moment, a large amount of water burst forth from the spatial rupture, raining down towards the members of the coalition like a gushing waterfall.
Everyone in the main strike force widened their eyes in shock. It became clear the moment she made her move – she was a cultivator at the Dao Rune realm!
There was no doubt that this was no ordinary water!
"You must be the leader here!" Ren Xiexing flew up at this moment, creating a series of mudras with his hands. "Leave her to me! I will keep her busy, so you guys handle the rest!"
The aura of a Dao Rune realm cultivator erupted as dozens of black tendrils shot up from the ground, following after and eventually overtaking Ren Xiexing as they charged towards the red-haired woman.
Just as they were about to make contact with the water, they suddenly spread out to form a huge bowl-like structure, evidently seeking to directly catch the falling water within.
Bang-!
The pitch-black bowl of shadow trembled upon impact, and even the roots of the black tendrils that now served as support pillars wobbled a little.
They wobbled, but did not fall.
"The Law of Shadows?" the red-haired woman smiled. "Interesting, but still not quite enough."
"Is that so?" Ren Xiexing smirked as well. "Why don't we find out for sure?"