Following the Grandmaster's instructions, the disciples carefully placed the ten unconscious women onto the altars around the cavern.
Just as they were waiting for the Grandmaster's next command, he suddenly turned towards the entrance with a raised eyebrow, saying with surprise, "I didn't expect the array's energy would deliver itself to me."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the cavern turned to see a tall, bearded middle-aged man, drenched in sweat and with bloodshot eyes, stagger into the entrance.
The cultivators in the cavern were shocked to see him.
It was none other than the Golden Core cultivator, Yuan Jinsheng!
They were all familiar with him. As a loyal follower of the Zhao royal family, he had long been a thorn in the side of both the imperial court and the sects. Recently, when the Zhao dynasty was being overthrown, he had been relentlessly pursuing them without rest, almost capturing them on several occasions. If not for the Grandmaster's intervention, they would have fallen into his hands more than once.
Seeing him here, they were stunned—how could he have chased them all the way to this place? He must truly be a madman with no regard for his own life.
The Grandmaster sneered, "Yuan Jinsheng, have you come here to relieve me of my burdens?"
Barely able to stand due to the effects of the Destruction Stones, Yuan Jinsheng ignored the Grandmaster's words. He planted his sword firmly into the ground and shouted angrily, "You scum! Return my son to me!"
His eyes swept the cavern, and finally, they landed on his son, Shen Yingzi, who lay unconscious on one of the altars.
"Yingzi! Father is here! I'm sorry I came too late..." Seeing his son lying motionless, Yuan Jinsheng, a hulking warrior, choked with emotion.
Using his sword as a crutch, he struggled to move toward his son.
The Grandmaster, seeing himself being ignored, looked at him coldly and ordered his followers, "Bind him and throw him into the pit."
The disciples hesitated. "But… he's Yuan Jinsheng!"
Yuan Jinsheng was a well-known Golden Core cultivator. How could mere Foundation Establishment cultivators like them hope to overpower him?
Seeing their hesitation, the Grandmaster's expression darkened with displeasure. "Are you all blind? Can't you see he's no better than a dog right now? Do as I say! And don't make me repeat myself."
Terrified by the Grandmaster's anger, the disciples had no choice but to obey. They cautiously approached Yuan Jinsheng, ready to subdue him.
Just as they got close, Yuan Jinsheng, his face flushed with exertion, summoned all his remaining strength and swung his massive sword in a sweeping arc toward them, aiming for their waists.
The sword hummed with energy, radiating an intimidating force. But just as it reached its full power, the nearby Destruction Stones absorbed the bulk of the attack, leaving only a faint remnant of energy that barely managed to slice through their belts.
Realizing that Yuan Jinsheng's power had been drained, the disciples' fear dissipated. One of them rushed forward and delivered a powerful kick to Yuan Jinsheng's face, sending him sprawling to the ground. Another quickly stomped on his hand, forcing him to drop his sword, and yet another kicked him hard in the stomach.
"Hahaha! Yuan Jinsheng! Looks like you're in our hands now!"
"Not so tough anymore, huh? Didn't you think you could hunt us down? Go on, stand up and fight!"
"Where's that strength now, Yuan Jinsheng? Get up! Let's see you fight us!"
They unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks on the fallen Yuan Jinsheng, who lay on the ground, battered and helpless. Yet he seemed impervious to the pain, his eyes fixed on his son, who remained unconscious on the altar. Struggling, he reached out towards his child.
"Yingzi... Father's here..."
Once the Grandmaster saw that the disciples had had their fill of revenge and that any more would kill him, he commanded, "Enough! Stop now. If you kill him, you'll join him in the pit as part of the array."
Though he threatened them, he wasn't concerned about losing a few disciples. Compared to Yuan Jinsheng, the Foundation Establishment cultivators were of little value. Even the spirit of the former king was more useful as a sacrificial offering for the Destruction Immortal.
Though Yuan Jinsheng wasn't connected to the royal lineage, as the Vice Sect Master of the Kongshan Sect, he was still tied to his sect's essence, making him valuable enough for the ritual.
Upon hearing the Grandmaster's words, the disciples reluctantly stopped their assault, dragging the bruised and bloodied Yuan Jinsheng toward the central pit.
As he was thrown into the pit, Yuan Jinsheng gazed at his son from afar, tears silently falling from his eyes.
He had overestimated his own abilities. He had believed that despite the effects of the Destruction Stones, he could hold on for a little longer. But the deeper he ventured into the cave, the harder it became even to take a single step. Every movement drained him of his strength.
Now, all he could do was watch his son, lying so close yet so far out of his reach.
He prayed that his lord would figure out a solution soon. If there was no other way, he might have to sacrifice himself in a final desperate attempt to save his son's life.
As Yuan Jinsheng was thrown into the pit, the Grandmaster signaled the other cultivators to step back from the array. He then seated himself in the center, his hands forming intricate seals as he began to chant incantations.
With each chant, the once-dark cavern was illuminated by flickering red lights. These were no warm, gentle rays; the red light was twisted, eerie, and sharp, stabbing into the onlookers' eyes. The disciples, unable to bear the discomfort, averted their gazes.
The ten women lying on the altars began to rise, slowly floating in midair as the array took hold. Threads of blood-red light emerged from each of their bodies, drawing out their life force. The blood from all ten women flowed into the center of the array, converging at a single point.
Within the central pit, Yuan Jinsheng and the former king's soul were also being drained. Yuan Jinsheng felt an unfamiliar force being extracted from his body—a green aura he had never sensed before. From the former king's soul, a golden aura was being drawn out.
The two streams of energy twisted together, spiraling toward the center of the array where the blood and auras would meet.
But just as they were about to converge, a powerful voice shouted from outside the cavern:
"Stop!"
Everyone, from the disciples to the Grandmaster himself, was jolted by the shout. They turned towards the entrance, where they saw a blinding green light.
Within the green light stood a group of ten people, packed tightly together. And these ten figures were all too familiar—they were the very Alliance cultivators who had been hunting them!
Unlike Yuan Jinsheng, these cultivators looked strong and full of vitality.
Seeing them, the Destruction Cultivators nearest the entrance instinctively retreated behind the safety of the red glow of the array.