Yun Jin focused her gaze on the ground.
At this moment, the earth beneath the capital rippled like waves, swelling and heaving.
People were already stumbling and falling. Panic and shouting filled the streets.
"Mother! Mother!" A young girl had been separated from her mother by the quake and was now crying in despair.
A middle-aged woman struggled desperately to reach her daughter. But the ground kept rolling beneath her feet. No matter how she tried, she couldn't get across. The girl's cries became even more desperate.
Just as Gao Jingxuan heard the child's voice and was about to rush forward to help—
Yun Jin suddenly vanished from his side. In the next moment, she was beside the little girl, scooping her up in her arms. She passed the girl into the arms of her mother, then swiftly laid down a simple array. While it couldn't entirely cancel out the tremors, it could greatly reduce their force.
"Gather everyone here," Yun Jin instructed before disappearing again.
The mother held her daughter tightly.
The girl clutched her mother's neck, sobbing softly. "Mama, was that a fairy sister? You always said we have to say thank you when someone helps us. But the fairy sister's already gone. If I say thank you now, she won't hear me… what should I do?"
The woman whispered, "Then remember it in your heart. She will sense it."
The little girl nodded obediently.
Watching the scene, Gao Jingxuan turned to the others and said firmly, "We don't know what's happening, but there's no reason for us to sit by and do nothing. Let's go. Help Senior rescue people."
The others answered without hesitation.
Yun Jin continued to set up simple arrays throughout the city. Gao Jingxuan and his group followed close behind, guiding citizens to safety within the arrays. Seeing this, other cultivators also began to act. United in purpose, they helped minimize injuries and protected the people.
But Yun Jin's expression only grew more serious.
She sensed a strange energy.
That aura…
It came from deep underground.
"Senior, did you discover something?" Gao Jingxuan asked as he caught up, breathless.
Yun Jin drew the Tai'a Sword. Without warning, she drove it into the earth with force and then slowly cut open the surface.
A fissure split the ground.
Gao Jingxuan glanced inside and his expression changed dramatically.
Beneath the surface, countless glowing channels intertwined like veins. Within them, something bright red—like blood—flowed slowly.
This was…
What was this?
Gao Jingxuan turned to Yun Jin.
Right now, he was relying on her without even realizing it.
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes.
If she was right, these veins likely spread throughout the entire capital.
This place had probably long since become the Blood Dao Sect's base of operations.
She glanced at Gao Jingxuan.
Truthfully—
Someone like Gao Jingxuan, a lethal weapon in human form, should never have been sent out of the capital. If he had stayed, he might have discovered something suspicious much earlier.
"Senior, what… what is this?" Gao Jingxuan couldn't help asking.
Yun Jin shook her head.
Even she couldn't explain it fully just yet.
But she was certain the answer would soon reveal itself.
And sure enough—
The tremors gradually stopped.
Then, a blood-tinged barrier slowly rose into the sky, rapidly expanding until it covered the entire capital. During the process, some panicked citizens tried to flee. But the moment they reached the city's edge, they slammed into an invisible boundary and were thrown back.
Once the crimson barrier was complete, they couldn't even get close to it.
The instant the blood-shrouded dome sealed off the capital—
Qin Ping slowly opened his eyes with difficulty.
He no longer knew how many days he had been tortured.
He no longer hoped to live. He only wished for death.
If he died, it might rouse others to fight back. One day, someone would avenge him.
But if he lived—
He would only be used as a weapon against Yun Jin.
What made it truly tragic was—
He couldn't even control whether he lived or died anymore.
Qin Ping silently prayed in his heart.
Yun Jin must not come.
His life was worth nothing. It didn't matter if he died.
This was clearly a carefully laid trap. If Yun Jin came, she would be walking into certain death.
How could someone like him deserve that?
His blurry vision barely caught a glimpse of the blood-colored barrier, and his expression changed.
This was…
A moment later—
"Chen Chen" appeared high above the city.
Qin Ping struggled to turn his head to look.
"The monarch, it's the monarch!"
People throughout the city looked up.
They began to shout, "Your Majesty, what is going on?"
"Your Majesty, save us!"
But some began to notice—
The aura coming from "Chen Chen" was completely different than before.
More importantly—
His cultivation was far beyond what it had been.
Had he broken through overnight?
Something wasn't right.
"Chen Chen" looked down at the terrified citizens. A cruel smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
He said calmly, "This formation is called the Grand Blood Sacrificial Array. Now, it has already covered the entire capital. With just a single thought, I can drain the life from every soul within these walls."
"What?"
"Your Majesty, what are you saying? Grand Blood Sacrificial… what even is that?"
The people grew more frantic.
Before this, "Chen Chen" had claimed that Qin Ping and the others were being punished for colluding with the Demon Clan. Most didn't believe it, but they had assumed the monarch had been deceived.
But now—
Something was clearly wrong.
Even the name "Grand Blood Sacrificial Array" sounded deeply sinister.
Why would the monarch use a formation like this? Why would he set it up over the capital?
What was he trying to do?
"Chen Chen" stared down at them, then suddenly laughed darkly. His face began to shift and morph, becoming pale and unfamiliar.
Who was this?
Murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire.
Xue Daoren no longer bothered to hide his identity. He smiled eerily and said, "I am called Xue Daoren. Some of you may have heard of me, but that is not important. What matters is this—now that the array is complete, if I want you to live, you live. If I want you to die, you die."
"What about the monarch? Where is our monarch?"
"What are you trying to do?"
"He's from the Demon Clan, he has to be!"
The city was in chaos.
Xue Daoren's voice remained calm. "If you wish to survive, there is one way. Canglan Kingdom is home to a brazen woman who dared to offend the Demon Sovereign. Give her to me, and the rest of you may live."
He paused, then said coldly, "That woman is called Yun Jin. I do not know if she is here, but from this moment on, for every day she does not appear, I will kill ten thousand. On the second day, one hundred thousand. On the third day, I will kill everyone. If you wish to live, pray that Yun Jin comes soon to offer her life."
Yun Jin.
Gao Jingxuan's expression darkened.
So this was all aimed at the Sect Master of Wushuang Sect.
And Xue Daoren… was from the Demon Clan.
Gao Jingxuan knew one thing for certain.
Whatever the Demon Clan wanted to do, they must be opposed without compromise.
If the Demon Clan wanted Yun Jin to come—
Then Yun Jin must never come.
Xue Daoren continued, "You may spread my words as you wish. Engrave them, send them beyond the city, let Yun Jin hear them. If she comes, you live. If she does not, you die."
By the end of his speech, even his voice carried the scent of blood.