"Yun Jin! Why is he looking for Yun Jin? Who even is that?"
The crowd below stirred with confusion and speculation.
"I know who that is. She's the Sect Master of Wushuang Sect. I saw her in a projection not long ago."
"So many schemes by the demon race... just to kill her?!"
"Then we're just collateral damage in all this!"
"They're threatening so many lives just to force out one Yun Jin?"
"When Qin Guoshi was captured, people said the Wushuang Sect Master might intervene. But it's been days now. She hasn't shown up or made a move. Looks like she's not coming."
"Not surprising. She's only in the Divine Transformation stage. If she comes, it'll just be suicide."
"How can that be! Are we all supposed to die just because of her?"
"Preceptor Qin's suffering is her fault too!"
"She should offer up her life in exchange for ours!"
Murmurs of discontent echoed through the crowd.
Yun Jin listened quietly, unfazed. Faced with death, not everyone would be brave. It was only natural to hear voices like this. As long as she knew what she was doing, that was enough.
Beside her, Gao Jingxuan frowned deeply. He gathered all the strength he had left and shouted coldly, "Silence!"
His voice rang out with force.
Everyone froze, slowly falling into silence.
Gao Jingxuan was trembling with anger. "Don't you see what's happening? That's the demon race! The demons want to kill Fairy Yun, and you're helping them? No one is allowed to spread a word of this outside. We must not let Immortal Yun come here! If we fight to the death, we might still have a chance. There's no reason to drag her into this!"
"But this all started because of her…" someone protested.
Gao Jingxuan responded sharply, "Every debt has a debtor. This underground formation wasn't built overnight. Blood Dao Sect has been planning this for years. Even without Fairy Yun, they would have activated this array sooner or later—and when they did, they might've slaughtered the entire city in a blood sacrifice. But now, to lure her out, Blood Dao is holding back. If anything, you should be thanking Fairy Yun."
The crowd fell into uneasy silence.
"We're not out of hope yet! Blood Dao is not invincible. If we stand together, there's still a chance we can win!" Gao Jingxuan rallied them.
"He's right. Gao Zhuangyuan speaks the truth. We shouldn't think that way."
"Resisting the demon race is our duty."
Gao Jingxuan's voice hardened. "Civilians, stay back. Cultivators willing to risk their lives, come forward. We'll fight together."
"Count me in."
"I'm with you."
"I may only be in the Qi Refining stage, but I'm still a cultivator. Weak or not, I can fight. Count me in."
The cultivators in the city began to gather around Gao Jingxuan.
Yun Jin glanced at Gao Jingxuan in mild surprise.
This future second disciple of hers was turning out to be more and more to her liking. As she listened to Gao Jingxuan organizing the crowd, Yun Jin lifted her gaze to the suspended figures of Qin Ping and the others. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
She would save Qin Ping. That much was certain.
The reason she hadn't acted yet was because she understood the stakes.
As long as she remained hidden, Qin Ping and the others were safest.
If she revealed herself, maybe she could escape alone, but she wouldn't be able to take Qin Ping and the others with her. If that happened, everything she'd done would be meaningless.
She was waiting—for Feng Linglong and the lava dragon.
After spreading the warning and stopping more citizens from heading toward the capital, they should now be on their way here. They should be arriving soon. When they attacked from inside and out, and she rescued Qin Ping and the rest, the lava dragon could fly them to safety.
Only then could she fight freely without holding back.
Gao Jingxuan was still rallying the people. "That blood cultivator disguised himself as the king, tricking everyone. That's why the Demon-Slaying Alliance never got involved. But now he's shown his true face. This blood dome has definitely drawn attention from the outside. We just need to hold on a bit longer, and reinforcements will come."
The crowd seemed reassured, their morale visibly lifted.
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes slightly.
She didn't think any reinforcements would come.
And honestly, it would be easier if they didn't.
If they did, she might have to deal with them too.
High above, Xue Daoren watched Gao Jingxuan's frantic efforts without concern, even wearing a faint smile.
Calmly, he said, "Trying to resist? You underestimate the Demonblood Sacrifice Array. If I don't make an example, none of you will behave. Fine then... let's send the loudest among you on your way first."
His expression was cold and detached.
Gao Jingxuan looked up at him, heart sinking.
Among them, the strongest were only at Divine Transformation.
The weakest had only just started to form spiritual energy.
He knew full well that they couldn't win against Xue Daoren or Blood Demon Dao.
But he had no other choice.
He couldn't lead them all to certain death without trying.
And deep down, Gao Jingxuan still hoped reinforcements might come.
He glanced toward Yun Jin.
The mysterious senior said nothing, simply watching Xue Daoren with calm eyes. Whatever she was thinking, she kept it hidden.
Gao Jingxuan sighed inwardly.
He knew this senior's cultivation wasn't weak, but no matter how powerful she was, surviving this formation would be near impossible.
He murmured, "Senior, it's my fault for dragging you into this. You shouldn't have come."
He had come to save Qin Ping.
Preceptor Qin had once helped him. Dying for him was something he could accept.
But this senior had no obligation to step into this mess.
Yun Jin smiled faintly. "I'm here now. No need to say more."
Gao Jingxuan took a deep breath and let it go. "Senior, I once came across a formation called the Zhou Tian Star Array. Your cultivation is the highest—you can serve as the array's core. Everyone else will channel their power into you. Maybe... maybe there's still a sliver of hope."
Xue Daoren watched with interest but made no move to intervene. There was no telling how long the wait for Yun Jin would be, and he needed something to entertain himself.
Yun Jin didn't think much of the Zhou Tian Star Array, but she had planned to stall for time anyway. It helped that Xue Daoren was arrogant and seemed content to let them finish their setup before killing them off.
So she nodded and replied, "Alright."
The next moment, Gao Jingxuan heard Yun Jin's voice in his ear: "Take it slow. Drag it out."
Without changing expression, he nodded and began organizing the formation. He wasn't particularly adept at it, fumbling over his words and repeating himself. As a result, the setup progressed painfully slowly.
Xue Daoren watched for a while, then lost his patience. He barked coldly, "You've got one incense stick's time. If the array isn't finished by then, you're all dead!"
If that so-called Zhou Tian Star Array actually formed, it might be more satisfying to crush them all in a single strike. Their expressions, going from hope to despair, would be worth the wait.
He didn't mind letting them squirm for a bit longer—but only so long.