"Mm?"
"Ah!"
The first to open his eyes was Jiang Zhenshan.
The middle-aged man, his face worn with exhaustion, suddenly looked up—and saw an old man in green robes standing calmly in midair. For a moment, the man who had always been unyielding felt his throat tighten. His eyes reddened slightly, then burst out with a brilliance brighter than ever before.
"Elder Chu!"
Jiang Zhenshan shouted. His voice was loud, trembling with unconcealed excitement.
At this moment, he no longer dared to harbor any illusions. Who could have imagined that Elder Chu would truly arrive—at the very last moment?
"I'm sorry,"
"I'm late."
Chu Xun spoke softly in apology.
"Not late! Not late at all—perfect timing!" Jiang Zhenshan repeated, emotions surging chaotically in his chest.
During this time, the Jiang family had tried seeking help elsewhere. Unfortunately, none of the six holy lands responded. He had tasted the warmth and coldness of the world—yet in the end, he still had to rely on Elder Chu.
His gaze drifted downward, landing on the young man in white who was cultivating below. A gentle smile appeared on his face. He truly had taken in a good disciple.
The youth in white looked up as well, his face splitting into a bright smile.
He knew it.
The teacher would come.
He would definitely come.
Even if everyone else gave up on the Donglin Sect's support, he knew his teacher would never abandon him.
And now—
The person he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
"Mm."
Chu Xun nodded lightly.
"Elder Chu…!"
"Elder Chu?"
One after another, the others opened their eyes. When they saw this seemingly ordinary old man, their faces lit up with uncontrollable joy. No one had expected him to truly arrive at such a critical moment.
As for the other clan elders, rays of spiritual sense quietly extended toward Chu Xun. When they sensed his cultivation—peak Ninth Realm of the Human Emperor, only a step away from Half-Saint—their hearts shook violently.
They exchanged glances, shock written all over their faces.
They had heard rumors of Chu Xun's strength before, but never confirmed them.
Now, they believed.
The last time they had seen him, he had only been at the Fifth Realm of the Human Emperor.
This time—
He had reached the peak of the Human Emperor.
Such terrifying speed of advancement.
No wonder people said his Half-Saint battle power was overwhelming.
"I'm truly ashamed to trouble Elder Chu to travel so far," the silver-haired elder of the Six Clans said enthusiastically. "Come, come—let us first cleanse the dust for you. Bring out the wine I've brewed for three hundred years!"
"I had a small enlightenment and went into seclusion for a while. I didn't even have time to reply to my disciple's letter," Chu Xun said gently. There was no need to explain, yet he still did—entirely for his disciple's sake.
The silver-haired elder nodded repeatedly. Even the clan elders who had remained neutral smiled and stepped forward.
"Elder Chu must be tired from the journey. The matter of the forbidden area isn't urgent—let's go down and drink first!"
Jiang Zhenshan watched this scene with a mild smile.
He knew—it was settled.
With Elder Chu's arrival, those who had wavered would naturally move closer to him. Once the forbidden area was suppressed, Jiang Chen's position as the legitimate eldest son would be unshakable, and the other branch would never rise again.
"Not urgent?"
Chu Xun shook his head slightly.
"Let's handle the matter of the forbidden area first."
With that, he stepped forward and arrived above the forbidden area.
Looking down, he saw a dense, complex golden formation covering the depths below. Beneath the formation, thick black mist rolled endlessly—pure demonic qi—accompanied by violent, distorted screams.
Jiang Zhenshan spoke with mixed emotions:
"In the past, my Jiang family was prosperous. We imprisoned many demons and evil beings. Some were used to temper descendants, others were simply too dangerous to kill. They were sealed here, left to destroy themselves."
"For thousands of years, it was always stable. Normally, no matter how fierce a demon is, it should turn to dust after hundreds of years—utterly gone after thousands."
"But recently, the formation loosened. Flaws appeared. One demon broke through several layers and reached the outermost seal."
"Mm."
Chu Xun nodded.
From above, through the surging clouds of demonic mist, he saw it—
A pair of scarlet, malevolent eyes.
Greed. Ferocity. Cruelty. Hatred. Madness.
All of it condensed within those eyes.
Even one's state of mind would be shaken by looking too long—inner demons could easily be born.
"What a cruel demon," Chu Xun said calmly.
Jiang Zhenshan continued, "It will gather strength and attack again soon. When that happens, Elder Chu only needs to go all out and force it back deeper into the forbidden area. Then, with our sealing formation, it won't be able to escape. This crisis will be resolved."
"Force it back?" Chu Xun asked.
"Yes," the silver-haired elder of the Six Clans stepped forward solemnly. "It will be difficult, but Elder Chu, don't worry. I, several Jiang elders, and the two ancestors will all act together. With you at the core, we can suppress it again!"
Nine elders.
Five elders.
Ten clan elders.
They all stepped forward.
"When the situation becomes truly uncontrollable, Elder Chu may leave," one of them said gravely. "This is the Jiang family's forbidden area. We should be the ones to guard it to the end."
"Jie jie jie—!"
A sinister laugh echoed from within the formation.
"So this is the foreign aid the Jiang family invited? Just a little Ninth-Realm Human Emperor."
"When I break free, I'll devour your flesh and blood first!"
Boom!
Boom—!
The demon smashed violently against the formation again and again. Demonic qi boiled like an ocean. Its scarlet eyes locked onto Chu Xun, filled with mockery.
A mere Ninth-Realm Human Emperor?
He couldn't stir any waves.
This time—
No one could stop it from coming out.
"Open the formation," Chu Xun said calmly.
"Ah?"
"Open… the formation?"
Chu Xun repeated evenly, "Open it."
The Jiang family members froze, thinking they had misheard. When Chu Xun's expression made it clear he was serious, shock and disbelief spread through the crowd.
What was Elder Chu planning?
"Open it," Jiang Zhenshan said firmly.
The elders hesitated only briefly. Even if they didn't open it, the demon would break through in a few days anyway.
A corner of the formation was opened.
In an instant—
The world changed.
Demonic qi surged skyward.
"Hehehe…"
"Hehehehe…!"
A twisted, evil laugh rang out.
A figure condensed from black mist stepped into the air, eyes filled with mockery as it looked at Chu Xun.
"I didn't expect this. I thought I'd be trapped a few more days."
"But you opened the formation for me yourself."
"To thank you…"
"I'll eat you first."
The demon sneered, then stomped down heavily.
Monstrous demonic qi exploded outward, forming a thousand-zhang demonic claw that tore through the void and viciously grabbed toward Chu Xun.
"So terrifying…"
Jiang Zhenshan and the others inhaled sharply.
Even though this wasn't their first encounter with the suppressed demon, the sense of extreme danger still made their scalps go numb.