Caught Off Guard

"No!"

"Let us try!"

At the crucial moment, Chen Xian and Huang Zhen lifted a large vat of slurry and dashed towards Xiong Tian through the air.

This vat of slurry had the ability to cleanse the black qi in the body, something both Chen Xian and Huang Zhen had experienced firsthand. Although they weren't sure if it would work on Xiong Tian, who was about to be demonized, they decided to give it a try.

The sudden appearance of the two men carrying a vat of slurry immediately drew everyone's attention.

Their attack faltered for a moment.

It was this hesitation that allowed Chen Xian and Huang Zhen to rush to Xiong Tian's side.

The two men exchanged glances and, not caring about waste, lifted the vat and splashed it onto Xiong Tian.

"Swoosh!"

The slurry drenched Xiong Tian completely.

Seeing this, Elder Zhen's face turned ashen, and he stomped his foot, shouting, "What a farce!"

But as soon as he finished speaking.

The demonic qi raging around Xiong Tian, as if a blazing fire doused with a bucket of water, extinguished instantly!

His entire body went limp and collapsed to the ground.

"What?"

"This…"

Witnessing the sudden disappearance of the black qi around Xiong Tian, everyone present was shocked, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Elder Zhen, who had just picked up his cane, dropped it again with a trembling hand.

But everyone quickly snapped out of it and rushed towards Xiong Tian like mad.

"Xiong Tian."

"Xiong Tian, bro."

"Are you alright?"

"Are you okay now?"

The crowd surrounded Xiong Tian, their eyes filled with hope despite the lingering caution, fearing he might still be demonized.

"I…"

"I'm fine."

Xiong Tian looked up at the crowd, his voice lagging as he said, "The black qi in my body seems to have disappeared entirely."

As soon as these words left his mouth.

It was as if a spark had lit a firework, dazzlingly bright.

"Whew!"

Excited exclamations spread throughout the crowd.

Everyone was overjoyed, tears streaming uncontrollably down their faces.

At the same time, their eyes turned to Chen Xian and Huang Zhen.

"That slurry in the vat… it worked, it really worked! It's truly a treasure! Chen Xian and Huang Zhen weren't lying to us!" someone exclaimed.

"We told you it would work!"

Huang Zhen shouted, though he felt torn looking at the now half-empty vat.

They had scooped the slurry carefully, not daring to waste a single drop.

Throughout the journey, they moved at a steady pace, afraid even a single drop might spill.

Now, over half the vat was gone, causing a deep ache in their hearts.

Seeing it all wasted like this, they regretted not considering to throw Xiong Tian directly into the vat!

"Chen Xian, Huang Zhen, it's my fault for doubting you. I apologize," Elder Zhen, leaning on his cane, walked over excitedly and said, "Quickly, tell me what happened. Exactly how… this, uh… 'spiritual liquid,' where did it come from?"

"It came from the Tianlan Mountain Range," Chen Xian explained in detail how they discovered it and how it had driven out the black qi from their bodies.

"This must be the excrement of an ancient divine beast since the beginning of creation!"

"It truly shows that heaven doesn't forsake humanity!"

"With it, our burden will be much lighter!"

After hearing Chen Xian and Huang Zhen's explanation, Elder Zhen spread his arms wide, looking up to the sky as tears glistened in his eyes.

The others also cheered incessantly, their eyes shining for the first time with hope.

It was unimaginable.

How crucial this vat of 'spiritual liquid' was to them, arriving at the most opportune moment.

The black qi in their bodies had always been an inextinguishable nightmare, impossible to expel even with cultivation or by staying away from the border wall.

This stubborn 'parasite' now finally had a solution.

However, after learning about the effects of the spiritual liquid, everyone looked at the spilled slurry on the ground, feeling a sharp pain of regret.

Yet, being able to save Xiong Tian's life made it worth it.

Immediately.

Elder Zhen ordered everyone to build an altar in the Barren Land.

With their collective strength, a grand altar was constructed in just half a day.

The vat of spiritual liquid was then placed on the altar.

Led by Elder Zhen, with the altar as the center, a massive array was set up. The array served two purposes: one, to protect the spiritual liquid from being accidentally destroyed, and two, to prevent the spreading of its scent.

Even with the array in place.

Within just three days, the once barren land around the altar, began to regain its vitality.

Grass started to sprout around it.

"This grass, like our nine realms, grows amidst adversity, full of the hope of life!"

Elder Zhen, leaning on his cane, crouched down, his aged hands gently caressing the grass, a smile on his face.

"Indeed!"

"This spiritual liquid really came at the right time."

Xiong Tian, squatting beside him, also looked excited, then glanced at the over a hundred tombstones in the distance.

After a moment's pause…

He lamented, "If we had discovered the spiritual liquid earlier, my Shimei and other human experts wouldn't have…"

"The world will remember them!"

Elder Zhen stood up, patted Xiong Tian's shoulder, and softly consoled him.

"Boom!"

But at that moment.

A deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth.

The rumble echoed throughout the Immortal Realm and the other eight realms.

Everyone, no matter where they were, felt the tremor of the heavens and earth.

"What happened?"

"What's going on?"

"Is there a rare treasure born?"

"Did something break through the earth?"

From all corners of the world, countless people looked around, speculating wildly.

“It’s the border wall!”

At the Barren Land, Elder Zhen and the others were the first to react.

Especially Elder Zhen, who had the most acute senses. His heart sank as a bad premonition arose.

"It’s coming from the direction of the Ling Realm!"

Xiong Tian said gravely.

At the same time, other top experts gathered at the border wall, their expressions tense as they looked at Elder Zhen.

"Some of you, stay here and guard this place!"

"The rest, follow me to the Ling Realm immediately!"

Elder Zhen immediately issued the command, not daring to delay. With a wave of his hand, a spirit ship appeared in the air.

Elder Zhen led the way, and dozens of people quickly boarded the spirit ship.

The ship transformed into a beam of light and vanished into the sky.

Two days later.

The spirit ship arrived at the Ling Realm.

Everyone on the ship was silent.

Because as they approached the border wall, all they could see was immense darkness, covering the heavens and devouring the earth, leaving lifeless wastelands in its wake.

Several cities enveloped in the darkness had already become ghost towns.

Meanwhile.

The endless darkness continued to spread at a steady pace.

Areas soon to be enveloped were filled with fleeing humans and beasts, forming a long procession of cries, wails, and screams. Truly a living hell on earth.

However.

In this fleeing mass, there were also many humans and beasts enveloped in black mist.

These demonized humans and beasts, like a horde of zombies, rampaged without restraint.

Within the human ranks, many experts had organized resistance, but confronted with an ever-increasing number of demonized creatures, these human warriors were soon overwhelmed.

"It’s over!"

On the spirit ship, seeing the scene before them, Elder Zhen staggered back and collapsed, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Elder Zhen!"

The others quickly supported him, their eyes filled with unprecedented gravity.

Having just found a glimmer of hope with the spiritual liquid, they had never expected such a catastrophic turn of events!

It all happened so suddenly!

So unexpectedly!