The Red Letter

Ming Ming had thought that with the spiritual liquid, there was hope.

But the hellish battlefield before him made that glimmer of hope dim.

They only had half a vat of spiritual liquid, yet the demonized beings were endless...

Looking at the scene before him, Elder Zhen trembled all over.

His voice, too, quivered with fear: "Could it be... that heaven wishes to destroy our Nine Realms?"

The group behind him was equally filled with grief and indignation.

Some supported Elder Zhen, sighing incessantly; others bit their lips, their eyes red with sorrow, unable to bear the sight; and some were utterly despairing...

Only Xiong Tian, perhaps because he had been cleansed by the spiritual liquid and regained clarity after demonization, held a bit more resolve than the others.

He personally steadied Elder Zhen. "Elder Zhen, don't lose hope. What if there's another way?"

Hearing this, Elder Zhen closed his eyes in despair.

He shook his head and murmured, "There's no other way."

"We're out of options."

"We have no means left."

With that, he let out an utterly exhausted sigh. "At this point, we must send red letters to all first-tier factions."

Red letters were classified correspondences within the Nine Realms.

The matters of the Boundary Wall and the Outer Circle were known only to a select few.

They had believed they could turn the tide, hold back the demonic energy, and save the Nine Realms from calamity.

But it seems...

They had overestimated themselves.

Now, the only course of action was to reveal the truth about the Boundary Wall and the Outer Circle to those who were unaware and explain the situation.

Then, they would unite everyone to resist the external threat.

**Heavenly Tyrant Sect**

While Elder Zhen and the others were deeply troubled by the affairs of the Spirit Realm, Zeng Xian, along with Wang Yiyun and others, remained stationed at the third level of the Sacred Mountain Underground Palace, waiting for Deng Chao to emerge from seclusion.

Zeng Xian had been pacing in circles for half a month.

He was extremely anxious.

Yet, he couldn't shut down the operations of the Sacred Mountain Underground Palace alone to forcibly bring Deng Chao out.

All he could do was wait.

Finally, a ghostly cry echoed beside him.

"Ah!!!"

"The Patriarch has awakened!!"

Zeng Xian quickly turned and saw Luo Yuan pointing excitedly at the Star Map.

Zeng Xian approached and looked at the Star Map.

Sure enough, Deng Chao's light had reignited.

His face lit up with joy, and he immediately took out the Jade Tablet.

"Old Deng, Old Deng, are you awake?!"

"Are you alright?"

"What happened in there??"

A barrage of questions poured out, but the only response from the Jade Tablet was the sound of heavy breathing.

After a while, Deng Chao's weak voice finally emerged.

"Don't worry. With me here, what could possibly go wrong?"

He had suddenly fainted—three times, no less...

As the Patriarch of the Heavenly Tyrant Sect, he had a reputation to uphold.

Damn... what exactly happened?

His body felt as if it had been crushed, like it had been run over...

"Oh, really?" Zeng Xian's skeptical voice came through the Jade Tablet. "Then why did your life light vanish three times?"

Deng Chao took a deep breath to steady himself.

"I just entered a state of sudden enlightenment and fell asleep, that's all."

"Oh, that's good then."

Hearing that Deng Chao was unharmed, Zeng Xian breathed a sigh of relief.

It made sense that during certain states of enlightenment, one's life force could weaken or even vanish temporarily.

"Alright, since nothing's wrong, hurry up and teleport out now."

Zeng Xian urged, "We're all waiting for you on the third level."

As soon as he finished speaking, Deng Chao declared with righteous indignation, "How could I do that?!"

"I still have to wait for that kid Yi Feng to pass the first trial!"

"Didn't we want to recruit him? At the very least, I should see his strength for myself."

Hearing this, Zeng Xian wished he could reach through the Jade Tablet and cover Deng Chao's mouth!

"I beg you, shut your mouth!"

"What do you mean 'that kid Yi Feng'? How dare you refer to that esteemed one so casually?!"

"And what do you mean by 'recruit'? What nonsense are you spouting??"

Zeng Xian nervously glanced around, and upon confirming that only allies were present, he relaxed slightly.

Lowering his voice, he said, "Just get out here already, and never mention this again!"

"Otherwise, if that esteemed one hears, I won't be able to protect you."

Deng Chao was utterly baffled.

"What do you mean? Can you explain clearly?" Deng Chao asked.

"Nothing to explain. Even if you don't come out, at least check if there's still anyone left on the first level," Zeng Xian snapped impatiently.

Deng Chao was stunned.

He spread his divine sense outward.

And was immediately shocked.

Indeed, there wasn't a single trace of life left in the entire trial area!

"What's going on?"

Without hesitation, Deng Chao teleported to the third level.

As soon as he appeared, he rushed toward Zeng Xian.

"What happened?"

He asked, his face filled with fear.

Zeng Xian sighed helplessly before recounting everything in detail.

As Deng Chao listened, his expression shifted from shock to disbelief, and finally to cold sweat.

When Zeng Xian finished, Deng Chao wiped the sweat from his brow.

He exclaimed in awe, "Heavens... such a colossal figure!"

Thankfully, they had only intended to recruit him and hadn't overstepped...

And even more fortunately, he hadn't offended him...

If they had provoked such a powerhouse, not only would he be doomed, but the entire Heavenly Tyrant Sect might vanish from existence.

However.

He suddenly remembered his three fainting spells.

Could that have been this esteemed one's punishment?

He quickly checked himself, relieved to find that he was only unconscious and hadn't lost anything.

After muttering his fears, Deng Chao suddenly had an idea.

He leaned close to Zeng Xian's ear and whispered slyly, "Since he's such a big shot, shouldn't we try to curry favor with him?"

"Who knows, maybe our Heavenly Tyrant Sect could benefit from it!"

Zeng Xian looked at Deng Chao, his eyes narrowing into slits, gleaming with a crafty light.

"Great minds think alike."

"But first, let's break the formation and get out of here!"

Zeng Xian said.

Deng Chao nodded.

The two took out the Sacred Mountain Underground Palace's exclusive Jade Tablets and, working together, finally deactivated the formation.

The group finally stepped out of the Sacred Mountain Underground Palace and breathed in the fresh air.

At that moment.

A light flashed in the sky.

Everyone looked up and saw a red letter flying toward them from the horizon.

The two stared at the sudden arrival of the letter, confused.

They didn't know where it came from or what it contained.

But red letters were reserved for classified correspondences within the Nine Realms, a fact known to all its powerful figures.

So, even without knowing its origin, the two solemnly accepted the letter and opened it to read.

As their eyes scanned the contents, their faces turned pale with horror.

"It's over, something terrible has happened!" Deng Chao exclaimed in panic. "The Spirit Realm is doomed!"

"Not just the Spirit Realm!"

Zeng Xian was equally frantic.

"What are we going to do?!"

Faced with such a catastrophe, the two of them were at a loss!

The entire Spirit Realm was on the brink of being consumed by demonic energy, and it would likely spread to the rest of the Nine Realms. Against such a force, their efforts would be as futile as an ant trying to shake a tree!

"Maybe... we should go find that esteemed one?" Deng Chao whispered tentatively. "This is too big for us to handle alone. Let's seek his advice?"

Zeng Xian thought for a moment before nodding gravely. "Alright, let's go!"

"Patriarchs, may we accompany you?"

The other members of the sect, their faces grave and filled with unease, quickly gathered around Zeng Xian and Deng Chao.

"Strength in numbers! It's better to stick together and brainstorm solutions!"

"Let's all go!"

Zeng Xian quickly agreed.

In the face of such a monumental crisis, he knew better than to cling to distinctions between upper and lower sects. Unity was the only way forward!