Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 190 The Demon Lord Descends: The Great Qian Dynasty Has Passed Away?

The moment the black-robed leader finished speaking, the six black-robed protectors moved.

They ceased their seated postures and rose like ghosts, splitting into six wisps of black smoke that rushed towards Zhang Nanshan, Tianbao Zhenren, Qi Lan, the Feng brothers, and the monks of Jingang Temple! Each person's chosen opponent was highly targeted, and amidst the billowing black smoke, the sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling filled the air, instantly separating the righteous path members and plunging them into a situation of fighting for themselves.

"Stop them! Protect Sect Leader Su!" Zhang Nanshan shouted fiercely, his wine gourd glowing red again as he met the oncoming plume of black smoke. Tianbao Zhenren drew lightning with his peach wood sword and engaged in a fierce battle with another protector. Qi Lan's sharp claws tore through the wind, Feng Lie's jade talismans exploded repeatedly, and Feng Changyuan scattered medicinal powder, but all were tightly entangled by their respective opponents.

The "Vajra Subduing Demon Formation" formed by the eighteen warrior monks of Vajra Temple shone brightly with golden light, and withstood the fierce attack of the two black-robed guardians. The bell-shaped phantom trembled violently, and the Sanskrit spirit flickered, but in the end, it protected Su Wan and Chen Anran in the formation.

The black-robed leader's crimson gaze never left Su Wan. He didn't participate in the attack; instead, he calmly took a step forward, black energy surging from his body like a tide, coalescing behind him into a twisted, tall, blurry demonic shadow. Two points of crimson light, identical to the leader's, shone from the shadow's eyes, locked onto Su Wan, who was protected by the golden bell.

"Perfect spiritual guidance... Why struggle? To become a part of my Lord and witness the coming of the new world is the highest glory!"

Chen Anran didn't retreat an inch, firmly standing in front of Su Wan. He whispered to Su Wan, "If this shield breaks in a moment, turn around and run."

Before the words were finished, the demonic shadow behind the black-robed leader suddenly expanded, and a huge ghostly claw formed from pure black energy slammed down from the air, smashing hard onto the golden giant bell formed by the Vajra Subduing Demon Formation!

"Thump—!!!"

The deafening roar of the bell made people's eardrums ache. Ripples surged wildly on the surface of the golden bell phantom, the Sanskrit characters flickered and dimmed rapidly, and even some fine cracks appeared! The eighteen warrior monks groaned in unison, and blood trickled from the corners of the mouths of the younger monks whose cultivation was slightly weaker, but their formation did not break, and their chanting became even more magnificent and tragic.

"Hmph, your shell's tough enough." The black-robed leader sneered, a fierce glint flashing in his crimson eyes. He clasped his hands together abruptly. "Watch me break your bald monk's formation!"

Behind him, the demonic shadow roared silently to the sky, its claws outstretched, carrying an even stronger aura of Yin and death, like two giant black hammers, slamming down once more!

"Protect Sect Leader Su!" Master Haishan's eyes widened in fury. He bit his tongue hard, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the crescent-shaped shovel in his hand. The Sanskrit characters on the shovel instantly shone like the sun, proclaiming, "Buddha's light shines everywhere, all evil cannot invade!"

The other monks followed suit, using their blood essence to activate Buddhist teachings. The golden bell phantom suddenly solidified by three-tenths, and the cracks were temporarily repaired.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The ghostly claws bombarded relentlessly, each collision causing the golden bell to shake violently, its sacred light flickering between life and death. Within the barrier, black and gold light intertwined and annihilated wildly, their energy surging outwards, even causing the dark red substance on the ground to churn up.

Chen Anran could clearly hear the heavy breathing of the monks beside him and see the bulging veins on their foreheads and their pale faces.

This formation won't last long!

Looking elsewhere, Zhang Nanshan, Tianbao Zhenren, Liu Wuye and other Foundation Establishment cultivators, as well as Qi Lan and the Feng brothers, were only struggling to hold on. The weaker disciples from other sects were all injured and lying on the ground, unable to get up.

Just as the man in black robes said, they were almost invincible within this formation.

So even if he used all his magical artifacts, all he could do was stall for time and buy time for his senior sister to escape!

Just as the golden bell formed by the Vajra Subduing Demons Formation was on the verge of collapse due to the cracks spreading across its surface, another change occurred!

It wasn't from the trump card Chen Anran was about to unleash, nor from the righteous people who were struggling to hold on.

Instead, it came from the top of that white bone altar, from that constantly rolling and wailing dark red ball of light!

"Buzz—!!!"

A deep, resonant hum, seemingly originating from the deepest depths of the underworld yet powerful enough to shake the very soul, erupted from within the ball of light without warning!

Immediately afterward, the dark red ball of light shrank inward as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand, instantly obliterating all the distorted human face phantoms. Then, the ball of light expanded and exploded at a speed a thousand times greater!

There was no earth-shattering explosion; what exploded was a dense, impenetrable "blackness" that seemed capable of swallowing all light!

Everyone's movements, whether it was the vicious attack of the black-robed evil cultivator or the desperate resistance of the righteous cultivators, were frozen in place at this moment.

"It...it's a success?!" The black-robed leader forgot his attack. His crimson pupils contracted violently, bursting with uncontrollable ecstasy. He suddenly knelt down towards the center of the "blackness," his voice distorted with excitement: "Welcome my Lord to awaken! To descend upon this world!"

The other six black-robed protectors also hurriedly withdrew their attacks, knelt down in unison, their foreheads touching the ground, their bodies trembling slightly with awe.

The righteous people felt a chill in their hearts.

Zhang Nanshan's hand, gripping the wine gourd, was bulging with veins, and his face was deathly pale. The lightning on Tianbao Zhenren's peach wood sword had long since dimmed, and only horror remained in his eyes. Master Haishan and the Vajra Temple warrior monks maintained the formation, but everyone's face had lost all color. The golden bell-shaped phantom, in this boundless darkness and immense pressure, flickered like a candle in the wind, as if it would be extinguished completely at any moment.

Qi Lan, now in her original form as a black panther, let out a threatening growl like a wild beast, her body tense like a bow—the most instinctive reaction when facing absolute death. Feng Changyuan and Feng Lie stood back to back, the pills and jade talismans in their hands seemingly losing their weight, leaving only a profound sense of powerlessness.

Chen Anran stood in front of Su Wan, and he could feel his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

This is not even in the same league! It's like a firefly compared to the bright moon, or a stream compared to the vast ocean!

Senior Sister...

Chen Anran turned around abruptly, only to see that her senior sister had raised her head at some point, quietly gazing at the center of the darkness. Her face did not show the extreme fear or despair that others displayed; it remained calm. However, her usually gentle and kind eyes now reflected boundless darkness, so deep that they were unfathomable.

Just as everyone was nearly suffocated by the boundless pressure, the all-consuming "blackness" began to slowly recede and condense inward.

Finally, a human figure materialized at the top of what was originally the altar.

The figure was initially somewhat blurry, as if composed of the densest shadows. But soon, the outline became clear.

It was a man.

He wore a wide, dark robe with extremely simple and ancient-style sleeves. The robe had no patterns or decorations, yet it shimmered with a dark luster, as if the night sky had been cut and draped over his body. His long, ink-black hair was unbound and unadorned, cascading down his back with a few strands falling across his forehead.

"The Great Qianlong Era..."

"How much time has passed now?"