Chapter 791: Caught Off Guard

"Stop!"
"Let us try!"

At the critical moment, Chen Xian and Huang Zhen, carrying a large water vat, rushed towards Xiong Tian, stepping through the air.

The contents of the vat, a mixture of feces and water, had previously proven effective in cleansing the dark energy within their bodies. Although they were unsure if it would work on Xiong Tian, who was on the verge of demonic transformation, they decided to give it a try.

The sudden appearance of the two, carrying a vat of foul liquid, caught everyone's attention. The momentary pause in their attacks allowed Chen Xian and Huang Zhen to close the distance to Xiong Tian.

Exchanging a glance, they didn't hesitate. They lifted the vat and hurled its contents at Xiong Tian.

"Splash!"

The foul liquid drenched Xiong Tian completely.

Seeing this, Elder Zhen's face turned pale with anger. Stomping his feet, he shouted, "This is madness!"

But as soon as he finished speaking, the dark energy surrounding Xiong Tian, which had been raging like a wildfire, was extinguished as if doused with water.

Xiong Tian collapsed weakly to the ground.

"What?"
"This..."

Everyone was stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief at the sudden disappearance of the dark energy.

Even Elder Zhen, who had just picked up his cane, dropped it again in shock.

However, they quickly regained their composure and rushed towards Xiong Tian.

"Xiong Tian."
"Brother Xiong Tian."
"Are you okay?"
"Are you back to normal?"

The crowd gathered around Xiong Tian, still cautious but with hope shining in their eyes.

"I..."
"I'm fine."

Xiong Tian looked up at everyone, realizing belatedly, "The dark energy inside me... it's all gone."

His words were like a spark igniting a firework, instantly lighting up the scene.

"Whoosh!"

Exclamations of amazement erupted one after another.

Tears of joy streamed down their faces as they turned their gazes towards Chen Xian and Huang Zhen.

"That vat... it worked, it really worked! It truly is a treasure! Chen Xian and Huang Zhen weren't lying!" someone exclaimed.

"We told you it would work!" Huang Zhen shouted, though he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret as he looked at the half-empty vat. They had been so careful, scooping it up bit by bit, not daring to waste a single drop. Now, more than half of it was gone in an instant. It was heartbreaking.

If only they had thought to dunk Xiong Tian into the vat instead of splashing him!

"Chen Xian, Huang Zhen, I was wrong to doubt you. I apologize," Elder Zhen said, leaning on his cane as he approached, his voice trembling with emotion. "Please, tell us everything. Where did this... this spiritual liquid come from?"

"It came from the Tianlan Mountains," Chen Xian explained, detailing how they had discovered the liquid and how it had cleansed the dark energy from their bodies.

"This must be the excrement of an ancient divine beast, something from the dawn of creation!" Elder Zhen exclaimed, tears welling up in his eyes. "Heaven has not abandoned us! With this, our burden is greatly reduced!"

As Chen Xian and Huang Zhen finished their explanation, the crowd erupted in cheers, their eyes filled with hope for the first time.

It was hard to imagine just how crucial this vat of spiritual liquid was to them, and how timely its arrival had been.

The dark energy within them had been a nightmare they couldn't escape. No matter how much they cultivated, they couldn't expel it. Even staying far from the boundary walls didn't help. But now, this lingering curse finally had a solution.

However, as they realized the potency of the spiritual liquid, they couldn't help but feel a pang of regret at the amount that had been wasted on the ground. Still, saving Xiong Tian's life was worth it.

Immediately, Elder Zhen ordered the construction of an altar in the desolate land.

With their combined strength, the altar was completed in just half a day.

The vat of spiritual liquid was placed atop the altar, and Elder Zhen led the group in setting up a protective formation around it. The formation served two purposes: to safeguard the liquid from accidental damage and to contain its odor.

Even with the formation in place, within three days, the once-barren land around the altar began to show signs of life. Small blades of grass started to sprout.

"These blades of grass are like our Nine Realms, born in adversity, full of hope for life," Elder Zhen said, crouching down and gently touching the grass with his aged hands, a smile on his face.

"Yes," Xiong Tian agreed, crouching beside him, his face filled with emotion. He glanced at the hundreds of tombstones in the distance and sighed. "If only we had discovered this spiritual liquid earlier, my junior sister and the other human experts might not have had to..."

"The heavens will remember them," Elder Zhen said softly, patting Xiong Tian on the shoulder.

Boom!

At that moment, a deafening explosion shook the heavens and the earth.

The tremor was felt across the entire Immortal Realm and the Eight Realms.

Everyone, no matter where they were, felt the ground beneath them shake.

"What's happening?"
"What's going on?"
"Has some treasure been unearthed?"
"Has something emerged from the earth?"

Speculations and questions arose from every corner of the world.

"It's the boundary wall!" Elder Zhen and the others in the desolate land were the first to react.

Elder Zhen, in particular, felt a sinking feeling in his heart, a sense of foreboding.

"It's coming from the Spirit Realm!" Xiong Tian said gravely.

At the same time, other experts near the boundary wall gathered, their faces tense as they looked to Elder Zhen for guidance.

"Some of you, stay here and guard this place! The rest, follow me to the Spirit Realm!" Elder Zhen commanded without hesitation. With a wave of his hand, a spirit vessel appeared in the sky.

Led by Elder Zhen, dozens of people quickly boarded the vessel, which then shot off like a beam of light, disappearing into the horizon.

Two days later, the spirit vessel arrived in the Spirit Realm.

Everyone on board was silent.

As they approached the boundary wall, they saw vast stretches of land consumed by darkness, blotting out the sky and leaving nothing alive.

Several cities within the darkness had already become lifeless ruins.

The endless darkness was still spreading, slowly but surely.

In the areas about to be engulfed, countless humans and beasts were fleeing, forming long lines of refugees. Cries, screams, and wails filled the air, painting a picture of a living hell.

Amid the fleeing masses were humans and beasts shrouded in dark mist.

These corrupted beings, like zombies, attacked everyone in their path.

Human experts had organized resistance, but against the growing horde of demonic creatures, their efforts were quickly crushed.

"It's over..." Elder Zhen staggered back on the spirit vessel, collapsing to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Elder Zhen!" The others rushed to support him, their faces filled with unprecedented gravity.

Just as they had found hope in the spiritual liquid, this sudden turn of events had caught them completely off guard.

It was all too sudden, too overwhelming.