Chapter 1131: Sacrifice and Compromise

Surely they should all be fine,

Han Li thought to himself.

Right at this moment, a huge spatial hole appeared near the Eon Pagoda, and Wyrm 3, Lekima, and Qu Lin flew out from within.

The three of them were all carrying substantial injuries, particularly Wyrm 3, half of whose body was soaked in blood, but thankfully, none of them were in any life-threatening danger.

"I'm glad to see you made it out safely, Fellow Daoist Han. I was worried about you after we became separated, but it looks my concerns were unnecessary," Wyrm 3 said with a mixture of elation and relief in her voice.

"I was very fortunate to have made it out alive. You should take some time to rest and recuperate so we can get out of here as soon as possible," Han Li replied.

Lekima and Qu Lin were also quite relieved to see that Han Li was unharmed, and they immediately sat down with their legs crossed to tend to their own injuries.

......

In the Azure Silk Col of the Golden Origin Mountain Range.

It was nighttime, and all of the households in the ancient village were busy making supper.

Plumes of smoke were rising up from the chimneys of the houses in the village, and the village chief was seated at the table in his own front yard along with a few old friends, sipping on some home-brewed wine while his wife prepared food in the kitchen.

All of a sudden, a resounding boom rang out, and the entire Azure Silk Col shuddered violently. The table jumped up slightly into the air, and much of the wine in the bowls on the table came spilling out.

"When is this going to end?" the village chief grumbled as he hurriedly reached out to steady his bowl and the wine flagon.

"I just don't understand! What in our village could possibly be of such interest to those high and mighty immortals?" a dark-skinned elderly man sitting across from the village chief complained.

"I heard that some treasure had appeared in the Azure Silk Col, and many immortals came to visit the col before disappearing without any explanation. The remaining people have sealed up the col, so no one can access it now," a middle-aged man said.

"I don't care what they're doing as long as they don't ruin our spring," the village chief said in a concerned manner.

Another resounding boom rang out as they spoke, and unbeknownst to them, these were about to their final moments.

......

Inside White Head Valley, the ground was trembling violently amid bursts of thunderous rumbling.

Deep within the valley, many cultivators dressed in Almighty Sword Sect attire were gathered around the stone archway, and all of them were staring intently at the space beneath the archway, not daring to relax for even a single instant.

Right at this moment, a group of five or six figures emerged from the space there amid a flash of silver light, and looks of immense relief instantly appeared on the faces of the nearby Almighty Sword Sect cultivators at the sight of them.

It was none other than Lei Yuce's group that had emerged from the silver light.

Daoist Master Dao Yin's complexion was still looking rather pale, and there was an urgent look on his face, while Lei Yuce and the others were also looking far from pleased, so it was clear that something had gone wrong.

"Chen Chuan, have you completed the task I assigned to you?" Daoist Master Dao Yin asked.

A tall, male figure with a long, black beard stepped forward as he cupped his fist in a respectful salute and replied, "Yes, Master. I finished setting up everything close to a month ago, and I examined everything twice to ensure that there's nothing amiss."

"Give me the Dragon Tooth Key, then get out of here right now!" Daoist Master Dao Yin instructed in an urgent voice.

Chen Chuan's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he wanted to raise some questions, but didn't dare to do so. In the end, he could only flip a hand over to produce a crimson, crescent-shaped jade pendant, which he offered to Daoist Master Dao Yin with both hands.

"Let me do it in your stead, Master. Your injuries are too severe," Lei Yuce said with a grim expression.

"Do we really have to resort to that, Brother Lei?" Chen Chuan asked.

"We were unable to kill the Dark Heavens Devilish Deity or recover the Eon Divine Lamp, and the Eon Pagoda's defenses have already been breached. It won't be long before the people imprisoned in the pagoda come out of the secret area, and that'll spell disaster for the entire Golden Origin Immortal Region, so we have to act now," Lei Yuce replied in a grim voice.

"In order to activate the Dragon Tooth Destruction Array, someone has to stay in the array, and ten seconds following its activation, a string of explosions will take place. The majority of the power will be released into the secret area, but the residual power will still be enough to wipe out a good portion of the Golden Origin Mountain Range. Will you be able to make it out safely in your current condition?" Daoist Master Dao Yin asked in a concerned manner.

"Rest assured, Master, I'll be fine on my own," Lei Yuce assured with a smile.

"Senior Dao Yin, is there no other way? The foundations of our Heavenly Water Sect and your Almighty Sword Sect are both built upon the Golden Origin Mountain Range, so this will surely negatively impact both of our sects. On top of that, what about the countless innocent lives that will be lost? What have they done to deserve such a terrible fate?" Su Anqian asked with tightly furrowed brows.

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this, and it was clear that they echoed her concerns.

A hesitant look appeared on Daoist Master Dao Yin's face upon hearing, following which he heaved a forlorn sigh as he said, "I'm afraid we have no choice in the matter..."

"Allow me to explain," Lei Yuce interjected. "The Dragon Tooth Destruction Array was set up under direct orders from the Heavenly Court. They instructed us to blow up the entire secret area, but we didn't want to inflict such mass destruction upon the Golden Origin Mountain Range, so we ventured into the secret area with the objectives of killing the Dark Heavens Devilish Deity and recovering the Eon Divine Lamp.

“However, now that we've failed on both accounts, we have no choice but to execute the Heavenly Court's orders."

Su Anqian's expression changed slightly upon seeing this. She was aware of the weight of official orders from the Heavenly Court.

"If we had succeeded in our original plan, then we would've been seal away all of the beings imprisoned in the Eon Pagoda with the help of the Eon Divine Lamp, but now, we have no choice but to use the Dragon Tooth Destruction Array," Lei Yuce continued.

"If those beings previously imprisoned inside the pagoda manage to escape, then the Heavenly Court will be sure to intervene, and the consequences will be far more dire. Our Almighty Sword Sect will most likely be wiped out, and there's a good chance that your Heavenly Water Sect will also be held partly responsible. Hence, some sacrifices must be made," Daoist Master Dao Yin sighed.

As soon as his voice trailed off, another resounding boom rang out within the valley, and the ground began to tremble even more violently than before.

"The Eon Pagoda won't be able to hold itself together for much longer! We have to act now!" Daoist Master Dao Yin said in an urgent manner.

"Please leave this place at once, everyone. I'll activate the array on my own," Lei Yuce urged.

"Alright, I'll leave everything here to you, but make sure you return safely," Daoist Master Dao Yin replied after a brief hesitation, then handed the crescent-shaped jade pendant to Lei Yuce.

The pendant was riddled with complex patterns and slightly warm to the touch, and a solemn look appeared on Lei Yuce's face upon being entrusted with it.

"Be safe," Su Anqian said as she turned to depart, and Lei Yuce responded with a smile and a nod.

After that, everyone flew out of White Head Valley, leaving only Lei Yuce behind.

Su Anqian heaved a faint sigh as she flew over the serene little village in the Azure Silk Col.

Following everyone's departure, Lei Yuce rose up into the air, then joined his palms in front of his own chest with the Dragon Tooth Key clasped between them.

He then began to chant an incantation, and the entire White Head Valley began to tremble as a series of crescent-shaped stone pillars began rising up from the ground and the mountain faces surrounding the valley.

Before long, hundreds of black stone pillars that resembled sharp bones had emerged from the entire valley.

These stone pillars were etched with dense clusters of strange-looking runes that were dark red in color, giving off bursts of scorching heat and formidable spiritual power fluctuations.

Lei Yuce was feeling a little anxious as he held the jade pendant in his hand, but there was no time for him to hesitate as he tossed the Dragon Tooth Key forward.

The key ascended further into the heavens, hanging above the valley like a crimson moon.

Bursts of flashing light began emanating from the crimson moon, and the runes on the stone pillars below also began to flash in tandem.

All of a sudden, Lei Yuce brought his palms apart as he let loose a thunderous roar, and the crimson moon exploded into countless rays of crimson light that descended upon the stone pillars in the valley.

As these rays of light shone down onto the stone pillars, the runes engraved upon them brightened even further.

Meanwhile, Lei Yuce was already flying out of the valley as quickly as he could while commencing an internal countdown of ten seconds.

Immediately thereafter, another streak of light flew out of the valley before racing away in another direction.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

It was none other than Xiong Shan standing atop the Primordial Ancient Sword, and his speed wasn't inferior to Lei Yuce's in the slightest.

As soon as the ten-second countdown concluded, countless pillars of light in the shape of wolves' fangs erupted out of the earth in the Azure Silk Col, and the entire surrounding area within hundreds of kilometers completely erupted, as if a gargantuan creature had risen up after a long slumber.

Immediately thereafter, a layer of red light swept through the entire area, instantly vaporizing everything that it came into contact with.

The entirety of Spare Food Village was torn apart by gusts of ferocious wind even before the red light arrived, and all signs that the village had ever existed were erased in the blink of an eye.

Close to half of the entire Golden Origin Mountain Range began to collapse amid bursts of violent rumbling, resulting in the destruction of countless settlements and the loss of countless lives.