When Wang Nan first met Nangong Wan, he heard him say that the Holy Spirit Cult worshipped a Spirit Beast in Dongyang City, and this Spirit Beast's strength even surpassed that of their Cult Master.
If what he said was true, this Spirit Beast at least possessed strength comparable to a human Limit Douluo. And Wang Nan had coincidentally met a Spirit Beast of such strength before, also in the sea near Dongyang City.
Now, taking this opportunity to visit Dongyang City, Wang Nan confirmed his suspicion. The aura of this Spirit Beast had already emanated from underground, identical to the one he encountered in the ocean back then.
Xuanji Douluo and Xingyun Douluo had already flown towards the battle when they detected the fluctuations outside Dongyang City, but before they arrived, they saw the entire Dongyang City begin to shake.
Lime and dust fell from the buildings in the city, and some structures, even with the support of Soul Guidance Devices, could not withstand the shaking; walls cracked, roofs collapsed, and a continuous 'rumbling' sound came from underground.
The water in wells and various pipes seemed to boil, constantly surging and churning. The underground waterways and water dungeons were already submerged by seawater, and those still inside were instantly immersed in the seawater, struggling helplessly.
However, even with such a major upheaval outside, the people in the city were still deep in sleep, though the expressions on their faces were extremely contorted, as if enduring immense pain.
Only the Soul Masters still on duty atop the city walls looked frantically towards the ocean, guessing whether the Spirit Beasts in the sea had launched another attack.
Inside the underground structure in the northern part of Dongyang City, a black-robed man bowed towards an altar. "My Lord, there is still some time until the day of our operation, why do you act now?"
"What good are more ordinary sacrifices compared to Soul Masters? Many people have come tonight; it is the perfect time to act." "My Lord, but this is not what we agreed upon—"
"Silence!"
Even with the cultivation of a Titled Douluo, the black-robed man felt his whole body numb under this reprimand, his limbs becoming disobedient.
"When is it your place to interfere with my affairs?"
As his voice fell, cracks appeared in the surrounding walls of the black-robed man's location, and seawater had already surged in.
The ground outside Dongyang City split open with cracks, and from within those cracks, red and purple lights ascended. For a time, the entire Dongyang City, dozens of nearby villages, and a large area of sea north of Dongyang City were enveloped by these two colors of light.
"What happened?" Titan Warhammer Douluo looked around, his face already serious. Within the red and purple lights, he also felt a pang of fear.
"Mother!" The black-robed man who had brought Sealing God Douluo out earlier exclaimed, and with a flash, his figure merged into the seawater and disappeared.
"Teacher, what is this?"
In his spiritual sea, Huo Yuhao had already called out to Electrolux.
"This is a Formation, and it is a Blood Sacrifice Formation."
"What?" Even with Huo Yuhao's mental force, his expression changed. "Such a large Blood Sacrifice Formation?"
"Indeed." Electrolux's voice sounded. "Although most of the Formation lines are underground and I cannot see them clearly yet, this Formation undoubtedly gathers the power of all life within it into one place. As for its purpose, I cannot guess until I see the complete Formation."
A Blood Sacrifice Formation, it truly seemed like the method of an Evil Soul Master.
Huo Yuhao's mental force surged out without restraint, but the boundaries of the entire Blood Sacrifice Formation still exceeded the range of his spiritual detection.
"Teacher, can you break this Formation?"
"I also have some understanding of Formations. As long as I find all the Formation cores, I can try."
Huo Yuhao finished communicating with Electrolux in his spiritual sea, and he suddenly opened his eyes to look at the two Seniors, Suixing and Julang, in front of him.
"Seniors, this is a Blood Sacrifice Formation set up by the Holy Spirit Cult."
"(Star Luo curse word), they're treating us as sacrifices." Titan Warhammer Douluo rubbed the back of his head. "What do we do now? Do we just fight our way out?"
"Seniors, I can try to break the Formation, but I need your help."
"Since we're in the Sun Moon Empire, don't we have a way to escape directly?" Titan Warhammer Douluo was speaking when he suddenly saw Huo Yuhao's determined gaze. After a moment of stunned, he nodded again. "Alright, we'll do as you say."
"Wait." Sealing God Douluo, who was nearby, was after all a Titled Douluo. After his restraints were removed, his complexion had improved considerably. He flew unsteadily into the air. "I can also lend a hand."
Deep in the sea, countless Spirit Beasts of strange shapes were meditating. Their upper bodies were no different from humans,
with long blue hair flowing in the seawater, but their lower bodies were large fish tails, gently swaying with the currents.
One of these mermaid Spirit Beasts wore a golden crown, and the golden scales on her body indicated her identity as the Sea Princess.
The Sea Princess, who was in cultivation, suddenly opened her eyes. Before her was a semi-transparent figure that was all too familiar.
"Mother."
Upon hearing this, two clear tears flowed from the Sea Princess's eyes. After touching the seawater, the tears quickly turned into golden pearls.
"My child, why are you here?"
"Mother, I have broken free from that human Soul Master's control. This is not the time for reminiscing; please quickly take our people and leave here."
"No, my child, although you have returned, our anger towards humans will not cease. They must pay the price."
"Mother, the Spirit Beast that led you to attack humans has long since reached an agreement with them. If you continue to stay here, you will only become its food."
"What did you say?"
The Sea Princess's voice suddenly rose, startling many mermaid Spirit Beasts around her, who all looked towards her.
However, before the semi-transparent mermaid figure could explain, the seawater in the deep sea suddenly churned.
The Sea Princess was extremely sensitive to changes in the ocean. At this moment, the familiar sea was becoming incredibly ferocious.
"My child, Mother should not have doubted you."
The Sea Princess made a decision in an instant. Without speaking, her mental force spread out, awakening the other mermaid Spirit Beasts around her.
The Sea Princess's golden tail swayed, and her figure had already reached the surface of the sea. As her people continuously retreated, she looked back towards Dongyang City.
It was this glance that showed her a colossal golden figure, connecting heaven and earth, standing in mid-air.
The golden long staff in his hand was immense; one end was held between his hands, and the other was plunged into the earth.
As the long staff descended, a shrill, angry roar pierced the sky.