At the foot of the Great Wall, the blood had yet to dry, and corpses lay scattered across the ground.
The wind howled through the shattered battlements, carrying the metallic, coppery scent of blood. It was as if countless fallen soldiers' vengeful spirits were whispering in anguish. Though the battle had momentarily paused, the oppressive aura of death hung heavier than ever.
Li Tianyuan planted his long sword into the ground, breathing heavily. Sweat and blood mixed across his brow. Around him, Fu Yuan, Mu Changfeng, Mu Xueyin, and the surviving soldiers were battered, blood-soaked, yet their eyes burned with unwavering resolve.
Before they could regroup, a low, ominous hum suddenly resonated from deep within the city.
It was neither war drums nor horns—but something far stranger, far more sinister. The sound was like hundreds of restless spirits crying at their ears, like steel scraping stone, like the earth splitting open, carrying a chill that made one's soul shiver.
Fu Yuan's expression changed drastically as he looked up. "This… it's the sound of a formation!"
Before the words left his mouth, the central section of the Great Wall shuddered violently.
The ancient altar, once erected to honor past sages and offer prayers for peace, had become unrecognizable. Inverted runes crawled along the stone pillars, and blood-red light slithered like serpents, bright and searing. The divine seals meant to restrain demons had been forcibly twisted into a malevolent formation that devoured all life in its path.
"This is… the Inverse Spirit Blood Formation!" Mu Xueyin's voice trembled. Her delicate fingers clutched the spell seals so tightly that blood oozed from her palms.
A chilling laugh echoed from the crimson fog.
"Ha ha… your hard-fought slaughter serves us perfectly."
Ten or more black-robed figures emerged from the blood-red mist. They wore grotesque bone armor and pale masks, revealing only their glowing red eyes—dead spirits returned from hell.
At the forefront, a figure held a staff crowned with countless shattered skulls fused together into a macabre ornament.
"Bone Spirit Lord!" Fu Yuan growled through gritted teeth. "It's the Inverse Spirit Sect!"
The Bone Spirit Lord raised his staff slowly. His voice was hoarse, metallic, like rusted iron scraping. "The Great Wall guards more than territory—it guards the hearts of men. Should hearts collapse, the world itself turns against order. Today, the blood sacrifice begins, and heaven and earth shall overturn!"
Li Tianyuan's eyes narrowed, veins standing out on his hands as he gripped his sword. "So… you deliberately provoked this battle, using our slaughter to gather the rage and blood essence to complete your evil formation!"
"Ha ha ha!" The Bone Spirit Lord laughed, spreading his arms wide.
Boom!
The blood formation roared to life. Crimson chains erupted from the ley lines beneath the Wall, wrapping around its foundations. Stones trembled, cracks spreading as if the Wall itself had been forcibly turned into an offering.
Simultaneously, ear-piercing screams echoed through the void.
They were not mortal cries—they were the trapped souls of soldiers buried here for centuries. One by one, vague spectral forms were dragged from the walls, soil, and memorial stones by the blood-red light. Their faces contorted in agony, screaming and struggling, only to be consumed by the formation.
Mu Xueyin felt her heart shatter, tears welling. "No… those are the souls of all the defenders who built this Wall! You dare humiliate them?"
Mu Changfeng roared in fury. His sword tore through the air, a rainbow of brilliant light aimed directly at the Bone Spirit Lord.
But the blood formation seemed alive. A massive crimson claw erupted, striking him with a thunderous impact. Mu Changfeng was thrown backward ten meters, blood surging in his chest.
"Ha ha ha!" The Bone Spirit Lord's laughter echoed. "Ignorant mortals! How can you resist the order of heaven? Once this sacrifice is complete, the gates of the Nether Abyss will open. Life and death will reverse—the living become the offerings, and the dead the masters. Humanity, without the Wall's protection, will be devoured!"
A cold chill ran through everyone.
Boom!
The heavens shook violently. From the heart of the Wall, a column of blood-red light shot into the sky. The wind stopped suddenly, and the world fell silent. Then an invisible force seemed to press down from the heavens.
All eyes lifted to the sky. A colossal rift had torn open, as if the blood-red light had ripped through the heavens themselves. From within the crack, black energy writhed like countless demons, clawing to escape.
"That is… the Nether Abyss!" Mu Xueyin gasped, her face pale.
Li Tianyuan's heart pounded.
The Nether Abyss, legend said, was the prison of ancient demon lords, the origin of cataclysms across all nations. Once fully opened, demons would flood the mortal realm, and Jiuzhou would become a living hell.
"We cannot let them succeed!" Li Tianyuan roared, surging with true energy. His sword slashed through the air, nine streams of light, like celestial rivers, pouring down toward the core of the blood formation.
Boom!
The sword struck, sending a towering wave of crimson splashing skyward—but it was instantly consumed by the formation.
The Bone Spirit Lord laughed. "Useless! The Inverse Spirit Blood Formation has already absorbed the power of millions of souls. Your feeble sword cannot shake it! Struggle further, and you only feed the offering!"
More blood specters rose from the formation—twisted half-human, half-demon creatures, shrieking as they charged at Li Tianyuan and his allies.
"Kill!" Fu Yuan roared, slashing one, but its blood was sucked into the formation.
Mu Changfeng fought with relentless fury, blood covering him, while Mu Xueyin forced forbidden incantations, burning her body to disperse the oncoming specters.
No matter how fiercely they fought, the formation continued to operate. The rift in the sky widened. From the Nether Abyss, a colossal black hand emerged, its shadow shaking heaven and earth. Its massive fingers, black as ink, could crush the world with ease.
"The Inverse Spirit Sect… they aim to summon the Demon Lord!" Fu Yuan's face turned ashen, his courage nearly shattered.
Li Tianyuan's gaze hardened. A wave of unprecedented urgency surged through him.
"We cannot retreat! One step back today, and billions of lives across Jiuzhou will become blood for their altar!"
He howled to the heavens, sword raised high, true energy erupting like a volcano. The red glow of the formation reflected in his eyes, igniting an even fiercer, unyielding will.
The Bone Spirit Lord stared at him, briefly startled, then laughed. "Excellent! The stronger the will, the greater our offering! Li Tianyuan, your blood and soul shall be the final key to the formation!"
Before his words ended, the blood formation trembled violently. Countless crimson chains shot out, latching onto Li Tianyuan.
The battlefield erupted in flames and chaos. It seemed the world had narrowed to nothing but blood, wailing, and impending destruction.
—The rift to the Nether Abyss had fully opened. The black hand slowly reached out, and the heavens and earth trembled in its shadow.
The true calamity had only just begun.