Chapter 202 – The Sacrifice to Break the Seal

“————”

Silence.

A deathly stillness.

At this moment, regardless of who they were—the steady Bai Ruxiang or the scheming Xu Yanyan—everyone’s minds went blank upon hearing Wang Yihan’s sudden revelation, leaving them unable to react.

Even Su Ming wore an expression of profound astonishment behind his mask.

No one could have anticipated that Wang Yihan would suddenly disclose such a shocking secret, nor could they have imagined that such a terrifying event lay hidden beneath the land of Longyao City.

Beneath this land was sealed a King of Phantom Demons.

No.

To be more precise, it was beneath these Ruins that a King of Phantom Demons was sealed.

This was a Devil King who had once turned the surface world into a living hell.

A fearsome existence that required the combined strength of an entire era merely to be sealed away.

As far as Su Ming knew, from ancient times to the present, there had been only one such being.

As mentioned in the distant past, a terrifying Hazardous Species had once crossed over from the Spirit Demon Abyss into the present world.

Its power was immensely dreadful, capable of effortlessly moving mountains and filling seas, causing the heavens to collapse and the earth to split—truly a natural disaster incarnate, leaving all of humanity helpless.

In the human world, it was common knowledge among Professionals that a Four-Star Professional could barely handle a Hazardous Species, a Five-Star Professional could defeat one, a Six-Star Professional could barely contend with a Nightmare Species, and only a Seven-Star Professional—the highest rank—could overcome a Nightmare Species.

Yet the terrifying Hazardous Species, standing at the pinnacle of Phantom Demon evolution and representing the strongest, most fearsome existence in the Spirit Demon Abyss, remained nearly impossible to defeat even with the combined might of the most powerful Professionals.

This was the true Spirit Demon Abyss King, the apex of Phantom Demons. Even among the entire species of Phantom Demons, it was uncertain how many individuals had successfully evolved to this level.

Thus, throughout history, there had been only one terrifying Hazardous Species that crossed from the Spirit Demon Abyss into the present world.

And it was this single entity that nearly annihilated the entire human race, bringing humanity to the brink of extinction.

Some claimed that the surface world during that era was a dead land, a place of utter desolation.

The King of Phantom Demons, having crossed worlds, needed no army or followers; with its own power alone, it destroyed everything in its path.

Consequently, Base Cities fell one after another, and countless humans perished in that catastrophe, marking the greatest crisis in human history.

Later, through the desperate struggles of humanity at the time and the ultimate sacrifices of the strongest warriors, who gave their lives and everything they had, this sole terrifying Hazardous Species was finally sealed at a tremendous cost.

This major event was clearly recorded in historical texts. Though many dismissed this history due to its antiquity, it was an undeniable historical fact.

Of course, there were also many who treated this historical fact as a myth or legend.

In fact, in this era, those who regarded this historical fact as a myth or legend were in the majority.Now, Wang Yihan was telling Su Ming and the others that this matter was not only true, but the legendary King of Phantom Demons—the only Terror-class to ever manifest in history—was sealed right here.

How could this not shock and horrify everyone?

“Are you joking…?”

Someone murmured these words, though no one knew who.

But Wang Yihan shook her head, confirming the truth.

“Our Wang Family is actually a collateral branch of the Family where the heroes who sealed the King of Phantom Demons originated. We were sent to this land by the Family and entrusted with the mission of guarding this land and watching over the Seal.”

This was a secret known only to the direct descendants of the Wang Family.

“The ancestors of the Wang Family have guarded the Seal and these Ruins for generations. They even built their tombs atop the Ruins, vowing to remain as heroic spirits even after death, continuing to protect this place.”

“Thus, our Wang Family has been known among those in the know from the heart of the continent as the Tomb Guardians—guarding not only our own tombs but also the tomb of the sealed King of Phantom Demons.”

“After that, the Wang Family gradually joined forces with those who arrived on this land to build a new home and establish this Base City.”

This is the origin of Longyao City and its true purpose.

This Base City was built atop the Seal, serving as a lid covering it.

The Wang Family has guarded this place for generations, and even to this day, they have not forgotten this mission.

However…

“Someone wants to break this Seal and release the King of Phantom Demons sealed here.”

Wang Yihan’s words shocked everyone.

They all knew exactly whom Wang Yihan was referring to.

“Is it the people of 『Sin』?” Xu Yanyan asked, her face full of shock. “Have they gone mad? How dare they do such a thing?”

That is the Terror-class standing at the pinnacle of Phantom Demons, the true ruler of the Spirit Demon Abyss, a calamity capable of ravaging the earth and utterly annihilating the human race!

Although the members of 『Sin』 are Underground Professionals, they are still human, and Phantom Demons are their natural enemies.

Now, they actually want to release the most terrifying Phantom Demon and let it revive on the surface?

If that happens, the human race will face extinction, and they too will vanish along with it!

How could anyone expect a bloodthirsty Phantom Demon to spare its delicious prey?

It’s simply impossible!

In that case, why would they do this?

Unfortunately, even Wang Yihan couldn’t answer this question.

“I… I don’t know why they want to do this either!” Wang Yihan said, tears welling in her eyes. “But they truly intend to break the Seal here, and to do so, they performed a ritual, using our Wang Family as living sacrifices!”

Hearing this, even Bai Ruxiang couldn’t help but speak up.

“So, the ritual those people performed in these Ruins was actually meant to break the Seal?”

Bai Ruxiang’s words sent a shudder through everyone present.

But it seemed this was indeed the case.

“To break the Seal, the blood of our Wang Family is indispensable.”

Wang Yihan’s words were not her own conclusion but something her father had told her.

“My father told me that our Tomb Guardians inherit the blood of the human heroes who originally cast the Seal. Therefore, to break the Seal here, the blood of our Wang Family must be used.”Moreover, this blood must possess sufficiently high purity—it need not reach the level of the human hero who originally cast the Seal, but it cannot fall too far short.

After all, Bloodlines inevitably change over generations of inheritance and dissemination.

The Wang Family has also introduced external bloodlines over time, making it impossible for their Bloodline to remain identical to its original state.

Only direct descendants of the Wang Family, who strive to maintain high Bloodline purity, are eligible for inclusion. Those who fail are relegated to collateral branches, making their blood essential for breaking the Seal.

The 『Sin』 organization, while unaware of this specific detail, understood that Wang Family blood was indispensable for lifting the Seal.

Thus, they attacked the Wang Family, capturing numerous members to use as living sacrifices in a ritual to break the Seal.

However, the collateral branches’ Bloodline purity was insufficient. No matter how many were sacrificed, the Seal could not be fully undone.

Ultimately, they targeted the only two remaining direct descendants: Wang Xiao and Wang Yihan.

“If the ritual hadn’t been mysteriously disrupted and forced to halt, we might have become sacrifices, and the terrifying King of Phantom Demons would have broken free from the Seal.”

As she spoke, Wang Yihan tightened her embrace around the Sword in her arms.

“This was the only chance Heaven granted us to resist. So my father chose to sacrifice himself to thwart 『Sin』’s plans and sent me away.”

Thus, Wang Yihan became the sole remaining sacrifice capable of breaking the Seal.

Everyone present immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.

“So the Seal hasn’t been broken yet, right?” Xu Yanyan couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

“And as long as Young Miss Wang isn’t captured by 『Sin』, the Seal cannot be undone,” Bai Ruxiang added calmly, instantly pinpointing the crux.

Su Ming understood her implication.

“It seems we must protect you at all costs and prevent you from falling into 『Sin』’s hands,” Su Ming said, his gaze settling on Wang Yihan.

He knew this was the only way to stop 『Sin』.

Of course, not everyone shared this view.

For instance, Xu Yanyan’s eyes flickered slightly.

She was tempted to suggest that since Wang Yihan was now the only key to breaking the Seal, eliminating her would permanently secure the dangerous Seal.

But she ultimately held her tongue.

Such a proposal was truly inappropriate.

The Wang Family ancestors were not only the founders of Longyao City but also descendants of heroes. For generations, the Wang Family had guarded this crucial Seal without complaint, enduring countless sacrifices.

Destroying these heroic descendants merely to keep the Seal intact would be unjustifiable.

Unless there were truly no other options…

Dangerous thoughts flitted through Xu Yanyan’s mind before she quickly dismissed them.

To prevent these risky ideas from taking root, she chose to change the subject.

“What should we do now?” Xu Yanyan’s question drew everyone’s attention to Su Ming.

As the only Upper-Rank Professional present, Su Ming had naturally become their leader.

Now that the Ruins’ secrets were uncovered, everyone had their own thoughts on how to proceed—but the final decision rested with Su Ming.Yet Su Ming did not hesitate in the slightest.

“Let’s take this Wang Family Eldest Miss and quickly leave these Ruins to regroup with the others.”

Su Ming made this decision without the slightest hesitation.

The matter was of grave importance—even he dared not act recklessly alone now.

His only thought was to escort Wang Yihan safely out of this place and hand her over to the major factions of Longyao City for centralized protection.

Only in this way could they maximally prevent the encroachment of Sin and the implementation of the plan.

Unfortunately…

“How regrettable, but you must remain here.”

When these words echoed through the air, the oppressive and heavy atmosphere finally erupted completely.

(End of Chapter)