Chapter 431 – "It Has Awakened."

“What?”

“What did he do?”

“What kind of Spell Formula is that?”

“Why is the circular array white?”

“I’ve never seen a circular array of that color before!”

Li Wu’s agonized screams caused all the experts observing Su Ming to widen their eyes in astonishment.

Even Old Ling and Li Feng, who were locked in fierce combat, were taken aback.

“A white circular array?”

Old Ling was momentarily bewildered.

Li Feng’s expression shifted abruptly as he stared at Li Wu, his eyes finally revealing a trace of fear.

“Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!”

Li Wu writhed on the ground, clutching his head as if enduring the most excruciating torture imaginable. His temples bulged, veins throbbed violently, and his eyes protruded from their sockets. He screamed and rolled in agony, appearing to suffer beyond measure.

The sight shattered Li Feng’s usual cold indifference. He abruptly unleashed a Ghost Shadow to strike the distracted Old Ling, sending him flying, then charged toward Su Ming.

“Stop!”

Old Ling snapped back to his senses and attempted to pursue Li Feng.

But before he could, Su Ming’s Spirit Sense detected Li Feng’s movements.

Watching the mastermind behind the underground organization 『Sin』—the man shrouded in Ghost Shadows who had orchestrated everything leading to Longyao City’s downfall—Su Ming’s eyes flashed with sharp intensity.

“Hum!”

The pristine, jade-like circular array in his hand glowed and rotated, releasing an invisible wave of power that surged toward Li Feng.

“Boom!”

Just as Li Feng prepared to launch a long-range Ghost Shadow attack toward Su Ming, the invisible force erupted in his mind, transforming into a tangible assault that ravaged his consciousness.

“Grahhhh!”

Li Feng’s movement faltered, and he cried out in agony, plummeting from mid-air and crashing heavily to the ground.

In that moment, Li Feng finally understood Li Wu’s torment and the reason for his loss of composure.

An unprecedented, searing pain engulfed Li Feng’s mind, forcing even this ruthless underground King to scream in anguish.

The bizarre scene sent chills down the spines of many onlookers.

Of course, a few quickly grasped what was happening.

“A mental attack?”

“A Soul attack!”

“Could it be Old Qin’s 【Soul Lock】?”

“Has Su Ming not only mastered the 【Dawn Star Orbit】 technique but also learned 【Soul Lock】?”

“But 【Soul Lock】 is an auxiliary Spell Formula—shouldn’t its circular array be black?”

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances.

Even Old Ling furrowed his brow momentarily in confusion.

“If it were Old Qin’s 【Soul Lock】, it should only render the target unconscious, not cause such intense suffering, right?”

Indeed, Old Qin’s 【Soul Lock】 would not inflict such agony.

But Su Ming was not using the auxiliary Spell Formula 【Soul Lock】. Instead, he had employed the technique born from his refinement of 【Soul Lock】—【Illusion Impact】.

This Spell Formula was far more aggressive than 【Soul Lock】, delivering a terrifying impact on the mind and Soul. It could cause excruciating pain in mild cases, and in severe instances, lead to mental breakdown or Soul collapse—far surpassing what 【Soul Lock】 could achieve.If not for the fact that the Li Brothers had long been entrenched in the underground world, ruthless and merciless, having witnessed countless horrors and endured endless filth, their wills were far more resolute than ordinary people’s, they might not even have had the chance to feel pain—they would have already become living corpses under the assault of 【Illusion Impact】.

Being able to feel pain, to remain mentally intact and avoid soul collapse, was already a testament to their extraordinary willpower.

However, Su Ming’s 【Illusion Impact】 was simply too terrifying, causing their minds and souls to endure torment and ravage even amidst the pain.

If things continued this way, it was only a matter of time before they lost their sanity and their souls shattered.

Perhaps sensing their impending fate and gripped by an intense sense of crisis, Li Feng, while desperately enduring the agony, let out a low, furious roar.

“Li Wu!”

The agonized roar brought a brief moment of clarity to Li Wu’s eyes, who was also suffering immensely.

The tacit understanding between brothers allowed Li Wu to understand what Li Feng wanted him to do.

Without hesitation, Li Wu acted.

“Go! To! Hell!”Amidst his hysterical roar, Li Wu hurled the Pandora Modified in his hand fiercely into the sky.”

“Clang!”

The black box symbolizing calamity soared into the air and suddenly lit up, radiating a blinding brilliance.

The light dyed the entire Sacrificial Ground crimson and sent tremors through the hearts of everyone present, their faces contorted with terror.

An unprecedented sense of crisis surged within everyone at that moment.

“Hurry!”

Old Ling’s heart seemed to stop as he stared at the Pandora Modified thrown into the air. Without a second thought, he cried out in alarm.

“Get out!”

Hearing Old Ling’s words, the group of Seven-Star Professionals wasted no time. Every single one of them exerted their utmost strength, transforming into streaks of afterimages as they frantically rushed toward the exit of the Sacrificial Ground.

In contrast, Old Ling flashed toward the direction of the Altar.

He intended to unleash the Forbidden Art before the worst could happen, to restore the Seal in this place.

But it was too late.

“Whoosh!”

Su Ming abruptly appeared beside Old Ling in a shower of starlight, grabbing hold of him.

“Su Ming?”

Old Ling whipped his head around to look at Su Ming.

“Go!”

Su Ming offered no explanation and did not allow Old Ling to sacrifice himself. After seizing him, he immediately transformed into a trail of starlight and shot upward into the sky.

“Boom!!!”

The black box in mid-air finally reached its limit and exploded violently, triggering an earth-shattering blast that filled the entire Sacrificial Ground.

The Sacrificial Ground, which had already been teetering on the brink after enduring the aftermath of numerous powerful battles, could no longer withstand the cataclysmic explosion and crumbled with a deafening roar.

The terrifying blast burst through the Sacrificial Ground, surging into the entire Underground Ruins, causing them to instantly disintegrate into a heap of rubble.

“Boom!!!”

As the earth trembled violently and the thunderous roar echoed like a peal from the Nine Heavens, a corner of Longyao City collapsed.

Terrifying flames erupted skyward from underground, as if an underground volcano had erupted, drawing countless terrified and panicked gazes from the people.Even those who had already fled Longyao City and taken refuge elsewhere could sense the commotion. Staring at the towering flames shooting into the sky, they were all struck dumb, panicked, and terrified.

“Brother Su Ming…”

“Commander…”

An Zijin, Chi Qian, Mu Yan, Feng Qing’er, Tong Xinyao, and others stood alongside Su Ming’s parents on a hill some distance from Longyao City. Watching the raging flames surge skyward from the city, their faces couldn’t help but show deep concern.

Xu Qianqian was also gazing toward Longyao City, her typically cool eyes now turbulent with worry.

Everyone who knew Su Ming, and even those who didn’t, stared silently in the direction of Longyao City for a long time.

As for those still trapped within Longyao City, they had long been overwhelmed by their own survival struggles.

Longyao City, now transformed into a sea of flames and ruins, trembled once more under this catastrophe, shaken by violent earthquakes.

Some people fled in panic, others chased one another, some engaged in relentless battles, while many abandoned others to save themselves—a vivid display of human nature in crisis.

The Wang Family Tomb, where the underground ruins were located, completely collapsed, reduced to ashes amidst the flames.

Only the Seven-Star Professionals, as if pursued by waves of fire, desperately fled from the epicenter of the blaze. Yet they were still blasted away by the erupting flames, each one tossed like kites with cut strings, soon disappearing amid the ruins scattered throughout Longyao City.

Among them was Li Wu, the one who had detonated Pandora Modified, unleashing the weapon’s original function and destructive power.

“Cough!”

Li Wu was struck by the explosive flames, his skin blistering and peeling all over his body. Crashing into a burning ruined building, covered in wounds, he violently spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Whoosh!”

Above the soaring flames, a burst of starlight suddenly appeared, materializing into Su Ming’s form. Grasping Old Ling, he rode the blast waves, effortlessly gliding away.

Among all who had entered the underground ruins, Su Ming was likely the only one who could escape so gracefully and completely unscathed.

Naturally, Old Ling, protected by Su Ming, was also largely unharmed, though his expression remained grim.

“The Seal that endured for a thousand years has ultimately been destroyed.”

Old Ling’s face was etched with profound sorrow.

Unlike Old Ling, who was prone to sentimentality, Su Ming felt somewhat relieved as he watched the still-raging flames shooting skyward.

It had to be admitted—the Li Brothers, having operated in the underworld for years, were truly ruthless.

Even though they were caught in the blast themselves, they had detonated Pandora without hesitation, catching Su Ming off guard and nearly preventing him from reacting in time.

Fortunately, Pandora’s power had been significantly depleted by Li Wu beforehand, preventing it from unleashing its full potential. Moreover, the Sacrificial Ground within the underground ruins was resilient enough to absorb much of the explosion’s force. Otherwise, Longyao City might have truly been blown sky-high.

As it stood, only the entire underground ruins were destroyed—which, in Su Ming’s view, wasn’t the worst outcome.

Old Ling, however, saw things differently.

He believed the current situation was undoubtedly disastrous.

“Why did you stop me?” Old Ling asked, his face bitter.

“What else could I do?” Su Ming glanced at him. “Watch you go to your death?”

Old Ling fell silent.

He would rather have died in the underground ruins, if only it could have served its intended purpose.But now, everything was too late.

“An explosion of this magnitude is enough to directly awaken the being slumbering underground.”

Old Ling spoke in a dazed manner.

“The worst-case scenario has still occurred.”

As soon as his words fell, an anomaly occurred.

“Rumble—”

The tremors caused by the soaring flames did not subside with the passage of time but instead intensified.

“Boom!”

A demonic force, like a second invisible volcanic eruption, scattered the flames, dispersed the atmosphere, and shot straight into the clouds.

“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■!!!”

A terrifying roar erupted from underground, echoing across the sky.

Horror.

Fear.

Shock.

Despair.

Various emotions surged into the hearts of everyone in succession.

“It has awakened.”

Old Ling murmured as if in a trance.

Su Ming also gazed downward, his eyes flickering.

(End of Chapter)