Da Xuan Martial Saint

"It seems you've also noticed,"

the chilling voice of Kun Wu, the Demon Venerable of the Sky Demon Sect, emanated from the Secluded Silent Valley: "Indeed, my Sky Demon Sect possesses a Sect-Suppressing Heavenly Demon. Why isn't the Supreme Elder of your Seven Profound Sect present? He must have been intercepted. With just you lot daring to provoke the might of the Heavenly Demon, if you don't retreat quickly, awakening our Sect's Heavenly Demon, you will be courting a catastrophic disaster!"

"Heh heh, what kind of evil path is your Sky Demon Sect that it can subdue a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon? There's no need to feign mystery. You are merely using the geography of Secluded Silent Valley to trap that Heavenly Demon, aren't you? If it breaks free, it remains uncertain who will be annihilated first!"

Upon hearing Kun Wu's words, Qi Zhiyuan could only sneer coldly.

If the Sky Demon Sect truly had the capability to subdue and command a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon, they would have used it to expel them long ago; they wouldn't have remained indifferent until now.

Moreover, judging by the formation of the Secluded Silent Valley, it seemed to be more about containment than outward aggression. After all, with such weak power displayed, it was clear that most of Earth Pulse's Power was being drawn inward to suppress that Heavenly Demon. Otherwise, even if the Seven Profound Sect came out in full force this time, breaching their Main Altar wouldn't have been so easy.

"Even if you're right, what of it?"

Kun Wu, the Demon Venerable, retorted coldly: "Would you dare to release the Heavenly Demon?"

As soon as these words were spoken,

the movements of the many Grandmasters present, including those of Feng Hongsheng and others, all slowed down, each person frowning at the predicament.

A Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon indeed posed an extremely terrifying threat. Although the numerous Grandmasters of the Seven Profound Sect present were not entirely without countermeasures, mishandling such a being could lead to extreme danger.

For example, Qi Zhiyuan's Taiyin Mirror, if three Grandmasters joined forces to bring its power to the limit, might not necessarily be unable to suppress the Heavenly Demon. However, the risk was too great; once it broke free and went on a rampage, it would not be manageable by anyone below the Blood Exchange Realm.

And up to this point, the Supreme Elder Yin Heng of their Seven Profound Sect had indeed not appeared.

"Elder Chen... Elder Chen,"

at this moment, Murong Yan also retracted the sword light in her hand, her Qian Heaven Domain contracted, and she landed not far from Chen Mu, speaking with a somewhat grave expression.

Compared to the many Grandmasters like Feng Hongsheng, she, yet to step into the Grandmaster Realm, felt more unease. After all, Grandmasters could escape more easily when facing a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon, but it would be harder for her. Seeing the situation change, she couldn't help but draw closer to Chen Mu, knowing he, despite his great strength, was not a Grandmaster like her. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire

At this moment,

Chen Mu was still suppressing a Formation-formed Demon Aspect, but his movements also slowed somewhat, and his gaze appeared a tad solemn. However, compared to Murong Yan, he felt far less anxious at heart.

Now that his Qiankun Martial Body had reached Major Achievement, facing a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon, even if he could not defeat it, his chances of escape were greater than anyone present. After all, the Heavenly Demon was not a Tenth Rank Demon King. In terms of overall strength, any who had achieved the Blood Exchange Realm could suppress a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon. Though it was far stronger than an unmatched Grandmaster and comparable to those in the Blood Exchange Realm, it was slightly inferior in a battle.

"The situation is not yet clear, and an early decision must be made,"

Chen Mu continued to suppress the Demon Aspect while casting his gaze in Qi Zhiyuan's direction.

The current situation—if they hesitated and delayed because of the presence of a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon in the Secluded Silent Valley—it would be the worst choice. This place was Han Prefecture; there were still the Heavenly Corpse Sect, the foreign races beyond the border, and other entities.

Although the Seven Profound Sect's assault was a surprise attack, bringing to bear nearly Grandmaster-level combat power, the rapid and covert execution couldn't possibly remain concealed once a large scale battle broke out. The foreign races beyond the border and the Heavenly Corpse Sect would most likely have already received news and would take action sooner or later.

If they waited for reinforcements from both sides to arrive, it would be greatly disadvantageous for the Seven Profound Sect.

So at this juncture, they must either retreat first and then plan the next move, or launch a fierce assault to completely shatter the Formation and Earth's Veins within the Secluded Silent Valley... The valley's Formation was already on the verge of collapse, with one of the Formation points essentially at a critical juncture where it could be eradicated at any moment.

In Chen Mu's view, for the Seven Profound Sect to retreat midway, coming out with such force only to make an anticlimactic withdrawal, was too anticlimactic. Having exposed and pressured the Sky Demon Sect to this extent, it was worth taking some risks.

After all, no one knew the state of the Heavenly Demon within the Sky Demon Sect; if it was exceedingly weak, then even as a Ninth Rank, it wouldn't pose much threat and might even choose to flee without a fight the moment it broke free.

However, Chen Mu would not make the decision for Qi Zhiyuan.

After all, he himself was now more accustomed to caution. He had never fought a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon and was uncertain about the magnitude of the threat at this level. If there was a chance to observe one, he might gain some Experience.

Just as the situation was becoming increasingly tense, Murong Yan nearby suddenly had a startled expression, and Chen Mu's eyes also flickered with insight. Almost everyone heard Qi Zhiyuan's voice echoing near their ears; this voice coalesced into a thread, transmitting to everyone's ears alone.

"The Secluded Silent Valley's Formation is about to break. Everyone prepare to scatter. Try not to let the Venerables and Protectors of the Sky Demon Sect escape. Should the Heavenly Demon make any move, all can retreat immediately. Even a Heavenly Demon, after being suppressed for so long, will need time to fully break free."

Upon hearing Qi Zhiyuan's words,

the many Grandmasters essentially flashed different looks, some with gravity and others with aloofness, as they all turned their eyes toward the Secluded Silent Valley below.

They could not afford a fruitless assault on the Sky Demon Sect's Main Altar. Now that the Secluded Silent Valley's Formation was about to be breached, even if the Heavenly Demon indeed broke free, they were still outside while the Sky Demon Sect was inside—they would be the first to face disaster.

Although the situation was risky, every venture had its dangers and opportunities. Once chaos erupted within the Secluded Silent Valley, whether Venerables or Protectors of the Sky Demon Sect, they were bound to flee in all directions, allowing everyone to reap their rewards.

Feng Hongsheng, Shi Zhenyong, and the others were all grandmasters. Despite the serious threat posed by the Heavenly Demons, at this level, they were not truly afraid, it was merely a matter of weighing the pros and cons, the risks and rewards.

At the same time.

Within the Secluded Silent Valley.

A broken cave exposed a piece of Earth Fiend Suppressing Stone, a node of the Sky Demon Sect's Main Altar formation, now almost laid bare by the attacks. Once this spot was destroyed, it's true the formations throughout the whole Secluded Silent Valley would not completely collapse, but the structural damage would undoubtedly lead to the uncontrolled Earth's Veins and a significant decrease in the formation's power.

By then, not to mention continuing to withstand the Seven Profound Sect's onslaught, it would be impossible even to suppress the Heavenly Demon Black Tortoise inside.

Faced with this situation, all the venerables and protectors who were withstanding the numerous grandmasters of the Seven Profound Sect felt an overwhelming sense of oppression, including Kun Wu, the foremost Demon Venerable of the Ink Jade, whose face had become extremely grim.

"Seven Profound Sect..."

The previous words were indeed intended to deceive and bluff.

If the Heavenly Demon Black Tortoise broke free, it would definitely turn on them first, the Sky Demon Sect. The rage from being suppressed and drained of Demon Blood and demonic power for over a hundred years would undoubtedly pour upon them first.

Though the Sky Demon Sect had Demon Control Techniques and even some Seventh Rank Demon Kings and an Eighth Rank Great Demon King within the Main Altar, that was their limit of control. Ninth Rank Heavenly Demons were absolutely impossible to control, and could only be suppressed.

Seeing that Qi Zhiyuan and others did not retreat, although the intensity of the attack had slightly decreased, Kun Wu still inwardly sighed, realizing that defending the Secluded Silent Valley was probably a lost cause. He had previously claimed that the Supreme Elder of the Seven Profound Sect had likely been intercepted, yet the true situation was probably the opposite. Perhaps it was Yuwen Hao who had been blocked by Yin Heng, unable to return to the Secluded Silent Valley.

At this moment.

Kun Wu glanced over and saw that the venerables of the Sky Demon Sect also showed signs of retreat. However, they hadn't acted disorderly due to his compelling presence, though if the formations indeed fell apart, they would undoubtedly scatter and flee.

"Qu Lin, go and prepare."

Kun Wu spoke in a deep voice.

The Seven Profound Sect's surprise attack was indeed fierce. The Main Altar, where they had stayed for over a hundred years, was mostly going to be abandoned, but even if the Secluded Silent Valley was destroyed, it was not certain that the Seven Profound Sect would benefit greatly from it!

"Yes."

Qu Lin responded with a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.

He knew what Kun Wu's order was. If the Secluded Silent Valley truly could not be held, they would completely give it up. If the Heavenly Demon Black Tortoise could not be suppressed, then they would let it break free entirely. Although it could not be controlled, driving it into a brief frenzy was not difficult.

As for the other Demon Kings and Great Demon Kings imprisoned in various nodes of the formations, the secret technique would be used to incite their rage all at once. In the end, if the Secluded Silent Valley fell, the Seven Profound Sect should not expect to easily gain anything.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

The battle outside the Secluded Silent Valley continued unabated. Although it seemed to have calmed down a lot compared to the beginning, in reality, whether it was the Seven Profound Sect or the Sky Demon Sect, both were secretly making various preparations.

Those like Xu Yang, whose own strength was weaker and could barely perform grandmaster-level attacks with the help of Spirit Weapons, had already quietly left the cliff above the Secluded Silent Valley and retreated to the distance.

Other grandmasters started to scatter, whether intentionally or not.

After Chen Mu swung his blade and released a Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal, completely destroying the Demon Aspect he had been suppressing, he also observed the situation inside the Secluded Silent Valley while quietly sneaking away into the distance.

Seeing this, Murong Yan hesitated for a moment and then split off in another direction.

Finally.

Just as the grandmasters of the Seven Profound Sect began to subtly disperse, preparing for the impending upheaval, a glimmer of deep light flashed in Qi Zhiyuan's eyes. The power of the Taiyin Mirror Light he was controlling suddenly swelled, its might instantly increasing, crushing the Azure Dragon Demon Form tangled with it, and then blasting into the exposed node of the formation within the Secluded Silent Valley.

The Earth Fiend Suppressing Stone, responsible for maintaining the formation, nearly shattered in an instant under the onslaught of the Taiyin Mirror Light, followed by a brief deadly silence throughout the entire Secluded Silent Valley.

Afterward.

The land spanning hundreds of miles around where the Secluded Silent Valley was located trembled violently!

The previously constrained Power of the Earth's Veins, upon the disruption of a corner of the great formation of the Secluded Silent Valley, finally became turbulent and unleashed, like a freed Yellow Dragon plunging into the earth, causing the caves of the Secluded Silent Valley to crumble one by one.

The Sky Demon Sect Main Altar,

Collapsed!