Immortal Dao is dead, I am the mastermind behind it all.

"An array? An array that drains life force, the entire city!?"

Shen Moyan took a deep breath.

No rush, we're still in the city, those two shouldn't be so ruthless...

"As expected, it's here. Wanbao Street connects the meridians of the western district of Dongshan City, and this is the core of the formation."

"With the array formation skills of my fellow disciples, we can only steal a small part of the array formation."

"A little bit is better than nothing."

He Liang raised his hand, gathering magical power in his palm, and slammed it down onto the earth.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still throughout the entire city.

The magical threads spread underground, enveloping the western half of Dongshan City like a spider web.

The ground began to shake violently, and countless dark red beams of light shot out from the cracks in the bricks, engulfing the cultivators who had no time to escape.

"Why can't I use my spiritual power anymore!"

"Me too! My spiritual energy has been drained away!"

As for the low-level cultivators and mortals trapped by the pillar of light, their bodies withered at a visible speed, their blood and soul were forcibly extracted and transformed into pure energy that flowed into the blood patterns.

It happened so fast that no one even let out a scream.

Shen Moyan looked back and saw that half of the city was covered by a blood-red array, and the once bustling market had instantly become a living hell.

He Liang and Ji Yu hovered in the center of the great formation, absorbing the plundered essence with their eyes closed, their aura growing stronger and stronger.

[Real name: Shen Moyan]

Race: Human

[Realm: Ninth Level of Qi Gathering (Xian Dao)]

Current remaining lifespan: 134 years ↓

"Depend on!"

In the blink of an eye, Shen Moyan's lifespan was reduced by more than a hundred years!

Damn it! This city is their backyard! They can do whatever they want with it!

Shen Moyan gritted his teeth and disappeared into the distance, his eyes sweeping over the magic artifact stalls piled up on the street corner. These were left behind by the stall owners when they fled in panic, with all sorts of magic treasures scattered all over the ground.

Taking the magical artifacts and spirit stones from those people, Shen Moyan hurriedly ran towards the city gates.

Fortunately, the closer one gets to the city gate, the lower the rate of lifespan loss becomes.

Boom!

Shen Moyan ran headlong into a barrier.

An invisible wall of air blocked Shen Moyan's way.

Shen Moyan drew the Heavenly Demon Sword, its light flashing, but he still couldn't cut through the barrier.

He tried it around the city wall, but it was always the same.

"Is this a case of trapping a dog behind closed doors, catching a turtle in a jar?"

Shen Moyan was filled with fear and looked around the city wall.

There was no one left; the guards had all become withered corpses.

I still vividly remember the scene of having to show my credentials when entering the city; many people wanted to enter but couldn't.

Now, a starkly contrasting scene unfolded before Shen Moyan, prompting him to give a bitter smile.

What is this?

Is this what a sect is like? So unreasonable?

Don't tell me those two were just outer disciples; if inner disciples had come, what would this world have been like?

"Immortal, Mortal, Hehe."

For the first time, Shen Moyan felt nauseous like never before.

It seems that the world needs people like Jiang Zhi Qiu.

Wait, Jiang Zhi Qiu?

Shen Moyan suddenly remembered what Ni Gaoyuan, the city patrolling cultivator, had said yesterday.

"West Gate of the City, Yingxiantai (Welcoming Immortal Terrace)."

Shen Moyan ran in that direction like a madman.

The Welcoming Platform is a high platform used to welcome visiting cultivators, making it convenient for them to choose a landing point when flying.

Every three years, when the immortal master from the upper sect comes to the city to accept disciples, he also walks on this high platform.

Right now, this place is packed with people, and there's also a flying boat.

"Old sir?"

Shen Moyan spotted a familiar face in the crowded throng—the old teacher from the private school.

But he didn't chase after them, because his divine sense detected that there were cultivators nearby watching the area.

At that moment, the old teacher from the private school was leading a group of children into the airship that was anchored in the sky.

On the flying boat hung a star-white banner with two magnificent characters written on it.

Holy Court.

Shen Moyan instantly understood the situation: Jiang Zhi Qiu had given his means of transportation to these mortals.

This Holy Court's flying ship must have cost a fortune; the restrictions on it were unlike anything Shen Moyan had ever seen before.

When a wisp of Shen Moyan's divine consciousness attached itself to that flying boat, his soul also felt a stinging sensation.

This flying boat was enchanted, allowing only mortals to pass through.

Perhaps even for Jiang Zhi Qiu, who is at the Transcendent Realm, this is a precious item. No wonder the cultivators of Dongshan City are helpless against it.

Shen Moyan did not reveal himself, but instead concealed his presence and mingled among the children.

"This flying boat should be able to break through the barrier of Dongshan City. All I need to do is follow it," Shen Moyan thought to himself.

"As expected, Mr. Jiang's words have come true."

The old man in the blue robe looked at the lifeless city and sighed deeply.

The fact that Dongshan City, where one has lived one's entire life, is merely a nursery for existence is a moment of profound disillusionment, a moment when one's worldview crumbles.

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the sky:

"You bastard, Ni Gaoyuan! I've treated you well all these years, and you dare to use the Demon Seed against me!"

Shen Moyan was startled. Was it the city lord?

"A demonic seed? Was the gift from the Cen family a demonic seed?"

Shen Moyan used his hearing to hear everything that was happening on their side.

He had previously learned about demon seeds through soul searching.

This item is specifically designed to attack one's mental state, causing the inner demons deep within a cultivator to erupt and thus seize control of their mind.

boom!

Just as Shen Moyan was pondering, the sky above Yingxiantai suddenly darkened, and a huge, ferocious claw reached up from below the city.

The giant claw seized the flying boat in its palm, and the mortals were poured down like beans.

Shen Moyan spread his divine sense and saw a bird demon with sharp horns on its head appear under the west gate of the city. It was a hundred feet tall, and when it spread its wings, it was a full three hundred feet tall.

The bird demon opened its long, narrow beak and swallowed all the fallen mortals whole.

"It's indeed very nourishing."

The bird demon stretched out its tongue and entangled the flying boat. The restrictions on the surface of the boat cracked inch by inch, and the mortals who were fleeing in panic fell into the flying boat one by one and were swallowed by it.

"You bastard, you did a good job."

The bird demon pointed towards the city lord's mansion and spoke to someone, its eyes filled with enjoyment.

"grass!"

Shen Moyan cursed.

With monsters in front and demons behind, how can I escape?

If you retreat, you will fall into that formation and have your lifespan drained.

If you take one step forward, you will become the bird demon's meal.

"Gu Diao? This Chu Sheng is colluding with demonic beasts?"

A loud sound came from Wanbao Street in the west of the city. He Liang and Ji Yu, standing on long swords, slowly landed in front of the bird demon.

Their expressions were strange as they stared at the bird demon, their eyes revealing undisguised greed.

The bird demon narrowed its eyes, gazing at the two cultivators in gray robes fluttering in the air, and stopped what it was doing.

"The Azure Sun Sword Sect? How come this place is your nursery?" the bird demon said, its imposing manner slightly weakened.

"I was only invited by your human race to come and offer sacrifices, and also to retrieve some of my clan's belongings that I left here decades ago." The bird demon's voice was full of apprehension.

"I apologize for any inconvenience caused and hope that Your Majesty will forgive me."

However, the two monks in the sky ignored its words.

"It's a second-tribulation Gu Diao, what do you think, Senior Brother?" Ji Yu made a sword incantation, and the flying sword beneath his feet suddenly grew to a hundred feet in size.

"Junior brother, your Soul Condensing Pill is still missing a demon core as an ingredient. Perfect timing, my Feather Transformation Robe is also missing a few feathers, so let's use this bird to supplement it."

He Liang also seized the opportunity, raised his sword, and unleashed a rain of swords that rushed straight towards the Gu Diao.

It doesn't matter where this monster comes from; as long as it can be transformed from a cold life into a warm magical artifact on one's body, it's a good thing.

"Humans! You've gone too far in bullying demons!" The Gu Diao roared in fury and fought back.

Shen Moyan sensed a conspiracy in this match.

Someone is setting this up!

Someone has set a trap, wanting the bird demon and the people of the Biyang Sword Sect to suffer heavy losses together!

Who is it?

Shen Moyan suddenly turned his head, activating his hearing to its fullest extent, and focused his divine sense in the direction of the city lord's mansion.

Soon, he saw the figure of a tall, thin man.

It was Ni Gaoyuan!