Chapter 1298: Passing Through

Yu City.

The struggle over the plains had been continuous for years. Sin Abyss had been attacked by powerful enemies numerous times, with battles reaching the very walls of Yu City. Each time, they fought desperately with Yu City at their backs, successfully repelling the invaders.

Since ancient times, Yu City had been a crucial stronghold for Sin Abyss, guarding its northern gateway.

After deciding to retreat to Yu City, Sin Abyss had already made thorough preparations. The city's defenses were practically impenetrable.

However, at this very moment, the cultivators within the city were in a state of panic, their faces bewildered. They followed orders, but deep in their eyes, there was a mix of fear and confusion.

A few months prior.

When the Alliance of Two Realms launched its counterattack, Sin Abyss was defeated and retreated steadily. Yet, they were not afraid.

They knew that as long as their three top masters were still alive, the Alliance of Two Realms would merely gain the upper hand. At most, they would have to relinquish what they had previously seized, but the Sin Abyss homeland would remain safe.

Over the years, Sin Abyss had almost occupied half of the Skybound Plateau.

The cultivators who had survived the battles until now had accumulated unimaginable wealth. They were ready to return and recuperate for a while, assimilating their gains.

But now, things were different!

The great retreat, which had lasted for several months, concluded this morning. All Sin Abyss armies had successfully withdrawn and gathered in Yu City.

Although they had lost the plains and suffered significant losses, their core strength remained largely intact.

Furthermore, Sin Abyss had reached a reconciliation with the desert factions. The cultivators previously held back in the western battlefield had also rushed to Yu City to rendezvous with them, poised to face the Alliance of Two Realms' army.

The Sin Abyss cultivators were full of confidence, certain they could hold the Alliance of Two Realms outside the city.

To everyone's surprise, before the enemy even arrived, internal chaos erupted—and it was among the Nascent Soul Grandmasters!

At that time, the Sin Abyss cultivators were following orders, systematically deploying their defenses.

Everything was normal.

Having experienced many battles, they were highly proficient at such tasks.

Suddenly, Yu City shook violently!

Immediately after, they witnessed a terrifying scene.

From the inner city hall, which served as the Nascent Soul Grandmasters' residence, streaks of light shot skyward. Simultaneously, screams and furious shouts rang out.

There were multiple screams, one after another, each exceptionally sharp and tragic. They sounded like desperate roars before death, carrying bone-deep hatred.

Anyone who heard them felt a chill run down their spine.

Even more terrifying was that these voices were familiar, all coming from Nascent Soul Grandmasters without exception.

The next moment, these streaks of light collided, entangling into a colorful mass in mid-air. It was strikingly beautiful, yet carried a terrifying murderous intent!

Sharp-eyed individuals noticed that within the streaks of light were actual figures—the Nascent Soul Grandmasters engaged in a chaotic battle.

"Boom..."

The Sin Abyss Nascent Souls were fighting in a tangled mass above Yu City.

Soon, they realized that it wasn't a chaotic battle among many, but rather an encirclement of one person!

The subsequent shouts confirmed their suspicion.

"Old Demon Ye! You've gone mad!"

"How dare you slaughter so many fellow cultivators!"

"Kill him!"

The Nascent Souls roared repeatedly in anger.

Hearing these roars, the Sin Abyss cultivators' expressions changed, and they vaguely guessed the reason.

It was Old Demon Ye slaughtering Nascent Souls, incurring collective wrath!

How could this be?

Previously, Old Demon Ye's actions indeed lived up to the title of 'Old Demon'—he was capricious, ruthless, and intolerable to the righteous path.

However, after the righteous and demonic paths allied and decided to unite against external threats, Old Demon Ye had reined in his behavior significantly, becoming a highly respected elder.

Old Demon Ye had led by example many times. Under his leadership, Sin Abyss had prospered, and even the righteous path had begun to change their views of him.

Could it be that all this was just a facade, a disguise by Old Demon Ye, only now revealing his true colors?

As everyone was plunged into confusion, screams continued to emanate from the inner city. Each scream signified the demise of a Nascent Soul Grandmaster.

What terrified everyone most was that these Nascent Soul Grandmasters slaughtered by Old Demon Ye seemed to have no time to escape, not even their Nascent Souls. Their screams abruptly ceased, followed by complete silence.

Although Old Demon Ye was reputed as the strongest master in the North Star Realm, he wasn't even a Grand Cultivator. Yet, his power was terrifying, allowing him to easily slaughter Nascent Soul cultivators in plain sight.

At once, the entire city was shaken, and its people were thrown into disarray.

Finally, the screams stopped.

Old Demon Ye ultimately could not withstand the collective siege. He dared not continue the struggle, transforming into a streak of bloody light, and shot towards the city's exterior, about to fly out of Yu City.

Grandmaster Cang Hong and others desperately tried to stop him, but unexpectedly, the Nether Crystal Pagoda was destroyed by Old Demon Ye. They could only watch as Old Demon Ye made a clean escape.

Given such an incident, they naturally could not allow Old Demon Ye to escape. Grandmaster Cang Hong led a pursuit, but fortunately, they didn't forget to leave behind personnel to stabilize the situation, otherwise Yu City would have fallen into chaos long ago.

Yu City's gates were tightly shut, and the protective formation was activated. It took the form of a giant lotus, shimmering with azure light, enveloping the entire Yu City.

Three figures hovered in mid-air; they were the Nascent Soul Grandmasters left behind to stabilize the situation.

The Sin Abyss cultivators followed orders but wore blank expressions.

If not for these three watching over them, many would likely have fled the city by now.

With something like this happening, how could they possibly defend the city going forward?

Everyone wore grave expressions, burdened with worries, and utterly devoid of fighting spirit.

Above Yu City.

The three remaining Nascent Souls openly stayed there to stabilize morale.

One of the elders appeared frail and ancient, his face covered in wrinkles. He exuded a profound aura of decline, sitting motionless in mid-air.

It seemed the elder was in meditation, yet his aura was extremely unstable, as if he had sustained severe internal injuries, though there were no visible external wounds.

The other two stood beside the elder, one on each side, guarding him.

As they issued commands, the two secretly exchanged messages, their expressions still marked by shock and anger.

Finally, the situation in Yu City was stabilized.

The two looked down at the elder and were immediately startled.

In just a short while, the wrinkles on the elder's face had deepened, and his aura was much weaker than before. It seemed his vital essence was draining away with time.

The elder was a Grandmaster of a sect, originally imposing and dignified. Now, in an instant, his hair had turned white, and he appeared as a frail, dying old man.

Fortunately, the elder's aura had stabilized. Although there were no signs of improvement, it should not continue to deteriorate.

The two exchanged glances, then looked in the direction Old Demon Ye had fled, their eyes filled with deep worry.

"Where exactly does Old Demon Ye intend to flee?"

"No one can fathom Old Demon Ye's intentions now. It just depends on whether Grandmaster Cang Hong and the others can catch him."

"Grandmaster isn't back yet! Although we acted quickly to seal the city gates, there's no guarantee that spies from the Alliance of Two Realms won't pass on the news. What if they…"

Before he finished speaking, the lotus formation outside Yu City suddenly trembled.

Grandmaster Zhen Yi calmly said there was no rush. He looked around, as if searching for something, then after a moment, said, "Follow me!"

Their figures flickered continuously as they silently followed Grandmaster Zhen Yi, flying towards a nearby peak.