CHAPTER 434: CHAPTER 241 THE END OF THE CRIMSON CLOUD SECRET REALM

For Zhao Honglie, this process was excruciatingly painful. His face twisted with agony, and he hurriedly clutched his chest, desperately trying to stop the Demonic Qi inside him from dissipating.

At this moment, under the joint assault of Lin Tianhao and the others, numerous cracks appeared on the black barrier formed by the array, teetering on the edge of collapse.

Seeing this, a resolute glint flashed through Zhao Honglie’s eyes as the bone wings on his back speared into his own body like deadly lances.

In the next instant, the unrefined Demon General’s blood hidden within Zhao Honglie’s body resurfaced once more.

The energy contained within the Demon General’s essence blood was immense. If Zhao Honglie were to refine it completely, he wouldn’t have been able to suppress his realm. In order to lure those entering the Red Cloud Secret Realm, he had dispersed and concealed the energy of the Demon General’s essence blood within himself. However, the current situation no longer allowed him to suppress his realm.

The power of the Demon General’s essence blood was reactivated, and dense Demonic Qi surged out. Soon, Zhao Honglie was encased in countless strange black runes.

Within those black runes seemed to lie a mystical force that, supported by the surging Demonic Qi, was able to rival the swastika symbols in equal measure.

The swastika symbols were temporarily repelled, and Zhao Honglie immediately felt his body loosen up. The extreme sense of oppression from earlier vanished completely in an instant.

Without the suppression of the Heart Sutra, Zhao Honglie no longer hesitated. He sat cross-legged immediately and began to circulate a cultivation method he had obtained from the Holy Demon Seed.

As the cultivation technique operated, the power within the Demon General’s essence blood was rapidly refined, causing Zhao Honglie’s aura to surge exponentially. Within just a few minutes, the Demonic Qi around him abruptly expanded, and a massive black vortex appeared above his head.

The black vortex emitted a powerful suction force, draining all the Spiritual Energy from the surroundings like a whale swallowing water.

Noticing the change in Zhao Honglie’s aura, Lin Tianhao’s expression changed drastically. "This is bad! He’s about to break through to the Marrow Refining Realm here. Stop him quickly!"

At this moment, due to the side effects of a pill he had taken, Lin Tianhao’s strength had almost run dry. His entire body was wracked with unbearable pain from forcing his powers into action, yet he gritted his teeth and clung to the belief in his heart to sustain himself in the battle.

Under Lin Tianhao’s lead, everyone’s attacks became increasingly ferocious.

"Boom!"

Through the relentless efforts of Lin Tianhao and the others, the black barrier finally shattered under their combined assault.

Zhao Honglie’s body, having been transformed by the Holy Demon Seed, was no longer entirely human. He had already broken through the barrier of the Marrow Refining Realm. To complete his advancement, he simply needed to absorb enough Spiritual Energy into his body, unlike ordinary people who had to carefully guide and temper the Spiritual Power within themselves before converting it into their own strength.

Zhao Honglie’s body was robust enough to endure the overwhelming rush of Spiritual Power, and because the Spiritual Energy within the Red Cloud Secret Realm was exceptionally pure, it didn’t require tempering and could be absorbed directly. These innate advantages rendered Zhao Honglie’s breakthrough inevitable.

Looking at Lin Tianhao and the others rushing toward him, a sinister smile spread across Zhao Honglie’s face. "Hah! Mere ants!"

With a casual wave of his hand, a massive Demon Energy Snake lashed out toward Lin Tianhao and the others.

After hurling the Demon Energy Snake, Zhao Honglie paid them no further mind and focused on absorbing the Spiritual Power around him.

The process was incredibly brief—within less than a minute, Zhao Honglie’s body had reached its saturation point with Spiritual Power. The Demonic Qi vortex in the sky dissipated in an instant, and Zhao Honglie’s aura surged manifold.

It was an aura completely distinct from the Golden Bone Realm, filled with an overwhelming sense of suppression!

The sheer weight of his aura alone felt like an enormous boulder pressing down on Lin Tianhao and the others.

At this moment, Zhao Honglie had unmistakably become a Marrow Refining Realm cultivator!

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

...

Suddenly, the entire Red Cloud Secret Realm erupted with a series of deafening roars. The earth and sky trembled violently, and massive, terrifying black fissures formed in the very fabric of space itself.

Just as Zhao Honglie was about to take action to eliminate Gu Sheng, the source of his hindrances, a surge of immense power pushed against him.

The unique laws of the Red Cloud Secret Realm prohibited anyone above the Bone Refining Realm from existing within it. Zhao Honglie’s aura had now triggered these exclusionary laws.

As more spatial rifts widened expansively, Zhao Honglie had no choice but to abandon his plan. Despite his advancement to the Marrow Refining Realm, he was insignificant in the face of the Power of Laws governing the Red Cloud Secret Realm. With a vicious glare at Gu Sheng, he growled, "Hah! I’ll remember you—you are destined to become my demon puppet. You cannot escape!"

Relinquishing his resistance against the Power of Laws, Zhao Honglie dispersed his energy and allowed himself to be forcibly removed by the spatial force.

Meanwhile, as changes erupted within the Red Cloud Secret Realm, something strange occurred at its entrance as well.

The entrance to the Red Cloud Secret Realm, which had been kept in a semi-open state through the maintenance of Spirit Stones, had always been tranquil. Now, however, it shook violently, releasing waves of unbelievably chaotic energy as a berserk aura emanated from within.

This aura caused the high-ranking members of the various sects stationed outside the realm to feel a deep sense of unease.

"What’s happening?!"

The elder of the Thousand Poison Sect was the first to question aloud, his voice carrying urgency.

The manager of the Governor Mansion stepped forward to observe carefully but suddenly turned pale and retreated quickly.

Others who approached the entrance to investigate also retreated in haste, having sensed an immensely malevolent energy emanating from within.

No sooner had the leaders of the various factions stepped back several meters than a beam of black light shot out from the entrance of the Red Cloud Secret Realm.

The black light stabilized, revealing a grotesque figure—it was none other than Zhao Honglie.