It was late to react, but everything happened in a flash.
The Black Skull, which seemed to have been around for a while, keeled over in less than a minute.
From the eruption of its aura, it was even less than a brief instant.
The experts from Luoxia hadn't even had time to react, their perceptions still caught in the moment right after they had been overwhelmed by the terrifying presence.
It wasn't until they saw the Black Skull's entire cranium flip open that someone blinked.
From astonishment, rage, delight, shock, and horror to now, their emotions had been on a rollercoaster ride—damn exhilarating!
Now, hearing Tang Yu's sigh, some Awakeners started to come around and carefully recalled the battle just fought.
—Even though it had happened so suddenly, some of the Seventh or Eighth Layer powerhouses present still captured pieces of the scene; it was just that their minds and bodies couldn't keep up.
After a moment of reflection, it seemed, perhaps, probably...
From the moment the Black Skeleton burst forth with energy, the Hall Master from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall didn't so much as lift a finger, not even his standing position changed.
As if a gentle breeze was passing by!
Filled with absolute confidence!
In contrast, they felt a wave of shame for the panic they had previously felt.
The Commander of the City Defense Army and several captains from the Ancestor Dragon considered whether they should send their elite subordinates to train at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall.
Villa Number Three, the basement.
Despite Shay having blasted most of the villa to bits and pieces, this basement hadn't been affected in the slightest.
Five figures focused intently, staring at the Rune Array before them.
Suddenly, one of them looked up, "Gu Yi is dead."
"Let him die. That fool Gu Yi had been warned not to underestimate humans." The youth-like figure standing in front of the Rune Array spoke with indifference, "But I didn't expect those humans would actually be able to find us."
"Leader Gu Tian, what do we do now? Do we strike first?"
Gu Tian shook his head, "No, the Rune Array will soon be complete, and the passage belonging to our clan will open shortly. What we need to do now is to guard this altar and not let the humans have a chance to destroy it. The rest is just to patiently wait for the elder's arrival."
As the leader of the Skeleton Clan's vanguard, his words carried fervor and confidence.
If they couldn't protect the altar during this brief period before the elder's arrival, then Gu Tian's reputation as the number one below the Transcendent within the Skeleton Clan would be utterly wasted.
Outside Villa Number Three.
Director Jin, along with experts from two other departments, came forward to express their gratitude to Tang Yu.
Even though there was an element of transaction involved, without the master from Extreme Martial Arts Hall, the deaths on their side would have been more than tenfold, exaggeratingly speaking, the entire Sanctuary could have suffered significant damage.
"I didn't expect Mr. K to not be human after all. What is it exactly? A higher-level Demonized Beast? But even City Destruction Level Demonized Beasts have never been heard to speak, let alone possess the intelligence to hide amongst humans."
Many Awakeners from Luoxia frowned.
Tang Yu's expression didn't relax at all. He clearly remembered the Divination from Xing Ling that indicated a significant danger inside the villa.
This meant that 'Mr. K' wasn't just the Skeleton in the disguise of Vice Director Lu, or perhaps, Mr. K wasn't just one entity.
The real mastermind was likely inside the basement of the villa.
An invisible ripple emanated from Villa No. 3, spreading outward.
Surrounding Awakeners that had gone mad from the curse and some surviving residents, after being purified by the Item 003's golden droplets, saw the red glow fade from their eyes as they collapsed to the ground with a thud.
At this moment, several Awakeners from the City Defense Army were carrying the unconscious people outside for treatment.
When the invisible ripple spread out, Tang Yu frowned, feeling somewhat uneasy.
However, those weaker Awakeners became pale and their expressions pained.
And those Awakeners who were already unconscious, their faces twisted, bodies trembling unconsciously a few times before they lay still, silent in death.
"Their souls have been absorbed," Xing Yue approached Tang Yu, biting her lip as she spoke.
Tang Yu was stunned, opening his dark red eyes, only to see that from within those unconscious Awakeners, a light spot containing spirit floated out of their bodies, flying towards Villa No. 3.
He looked around and realized this seemed to be affecting an area.
Some unconscious Awakeners being carried away, those further from Villa No. 3, did not exhibit this phenomenon, but those within approximately five hundred meters of the villa, the originally cursed Awakeners, had their lives taken away at that moment.
With a bad premonition in his heart, Tang Yu was unable to stop what was happening. He watched as one after another, the spirit-like points of light entered the ground beneath Villa No. 3.
The surrounding Source Qi began to converge crazily towards Villa No. 3, forming a vortex in mid-air, like a funnel pouring down towards the position of the basement.
Tang Yu looked on, discovering that the layer of pitch-black veil that had previously covered the first floor of the villa had vanished without a trace.
A surge of energy exploded, sending fragments of the house and soil flying into the air before they fell back down like raindrops.
The entire location where Villa No. 3 stood had become a huge pit, with some scattered remains of the destroyed villa buried within. At the center of the pit, an area with a diameter of about five meters, along with five figures nearby, remained undamaged.
Within the circular area, intricate, mysterious patterns that would ensnare anyone who glanced at them were engraved.
"...That is, a Rune Array!" Tang Yu, with his vast knowledge, recognized it at a glance.
At this moment, the entire Rune Array emitted a dense red glow, almost forming a pillar of light.
Visible to the naked eye, the space near the red pillar of light was twisted.
Countless black lightnings flickered in and out of existence.
Near the circular altar on the ground, a hideous dark red color began to spread, accompanied by dense black cracks.
In this brief moment, the heavens and the earth seemed to change color, and in the light of the evening glow, this scene resembled the onset of an apocalyptic disaster.
...Even though it was already the apocalypse.
Director Jin swallowed hard.
He found that today's experiences were even more heart-stopping than those of the apocalypse two months ago.
That red pillar of light, and the twisted space, set his eyelids twitching, a sense of extreme danger and terror looming over him.
If not handled properly, the entire Sanctuary might suffer a catastrophic disaster.
However, Director Jin didn't dare to issue any orders carelessly. The current scene was completely beyond his understanding.
He turned his head to look at the Commander of the City Defense Army, and the Captain of the Ancestor Dragon's special operations team.
Upon exchanging glances, they reached a decision.
Indeed... it was best to consult the opinion of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall first.