An invisible pressure filled the heavens and earth. Though it could not be seen, it could most certainly be felt.
It was as if a god of death had silently descended upon the world.
Even the weather was affected by this invisible pressure. Dark clouds churned and rolled, and thunder rumbled in waves.
That pressure did not belong to the Luoxia Valley Master, nor to Su Jingrui. Both of them, along with every presiding elder present, understood full well that they simply did not possess such strength, let alone the ability to release pressure this powerful.
Moreover, the pressure had erupted from within — it was this very pressure that had shattered the gates of the forbidden ground.
As a result, nearly everyone subconsciously assumed that some terrifying existence had emerged from inside the forbidden ground.
But how could such a terrifying being possibly exist within the forbidden ground?
ROAAAAR— Just then, between heaven and earth, a red light erupted, surging and roiling like blood energy that blanketed the sky.
Gazing upon that crimson aura, people could practically smell a thick, metallic scent of blood — it was terrifying, horrifyingly sinister.
And as that blood-red aura churned and billowed, the invisible pressure took on a tangible form. In the end, the crimson aura coalesced into a massive blood-red face.
That enormous face blotted out the sky and covered the earth. Its gaze was cold and piercing, its features twisted — it looked exactly like the visage of a demon.
Ugly, ferocious, frigid, domineering, and radiating a bone-chilling cold.
At that moment, the face opened its gaping maw, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs.
Accompanied by ear-splitting roars, it lunged toward the crowd, as if intent on swallowing every person present into its belly in a single bite.
"What in the world is that?!"
Staring at that horrifying giant face, every person present was stricken with panic. Even the Luoxia Valley Master and Su Jingrui — both mighty Rank eight Martial Ancestors — had expressions of terror in their eyes.
Because no matter who you were, standing before that monstrous face, before those razor-sharp fangs, there was only one feeling to be had.
And that was helplessness.
The aura of death had never felt so close. But now that it had truly arrived, there was simply no power to resist it.
"Could it be that today is the day Luoxia Valley meets its doom?"
The Luoxia Valley Master's face was etched with despair. It was not that he lacked backbone, nor was it that he did not wish to fight back — it was simply that, at this moment, he did not even have the strength to resist.
Every person present had been petrified as if turned to stone. They had lost all capacity to fight, and could only watch helplessly as that gaping mouth of death descended upon them.
Hummmm— However, just when everyone was certain that they would perish without a doubt— The demonic giant face suddenly collapsed into a vortex, churning and rolling before ultimately vanishing between heaven and earth.
Gone. Not only had that terrifying giant face disappeared, but even the suffocating sensation from before had vanished along with it.
The fractured void began to mend itself. Peace was swiftly restored to heaven and earth, as though nothing had ever happened — as calm as before.
And yet, the hearts of the people could not be so easily calmed.
Because they all understood clearly — that horrifying giant face, that descending maw of oblivion, had been far more than just a simple mouth. It had been the gates of hell itself. Had they been swallowed into it, survival would have been utterly impossible.
"Valley Master, what was that just now?" One of the presiding elders mustered the courage to ask, and even as the words left his lips, his voice trembled.
"I don't know either." The Luoxia Valley Master shook his head. He truly had no idea. In fact, it was the very same question he had been turning over in his own mind.
"But Valley Master, how could such a terrifying thing appear inside the forbidden ground? What exactly is going on here?"
Many more elders pressed for answers, for what they had just witnessed had been far too perilous.
It concerned not only their personal safety, but the very survival of Luoxia Valley as a whole. They desperately wanted to know the truth.
"The Valley Master has already said he doesn't know. Can you not understand when someone speaks?" At that moment, Su Jingrui barked furiously.
And after that outburst, the presiding elders all fell silent. Not a single one of them dared utter another word.