They couldn’t accept it. They had just broken through, their spirits soaring, yet before they could do anything, they had fallen prey to this insidious attack.

What made it even more unbearable was the discovery that while their own Essence, Qi, and Spirit were being drained and their five viscera thoroughly contaminated, the Daoists of their sects—Qin Zhou, Ruan Shi, and Wei Zhong Mountain—and even True Disciples like Miaoyun and Di Yun, only looked pale, their foundations unharmed.

’I’ve advanced to Foundation Establishment. Even if I’m not as good as Qin Zhou or Ruan Shi, surely I can’t be weaker than Miaoyun and Di Yun, who are still in the Qi Refining Stage?’

The seven Foundation Establishment Cultivators were filled with doubt, and the others from the six Major Sects also noticed this anomaly.

At the same time, there was no shortage of clever people among the six Major Sects. Soon, some of them began to notice the peculiarities.

"Something’s wrong. He’s not that strong. It’s impossible that he could infect Foundation Establishment Cultivators in an instant but be helpless against us..." Qin Zhou, his frivolous demeanor gone, let his gaze wander as he put the pieces together. "The Spiritual Qi! Our sect’s new Foundation Establishment Cultivators just broke through. In that moment, they absorbed a massive amount of the surrounding Spiritual Qi—that Spiritual Qi was contaminated! They took in too much at once, which is why they’ve been so deeply poisoned."

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP. Qin Zhou’s deduction earned him a slow clap from Liu Yu. A look of admiration appeared on his gaunt face. "You’re right. Even with the treasure bestowed upon me by the Chief Priest when I entered, I couldn’t have silently taken down Foundation Establishment Cultivators. I relied on that treasure to spread the Plague Qi into the Spiritual Qi, contaminating it. When they advanced, they absorbed a large amount of Spiritual Qi, naturally drawing a large amount of Plague Qi into their bodies as well."

"I know you’re all not far from Foundation Establishment, but let me give you a friendly word of advice... don’t try to force a breakthrough. If you advance, you will die."

But Liu Yu, the very man who forbade the other Cultivators from advancing, suddenly threw open his arms and began devouring the Plague Qi in the air like a ravenous taotie.

As a massive amount of Plague Qi entered his body, his aura shot up. In just a few breaths, he shattered the barrier between the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, and a potent Foundation Establishment pressure erupted from him!

—His comparison of humans to livestock and sacrificial offerings, his description of the current events as a hunt—this wasn’t just a joke. Nor was it a provocation meant to enrage the disciples of the six Major Sects, hoping their fury would make the virus act faster.

He genuinely believed it from the bottom of his heart. By using humans as Furnace Cauldrons, he could truly cultivate Plague Qi and enhance his own strength.

And as his aura reached the Foundation Establishment level, the situation inside the Star Secret Vault was completely reversed.

The trump card of the six Major Sects, the seven who had achieved battlefield breakthroughs to Foundation Establishment, were already on the verge of coughing themselves to death.

And because the Spiritual Qi was contaminated with Plague Qi, the True Disciples and Daoists of the six Major Sects, despite their outstanding Talent, were unable to make their own impromptu breakthroughs.

Liu Yu, on the other hand, had used humans as sacrificial offerings to achieve a massive boost in his own power.

With the tables turned, Liu Yu was no longer in a hurry. He looked at the True Disciples of the six Major Sects with a leisurely air.

"Now, what do you plan to do?"

Liu Yu naturally had no need to rush. As someone from the Tuberculosis Lineage of the Five Viscera Divine Sect who attacked with a Plague Qi virus, the longer things dragged on, the more it was to his advantage.

The members of the six Major Sects understood this as well. Thus, after exchanging a glance, the three Daoists and several True Disciples dared not delay for a single moment.

"We can’t drag this out! Attack together! Slay this fiend!"

After that explosive shout, Qin Zhou acted decisively. The frigid qi around his body surged. "Void Moon Frost... Condense!"

Wei Zhong Mountain: "Black Mountain, Suppress!"

Ruan Shi: "Celestial Vault Divine Sound: Baiyujing!"

BOOM!

Inside the Star Secret Vault, the True Disciples and Daoists of the six Major Sects engaged in a fierce battle with Liu Yu.

Although their opponent had advanced to Foundation Establishment, the True Disciples and Daoists of the six Major Sects were no weaklings. Relying on their own considerable strength, they traded blows evenly with Liu Yu.

Ruan Shi of the Celestial Sound Sect was particularly noteworthy. When she played the Celestial Vault Divine Sound: Baiyujing, she actually summoned an incredibly pure Sword Qi from the heavens. This Sword Qi could not only slay enemies but could also eliminate a portion of the Plague Qi summoned by Liu Yu.

Unfortunately, this scene brought no joy to the spectators watching from outside the Star Secret Vault.

Ever since their seven Foundation Establishment Cultivators were crippled in one fell swoop, the expressions of the elders from the six Major Sects had become identical to the ashen-faced Prince Qinghe.

It wasn’t a one-sided steamroll. This meant that even if the Cultivators of the six Major Sects could win this battle, they would suffer innumerable casualties.

And the people who had entered the Secret Vault were the elites of the six Major Sects. The death of even one of them would be an unbearable loss.

What made their expressions even uglier was the fact that inside the Star Secret Vault, their disciples... weren’t even guaranteed to win.

It wasn’t that they thought Qin Zhou and the others couldn’t handle Liu Yu, but rather:

"This is bad. The Plague Qi is surrounding everything, and the ordinary disciples can’t hold on much longer. Once they are defeated, the freed-up Cultists will go to support Liu Yu, and Qin Zhou, Ruan Shi, and the others will be in trouble."

"Dammit, have you contacted the Sect Leader? Can we get him to come over and open the gates to the Star Secret Vault?"

"No... We’ve made contact, and the Supreme Elder has already set out, but it will still take them some time to get here. Besides, even if they arrive, they might not be able to open it in a short amount of time..."

Once these words were spoken, the elders of the six Major Sects grew even more anxious.

But unable to do anything else, they could only follow Prince Qinghe’s lead: issuing orders to search the surroundings for other Cultists while staring fixedly at the projection of the battle inside the Star Secret Vault, praying that their disciples would be victorious.

But as they prayed, their hearts only sank deeper.