Li Jing noticed Ye Ling's gaze and followed his line of sight, seeing the members of the Hongchen Pavilion kneeling on the ground. A flicker of doubt crossed his eyes as he asked, "Why are these mortals worshipping the Mother of Calamity?"
Ye Ling looked at Li Jing and inquired, "King Li, do you know of the Hongchen Pavilion?"
Li Jing shook his head. "Forgive me, but I have never heard of it. Emperor, you speak of a mortal power, do you not? Could it be that those mortals are from the Hongchen Pavilion?"
Ye Ling nodded, then said, "They are indeed from the Hongchen Pavilion, but according to my investigations, the Hongchen Pavilion has a background in the Immortal Realm, and their members can freely travel between the Immortal Realm and the mortal world."
"I suspect that the awakening of this Mother of Calamity is the work of a Saint. I thought perhaps King Li might know something."
"A Saint is involved in this matter?"
Upon hearing Ye Ling's words, not only Li Jing but also Nezha, who stood nearby, had a slight change in expression. He exclaimed in surprise, "Since the Great Desolation War, all Saints have retreated. Even in the Immortal Realm, there are not many Saints. They are all supreme beings residing in the Nine Heavens. Would they concern themselves with mortal affairs?"
Li Jing also found it hard to believe, stating gravely, "Emperor, if Saints are involved, this matter is no trivial affair. Are you certain?"
Ye Ling replied, "Of course, I am certain. I have already seen two Saints in this ancient ruin. Furthermore, the seal on this ancient ruin was imposed by the Saints of the Great Desolation. If it were not for the intervention of a Saint, who else would have the ability to erase the markings here?"
"However, I still believe it is more prudent to deal with the Mother of Calamity first, rather than worrying about Saints."
"This ancient ruin is very close to Shanghai, China, and Shanghai is one of the financial centers of the world today. If the Mother of Calamity were to break out of this ancient ruin, the turmoil it would cause worldwide would be far from minor."
"Now that the separation of heaven and earth has been enforced, the Immortal Realm and the mortal world should not interfere with each other. If this Mother of Calamity were to escape, the Kunlun Heavenly Ladder, severed by Gonggong and Lizhu, might reappear in the world."
In mythology, Zhuanxu, the successor of the Yellow Emperor, to prevent the gods in the heavens and the mountain spirits and wild beasts from wreaking havoc on the mortal world, ordered Gonggong and Lizhu, one to lift the heavens and the other to press down the earth, causing the distance between heaven and earth to grow ever wider, severing the Kunlun Heavenly Ladder and achieving the feat of separating heaven and earth.
From then on, the gods of the Immortal Realm were no longer permitted to travel to the mortal world without permission to cause harm. Those who violated this would be punished by the Saints of the Nine Heavens, leading to their demise.
And this Mother of Calamity, containing the power of all the Tongtian Towers in the ancient ruin, possesses an aura capable of affecting the entire world, leading it towards destruction.
Once the Mother of Calamity gains power, for the Immortal Realm to eliminate this disaster, they would have to shorten the distance between heaven and earth, rebuild the Kunlun Heavenly Ladder, allowing Immortals and gods to freely travel between heaven and earth, thus eradicating the demonic calamity.
With the rebuilding of the Kunlun Heavenly Ladder, mortals would have a path to ascension, and becoming an Immortal would be much easier. This might seem like a good thing.
However, correspondingly, it would become much easier for the Immortal Realm to manipulate the mortal world.
If another Chi You were to appear in this world, the war between gods and demons at the end of the Great Desolation might repeat itself.
At that time, it would be a true catastrophe for heaven and earth.
Although Ye Ling was unsure whether Xuanxiao and the Hongchen Pavilion released the Mother of Calamity with the intention of rebuilding the Kunlun Heavenly Ladder, the theoretical possibility meant it had to be guarded against.
Li Jing nodded gravely, "Emperor speaks the truth. This Mother of Calamity is a remnant of the Tongtian tribe, entwined with a great deal of violent energy. If released, it would truly be irrecoverable."
"The human population in the mortal world is growing, yet their faith in Immortals and gods grows increasingly indifferent. Many divine courts in the Immortal Realm covet the faith of mortals in the mortal world and have long sought excuses to re-establish contact with the mortal world and gather believers."
"If this Mother of Calamity were to escape, it would serve as the perfect excuse for the gods. If that happens, even the Heavenly Emperor's command might not be effective."
"In that case, let your son eliminate this demon and remove this hidden danger!"
Nezha shouted, and without waiting for Li Jing's command, he stepped on his Wind Fire Wheels, transforming into a streak of fire, and charged fiercely towards the Mother of Calamity, engaging it in combat!
"Zha'er! Alas... Emperor, please excuse me. The situation is urgent, I must take my leave!"
Seeing Nezha's rash charge, Li Jing's heart grew anxious. He quickly apologized to Ye Ling and then returned to the Heavenly Soldier camp to organize the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals to support Nezha.
Yang Jian, standing in the clouds, glanced at Ye Ling, then shifted his attention to the Mother of Calamity. His third eye's divine power activated, searching for the Mother of Calamity's weakness.
As the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals engaged the Mother of Calamity, Ye Ling did not choose to assist. He brought Jiu Ling down from the sky, landing behind Yang Zhuo and the others.
The other surviving cultivators who saw Ye Ling descend with a nine-tailed fox also showed fear in their eyes, and they all knelt down to pay homage to Ye Ling.
Everyone present had also seen Ye Ling conversing with Immortals and gods, naturally taking Ye Ling for an Immortal or god from the heavens.
Ye Ling's descent to the mortal world now filled them with awe and trepidation.
Ye Ling swept his gaze over the assembled cultivators and said, "Since you have all endured until now, I will give you an opportunity. Whether you live or die afterward depends on your own fortune."
With that, a ball of demonic energy surged from Ye Ling's palm, dispersing to each of the cultivators present who were bound by the Hongchen Pavilion's bracelets.
The bracelets tied to the cultivators' wrists emitted piercing screams when entangled by Ye Ling's demonic energy, and then all the bracelets transformed into snakes, slithering off the cultivators' wrists.
"Hiss—!"
The crowd watched as the snakes struggled on the ground for a moment before being burned to powder by the demonic energy, leaving only a black residue on the ground...
"This, this..."
The crowd was stunned to see the bracelets on their wrists disappear. After a moment, their faces lit up with ecstatic joy!
"It's... gone?"
Realizing their freedom, everyone began to kowtow frantically to Ye Ling, expressing their gratitude, "Thank you, Immortal! Thank you, Immortal!"
Ye Ling continued, "You should all leave. Staying here will only hasten your deaths."
"Yes! Yes!"
The crowd dared not linger and quickly retreated from the center of the ancient ruin, avoiding the battle between gods and demons.
From now on, they only needed to hold on until the gates of the ancient ruin opened, and then they could escape this nightmare land, never to return!
This adventure into the ancient ruin had completely shattered the adventurous spirit of those present.
Even the eighth-rank cultivators were as fragile as paper. This place was truly too terrifying!
Ye Ling let the cultivators from various factions go, but the people of the Hongchen Pavilion seemed oblivious, still kneeling before the shattered central Tongtian Tower, worshipping the Mother of Calamity.
Ye Ling then focused his attention on Yang Zhuo and discovered...
Yang Zhuo's soul...
Had already vanished by half!