Liu Xing took several steps and stood at the edge of the tower. From his vantage point, he could see the remains of the City of Suns spread before him. Mutilated and charred corpses littered the destroyed city, with blood staining nearly everything.

"We've likely missed some abominations," the prince said, "but I believe we've successfully culled their numbers. We've won."

Liu Xing smiled at those words, noting how the Yang clan members around him straightened with pride, chests puffing out. This was indeed a victory. While the underlying threat remained, the massive number of abominations they had eliminated would certainly create problems for Yang Lihuo and Wei Yi. This might buy them the time they needed to await reinforcements from the Purple Moon Sect.

"Has there been any word from Elder Yang Zhaoyan while I was breaking through?" Liu Xing asked.

"We've had no contact, but that's not concerning. He said he would reach out if there were any problems." The prince pulled a small blue orb from within his inner robe as he spoke.

"What's our next move?" A woman stepped toward the prince. Liu Xing recognized her as one of the prince's retainers. "Should we withdraw?"

The prince pinched his chin, assessing his clan members. While some bore wounds, like the man with a goatee sporting a long gash on his arm, most remained in fighting condition. He was actually neutral about what they would do next. He had accomplished his goal of eliminating at least five hundred abominations, and since he had successfully broken through to the Core Splitting realm, he was in top condition. Still, it was up to the prince, because continuing the culling was a risk not only for him but also for the rest of the clan members.

Turning toward the castle, the prince spoke carefully. "I want to press forward and confront Lihuo. But that would be unwise. Even though we have eliminated most of the abominations, the truly powerful ones, those at the Sun Refining realm, have yet to show themselves."

They had faced the Wu clan, the Hei clan, the army, and their generals, all at the Core Splitting realm. But where were the stronger ones? They were probably waiting in the castle.

"We'll retreat," the prince declared. "We'll fall back, tend our wounds, and prepare for the next culling."

"Yes!" The clan members replied in unison, with Liu Xing nodding in agreement.

This would not be their last culling. Although this raid had exceeded their original plans, it was only the first phase. They had been lucky enough to avoid a confrontation with the Sun Refining abominations, but the next time would be different. When that time came, Liu Xing would need the support of Elder Yang Zhaoyan.

After confirming all clan members had survived, the prince led them down the main tower, using the smaller towers as stairs. Once on the ground, they began their retreat, with the prince in the lead, Liu Xing on his right, and his guard on his left.

They had barely covered a hundred meters when they felt an ominous pressure so strong that it felt as if an ancient monster had fixed its gaze upon them. Liu Xing's eyes widened and his heart began pounding in his chest as if a prisoner were trying to break free from its cage. What was this? Where was this pressure coming from?

The prince stopped abruptly, and Liu Xing and the others followed his lead. They stood amidst the half-collapsed buildings and turned westward toward the source of the qi pressure. Black shadows writhed across the ground and sky, accompanied by a sound like thousands of voices shouting and murmuring.

Liu Xing channeled his qi, enhancing his vision and bringing the shadows several kilometers away into focus. When he realized they were the abominations he knew all too well, his blood ran cold. These were the abominations with snake limbs, various skin colors, and fruit for ears. They displayed an unsettling array of expressions. Some smiled contentedly, like a Buddha; others wore psychotic grins; and still others cackled madly. Yet others showed sadness, anger, and every emotion imaginable on their faces. Their snake limbs came in every color: yellow, brown, black, blue, green, even rainbow-colored. and many more combinations. They wore various accessories around their necks, including chains, cloth, rope, and what appeared to be floating mercury. Above them, the winged pink worms buzzed like worker bees, their human faces each clutching a basketball-sized meatball in their mouths.

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Seeing this was like seeing his nightmare come true. Wang Lin had said that there were dozens of those abominations that attacked the Wang clan, and he imagined that there were at least hundreds of them now. But to think that they had already divided into thousands of abominations. Their numbers were too great!

Liu Xing forced his breath to calm down and assess the situation with a clear head. Although this third army surpassed the second in strength, it was not invincible. Not all of them had the presence of the abomination that had unleashed the Tiger Punch that had nearly killed him. Even though they were formidable, with Elder Yang Zhaoyan's help to defeat one, he could use its core to eliminate the rest.

"Move out," Prince Yang Jinyan commanded, "but suppress your cultivation and proceed with caution. They don't appear to be heading our way." Upon closer observation, Liu Xing noticed that this third army was indeed moving toward the castle, their pace steady but unhurried.

Liu Xing suppressed his cultivation, an old trick he had learned to hide from bullies, one he had rarely used since acquiring the gun that could thin his presence and render him invisible, and began to walk silently. Their group moved cautiously, using rubble as cover while advancing as quickly as they dared. After about ten minutes, they reached the city's edge, where houses and stores still stood intact, with charred abomination corpses scattered across the streets and flower hills nearby. In roughly three minutes, they would be clear of the City of Suns and able to make a dash for the Yang clan compound.

But as they crept along the city's periphery, a massive qi pressure descended upon them, as if an eye of a god looked directly at them. The air suddenly felt to solidify, weighing down on their shoulders like tons of steel. Liu Xing's head snapped around to see the golden castle suddenly surrounded by orange light. This radiance condensed into a single point atop the castle before erupting skyward in a brilliant tower. The orange tower appeared to strike an invisible barrier high above, causing the sky over the City of Suns to pulse with orange light. Then, the illumination spread outward, curving around the city's edges to form an enormous dome, effectively imprisoning everything within. Some of the light descended nearby, and the impact of it created a strong gust of wind as well as a cloud of dust swirling around them.

Beside him, the prince's jaw dropped, his eyes wide with horror. "I-it's the Royal Barrier!"

Liu Xing's heart hammered against his ribs like a desperate man pounding on a doctor's door in the dead of night. His stomach churned as anxiety coursed through him.

This was catastrophically bad. Their calculations had been wrong; the ritual was not scheduled for days, it was happening now!

Taking a deep breath, Liu Xing forced himself to think clearly. The sacrifice ritual beginning today meant everyone inside the barrier would become potential sacrifices. Including them, who were currently inside the barrier. Yet, he realized, being outside would be even worse; they would be powerless to stop what was happening inside. Being trapped inside with the prince and the Yang clan members at least meant they could act.

Liu Xing glanced at the third army and clenched his fists. "Prince, contact Elder Yang Zhaoyan. We need to know his location immediately."

The prince snapped out of his shock and activated his communication orb. The orb glowed briefly, and a click indicated connection, but instead of Elder Yang Zhaoyan's steady voice, they heard laughter. Liu Xing had never heard the elder laugh, but he knew it would not sound like this. "Did you make a mistake, Prince? Did you activate the wrong communication orb?"

Prince Yang Jinyan's face had gone pale, and at Liu Xing's question, he snapped, "Of course not! Do you think I'm so clumsy? This orb is connected directly to Elder Yang Zhaoyan!"

"Then why isn't it him answering?" Liu Xing's voice rose with his mounting tension. He addressed the orb directly: "Who are you?"

"Surely you know me. My name is Yang Lihuo, the rightful heir of the Twelve Sun Empire!"

Liu Xing turned to Prince Yang Jinyan, who gripped the communication orb so tightly his arm veins bulge.

"Lihuo, you bastard!" Raw fury filled the prince's voice. "How dare you make such ridiculous claims? The rightful heir of the Twelve Sun Empire? Nonsense! Can you see from your castle? Our capital lies in ruins! What kind of rightful heir willingly destroys his home? You're nothing but a foolish bastard who needs to be put down!"

"Don't insult me, you useless older brother. My plans are beyond your comprehension. Yes, the capital is ruined, but the Twelve Sun Empire won't merely rise from its ashes to rival the Purple Moon Sect. No, under my reign, the Twelve Sun Empire will grind the Purple Moon Sect to dust!"

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