The crimson glow intensified, piercing the darkness in a mere two or three seconds, spreading completely outward. Only then did the assembled crowd realize with astonishment that the pure and beautiful woman had utterly vanished, leaving only that swirling mass of blood-red in the air. A moment later, the crimson mass unfurled, engulfing the remaining traces of dark aura, and then sped rapidly along the ribbon-like dark spiritual energy towards Zhan Qiong.

"It's you! It's you! You are that huā!"

Seeing that familiar blood-red, Zhan Qiong was utterly terrified, crying out hoarsely as the scene that had chilled him to the bone many days ago resurfaced in his mind. If he hadn't been carrying the 'Dark God Blood Coral' and the 'Phantom Spirit Evasion Fragment' that day, he would have ended up just like Zhan Qiong, without even a corpse left behind.

Zhan Qiong never wished to encounter that strange huā again!

During his pursuit of the green-robed bandit earlier, he had been subtly cautious, positioning himself half a step behind the other three. But he hadn't expected that the red huā which had nearly consumed him back then wasn't with the green-robed bandit; instead, it had stayed behind, taking human form to find him once more.

As the cry left his lips, Zhan Qiong instantly severed his connection to that dark spiritual energy and recoiled in terror.

"Zhan Qiong, what's wrong with you?" Seeing his reaction, not only the surrounding crowd but also the nine powerful figures from the Spirit God Hall beside him were utterly perplexed. The elder with snow-white hair and beard frowned deeply; this was the crucial moment to open the Illusory Realm, they could not afford someone to simply retreat.

"Sixth Elder, she is the huā spirit that was with the green-robed bandit!" Zhan Qiong pointed frantically at the blood-red aura floating in the air, devouring the last bit of dark spiritual energy, and screamed.

"Hmm?"

The elder Zhan Qiong called the Sixth Elder furrowed his brow slightly.

After arriving at the Forbidden Spirit Marsh, he had questioned Zhan Qiong in detail about the situation back then and was greatly intrigued by the eyeball-shaped huā blossom possessing swallowing abilities. Such a spiritual object, if used for alchemy, could certainly forge a supreme divine medicine—and according to the records of the Spirit God Hall, the success rate was exceptionally high.

Furthermore, based on the fragmented information from Zhan Qiong, once its divine power was activated on a sacred artifact, it would be difficult for her to continue consuming things, and this might be the opportunity to capture her.

The Sixth Elder stared at the mass of crimson energy, a flicker of greed crossing his eyes, and suddenly roared, "Zhu Yuan, you!"

"Wuu—"

A burly elder, around fifty years old, nodded, and a ball of blazing purple energy suddenly burst from around him. In a slight flash, it coalesced into a lightning bolt as thick as a child’s arm before him. With a crackling sound, it tore through the void, descending upon the mass of crimson with a fierce aura.

However, that purple lightning bolt was once again completely devoured.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuan’s expression changed slightly, but the blood-red aura expanded at a rate visible to the naked eye, then swept across the ground toward the ten of them—Zhu Yuan, Zhan Qiong, the Sixth Elder, and the six figures controlling the 'Spirit Intent God Sealing Diagram' high in the sky.

Instantly, it seemed as if a vast blood cloud was drifting before the Forbidden Spirit Stone Tablet, bathing the space within several tens of meters in a blood-red hue.

In truth, if Tai Yan hadn't utilized even the small amount of spiritual power she could already command, the blood-red mass formed by her body would not have carried any offensive capability. But the people of the Spirit God Hall had witnessed Tai Yan's devouring ability, and they dared not entertain such thoughts. Seeing the blood cloud rush toward them, several Heavenly Spirit experts who were at the forefront attacked almost simultaneously.

Those attacks were like clay cows entering the sea, not stirring up any ripples. Those who reacted quickly, like Zhan Qiong and Zhu Yuan, only had their spiritual power devoured. But one Heavenly Spirit Master reacted half a beat too slowly, and the crimson aura enveloped half his arm, spreading upward ferociously.

"Ah!"

Truly experiencing the meaning of "devour," the Heavenly Spirit Master cried out in terror, trying desperately to retreat, but that arm remained unmoving. In an instant, the entire arm was covered in red. In his panic, he channeled all the spiritual power within his body towards his right arm.

Unfortunately, that scorching Fire Spiritual Power had no effect.

"Use the 'Fire God Blood Pendant'!"

The Sixth Elder roared out. The terrified Heavenly Spirit Master immediately snapped back to attention, and a strange flame erupted, rising gently around him.

As expected, the blood-red aura stopped spreading and even receded backward.

The man sat on the ground, gasping for breath as if utterly exhausted. The other Heavenly Spirit Masters, seeing this, also awoke as if from a dream and quickly activated the divine power pendants they carried. As for Zhan Qiong, he had long since activated the divine power from the 'Dark God Blood Coral,' wrapping his body securely.

"Everyone move, stop her!"

Seeing the crimson aura drawing closer to the six figures above, the Sixth Elder rose into the air, waves of azure rippling around him, and boundless Water God Power surged out like towering waves, bearing down on Tai Yan. With the divine power pendants taking effect, Zhan Qiong, Zhu Yuan, and the others leaped up to shield the six figures in the sky, launching wave after wave of attacks. It was a pity that although Tai Yan couldn't devour their divine power, their divine power also failed to harm Tai Yan in the slightest.

No matter how they obstructed her, the blood cloud continued to approach the opposite side.

The onlookers around the stone tablet were utterly shocked, their eyes keenly aware that if the Spirit God Hall members hadn't used artifacts imbued with divine power, the ten of them, including the Sixth Elder, would have been completely swallowed by that red-robed woman.

"......"

"Could this woman be one of the Five Great Treasures of the Heavenly Spirit Continent, the Devouring God Huā—a huā spirit?"

"It can't be the 'Devouring God Huā,' I heard the 'Devouring God Huā' can only consume the mind and soul, but this woman is consuming spiritual energy... perhaps she can devour both spiritual energy and soul!"

"Exactly, the 'Devouring God Huā' is blue, but the essence of this huā spirit is definitely red."

"Even if the 'Devouring God Huā' achieved sentience, it wouldn't be this powerful. Who knows where that fellow who slipped away earlier found her and took her as his own. With such terrifying devouring ability, no wonder that fellow deliberately left her alone here and departed on his eagle!"

"......"

The crowd watched the situation with intense focus, filled with suspicion. Moreover, after witnessing the devouring ability Tai Yan displayed, several Heavenly Spirit experts who had initially harbored greedy intentions toward capturing her quietly extinguished their avarice. Trying to capture such a spiritual object might very well cost them their lives.

Amidst their doubts, the crowd's envy for the green-robed bandit increased tenfold. With such a huā spirit assisting him, who on the Heavenly Spirit Continent, aside from a few ancient monsters, could pose a threat to him?

"With this huā spirit here, it seems difficult for the Spirit God Hall to obtain the Illusory Realm!" Yuan Xunyu quietly appeared beside Gu Changgong, a slight smile gracing her lips.

"Mm!"

Gu Changgong seemed distracted, responding with a slight hum through his nose, which surprised Yuan Xunyu.