Under John''s watchful eyes, the pool of blood beneath Lucas suddenly began to wriggle.


    It then seemed toe to life, extending tendrils that wrapped around Lucas''s stark white bones.


    Subsequently, Lucas''s previously dissolved flesh began to regrow at a speed visible to the naked eye!


    First came the blood vessels, then the organs, followed by the muscle tissue, and finally the skin...


    In just the blink of an eye, Lucas, who had been reduced to mere bones, was restored to his fleshly form! Resurrected from the dead?!


    John was astounded; such legendary abilities truly existed, but why did Lucas possess them?


    Under John''s gaze, Lucas slowly stood up.


    His long red hair moved as though alive, holding the blood de in his hand, while a blood-colored robe with golden patterns slowly materialized on his body, radiating an eerie aura.


    John furrowed his brow, sensing something off about Lucas, his mind heightening its alertness.


    Under John''s scrutiny, Lucas leisurely stretched his body, as if awakening from a deep slumber.


    Then, he looked at his own palm, a hint of disdain shing in his dark red, vertical pupils.


    Lucas spoke with loathing, "If it weren''t for possessing my legacy power, a lowly being like you would not be worthy of having me use your body."


    Hearing this, John''s pupils abruptly constricted.


    No, this isn''t Lucas!


    He is… Crimson Demon!


    He is still alive!


    John felt a wave of suffocation.


    This terrifying entity was hiding within that de, and it hade to life through Lucas''s body!


    Speaking, Crimson Demon''s dark red vertical pupils, gleaming with a sinister light, suddenly fixed on John, and a profoundly eerie smile appeared on his pale, sinister face.


    Crimson Demon''s eyes narrowed slightly, and he slowly said, "You are quite remarkable. I sense a familiar aura on you, one that pleases me."


    Being directly gazed at by a dark god, John''s breathing and thoughts nearly halted instantaneously.


    It was like being targeted by an ancient behemoth, the immense pressure almost crushing.


    It felt as though any slight misstep would result in being devoured, leaving no bones behind.


    Drops of cold sweat trickled down John''s forehead.


    Outside the Land of the Blood God, Seraphina also came to her senses.


    She shouted urgently, "It''s Crimson Demon! John, get out of the trial quickly!"


    Alex, who had not yet grasped the situation, shuddered at her words, his face showing horror.


    Crimson Demon?!


    This guy is actually Crimson Demon!


    Of course, Alex knew what this meant; this was a living dark god!


    He fumbled to open the panel, and without a second thought, he chose to exit the trial.


    Crimson Demon, with an amused look in his eyes, did not hinder them at all, letting the two leave.


    The entire Crimson Realm was under his control; now that he had sealed off the entire secret realm of the Crimson Realm, where could they possibly escape to?


    Seraphina and the other disappeared in the blink of an eye, yet John remained in ce.


    He stared at the prompt before him, his expression turning exceedingly grim.


    [You have passed the final trial, congrattions on obtaining the "Legacy of the Crimson Demon"!]


    [Your final trial rating is SSS-level!]


    [You have been awarded "Blood Apostle" (Heritage Scroll), Blood Mask (Heritage Equipment)…]


    [You have been locked by "Crimson Demon (Severely Injured)" and temporarily cannot exit the trial!]


    …


    John ignored the initial prompts, his gaze fixed intensely on thest one, his teeth clenched tightly. He was… unable to exit!


    Outside.


    After exiting the trial, Alex''s form appeared outside the Bones Tower in the blink of an eye. Soon after, Seraphina also materialized.


    At this moment, the battle outside the Bones Tower had just ended.


    Owen and a host of Dusk Sect adherents were in on the spot by Victor.


    ck Ghost, although not dead, was severely injured, barely clinging to life, and was captured by the crowd.


    Seeing Seraphina and Alex suddenly emerge, everyone was taken aback.


    Theodore and Maximilian breathed a sigh of relief, but Victor''s brow furrowed.


    Why are there only two of them?


    The captain of the House Carter''s guard changed his expression dramatically and hurriedly stepped forward to ask, "Where is Young Master Lucas?"


    However, Seraphina and Alex did not intend to respond to him at all.


    Before anyone else could ask what had happened inside, Alex shouted in terror, "Run! Crimson Demon… Crimson Demon has awakened!"


    Hearing Alex''s words, everyone''splexion changed drastically. Crimson Demon has awakened?!


    "Hahaha!" Despite being severely wounded and close to death, ck Ghost stillughed loudly: "Run? Where can you possibly run to? The entire Crimson Realm is under the control of Crimson Demon; none of you can escape!"


    Hearing ck Ghost''s words, a flicker of coldness passed through Victor''s eyes.


    Without any visible movement from his hands, a streak of cold light sliced through the air, directly severing ck Ghost''s arm!


    "Pfft!"


    Blood sttered everywhere!


    ck Ghost''s arm was instantly detached from his body.


    His face twisted in pain, yet he forcefully suppressed any screams, instead shouting fervently: "Wait until Crimson Demon obtains the body of that Hidden Stars rookie and regains some strength, all of you will die here, and we will offer the entire Sterburg as a sacrifice to wee the arrival of the lord of Dusk!"


    Hearing ck Ghost''s words, the members of Hidden Stars became visibly unsettled.


    Old Dog, covered in wounds, grabbed ck Ghost by the cor and hoisted him up.


    He bellowed, "What do you mean by that? What ''obtaining a body''?!"


    Blood continuously flowed from ck Ghost''s mouth, but his demeanor was insanely fanatical.


    Heughed wildly: "Do you think this trial was meant to select an heir for Crimson Demon? Ridiculous, the purpose of this trial, from beginning to end, was to select a better body for Him! This was the pact made between our archbishop and Crimson Demon; as long as we help Him revive, He would hold you off, giving us time to sacrifice the entire Sterburg!"


    Hearing that Crimson Demon intended to use John''s body to manifest into reality, Seraphina''s body shook, her beautiful face instantly losing all color.


    She looked towards Theodore, her eyes filled with a plea.


    However, Theodore shook his head bitterly. What could he do against a dark god?


    ck Ghost''s expression twisted malevolently: "You probably don''t know yet, but this time our Dusk Sect has called almost all its followers and powerhouses! Even the archbishop has personallye to Sterburg, all to conduct this ceremony. You think what the white gloves found was everything, but that was just a smokescreen we released. I''ve already sent out the message; the n has long begun.


    By now, the entire Sterburg is probably on the verge of falling!"


    Hearing ck Ghost''s words, everyone''s faces turned pale.


    If what ck Ghost said was true, and their n seeded, two dark gods would descend into reality, dealing a fatal blow to the Federation!


    Just thinking of that hellish, terrifying scenario made many tremble.


    ck Ghost''splexion grew even paler, his demeanor more morbid, saying, "The overall situation is set; our people in Sterburg have already made their move. Once the grand array is activated, the Federation will no longer have Sterburg, but will gain a ''Dusk Realm'' instead. At that time, all of us fallen believers will be resurrected in the divine realm!"


    His face wore a look of longing, his tone mocking: "You mortals can only quietly await death, while we will gain eternal life in the divine realm…"


    As he spoke, ck Ghost''s voice grew fainter and soon he was lifeless.


    Alexander, seething with rage, smashed ck Ghost''s corpse with a punch, his teeth clenched in fury: "These Dusk Sect madmen, they really deserve to be torn to pieces!"


    Baron furrowed his brows in contemtion, eventually looking towards Victor, speaking gravely, "Captain Victor, the situation has escted beyond our control; we can''t let things proceed unchecked any longer. The lives of millions in Sterburg are not to be trifled with; it''s time to use that item!"


    Since they dared to bait and hook the Dusk Sect, they naturally had made thorough preparations.


    Although the current situation had far exceeded their expectations, the assembly of powerhouses still had a means of remedy.


    And this remedy was the item Baron mentioned, named "Hourss of Time."


    This is a semi-god-tier item from the Federal officials, capable ofpletely sealing off a city for one month, halting the flow of time within it.


    The Hourss of Time is typically reserved for use in major crises.


    This time, Victor had specifically requested it from the higher-ups, intended to freeze time should the situation spiral out of control, allowing those whoe after to find a way to rescue.


    Originally, this was just a precautionary measure, but now, unexpectedly, it indeed had to be utilized.


    However, powerful as the Hourss of Time is, it has a drawback: once activated, it consumes a massive amount of life force from the beings within the sealed area to maintain its operation.


    It has been calcted that to keep this item functioning normally, at least millions of people would have to sacrifice a year of their lifespan each day, a truly heavy price to pay.


    Therefore, unless it''s absolutely crucial, such an item would rather be left unused.


    Victor didn''t speak; he just gazed at the top of the Bones Tower.


    After a long while, he finally slowly said, "Wait a bit longer!"