Just as Li Fan was lost in his thoughts, the group had already reached the central plaza of the underground city.
Other teams of emaciated otherworldly lords had already gathered here, along with dozens of formidable black-robed persons exuding a menacing aura scattered across the area.
But these were not the main focus.
In the center of the plaza were rows of over a hundred shocking, flesh-colored objects, emanating a nauseating stench of blood.
On the surface of each of these flesh-colored objects were dense black veins, slowly wriggling, resembling bizarre cocoons brewing something terrifying.
On the ground where the flesh-colored objects lay was set up an enormous blood-colored magic array. The deep and complex magic symbols within the formation would make anyone dizzy with just a glance, almost suffocating them.
"Hehehe, Lord Asura, the new āmaterialsā have been delivered."
The No. 19 Black Robed Person, wielding a skull wand, sprinted over to another imposing black-robed figure and reported obsequiously, "All the materials for summoning are here, please inspect them, Lord Asura."
"Well done."
The black-robed person wearing a white mask with a sinister pattern numbered 00001 nodded slightly, glancing towards the team where Li Fan stood.
The eyes, the only visible part of the figure, were filled with sharpness and coldness, making Li Fanās heart palpitate in fear, causing him to instinctively avert his gaze immediately.
Li Fan could clearly feel the frail female lord beside him shivering uncontrollably.
"Since all the āmaterialsā are here, letās begin."
After glancing at Li Fanās team, the No. 1 Black Robed Person waved his hand dismissively and commanded, "Begin summoning the āmaterialsā and prepare for todayās ceremony. The Supreme One is very concerned about our results."
"Hehehe, received, Lord Asura."
The No. 19 Black Robed Person bowed with a hand over his chest, then strode back confidently.
He first glanced at the trembling lordās team, then sneered coldly: "A bunch of useless fools, what are you waiting for? Take out your Tier 2 Recruitment Orders and prepare to summon!"
Hearing the words of the No. 19 Black Robed Person, all the lords, including Li Fan, hurriedly pulled out the Tier 2 Recruitment Orders they had just received, full of despair.
As the lords reached for their recruitment orders, the No. 1 Black Robed Person nearby erupted with a surge of mana. Under his eerie incantation, a blood-red magic barrier quickly formed, enveloping the entire plaza.
In an instant, even the extremely dark plaza was shrouded in a thick blood-red hue, casting the face of everyone present in a sinister scarlet glow.
"Begin the summoning!"
With a shout from several leading black-robed persons, hundreds of dazzling light gates lit up in unison.
However, at the moment each light gate opened, thick scarlet mist rose from the ground, completely enveloping the summoning gates, giving them an otherworldly appearance.
Before long, as the blood-tinged light gates opened, any figure emerging was immediately shrouded in the thick scarlet mist, disappearing instantly, merging with the blood mist.
For a moment, those continuously writhing flesh-colored objects seemed to absorb ample nutrients, each wriggling wildly and even emitting a bizarre red glow, evidently in a state of extreme pleasure.
This surreal scene sent shivers through the heart of every lord.
Their new subordinates vanished before even making an appearance, becoming a part of those flesh-colored objects... most crucially, they could only repeat this process every day, over and over again.
"Hehehe, Lord Asura, it seems that the first dozen āApostles of the Reverseā are about to hatch."
The No. 19 Black Robed Person approached the No. 1 Black Robed Person holding a skull wand, chuckling eerily: "What a delightful sight this is indeed."
"Indeed, the nourishment doesnāt merely come from the summoned subordinates themselves, but also from their despair and the energy from the summoning light gates. Particularly the latter two greatly accelerated the hatching process, otherwise, the āApostles of the Reverseā wouldnāt be born so quickly."
The No. 1 Black Robed Person nodded slightly and said indifferently, "We have to thank the Supreme Oneās discovery; otherwise, according to the previous foolish followersā sacrifices, it would take ten days to half a month to hatch a single āApostle of the Reverse.ā"
"Praise the Supreme One! Not only can they perform the great āRetrograde Ritual,ā but also come up with such brilliant ideas!"
The No. 19 Black Robed Personās voice was filled with reverence, laughing, "Hehehe, I bet the Otherworldly Holy Lion Prince would never guess that the majority of Lord Asuraās opponents were born in this manner, and thereās an inexhaustible supply!"
"After all, the āRetrograde Ritualā and the āApostles of the Reverseā are just minor components of the āDivine Plan,ā far from our full strength."
The No. 1 Black Robed Person gave the other a glance and continued, "Those otherworldly scum wonāt take long to end up like these useless fools, experiencing utter despair; thatās when the real show begins!"
Having said this, the No. 1 Black Robed Person also broke into sinister laughter.
Upon hearing the laughter of the No. 1 Black Robed Person, the other black-robed persons joined in with him, causing prolonged maniacal laughter to echo through the shadowy underground city, sending tremors through their hearts.
It wasnāt over yet. As the black-robed persons laughed presumptuously, the dozen or so flesh-colored objects suddenly burst with dazzling red light.
Soon after, a dozen imposing figures tore through the red outer skin, crawling out of the slime with twisted faces, like demons from hell.
Seeing this terrifying scene, the already trembling team of lords quivered even more, causing the frail female lord beside Li Fan to pale and almost collapse to the ground.
She steadied herself with great effort and whispered to the equally trembling Li Fan beside her: "Brother Li, I-Iām about to hold on any longer, will Master Leo really come to rescue us?"
"We must hold on, this is our only hope, Master Leo will definitely come to save us!"
Li Fan took a deep breath and nodded heavily: "When the time comes, even if we have to risk our lives, we must make them pay with blood!"
After a while, the laughter of the black-robed persons finally ceased, and the No. 1 Black Robed Person nodded towards the No. 19 Black Robed Person holding a skull wand and commanded, "Take these new āApostles of the Reverseā to the next stage of the ritual. They must unleash their full strength as quickly as possible to prepare for dealing with the otherworldly scum."
"As you command, Lord Asura, Iāll take care of it right away."
The No. 19 Black Robed Person nodded respectfully, bowing and accepting the command.
"Come back."
As he was about to leave, the No. 1 Black Robed Person called him back.
"Lord Asura, is there anything else?"
The No. 19 Black Robed Person quickly turned back, bowing respectfully.
"How is the progress with those ancient demon beasts coming along?"
The No. 1 Black Robed Person nodded slightly and inquired again.
"In response to Lord Asura, everything is proceeding smoothly."
The No. 19 Black Robed Person chuckled and reported respectfully, "Just yesterday, I even used a few lords as playthings; those mutating ancient demon beasts are incredibly excited, and it wonāt be long before a large number of ancient demon beasts are born."
"Fools, for now, these useless lords must be fully utilized for the āRetrograde Ritual.ā Once the otherworldly scum are eliminated, you can dispose of them as you wish, but until then, do not eliminate them unnecessarily."
The No. 1 Black Robed Person snorted coldly and commanded, "As for the ancient demon beasts, Iāll prepare another batch of disciples. Once weāve dealt with the otherworldly scum, you may handle them as you see fit."
The No. 19 Black Robed Person nodded repeatedly in terror, respectfully complying, "Understood, Lord Asura."
"Go then."
As the No. 1 Black Robed Person dismissed the No. 19 Black Robed Person, a sinister smile spread across his face, hidden behind his mask. Laughing eerily, he said: "I really am looking forward to the moment the show begins."