It wasn't just the people from House Carter who had left; many other forces had also departed.
They were accustomed to prioritizing their own interests and had no intention of saving Stellarburg from catastrophe.
Even if a million lives in Stellarburg were to perish, it wouldn't matter to them.
Everyone has their own choices, and no one has the right to interfere.
However, this wasn't what John was concerned about at the moment.
His primary concern was something else.
Would the Dusk Sect really allow them to return to Stellarburg so easily, to assist Shadow Emperor and Scarlett and the others?
As John pondered this, a sudden, piercing scream cut through the crowd.
John's pupils dilated as he swiftly turned around.
The only diamond-tier priest among them was now on the ground, convulsing, his complexion turning a ghastly shade of purple, foam spewing from his mouth.
In just a moment, his eyes rolled back, life fleeing from his body.
Old Dog, with a vigilant gaze, immediately shouted, "Everyone on alert! We have an enemy!"
The members of Hidden Stars were the first to react, assuming a defensive stance.
John drew his staff, his expression grave.
He sensed an extremely dangerous presence!
Albertus Fairfax, Seraphina, Alex, and others also quickly caught on, their eyes scanning their surroundings warily.
Then, to the horrified stares of everyone present, a slender snake with the face of a human and the body speckled with patterns, no thicker than a finger, emerged.
It slithered from the parted, purpling lips of the priest's corpse, its long, thin tongue flicking in and out.
The creature exuded a chilling green mist from its body.
Without any further action, it simply stared coldly at the gathered crowd, continuously hissing.
As everyone remained on high alert, a chilling laughter emanated from the priest's corpse.
"Heh heh heh!"
Following this, the priest's belly suddenly began to swell, expanding larger and larger, akin to a balloon.
With a grotesque sound of flesh tearing, a withered hand forcefully broke through the priest's abdomen, emerging from within.
Subsequently, a young man with a gaunt face and pale skin crawled out.
His demeanor was cold, and his eyes were dark and foreboding.
Bits of red and green substance slid off his body, presenting a sight both bloody and nauseating.
The serpent with a human face upon its slender body gracefully slithered up to the young man's neck.
The youth extended his hand, stroking the speckled snake while gazing at the onlookers with a cold smirk.
"Passage ahead is forbidden. If you wish to cross, I'm afraid you'll have to leave your lives behind."
The scene was shockingly impactful, causing many of those with weaker constitutions to vomit outright.
For instance, Alex, the wealthy young master, was trembling uncontrollably even before the fight had begun.
Even seasoned individuals like Old Dog appeared visibly unsettled.
Nobody expected this reserved woman to possess such formidable strength!
Only John, who had sensed something extraordinary about Dark Fox from the beginning, remained relatively calm amidst the surprise.
Albertus Fairfax scratched his head, his gaze shifting to a diamond-tier fighter as he flashed a grin, "I can't take on a supreme-tier, but I can still give it a shot against a diamond-tier."
No sooner had his words fallen than a dazzling Gold Flash erupted from him, with a golden deity swiftly materializing behind him.
"Radiant Visage!"
Although Albertus Fairfax's Radiant Visage was a size smaller than Baron's, it was exceptionally solid and possessed eight arms, each clutching a diamond-tier weapon.
The deity shimmered with opulence, its mere presence highlighting the stark disparities in wealth.
Regardless of his combat effectiveness, Albertus Fairfax's display fully lived up to the prestige of a wealthy heir.
The crowd, however, wasn't overly concerned about Albertus.
It was common knowledge that he was adorned with rare artifacts; even if he couldn't win, escaping unscathed wouldn't be an issue.
Witnessing the united front of Old Dog and the others, Venomous Serpent's pathologically pale face contorted with disdain.
He sneered, "If you had chosen to simply await death, I might have spared you some pain."
With that, his lips curled into a cruel smile as he declared, "Now, I've decided to let you taste what it feels like to be devoured bit by bit by a thousand snakes."
As his words echoed, Venomous Serpent's body suddenly burst into intense green light.
Countless venomous serpents in a myriad of colors surged from beneath his robes like a tide.
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of venomous serpents gathered at his feet.
The dense sea of serpents, hissing incessantly, twisted and turned as they advanced towards the group like a tidal wave, sending shivers down the spine of anyone who merely glanced their way.
Femme Fatale, licking her crimson lips, lasciviously smiled, "Such delightful prey, don't spoil them all for me."
As she spoke, her eyes transformed into pink vertical pupils.
Thick pink mists billowed out, quickly drifting towards John and his allies.
John frowned, sensing imminent danger.
A cyan shield materialized around him as he swiftly retreated.
"Zephyr Shield!"
The pink mist spread rapidly, engulfing two slower awakeners.
Their eyes instantly reddened, filled with lust, as they lunged at their nearby comrades, frenziedly tearing at their clothes while emitting heavy breaths.
Witnessing this, the crowd felt a chill run down their spines.
"These damned creatures," Old Dog's eyes flashed with anger.
In a blink, he merged into the shadows, ghosting towards Venomous Serpent.
Dark Fox began chanting, her flames seemingly capable of warding off the toxic mist.
The pink fog had no effect on her.
As the battle was about to commence, John was not about to stand idly by.
Lifting his staff, his eyes gleamed with a mix of ice blue and aqua light.
"Ice Meteorite!"