Turmoil in the Lu Lineage (Continued)

"You should have heard the rumors by now. The Mohist Knight Guard have already made their move against our Crimson Eye Society. In this time of crisis, every bit of strength we have increases our chances of survival. There's no time for you to slowly improve your cultivation."

The Netherworld Blood Slave cautiously replied, "I am confident that I can protect myself without worry."

The Crimson Shadow King stared at the Netherworld Blood Slave until he was almost ready to attack before finally speaking, "I meant well. Among the Crimson Eye Society, the three of you have made the greatest contributions. Since you are unwilling, I will not force you. Let's find someone else."

The Netherworld Blood Slave breathed a sigh of relief, "It is my lack of fortune that I am unable to enjoy this opportunity, and I have failed to live up to the leader's good intentions."

She slowly moved backward, and just as she was about to exit the door and her mind relaxed slightly, a shadow suddenly leaped out from the ground, wrapped around her legs, and bound her to the spot.

"You, the leader!"

Two figures flew out of the darkness, namely Blood-Handed Butcher and Yama Blood Child. The former brought down a Blood Sha Great Hand Seal, while the latter used Yama's Thirteen Grips to grab the calf.

Although the Netherworld Blood Slave resisted with all her might, she had already lost the initiative and was at the mercy of her attackers. In addition, the two attackers were both more powerful than her, and she was captured and immobilized after less than three exchanges.

The Crimson Shadow King sighed, "Alas, you won't listen to reason, so why bother?"

Knowing that all was lost, the Netherworld Blood Slave no longer concealed his true intentions and said directly, "You are not the Crimson Shadow King at all. You have long been replaced by something, just like the Blood-Handed Butcher and the Yama Blood Child!"

The Crimson Shadow King wasn't angry; he calmly asked, "And then?"

"Although I don't know what your real purpose is, it's definitely unrelated to fighting against the Mohist Knight Guard, or rather, you don't care about the life or death of the Crimson Eye Society at all!"

The Crimson Shadow King, Blood-Handed Butcher, and Yama Blood Child exchanged glances, and then burst into maniacal laughter.

"You're right! The Crimson Eye Society nothing but a pawn in my game, but unfortunately, you realize it too late!"

The three of them worked together to force the green pill into the Netherworld Blood Slave's mouth. The Netherworld Blood Slave immediately began to tremble in pain as an Anomalies power began to transform her body and erode her consciousness.

"Ughhhhhh..."

A moment later, the Netherworld Blood Slave stopped struggling. Her originally bronze skin had become much whiter, though it had a faint greenish tinge. Her legs were withered, and her ankles had turned into tree roots. Many roots had also grown from her calves, easily penetrating the earth and taking root.

The Netherworld Blood Slave knelt on one knee. "Wood Spirit General Tong Hua has come to report for duty!"

Crimson Shadow King, "Get up. Note that we cannot use any supernatural abilities here. All Law Technique will be blocked. You can only rely on physical skills. Even regeneration is prohibited unless you activate your Otherworld Domain. However, activating your Otherworld Domain also means that you will be restricted in your movements and cannot be removed unless you die. This place is close to the forest, which can maximize your power, so we leave this territory to you."

The Netherworld Blood Slave solemnly declared, "We will never fail in our mission!"

"The power of the Eternal Barrier is too strong; it could only send your three Parasitic Seed in through a crack. I don't expect any further reinforcements. Familiarize yourself with this body; human martial arts are still very useful here."

The Netherworld Blood Slave asked, "Are there only four of us?"

"There's also 'White Face,' a subordinate I recruited here. Although his cultivation is average, his abilities are quite good. He can freely imitate the appearance of others, which is due to his physical body modification ability, hence it wasn't blocked. Before completing the Flesh and Blood Wormhole, we'll have to rely on the combined efforts of the five of us."

The Yama Blood Child scratched his ears and cheeks like Monkey, jumping up and down, emitting a strange laugh, "Chirp chirp chirp..."

Blood-Handed Butcher then recited a poem. "Having fought a hundred battles in the yellow sands, clad in golden armor, I will not return until Loulan is conquered!"

The Netherworld Blood Slave asked with a strange expression, "Are those two... alright?"

"After all, it involves forcibly taking over someone else's body, so some unexpected things are bound to happen," the Crimson Shadow King paused for a moment, then decided to give a heads-up, "If anything strange happens to you in the future, don't be too surprised; it's just a remnant of your original consciousness."

"I understand." The Netherworld Blood Slave said with lingering fear, secretly reminding himself to control his body's instinctive reactions.

"You may all leave now."

The three left one by one. As the Netherworld Blood Slave turned around, she lifted the hem of her cheongsam-like skirt, revealing half of her pert buttocks, and even gave it a slight shake, while she herself showed no reaction.

The Crimson Shadow King said nothing. After returning to his room, he opened an underground passage, descended the stairs, and arrived at a cell. Inside, a beautiful woman dressed in Baiyi, spotless and immaculate, was imprisoned. She was like a beauty straight out of a fairy tale, without a single flaw, so perfect that she didn't seem like a real, living person.

"Princess Illusion Ji, in two days the Flesh and Blood Wormhole will open. Once your father, the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King, leads his Monster Race army to this world, there will be no turning back. You should give up resisting and come help us while there is still time. Only then will you have a chance to atone for your sins."

The woman known as Illusion Ji looked up at the Crimson Shadow King, but said nothing.

"In fact, our plan is going very smoothly. It doesn't matter whether you help or not. As long as you nod, you don't need to do anything else. It's fine if you just watch from the sidelines. Afterwards, I will use this to plead with Wang and make up for the mistake by asking him to forgive you."

As the Crimson Shadow King took a step forward, he was eroded by a spiritual force, causing his consciousness to become disordered, his orientation to become disoriented, and his central nervous system to issue incorrect commands. When he regained his senses, he found himself standing on the steps, in a one-handed handstand position, while his other hand was clutching his crotch and frantically reaching around for it.

This is a woman's Otherworld Domain ability, hence the name "Illusion Ji".

The Crimson Shadow King rolled off and continued to persuade her, "Even if you don't consider yourself, you should consider your daughter's safety. If you are the king's daughter, she is the king's granddaughter, of noble status, and no one would dare to bully her. But once you lose your status as a princess, she will be a half-human, half-monster hybrid. Human Race will not tolerate her, nor will Monster Race. Her fate is self-evident."

This time, Illusion Ji finally reacted and said, "You're wrong. The Human Race is more tolerant than you can imagine. She has trustworthy companions by her side." Her voice was as beautiful as music from nature.

"It's good that you spoke; I was afraid you wouldn't," the Crimson Shadow King immediately said. "That's because her companions don't know her true identity. Once they do, how many people will be able to let go of their prejudices?"

"Since someone can accept me, naturally someone can accept her. True love can overcome these obstacles." As if recalling something, Illusion Ji's face revealed a sweet smile.

Normally, the Crimson Shadow King might have been captivated by the other person's smile, but the thought that this smile was born out of longing for someone else made his heart ache as if it were being gnawed by poisonous insects.

"That only applies during peacetime. Once our race invades and ignites war in this realm, both sides will have the blood of the other's people on their hands. Even true love will have to back down in the face of such deep-seated hatred!"

A smile appeared on Illusion Ji's face, as if mocking, "Crimson Shadow, you don't understand love," and "A single dog like you dares to discuss true love in front of me."

The Crimson Shadow King's face immediately contorted into a ferocious expression, his voice unusually somber. "Even if we concede that her companions are all gentlemen who won't let the hatred between their races affect their feelings, what about the other humans? When they learn your daughter's identity, won't they take revenge? And how long can your daughter's companions protect her?"

Illusion Ji fell silent, her face showing worry, her eyes lowered.

Just when the Crimson Shadow King thought he had successfully swayed her, she sighed, "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. At least she is happy now, with someone willing to protect her. What more could I ask for? No one can predict the future. Perhaps your plan will fail? Perhaps she will hide in the deep mountains and forests, living a life of seclusion? Why think so much? Anyway, no one is immortal. I myself am nearing my end. I have no time to care about others."

Crimson Shadow King hadn't expected his opponent to be so open-minded, so he had to change his tactics. "Your daughter has already arrived in this city and seen the note you left for her. As long as I reveal a little information to her about your imprisonment, she'll walk right into my trap..."

"She won't," Illusion Ji said with certainty. "I know my daughter. As a hybrid of Human Race and Monster Race, she has no 'heart,' she knows neither good nor evil. Worldly morality is nothing to her. Since I told her not to come and save people, she won't."

"It seems I can't convince you. Let the facts speak for themselves. Once you and your daughter are reunited, I think you'll change your mind..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden explosion came from outside, and the ground shook violently. The vibration was transmitted to the secret room, causing dust to fall inside. Then came a series of hurried footsteps and various panicked shouts.