The Hunt Begins

Blood Sacrifice Grand Array!

Lin Feng's pupils abruptly contracted as he instantly understood the terrifying meaning behind those four words.

This was no longer some covert little scheme. This was flipping the table—an earth-shaking conspiracy meant to drag everyone down with it!

Almost at the exact moment Huang Fugui sent his voice transmission, all of Qingyang County suddenly trembled!

"Buzzz—"

An invisible ripple, like a stone cast into a lake, spread from deep within the county seat's prison and swept across the entire city in an instant!

Immediately afterward, the Ancient Well in the east, the Land God Temple in the west, the Mourning Hall in the south, and the River God Shrine in the north.

From these four seemingly unrelated locations, four scarlet pillars of light shot skyward at the same time!

The four pillars soared into the sky and converged above Qingyang County, rapidly outlining a vast, bizarre rune formation.

A translucent blood-red dome, like an enormous bowl turned upside down, descended and completely enveloped all of Qingyang County!

The once-clear sky was instantly stained with an ominous layer of crimson.

A sickeningly sweet stench filled the air. Countless ordinary citizens felt dizzy and disoriented, while an inexplicable violence and madness rose within their hearts.

"Aaaah! Kill! Kill you!"

"Die! All of you, die!"

On the streets, neighbors who had once lived in harmony suddenly had bloodshot eyes, saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths.

Like demons gone mad, they used their teeth, their nails, and everything they could wield to frantically bite and attack one another.

Worse still, some of the frailer people, corroded by this sinister power,

had their bodies shrivel and twist at a visible rate. Beneath their skin, it seemed as though countless maggots were writhing, until it finally hardened into bluish-black keratin.

With inhuman hoarse roars spilling from their throats, their wildly growing nails turned ink-black. They transformed into the lowest-grade Walking Corpses and staggered toward the living people beside them.

Screams, wails, and beastlike roars mingled with the strange sounds of bones shattering and flesh tearing, instantly echoing throughout the entire county seat.

In less than the time it took to burn an incense stick, this peaceful little town had already become a living hell!

"Not good! It's the Blood Soul Grudge Array!"

Inside the guest room, Chu Mengxi shot out in an instant. Gazing at the enormous blood-colored dome overhead, an incomparably grave expression appeared on her exquisite face for the first time.

"These lunatics! They actually want to sacrifice an entire city's living beings in blood to spawn an unparalleled fiend!"

Zhao Tie and Li Rui followed right behind her. Seeing the city's horrific state, their eyes were split with rage.

"Chief! What do we do? If we don't break this formation, we'll all be trapped here until we die, becoming nourishment for that fiend!" Zhao Tie roared urgently.

"Split up!"

Chu Mengxi made her decision without hesitation, her voice cold and resolute. "Zhao Tie, Li Rui, go clear out the corpse-transformed monsters in the city. Protect the citizens as much as possible and buy us time! I'll search for the formation core and find a way to break the array! Lin Feng!"

She abruptly turned around and looked at Lin Feng, who had also stepped out of his room. "Your strength is formidable and your movement technique is elusive. Come with me to the County Office prison. That must be where the main formation core is!"

Yet, to her surprise, Lin Feng shook his head.

"No."

Lin Feng's answer was simple and decisive.

"What?"

Chu Mengxi froze. A trace of disbelief flashed through her phoenix eyes. "Lin Feng, do you know what kind of situation this is? The lives of everyone in the city are hanging by a thread!"

"This kind of large-scale chaotic battle isn't my strength."

Lin Feng's tone remained calm. "My saber is better suited to reaping lives in the shadows. You hold them off from the front, and I'll act in secret, look for an opportunity, and break through their weak point. That will be more efficient."

Having said that, without waiting for Chu Mengxi to argue, his figure flickered and turned into a ghostlike afterimage that vanished into the chaotic streets.

"He... he ran away?"

Li Rui stared dumbfoundedly in the direction Lin Feng had disappeared.

"That bastard!"

Zhao Tie clenched his fists so tightly that veins bulged across them. "I knew long ago he was no good! When the critical moment comes, he only thinks about running for his own life! A coward afraid of death!"

Chu Mengxi's expression instantly turned as cold as frost, and an indescribable disappointment and fury surged in her heart.

She had thought she had discovered an uncut jade, a comrade worthy of trusting with her back.

Yet when faced with a true crisis, he had actually chosen to retreat!

So-called "acting in secret," "more efficient."

To her ears, they were nothing more than the most laughable excuse for fearing death!

"Forget about him!"

Chu Mengxi gritted her silver teeth and suppressed the emotions in her heart. "Let's go! The people of Qingyang County will be protected by our Demon Suppression Division!"

As her words fell, the three of them transformed into three streaks of light and charged without hesitation into that blood-red slaughterhouse.

Meanwhile, upon a rooftop beyond their line of sight, Lin Feng's figure silently emerged.

As he watched the Walking Corpses surging below like a tide and the crazed citizens tainted by demonic energy, not only was he without the slightest fear, but a glimmer of... excitement flashed through his eyes.

"This is... fantastic."

He muttered to himself, the corners of his mouth lifting into a pleased curve.

"This is practically a feast of Crit Points tailor-made for me!"

He had not fled, nor was he afraid of death.

On the contrary, the moment Huang Fugui sent his warning, he had already devised the battle plan best suited to himself.

The three "hardheaded fools" from the Demon Suppression Division were holding the front line. They were powerful, and they would not die anytime soon.

As for him, he would seize this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to turn every "experience pack" in this city into his own strength!

In this world where human lives were as worthless as grass, only the power held in one's own hands was real!

"System, open the panel."

[Host: Lin Feng]

[Realm: Sixth Level of Meridian Opening Realm]

[Technique: Blazing Sun Art (Proficient)]

[Martial Skill: Seven Fiends Saber Technique (Beginner)]

[Movement Technique: Flowing Wind Steps (Perfected)]

[Crit Multiplier: 15x]

[Crit Points: 0]

"The hunt... begins!"