Beneath the blood moon, broken walls and rubble lay scattered everywhere, and smoke choked the air.
The once-prosperous City of Sin had now been reduced to ruins across more than half its expanse.
A gigantic Ink Flood Dragon coiled in midair. It had no head, and black mist gushed from its neck as it let out silent, drawn-out cries, as though celebrating its victory.
The Spirit Sea monster's corpse, meanwhile, lay scattered everywhere, reeking of something sharply burnt.
"Impossible... The Spirit Sea Corpse King actually lost just like that?"
The Gray-robed Holy Envoy stood atop a stretch of ruins, staring at everything before him, disbelief written across his aged face.
The Holy Sect had spent more than three years painstakingly plotting this, pouring in countless resources. He had even sacrificed the core of this puppet body.
And yet the newly born Spirit Sea Corpse King hadn't lasted even half an hour before being reduced to ashes?
The old man drew a deep breath. His gaze settled on the black-clad young man in midair, wariness and confusion filling his eyes.
Just who was this mysterious "Young Master Xiao"?
As he racked his brain, a suffocating pressure suddenly descended from the sky!
The Gray-robed Holy Envoy jerked his head up. Blood-red lightning gathered furiously overhead, transforming into the hideous, terrifying head of a qilin beast. It opened its gaping maw, radiating an aura that threatened to destroy everything, and lunged at him with snapping jaws!
"The Blood Kirin?! So it was you!"
The Gray-robed Holy Envoy's pupils contracted. He finally recognized the signature Thunder Law and understood the black-clad young man's true identity.
Damn it all!
No wonder that bastard had vanished without a trace in Tianshui Prefecture—he'd come all the way to Chongshan County!
"Blood Kirin! You've ruined the Holy Sect's plans time and time again. Do you really think our sect fears you?!"
The Gray-robed Holy Envoy roared, his eyes filled with venom and fury.
"Just you wait. When my true self arrives, I'll tear you to—"
But before he could finish his threat, it was cut short by the thunderbolt crashing down.
Boom—
Amid a deafening roar, the blood-red qilin opened its gaping maw and swallowed the Gray-robed Holy Envoy whole.
Terrifying thunder exploded, blasting the Gray-robed Holy Envoy to bits in an instant and leaving not even a scrap behind.
"Hm? Why didn't I get a notification?"
Gu Cheng glanced over the panel log. After he'd blasted the gray-robed demonic cultivator, no kill notification appeared, and his brow furrowed.
Did that mean this fellow hadn't been the real body, but merely a clone?
Gu Cheng shook his head, no longer dwelling on whether the gray-robed demonic cultivator was truly dead.
His spiritual sense spread rapidly like a net, instantly locking onto several figures fleeing in panic.
A thick stench of blood and evil clung to them. They were clearly remnants of the Rebirth Sect and the Evil King Pavilion.
The two factions had sent quite a few people to Iron Cloud City for this Blood Sacrifice ceremony. Now that they could see the tide had turned, each was desperately trying to escape.
"Hmph. Trying to run?"
Gu Cheng sneered and focused his thoughts.
The headless Flood Dragon let out a thunderous roar in midair. Blood-red lightning rolled through the night sky, transforming into bolts of heavenly punishment that struck the fleeing figures with pinpoint precision.
Lightning flashed, and screams rose one after another.
Whether they were Rebirth Sect fiends, Evil King Pavilion assassins, or Living Corpses spawned by the Blood Sacrifice, all were reduced to ashes beneath the blood-red lightning.
When the dust had settled and Gu Cheng was about to leave, he heard the familiar sound of hoofbeats approaching.
He turned toward it and saw an exceptionally fine Flood Dragon Horse galloping his way. It was the very horse he'd ridden earlier.
"Heh, you're a clever beast..."
A smile tugged at Gu Cheng's lips. With a thought, he drew the Flood Dragon Horse to him and settled it on the broad back of the headless Flood Dragon.
A man and a horse rode the Ink Flood Dragon, tracing a streak of blood-red light across the night sky before vanishing into the vast darkness.
All that remained was Iron Cloud City, devastated beneath the blood moon, silently bearing witness to the carnage.
Commander Liu stood atop a stretch of broken walls and rubble, staring at the horizon where the headless Ink Flood Dragon had disappeared. He remained silent for a long while, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.
"So Young Master Xiao is the Blood Kirin..."
"The Blood Kirin?"
A hint of puzzlement flashed through Huang Qiuyue's bright eyes. She asked curiously, "Commander Liu, have you heard of him?"
Liu Qingshan nodded gravely.
"Mm. He's a Demonic Grandmaster who's recently made a name for himself in Tianshui Prefecture. His strength is unfathomable, and his signature move is a remarkably powerful blood-colored Thunder Law.
"I just never imagined... that the Blood Kirin also had such a terrifying Flood Dragon demon servant!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several figures came whistling through the air. More than ten people flew over on qi and landed steadily before them.
They all wore golden crowns and cloaks embroidered with black clouds. Imposing and stern, they were unmistakably the various commanders of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
Looking at the devastated Iron Cloud City, they were all aghast.
"Commander Liu... what on earth happened here?"
A commander with a thick, bushy beard swallowed hard and asked in a trembling voice, "Where are those maniacs from the Rebirth Sect? Have you already killed them all?"
"Heh... I'm not that capable."
Liu Qingshan gave a bitter smile and shook his head. He sat down on a nearby stretch of ruins and briefly recounted what had happened.
When the Demon Suppression Bureau commanders heard that the Rebirth Sect had gone mad enough to summon a Spirit Sea Realm Corpse King, they all drew in a sharp breath, stunned.
But when they learned that an even more powerful black-clad young man had ridden a bizarre Spirit Sea Realm demon servant and wiped out every Rebirth Sect fiend, they felt both relieved and uneasy.
"The Blood Kirin..."
The bushy-bearded commander mused for a moment, then said with worry, "A mysterious demonic powerhouse has suddenly appeared in Yunzhou. Who knows whether that's a blessing or a calamity..."
"Heh, let the garrison commanders worry about that for now."
Liu Qingshan waved a hand and offered a reassuring smile.
"Regardless, he thwarted the Rebirth Sect's scheme this time and even saved my life in the process. He really did Chongshan County a great favor!"
Hearing this, the commanders nodded in agreement.
After all, without that "Blood Kirin's" Flood Dragon demon servant, these few Innate Realm commanders would have been nothing but a meal for the Spirit Sea Realm Corpse King.
"Hehe, I told you he had to be a good person, didn't I?"
Huang Qiuyue teased with a beaming smile.
"I've always been a good judge of character. A young master as handsome as him couldn't possibly be a bad person!"
As she spoke, the baby-faced girl recalled Gu Cheng's awe-inspiring display of power. Her eyes sparkled like stars, and she looked every bit the lovestruck fangirl.
The commanders nearby exchanged glances and shook their heads helplessly.
Sigh...
Their garrison commander's disciple was wonderful in every way. It was just that her hopeless obsession with handsome men was beyond saving...
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