Facing the Demons Alone

Li Yuan's voice was like a stone dropped into a stagnant pool, rippling through the silent cavern before being swallowed by a surge of murderous intent.

"Li Yuan?!" On the high platform, Li Yuanhong froze for a moment, then his face twisted with undisguised fury and venom. "You little bastard, you dare come here! The altar incident—you're definitely involved!"

He had long suspected the altar's mutation was tied to Li Yuan, but he never imagined the brat would be bold enough to storm the very heart of the Sacred Sacrifice. What unsettled him more was the aura Li Yuan now exuded—steady, heavy, carrying a scorching pressure—a far cry from the frail, sickly figure he'd been back in the clan.

The Netherworld Cult Bishop's ashen pupils lingered on Li Yuan, his voice like ice grinding against stone: "So it's you... the rat who killed my Deacon, destroyed my talisman soldiers, and ruined my ritual. The aura on you... it's repulsive, yet... intriguing."

He sensed within Li Yuan a blood energy that was supremely yang and rigid, yet laced with a cold, sharp edge. This contradictory, powerful force stirred both disgust and a greedy curiosity within him.

"Take him down!" Li Yuanhong barked, unwilling to let more trouble brew. He wanted only to eliminate this unexpected variable and complete the Sacred Sacrifice.

At the command, the cavern's atmosphere snapped taut!

Dozens of Netherworld Cult disciples near the tunnel entrance reacted first. With low, guttural roars like a startled wolf pack, they brandished bone blades and claws, channeling icy curse power as they charged at Li Yuan from all sides. Gray-black curse light merged into a tide, surging forward to tear the blasphemous intruder to shreds.

Li Yuan stood his ground. Facing the onslaught, his Crimson Gold Pupils held no fear—only a cold, still calm.

He took a deep breath. Deep within his Sea of Qi, the Dark Gold Crimson Sun suddenly accelerated.

"Boom!"

A "Burning Qi Field" far fiercer and hotter than the one at the Netherworld Path entrance erupted from him, expanding to a radius of five zhang around his whole body!

This time, it was not silent!

The scorching air visibly warped, pushing back the green light within five zhang to form a semi-transparent, Crimson Gold spherical domain.

The disciples who charged into the domain crashed into an invisible wall of red-hot iron!

"Sssss—!"

Screams of agony erupted!

The foremost disciples saw their curse power, as if meeting its nemesis, instantly ignite and dissipate! Their skin reddened, blistered, and charred upon contact with the domain! The bone blades in their hands grew searing hot, nearly impossible to hold!

This was no longer suppression—it was Purification! It was Destruction!

Li Yuan moved.

No longer on the defensive, he struck first. His form flickered like a ghost, leaving trails of afterimages within the Crimson Gold Burning Qi Field.

He used no flashy techniques—only the most direct, brutal punches, palms, fingers, and elbows.

A single punch caved in a disciple's chest along with his hastily conjured curse shield, blasting a charred hole through his back.

A palm strike crushed another disciple's head like a watermelon; before the red and white could splatter, they were vaporized by the heat.

A finger like a sword tapped a disciple's brow; the man's body stiffened, white-hot smoke pouring from his seven orifices as he toppled stiffly.

His speed was extreme, his power absolute. Every blow came with the crack of breaking bones and the stench of burning flesh.

He was like a molten giant charging into a flock of sheep. Wherever he passed, Netherworld Cult disciples fell in droves. Their attacks landed on him like mud thrown into the sea, not even making him pause. But every counter of his claimed one life—or several.

Screams, snapping bones, the hiss of curse power burning... a bloody, brutal death symphony played through the cavern.

On the high platform, Li Yuanhong's face turned grim. He knew Li Yuan had grown stronger, but not to this extent. These disciples weren't top-tier, yet so many were being slaughtered like vegetables.

Even the Netherworld Cult Bishop's ashen pupils showed a flicker of gravity for the first time. He stared fixedly at the Crimson Gold domain around Li Yuan and the demonic figure within.

"Pure yang power... cultivated to such a refined and tyrannical level... this child cannot be left alive."

He slowly raised his massive bone staff. In the skull's eye sockets, green ghost fire danced violently as an energy far more terrifying than any previous attack began to coalesce.

Li Yuan punched the last charging disciple into charcoal, shook the nonexistent blood from his hands, and stopped.

Within five zhang of him, the ground was clear—only twisted, charred corpses emitting the stench of cooked flesh remained. The Crimson Gold Burning Qi Field pulsed faintly, casting his Bronze Color body like a war god.

He looked up, his Crimson Gold gaze crossing the churning Blood Pool to lock onto the two on the platform. His voice was calm but brimming with boundless authority:

"The small fry are cleared."

"Now, it's your turn."