Wang Quan left the city alone. Following the system's vague guidance, he slipped toward the direction where abnormal mental fluctuations had been detected last time. The farther he went, the more deathly silent the surroundings became. Even the usual chirping of insects had vanished, and the air was thick with an indescribable chill and a rotten, decaying odor, more unsettling than ordinary corpse stench. Killing Intent was so dense it seemed almost tangible, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.
A harsh chorus of cawing suddenly came from overhead. Wang Quan looked up and saw a flock of crows circling low in the sky, a black mass blotting it out. Their eyes glowed with ominous red light, and dark-red clots of blood clung to the edges of their sharp beaks. Every so often, viscous drops of blood fell from above and struck the dead leaves with soft, wet smacks.
Alarm bells rang in his heart. He instinctively wanted to turn back the way he had come, only to discover that the path behind him had somehow been swallowed by a sudden expanse of thick, nauseating crimson mist. The red fog was as viscous as blood, churning and roiling as it cut off both his vision and retreat. He was like a flying insect that had blundered into a spiderweb, trapped in this deadly place by an unseen force.
Deep within the red fog, the outline of a residence faintly emerged. It stood alone amid the desolation, its pitch-black windows like the hollow eye sockets of a demon. With no other choice, Wang Quan tightened his grip on the Blood Drinking Saber and advanced step by step. The residence door was ajar. A light push made it groan with an ear-grating creak, and a stench of extreme rot mixed with something indescribable rushed into his face, churning his stomach.
The instant he stepped inside, every hair on Wang Quan's body stood on end! A fear born from the instincts of life itself seized his heart. His limbs stiffened for no apparent reason, as if something unimaginably terrifying were watching him from the darkness. He forcibly suppressed his pounding heart and drew the Blood Drinking Saber completely with a metallic clang. Only the cold hilt in his hand brought him the slightest sense of security.
The residence was empty, containing only years of dust and cobwebs. Yet that overwhelming stench was unmistakably seeping from the mottled walls on all four sides! The walls looked ordinary on the surface, but on closer inspection, their color was dark and murky, with faint, irregular bulges.
Holding his breath, Wang Quan approached the nearest wall step by step. He reached out, and his fingertips touched the cold, rough surface... The texture was wrong! It was definitely not brick or stone. Instead, it felt like... some sort of hardened, inelastic hide, with a sticky sensation.
Something was wrong!
The thought flashed through his mind. Wang Quan's eyes sharpened, and he did not hesitate. He retreated half a step, then the Blood Drinking Saber became a dark-red arc as he swung it at the wall with all his strength!
"Sssrrk—!"
A strange sound like thick cowhide being torn exploded through the room! Wherever the blade passed, the wall was easily slashed open, as if it were not a brick wall at all, but a fragile disguise! Dark-red, nearly black viscous fluid gushed from the edges of the opening. Then an even more terrifying scene unfolded:
A naked, twisted corpse with unnaturally blue-gray skin rolled out through the breach and hit the floor with a muffled thud. Its face was contorted, its eyes bulging wide and pupils contracted to pinpoints. Its mouth was stretched open to the limit, frozen in the ultimate terror of its final moment, as if it had witnessed an incomprehensible nightmare. Even more horrifying, its entire body was covered in densely packed, twisted, grotesque symbols drawn in some sort of dark-red pigment, like the script of an evil curse!
Wang Quan froze in place. As a transmigrator, his soul was violently shaken, and his stomach clenched. Yet he forced down his discomfort, flicked up the corpse with his blade, and pushed it aside. What lay behind the breach nearly froze his blood: layer upon layer of densely packed naked corpses, brutally stuffed into the entire wall! Old people, children, even pregnant women with swollen bellies... Without exception, every body was covered in curse symbols, their faces twisted in terror! Grievance Qi, dense enough to take tangible form, poured from the corpse wall, nearly suffocating him!
"Urgh..." A muffled growl came from Wang Quan's throat as an immense, nameless fury erupted in his chest! These... these were the missing people of Anping County?! His eyes instantly filled with blood, and without another thought, he swung his saber and hacked wildly!
"Boom! Crack!" Saber light flashed as large sections of the wall collapsed, and more corpses surged out like floodwaters bursting through a breached dam. Finding the saber too slow, he used his bare hands instead. His nails split, both hands ran with blood, and he frantically tore at the stuffing, forcibly ripping apart all three walls!
When he finally stopped, he was surrounded by a mountain of naked corpses. Corpse fluids and dark-red blood spattered his entire body, warm and sticky across his face. The fingers gripping the saber hilt had gone white from excessive force, veins bulging on the backs of his hands. His chest heaved violently, and the fury burning within him had nearly robbed him of his reason.
He abruptly pulled out a fire starter, struck it alight, and threw it toward the piled corpses. The dry wooden structure and bodies soaked in corpse oil caught fire instantly. Roaring flames surged up, swallowing the scene that looked like hell on earth.
Yet at the instant the flames rose, another mutation occurred!
The corpses curled within the flames seemed to awaken. All of them began twitching in unison! Stiff, blue-gray arms jerked upward and pointed at Wang Quan. Countless twisted mouths opened at once, releasing silent shrieks and roars that pierced straight into the soul! Countless Negative Emotions filled with pain, despair, and resentment crashed into Wang Quan's consciousness like a raging tide!
[Warning! Undergoing high-intensity mental contamination! Detected attack by multiple Grievance Qi aggregation entities!]
Wang Quan grunted. The scene before his eyes abruptly changed! Countless fragmented, terrifying shards of memory forcibly flooded his mind:
He seemed to become that old man, dragged into a dark room and forced to watch a curse-covered dagger slit his grandson's throat; he became that pregnant woman, feeling the agony and despair as evil power forcibly drained the life force from the fetus in her womb; he became that child, watching in the darkness as his family members one by one became cold corpses, their bodies covered in ghastly scrawls... Every pain was utterly real, and every despair was etched into his bones!
"Pff—" Wang Quan could no longer suppress it. He spat out a mouthful of blood that stained his chest. His eyes were red as blood, yet amid the chaos, a nearly frenzied, icy killing intent gradually condensed within his gaze.
[Purified a large number of Grievance Qi aggregation entities and interrupted the evil ritual's progress. Obtained Skill Points: 60.] [Detected strong residual Grievance Qi resonating with the environment. Conditions met. Unlocked special auxiliary ability: Echo.] [Echo: By consuming 30 Skill Points and one drop of the target's vital essence, you can trace its memories and sense its intense emotions. Note: The tracing process will inflict corresponding mental impact, with a risk of losing yourself.]
Wang Quan stood at the center of the burning residence, surrounded by corpses and flames. The 60 Skill Points had just been credited. Added to what he had accumulated earlier, he now had 79 points in total. He did not hesitate in the slightest, his thoughts turning rapidly.
"Raise the Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art to perfection!"
Searches for the book's title turned up nothing. Maybe try searching for the author instead! Perhaps it was simply renamed!
[Would you like to consume 28 Skill Points to raise the Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art to the perfected realm?]
"Yes!"
The command was issued, and the blood and qi within his body erupted into a boil! A force far more violent than in any previous breakthrough surged through his meridians. His flesh, skin, sinews, and bones emitted overwhelmed hums, as if every inch of him were being torn apart and reassembled. His bone density increased sharply, taking on a metallic sheen. A savage, powerful sensation filled with predatory instinct flooded his entire body, and dark patterns resembling those of a great demon faintly surfaced across his skin.
[The Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art has reached perfection! Current physical strength assessment: comparable to a perfected Soul Sculpting Realm demon!] [Prompt: This technique has reached the limit of its current level. You must break through to the Mortal Transformation Realm before the subsequent technique can be deduced. Deduction cost: 30 Skill Points.] [Remaining Skill Points: 51.]
"Continue! Raise the Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength to perfection!"
[Would you like to consume 8 Skill Points to raise the Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength to mastery?]
"Yes!"
[Would you like to consume 16 Skill Points to raise the Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength to perfection?]
"Yes!"
Two consecutive breakthroughs! The Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength's deep, weighty force surged through his body like a river bursting its banks, merging and tempering itself with the violent blood and qi of the Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art. His internal organs received even deeper nourishment, his breathing grew extraordinarily long, and the transition between movement and stillness became perfectly fluid. A restrained yet immense vitality lay dormant within him.
[The Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength has reached perfection!] [Prompt: This technique has reached the limit of its current level. You must comprehend the true meaning of "Seeing Force" and discern the essence of force before entering the Mortal Transformation Realm. Deduction of the Mortal Transformation Realm technique will cost 15 Skill Points.]
"Raise Shadow Step to perfection!"
[Would you like to consume 5 Skill Points to raise Shadow Step to minor mastery?]
"Yes!"
[Would you like to consume 6 Skill Points to raise Shadow Step to mastery?]
"Yes!"
[Would you like to consume 7 Skill Points to raise Shadow Step to perfection?]
"Yes!"
Three consecutive breakthroughs! A total of 18 Skill Points was consumed! A current far lighter and more nimble than before rose from the Yongquan points beneath both feet and instantly spread throughout his body. This was not merely an increase in speed. His perception and control of the surrounding light, airflow, and shadows had reached an entirely new level! As he shifted his feet, his body seemed to lose some of its weight, becoming more coordinated and natural. His control over the eruption and restraint of his strength grew finer and more precise. Most wondrously, he felt a strange affinity form between himself and the shadows around him. With the slightest movement of his thoughts, he could use the tiniest changes in light and shadow to conceal his aura and movements perfectly. As he moved, he barely disturbed the wind, truly taking on the meaning of "following shadows and merging into darkness."
[Shadow Step has reached perfection!] [Remaining Skill Points: 9.]
In the space of a few short moments, his strength had soared! Wang Quan clenched both fists and felt the surging power about to burst from his body. An unprecedented sense of might rose naturally within him.
He picked up the Blood Drinking Saber and began practicing the Wind Slaying Saber Technique amid the burning ruins. There were no flashy moves, only the simplest chops, cleaves, cuts, and sweeps, paired with Shadow Step as he adapted to his vastly increased blood and qi and suddenly strengthened physique. Saber wind roared, whipping up ash from the ground. Every stroke contained terrifying power, and the air shrieked with explosive vibrations.
Several hours later, the fire gradually died down. The heaven-scorching Grievance Qi seemed to disperse as the flames receded, and the strange blood mist around him had also quietly faded at some unknown point, revealing the charred, ruined ground left after the fire. Wang Quan sheathed his saber and stood there, his breathing steady.
He left the ruins that had been reduced to scorched earth. Relying on Shadow Step at the perfected level and his heightened perception, he began actively searching the broader areas outside Anping County for traces of demons. Yet the result was unexpected. Demonic Beasts seemed to have vanished without a trace overnight. He carefully searched several areas where demons had often been active in the past, but failed to detect even a trace of Monster Qi or corpse stench. Feeling the unusual silence in the air, he knitted his brows tightly, and an inexplicable unease stirred in his heart.
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