Crimson Blood Cave Mansion, Initial Contact

Within the illusion array, Qin Yu had become increasingly proficient in practicing the Mysterious Concealment Secret Manual. The aura of a cultivator around his body was perfectly disguised as the demonic energy of an ordinary demonic cultivator, and his Nebula Mid Stage cultivation level was restrained just right, making him indistinguishable from an ordinary Golden Core demonic cultivator. Black Feather, the Dragon Rock Lion, and Red Phoenix had also mastered the secret manual; even while maintaining their massive true forms, the divine beast auras and their true cultivation levels were hidden without a single leak. They appeared as three ordinary mid-level sea demonic beasts, moving leisurely within the illusion array, having already adapted to the deep-sea environment.

Yun Ce stood with his hands behind his back on a reef, his gaze fixed on the dark deep sea outside the illusion array, his plans already laid out in his mind. He remembered clearly that in the original story, when Qin Yu first arrived in the underwater demonic beast world, he inadvertently clashed with Protector Sang Mo of the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion under the Nine Sha Hall, eventually leaving Qin Yu severely injured and forcing Black Feather to flee in a sorry state. But now, with him—a Void-Piercing Mid Stage cultivator—sitting in command, let alone a mere Protector Sang Mo, even the entire Crimson Blood Cave Mansion was nothing more than something within their grasp; taking this place would be as easy as reaching out to grab it.

The Crimson Blood Cave Mansion was located at the heart of the Crimson Blood Territory, controlling eight million miles of water. It was a force under the Nine Sha Hall; while not top-tier, it had a solid foundation. More importantly, its geographical location was excellent. If they could take it, it would serve as their first base in the underwater demonic beast world, facilitating the subsequent search for clues to the Nine Swords Immortal Mansion, and allowing them to secretly lay out plans to deal with various forces like the Penglai Immortal Domain and the Purple Flame Demon Prison.

"Alright, rest is over. Let's move out," Yun Ce said slowly, his tone gentle yet carrying an unquestionable weight.

Hearing this, Qin Yu stood up immediately, and Black Feather, the Dragon Rock Lion, and Red Phoenix also gathered by his side, restraining their auras.

Yun Ce nodded, raised his hand, and dispelled the illusion array around them. The pale blue light barrier quietly dissipated, the surrounding seawater began to flow again, and the roars of demonic beasts could be heard faintly, yet no other demonic cultivators detected their presence. "Let's go, follow me."

As his voice fell, Yun Ce circulated his black Stellar True Essence, and a faint black light shimmered around him—this was the true essence converted from practicing the Mysterious Concealment Secret Manual that resembled that of a demonic cultivator. The true essence enveloped Qin Yu and the three divine beasts, and then his figure moved, leading them to speed toward the depths of the sea. His speed was extremely fast, like a streak of light shuttling through the deep sea; the surrounding fish and low-level demonic beasts scattered in fear, not daring to approach.

Before long, the sea ahead gradually opened up, and a massive cave mansion appeared before them. The mansion was built against a mountain, embedded into the reefs of the deep sea. The entrance was entirely dark red, as if stained by blood, and four vigorous, powerful characters were carved upon it—Crimson Blood Cave Mansion. The characters contained a faint scent of blood and fluctuations of demonic energy, exuding a sense of grimness and dominance.

"Crimson Blood Cave Mansion." Yun Ce's gaze fell on the gate of the mansion, and he whispered these four words, a flash of realization crossing his eyes.

Qin Yu followed Yun Ce's gaze, looking at the imposing cave mansion, his heart full of confusion. He quickly asked via spiritual sense transmission: "Master, why are we here? This place looks so fierce; it doesn't look like a place with opportunities."

Black Feather, the Dragon Rock Lion, and Red Phoenix also looked at Yun Ce, their eyes filled with confusion, clearly not understanding why they had come to this demonic beast cave.

Yun Ce smiled faintly and then transmitted his words to everyone via spiritual sense, ensuring it would not be detected by the outside world: "This is the Crimson Blood Territory, the center of eight million miles of water, and this Crimson Blood Cave Mansion is the highest seat of power for this entire region. The mansion has one Cave Master, two Deputy Cave Masters, and thirteen Protectors beneath them; it is a force under the Nine Sha Hall."

He paused, then continued the transmission: "We will first join this Crimson Blood Cave Mansion, lurk within it, slowly erode their power, and take complete control of this place to serve as our base in the underwater demonic beast world. With this base, it will be much more convenient for us to search for clues to the Nine Swords Immortal Mansion and deal with various forces later on."

Hearing this, everyone suddenly realized. The Dragon Rock Lion responded in a muffled voice via spiritual sense: "My Lord is wise! We are willing to follow your arrangements and fully cooperate with you to take this Crimson Blood Cave Mansion!" Red Phoenix also chirped softly, its spiritual sense filled with obedience; Black Feather nodded, a sharp glint flashing in its eagle eyes, clearly prepared; Qin Yu also nodded heavily, his admiration for his master's planning growing even deeper.

Yun Ce nodded with satisfaction and instructed again via spiritual sense: "When we approach the mansion later, Red Phoenix, Dragon Rock, you two hide your cultivation and only show the strength of the Nascent Soul Early Stage; do not expose your true realms. Xiao Yu, Xiao Hei, you don't need to deliberately hide your cultivation, just maintain the aura of the Golden Core Mid Stage, but you must constantly circulate the Mysterious Concealment Secret Manual to disguise your auras well. Do not reveal any flaws that would expose you as cultivators or divine beasts, understand?"

"Understood!" everyone responded simultaneously via spiritual sense, each adjusting their own auras. Red Phoenix and the Dragon Rock Lion circulated the Mysterious Concealment Secret Manual, restraining their Nascent Soul Mid Stage cultivation to the Nascent Soul Early Stage, their demonic energy becoming calm. Qin Yu and Black Feather maintained the aura of the Golden Core Mid Stage, keeping their disguises constant to ensure not a single slip-up.

With everything arranged, Yun Ce led the group slowly toward the gate of the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion. The closer they got to the mansion, the thicker the scent of blood in the air became, and the fluctuations of demonic energy coming from within could be felt, varying in strength, clearly indicating that many demonic cultivators were gathered inside.

Outside the mansion gate, two tall Peacock Mantis Shrimp were standing guard, holding a pair of massive "Armor-Breaking Thunder Hammers," looking majestic. They were dark green in color, their shells as hard as armor, the shrimp whiskers on their heads swaying slightly, and a pair of compound eyes scanning everything around them vigilantly. They emitted the demonic energy fluctuations of the Golden Core Mid Stage, clearly the gate-guarding shrimp generals of the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion.

Seeing Yun Ce's group approach, the two Peacock Mantis Shrimp immediately raised their Armor-Breaking Thunder Hammers and shouted sternly at them: "What are you doing? This is the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion; no idlers are allowed near! Retreat at once!" Their voices were hoarse and carried a hint of arrogance, clearly accustomed to running wild within the Crimson Blood Territory.

Yun Ce did not stop his pace, walking forward slowly. The aura he had hidden as a Void-Piercing Early Stage practitioner quietly radiated out—neither ostentatious nor aggressive, yet carrying an unquestionable pressure that instantly enveloped the two shrimp generals. The two Peacock Mantis Shrimp stiffened, the Armor-Breaking Thunder Hammers in their hands nearly slipping, and the arrogance on their faces was instantly replaced by awe—they were only at the Golden Core Mid Stage; in front of a Void-Piercing expert, they were like ants, with no qualifications to resist at all.

Yun Ce's tone was gentle, yet carried a hint of refusal: "My apologies, we have come to join the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion; please report to your Cave Master." As his voice fell, he raised his hand, and with a flash of spiritual light, two pitch-black giant axes emitting a faint spiritual glow appeared in his hands. They were two mid-grade spiritual artifacts, which he slowly sent flying toward them.

Yun Ce had previously scanned the Armor-Breaking Thunder Hammers in the hands of the two shrimp generals with his spiritual sense and understood—these two Golden Core Mid Stage shrimp generals used heavy weapons, so they likely valued such spiritual artifacts highly. Sure enough, when the two Peacock Mantis Shrimp saw that Yun Ce had brought out two mid-grade spiritual artifacts right away, a flash of fiery excitement crossed their eyes, and their gaze toward Yun Ce became even more respectful.

In the underwater demonic beast world, mid-grade spiritual artifacts were already considered rare treasures. It was not easy for an ordinary Golden Core demonic cultivator to possess even one low-grade spiritual artifact, let alone a mid-grade one. The pressure released by the expert before them was extremely close to, or even faintly exceeded, that of their Cave Master. They judged that he must be a Void-Piercing expert; if they could invite him into the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion, it would definitely be a great boost for the mansion.

The two shrimp generals quickly put away the giant axes and bowed to Yun Ce, their tone incredibly respectful: "Forgive us, Senior! We were blind and offended you! Please wait a moment, Senior; we will go in and report to the Cave Master immediately!"

As he spoke, one of the shrimp generals turned and ran hurriedly into the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion to report, while the other stood respectfully to the side, carefully accompanying Yun Ce's group, not daring to be the least bit negligent, occasionally stealing glances at Yun Ce's group, knowing that none of them were simple.

At this moment, inside the council hall of the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion, Cave Master Cha Hong was sitting on the main seat, eyes closed to rest, listening to his subordinates report on the affairs of the mansion. Cha Hong's true form was a Crimson Blood Water Python, gifted with extraordinary talent, and his cultivation had already reached the Void-Piercing Early Stage. His strength was terrifying, and among the demonic cultivators of the entire southern sea region, he was considered a figure of note. His water-control techniques were masterful, and his attack power was extremely formidable.

On both sides of the main seat sat the two Deputy Cave Masters, who were Cha Hong's younger brothers—the second brother, Cha Po, and the third brother, Cha Ge. Cha Po's cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul Mid Stage, and his strength was decent; he usually assisted Cha Hong in managing the mansion's affairs and was relatively steady. As for Cha Ge, his cultivation was only at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, similar to the ordinary protectors in the mansion, but he relied on his status as Cha Hong's own brother to run wild and act arrogantly within the Crimson Blood Territory, with no one daring to provoke him.

Before long, the shrimp general who had gone to report ran hurriedly into the council hall, bowed to Cha Hong, and said urgently: "Reporting to the Cave Master and the two Deputy Cave Masters! Outside the mansion, there is a Void-Piercing stage senior, accompanied by a Golden Core Mid Stage demonic cultivator and three powerful demonic beasts, saying they want to join our Crimson Blood Cave Mansion. I have come specifically to report!"

"Oh? Void-Piercing stage?" Cha Hong slowly opened his eyes, a flash of surprise crossing them, before returning to calm—a Void-Piercing demonic cultivator was already a top-tier combat force in the underwater demonic beast world, and ordinary forces could not recruit them. For one to take the initiative to join the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion was indeed unusual.

Beside him, Cha Ge, hearing the words "Void-Piercing stage senior," felt a surge of wild joy in his heart. He quickly stood up and said: "Big Brother! A Void-Piercing stage expert! If we can get this senior to join our Crimson Blood Cave Mansion, the strength of our Crimson Blood Territory will definitely rise to another level. Even if we face provocations from other forces in the future, we won't have to be afraid!"

He was usually arrogant and domineering, but he also knew the terror of a Void-Piercing expert. If their Crimson Blood Cave Mansion could have one more Void-Piercing expert, he would be able to act even more recklessly in the Crimson Blood Territory, and even in the entire southern sea region. Without waiting for Cha Hong to speak, Cha Ge took the initiative: "Big Brother, I will go personally to invite this senior in!"

Cha Hong glanced at Cha Ge and nodded slightly, his tone gentle: "Very well, go and invite him in. Be sure to be respectful and do not be negligent." He also wanted to see what the background of this Void-Piercing expert who had taken the initiative to join the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion was, and what his purpose might be.

"Yes! Big Brother!" Cha Ge was overjoyed. He turned and ran hurriedly toward the mansion gate, a flattering smile on his face, already calculating how to please this Void-Piercing senior and get the other party to look after him in the future.

Outside the mansion gate, Yun Ce's group waited patiently. Qin Yu and the three divine beasts stood quietly by his side, maintaining their aura disguises without a single flaw. In the distance, Cha Ge's figure was running over quickly, his face full of respect and smiles.