Blood God Stone Pendant

Seeing the surroundings changing silently,

Li Qingyan instantly drew his sword from his waist, looked around, and the sparks from the blade illuminated his surroundings.

The Will Soul was completely sluggish, the thick, tangible crimson mist seemed to contain unidentified shadows moving about within it, and the entire cave was a scarlet mess under the firelight, resembling a living hell.

Li Qingyan's voice was very soft, tinged with wariness:

What is the Abyssal Rift?

Xu Yuan quietly retreated to the center of the two women, gently stroking the Sumeru Ring on his fingertip, pondering as he softly explained:

"When Yingui gather, they create Ghost Mist, and the Abyssal Rift is the Ghost Mist of the Strange Ghost."

"."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan narrowed his crimson eyes, which were like red crystals, and scanned his surroundings, slightly tightening his grip on the hilt of his knife.

Having fought countless battles, she was certainly familiar with the Ghost Mist.

After a war, thousands upon thousands of corpses are left unattended. Over time, the accumulated flesh and blood will breed Yingui.

When too many Yingui gather, they gradually form a black mist that can devour all light.

Within this black mist, some rules can even change, and bizarre phenomena such as light without shadow and shadow without form cannot be fully understood even after the development of array formations to this day.

The Abyssal Rift of the Strange Ghost

While pondering,

Li Qingyan's red lips parted slightly, her voice serious and cold:

"Does your Underground City have any information about this Abyssal Rift?"

The Blood God Stone Pendant on Bai Muxi's chest emitted a dazzling red light beneath her thin purple robe.

"Every spring equinox, this Abyssal Rift continues to spread from the depths of the Blood Nest. If left unattended, it will spread to the cavern Underground City. However, if about a thousand living people are sent into this blood mist, the mist will dissipate on its own after a few days."

"What I'm asking is, what's inside this Abyssal Rift?"

"."

The air suddenly became still.

Seeing that Bai Muxi remained silent, Li Qingyan frowned slightly, glancing warily at her surroundings as she asked:

"Your Underground City has never explored this Abyssal Rift in all these years?"

"Explored"

Bai Muxi's voice lacked confidence, her usually calm tone tinged with nervousness and unease.

"Our powerful members of the Underground City all venture into this Abyssal Rift to explore before their time is up, but no one has ever returned alive after going deep inside."

"Call"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan let out a long sigh of relief and did not blame Bai Muxi.

She had already seen what the Underground City was like. The strongest person there was Bai Muxi, a pseudo-second-rank cultivator. With that level of cultivation, she couldn't even get through the Blood Demon Cave, let alone reach the Blood Nest where the Abyssal Rift was located.

Sitting idly by and waiting for death was not Li Qingyan's style. After a moment of silence, she whispered to Bai Muxi, "..."

"I will try to disperse this fog first. You protect Changtian."

He was speaking halfway through when

Li Qingyan seemed to suddenly remember something, and abruptly turned to look at Xu Yuan, who was deep in thought with his eyes downcast, his eyes gleaming:

"Changtian, do you know this Abyssal Rift?"

"I know."

Xu Yuan casually replied, raising his eyes from his thoughts and smiling matter-of-factly, "Abyssal Rift is the Dao Domain of the Strange Ghost."

"."

Hearing his casual reply, Li Qingyan's phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent.

Such important information, and this dead man didn't say it himself, he had to wait for her to ask?

Xu Yuan surveyed the surrounding crimson mist and continued to casually explain:

"However, this Abyssal Rift is somewhat different from our human Dao Domain. It can connect with other Strange Ghost and the Black Death Fungal Mat, resonating and continuously spreading."

At this point, Xu Yuan paused slightly and smiled:

"However, Strange Ghost without intelligence cannot use Dao Domain. In other words, the Strange Ghost from the deepest part of the Blood Nest should be arriving now."

"."

Seeing his calm expression as he spoke, Li Qingyan's mood gradually calmed down, and she let out a soft hum:

"I thought you would only turn trust into worry."

Xu Yuan raised his hand and ruffled his long hair that was draped behind him, his smile casual:

"I am now Your Highness's commander-in-chief, so naturally I must remain calm."

"So, you have a solution?"

"No."

"."

Li Qingyan gripped the hilt of the knife so tightly it creaked.

"Haha, just kidding, of course there is."

After saying that,

"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Four heavy, specially made iron boxes landed with a thud, and a cloud of dust rose from the pebbly, curved ground.

Upon seeing the four iron boxes, Li Qingyan's pupils contracted slightly:

"Changtian, what's wrong with you?"

"Just four boxes of Source Crystal bombs."

Xu Yuan turned his gaze back to her and winked. "A commander-in-chief of an army, surely you haven't even seen this much supplies before?"

Li Qingyan frowned, her gaze sweeping over her surroundings:

"You should know the power of these four boxes."

Just one box was enough to render that powerful Mortal Shedding Ink Snake powerless; imagine the impact of four boxes combined.

Xu Yuan met her gaze and smiled calmly.

"In negotiations, you always have to reveal your bargaining chips, the ones you're willing to take down with you."

Having said that,

Xu Yuan turned back to look at Bai Muxi and asked with a smile:

"Little White, let me ask you a question. Since you don't know what the Abyssal Rift is, why did you overthrow the sacrificial rites and abandon human sacrifice?"

Li Qingyan interrupted Xu Yuan:

"Now is not the time to talk about this."

"Don't interrupt me."

Xu Yuan glanced at Li Qingyan, his gaze leaving no room for denial, but he still offered an explanation to the opinionated Wu Yuan:

"I know that Strange Ghost will be here soon."

"Such a fierce battle is taking place here; any intelligent creature would know to come and investigate."

"That's what I've been waiting for."

"."

A moment of silence,

Li Qingyan's phoenix eyes flickered for a moment. "Using these Source Crystal bombs could be a trump card, but what if that intelligent Strange Ghost summons the rest of the Mortal Shedding to their deaths? We..."

"Are you ever going to stop?"

"."

Li Qingyan was stunned for a moment. "What did you say?"

Xu Yuan stared at her strikingly beautiful and heroic face, enunciating each word clearly:

"I, Xu Changtian, am asking you, is this ever going to end?"

"You were doing well before, but now that things are a little tense, your old habits have resurfaced, haven't you?"

"."

Li Qingyan paused for a moment, then softened her voice slightly. "Changtian, I'm just giving you advice."

"Are you fucking never going to stop?!"

Xu Yuan couldn't contain his temper, and his voice rose slightly:

"I say something, and you retort, is that interesting?"

"The situation has deteriorated beyond our plans. If you know it's critical, don't question me. I want to explain every decision I make, but do we have time now? If you think I'm the problem, you can leave immediately and do what you think will help you survive!"

"."

Silence fell, leaving only the echoing sound of ripping echoing in the quiet cave.

Bai Muxi glanced at Xu Yuan, then at the red-clad woman opposite her with shifty eyes, and wisely kept quiet without offering any advice.

They looked at each other for a few moments.

Li Qingyan lowered her gaze in silence, her voice barely audible:

"I understand, I apologize."

"."

Xu Yuan ignored her apology, leaving her standing there, and looked at Bai Muxi, his voice instantly softening:

"Mu Xi, answer my question."

"Hmm?" Bai Muxi came back to her senses.

Xu Yuan smiled gently, "Why give up human sacrifice?"

Human sacrifice is cruel, but for this desperate Underground City, it is the only hope for survival.

He didn't believe that Bai Muxi, who was all sweetness and no substance, could be a saint.

"Because... in a few years, the number of people sacrificed will not be enough to satisfy the Blood Nest. At that time, the spread of the Abyssal Rift will be out of control. Rather than continuing to sacrifice people and deplete the strength of the Underground City, it is better to fight to the death."

Bai Muxi's eyes held a hint of melancholy. "However, it seems now that all of this was just wishful thinking on Mu Xi's part."

Xu Yuan stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought:

"But didn't you say you couldn't penetrate deep into the Blood Nest? How could you possibly know what the future holds?"

Bai Muxi's eyes flickered. She reached out and pulled open her bodice, taking out the Blood God Stone Pendant that gleamed with a blood-red light. She whispered:

"Reporting to Young Master, it is this Blood God Stone Pendant."

Xu Yuan stared at the jade pendant and nodded. "As expected, I guessed this jade pendant wasn't a heirloom from your Underground City, was it?"

Bai Muxi's calm voice quickly:

"Yes, this Blood God Stone Pendant was discovered by Mu Xi seven years ago when she was escorting a live sacrifice with the 'priest.' It was also through it that she discovered that Abyssal Rift had reached a critical point."

"Critical point?"

Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes and asked:

"Has the Abyssal Rift passed this critical point yet?"

Bai Muxi shook her head:

"Not yet, but it should be within the next year or two."

Under Li Qingyan's gaze, Xu Yuan raised his hand and affectionately stroked her soft hair:

"Very well, I understand now. Give me the jade pendant."

"Good."

Without a second thought, Bai Muxi took off the jade pendant and handed it to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan took it and casually handed it to the princess with the bound breasts standing beside him:

"Take it."

"."

Li Qingyan silently accepted it, without asking its purpose or reason, her crimson eyes fixed on Xu Yuan, waiting for him to speak.

Seeing her expression, Xu Yuan chuckled softly:

"Didn't you just ask what to do if that intelligent Strange Ghost summoned the other Mortal Shedding to their deaths?"

"."

Li Qingyan remained silent and did not respond, only staring at him quietly, as if she had withdrawn into herself.

Xu Yuan clicked his tongue, his eyes showing a hint of amusement:

"Hey, give me some response!"

Li Qingyan took a breath and spoke in a low voice:

"What to do?"

Xu Yuan pointed to the Blood God Stone Pendant in his hand and said in a cold voice:

"They directly threatened to destroy it."

"Oh." Li Qingyan nodded, still not asking why.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan walked up to Li Qingyan, tilted his head to examine her cold, flawless features up close, poked her slender waist, and asked with a smile:

"Hey, you've never been scolded before, have you? You get angry just from being reprimanded?"

Li Qingyan ignored him, her phoenix eyes lowered, and replied businesslike:

"I was wrong in this matter, so why should I be angry?"

Xu Yuan looked enlightened and said with a grin:

"So you're not angry, or you just feel good about being scolded?"

Li Qingyan tightened his grip on the Blood God Stone slightly, raised his eyes, and squinted. "What did you say?"

"Don't get agitated."

Xu Yuan immediately gave a French military salute, just like he had done in his previous life.

Li Qingyan gave a soft snort upon seeing this, but then heard the man's smiling voice, "After all, you didn't react to what I said earlier. If you get too excited about this, wouldn't that prove that I was right?"

"."

Bai Muxi's gaze towards Li Qingyan became somewhat strange.

Li Qingyan's expression, however, became calm. A cold glint flashed in his hand as he sheathed the knife, then looked at him indifferently.

"Your flirting with me is quite boring."

Xu Yuan crossed his arms, stroked his chin, and sized her up:

"Qingyan, do you know that when someone's sore spot is hit, they always pretend to be calm to hide their true feelings, and they will do some unconscious little things."

"For example, drinking water, picking up something, and so on."

"Put the sword back in its sheath?"

Bai Muxi had been standing quietly to the side, blinked her beautiful eyes and interjected at just the right moment.

And the next moment,

She lowered her head under Li Qingyan's indifferent gaze:

"It was Mu Xi who spoke too much."

Xu Yuan was speechless, silently giving Little White a thumbs up in his mind, and then scolded him:

"I have indeed said too much. My princess would never engage in such petty tricks, especially when the Mortal Shedding Strange Ghost descends, sheathing her sword."

"Bass!"

The Crimson Blade was drawn again. Li Qingyan stared at Xu Yuan with a somewhat unfriendly look in his eyes.

Xu Yuan seemed completely oblivious, gently stroking her cheek and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, softly chuckling:

"Why are you so serious? It's not like we'll let outsiders know. Even if we don't find out now, we'll eventually have to keep it a secret."

He said halfway through,

"Changtian."

Li Qingyan stopped trembling slightly, stared at him, and a smile played on her lips:

"I've learned a thing or two about your methods for dealing with women. Since we can't hide it any longer, let's get down to business."

"."

Looking into her clear, smiling gaze, Xu Yuan also curled the corners of his lips into a smile.

This woman is indeed difficult to deal with.

Xu Yuan nodded and pointed to the Blood God Stone Pendant:

"The reason I asked you to destroy the jade pendant is because that Mortal Shedding needs it to escape its predicament as soon as possible."

"Escape?"

Li Qingyan's eyes flickered, and he asked, "You mean, that Strange Ghost is trapped by the formation?"

Xu Yuan nodded and smiled:

"This Underground Palace was set up by those large sects ten thousand years ago for the purpose of studying the Strange Ghost, so naturally they would put a dog leash on them."

"Unfortunately, just as our plans are always a step behind the changes, many changes must have occurred in this Underground Palace Underground Palace, which was once used to study the Strange Ghost, has now become a place where the Strange Ghost Walkers keep humans."

"And now that leash is about to be broken, the Underground City is no longer necessary for that intelligent Strange Ghost being."

"Captive breeding?" Bai Muxi's eyes widened in surprise.

Xu Yuan lowered his eyes, combining information from his past life with intelligence from this life in his mind, and said softly:

"Perhaps ever since your last so-called Blood Nest disaster, your Underground City have been kept under the control of that Strange Ghost, who uses religious Strange Ghost worship to control your minds and burns all cultivation Cultivation Method that could threaten it. What is this if not being kept under control?"

Bai Muxi's eyes darted around as she murmured softly:

"But why does it keep us in captivity?"

Xu Yuan glanced at her and said:

"Breaking the leash that the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion set up for it back then will take time, but creatures like the Strange Ghost will lose their intelligence if they don't eat living beings for a long time. You are its food."

Bai Muxi trembled, then suddenly thought of something:

"Then, can this Blood God Stone Pendant be used to activate the 'dog chain'?"

"Don't think about it."

Xu Yuan shook his head, staring at the jade pendant, and smiled, "There are two of these. They probably need to be used together to activate the formation. The other one is on that Strange Ghost being."

Before the words were finished,

A cold, beautiful female voice came from within the blood mist:

"Human, you... seem to know me very well?"