Outside the Blood Sect's mountain gate, Xiao Li pulled out the Thunder Scale Spear.
Gazing at the Blood Sect's gates, wreathed in blood-red haze, he had witnessed the sect's fearsome influence during his journey here. There wasn't a living soul for a hundred li in every direction; presumably, they'd captured everyone they could and taken them to the Blood Sect.
"Who goes there?"
Two blood-robed guards came up to Xiao Li, their eyes alight with excitement and malice.
The Blood Sect hadn't had outsiders show up in ages. Capturing people and raising them as Blood Slaves was part of every Blood Sect disciple's daily routine.
"Two Dou Masters."
Xiao Li's gaze turned icy. With the Two Elders Qian and Bai at his side, what did he have to fear? He'd just charge right in.
"Lightning Flash Strike!"
Lightning streaked across the mountain gate, illuminating the two enormous scarlet characters that spelled out "Blood Sect." Two columns of blood shot into the sky as Xiao Li flashed forward and stormed the gate, leaving only two corpses behind.
The Blood Sect had thousands of disciples. Xiao Li couldn't take on a thousand by himself, so ending the fight quickly was the right choice.
Beyond the Blood Sect's mountain gate lay the disciples' activity grounds, where they traded Blood Slaves, pills, and weapons and received sect missions. Hundreds of figures in blood-red robes had gathered there.
Xiao Li's black clothes stood out like a sore thumb.
"Who are you?"
"Out of my way. Lightning Flash Strike!"
The Thunder Scale Spear cleared a path. A flash of lightning slashed across the throat of the person in front of him, and his indiscriminate assault threw the place into chaos.
"Someone's attacking the mountain!"
"It's a Da Dou Shi! Hurry and get the steward!"
"Help!"
"..."
Cries and curses rang out without end. Before long, a steward at the Dou Ling level appeared.
An old man in an exquisitely crafted blood-red robe emerged, his expression dark. "You vile beast, stop! You're only a Da Dou Shi, yet you dare to storm the Blood Sect? You—"
Elder Bai appeared like a specter and brought his palm down with crushing force. The Dou Ling steward was instantly reduced to a heap of mangled flesh.
Elder Bai's face was grim, and the fury radiating from him was almost impossible to contain.
Elder Qian frowned and appeared beside him. "Bai Lie, what's wrong?"
Several blood vessels stood out in Elder Bai's eyes from his rage. His voice was hoarse with anger. "Those bastards in the Blood Sect secretly captured our students from Jianan and turned them into Blood Slaves!"
Elder Qian's body shuddered, then he erupted in fury as well. "Those scum dared lay hands on our students from Jianan? They deserve to die!"
A terrifying aura burst forth. The might of a Peak Dou Zong caused the surrounding buildings to collapse in an instant, while over a hundred Blood Sect disciples nearby exploded into clouds of blood.
Elder Qian's aura surged like a flood, spreading across the entire Blood Sect.
"Fan Yi, you old bastard! If you're not dead, get your ass out here!"
His roar swept through the Blood Sect. The sound waves nearly solidified as they crossed several kilometers and slammed into the Blood Sect's main hall.
Fan Lao stood up from his seat and stared uncertainly toward the front mountain. "A Dou, Dou Zong..."
Blood-red Dou Qi Wings appeared behind him, and Fan Lao hurriedly flew toward the front mountain.
"Senior, senior, please stop! There must be some misunderstanding!"
Elder Qian looked at the newcomer, unable to conceal the murderous aura in his eyes. "That old bastard Fan Yi's aura... Are you his descendant?"
Fan Lao landed at once and bowed respectfully. "Fan Yi was indeed my father. May I ask what brings you here, senior? The Blood Sect will do whatever it can to help."
Looking at the blood and gore covering the ground, Fan Lao couldn't even bring himself to ask who was responsible. He'd seen Dou Zong experts before, but their auras couldn't compare to even a single hair on this old man's head. This elder was definitely a High-Rank Dou Zong. Even if the entire Blood Sect joined forces, they wouldn't stand a chance against him.
"Where's that old bastard Fan Yi?" A trace of anger surfaced on Elder Qian's face. He could barely hold back from slaughtering everyone.
"My father passed away some years ago..." Fan Lao hesitated, but finally revealed his last trump card. Even if his father came back to life and broke through to Dou Zong, it would be useless against an expert like this.
"Hmph. Then answer me this: why did you capture students from Jia Nan Academy and turn them into Blood Slaves?" Elder Qian was incandescent with rage. His aura pressed Fan Lao and the elders and stewards behind him flat against the ground.
Crushed beneath the pressure, Fan Lao could barely get the words out. "S-Senior, this is a misunderstanding!"
Fan Lao grimaced. They were finished. This was a big shot from Jia Nan Academy! The Blood Sect had long coveted high-quality blood, and in the past they'd secretly captured students from Jia Nan Academy. He'd never imagined the academy would come knocking today.
"Die!"
Killing intent blazed in Elder Qian's eyes. His enormous Dou Qi palm print smashed everyone before him into a pulp. Against these Dou Emperors and Dou Wangs, the power of a Peak Dou Zong was absolutely overwhelming.
Storming the Blood Sect? No, it was a Blood Sect dungeon massacre.
"Elder Qian, don't let these disciples escape either. Especially that one with tears in his eyes, shouting, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—don't bully a young man for being poor!'"
"Elder Bai, there's also the one who furrowed his brow and retreated behind the others. Make sure you grind his bones to dust."
Elder Qian and Elder Bai did as he asked. "Xiao Li, what should we do with this one clutching a flowerpot and refusing to let go? It looks like he's been feeding the plant blood..."
"What, are you afraid of being entangled by a plant?"
"Understood."
When the Blood Sect disciples saw that their sect master and elders were all dead, they hurriedly fled. The Two Elders Qian and Bai didn't kill every last one of them. They remembered that Xiao Li needed some experience, and battles like this weren't something you came across every day.
Elder Bai went to the place where the Blood Sect kept its Blood Slaves, while Elder Qian stayed by Xiao Li's side to prevent any accidents.
With his spear drenched in blood, Xiao Li boldly impaled the last Blood Sect disciple there. He thought he'd heard the man say his name was Fan Ling before he died, but it didn't matter anymore. The Blood Sect had been wiped out.
With the Blood Sect destroyed, the three of them split up. Elder Bai went to rescue the students, Elder Qian headed for the Blood Sect's treasury, and Xiao Li made his way to a dungeon.
The Blood Sect certainly had more than one place where it kept Blood Slaves. Xiao Li had planned from the beginning to rescue them and recruit every one he could use. This was a rare opportunity.
Only a dim, yellow light reached into the dungeon. The guards had heard the commotion and fled long ago. All that remained was a group of pale Blood Slaves shackled in chains.
"Help me, please!"
Those who'd only recently been captured still had enough strength to speak. When they saw Xiao Li enter, they hurriedly begged him for help. Those who'd been imprisoned longer had only the last thread of life left in them, and could barely watch Xiao Li with their numb eyes.
Faced with the wretched prisoners, Xiao Li's eyes remained unmoved. He only needed people who could be of use to him. "Those willing to submit to me, keep your eyes open. Those who aren't, close them."
"Help me, get me out of here, and I'll give you a million gold coins!" pleaded an old man dressed in tattered finery.
Xiao Li swept him a cold glance and thrust the Thunder Scale Spear forward without mercy, ending the old man's life.
"You have no room to bargain with me."
After that single strike, the dungeon grew much quieter. Xiao Li nodded with satisfaction, but his spear never slowed, killing one Dou Ling-level Blood Slave after another.
Xiao Li had no way to control people. If he rescued these Dou Lings, they might pretend to submit while they were weak, only to rebel once they recovered. Better to eliminate them now.
The dungeon fell deathly silent. Everyone had been frightened by Xiao Li's ruthlessness, and no one dared beg anymore.