Sacrifice Successful: Inner Breath Realm Great Accomplishment!

"Heh heh."

Song Ji gasped, trying to pull out the arrow, but the intense pain in his shoulder made him feel weak. He gritted his teeth and leaned forward abruptly.

The arrow remained firmly lodged in the tree trunk, while he had been completely impaled. The white fletching was already stained red with his blood. Just as he was about to move, a cold blade landed at his neck.

"Do you want to bet if this blade will fall, Master Song?" Jiang Che looked down at Song Ji. The situation had completely reversed since their ambush.

After gazing at Jiang Che for a moment, Song Ji sighed and weakly lowered his head.

The surrounding skirmishes were gradually coming to an end. Facing the elite soldiers of the Wind Camp, the bandits of Crouching Tiger Mountain, even the seasoned veterans, were no match.

In the forest, a young man wearing black Xuan armor and carrying a pale golden longbow slowly approached Jiang Che and sized him up. He asked casually:

"You're Jiang Che? Your strength is passable."

"May I know your name, sir?"

Jiang Che looked at the heroic young man, his expression solemn. The style of the armor was identical to Zhu Sheng's from before, leaving no doubt about his identity.

He was definitely a Captain.

And his strength was terrifying. From a hundred paces away, he shot an arrow through the shoulder, with excellent angle and timing. If Jiang Che faced such an opponent with his current strength, He would have no chance of winning.

"Qi Huan, Captain of the Wind Camp."

The black-armored man raised his head and said indifferently.

"Thank you for your assistance, Captain Qi."

Jiang Che cupped his fists in thanks.

"As long as you don't mind me snatching your prey." Qi Huan chuckled, glancing at Jiang Che. He then walked in front of Song Ji, examined him, and his gaze swept over the faint bluish hue on his arm that hadn't completely faded.

"The Azure Fiend Body Refining Scripture. It's no wonder Crouching Tiger Mountain has stood for over ten years; the body refining technique you cultivate is indeed extraordinary."

Jiang Che's eyes flickered upon hearing this. His gaze towards Song Ji changed.

So he's the prey. I've found a lead for a body refining method!

Song Ji merely looked up at Qi Huan, let out a cold laugh, and then turned his head away.

Soon, all the bandits of Crouching Tiger Mountain had been executed. Only Song Ji and the previously knocked-out Protector Ren remained alive.

"Can these people be used to convict the Cao Gang?"

Qi Huan turned to Jiang Che.

Last night, Zhu Sheng had sent someone to see him overnight, saying there was a big deal he wanted to cooperate on. Initially, Qi Huan wasn't interested, but upon learning it was the relatively well-known Cao Gang, he agreed to Zhu Sheng's invitation.

He had long heard of the Cao Gang's immense wealth over the years, and he certainly wouldn't let it go.

"It's more than enough!"

Jiang Che nodded in agreement.

In his opinion, with Zhu Sheng and Qi Huan working together, even without concrete evidence, they could easily pin several charges on the Cao Gang without much effort.

"Alright, let's move out."

Qi Huan beckoned. Several soldiers grabbed Protector Ren and Song Ji and prepared to leave.

"Captain Qi, please proceed first. Jiang needs to stay for a moment to attend to a small matter."

Jiang Che's purpose for coming wasn't solely to capture conclusive evidence against the Cao Gang. He also had expectations for the Yin Sha Land, as he was currently lacking Yin Sha energy for his sacrifice.

"I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Qi Huan said, then left directly.

Watching them gradually depart, Jiang Che turned his gaze towards the cave.

As soon as he entered the cave, Jiang Che felt a bone-chilling coldness, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. His cold-weather clothing seemed to have lost all its effectiveness.

But Jiang Che didn't care at all; instead, a sense of joy arose in his heart.

To lure him out of the city, Kou Yuansheng had indeed put in effort, actually finding a Yin Sha Land.

The deeper he went, the more Jiang Che felt the cold intensifying. When he reached the deepest part, he saw the source of the Yin Sha energy: a "sha eye" about the size of a bowl.

Streams of malevolent energy were surging out from the eye. Around it were many corpses that had already turned into white bones, suggesting that no small number of people had died here.

This was a "sha eye" that had been artificially cultivated.

But that had nothing to do with him.

He had only one thought in his mind at this moment.

That was to perform the sacrifice!

Sitting cross-legged, Jiang Che quickly closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his mind space.

[Sacrifice Target: Entry-level Three Absolute Shocking Fiends.]

[Sacrifice Cost: Ten drops of heart blood from three Inner Breath Realm martial artists, ten strands of Yin Sha energy, one Corpse Blood Mushroom, two years of lifespan reduction. Sacrifice?]

Without any hesitation, Jiang Che immediately made a move in his mind.

[Sacrifice!]

On the Heavenly Stele, red light surged. A gray light, like a nimble serpent, coiled and devoured all the offerings before it. It then escaped the Heavenly Stele's space, circling endlessly in the void.

If Jiang Che were to open his eyes now, he would see strands of red and green malevolent energy converging towards the gray light until ten strands were consumed.

Only then did the gray light return to the Heavenly Stele's space.

Following this, a vitality far greater than before was forcibly drawn from his body. This time, he could deeply feel the sensation, as if just before a crucial shot, he suddenly became weak and powerless.

Among the long hair on Jiang Che's forehead, a few black strands turned gray.

Two years of lifespan were shaved off!

Two beams of light, one red and one green, followed, escaping and circling around his body and head.

The green light always moved first, instantly entering his spiritual platform.

In a moment, the surrounding world changed.

It completely turned blood-red, and the stench of blood continuously flooded his nostrils, as if he were truly in a sea of blood.

The next moment, Jiang Che saw a blurry bright light flash.

"Bang!"

The blood-red space shattered.

Killing intent, malicious intent, evil intent—all completely filled Jiang Che's mind. His eyes turned blood-red, his body trembled uncontrollably, and his soul vibrated at that moment.

Endless killing intent filled him completely. He had forgotten everything.

All he remembered was... killing!

Time passed, though he knew not how long. When that wisp of red light entered his body, Jiang Che suddenly awoke with a start, his forehead covered in a dense layer of fine sweat.

So, the Three Absolute Shocking Fiends was not just a saber technique. No wonder the silver foil contained no recorded moves.

This was a method of demonic possession, causing a martial artist to fall into a state of complete madness, leading to a surge in their strength.

It was no wonder Liu Zhi had studied it for so many years and still couldn't grasp its essence.

This... was not a saber technique!

It was an evil cultivation method disguised as one.

But he had no time to think further, because as that wisp of red light surged into his body, he felt as if he were being placed in a steamer. The thin Inner Breath within him was also rapidly increasing.