Blood Soul Contract Induction

A quarter of an hour later.

In the dense forest on the outskirts of the valley, branches and leaves swayed violently.

Swish—

A series of rapid, wind-breaking sounds erupted.

Over a dozen figures in black leaped across the treetops, their movements swift, landing without making a sound.

The group moved with extreme speed, rushing into the valley in the blink of an eye.

The young man leading them wore white robes with black patterns; his face was handsome, but his narrow, slanted eyes were sinister.

His skin was pale, and his gaze was as cold as ice.

A layer of faint, ghostly green fire flickered around his body.

His aura was heavy and steady, and the pressure he radiated far exceeded that of an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator.

He was none other than the Young Master of the Ghost Fire Sect—Liao Jun, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Among his peers, he was a top-tier genius.

A man in black rushed into the pile of corpses, quickly examining each one.

Within mere seconds, he returned, knelt on one knee, and wore a grave expression.

"Young Master!"

"The entire hunting squad dispatched this time has been wiped out; there are no survivors!"

Liao Jun swept his gaze across the valley floor.

The ground was covered in corpses, the blood turned to mud.

More than twenty elites of his sect lay scattered across the ground.

Their wounds were all clean, penetrating strikes—decisive and lethal, killing them in a single blow.

His narrow eyes narrowed instantly, the chill in their depths surging.

His expression darkened bit by bit.

"All dead?"

"Twenty-three disciples, three at the eighth layer, one at the ninth."

"An elite squad, surrounding and killing six wounded outer disciples of Qingyun."

"And the result is total annihilation?"

Absurd.

Preposterous.

It was simply impossible.

Those six Qingyun disciples had a cultivation no higher than the eighth layer of Qi Refining and were already exhausted and heavily wounded.

Relying on just the six of them, let alone counter-killing the entire squad.

They shouldn't have even been able to inflict serious injuries on this team.

Liao Jun focused his mind to sense the residual spiritual energy trails in the surroundings; there were only thin fluctuations of Qi Refining techniques in the air.

There was not a shred of spiritual pressure left behind by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He became certain in an instant.

"Someone intervened in secret and killed my Ghost Fire Sect's men."

Thinking of this, killing intent boiled in Liao Jun's eyes.

"To dare to intercept and kill my people while my Ghost Fire Sect is at work."

"No matter who you are."

"You are dead."

Liao Jun formed a seal with one hand.

Hum—

Ghostly green fire danced at his fingertips.

A set of extremely secretive demonic arts was instantly activated.

This was the inherited secret technique of the Ghost Fire Sect—Blood Soul Contract Induction.

Every Ghost Fire Sect disciple sent out on hunting, undercover, or reconnaissance missions had a latent blood contract brand planted within them beforehand.

It was useless under normal circumstances, would not affect their cultivation, and would not expose their identities.

But once a disciple was killed by an outsider.

A wisp of the deceased's soul remnant would automatically detach from the corpse at the moment of death and attach itself to the killer, beyond their control.

Silent and soundless, impossible to detect.

Even if the opponent's cultivation was higher, it was impossible for them to discover it immediately.

And the Blood Soul Contract Induction was a secret technique specifically designed to track this wisp of residual aura.

Liao Jun closed his eyes to sense, his divine sense spreading out.

He screened layer by layer within a ten-mile radius.

A few breaths later.

He opened his eyes, his expression gloomy.

"No sensation."

The man in black beside him felt his heart tighten. "Young Master, could the opponent have completely erased the residual aura?"

Liao Jun shook his head, his tone icy.

"It cannot be erased."

"The soul brand of a Blood Soul Contract is not that easy to extinguish."

The Blood Soul Contract Induction only had an active detection range of ten miles.

Beyond ten miles, it could not pinpoint a location accurately.

But the true terror of this secret technique did not lie in active tracking.

It lay in passive locking.

That wisp of residual soul aura could remain hidden within a human body for as long as three years.

Within the next three years, as long as the killer stepped within one mile of a Ghost Fire Sect disciple.

Every disciple who practiced the Ghost Fire Cultivation Method would automatically trigger a sense.

It would lock onto the enemy directly for a precise hunt.

Compared to the on-site backtracking and aura tracking that cost the sect massive amounts of manpower and resources, it was a hundred times more efficient.

This was also a standard trump card used by major Devil Dao Sects for hunting.

Simply put.

Su Yun could run today.

But for the next three years.

As long as he encountered any Ghost Fire Sect disciple.

His identity and the enemy mark would be exposed instantly.

The hunt would be relentless and certain death.

Liao Jun's expression was cold, without a shred of regret.

It didn't matter if he ran.

With three years of time, he would catch the killer sooner or later.

At this moment, another black-clad leader stepped forward and bowed to request instructions.

"Young Master."

"Our hunting squad has been completely wiped out in this wave."

"The commotion of the battle here was immense, and the signal flare has been in the sky for a long time."

"The higher-ups of the Azure Cloud Sect must have already realized their territory is under attack."

"It won't be long before the law enforcement team comes to patrol."

"It is extremely dangerous for us to remain in the Azure Cloud Sect's territory now."

"Once the law enforcement team arrives, it will be difficult for us to escape."

"This subordinate implores the Young Master to immediately order a full withdrawal!"

Liao Jun looked up toward the depths of the Azure Cloud Sect's mountains and nodded.

"Withdraw."

"Order all hunting squads to pull out of the Azure Cloud territory entirely."

"In this round of lurking and hunting, we carried out sneak attacks and interceptions."

"We slaughtered over thirty outer sect disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect."

"It wasn't a wasted trip."

Over thirty young disciples.

To the Azure Cloud Sect, it might not seem like much, but it would still sting.

The future of the sect relied on generation after generation of young disciples.

A cold, sinister arc curled at the corner of Liao Jun's mouth.

"Next time."

"Once the Magneto Secret Realm in Spirit Province opens, the younger generation of the five great sects will gather there."

"When that time comes, we shall slaughter another batch."

His gaze grew increasingly icy. "For a hundred years, the righteous sects led by the Azure Cloud Sect have prided themselves on being the orthodox path."

"They suppress the Devil Dao, hunt down devil cultivators, monopolize resources, and seal off every path for the Devil Dao."

"Our Devil Dao Sects have been forced into silence for a century, enduring for a century."

"A century of oppression, a century of blockade."

"Now, the times have changed."

"It is our turn to collect the interest on that century of debt."

"The more righteous disciples die, the better."

"With their younger generation severed and their geniuses withering in droves,"

"Within a hundred years, the five great righteous sects of Spirit Province will inevitably decline!"

All the men in black beside him bowed their heads, their eyes burning with fanaticism.

A century of forbearance had ended; the great tide of the Devil Dao's counterattack was about to begin.

Liao Jun took one last look at the devastated valley, then turned and flicked his sleeves.

"Let's go."

The group quickly erased all traces, their figures flickering as they vanished completely into the dense mountain forests.

Azure Cloud Hall.

The atmosphere inside the hall was heavy and oppressive.

Sect Master Li Mofan sat upright in the main seat, his expression grave, his brows tightly locked.

On both sides of the hall, the attendees were seated in order.

Elders from the four great sects, along with deacons and elders from the Law Enforcement Hall, Outer Sect Hall, Inner Sect Hall, and Resource Hall, were all present.

All the high-ranking officials had gathered; no one was absent.

The hall was deathly silent, and everyone felt a tightening in their chests.

After a long while, Li Mofan spoke slowly, his voice low.

"Everyone."

"During this period, our sect has had disciples going missing, being ambushed, and suffering severe injuries while out on missions."

"At first, I thought it was merely ordinary rogue cultivators robbing them, wild beasts in the mountains causing trouble, or private feuds between fellow disciples."

"I had always assumed these were just isolated, accidental incidents."

"That was until just now, when the Law Enforcement Team sent back the latest investigation results."

He paused.

Li Mofan swept his gaze across the room, his tone suddenly deepening.

"Those who have been secretly hunting our disciples within the territory of the Azure Cloud Sect recently,"

"Are not rogue cultivators, nor are they bandits."

"They are devil cultivators from the Ghost Fire Sect."

A low commotion instantly rippled through the hall.

Everyone's expression changed drastically.

"The Ghost Fire Sect?!"

"Those wretched, sinister devil scum?!"

"They actually dare to sneak into our Azure Cloud territory to strike?!"