Altar

Ye An chased after the man for a short while, and the man stopped in front of an abandoned house, turned around, and stopped running.

Moonlight shone through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating his face. He appeared to be around thirty years old, with an old scar at the corner of his eye and a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, as if he had known all along that someone was following him and had deliberately led him here.

"A mere brat who's just entered the Late Meridian Opening dares to meddle in other people's business. Since he's courting death, then let's add some more nourishment to his body!" Every word he spoke carried a slow and unhurried contempt.

With a flick of his arms, a surge of dark red True Essence erupted from his body, flowing down his arms like a viscous liquid.

The Cultivation Method of the Heaven Overturning Cult are intense and carry a burning sensation.

Ye An did not reply to the other party; at this moment, his hand was already on the hilt of Shuanghong's sword.

Seeing him draw his sword, the man sneered, but did not stop. Dark red True Essence condensed into a crescent-shaped blade of energy in his palm, and he raised his hand and flung it at Ye An.

Ye An dodged to the side, the blade of energy grazing the earthen wall behind him, leaving a scorched mark on the surface. Ye An did not retreat, but took the opportunity to draw his sword. The sword light drew an arc in the moonlight, slashing towards the man's waist.

The man took a half step back, his five fingers together, and dark red True Essence condensed into a sharp spike at his fingertips, crashing into Ye An's sword. The moment the sword tip collided with the True Essence spike, a dull thud was heard, and Ye An's sword was deflected slightly by the force. Taking advantage of the momentum, the man pressed forward a step, and a second spike was already stabbing towards Ye An's chest.

Ye An did not sheath his sword. With a flick of his wrist, Shuanghong slid along the man's forearm, the blade slicing a gash in his forearm.

The man winced in pain, withdrew his hand, and quickly stepped back. He glanced at the wound on his forearm, then looked up at Ye An and said, "You've got some skills."

Then his dark red True Essence re-condensed, becoming thicker and denser than before, and solidified into a physical form, as if his entire body was covered in a thin layer of armor.

Ye An did not give him a chance to continue accumulating power.

He stepped forward, his Star-Shattering Finger striking out first, landing on the man's chest.

The True Essence Armor was pierced by the rotating force of the Star-Shattering Finger, creating a small gap that seeped inside. The man groaned, his body momentarily pausing. After the True Essence Armor was broken at that point, the surrounding dark red True Essence began to rapidly dissipate, like a water bag with a hole punctured.

Ye An's Shuanghong had caught up, the blade piercing through the shattered carapace with a smooth motion, as if a withered branch had been snapped in two.

The man glanced down at the sword piercing his chest. His dark red True Essence dissipated rapidly like a deflated bladder. He lost his support, his body trembled slightly, and he fell forward, lying motionless on the ground.

Ye An pulled his sword back without giving it another glance.

A beam of light shot into the sky behind them, and a signal flare rose from the direction of Falling Stone Village, exploding in the night sky.

This is not a signal to assemble; it's a signal to retreat.

Lin Wanyue was telling herself to retreat quickly.

Lin Wanyue followed the other person all the way to a secluded clearing deep in Falling Stone Village. The person stopped there, standing at the edge of the clearing and not going any further.

Lin Wanyue did not approach. She made out what was in the open space: an Altar.

Intricate patterns were drawn on the ground using special sand and the blood of Strange Beast. The Blood-Soaked Stone that had been transported were placed in specific locations. Visible Blood Qi gathered from all directions towards the center of the Altar, where it condensed into a fist-sized red crystal that slowly rotated in the darkness, like a miniature heart.

Lin Wanyue recognized it; it was Blood Essence Crystal.

The core medium used in the Secret Method rituals of the Heaven Overturning Cult to condense the essence of Qi and Blood requires a large amount of Blood-Soaked Stone and the blood of Strange Beast in a specific location to condense into its form.

Her gaze swept over the number of Blood-Soaked Stone, and she did some mental calculations.

This amount is more than enough for Night Owl to break through to Qi Condensation, and at least enough for three peak Meridian Opening cultivators to break through to Qi Condensation simultaneously.

And Night Owl isn't the only one here.

As soon as she finished speaking, a figure emerged from the shadows on the side of the Altar, and at the same time, the person Lin Wanyue was chasing also stood not far behind her.

The two men, one in front and one behind, blocked her path.

One of them was Night Owl, and the other was the person she had been chasing all the way; both of them were at the peak of the Meridian Opening.

Night Owl was carrying a corpse in his hand. He raised his hand and flung it forward. The corpse landed at Lin Wanyue's feet. It was a scout from the Demon Suppressing Guard, and it was already dead.

Lin Wanyue's gaze lingered on the corpse for a moment, but she didn't squat down to examine it. She suppressed the emotions surging within her and raised her hand to fire a signal flare into the night sky.

The signal flare exploded over Falling Stone Village, its red light briefly illuminating the entire open space.

Night Owl didn't stop her, nor did he look at the signal flare. He didn't care at all that she had fired it, because the ceremony would be completed soon, and he could simply leave with the Blood Essence Crystal.

Lin Wanyue stood still, her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready for whatever was about to happen.

The next second, the Night Owl moved.

Dark red True Essence condensed into a sharp spike in his palm, attacking her head-on.

At the same moment, another figure attacked from the side and rear. This was yet another peak- Meridian Opening!

The two men, one in front and one behind, blocked all her escape routes.

Lin Wanyue did not take the attack head-on. She sidestepped Night Owl's first strike and at the same time drew her sword and swept it behind her. The sword technique of Hanging Edge Sword Art carried a sharp force, forcing back the figure wielding the knife.

She didn't linger in the fight; using the momentum of the sword strike, she retreated to an opening to the side, trying to create distance.

Night Owl didn't give chase; he simply stood there, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Is this Demon Suppressing Guard Division is capable of?"

The other man didn't rush forward. Instead, he sized Lin Wanyue up and down, a sinister smile in his eyes, "Night Owl, be gentle, don't hurt her face."

Night Owl glanced at him but didn't respond at all. His gaze remained fixed on Lin Wanyue, and he had no intention of giving her any chance to breathe.

Lin Wanyue didn't have time to retort to the two of them.

The rate at which her internal True Essence was being depleted was faster than she had anticipated.

The Swordsmanship of the Hanging Sword Sect is not bad, but her cultivation level is not as high as the two of them.

Lin Wanyue's sword was blocked by the broadsword, and Night Owl's palm strike came from the side.

She could no longer thrust her sword forward; the speed at which her True Essence circulated through her meridians had noticeably slowed down.

She knew she wouldn't last another move, her fingers tightening slightly as she gripped the sword, but her mind was preoccupied with something else entirely.

When Ye An saw the signal flare he had released, he should have already understood his meaning.

As long as he brings the message back, Commandant Jiang will know what happened here, and then he will avenge himself.

She was just a little disappointed that she didn't have the chance to see her younger sister Lin Qiushui, one last time.

She closed her eyes unwillingly, waiting for the final blow to fall.

Just as Lin Wanyue was feeling disheartened, she felt a force cut in from the side, pulling her away from where she was.

A flash of sword light grazed past her ear, striking the blade of the broadsword and producing a piercing tremor. The swordsman's hand went numb, and her swordplay instantly faltered.

Immediately afterwards, a swirling burst of True Essence shot out from another direction, striking the side of Night Owl's palm strike and dispersing the dark red mist.

Lin Wanyue opened her eyes and saw Ye An standing in front of her, holding a sword in his right hand. The outline of an arm formed from True Essence flashed behind him and disappeared instantly.

Ye An's sword strike and finger strike were completed almost simultaneously.

Lin Wanyue hadn't expected Ye An to come back to save her, but now wasn't the time to talk about that.

Night Owl withdrew his palm and took half a step back.

The man with the knife also took a half step back, realizing that he had actually been slightly at a disadvantage.

Both of them exclaimed in shock and confusion: Who is this person? How could he withstand their combined attack at the same time!