A cornered beast

So close!

If not for Lü Ci...

He turned toward the entrance of the great hall.

Lü Ci wore a look of vengeful satisfaction and a trace of a vicious grin. That sneak attack with Sword Qi had come from him.

Behind him, Elders Zhang and Sun were pale, their Daoist robes torn. The lake of death had clearly left them shaken, and their gazes toward Si Chen were every bit as venomous.

"Let's see where you can run this time!" Lü Ci's beard and hair bristled as the might of the Nascent Soul Realm erupted from him!

But before they could strike again, the frenzied creatures in the hall all had their attention drawn by his attack.

A large portion of the red-eyed humans and demons immediately wheeled around with furious roars, lunging toward Lü Ci and his companions, who had just entered the hall!

"Sect Master, watch out!" Elder Zhang's expression changed, and he swept his sleeve out, knocking back a red-eyed cultivator who lunged at him.

Elder Sun hurriedly drew his spirit sword as well, shouting in bewilderment, "What's wrong with these people? Have they all lost their minds?!"

Young Master Fang and the gray-robed elder beside him also frowned slightly.

With a gentle sweep of his sleeve, the elder sent out a wave of force, soft yet unyielding, that drove back several frenzied cultivators who had charged close.

He surveyed the bloody chaos inside the hall, his gaze turning thoughtful, particularly as he looked at the pool that still contained immense blood essence.

"Flood Dragon blood?"

With his extensive knowledge, he recognized the liquid at a glance, and understanding began to dawn on him.

"Young Master, this blood pool... is strange. I'm afraid it can bewitch the mind."

Young Master Fang hummed in acknowledgment, surveying the hall with interest. Finally, his gaze settled on Si Chen in the distance, whose figure kept flickering as he evaded Black Mountain and Red Wind's attacks. There was no telling what he was thinking.

By now, Lü Ci had also regained some of his composure.

Hatred had clouded his judgment earlier, and he had failed to examine the situation in the hall.

He swiftly took stock while casually batting away several madmen who lunged at him.

There were many cultivators and demonic beasts left in the hall, but most posed little threat. Only the two third-tier demonic beasts would be troublesome to deal with, especially given their utter disregard for death.

Fighting them under these circumstances would cost more than it was worth, and he immediately began to consider retreating.

Yet letting Si Chen go again would leave a bitter resentment he simply could not swallow.

As he wrestled with the decision, a venomous idea surfaced in his mind.

His gaze passed over the chaotic battlefield and settled on Si Chen. He sneered. "What a shame I won't be able to rip out your soul and refine it myself!"

"But... watching those two beasts tear you to pieces, or seeing you become a raving lunatic like them, would have its own particular flavor!"

His words were meant both for Si Chen and as an explanation to Young Master Fang and the others.

"Sect Master Lü, are you...?" Young Master Fang raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly guessing his intent.

Still courteous toward Young Master Fang, Lü Ci said in a low voice, "Young Master Fang, this place is sinister. We shouldn't linger. Since this little bastard likes it here, let him stay here forever!"

He deliberately emphasized the word "forever."

Young Master Fang exchanged a glance with the gray-robed elder. Their goal on this trip was the Flood Dragon's hidden legacy. There was no need to get embroiled in a private feud, much less fight irrational third-tier demonic beasts to the death in such an eerie place.

The elder gave a slight nod, signaling that they need not intervene.

Hearing those words, Si Chen immediately understood what Lü Ci intended.

He wants to seal the exit and trap me here until I die!

Lightning flashed beneath his feet as he tried to force his way past Black Mountain and Red Wind and rush toward the entrance.

But Black Mountain refused to let him leave. The bear's paw slammed down again, while Red Wind attacked from the other side at the same time, forcing him to retreat and dodge once more.

"Chirp-! Chirp!"

Red Bean, perched on his shoulder, grew frantic, letting out shrill, furious cries.

The bird suddenly flew off Si Chen's shoulder and landed on Black Mountain's huge, furry head, pecking hard at the bear's scalp again and again in an attempt to wake the beast.

Black Mountain showed no reaction at all. There was nothing in those crimson eyes but crazed killing intent.

"We're leaving!"

Seeing this, Lü Ci hesitated no longer. With a low shout, he led the retreat toward the entrance.

Elders Zhang and Sun followed close behind, while Young Master Fang and the gray-robed elder followed calmly. The scattered lunatics lunging at them could not impede their steps at all.

Upon reaching the passage entrance, Lü Ci abruptly turned to face the hall. The spiritual power of the Nascent Soul Realm surged wildly within him, pouring into his palms.

"Little bastard, enjoy your final moments!"

He thrust both palms forward, sending the concentrated force crashing into the rock wall above the passage entrance!

RUMBLE-!!!

A deafening crash rang out, and the entire hall shook violently.

A vast section of rock above the entrance collapsed with a thunderous roar. Stones of every size tumbled down, instantly blocking the only passage completely.

Through the billowing dust, Lü Ci's cold laughter, filled with satisfaction and the relief of revenge, could still be faintly heard from beyond the rubble, gradually fading into the distance.

The hall had become a completely sealed cage.

Si Chen looked at the thoroughly blocked entrance, his brows drawing together slightly.

He could blast it open with Thunderbolt Spear, but that would take time, and the commotion would be anything but small.

The maddened Black Mountain and Red Wind, along with all the equally red-eyed people around him, would never give him that chance.

"ROAR-!"

Sure enough, with Lü Ci and his companions gone, those fresh targets lost, every pair of crimson eyes turned back toward Si Chen in unison.

The chaotic onslaught surged back once more.

But Si Chen's face showed none of the panic Lü Ci had expected. His figure flickered continuously amid the encirclement as he pushed Thunderbolt Flash to its utmost.

As he maneuvered around them, he recalled the sensation of his fist striking Black Mountain's forehead.

The vitality of the Yi Wood Eternal Spring Art had indeed worked. The struggle and confusion that had flashed through Black Mountain's eyes in that instant could not have been false.

The problem was that transferring vitality punch by punch, as he had just done, took far too much time and effort.

Dispelling the savagery in their seas of consciousness would require an astonishing amount of vitality.

Moreover, the frenzied creatures interfering all around him would never give him the chance to work undisturbed.

His gaze swept over the densely packed, crazed figures around him before finally settling on the dark-red blood pool in the center of the hall, which still radiated immense blood essence.

The root of the problem lay there.

An idea flashed through his mind like lightning.

Since purifying them individually, bit by bit, is so difficult...

Since the energy in this blood pool can contaminate everyone who bathes in it, driving them mad...

Then what if... I completely purified all the energy in the pool?

What if a contaminated "pool of madness" became a "pool of purification," brimming with immense vitality?

Could the purified water wash away the savagery within them and restore their sanity, just as it had contaminated them before?

The idea was bold, even far-fetched.

But Si Chen thought that perhaps... it was worth a try.