Lu Chen's eyes flickered.
He guessed something might have happened, causing the other party to temporarily abandon the plan of dealing with him personally.
The Soul Severing Saber swept out horizontally, its saber qi arching like a rainbow as it struck the front row of Blood Puppets.
The crack of shattering bones mingled with the dull tearing of flesh as three puppets exploded into blood mist.
The remaining Blood Puppets suddenly formed a circular formation, light blazing from their chests.
The instant the beams wove into a cage, Lu Chen sprang into the air. Three clones descended from above with the furnace.
The furnace crashed into the cage, and the energy ripples it unleashed ground the bones within a hundred zhang into powder.
The Soul Severing Saber drew a circle through the air, its saber qi arching like a rainbow as it cleaved into the Blood Puppet formation.
Amid the explosive boom of the collision, the cage shattered.
Seizing the instant the Blood Puppets stiffened, his true body slipped into the formation like a ghost.
With a sweep of his blade, heads flew one after another, dropping into the furnace outside his body and being burned into charcoal.
Unfortunately, he did not obtain any Blood Jade Shards this time.
It only increased his qi and blood by a trace—better than nothing.
He activated the Wind and Thunder Steps, turning into a streak of light as he gave chase.
When he came within a thousand meters of the pillar of light, he saw seven Blood-colored Tents encircling and guarding an altar.
The Skull Artifacts floating above the tent roofs spewed crimson pillars of light that linked with the heavens.
The patrolling Blood Spirit Cultists all wore red cloaks, their gazes visible through the slits of their masks dull and lifeless like puppets.
Lu Chen lay behind a broken stele and observed for a moment. The furnace suddenly released a wisp of blood mist that clung to his body.
His aura gradually blended with the surrounding resentment.
With a flash, he appeared in the shadow of a tent at the southeast corner.
"...The altar will be activated in three days." A hoarse voice came from the central tent. "Where is the sacrifice?"
"The Second Young Master is personally escorting it. He will arrive soon."
The speaker had a soft, effeminate voice. Through a crack in the tent curtain, Lu Chen caught sight of a young man in white robes.
The man who had once wanted to deal with him was likely one of the Blood Spirit Sect's Blood Sons, Blood Owl, a savage grin on his face.
"The Myriad Blood Altar requires the Essence Blood of three hundred cultivators to activate. Once Lord Ancient Demon awakens..."
Suddenly, a faint sound came from outside.
Lu Chen had accidentally stepped on and crushed a piece of dry bone. The guards outside the tent immediately became alert. "Who goes there?"
Three Blood Puppets burst from the ground. Lu Chen took the opportunity to feign panic and retreat.
As he staggered away, he deliberately exposed a flaw. When his pursuers closed to within three zhang, the Wind and Thunder Steps suddenly activated.
The saber light swept through like a blood moon, and five heads flew into the air at once.
The Soul Severing Saber picked open the storage pouch of one corpse.
A blood-colored token landed in his hand, mysterious patterns carved across its face.
With a thought, the token blazed with light, piercing the descending Camp Defense Array. Lu Chen passed through the formation and vanished.
The blast of horns tore through the sky. The entire Blood Spirit Sect camp sprang into motion, and the crimson pillar of light became even more dazzling.
Lu Chen retreated close to the ground, Golden Core pressure clinging to him like a disease gnawing at the bone.
Before the Blood-colored Barrier closed in, he turned into an afterimage and fled.
A foul wind suddenly rose from the ruins ahead. Swarms of Blood Bats surged forth, blotting out the sky and sun, forcing him to turn toward the northeastern cliff.
Half a day later, after shaking off the Blood Bats, Lu Chen lay atop the cliff and looked below, his eyes twitching slightly.
An ancient city stood beneath the cliff, its walls cast from white bones, with dried demon beast heads hanging from the battlements.
Only half of the words "Myriad Bone" remained on the plaque above the city gate, while patches of blood moss grew from its cracks.
Firelight flickered within the city. A defensive line formed by cultivators was being battered by tidal waves of Two-headed Demonic Wolves, sword light and beastly roars tearing through the dusk.
Lu Chen leaped down.
Three clones fell into the battlefield first, the inverted furnace spewing violent energy that shot into the heavens.
Lu Chen stepped on wolf corpses and vaulted onto an arrow tower. The Soul Severing Saber swept sideways, raising crimson saber qi that cleaved the Demonic Wolf King lunging at a female cultivator in two.
Amid the stinking rain of blood, the figure in moon-white robes turned gracefully. Beneath a veil adorned with ice crystals came a voice as clear as a spring:
"Thank you. Please help defend the southeastern arrow tower!"
Lu Chen nodded and shot away.
Like a bomb crashing down beside the southeastern arrow tower, his Qi and Blood Domain expanded, steadying the tottering structure.
He curled his five fingers in the air. The movements of the demonic wolves within the domain slowed sharply, and the city-defending cultivators seized the chance to fire an overwhelming rain of arrows.
Large numbers of demonic wolves fell with mournful cries.
"Watch out!" The woman was rushing toward Lu Chen when an enormous figure suddenly sprang up behind her.
It was a Thousand-legged Centipede over ten zhang tall, its shell gleaming with metallic light. The poisonous mist from its mouthparts corroded the city-protecting formation with sizzling sounds.
Lu Chen teleported over, wrapped an arm around her waist, and flashed away again.
Rumble...
The Thousand-legged Centipede split the ground with countless cracks, after which poisonous mist descended and drowned a vast stretch of land.
"It's a Thousand-legged Centipede bred by the Blood Spirit Sect!" Han Qingxue's face turned deathly pale.
She had even forgotten to step out of Lu Chen's embrace.
Lu Chen lightly pressed her waist. Han Qingxue's delicate body trembled, and she hurriedly jumped behind him.
Lu Chen grinned. His body flashed, and he appeared atop the Thousand-legged Centipede's head. The Soul Severing Saber trailed a streak of crimson saber light as it stabbed into the gap between the armor plates on its head and neck.
Pfft!
Saber qi pierced through its body.
The Thousand-legged Centipede let out an earth-shaking howl, spewing out wave after wave of poisonous mist.
The Soul Severing Saber twisted, and the Thousand-legged Centipede's head drooped to one side.
Its enormous body crashed to the ground.
Both sides fell silent at once, before cheers of surviving the catastrophe rang throughout the city.
With a wave of his hand, Lu Chen made the Thousand-legged Centipede's corpse vanish, directly refining it within the Myriad Manifestations Furnace.
The Blood Jade Shards he obtained were absorbed as well.
This time, it did not spit out blood clots, but black blood seeped from his skin.
The hidden damage in his bloodline recovered by another trace, while his strength increased by one hundred Bull Strength.
He looked around and found that the Fierce Demons had already retreated.
"Young Master, please come with me!" Han Qingxue, having calmed herself, walked over.
Her white robes were covered in bloodstains, with even droplets of blood dripping from them.
Yet she paid it no mind, as though none of it had anything to do with her.
Lu Chen studied her carefully, and a chill rose in his heart.
Only then did he realize how cold this woman was.
Like a lump of ice.
"By the way, my name is Han Qingxue. And yours, Young Master?"
Her voice was crisp, yet it did not carry the slightest warmth.
"Lu Chen!"
Han Qingxue nodded, led the way, and entered the cellar beneath the City Lord's Manor.
Night-luminous pearls emitted a dim glow, lending a hint of warmth to the frigid cellar.
Her fingertips brushed over a scorched mark. "My friend discovered the Demon Den half a month ago. The next day, Blood Owl intercepted and killed him."
Her voice was icy, carrying boundless hatred.
"Each of the Blood Spirit Sect's three Blood Sons controls one division. Blood Owl commands the Blood Puppets and Fierce Demons."
Han Qingxue unfolded a yellowed map. The location of the Demon Den was marked with a dagger symbol. "This is where the Demon Den is. If Young Master Lu wishes to go there, the map is yours!"
As she spoke, she handed it over.
"Aren't you afraid I'm one of them?" Lu Chen asked doubtfully.
Han Qingxue shook her head. "First, you killed the Thousand-legged Centipede. Second, my intuition tells me you aren't that kind of person!"
Lu Chen opened his mouth, finding it hard to refute her.
A woman's sixth sense!
"Thank you!" Lu Chen accepted the map. "Could you tell me about the distribution of power between the Blood Spirit Sect and King Yanbei here?"
Han Qingxue nodded.
"The Blood Spirit Sect's activities here are mainly led by one of the three Blood Sons, Blood Owl. On King Yanbei's side, it is the Second Young Master, Ji Wujue. Both have extraordinary talent and formidable strength. They are both peak Golden Core experts, so you must be careful if you encounter them!"
Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then said, "I saw them building an altar. Do you know what it is for?"
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