Chapter 44

  Upon arriving at the grand gate of the imperial city, a soldier shouted: "General!"

  The Blood Demon waved his hand and galloped in swiftly, with no one daring to block him.

  He quickly arrived in front of the East Palace, where several eunuchs rushed forward to meet him. One of them shouted: "General, a fairy has come to find you!"

  Originally these eunuchs were guarding the crown prince's bedroom at night when they saw someone flying in from the sky. It was as if he didn't even change his breath and just descended like that. The feeling of being so extraordinary and otherworldly, isn't it just a heavenly being descending to the mortal world?! They were immediately stunned, fearing that they had offended heaven. Only after seeing the Blood Demon did they feel like they had found their backbone again.

  The Blood Demon's eyes turned red, and his heart was filled with violent rage.

  Just as things were about to come together, first Dong Li Xi suddenly refused to budge even in the face of death, and then I saw that there was a spiritual energy surge from the immortal cultivators on the imperial city walls. It's truly the worst luck!

  He said in a low voice: "Withdraw from the Crown Prince's palace, I will handle things here."

  Xuēmó sù lái shā rén bù jiǎ yǎn, jī wēi shèn zhòng, zhòng rén bù gǎn fǎn bó, zhǐ dé yān xià le yī dù zi de yí wèn, fēn fēn tuì le chū qù.

  The Blood Demon ordered: "Guard the perimeter of ten miles around, and no matter what noise is heard, no one is allowed to enter!"

  Everyone says "yes", but each acts on their own without mentioning it.

  Just as he was about to enter the Eastern Palace, Xue Mo suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his skin began to stir, as if something was trying to emerge. He took a deep breath and shouted: "What are you stirring up!"

  The collar of the bloody robe was wide open, and on that smooth skin at the heart, there was a bulge about the size of a human head, with what looked like a nose and mouth, resembling a human face.

  "This man's voice was hoarse and sounded almost identical to the Blood Demon's: 'The prince is about to rest, don't go bother him.'"

  Xuemo snarled: "Jiaotu, you dare threaten me?"

  Ren Mian said: "If you want to seize the aura of a dynasty, you can't do without my cooperation. I don't ask for anything else, just the life of the person I admire. If you're not willing, you can erase my consciousness."

  His chest heaved with rage, and he thought back to his heyday decades ago when he was so mighty. Now, he was being manipulated by a mere Southerner, it was infuriating, but he had to endure. It was also because the Blood Demon's injuries were too severe, and his physical body had lost more than half of its strength. In order to fully recover, he had to return to his body once every seven days to nurture his primordial spirit. If not for fear that Jiao Tu would take advantage of the situation to kill himself, he wouldn't have to be controlled by him.

  It's easy to endure, the Blood Demon "hmm" and gritted his teeth: "You can rest assured. When the opportunity arises, I will absorb your physical body, Dong Li Xian will still be his prince and emperor, I have no interest in your mundane throne!"

  Originally, the Blood Demon had fled to the Lower Nine Continents to escape the Golden Elixir True Person, hiding his physical body in the mountains to rest and recover. Later, after observing the national fortunes and trends of various countries, he chose this Chenghuang country and this Jiaotu General to carry out the task of seizing the national fortune.

  Feng Tuo's power was concentrated in his palms, and he had a majestic aura like a giant python. He showed submission to the Golden Dragon of the Eastern Palace. The Blood Demon found Feng Tuo and used his dream-inducing technique, trying to lure him with wealth and power, planning to devour him after achieving his goal. Unexpectedly, Feng Tuo's will was firm, and he was devoted to Dong Li Xian out of love and loyalty. Not only was he not tempted by wealth and power, but he also wasn't intimidated, and in the end, he even managed to uncover some clues.

  Xue Mo was enraged and possessed. Jiao Tu knew that his demonic nature was deep-seated, fearing that if he were to force him too hard, it would lead to a desperate situation where either the fish dies or the net breaks, harming Dong Li Xian in the process. Later on, he could only pretend to yield and make a deal with him, ensuring Dong Li Xian's safety while also slightly restraining Xue Mo's outrageous behavior.

  Afterwards, Jiao Tu was both delighted and heartbroken. On one hand, he finally had the opportunity to get close to Dong Li Xi, but on the other hand, he saw hatred in Dong Li Xi's eyes and couldn't express his true feelings. He had been suffering for many days.

  Now that he sees the Black Python is about to ascend to dragon, Jiao Tu knows his days are numbered and becomes even more restrained in controlling the Blood Demon, determined to let Dong Lixi live a peaceful life without worries. The Blood Demon, fearing its powers will be weakened, also has several more parts of tolerance for Jiao Tu's heart.

  The two of them exchanged a few words and before they knew it, the horse had already walked into the courtyard.

  "Hear but one voice shouting: 'Demon head, surrender your life!'"

  A scarlet sword light like a blood-red blade suddenly descended!

  The Blood Demon slapped the Blood Horse, and it retreated several steps back. Then, a handsome young man appeared, holding a red long sword, floating down from the air. Behind him was a round moon, with a silver-like glow that covered his body, making him look even more stunningly beautiful!

  This young man had a fierce glint in his eyes, and when he struck out, there was no hesitation. The sword light flashed back and forth, with waves of heat rolling off it, as if it had set aflame the wide sleeves of his robe, making him seem like he was emerging from a fiery blaze, overbearing and severe.

  The Blood Demon was not afraid of this young man, he had already inferred from the surge of spiritual energy that his cultivation was only at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, although due to his young age, it seemed like he had exceptional innate talent. But in a life-and-death battle, who cared about his innate talent? It was just a fight to the death.

  Because the Blood Demon's Yuan Shen is attached to Jiao Tu, and Jiao Tu's physical body is an ordinary body, so the cultivation that can be used on him is only around the 4th or 5th layer of Qi Refining. However, his combat experience is extremely rich, and his realm is unknown how many levels higher than Su Xing's. He doesn't have a single thread of fear towards him.

  Upon seeing Xun's arrogant behavior, the Blood Demon sneered. He thought to himself: "I was just about to nourish my physical body, and then this ignorant little immortal cultivator appeared, which can serve as a snack to fill my teeth."

  He didn't say much, and with a wave of his hand, a layer of bloody mist burst out. The mist was extremely toxic and eerie, and its speed was fast, in the blink of an eye it pounced on the fiery red sword light, and in an instant swallowed them all!

  Su Xuan's sword eyebrow rose, and he didn't panic. He opened his mouth and spat out a ball of blue-green flames.

  The flames were incredibly fierce, only the size of a fist, yet without any crackling fire sounds. However, as soon as they hit that blood mist, it swept them in. The moment the blood mist touched it, a multitude of mournful cries suddenly erupted from within, sharp and eerie, like the wailing of ghosts, making one's hair stand on end. Yet no matter how fiercely it cried out, it was still burned to nothingness, unable to inflict even the slightest damage on the crimson flying sword!

  Xuě Mó saw this scene, his eyes sank: "......Qīng Yān Bǎo Huǒ."

  Su Xuan's face lit up with a smile: "This demon head still has some insight, recognizing Young Master's treasured Fire!"

  His eyes turned darker with anger, fury surging up in his heart.

  He has been traveling the nine continents for many years, how could he not recognize this fire? This young man is only a few years old, yet he dares to speak disrespectfully to him here. Does he really think that just because he has fallen into a humble situation, he can be humiliated by him?

  Qingyan Baohuo, ranked forty-seventh on the Xianhuo List, has extremely pure flames, especially having a great restraining power against that demonic path's evil objects.

  If it were to use the peak of Blood Demon's cultivation in the Yuan period to release the blood mist, this fire might be unstoppable. However, if the Blood Demon uses its scorched body to cast a spell, then it will not be able to withstand it.

  But if you want to make Blood Demon helpless with this kind of immortal fire, it's far from enough.

  The Blood Demon's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he raised his hand once again!

  Xu Ziqing bid farewell to Dong Lixi and Su Xun, the three of them. Taking advantage of Su Xun going out to provoke the Blood Demon, he quickly used a wooden escape technique and went to Jiao Tu Fu.

  The General's Mansion was not easy to find, and walking on this street didn't even reveal a hint of demonic energy. It's no wonder that Su Xuan came to the Eastern Palace by himself, rather than directly charging into the General's Mansion which had already become a demon lair.

  Xu Ziqing didn't panic, he first sealed Wu's five senses and then spread his spiritual energy all over Wu's body. Wood energy is the breath of life, while demonic energy is often a gloomy and evil energy, so wood-attributed cultivators are usually particularly sensitive to demonic energy.

  Just as he did this, Xu Zi Qing's skin suddenly felt a faint sharp stinging sensation, which was caused by coming into contact with the demonic energy. He felt a slight joy in his heart and quickly retreated to where the demonic energy came from.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, in less than a breath's time, Xu Ziqing had already seen a majestic mansion. The aura was extremely grand, and demonic energy came from within the door.

  He used a stealth technique and directly entered through the wall, but didn't trigger any restrictions. It seemed that the Blood Demon hadn't expected someone from the Immortal Path to come to the Lower Nine Continents, so he hadn't added many defensive measures to his mansion.

  Entering the courtyard, Xu Ziqing didn't look around and followed the demonic energy to search for it. He passed through many courtyards and corridors before arriving at an inner mansion.

  Xu Ziqing slipped in and entered an inner room.

  Only then did he see that among them was a man with a rough and heroic air, on the wall hung a long gun, beside which was placed a broad-backed knife, its blade sharp and majestic.

  This is where Jiao Tu rests and sleeps, and the demonic energy actually comes from that bed.

  Xu Ziqing didn't hesitate and went straight to the bed to take a look. On the bamboo pillow, he saw a spiritual pearl with a faint black glow emanating from within. Looking around again, there were no other objects containing demonic energy. Xu Ziqing picked it up and found that there was still some remaining spiritual power inside. It seemed that Xue Mohan had used it to absorb the spiritual energy earlier but hadn't finished, so he put it down here for now, causing the pearl to be tainted with demonic energy.

  Xu Ziqing couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he hadn't found the Blood Demon's physical body, but Su Xun was still holding off the Blood Demon in the Eastern Palace and didn't know how much longer he could last, so Xu Ziqing had to hurry up and search.

  Xu Ziqing thought again, the Blood Demon had left the Lingzhu here, and Jiao Tu's body couldn't absorb spiritual energy, so his physical body must be nearby, most likely he created a secret room with an array or other means to connect directly to it. However, finding the entrance would require trying out all the objects in the room one by one.

  It's just that this time is really not affordable.

  Xu Ziqing didn't think much and called out to his good friend in the courtyard: "Yun, things are quite urgent, can you... help?"

  Before he could finish speaking, the man in white had appeared and blocked his words of seeking help. Xu Ziqing smiled slightly to himself, thinking that Yun was indeed cold on the surface but warm at heart, and such kindness would have to be repaid many times over in the future.

  The foundation-building stage is just a glimpse of the Taoist gate, and although the physical body has a gradual aura of detachment from the world, it cannot completely leave the mortal body. The foundation-building period is only the beginning of the Taoist gate, and the transformation period is constantly changing. Only after the Golden Elixir period, when the body contains that one grain of golden elixir, can it be said to have truly left the mundane. And not until the Embryonic Breath period, when the elixir bursts forth into an infant, and the body is remade, does the physical body truly no longer contain even half a speck of impurity.

  Since it is so difficult to leave the mortal body behind, the greatest difference between the foundation-building period and the energy-refining period lies in the spiritual consciousness.

  The so-called Qi-refining stage cultivator is only one level higher than an ordinary person, with methods limited to the physical body. However, the foundation-building stage gradually touches the soul, and can observe the world with the soul - that is, the divine consciousness.

  During the foundation-building period, a cultivator's divine sense can observe an area of about ten miles in diameter. Xu Ziqing refined his Qi for seven layers and cultivated to the point where he had no divine sense. He could be said to be as cold as a wisp of soul, but judging from his aura, he was by no means as simple as a Qi-refining cultivator.

  So Xu Ziqing wanted to ask for his help and quickly search the general's mansion.

  Yun Liao didn't say much, just gave a faint glance around and then raised his hand to wave his sleeve.

  A golden awn, like a spear, charged into the corner of the house with an unyielding meaning. Suddenly, a black light flashed by, and in an instant, it opened up to reveal a deep, dark cave.

  The cave emerged, and the demonic energy surged instantly. There was also a strong bloody smell that gushed out from inside.

  Yun Liao took the lead and jumped into it, while Xuzi Qing also transformed into a ball of green light and slipped in.

  As soon as the two of them entered, Yun Liao waved his hand again and the cave immediately closed.

  Xu Ziqing only then realized that this place was a bottomless pit. A loud whooshing sound arose beside his ears, and his body floated gently downwards like a leaf.

  This must be the Blood Demon's underground lair, and as soon as I touched the ground, the bloody aura grew even thicker, rushing into my nostrils and making me feel nauseous.

  Xu Ziqing only felt the ground beneath his feet was wet and sticky, he lowered his head to take a look, and saw that the ground was stained bright red, the mud was soaked with blood, and every step left a footprint. He couldn't help but furrow his brow, and a sense of unease arose in his heart.

  He didn't stop in his tracks, and instead asked aloud: "Yun brother, is the Blood Demon's physical body here?"

  "A faint nod: 'Ahead.'"

  Xu Ziqing hastened his pace, following closely behind Yun Lian's back as they rapidly traversed the muddy path.

  Both sides were stone walls, with fresh mud on top, and the color was also crimson. Not a single blade of grass grew. The smell became heavier along the way, but the road wasn't long, and the two of them soon reached the end.

  The next moment, Xu Ziqing let out a cold breath.

  All that can be seen is a huge cave that can hold hundreds of people, with a pool dug in the middle, tens of feet square, with water flowing and gurgling inside, and at first glance it appears to be a piercing red.

  It's all blood and water!

  Above the pool floated a blood-colored gourd, its mouth opening and closing, spewing out streams of blood that poured down into the pool. Yet despite this, the water in the pool remained unchanged, neither rising nor falling, just as it had been from the start.

  In the center of this pool there is a formation, supporting an array disc. The array disc floats on the surface of the blood pool, as large as a millstone, with a thin and emaciated man sitting cross-legged on top of it.

  The man was about eight feet tall, and was said to be extremely thin, but it would be more accurate to say that he had only a skeleton left. On this skeleton, countless threads were intertwined - just like a body that had been stripped of its skin, red and eerie.

  Around the pool, more than ten blood-colored banners fell down, floating uncertainly in the bloody water, with red light flashing and eerie rays. These blood banners pulled countless blood lines from the pool, forming a dense net that covered the entire sky above the blood pool, and densely entwined on the man's body, sending all the blood water into his body.

  Needless to say, this is the flesh body that Xue Mo Zheng Yi has been trying to recover!

  A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his entire body's aura grew even chillier: "Human blood."

  Xu Ziqing held his breath, his eyes filled with both unbearable pain and extreme anger. Seeing the current situation, how could he still not know? The blood water in that gourd was clearly the blood of Southern people collected by the Blood Demon!

  It's a long story, but from the time they lifted the ban to entering the demon cave, it was all over in an instant. There is no time to spare, and this is not the time for anger.

  Xu Ziqing hastily said: "Yun brother, I'm afraid we'll sully the place you're staying."

  "It doesn't matter."

  No more delay, Yun Liao swept his eyes and two golden sword auras flew out, bursting with intense killing intent, instantly breaking the seal and beheading the Blood Gourd.

  At the same time, Xu Ziqing also made his move. With a flick of his sleeve, the Blood Demon's body began to struggle and seemed about to fly away. The array's pulling force was quite strong, and it managed to hold it back, making it difficult for Xu Ziqing to retrieve it.

  He let out a cold snort, and his body was surrounded by hundreds of sword auras that burst out simultaneously!

  Rumble rumble rumble——

  In the blink of an eye, the banner and Blood Gourd were torn to shreds, and with another wave of Xu Zi Qing's sleeve, the Blood Demon's physical body flew backwards into the storage ring. Almost in the next instant, the Blood Pool was also blasted to smithereens!

  In the end, he found his physical body, but Yun Lian didn't return the Storage Ring.

  Xu Ziqing knew that he was disgusted by the Blood Demon's physical filth, and didn't say much, only saying: "Yun brother, let's go to the Eastern Palace together?"

  Her figure flashed and disappeared, already arriving in front: "Leave."

  In an instant, two rays of green and gold light flashed and disappeared.

  Xuè Mó and Sù Xīn stood facing each other, Sù Xīn released the Qing Yan Bǎo Huǒ, breaking through the blood fog released by Xuè Mó. However, Xuè Mó remained calm, raised his hand with his palm facing outwards, and quickly formed a seal.

  All he heard was a faint humming noise, and suddenly two fist-sized blood bees appeared around him. They were naked with black wings, and the stingers on their tails were as long as a foot!

  As soon as the blood bee appeared, it flapped its wings.

  Suddenly, a very strong sonic boom sounded, and Su Xun was caught off guard. His soul was shaken, and he instantly lost control of the Qing Yan treasure fire. Just then, a faint shadow flashed by, and the Blood Hornet appeared in front of the Qing Yan treasure fire!

  The green flame suddenly seemed to encounter something terrifying, and it shook several times. Before long, it had shrunk by a circle. The blood bee, on the other hand, seemed to have absorbed some kind of supplement, and its body visibly plumped up. Another blood bee also came to the front.

  Su Xiu's beautiful face was filled with anger, having gone through extremely dangerous situations to obtain this precious flame, and he cherished it dearly. But now, after just one meeting, it had shrunk by half, how could he not be furious!

  But this was not the time to be distracted, Su Xun immediately let out a loud shout, and the Qing Yan treasure fire retreated quickly, like a great amnesty, and was swallowed back into his mouth by Su Xun.

  Su Xuan coldly gazed at the Blood Demon, his crimson long sword dancing before him, its flames flickering unpredictably, changing in tandem with his master's thoughts.

  The Blood Demon sneered coldly and did not beckon the Blood Wasps back. Instead, he pointed his finger again, wanting to use them for another charge.

  However, just as he was about to make his move, his face suddenly changed color.

  Someone has lifted his ban!

  This time it was the Blood Demon's great anger, he immediately shouted: "Little Brat of the Immortal Path, do you have any accomplices?!"

  Su Xun listened and knew that the other side had already found a clue. He looked at him with contempt and said, "Does Master need help dealing with this fool?"

  The Blood Demon's joints creaked with a "ka-cha" sound, and he was already furious. His physical body was hidden underground, guarded by only one seal. If someone were to break the seal, his physical body would be in great danger! Now, he no longer had any thoughts of entangling himself with Su Xuan, and urged on the Blood Horse, turning around to leave immediately.

  Mortals' bodies are clumsy and cannot escape or ride the wind. The Blood Demon felt that he had made a big mistake, and could only ride his blood horse to hurry on the road. He thought of this, and again gritted his teeth. If any of those spiritual artifacts from back then were still around, they would be able to protect his primordial spirit and let him return to his physical body, which would be much faster than now! But... if he dared to let his primordial spirit escape now, that little yellow-mouthed brat might just burn his primordial spirit with a wave of his hand, wouldn't that mean he'd be completely finished?!

  Su Xuan was also very clever, seeing the Blood Demon's anxiety, he knew that Xu Zi Qing had succeeded, and couldn't help but feel triumphant. He immediately controlled his flying sword to slash down: "Where are you escaping to!"

  The Blood Demon's heart was filled with resentment, Humph! Who wants to escape?

  His body was weak and vulnerable to attack, where could he be cut down by the flying sword? He had no choice but to turn around and face his enemy, but in his heart, he became more and more anxious.

  Author's note: Oh, I'm still on the charts! Alright, I'll keep my promise and update more frequently. The drafts in my storage box are dwindling... *one face of blood*

  Still want to thank you for giving me a thunderbolt, lovely babies (corny), hug the group mua~~~

  Threw a landmine

  Bottle small grass threw a hand grenade Throw time: 2012-12-18 14:25:50

  Rider threw a grenade Throw time: 2012-12-18 16:53:40

  Saying that girl who always appears without a name, who is she after all? The comment doesn't have a name, and the one who threw thunder also doesn't have a name (⊙o⊙)