Chapter 2374: Volume 11 True Immortal Descends to the World Chapter 2356 Blood Prison

"Going to other palace districts won't allow us to directly reach the central area—it's absolutely impossible. We have no choice; we'll follow them later. Be careful, don't get discovered. Once inside, as long as we take advantage of the moment when he searches this area for treasures, we can still enter the central zone ahead of him." Xiao Ming pondered for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"That's all we can do. However, the area previously selected by the Three Saints of Wu Ling is also no ordinary place—it seems to be the location of the Blood Prison used by Zhen Ding True Person to suppress the great enemy of old." Qingping Daoist nodded, then added with a hint of concern.

"Naturally we saw it, but now our avatars are preoccupied, so we can only let them go there. Although the Blood Prison might also contain heavy treasures left by ancient powerful beings, compared to gaining early control of the central zone, there's nothing we can do about it." Xiao Ming frowned as he spoke.

"What a pity. According to the inherited scriptures I have received, the Blood Prison once truly suppressed several ancient powerhouses whose divine abilities were nearly on par with Zhen Ding True Person. After so many years, even though they have long since died, the treasures and relics they left behind are certainly not insignificant." Qingping Daoist lamented.

"We originally planned to make the Blood Prison our second target for attack. Fellow Daoist Qingping, the Three Saints of Wu Ling have already headed straight for this area—would they not also know about the Blood Prison?" Wan Hua Fu Ren asked, her face darkening.

"Hard to say. Although the inheritance of Zhen Ding True Person is only passed down through my lineage, we cannot guarantee that other powerful beings from the same era as Zhen Ding True Person did not leave behind some clues. The Blood Prison was once renowned far and wide, having once shaken the entire Blood Heaven Continent." Qingping Daoist's face alternated between gloom and brightness.

"Forget it—since we can't attend to the Blood Prison matter, there's no need to speculate further. Time is nearly up; we should proceed now." Xiao Ming glanced toward the area Han Li had previously entered, feeling the rumbling sound from within gradually fade away, then spoke solemnly.

Wan Hua Fu Ren and Qingping Daoist naturally had no objections.

Thus, the three of them escaped together in a streak of light, plunging headfirst into the region shrouded by a blue light curtain—though their chosen entry point was naturally far from where Han Li had entered.

……

"Cold—extremely cold."

Han Li hovered above a glacial world blanketed in blue goose-feather snow, his face showing strange expressions as he sensed the bizarre cold qi radiating from all around. Even parts of his body were pierced by the cold air, causing crystalline blue frost to condense and break through his protective spiritual light.

Since he completed the cultivation of the Fan Sheng True Demon Technique, such intense cold sensations have become exceedingly rare.

It appears the environment conjured by this area's illusion is so bitterly cold that the restriction must be formidable—far surpassing those of the previous zones we've passed through.

After Han Li remained motionless in midair for a considerable time, a "puchi" sound echoed from his body, and a layer of silver flame instantly burst forth, causing the piercing cold sensation to vanish completely.

Han Li's body shifted slightly as he began to fly forward, but after flying just a few li, suddenly, winds howled from all directions, and countless snowflakes violently condensed in midair, forming thousands of blue ice sparrows out of thin air.

Upon spreading their wings, they immediately spat out clusters of blue light.

Han Li's divine sense slightly probed the power of these light clusters; his expression changed slightly, then he clenched a hand seal, and the silver flame on his body flared violently—now several times thicker than before.

In the next instant, those light clusters densely struck the silver flame, exploding one after another. For a moment, silver teeth and blue light intertwined, forming a massive whirlwind that shot up into the sky……

In another icy region, in another direction, Xiao Ming and his two companions had already produced over a dozen treasures, now fiercely battling more than a dozen blue giants, each the size of a small mountain.

These dozen or so giants could all directly manipulate ice and snow to forge battle armor and various giant weapons; moreover, even if severely injured, as long as a fragment of their body remained, they could instantly reconstruct themselves using the falling snow from the sky—almost as if their regenerative ability surpassed even that of an immortal body by a degree. Thus, even though Xiao Ming and his companions possessed far greater true strength than these giants, they were momentarily held in place by sheer force.

……

In a vast hall filled with countless blood-red pillars, the Three Saints of Wu Ling rode three giant worm-like spirit beasts, advancing cautiously while keeping a wide distance from the nearby pillars.

These blood-red pillars appeared ordinary from afar, but upon close inspection, their surfaces were seen to be inlaid with countless blood-red skulls, from which torrents of blood continuously flowed downward.

"Daoist Yu, are we sure we haven't taken the wrong path? Is this truly the entrance to the Blood Prison?" An old man seated cross-legged on a giant centipede asked his companion, his voice betraying a hint of unease.

"Don't worry, Brother Wu. Earlier, when we easily broke through the outer restriction—you weren't blind to it. Based solely on that, we can say the record in that ancient stele is mostly true—this place is indeed where Zhen Ding True Person once suppressed a powerful enemy. Hehe, back then, our Wu Dao lineage's greatest master, 'Tian Wu Da Ren,' fought Zhen Ding True Person for seven days and seven nights before being subdued by a single move and imprisoned in the Blood Prison. Had it not been so, with Tian Wu Da Ren's talent and divine powers, he would certainly have ascended to the immortal realm long ago." Another old man, seated on the head of a black giant scorpion, spoke with full confidence.

"This place is indeed strange—no wonder Brother Wu is concerned. However, we cultivate Wu Dao divine powers, which are fundamentally different from ordinary techniques, so Zhen Ding True Person's robe and bowl techniques may not be of much use to us. But if we could obtain the techniques and treasures of the Tian Wu lineage within the Blood Prison, that would be greatly beneficial—perhaps even offering a chance to ascend to the immortal realm. So despite the risks, we must press forward into the Blood Prison." The last old man, thin and withered, spoke calmly.

"Indeed. It's a pity that the stele, having undergone unknown changes over the years, is now missing nearly half its content, recording only the method to break the outer restriction. Otherwise, if it also contained a way to dismantle the inner restrictions, we could rest easy." The old man with the surname Yu sighed as he spoke.

"Hehe, merely knowing the exact location of the Blood Prison is already a great fortune. Even if there are powerful restrictions inside, with the three of us working together, do we really fear we cannot break them?" The old man with the surname Wu chuckled.

"That's right—since we've come this far, turning back is impossible. However, earlier when we encountered that youth with the true body of a giant ape outside, his divine powers were truly formidable. Had we not later encountered Xiao Lao Guai and his companions causing a disturbance, we would have genuinely wanted to refine him into a blood-and-flesh puppet." The old man surnamed Yu nodded, then suddenly shifted the topic, pointing toward Han Li and the others they had previously encountered.

"That man's transformation into a giant ape indeed possessed an immensely strong physical body; later, his second transformation resembled demonic divine powers. Even if we three joined forces, we likely could not subdue him in a short time. Our reason for appearing ready to fight to the death was originally to prevent him from following us into the Blood Prison. Now, by displaying this domineering posture, we hope others will refrain from doing something pointless." The old man surnamed Wu coldly snorted.

"This was our prearranged strategy—it should have some effect. As for others, well, currently in the Zhen Ding Palace, only Xiao Ming and his two companions pose a genuine threat to us. Xiao Ming once bore the title 'Mad Demon'—he is no ordinary Nascent Soul elder, and with Wan Hua Fu Ren and Qingping Daoist supporting him, if we were to truly clash, we would have little chance of victory." The last old man said, his eyes flashing.

"Since the scouts left behind have sent no news, Xiao Ming and his group appear not to have followed us down—they likely have another objective. This is perfect; we can now focus all our attention on the Blood Prison." The old man surnamed Wu said, letting out a dark, sinister laugh.

But just as others were about to respond, the three giant worms that had been advancing suddenly halted in unison, letting out a strange cry, then lowered their bodies and assumed alert postures.

The three old men immediately changed expression; each released a swirl of rosy light from their bodies, as treasures flew out and circled around them, forming a protective barrier.

The three old men then opened their eyes, sharp and gleaming, staring intently ahead.

Yet they failed to notice that the blood-red pillars in the hall, whose blood had been flowing, were gradually turning viscous, and their color was shifting toward a dark red-black hue.

A "shasha" sound came from ahead.

After a moment, in the dim void ahead, suddenly specks of green fire appeared, followed by countless thumb-sized strange bone butterflies drifting into view.

These bone butterflies had phosphorescent fire flickering on their surfaces, their entire bodies made of white bone, appearing extremely eerie. Their number was vast—over ten thousand, by appearance.

"Oh no, it's the Bone-Devouring Butterflies. Retreat—quickly!"

Upon seeing the bone butterflies clearly, the old man surnamed Wu immediately cried out in alarm.

The other two old men also turned pale as their faces drained of color.

The three men immediately urged their spirit worms downward, nearly simultaneously flying backward in retreat.

Meanwhile, the bone butterflies silently surged upward, closely pursuing the three.

In an instant, they fled at a speed hundreds of times faster than their approach, escaping several hundred zhang away.

A strange, cackling laugh echoed through the air!

The surface of the previously still blood-red pillars suddenly convulsed: black-red blood coagulated, then black smoke billowed upward, and from above, countless blood-red skulls shot forth.

As soon as these skulls flew out, they swelled in the wind to the size of cart wheels, emitting strange cries as they lunged straight at the three old men, instantly blocking their path.

"These blood spirits are formed from the essence and blood of those powerful beings who perished in the Blood Prison. Elder Yu, quickly unleash the Spirit-Driving Technique—I and the other will guard you, temporarily holding back the Bone-Devouring Butterflies and these blood spirits for a moment." The old man surnamed Wu said, his face grim but his voice calm, facing this scene.

"Alright, I'll trouble you two, fellow Daoists." The old man surnamed Wu replied decisively; upon hearing this, he immediately agreed, stopped his centipede, then crossed his legs and sat down.

Instantly, a series of black-green jade tablets flew from within the old man's body, instantly transforming into a strange spell formation that lifted his body upward. (To be continued.)