Chapter 293: Their Blood is Dark and Yellow

On the Official Road, a vast expanse of black smoke billowed; the blown-up carriages and poisoned horses were all submerged within the black smoke.

Those servants driving the carriages, though tall in stature and looking robust and sturdy, all had low martial arts realms and did not know Lightness Skill. The range of the black smoke and Poison Powder was too wide; before they could even dash out of the black smoke, they were already foaming at the mouth and poisoned to death inside...

The black smoke was still rolling and spreading, blocking A Mo's line of sight. A Mo dashed out of the black smoke and stood in the wild land at the edge of the Official Road, only to see several figures dash out from the black smoke, scattering in all directions in the air...

Just as A Mo wanted to identify which figure was her young mistress, at that very moment, the ground beneath her feet suddenly exploded!

A Mo's heart skipped a beat, thinking that explosives were buried here too, and she had happened to land right here and fall into the trap!

A Mo leaped up, and she suddenly saw, amidst the exploding dust beneath her, a pale, massive hand abruptly reach out, grabbing toward her crotch like an iron hoop!

A Mo was greatly alarmed; there was no time to gather strength in mid-air. In her haste, she stepped down with one leg, stomping toward the massive hand that was grabbing at her crotch!

The large foot and the massive hand collided heavily in mid-air, shaking the dust away.

A Mo felt a mountain-like force come through. In mid-air, the sole of her foot trembled, and she quickly borrowed the force to flip and jump away, landing more than a zhang away, barely stabilizing her figure.

Then, she saw a huge figure that had burst out from underground in the dust-filled air not far away, standing a zhang away and glaring at her!

Lv Qingzhu's Flying Catkin Ethereal Step had already reached the realm of True Qi. The moment the black smoke rolled and billowed, she was like a falcon piercing the clouds, dashing out from the thick black smoke and landing gracefully in the wild land beside the Official Road.

Lv Qingzhu turned her head to look, only to see thick smoke rising on the Official Road behind her, and several figures exploding out from within, scattering in all directions.

Just at this moment, the treetops not far to her side rustled. A dark red figure flashed rapidly among the treetops, and then, following a few falling leaves, landed lightly not far from her.

That dark red figure, judging solely by the attainments of Lightness Skill, was not inferior to her in the slightest.

Xueseng Wuxiang, with his hands pressed together, landed gracefully. The moment he saw Lv Qingzhu, his eyes turned greedy.

Lv Qingzhu was not only beautiful in appearance but also possessed a cold and ethereal temperament; compared to the real person, a painter's brush could hardly capture one ten-thousandth of her true appearance.

Xueseng Wuxiang had been quite expectant when he previously looked at the ink painting on the cowhide paper. Now that he saw the real person, he was even more unable to restrain himself. His gaze swept unscrupulously over Lv Qingzhu's face, neck, chest, and waist, and finally, he praised: "Female benefactor, you did not disappoint this poor monk!"

Lv Qingzhu noticed the gaze Xueseng Wuxiang was casting at her, and a wave of nausea immediately rose in her heart. She drew her Long Sword, a cold light flashed, and she attacked Wuxiang, raging: "Dead bald donkey, I will dig out your disgusting eyeballs first!"

Xueseng Wuxiang chuckled, reached out with one hand, and pulled a heavy precept knife with two chipped edges from inside his monk's robe. A flash of fanaticism crossed his eyes, and he murmured in a tone that was quite affectionate: "Female benefactor, this poor monk will take you to reach Ultimate Bliss together!"

"Go to hell!" Lv Qingzhu was so angered by Wuxiang that she cursed loudly.

Ge Qingchuan was hiding in a dense treetop beside the Official Road. Her eyes were bright, watching every figure that dashed out from the black smoke.

Every time a figure dashed out, another figure would move quickly to intercept them in the wild land.

Clearly, the encouragement of the Filthy Blood Divine Art was very effective; everyone was locked onto their own target.

One could see figure after figure dashing out of the black smoke, scattering into the wild land on both sides, and being ambushed and intercepted by the people lying in wait...

But having seen over a dozen figures pass, Ge Qingchuan still had not seen Fan Yuanhai.

Ge Qingchuan listened to the sounds of fighting all around her, her eyes flickering.

Fan Yuanhai was at the True Qi Realm Second Layer; it was impossible for him to be poisoned to death in the black smoke. Now that he had not been seen, there was only one explanation, which was that Fan Yuanhai was not in those four carriages at all.

The corners of Ge Qingchuan's mouth lifted slightly.

Multiple branches had suffered heavy losses, and this time, her deployment of manpower was also somewhat stretched. Now that Fan Yuanhai was not there, it meant one less formidable enemy, so she could free herself to support all sides to ensure that this operation would be foolproof.

Ge Qingchuan stood at a high vantage point, scanning the battle situation everywhere.

She was not worried about Xueseng Wuxiang and Fan Hanzhou.

Below these two, the most important battle, in her view, was on the stretch of the Official Road in front where the smoke was rolling.

Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, and Wang Shanshan were all there with Yu Lieting, Xiao Nan, and Dang Haihong.

All six of them were in the True Qi Realm!

Ge Qingchuan's heart stirred, and she prepared to join the battle there. As long as she united with Yu Lieting, Xiao Nan, and Dang Haihong to kill Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, and Wang Shanshan—these three Sect Emissaries of the True Qi Realm—she could basically secure the victory of this battle!

Just as Ge Qingchuan was about to move, she heard the sound of rapid horse hooves—da, da, da—and a person on horseback galloped over from the hillside.

Ge Qingchuan frowned.

"It seems Fan Yuanhai came after all!"

The moment the gunpowder exploded, Duan Rong's Divine Sense was suddenly released. He dashed out of the billowing black smoke and landed in the wild land beside the Official Road, and immediately, a figure blocked his front, cutting off his path.

Under the envelopment of Duan Rong's Divine Sense, he saw figures moving all around, and the two people closest to him were Lv Qingzhu and Tao Rong, but standing in front of them were also people—a monk and an old farmer.

Explosives and Poison Powder were buried on the Official Road, and as soon as they dashed out of the black smoke, people immediately blocked them. This was clearly a meticulous ambush with premeditation and backup plans.

And to dare to ambush Sect Emissaries and newly promoted Registered Disciples, it could never be ordinary bandits. Who it was, was actually already obvious.

Duan Rong almost instantly concluded in his heart that it must be people from the Filthy Blood Sect!

Duan Rong had devoured the Spirit Tool of the Filthy Blood Divine Art; he understood too well what kind of evil technique the Filthy Blood Divine Art was. Moreover, the opponent had organized such a large-scale ambush, clearly using a planned attack against the unprepared, intending to wipe out their entire group.

Although he had achieved the Inner Breath Realm Great Perfection, the Sect Emissaries were all in the True Qi Realm; his bit of cultivation was simply not enough to look at among this group of people.

Duan Rong's thoughts rolled like lightning, and he instantly clarified his strategy, which was to find a way to save his life! He had to use every means to survive this great melee!

However, to survive, the first thing he had to deal with was the person blocking him.

Blocking in front of Duan Rong was a fortune teller. He was seen wearing a worn-out Taoist hat, holding a divination banner in his left hand, a cloth bag hanging from his right shoulder, sporting a beard, with a gaunt face and spirited eyes.

The fortune teller looked at Duan Rong, chuckled, and said: "This poor Taoist had nothing to do just now, so I cast a hexagram for you. I got the Kun hexagram, top-six line. The line says: 'Dragons fight in the wild, their blood is dark and yellow.' Great misfortune! Little brother, according to my skills in feng shui and locating acupoints, this wild land can be considered a good place for burying people. Staying here can be considered a good final destination!"

Duan Rong feigned anger and said: "You old scoundrel, if you have that spare time, why don't you cast a hexagram for yourself? You'd have some mental preparation on the road to the Yellow Springs, wouldn't you?"

While Duan Rong was spouting nonsense, his Divine Sense had already penetrated the fortune teller's dantian. He raised an eyebrow and thought to himself: Fortunately, it's not the True Qi Realm!

What Duan Rong had displayed at Zeying Tai was only the Great Accomplishment realm, so the fortune teller Ge Qingchuan arranged to block him had only just reached the Entering Micro realm.

The fortune teller pulled a Soft Sword from the bamboo pole of his divination banner, his figure flickered, and he leaned in to attack Duan Rong.

Duan Rong drew the Minghong Saber. The Minghong Saber was dark in color, with no cold light flashing; only black shadows swayed, blocking all the complex and dense sword moves the fortune teller was performing around him.

Duan Rong was already at the Great Perfection realm; dealing with this fortune teller who had just reached Entering Micro was naturally not a problem.

While dealing with the battle in front of him, Duan Rong used his released Divine Sense to envelop and investigate the surrounding environment.

There were two other battles around him: one between Lv Qingzhu and the blood monk, and one between Tao Rong and the old farmer.

Upon investigation, Duan Rong found that both sides were evenly matched; even with his Divine Sense, it was difficult to see who would win for a moment.

Duan Rong actually wanted to kill the fortune teller in front of him; with his Inner Breath Realm Great Perfection and numerous means, it was actually not difficult, but he was considering a foolproof way to escape.

Just at this moment, Duan Rong suddenly noticed that there was a ruined temple at the edge of the dense forest not far away.

Duan Rong's heart stirred, and he suddenly thought of a good strategy to shed his shell like a golden cicada, allowing him to both advance and retreat.

However, that dilapidated temple seemed not far from the place where Lv Qingzhu and that blood monk were locked in a chaotic battle; if he were to go over, they would certainly see him.

Seeing him wouldn't matter! The two of them were also in a life-and-death struggle, so where would they find the time to bother with him?

The fortune teller's Soft Sword technique had complex and dense sword shadows, making it hard to distinguish reality from illusion, but this kid named Duan Rong parried every strike with precision, and under his continuous rapid attacks, his movements remained completely steady!

The fortune teller felt puzzled; he had already begun to doubt the authenticity of the information recorded in the dossier.

The parchment stated that this kid named Duan Rong was only at the Great Success Realm, but after a series of rapid attacks, he was almost certain that this kid, like himself, had already reached the Entering Micro stage.

Either the information gathering was wrong, or this kid had broken through recently!

Just then, seeing that his Soft Sword attacks were ineffective, the fortune teller suddenly reached into the satchel hanging on his shoulder and grabbed a handful of throwing knives, which then exploded outward!

Duan Rong pretended to dodge, his body lunging as he unleashed the Cloud Snake Step, sprinting wildly toward the edge of the dense forest in the direction of the dilapidated temple...

"Little thief, in this old man's hands, do you think you can escape?"

The fortune teller unleashed his movement technique, chasing after Duan Rong; as he pursued, the throwing knives in his hand flickered with his movements, each one shooting toward Duan Rong.

Duan Rong controlled his movements, maintaining his distance from the fortune teller.

Duan Rong knew that if he ran a bit further, he would enter the visual range of Lv Qingzhu and the blood monk, so he swerved, circling around; he wanted to stay further away from the chaotic battle between Lv Qingzhu and that blood monk to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

After darting past a tall poplar tree, Duan Rong saw the battling Lv Qingzhu and the blood monk, but the position he chose to emerge from was a full four or five zhang away from the two.

The moment Duan Rong flashed out, both of them saw him, as well as the fortune teller who was firing throwing knives at him.

Lv Qingzhu and the blood monk were in the midst of a fierce fight; how could they have the mood to care about matters over here?

The fortune teller flashed out from that poplar tree, took a glance at the distant Lv Qingzhu and the blood monk Wuxiang, paused slightly, and then continued his pursuit of Duan Rong without stopping...

The fortune teller's throwing knives kept harassing him from behind from various angles, but Duan Rong, holding the Minghong Saber, acted as if he had eyes in the back of his head, clanging and clattering as he swatted them all down, without even slowing his pace!

The fortune teller chased from behind, unable to help but feel suspicious. "Could this kid have the ability to identify positions by sound?"

Just then, Duan Rong suddenly swerved and darted into the dilapidated temple at the edge of the dense forest.

One corner of that dilapidated temple had collapsed, and the gate was rotten, having been broken for who knows how many years.

The fortune teller's heart jumped, and he immediately gave chase. If he lost him, his Filthy Blood Divine Art cultivation would be for nothing!

Seeing he was only half a zhang from the temple gate, the fortune teller reached out, first sending several throwing knives—a sheet of cold light—shooting into the temple, and only then did he follow, his body protected by sword shadows, darting into the dilapidated temple.

The moment the fortune teller darted into the temple, he saw a black shadow flash at his side; Duan Rong had already been hiding there, attacking with his saber.

The fortune teller used his sword shadows to defend, but as soon as a crisp "ding" sound was heard, the sword in his hand flew backward, and at the moment the weapons clashed, the web between his thumb and forefinger was shattered, blood mixed with mangled flesh coating his palm.

Duan Rong was now holding nothing back, his full realm unleashed!

The fortune teller was shocked, his body retreating violently, and as he retreated, three throwing knives shot toward Duan Rong simultaneously!

Duan Rong chuckled, reached out to catch them, and grabbed the three throwing knives in his hand; almost simultaneously, his body flickered, Plum Blossom Afterimages bloomed at his side, and the three throwing knives exploded outward!

The fortune teller was alarmed and dodged sideways, but he only avoided one; the other two throwing knives pierced through his shoulder and right arm, leaving two large, bloody holes.

But just then, one could see that in the large bloody holes on the fortune teller's body, blood threads were weaving and crisscrossing, wriggling like leeches...

The two large bloody holes on the fortune teller's body recovered as if new within half a breath.

"Filthy Blood Divine Art?" Although Duan Rong had known about it, seeing the terrifying healing effect of the Filthy Blood Divine Art with his own eyes still made his heart tremble with shock.

The fortune teller's face was pale, his face covered in sweat, and he looked at Duan Rong with fear in his eyes, tentatively saying: "My sect's Filthy Blood Divine Art can not only bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh and bone, but it can also increase one's lifespan; with long-term practice, it has many more miraculous effects. Kid, if you want to join our sect, this old man can recommend you!"

He already knew he was no match for Duan Rong, so he used the strange healing effects of the Filthy Blood Divine Art to seduce Duan Rong; if this person were tempted, he would have a chance to survive.

While seducing Duan Rong, he cursed Ge Qingchuan in his heart; this kid had knocked his weapon away with a single strike, he was at least at the Great Perfection Realm. How was her information gathered? Wasn't this harming this old man?

Duan Rong looked at him, a flash of disgust in his eyes. "I have trypophobia; seeing those blood threads wriggling like leeches makes me want to vomit!"

"Trypophobia?!" This was the first time the fortune teller had heard this term, though when he practiced his art, looking at those wriggling blood threads, he sometimes felt like vomiting too.

"Old scoundrel, didn't you cast a hex and say that my blood would turn yellow and black? I'll let you see today, whose blood will turn yellow and black?"

As Duan Rong spoke, he lunged, fast as lightning, and slashed at the fortune teller with his saber!

Duan Rong's strike had unleashed his full realm; he was certain that the old charlatan would die!

Seeing that he couldn't avoid Duan Rong's strike at all, the fortune teller's brow suddenly twitched, and blood threads erupted from his entire body!

Those blood threads were like living things; the moment they erupted, they gathered and intertwined on their own, attempting to block Duan Rong's strike!

Duan Rong's strike was clearly powerful; the gathered blood threads instantly disintegrated, but Duan Rong's saber momentum slowed slightly before slashing out again!

Taking advantage of that slight pause, the fortune teller swiftly dodged sideways, avoiding a fatal blow, but Duan Rong's strike still shaved off a large piece of flesh from his shoulder, blood spurting out and dyeing half of his Daoist robe red.

The fortune teller gasped for air, but he dared not use the Filthy Blood Divine Art to heal; this wound was too large, and healing it would consume too much internal energy; he still needed to save the Filthy Blood Divine Art to block Duan Rong's killing blow to save his life!

Duan Rong looked at the blood-soaked fortune teller and sneered: "Old charlatan, your Filthy Blood Divine Art hasn't even reached the first level, has it!"

The fortune teller's heart jumped; he hadn't expected this kid to be so knowledgeable about the Filthy Blood Divine Art.

Duan Rong was, of course, knowledgeable about the Filthy Blood Divine Art; just now, when he struck and dispersed those gathered blood threads, the gathering of those threads had only offset about ten percent of his power—it was truly too weak!

Duan Rong had already attacked again with his saber; the fortune teller's face grew paler, and having no weapon, he could only dodge while firing throwing knives at Duan Rong, swiftly flashing toward the temple gate...

He did not want to be trapped and killed inside the dilapidated temple.

But just as he reached the middle of the dilapidated temple, his entire body was sliced in half at the waist by Duan Rong...

Yet, inside his severed body, not a single drop of blood spurted out; instead, blood threads danced wildly...

Just as he was running toward the temple gate, the blood threads gathered and blocked several more of Duan Rong's strikes.

And the blood in his body had already been drained dry due to the excessive stimulation of the Filthy Blood Divine Art...

His upper body flew up and fell at the temple gate; he still wanted to crawl outward, but Duan Rong strode over, stabbed his saber into the back of his head, and pinned him to the ground...

(End of this chapter)