Chapter 440: Nascent Soul Demonic Prohibition

In the sky.

As Elder Qian's Jin Dan exploded, a world-destroying shockwave swept outward in all directions.

This also marked the demise of Elder Qian, a Jin Dan Perfection cultivator of renowned fame in Great Jin.

One of Hua Tianxiong's great backers collapsed along with him. "Blood Repulsion Demon Lord, you dare kill an elder of my Off-Flame Palace? I shall fight you to the death!"

Off-Flame Shangren watched helplessly as Elder Qian's Jin Dan self-detonated and he perished; his eyes nearly burst from their sockets, and his golden beard and hair danced wildly.

To cultivate a cultivator like Elder Qian, the Off-Flame Palace had poured in countless resources and painstaking efforts.

Moreover, Elder Qian's contributions to the Off-Flame Palace were undeniable.

Off-Flame Shangren had even planned to nurture him carefully further.

Yet the Blood Repulsion Demon Lord had, unbeknownst to anyone, secretly acted against Elder Qian long ago, casting the Great Soul-Binding Technique.

"Hehe! Old Monster Off-Flame, you will soon be reunited with your disciples and grand-disciples."

As a sinister voice echoed out.

Amidst the aftermath of the Jin Dan explosion, a clump of pitch-black demonic qi slowly drifted out, then coalesced into the figure of the Blood Repulsion Demon Lord, whose aura was terrifyingly immense.

The Blood Repulsion Demon Lord wore a blood-patterned python robe; he was a middle-aged man with a resolute and cold countenance, commanding awe without anger, radiating the cultivation base of Early Nascent Soul.

Yet his magic power aura was clearly far stronger than that of Off-Flame Shangren.

He was only a hair's breadth away from reaching the Mid Nascent Soul layer, and the demonic arts he cultivated were extremely sharp and domineering.

The moment he appeared, he gave off a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Originally, I intended to lure out those few fellows from the Demon Race, but instead I hooked a big fish like you; truly, this Blood Repulsion Soul-Binding Great Art of mine was not wasted."

"After all, to secretly plant the Dao-Heart Seed-Demon Secret Art on that dead-disciple of yours without anyone knowing required considerable maneuvering."

"So it was a trap?!"

Without another word, Off-Flame Shangren took out a blue talisman, slapped it onto his body, his figure blurred, and instantly vanished.

He did not hesitate in the slightest.

"Hahaha! Daoist Friend Off-Flame, where do you think you're going?"

Just then.

In another part of the void, a figure emerged; this person was emaciated and wore a yellow robe.

In his hand appeared a spiritual treasure, a yellow-skinned gourd, and he formed a hand seal, pointing toward the void in the southwest.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Several gusts of gloomy gale-force winds swept forth, wailing like weeping ghosts and howling wolves.

Off-Flame Shangren's ragged figure reappeared from the void.

"It's you! Old Ghost Yousha!"

"You have actually colluded with the demonic path of the Blood World Realm!"

"Do you intend to become an enemy of the entire Human Realm?!"

Off-Flame Shangren's expression instantly turned exceedingly ugly; having been secretly ambushed by You Sha Zhenjun, he had sustained some hidden injuries.

"Hehe! You can only blame yourself for being uncooperative. Initially, I sincerely invited you to join forces against that young fellow, but you were timid and hesitant, so I could only choose another partner."

"Originally, our target was that young fellow, True Monarch Wangyue, but due to a twist of fate, it became you instead."

"You can only blame your fate for being so."

"My Nether Nether Xuanjin Shensha can blow away souls and sever spirits; moreover, it specifically breaks escape secret arts and talisman treasures. Daoist Friend Off-Flame, stop thinking of using such methods to flee."

"Nether Nether Xuanjin Shensha? You have actually succeeded in cultivating the 'Nether Heavy Water Sutra'?!" Off-Flame Shangren's eyes revealed disbelief.

You Sha Zhenjun's facial skin twitched, and he gave a strange smile: "Not quite yet, but if I can capture Daoist Friend Off-Flame, Daoist Friend Blood Repulsion has promised me a condition."

"At that time, completing it will only be a matter of time."

"Daoist Friend Off-Flame, under the combined assault of the two of us, even you have no possibility of escaping alive; better to surrender obediently."

Having spoken, You Sha Zhenjun's gaze turned extremely yin-cold; the yellow-skinned gourd spiritual treasure in his hand suddenly erupted with spiritual light, expanding in midair to a size of two zhang.

Immediately, a yin wind blew out, mixed with numerous dark-black crystalline grains, forming several thick tornadoes that advanced in an encircling formation toward Off-Flame Shangren.

Meanwhile, the Blood Repulsion Demon Lord raised his hand and summoned; a fourth-rank Early Stage Blood-Scaled Demon Python suddenly appeared, over three hundred zhang in length, radiating a terrifying aura, flicking its scarlet tongue, opening its massive jaws, and roaring as it lunged to bite Off-Flame Shangren.

Seeing this, Off-Flame Shangren's face instantly turned deathly pale. "How can there be such a high-grade demonic creature..."

He immediately steeled his resolve and flicked his finger.

Buzz! An ancient-styled ink-colored spiritual ruler flew out, instantly transforming into countless ink-light ruler shadows filling the sky, each dozens of zhang in size, radiating terrifying might as they swept outward in all directions.

After unleashing this treasure, Off-Flame Shangren's face turned even paler; clearly, activating this ancient ruler exacted a heavy price, so much so that even with the magic power of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, he felt somewhat strained.

"It's actually a fourth-rank Middle Grade spiritual treasure—the Eight Extremities Ruler!"

"It seems the foundation of the Off-Flame Palace is indeed considerable!"

You Sha Zhenjun cried out in surprise and hastily recalled the yellow-skinned gourd; as he formed hand seals with both hands.

The gourd's color suddenly changed, instantly turning into black skin.

Splash, splash, splash! A surge of black water gushed out, transforming in midair into a black long river that poured down, colliding with the sky-filling ruler shadows! Boom, boom, boom! In an instant, the two humans and one beast besieged Off-Flame Shangren; the heavens collapsed, the earth cracked, and the winds and clouds changed color.

With his escape route completely sealed, Off-Flame Shangren entered a mode of frantic, desperate struggle.

Yet even though he unleashed every method at his disposal, under the pincer attack of the Blood Repulsion Demon Lord and You Sha Zhenjun, he gradually fell into a disadvantaged position.

At the same time.

The battle between Nascent Soul great experts, with its earth-shaking, mountain-trembling might and the chaos of spiritual qi between heaven and earth, had long reached the ears of Qin Ming, who had not gone far.

He released his divine sense, comparable to that of a Late Nascent Soul stage, sweeping outward, and immediately discovered the three humans and one beast engaged in frantic combat.

"A Nascent Soul Demon Lord from the Blood Refinement Demon Sect?"

"And You Sha Zhenjun from the Western Nether Yellow Sand Sect!"

"Fellow Daoist Li Huo, why does it seem he has fallen into an ambush by two people?"

A thought stirred in Qin Ming's mind, and he immediately ordered the Profound Water Crocodile pulling the carriage ahead to stop.

"Master, what's wrong?" Shi Tian Shu, lying on the table, also sensed something amiss and instantly woke up.

"Where the void anomaly appeared just now, Nascent Soul cultivators have started fighting," Qin Ming replied.

"Ah? Nascent Souls fighting? Then let's run quickly! It's best to avoid such trouble," Shi Tian Shu shivered and said instinctively.

Ever since Shi Tian Shu began following Qin Ming, he had deeply mastered the essence of the 'lying low' path; even if capable of solving the problem at hand,

one should avoid entangling oneself in karma whenever possible.

Yet Qin Ming's expression shifted between gloom and brightness as he pondered briefly.

"The one in crisis is Fellow Daoist Li Huo; it seems that while he went to clear the void anomaly, he was plotted against by that Demon Lord."

"If Fellow Daoist Li Huo truly perishes, the Dao-Upholding Alliance will inevitably face problems, possibly falling apart; without Great Jin holding the line against Great Li's Demonic Path and the pressure of the Blood Universe Realm's descent, Nan Huang will definitely be next."

"Ah? So it's actually that old fellow Li Huo Shangren who got caught? Truly too unlucky; we just left, and he walked into an ambush," Shi Tian Shu sighed endlessly.

"Then should we..."

"Forget it; it's two against two, so we should save him," Qin Ming decided.

But just at that moment,

his expression changed slightly, and he retracted his words, saying, "No need, it's too late."

"Fellow Daoist Li Huo... is unlikely to escape this calamity."

... On the other side.

Under the combined suppression of Blood Aversion Demon Lord and Friend Yousha, Li Huo Shangren was already retreating step by step.

Hiss! Boom! The Blood Scale Demon Python spewed a beam of black demonic light, instantly corroding the surrounding space; Li Huo Shangren threw out several magical treasures in succession.

Yet all were struck by the demonic light and gradually eroded away completely.

Bang! At this moment, Li Huo Shangren's magic power was severely exhausted; unable to dodge in time, he was struck again by a massive blood-colored tail, sending his entire body flying like a rag before crashing heavily to the ground.

Creating a huge crater with a boom.

He spat out several mouthfuls of fresh blood, his aura withered.

"Still wanting to make a futile last struggle? Let me show you what despair truly is before you die!" A trace of mockery appeared on Blood Aversion Demon Lord's face, as if he no longer wished to delay.

He formed a strange hand seal with his hands, and demonic qi on his body surged wildly, instantly covering his entire figure.

After a few breaths,

Blood Aversion Demon Lord transformed into a three-headed, six-armed demonic form with a green face and fangs, towering over two hundred zhang high.

A charged strike mixed with gale-force winds instantly blasted Li Huo Shangren's physical body on the ground, along with his defensive magical treasures, into explosion! Amidst a sky filled with blood mist, a Nascent Soul phantom flew out in panic, looking exactly like Li Huo Shangren.

After his Nascent Soul exited his body, Li Huo Shangren immediately employed the technique of instantaneous teleportation, attempting to flee in haste.

After several teleports, he had already arrived a thousand li away.

"That old monster Li Huo is truly ruthless, but unfortunately, it's already too late," You Sha Zhenjun said, his gaze deep as he looked in the direction of the escape.

Then, in the next moment,

The Blood Aversion Demon Lord retracted his demonic supernatural ability, but a blood-colored cage appeared in his hand, resembling a birdcage, covered in demonic runes and exuding a faint eeriness.

Subsequently,

he took out a voodoo doll shaped like a straw man, used spells to inject the essence blood from Li Huo Shangren's corpse into it, chanted incantations under his breath, and began casting a spell across the distance.

Once the incantations finished, red light erupted brilliantly! The voodoo doll was placed inside the blood cage.

Meanwhile, Li Huo Shangren, who was frantically teleporting to escape, showed a trace of terror on his small Nascent Soul face.

Yet, from somewhere beyond perception, he suddenly felt an inexplicable heart palpitation.

Just as he prepared to teleport again,

a blood-colored cage materialized out of thin air above the Nascent Soul's head, like a prison, instantly trapping him within.

No matter how Li Huo Shangren's Nascent Soul teleported, he could not escape the range of the blood cage and was firmly imprisoned.

Beams of blood-colored demonic light surged from within the cage and began eroding his Nascent Soul and divine consciousness.

Li Huo Shangren's Nascent Soul began to grow confused, his vision gradually blurring until he sank into an endless dark abyss... A moment later,

two beams of escaping light arrived in an instant, revealing the figures of Blood Aversion Demon Lord and Friend Yousha.

"Fellow Daoist Blood Aversion, this Nascent Soul Demonic Prohibition Secret Art of yours is truly sharp beyond compare; it can even restrict a Nascent Soul's void teleportation."

You Sha Zhenjun forced a faint smile and flattered the Blood Aversion Demon Lord beside him.

Even though he had known long ago that the other party possessed a demonic secret method targeting Nascent Souls, seeing it with his own eyes now made his spine turn cold.

To directly lock and imprison a Nascent Soul using merely a bit of essence blood—such a means simply exceeded the scope of his understanding, leaving one baffled.

If this were used on himself, You Sha Zhenjun asked himself and knew he would have absolutely no confidence in escaping... "I wonder, Fellow Daoist Blood Aversion, how you intend to deal with this Nascent Soul? Why not destroy it right here?"

Blood Aversion Demon Lord raised his hand and beckoned, casually storing away the blood cage containing Li Huo Shangren's Nascent Soul.

"Hehehe! This Nascent Soul will be of great use to this Demon Lord for cultivating demonic arts and even for refining demonic treasures."

"Fellow Daoist Yousha, I know you are worried that if the Nascent Soul is not destroyed, news of your defection to our sect will leak out, making you a target for everyone."

"Actually, you need not worry at all; the moment Fellow Daoist Li Huo's Nascent Soul entered the Blood Spirit Cage, his divine consciousness and spirituality were already annihilated and extinguished, leaving absolutely no possibility of possession or rebirth."

Hearing this, You Sha Zhenjun's heart immediately tightened! He immediately bowed deeply with awe, saying, "Fellow Daoist Blood Aversion truly possesses demonic might that covers the world!"

Blood Aversion Demon Lord merely waved his hand slightly, not buying much into this flattery, and said with a cold expression:

"One is dealt with, but one remains."

"Although you joined forces with this Saint to destroy Li Huo Shangren, which counts as submitting a pledge of loyalty to our Holy Sect, you must still act alongside this Saint once more."

"After the matter is accomplished, naturally, I will not forget the promise made to you, Fellow Daoist."

You Sha Zhenjun immediately rejoiced, asking, "Does Fellow Daoist Blood Aversion mean... you have already locked onto the location of that kid from Nan Huang?"

"Hehe! Just now, when I entered Weiyuan City through my possessed body Qian Yue, I discovered that this Wangyue Zhenjun actually bears an extremely dense 'Blood Ring Curse Mark'!"

"I fear our sect's Holy Son has most likely died at his hands; this is the perfect chance to avenge him. I shall torment his Nascent Soul thoroughly, light him up as a human lantern, and burn him for a thousand years, so that everyone under heaven understands the consequences of offending our Blood Refinement Demon Sect!"

"As long as the Blood Ring Curse Seal exists, even if he flees to the ends of the earth, he cannot escape this Demon Lord's grasp!"

Hearing this, Friend Yousha trembled with fear, yet his expression still broke into great joy as he said, "Haha! Then let us hurry and give chase."

"Ride my demonic pet; in terms of escape arts, it is unmatched among peers of the same realm, comparable to the full-speed flight of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator," Qishang Mojun said indifferently.

"Even if that brat possesses means that reach the heavens, this time he absolutely cannot escape my grasp."

Qishang Mojun raised his hand and summoned Li Huo Shangren's fourth-tier middle-grade spiritual treasure along with his storage bag, storing them away without the slightest intention of sharing anything with Friend Yousha.

Friend Yousha gazed at the treasures, revealing envy, yet dared not say more.

After all, in this ambush against Li Huo Shangren, most of the credit belonged to Qishang Mojun; he himself had merely stood by to provide support.

Shortly after.

In the sky, that fourth-tier Blood-Scaled Demon Python descended, halting before the two of them, then abruptly spread a pair of blood-scaled fleshy wings that shimmered with scaly demonic light.

The two leaped onto its back.

A rumbling echoed through the void; the Blood-Scaled Demon Python's massive body suddenly transformed into a phantom and vanished, chasing in the direction where Qin Ming was located.

Meanwhile, Qin Ming had naturally witnessed everything that had just occurred.

He had not expected Qishang Mojun's methods to be so vicious and cruel, capable of directly targeting a cultivator's Nascent Soul.

Before Qin Ming could arrive to offer support, Li Huo Shangren had already perished.

Although Qin Ming did not fear those two, he worried that during their clash, other Demon Lords might be drawn to come to their aid.

Even if he were to engage them in battle, he needed to lure them far away from this place first.

For the sake of caution, he stored away the Lingxiao Palanquin and unleashed his full Nascent Soul-stage flight technique, flying hard in a chosen direction.

During this time, Qin Ming several times employed the True Demon Illusion to alter his form and appearance.

Yet no matter how he disguised himself or tried to shake them off, Qishang Mojun behind him could always lock onto his position.

This confirmed his suspicion.

"It seems that a Nascent Soul Demon Lord can sense the 'Blood Ring Curse Seal' from an extremely great distance," Qin Ming pondered inwardly.

This was why, despite him consecutively using the Blood Escape Technique several times, the opponent could still track him down as if following a map.

Half a day later.

Qin Ming's figure suddenly stalled; he ceased his flight and came to a halt.

His face remained as calm as an ancient well, unruffled by any waves, revealing a trace of indifference.

"I shall choose this auspicious feng shui location; I have no choice but to drain some blood from you two first."

"Let us hope that within Qishang Mojun's Nascent Soul lies a method to break the curse."

(End of Chapter)