Chapter 388: Instant Kill of the Blood Demon

Above a vast plain, it was empty and desolate.

Yet, the dozen or so puppets of varying designs were extremely eye-catching.

Controlling these dozen puppets was a small team composed of seven cultivators at the early and middle stages of Foundation Establishment.

They occupied all directions and angles, surrounding a cultivator shrouded in a black robe.

"This fellow Daoist, you have quite some nerve to ambush and kill disciples of my Luoyun Sect!"

The person speaking had an extremely youthful face.

But despite his young age, his cultivation base at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment was the real deal.

Not to mention the impressive combat record he had made famous throughout the Yuding Domain back when he was in the Qi Refining stage.

Han Zheng!

During his Qi Refining days, he was ranked first on the Yuding Domain's Heaven's Pride List for the Qi Refining stage.

After establishing his foundation, he defeated a middle-stage Foundation Establishment sword cultivator from the Yuding Sword Sect while he was still in the early stage.

Not only did he possess the status of being the grandson of a Nascent Soul True Person, but his combat techniques were also genuine.

However, at this moment, the cultivator team he led still felt like they were facing a formidable enemy when confronted with that black-robed cultivator.

No other reason!

The opponent was clearly at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment!

One might even say, judging by his few thunderous strikes, there were faint signs of the Core Formation stage.

This meant the opponent was very likely a False Core realm expert who had failed to condense a core!

Such an existence could almost walk sideways within the Foundation Establishment stage; anyone who encountered him would have to give way.

They had originally thought the opponent was at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, but only after intercepting him did they realize something was wrong.

Now, they were in a situation where they were riding a tiger and hard to get off.

That person gave a sinister laugh and tossed something aside casually.

"You tracked me so deliberately, isn't it just for your junior brother's corpse? Here, take it!"

A corpse fell before the cautiously defensive Han Zheng.

When Han Zheng saw the corpse, withered like dead wood, his expression could not help but change.

Not a trace of blood energy remained—what did this mean?

He took a slight step back, but tentatively asked, "Blood Demon?"

The Blood Demon chuckled, his sinister gaze sweeping over the seven people and the dozen puppets they controlled.

"Disciples of a superior sect, your essence blood must be far superior to that of weak rogue cultivators!"

Before his words had even faded, his hands were already rapidly forming seals.

At the same time, Han Zheng also shouted loudly.

"Attack together!"

Under his command, the seven Luoyun Sect cultivators immediately manipulated their puppets to launch an attack.

After only a moment, the battlefield became a complete mess.

Of the dozen puppets, only four remained to continue the fight.

As for the number of Luoyun Sect cultivators, only two remained.

Han Zheng stood on a wooden kite, a large-mouthed puppet standing beside him, while in the distance, he manipulated a puppet with extreme movement speed to entangle the Blood Demon in close quarters.

He looked disheveled, but his heart was filled with grief and indignation.

He had ultimately underestimated a False Core realm cultivator.

Even if he had not yet formed a core, he was not someone a few early or middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators could withstand.

In just a few exchanges, the opponent had slaughtered most of their number like killing chickens or dogs, leaving only one junior brother still dodging left and right.

"Junior Brother Xu Jie, hold on!"

"I have already notified Elder Linghu; he will be here soon to save us."

Xu Jie was already stained red; the excessive control of that middle-stage Foundation Establishment humanoid puppet had left his spirit exhausted and his mind dizzy.

Hearing this, he shook his head violently.

"Senior Brother, I will cover the retreat, you go first!"

As he spoke, he opened his mouth and swallowed a blood-red elixir.

In an instant, his aura surged violently, forcibly increasing by thirty percent.

Han Zheng recognized that elixir; it was a Grade 1 Peak Blood-Burning Pill, crafted by the alchemy master Dan Chenzi.

Elder Tian Xingzi had obtained it in exchange for a favor.

As his disciple, it was only natural for Xu Jie to have a Blood-Burning Pill.

Now that he had taken this pill,

he was likely going to fight to the death!

And he was going to cover the retreat for him.

Han Zheng was incredibly moved. "Junior Brother, you..."

Yet the next moment, something that stunned him occurred.

After his strength surged, Xu Jie did not advance but retreated, his whole body recoiling dozens of feet like an arrow released from a bowstring.

This scene truly caught Han Zheng off guard.

Had he become the one covering the retreat instead?

He was the grandson of a Nascent Soul True Person; how dared he?

"To be distracted during battle—little junior, is your spirit too powerful, or are you just arrogant and looking down on me?"

A faint voice came to his ears.

Han Zheng's eyes widened sharply; the Blood Demon had actually broken free from his close-combat puppet, which was comparable to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Boom!

A peach-red light flashed, and Han Zheng flew backward several feet, landing on the ground, life or death unknown.

The Blood Demon glanced down at his corpse, then formed a sword seal.

The flying sword flashed violently.

In an instant, it crossed ten miles to take Xu Jie's head.

It was at this moment that a giant sword flew over like a meteor, followed by a white light behind it.

The giant sword took the brunt of the impact, piercing directly through the chest of the fleeing Xu Jie.

Only then did the Blood Demon see the figure of the opponent.

He frowned and manipulated his flying sword to meet it with full force.

Clang!

With just one strike, the seemingly imposing giant sword was helplessly swatted down to the earth.

"A flying sword that hasn't even been refined, and you dare to use it to act fierce?"

He sneered and formed a seal, stabbing his sword toward the white light.

"With just this bit of cultivation, you dare to play the oriole behind? You truly don't know how to write the word 'death'!"

Just as he was full of confidence, the seemingly average-speed white figure suddenly spread its wings, its form exploding forward like a thunderclap.

"It's you!"

The moment he saw those wings, the Blood Demon immediately realized the opponent's identity.

However, while his brain moved fast, his body was half a beat slow.

The speed the opponent erupted with was simply too fast, covering a hundred feet in the blink of an eye!

There was no time to recall the flying sword; he could only instinctively manifest a defensive magic treasure, a soft red silk ribbon blocking in front of him.

The next moment, the white light closed in.

One hand grabbed the red silk ribbon and pulled it back violently.

The immense force actually tore a gap in this defensive magic treasure!

The five fingers of the left hand spread wide, grabbing down like the sharp claws of a demonic beast!

Chirp!

Like a knife cutting through tofu, this claw reached in and grabbed the Blood Demon's heart.

He squeezed directly, and before the Blood Demon's terrified gaze, the vigorously beating bright red heart turned into countless bits of flesh and scattered.

Too shocked to care, the Blood Demon gritted his teeth and summoned.

"Return!"

The torn red silk defensive magic treasure was about to wrap around his body again.

Even though he was severely wounded, he remained calm. As long as the defensive magic treasure unleashed its power, he could fully mobilize it again; at worst, they would perish together!

Yet the white figure did not give him a chance at all.

Both hands spread their five fingers again; although they did not reach his body, a surging blood energy erupted.

Like two streams of water crashing against a rock, it forcibly split the Blood Demon's body in two!

Pfft!

Amidst the sky full of flesh and intestines, the two halves of the body fell to the ground.

The white figure paused, one hand grabbing the red silk, the other grabbing the Blood Demon's storage bag at his waist.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he tucked the humanoid puppet lying on the ground into his pocket.

Afterward, he took a deep look at Han Zheng's corpse and left at high speed.

He didn't even glance at the belongings of the other fallen Luoyun Sect disciples!

This battle took a long time to describe.

But from the moment the white figure appeared with a sword to the brutal killing of the Blood Demon, it was nothing more than a flash, over in the blink of an eye.

After the white figure left.

On the riddled ground, Han Zheng slowly opened his eyes.

In his embrace, a palm-sized grass-head puppet shattered into two pieces with a crack.

A Substitute Puppet!

A secret transmission of the Luoyun Sect's Han family!

It was precisely by relying on this item that he had luckily survived.

Standing up from the ground, Han Zheng's body trembled slightly.

He considered himself outstanding, having cultivated the Luoyun Sect's puppet arts to a level his peers could only look up to.

He even had three puppets personally crafted for him by his grandfather, True Person Han Zhan, covering flight, long-range attack, and close combat respectively.

He rarely had rivals among his peers; he even dared to fight against late-stage Foundation Establishment experts!

But!

In front of the Blood Demon, he was still weak and powerless, like a toddler.

Especially being distracted during the battle, he hadn't even had time to activate the defensive measures his grandfather had bestowed upon him.

If not for the Substitute Puppet blocking that calamity, he would likely have fallen, and there would be no such person as Han Zheng in this world anymore.

The Blood Demon was one thing!

He was, after all, a False Core realm cultivator, one step away from Core Formation.

He himself had only been at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment for a few months.

The huge gap in realms could not be bridged by external objects.

But that person just now!

Although he hadn't opened his eyes to see his true face, under his spiritual sense perception, he had observed that lightning-fast battle clearly.

Using Xu Jie as cover, feigning an attack with a flying sword magic treasure, then erupting into action, closing the distance with the Blood Demon in a flash of lightning.

Then, using unimaginable means, he directly tore open the defensive magic treasure.

Finally, with three fierce strikes, he directly tore the opponent's body apart!

Such means were truly thunderous and lightning-fast, leaving one tongue-tied!

The Blood Demon likely hadn't reacted from start to finish.

The most critical point was that the spiritual energy fluctuations the opponent revealed were almost non-existent!

It was all relying on his body-refining methods!

Such a person was definitely not an unknown figure in the Yuding Domain!

"Could it be that he is an expert from outside the domain?"

Han Zheng couldn't figure out the opponent's origin, but his mind stirred as he suddenly recalled the words "It's you" that the Blood Demon had blurted out upon seeing the opponent.

"Could it be someone the opponent knew?"

"Never mind, let me see the true face of the Blood Demon, to see who exactly he is, and perhaps I can judge from which domain that person comes."

He took a deep breath, ignoring the bloody stench, and walked forward.

Using spiritual power to control, he brought the two halves of the body together, and with a sweep of spiritual power,

he brushed away the disguise on the opponent's face.

"Eh, it's actually not Wang Yuan of the Luotian Society as rumored, but Xuan Yu?"

Looking at the somewhat familiar face, Han Zheng remembered the Tianlan Immortal City he had once visited.

There, just after establishing his foundation, he had defeated a sword cultivator from the Yuding Sword Sect, securing his first victory after Foundation Establishment.

He remembered that on the viewing platform at the time, there was this extremely handsome man.

He came from Taoshan.

Rumor had it he was a favorite of the Peach Blossom Ancestor of the Hundred Flowers Palace.

"Not Wang Yuan, but Xuan Yu."

"However, he is also a person from the Yuding Domain. Since he knows that white figure, presumably that person is also from the Yuding Domain. Skilled in strength-based methods... could it be that that person is actually Wang Yuan?"

"He was angry that Xuan Yu was using his name to act, so he attacked in a rage?"

"But is Wang Yuan this strong?"

The limited information only let him know that Wang Yuan was also proficient in body-refining.

If that were the case, everything seemed quite logical.

"However, he attacked, but why kill Junior Brother Xu... Xu Jie!"

His gaze fell on Xu Jie, who had been pierced through the chest by a sword, and Han Zheng's expression turned somewhat gloomy.

The opponent had actually abandoned him just now and fled early, leaving him to cover the retreat.

Such behavior truly disgusted him.

Therefore, even though Xu Jie had been killed, he felt no sorrow.

It was just that, sweeping his gaze over the other five fallen fellow disciples, he still couldn't avoid feeling grief.

It was at this moment that a streak of light flew over from the center of the ruins.

It landed beside him.

"Junior Nephew Han, are you alright?"

Han Zheng raised his head, a look of surprise on his face.

"Uncle-Master Linghu!"

Linghu Jie swept his gaze over the messy battlefield, his brow furrowing involuntarily.

When he looked at Xuan Yu's corpse, he was even more surprised.

"A False Core cultivator?"

"Yes, he is the Blood Demon, from under the Peach Blossom Ancestor of the Hundred Flowers Palace, managing Tianlan Taoshan for her, named Xuan Yu. I just don't know why he has been wandering the battlefield all these years, slaughtering cultivators to collect essence blood," Han Zheng said, puzzled, a look of confusion on his face.

Linghu Jie frowned, thinking of a certain rumor.

Peach Blossom Ancestor...

He shook his head, waved his large sleeve, and collected the corpses and belongings of all the fallen Luoyun Sect disciples.

Seeing this, Han Zheng asked suspiciously, "Are you not using Spirit-Gathering Incense to collect the broken spirits of our fellow disciples?"

Linghu Jie explained patiently, "In this cave dwelling, the power of thunder is too tyrannical; even without lightning being born, it is omnipresent. After they died in battle, the spirits of Foundation Establishment cultivators could not remain in the world and have long since been annihilated."

Han Zheng was stunned. "How is this possible?"

"There is nothing impossible, because this place is the cave dwelling of a Soul Transformation great power who cultivated the laws of thunder! Even though that person passed away a thousand years ago, powerful thunder laws still gather here." Linghu Jie looked at this vast world, his tone filled with emotion. "The special terrain of the Nine Mountains of Accumulated Thunder was presumably formed slowly after this senior passed away."

Whether the Nine Mountains of Accumulated Thunder existed a thousand years ago, no one knew.

Because the Yuding Domain had only been conquered by human cultivators three or four hundred years ago.

Before the name Yuding Domain, this area was called the Lianxia Mountain Range!

"Let's go, I will take you out first; this place is no longer a place where Foundation Establishment cultivators like you can stay for long."

Seeing Han Zheng's confusion,

Linghu Jie specifically said, "That senior died extremely hastily; his remains are likely still preserved in the cave dwelling at the very center. This is a heaven-sent opportunity; those Core Formation great sects are no longer worthy of touching it."

"After I go out, I will report to the True Person, and then we will come to clear the field!"

Clear the field!

Han Zheng's heart jumped, and he subconsciously asked, "What about the Sword Sect?"

"He will join hands with us to clear the field!"

Linghu Jie said faintly, a clear killing intent permeating his eyes.

At this moment, he was no longer the patient and warm Uncle-Master Linghu in front of Han Zheng, but the terrifying "Old Ghost Linghu" of the Luoyun Sect outside!

On the way out, Linghu Jie asked about the process of this battle.

Han Zheng told the truth, including his own distraction during the battle, being easily taken, and even the shameful and humiliating act of activating the Substitute Puppet.

Linghu Jie did not blame him, but instead gently told him to relax his mindset, learn from his mistakes, and try to avoid making such errors in the future.

As for the death of Xu Ji?

Han Zheng held back some details.

He did not mention the other party's treacherous act of abandoning him to flee alone.

That was the other party's personal behavior; if he spoke of it, it would inevitably implicate the other party's master, Tian Xingzi.

His relationship with Tian Xingzi was decent, and the man himself did not have much lifespan left; rather than suffering in his final years, it was better to let him pass away in peace.

And he also did not mention the matter of that white figure killing Xu Ji.

Regardless of whether the other party did it intentionally or unintentionally, they had ultimately saved his life.

If he mentioned this matter, Uncle-Master Linghu would certainly investigate it, which would bring a lot of trouble to that person.

He intended to keep this battle firmly in his heart!

Senior brothers and junior brothers are usable, but not reliable!

Everything must depend on oneself!

During battle, one should plan before acting; if one does not move, so be it, but once one moves, one must learn from that person—achieve success in one strike and never drag things out!

After spending some time, Linghu Jie led Han Zheng out of the cave dwelling gate.

After letting Han Zheng return to rest and recuperate, he summoned the disciples of the Luoyun Sect to inquire about the people who had entered and exited earlier.

Upon learning there were no suspicious figures, he stopped asking.

This matter of the Blood Demon should not involve too much.

Behind the other party was Ancestor Taohua, and Ancestor Taohua was one of the three great Jin Dan masters of the Baihua Palace.

And the Baihua Palace was a branch of another Nascent Soul sect, the Hehuan Sect.

Getting too involved would only invite trouble.

"From now on, only exit, no entry!"

"Not just rogue cultivators, this includes disciples from the four great sects; none are allowed in."

"For those coming out, use this magic treasure to scan them. If there is a reaction, notify me immediately!"

Linghu Jie ordered indifferently.

Amidst the surprise of the disciples, he even sent out voice transmissions to mobilize more disciples to guard the cave dwelling gate, ensuring not a drop of water could leak through!

Without the world knowing, this so-called place of opportunity would be completely off-limits to ordinary people.