Chapter 4: Blood Sacrifice

A streak of light descended before Hongfa Nanzhi. After the light faded, an old man remained. This old man appeared to be around seventy years old, with a full head of white hair and a face covered in wrinkles, though his massive, hooked nose was particularly striking.

"Where is Zhu Tong?"

After landing, the old man first looked around the surroundings before finally fixing his gaze on Hongfa Nanzhi.

Hongfa Nanzhi did not speak; he gave the old man a cold look and stomped heavily into the rubble with his foot. Seeing this, the old man understood: Hongfa Nanzhi had failed!

"He vanished after self-destructing his Golden Core!"

"Oh?"

The old man's massive nostrils flared twice. He clearly did not believe Hongfa Nanzhi's words. A cultivator at the Golden Core Stage who self-destructed his Golden Core would have no path but death; how could there be any possibility of escape? This explanation was too hard to accept.

Glancing at the old man, Hongfa Nanzhi knew he didn't believe him, but this was the truth, and he felt no need to explain further. Red light flashed repeatedly in his eyes, as if he were extremely furious.

The two stood in place, staring at each other for a moment, before the old man finally began to believe that what Hongfa Nanzhi said was true. After a long while, the old man said slowly:

"I never imagined that this cultivator surnamed Zhu would possess such a secret technique, being able to escape even after self-destructing his Golden Core. If we cannot take back the cocoon of the 'Mysterious Heaven Spirit Insect', the Master will absolutely not spare us!"

At the mention of the "Master", Hongfa Nanzhi's body shuddered violently, and the red light in his eyes flickered nervously. It seemed that the "Master" mentioned by the old man made him extremely fearful.

"Brother Jin, then what do you suggest we do?"

The old man silently lowered his head, calculating in his heart. Then, his gaze landed on the Heiniu Village ahead. A sinister grin appeared on his face, and he said faintly:

"We must use a Blood Sacrifice!"

Upon hearing this, Hongfa Nanzhi was slightly stunned, but a moment later he nodded gently. The two figures transformed into two long rainbows and flew into the small village.

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In an open space more than ten miles away from the ruined temple, Zhu Tong sat blankly on the ground. Lying before him was a child, who was none other than Zhang Nuo. At this moment, Zhang Nuo's eyes were tightly shut, as if he had not yet awakened from his faint.

On both Zhang Nuo and Zhu Tong, there was a yellow Talisman stuck to their bodies. The primary function of these Talismans was to conceal their presence; if not for these Talismans, they likely would have been tracked down by Hongfa Nanzhi long ago.

Waiting for another moment and seeing that Zhang Nuo still had not woken up, Zhu Tong grew somewhat anxious. He laboriously extended a finger and tapped it lightly on Zhang Nuo's forehead.

Suddenly, Zhang Nuo trembled as if struck by lightning. He then opened his eyes wide, propped himself up with one hand, and sat up from the ground.

The first thing he saw was Zhu Tong sitting beside him. He saw that Zhu Tong's severed arm was still bleeding and his face was deathly pale, looking just like a corpse.

Zhang Nuo was so frightened that he scrambled backward on the ground. After all, he was still just a child; encountering such a scene in the middle of the night, how could he not be afraid?

"What are you running for? If I hadn't saved you from that ruined temple, you would have been dead long ago!"

Seeing Zhang Nuo so terrified, Zhu Tong became furious, but after shouting, he fell into a fit of coughing.

Scolded by Zhu Tong, Zhang Nuo seemed to recall what had happened in the ruined temple earlier. He slowly stood up from the ground and walked over to Zhu Tong.

"Thank you for saving me! I have to go home!"

"Go home? Heh heh!"

Zhu Tong suddenly let out a cold laugh, his gaze fixed in the direction of Heiniu Village, before he slowly turned his head back to say to Zhang Nuo:

"Can you do me a favor before you leave?"

"Tell me!"

After hesitating for a long time, Zhang Nuo finally agreed, though extremely reluctantly. He did not agree out of sincerity, but because he had seen Zhu Tong and Hongfa Nanzhi fighting; he knew that like the cultivators of the Divine Sword Sect, he possessed the ability to fly. If he refused, he feared he would not be able to keep his life.

Seeing that Zhang Nuo had agreed, Zhu Tong took a pouch from his waist, opened it, and poured out an object. It was slender, about the size of a little finger, and entirely snow-white, looking like an unhatched pupa with many spiral patterns all over its body.

Zhang Nuo looked curiously at the object before him, then looked at Zhu Tong. He saw that Zhu Tong's face was full of regret, and after a long time, he said slowly:

"Take this thing away, and find a hidden place..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the white object on the ground suddenly moved slightly. Zhu Tong's pupils constricted instantly, as if he had seen something unbelievable. He tilted his head back and let out a burst of laughter toward the sky, a laugh filled with helplessness and fury.

"Heaven's will! It is truly Heaven's will! I have waited for you bitterly for ten years, and you showed no reaction at all, but now that I am about to die, you actually..."

By the end, two lines of tears flowed from Zhu Tong's eyes. For the sake of this cocoon of the "Mysterious Heaven Spirit Insect", he had been hunted for over ten years, waiting for the moment it would stir and show signs of hatching.

But fate was cruel. His Golden Core had already self-destructed, and relying on his last bit of strength, he had fled here. Death was only a matter of time for him. He had originally intended to have Zhang Nuo help him destroy the cocoon, but upon seeing it stir, he felt a sense of reluctance.

Suddenly, an evil thought surfaced in Zhu Tong's mind, and he looked at Zhang Nuo with a cold, sinister smile.