Chapter 422: The Blood Sacrifice Grand Array Activates! The Useless Chi

"Since that is the case, Deling, arrange for them to stay temporarily at the foot of the mountain. There are many restrictions on the mountain, and wandering around could easily cause misunderstandings," Xu Mingwei instructed.

"Yes, Father."

These few individuals all came from hegemon-level Nascent Soul powers. The Xu Family would definitely need to expand vigorously in Heavenly South in the future, and befriending the prodigies of their sects would only bring benefits.

This was also the reason why Xu Mingwei and Xu Deling had invited them to Dongxi.

"Sister Qingxuan, Zhang Xuanzhi, Daoist Friend Shen, I apologize for the inconvenience for the next half a day."

Shen Fei replied, "Many thanks, Phoenix Plume Fairy. Compared to braving the wind and sleeping in the dew outside, this is more than ten times better."

Xu Deling nodded. "I still have matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer. I will come find you later.

If you wish, you can also walk around and enjoy the pastoral scenery of Dongxi."

With that said, she took her leave.

After all, with a single sweep of their divine sense, they could observe everything clearly, save for the restricted important grounds of the Xu Family on the mountain.

After Xu Deling left, she rushed straight to the Jade Cold Pool.

By this time, Xu Mingwei, Xu Mingyuan, Xu Mingxuan, and all the other Golden Core cultivators of the Xu Family were already there.

Even Mei Yun had emerged from seclusion.

"Grandfather." Xu Deling cupped her hands in greeting.

Xu Chuan gave a slight nod and then stated, "Tomorrow, the Ancient Battlefield will open. Those planning to enter should make their preparations."

The crowd fell silent.

"After going inside, do your best to use the bloodline tracking secret method to find the closest person and rendezvous before taking any action."

"Furthermore, do not easily trust any people or demonic beasts that appear. Everyone is a competitor."

"Although the Land of Imprisonment is a slaughterhouse, there are still Nascent Soul cultivators who enter to secretly look after their sect or clan's prodigies.

But the Ancient Battlefield is different.

Even Nascent Soul stage cultivators can barely protect themselves and are also seeking great fortune."

"Yes, Father," and "Yes, Grandfather," they replied in unison.

Pausing for a moment, Xu Chuan looked toward Xu Mingwei. "Mingwei, do you plan to go in?"

Xu Mingwei lowered his head in deep thought for a moment before ultimately shaking his head. "Although Father has left countermeasures, your son has decided not to go in."

"Why is that, Big Brother?" Xu Mingshu asked, puzzled.

"Someone capable needs to stay behind and guard the clan territory. We cannot rely on outsiders for everything."

Xu Chuan let out a soft sigh. "As you wish."

"Thank you, Father," Xu Mingwei said, cupping his fists. "Right, Father, these are the spoils from my outing."

Xu Mingwei's storage ring lit up, and a massive pile of demonic beast corpses instantly appeared on the ground, ranging from the first and second tiers all the way to the third tier.

Additionally, mixed within were the corpses of several Golden Core demonic cultivators from the Blackwater Region.

There were quite a few storage pouches, an abundance of dharma tools, materials, and more.

"I have some too." Xu Deling followed suit.

"Honored Master, here are the ones from Yue'er and me as well."

Ye Fan and Xu Deyue also brought out the spoils they had gathered.

"You all have quite a lot. It seems my haul is the smallest." Xu Mingshu flicked her sleeve robe, and a considerable amount of items flew out from her storage pouch as well.

Looking at it as a whole.

Xu Mingwei had the most battle spoils, but Xu Deling's were of higher quality. Ye Fan and Xu Deyue came next, followed lastly by Xu Mingshu.

"After processing some of the edible first and second-tier demonic beasts, they can be rewarded to the clan disciples. Eating them will have the effect of slightly advancing their cultivation and strengthening their physiques.

Collect all the demonic beast materials and send a portion to the Artifact Refining Hall for the blacksmiths to practice with.

Place anything above the third tier into the treasury.

Deling, take a look first. You can pick out whatever you need.

Store away the useful dharma tools as well. Reward some to the disciples who killed the most demons during the previous two beast waves, and put the rest up for them to exchange."

After the last demon culling, many disciples had accumulated a very handsome amount of contribution points.

They were just waiting for the family to bring out good items for them to exchange.

"Stow away the demonic cultivator dharma tools for now; we will find a way to sell them once we reach Azure Dragon Prefecture in the future. The same goes for the materials—put some up for exchange and store the rest."

In just a few words, Xu Chuan had organized everything.

"These past few days, I've refined quite a few medicinal pills. Everyone entering the Ancient Battlefield will receive a share," Xu Chuan continued. "Three months outside is three years inside.

In those three years, you might make significant progress, or you might frequently suffer injuries.

Therefore, your preparations must be sufficient."

"Thank you, Father," and "Thank you, Grandfather."

"Thank you, Honored Master."

"Since Mingwei and Mingqing are not going in, they will receive fewer pills. Any objections?"

"None."

Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingqing accepted their porcelain bottles as well.

"Then that will be all for now. Spend today well with your families."

Xu Chuan looked toward Ye Fan. "Ye Fan, go out and notify the people of the Azure Dragon Alliance. Inform them that the Ancient Battlefield will open tomorrow.

Have them make their preparations as well."

"Yes, Honored Master." Ye Fan cupped his fists and immediately departed.

The others also left the Jade Cold Pool one after another.

Before she left, Xu Chuan handed another pill to Xu Mingshu.

"This was refined from the essence soul and demonic core of a peak Tier 3 Two-headed Black Flame Demon Sparrow. It might help Xu Ying undergo a transformation. Because the Nine Nether Sparrow's essence soul was severely damaged, it could only be refined once.

I fused all the power of the demonic core and essence blood into it, forging this single Nine Nether Sparrow Demonic Spirit Pill.

If Xu Ying can gain the Nine Nether Sparrow bloodline...

Then there is a significant chance he will step into the fourth tier in the future."

"I thank Father on behalf of Ah Ying." Xu Mingshu's eyes lit up. She then hooked her arm around Xu Chuan's. "Father, we've killed so many Tier 3 demonic beasts lately.

There is no small number of late-stage Tier 3 ones either.

Do you have any Demonic Spirit Pills suitable for Xiao Bai and Xiao Hei?

It doesn't matter even if they aren't as good as Ah Ying's."

"You rascal, give you an inch and you take a mile." Xu Chuan chuckled helplessly. "Fine. There has been a surplus of Demonic Spirit Pills recently.

Using them on the two of them isn't a waste either."

Xu Chuan was naturally prepared. He had specifically selected late-stage Tier 3 demonic beasts to refine pills that matched the cultivation paths of Xu Bai and Xu Hei.

As for the Two-headed Black Flame Demon Sparrow, he had immediately thought of Xu Ying.

Xu Bai had awakened his bloodline and possessed innate divine abilities.

Xu Ying and Xu Hei had slightly weaker potential and lacked innate divine abilities.

But if Xu Ying swallowed the Nine Nether Sparrow demonic core this time, mutated again, and gained the Nine Nether Sparrow bloodline...

With three elements gathered in one body, his potential would instantly surpass Xiao Bai's.

Even within the demonic beast world, he would rank among the top-tier prodigies.

His potential might even be slightly higher than that of You Huang, the Nine Nether Sparrow.

"The yellow porcelain bottle contains nine Demonic Spirit Pills refined from late-stage Tier 3 metal-element demonic beasts. The black porcelain bottle holds water-element Demonic Spirit Pills of the same quality.

Because the bloodlines of the refined demonic beasts weren't that powerful, they won't have much impact on their bloodlines. However, there shouldn't be any problem increasing their demonic power and advancing their cultivation."

"Thank you, Father! Father is the best!"

After a bout of flattery, Xu Mingshu took the porcelain bottles and left in high spirits.

She then found Xu Mingxian and had him help teleport her to the Azure Sea Forest to deliver the pills to Xu Hei and Xu Bai.

She didn't return until an incense stick's time later.

She had learned to be cautious this time and did not show her face.

At the entrance of Mirror Lake, she summoned Xu Hei, handed him his porcelain bottle, and instructed him to pass the other porcelain bottle to Xu Bai.

The Ancestor of the Lei Family, True Lord Bingqian, and Yang Qi had all returned.

Yang Qi, in particular, deeply felt that his strength was lacking. After being brought back severely injured last time and healed by Xu Chuan, he had never left.

"Many thanks, City Lord Ye. We understand," the Ancestor of the Lei Family thanked him, cupping his fists.

"If you wish to give thanks, thank my Honored Master. These were his orders; I am merely passing on the message."

"Understood."

"Please thank the First Elder on our behalf."

Ye Fan nodded and also returned to Dongxi.

On this day.

Every part of the Land of Imprisonment was extremely quiet.

No further battles or slaughter broke out.

Seventy to eighty percent of the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had entered this time had perished.

Some were killed by demonic beasts, some fell in the clashes between the two regions, and others were slain by early and mid-stage Golden Core cultivators.

As for late-stage Golden Core cultivators, and even those at Golden Core perfection, they hadn't really bothered killing Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Perhaps they simply couldn't be bothered to strike.

Since Shen Fei and Lu Qingxue could know the manifestation time of the Ancient Battlefield.

Others had naturally been warned by their sect elders as well.

Knowing the opening was imminent, they also had to prepare in advance, adjusting their strength to its peak condition.

The next day.

The sky over the Land of Imprisonment remained tightly locked by heavy, lead-gray clouds, like a massive curtain soaked in despair and dust.

Only a few thin, twisted rays of sunlight struggled to pierce through the gaps in the clouds, falling powerlessly onto the devastated earth.

It only served to make this world appear even more deathly still and desolate.

The wind was biting cold, carrying the stench of smoke and a faint, lingering scent of blood.

A whimpering sound drifted across the ruins and the wilderness.

Outside the Azure Sea Forest.

The Nascent Soul cultivators of the Blackwater Region and Heavenly South stood in a standoff.

Suddenly.

An old man sitting cross-legged on a black lotus opened his eyes, two tangible rays of black light shooting forth from them.

He stood up, hovering in midair.

With a sweep of his sleeve robe, he stowed the black lotus away.

"Daoist Friends, the time is about right. It is time to begin."

The moment his words fell.

The Grand Cultivators from both sides all opened their eyes.

"Then let us begin," Azure Cloud Sect's Honored One Qing Feng declared.

The nine Great Nascent Soul Cultivators moved simultaneously!

They transformed into streaks of flowing light and soared high into the sky.

With a wave of his hand, the black lotus elder sent a blood-red array disk flying out, which instantly expanded to hundreds of meters in size.

The crowd retreated to the edge of the array disk.

"Daoist Friends, inject your mana!" the black lotus elder continued.

The nine of them pressed their fingers together and poured their mana into the blood-red array disk. The tyrannical mana caused the surrounding space to tremble violently.

The next moment—

Buzz!

One hundred and eight points of light lit up on the blood-red array disk.

At the same time.

Somewhere within the Azure Sea Forest.

A clone of the Tree King stood quietly at the top of an ancient tree.

He looked up at the massive spatial fluctuations outside, his weathered voice murmuring in a low whisper, "It has begun again.

I wonder if there will be any changes this time."

The two regions opened the Ancient Battlefield time and again, not only to seize opportunities but also to find the ancestral vein of Heavenly South and complete its unification.

Regardless of which side achieved this, the providence would unify.

The bottleneck to the Divine Transformation stage would loosen, and those Divine Transformation experts who dared not show themselves would be able to walk the mortal world once more.

Even the spiritual qi of this heaven and earth would rise again.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

One hundred and eight blood pillars, each over a dozen meters in diameter and condensed as if tangible, shot into the sky from all across the Land of Imprisonment!

They pierced through the heavy storm clouds, tore apart the hazy gray canopy, and fired straight into the depths of the azure firmament!

Within each pillar of blood-red light, countless twisted, agonized faces could vaguely be seen, and the desperate wails and curses of billions of lives on the verge of death could be heard!

That was from this very land.

Over the past ten days, it was the final residual obsession of the billions of lives who had died in the maws of demonic beasts, at the hands of demonic cultivators, or through their own mutual slaughter.

At this moment, they were forcibly extracted and condensed by the array, turning into the keys and sacrifices to open the Ancient Battlefield!

A scarlet brilliance instantly enveloped the entire sky over the Land of Imprisonment!

It dyed the originally bleak and gloomy world a shocking, gruesome blood-red!

A terrifying celestial phenomenon shrouded the heaven and earth!

Dongxi.

Countless disciples, martial artists, and clansmen, regardless of what they were doing, felt an unprovoked palpitation and panic in their hearts at this moment.

As if by prior agreement, they rushed out of their houses, stopped their cultivation, or dropped the work in their hands, looking up at the sky that had turned a bloody red and become incredibly demonic.

"Why has the sky turned red?!"

"What are those red lights?! Such a terrifying aura!"

"Looking at them, I feel an inexplicable, heart-wrenching pain..."

Panicked discussions broke out everywhere.

The astonishing bloody celestial phenomenon and evil aura struck fear and anxiety into the hearts of the vast majority.

Soon, waves of tyrannical auras rose from the depths of Dongxi.

Xu Chuan, Moyue, Xu Mingwei, Xu Mingyuan, Xu Deling, and other core members of the Xu Family charged out of the grand array one after another.

Lu Qingxue, Shen Fei, and Zhang Xuanzhi, who were temporarily residing there, did the same.

Outside the grand array, they stood suspended in the air, gazing up at the sky with grave expressions.

A moment later.

Mo Wentian, the Ancestor of the Lei Family, True Lord Bingqian, and Elder Yang Qi also flew over.

Elder Yang Qi stared at the terrifying blood pillars piercing the heavens. Feeling the monstrous resentment and evil energy contained within them, his face turned pale.

His voice somewhat dry, he looked toward Xu Chuan, who was leading them. "First Elder, is this opening the Ancient Battlefield?"

Xu Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering noisily in the wind.

His gaze was profound, as if trying to pierce through the heavy blood-red light.

Hearing Yang Qi's question, he slowly nodded. "With such a massive and intricate array, it must undoubtedly be so."

"Using the billions of lives in this place as a sacrifice..." Yang Qi took a deep breath and let out a soft sigh. "Just to open a relic battlefield... it truly is far too cruel."

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding crowd fell silent.

Was it cruel?

Of course it was cruel!

Billions of lives, the vast majority of whom were innocent mortals and a large number of low-level cultivators. In the eyes of higher-tier existences, their lives seemed to be nothing more than numbers that could be expended at will.

But this was the most bloody reality of the cultivation world.

The weak are meat for the strong to eat. In the pursuit of the Great Dao, all living things could be treated as straw dogs.

If they didn't use the lives of these mortals and low-level cultivators to pave the way, were they supposed to sacrifice the hundreds of thousands of Foundation Establishment and hundreds of Golden Core cultivators that the various sects and factions had painstakingly nurtured?

Which power would be willing to do that?

In the eyes of those high and mighty Grand Cultivators, perhaps this was already the most cost-effective choice.

Amidst the silence, everyone had complicated feelings.

At the same time.

In the surviving corners all across the Land of Imprisonment, the cultivators who were hiding, struggling, or had come specifically to wait for this very moment...

...charged into the sky one after another.

An irrepressible excitement and wild ecstasy appeared on many faces!

"It's opening! The Ancient Battlefield is finally opening!"

"Hahaha! It was worth me hiding in this hellhole for so long! If I can get some opportunities, I might have a chance at Nascent Soul formation in the future!" a burly late-stage Golden Core man declared.

"It's filled with countless opportunities inside. Since I survived such a tragic slaughter, I must go in. I might just be able to achieve Core Formation!"

The eyes of many Foundation Establishment cultivators were brimming with ambition.

Only those cultivators who were unclear about the situation inside the Ancient Battlefield would be so impatient.

As for the elders of top-tier Nascent Soul powers and the prodigies of hegemon-level powers, though their faces held anticipation, they were also filled with solemnity.

There were indeed countless fortunes inside, but it was also fraught with tremendous peril.

"The Ancient Battlefield... I'm afraid this will be the last time in my life I enter. I hope to gain something from it."

Time tricked away, bit by bit.

Four hours later.

The one hundred and eight terrifying blood pillars piercing the heavens seemed to exhaust their final strength, slowly becoming dim and transparent.

Eventually, like melting ice and snow, they slowly dissipated into the air.

The sky-filling blood-red light faded away with them.

However, the sky did not return to its original gloom.

Taking its place was a soft, dazzling seven-colored brilliant light.

It swirled like mist, dreamlike and illusory, rapidly blanketing the entire firmament.

Within the brilliant light, the scenery began to twist and transform.

It was as if an unimaginably colossal crystal mirror was slowly developing an image.

First came a blurry outline, which rapidly sharpened.

The phantom image of an ancient continent with rolling hills that stretched beyond the horizon!

Towering divine mountains that pierced the clouds, exuding a primordial aura!

A vast ocean, pitch-black as ink, deathly still without a single ripple!

An expansive forest with towering trees that took on a bizarre, eerie gray hue!

The earth was dark red, as if soaked in the fresh blood of countless powerhouses!

A grand, ancient, mysterious, and peril-filled world map slowly unfolded amidst the seven-colored brilliant light, reflecting in the pupils of everyone looking up from the Land of Imprisonment.

The most astonishing part was...

This massive phantom image of a continent was actually upside down!

The mountain peaks pointed downward, and the oceans were suspended above, resembling a completely inverted world.

Separated by some invisible barrier, it seemed poised to descend upon the Land of Imprisonment.

But it appeared to be obstructed by something.

Even though this world was merely a phantom projection, its desolate, ancient, and heavy presence still induced waves of heart palpitations.

Foundation Establishment cultivators struggled even harder, gasping for breath.

About an hour passed.

The seven-colored brilliant light stabilized, and the upside-down phantom continent within it completely solidified, no longer wavering.

It looked like an enormous gateway to another world permanently branded into the sky.

The silence was maintained for only a brief moment.

"Charge!"

From some unknown corner, a hoarse roar erupted, mixed with wild ecstasy and urgency!

That single shout was like the lit fuse of a powder keg!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Across the Land of Imprisonment, countless streaks of escaping light that had long been unable to hold back shot up madly from the ground like a reversed meteor shower, hurtling toward the seven-colored light and the upside-down phantom continent hanging in the sky!

Ninety-nine percent of the Golden Core cultivators—whether righteous or demonic, from sects, noble clans, or rogue cultivators—as long as they were alive and capable of flight, almost all of them moved!

Over ninety percent of the surviving Foundation Establishment cultivators refused to fall behind.

Either alone or in groups, they transformed into slightly dimmer streaks of flowing light and followed closely behind!

Besides them, a massive number of demonic beasts also shot straight into the clouds.

Tens of thousands of figures, like moths darting into a flame, turned into tiny black dots and proceeded without hesitation into the seven-colored brilliant light.

In the blink of an eye, they disappeared from sight.

Outside Dongxi, Xu Chuan withdrew his gaze from the sky and swept it over the people beside him.

"Everyone, let's move out!"

As his words fell, Shen Fei looked at Xu Mingwei. "Brother Mingwei, do you want to go together?"

Xu Mingwei shook his head. "I have already decided to hold down the fort for my family."

"Since that is the case, I won't force you. Junior Sister Lu, let's go!"

Lu Qingxue nodded, and she set off alongside Shen Fei.

Next was Zhang Xuanzhi.

"First Elder, I will not be going," Yang Qi suddenly said.

True Lord Bingqian looked at Yang Qi in astonishment. "Why?"

"Perhaps I am afraid, or perhaps I've lost that wild ambition. I will wait here to respectfully welcome the return of the First Elder, Elder Bingqian, and everyone else."

He cupped his hands and bowed.

Xu Chuan gave a slight nod. "Whether to enter or not depends entirely on one's own will. This may very well be a wise choice!"

"Thank you for your understanding, First Elder."

"Let's go!"

Xu Chuan, Xu Mingyuan, Xu Mingxuan, Xu Mingshu, Xu Mingxian, along with Ye Fan, Xu Deyue, Xu Deling, and Mei Yun—the nine of them took the lead and charged toward the upside-down reflection in the sky.

Following behind them were the Ancestor of the Lei Family and True Lord Bingqian.

Compared to Yang Qi, those two both had hope of reaching the Nascent Soul realm, or rather, they were only a sliver of opportunity away from attempting the breakthrough.

Therefore, even if the Ancient Battlefield was a dragon's pool or tiger's den, they still had to brave it.

As for their spirit beasts, they naturally stayed inside their spirit beast pouches.

Watching the figures of Xu Chuan and the others vanish, Mo Wentian sighed softly with emotion. "No wonder the First Elder came here early to protect this branch of the clan.

If the clansmen of my branch were this outstanding, I would have made the same choice.

No matter how difficult it is, one must fight for the chance."

Yang Qi also remarked, "Indeed. If these people all make it to Cloudstream City in Azure Dragon Prefecture, the Xu Family's heritage will increase by a massive margin. They could then be considered a true Nascent Soul noble family."

The development of a noble family was different from a sect.

Although Nascent Soul noble families would recruit Golden Core guest elders, there wouldn't be too many of them.

They primarily relied on Golden Core cultivators from within their own clan.

Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingqing cupped their hands toward the two men and returned to Dongxi.

Mo Wentian and Yang Qi also returned to their nearby encampment.

Of the five hundred Foundation Establishment disciples in the encampment, only a few dozen had returned.

Many of them had gained a bountiful harvest.

This was the thrill of plundering.

One man dies, another grows rich.

The strong advance with great strides, while the weak become the corpses beneath their feet.

After plunging into the brilliant light...

Xu Chuan felt an invisible suction pull him into some expanse of the void.

When he reappeared, he was in a stone forest.

Xu Chuan spread his divine sense outward.

Sure enough.

Even with his early-stage Nascent Soul divine sense, it only extended a little over ten kilometers. And the entire range covered by his divine sense was still entirely within the stone forest.

Stone peaks rose abruptly from the ground.

Some, tens of meters tall, resembled swords leaning against the heavens. Others, hundreds of meters high, stood like pillars supporting the earth. They were arrayed imposingly, pointing straight into the azure firmament.

They were not a monotonous gray.

Some stone peaks were deep and heavy like cast iron, while others looked like skeletal fingers. Many of them bore large patches of dark brown stains.

A thin mist shrouded the surroundings, wrapping around the stone peaks in wispy threads.

As far as the eye could see, the ground was a nearly scorched dark brown, as hard as iron.

Aside from a few occasional clusters of withered, iron-thorn-like growths with similarly dull colors, there was almost no greenery to be seen.

The wilderness was completely silent, save for the sound of the wind whistling through the gaps. Its whimpers echoed back and forth amidst the stone forest, adding a touch of desolation and eeriness.

Xu Chuan checked his storage pouch and spirit beast pouch. Both could be opened normally.

He then looked inward at the Clan Genealogy; there were no unusual movements.

With a mere thought, he confirmed he could still open and enter the Xu Clan's Grotto-heaven.

"This is a pleasant surprise. If I encounter any danger, I can just duck into the grotto-heaven and hide for a few days."

Next, Xu Chuan divined the fortune of this place.

"Neither good nor bad luck?"

"Let me try again."

Unwilling to believe it completely, Xu Chuan activated Heavenly Secret Dao Derivation, negating the heavenly secrets backlash.

Sure enough, the results of the divination were different this time.

In the Ancient Battlefield, unless one was extremely profound in the Way of Deduction, it was completely impossible to obtain correct and useful information. It was as if the heavenly secrets here were in utter chaos, even generating distortions.

"To the northwest of the stone forest lies minor good fortune, but there is also danger. However, to me, it is something I can handle."

Xu Chuan performed a normal divination again, and the result changed to minor misfortune.

Then major misfortune, minor good fortune, and finally, major good fortune.

Xu Chuan let out a soft sigh and then dashed madly toward the northwest. As he flew, he used his divine sense to scout for this so-called opportunity.

About thirty minutes later.

Sure enough, he discovered a block of Mountain Copper Essence Gold half the height of a man.

This was a mid-grade Tier 4 artifact refining material. Such a massive chunk would make even mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators fight over it.

However, as his divine sense swept past it, he immediately alerted five or six nearby demonic creatures.

They seemed to be incredibly sensitive to divine sense.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

A series of heaven-shaking roars erupted, shattering the long silence of the stone forest.

From the shadows of the stone forest below, five or six dark silhouettes shot into the sky carrying a foul wind. With gleaming, terrifying claws, they lunged straight at Xu Chuan in midair!

Xu Chuan's gaze sharpened, but his reaction was as fast as lightning.

He formed a hand seal with his left hand, swept his right hand out in front of him, and shouted softly, "Defend!"

In an instant, the Azure Dragon Treasure Umbrella materialized out of thin air.

Swish! The treasure umbrella opened. In a flash, a solid, cyan-gold light screen cascaded down like an overturned bowl, firmly protecting the space spanning dozens of meters around Xu Chuan.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The demonic creatures crashed fiercely into the light screen, emitting dull, resounding thuds and kicking up ripple-like energy waves. However, they were firmly blocked outside, unable to advance a single inch.

Taking advantage of this gap, Xu Chuan's lightning-sharp gaze swept coldly over the pouncing monsters.

They vaguely retained a twisted humanoid skeletal structure but were riddled with bizarre mutations.

Some had curved, pitch-black horns growing from the tops of their heads. Some dragged thick, long tails covered in bone spikes from their spines. A few even had tattered, seemingly torn fleshy wings stretching from their backs.

Their skin was universally a dull grayish-brown, rough as weathered rocks.

Their faces were grotesquely twisted, with exposed fangs.

Upon closer inspection, many of the creatures sported horrifying, massive scars on their bodies. The scars had formed into purplish-black or dark red scabs, looking like ugly patches.

Their hands were even more terrifying. Their fingernails had mutated into sharp claws over ten centimeters long. They were dark red bordering on black, and the tips faintly gave off a dark green, spectral glow.

"Their intelligence isn't high. Are these the Chi?" Xu Chuan murmured to himself.

With their attacks blocked, the demonic creatures grew even more manic.

A visible, eerie dark red energy steamed from their bodies, enveloping them like flames or dense fog. It emanated an aura of brutality, chaos, and decay.

They madly brandished their sharp claws, drawing dark red afterimages as they continuously tore at and smashed into the Azure Dragon Treasure Umbrella's light screen. Meaningless hisses and roars poured from their mouths.

Where the dark red energy contacted the cyan-gold light screen, a continuous sizzling sound of erosion rang out.

"Energy corrosion?"

Standing in the center of the light screen with his robes fluttering without wind, Xu Chuan frowned slightly.

His thoughts whirled. With a flip of his hand, a profound black large seal appeared out of nowhere.

The seal knob was rustic, faintly showing mountain and river patterns.

"Go!"

With a low shout, the black seal left his hand. It expanded against the wind until it was several meters wide, smashing into the foremost monster with the force of wind and thunder.

Boom!

The monster was smashed solidly into the ground. Rocks shattered, and the sound of breaking bones could be heard clearly.

However, its body only contorted for a moment before it actually struggled to its feet again. Dark red energy permeated its broken parts, and it lunged forward once more with a roar.

Only chaotic madness filled its eyes; not a trace of pain could be seen.

"Truly troublesome."

Xu Chuan's gaze focused as he controlled the mountain seal to bombard it continuously.

After several heavy strikes, one of the creature's arms and legs had been turned to mush, yet its movements were only slightly hindered as the wicked energy continued to surge ceaselessly.

"It seems these are indeed the Chi the Tree King spoke of."

Xu Chuan came to an understanding in his heart. "Injuring them with ordinary magic treasures or spiritual sense attacks hardly harms their origin. Only the True Intent of a Divine Ability can suppress them...

Could it be because of mutually countering energies?"

Thinking of this, he immediately changed his approach.

His left hand formed a seal while his right hand pressed down into empty space. A clear light faintly circulated in his palm as a profound seal mark condensed out of thin air.

It was exactly the divine ability seal technique he had created himself, the Flourishing Glory Seal.

"Suppress!"

The Flourishing Glory Seal fell like a drifting feather, printing itself onto the monster's chest.

The moment it made contact, it was like pouring boiling water on snow!

Sizzle!

Billows of foul-smelling black smoke spewed violently from the monster's body. The dark red energy surrounding it fluctuated intensely and dissipated somewhat.

For the first time, the creature let out a miserable, shrill wail. Its body twisted frantically, as if it were enduring agony far beyond physical pain.

"It works."

Xu Chuan's eyes lit up. Without a moment's hesitation, he dropped three more Flourishing Glory Seals in quick succession.

The agonizing shrieks came to an abrupt halt.

As the last wisp of dark red energy escaped from the monster's body, its hideous husk collapsed like a crumbling sandcastle, instantly turning into a pile of ashen dust devoid of any vitality.

Xu Chuan no longer held back. His figure darted around within the light screen as he pointed out the Flourishing Glory Seal again and again.

Wherever the clear light reached, the evil aura was completely eradicated.

The remaining five Chi successively turned to flying ash amidst their anguished wails.

Once the last monster dissipated, Xu Chuan retracted his seal and stood upright.

The cyan-gold light screen cascading from the Azure Dragon Treasure Umbrella around him had thinned by nearly half, Ripples endlessly churned across its surface.

He looked at the ashes on the ground and murmured to himself, "The individual attacks of these Chi are only comparable to the early-stage Golden Core, yet relying on that bizarre energy, they nearly ground through the barrier of a High-Grade Defensive Magic Treasure.

No wonder the Tree King said that even Nascent Soul cultivators could perish if besieged.

If dozens of Chi attacked together, a high-grade magic treasure's defensive light screen would likely shatter in less than fifteen minutes.

And if someone was injured by a Chi's attack and suffered the corrosion of its bizarre energy, I imagine it would be extremely troublesome.

Even before purging it, one's strength would be greatly compromised."

After a brief analysis, Xu Chuan's brow was deeply furrowed.

His gaze swept over the piles of dust below once more, revealing a look of disgust.

"After dying, these Chi leave no remnant souls, no materials, and no essence blood. They completely annihilate into nothing. Compared to demonic beasts, they are purely useless trash.

Fighting them is not only dangerous but also a waste of time."

He scoffed lightly and stowed away the Azure Dragon Treasure Umbrella and the Heavy Profound Seal.

He then collected the massive, half-man-tall chunk of Mountain Copper Essence Gold into his storage ring.

With a haul like this, it wasn't a wasted trip.

Next, Xu Chuan formed hand seals to cast the bloodline tracking secret method.

But it took seven or eight minutes before his divine soul picked up a few faint sensations, clearly because they were incredibly far away.

"The closest one is over fifty thousand kilometers away... This is not a good sign."

Helplessness showed on his face.

If it were outside, a distance of fifty thousand kilometers...

With his great accomplishment evasion divine ability, it would take him less than half an incense stick's time traveling at full speed.

However, the Ancient Battlefield was fraught with danger, divine sense was suppressed, the results of the Way of Deduction were distorted, and he could only use it once a day.

He dared not act recklessly.

Briefly determining the direction, Xu Chuan transformed into an inconspicuous streak of cyan light, cautiously flying toward the location of that faint sensation.

Along the way, he also took out the jade tablet gifted by Yan Longzi to sense if there were any Heavenly Foundry Sect disciples nearby.

Although this matter was tedious, since it was along the way and within his capabilities, he didn't mind lending a hand.

After all, the reward of a Top-Tier Magic Treasure still held quite an appeal for him.

Especially since he planned to forge this Top-Tier Magic Treasure into a tutelary Fortune Secret Treasure for the Xu lineage.

Even the Heavenly Foundry Sect did not possess the forging method for such a magic treasure.

This was primarily because cultivation methods capable of utilizing the Path of Fortune were exceedingly few, considered rare even in the ancient era.

At the other end of Xu Chuan's bloodline sensation.

Was none other than Xu Mingxian.

He was looking somewhat bedraggled right now. In a bid for a dozen or so Void Spirit Stones, he had alerted over ten Chi. Knowing their bizarre nature, he dared not cross blows with them easily.

All he could do was flee.

As for those Void Spirit Stones, he had only managed to secure three or four of them.