Chapter 151: Blood Demon Dan

On the north bank of the Huai River, in Jingzhou.

Drip~

Drip~

The remaining blood droplets slid down the 'Steward' banner, dripping onto the ground piled with coal ash.

The vast mine hidden among the mountains, though brightly lit, was deathly silent, with only a few figures in black robes watching for any rustle of wind or movement on the hillside.

On the ground originally used to store iron ore, more than twelve hundred corpses were piled together, forming a skull tower that preserved limbs; bloodwater spread between the bodies, seeping into the thick layer of dust covering the ground.

The blood fiendishness had not yet dissipated; wisps of blood qi still spread toward the center.

He Hai, cloaked, sat cross-legged on the roof ridge, holding a hollow golden sphere in his palm.

Suspended inside the golden sphere was a single blood droplet, vivid red, free of any impurities, looking like a blood gemstone.

Though beautiful, this was the essence refined from more than twelve hundred strong men.

Humans are born into three, six, and nine ranks, but their bodies are not; whether an emperor above ten thousand or a beggar in the mud, all possess two hands, two feet, three souls, seven spirits, seven emotions, six desires, primordial qi, and vital essence and blood, born with no fewer parts than anyone else.

The key to the Hua Yao Dan lies not in refining the vital essence and blood, but in awakening the sacrificial offerings' desires, causing them to exhaust their qi and blood in supreme bliss.

Because desire is the source of human motivation, capable of stimulating the body to the utmost and unleashing hidden potential.

What the Hua Yao Dan collects is actually a desire driven from the depths of the soul, born within extremely strong human desires.

Of course, it can also be understood as 'hormones'.

The amount produced by one person can only excite the limbs, but gathering hundreds or thousands is enough to instantly shatter the body's limits.

Meanwhile, the qi, blood, and vital spirits refined together can greatly replenish primordial qi and vital essence, ensuring that after breaking through the body's limits, one does not over-exhaust and drain the primordial qi; combined, the two achieve the effect of crossing an insurmountable chasm.

This is why the Demon Path Super Rank is called 'Unbridled Desire', using extreme desire to trigger unparalleled motivation, causing the physique to grow rapidly, rather than indulging in eating, drinking, playing, and wanton lust.

For this Hua Yao Dan, the Mingshen Sect had been rushing back and forth for months.

This was almost the last chance; if it failed, the Jingzhao Prefecture would have no place left to strike in the short term.

With Third Master missing, there was a possibility of intelligence leakage; to ensure absolute safety, Second Master decided to turn the plan against itself, striking simultaneously in two locations.

Second Master personally oversaw the formation at the Imperial Mausoleum; if it was already exposed and ambushed, it would serve as bait, tying down all the imperial court's forces.

Meanwhile, He Hai would strike at Jingzhou on the north bank of the Huai River, with a smaller scale, so that even if an Immortal Official arrived with the Demon-Seeking Plate, they would only be guided toward the Imperial Mausoleum.

The Tower of Universal Brightness could detect demonic qi in several directions, but since this place, the Imperial Mausoleum, and Jingcheng formed a straight line, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, upon detecting the blood fiendishness, would only see the north, unable to discern how many sources there were.

The other directional Towers of Universal Brightness, due to the short distance between the two sites, could not distinguish accurately; even if they came, they would first be drawn to the sky-piercing blood fiendishness at the Imperial Mausoleum.

This scheme was absolutely foolproof; for this reason, until completion was imminent, there was nothing unusual around the iron mine.

As He Hai refined the blood qi, his peripheral vision kept watching the flashing Lei Guang more than twenty li to the south, occasionally instructing:

"Hold firm! We can withdraw in less than half a ke; Second Master is still holding on..."

More than ten Mingshen Sect followers, each wielding weapons, guarded fiercely; even a mountain sparrow flying over was killed on the spot to prevent it from being a reconnaissance tool.

Meanwhile, on the north bank of the Huai River.

Xie Jinhuan, wearing a bamboo hat, followed the guidance through the wilds; as the distance from the Imperial Mausoleum grew greater, the Ghost Bride's expression grew serious.

"These demon bandits are quite capable; they even dumped the main leader in the mountains as cannon fodder, making the small ones secretly perform blood sacrifices here, nearly fooling even me. Judging by the scale, it's almost complete; we must hurry."

Hoo...

Xie Jinhuan's figure immediately shot up from the ground, racing across the treetops, asking along the way:

"What cultivation level?"

"The scale is much smaller than the Imperial Mausoleum, but whoever is presiding over the blood sacrifice formation must have at least the power of one Dan."

"..."

Xie Jinhuan had already entered Rank 3; in the past ten-plus days, he had been consuming 'Dragon Blood Dan', so his current strength was roughly at Rank 3.25; truly, if he encountered a mid-stage Rank 3 Tai Shu Dan, he could kill him even without taking medicine.

However, if the opponent was stronger, it would rely more on technique.

As for the Cultivation Surge Dan, he did carry one, but taking it again would inevitably damage his foundation; it could only be used to seal the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum, not here.

Thinking thus, Xie Jinhuan suppressed all sound and scent, slipping silently through the wilds; after walking only a few li, he smelled the thick stench of blood and coal smoke.

And atop the pitch-black mountain ridges, lookout posts had appeared.

Xie Jinhuan carefully surveyed the area; his figure, like a ghost, used the bushes in Lin Ye for cover, bypassing the lookouts' line of sight, and arrived at a low-lying area on the side of the iron mine, peeking out from the side of the outhouse to observe.

The result revealed a cloaked figure sitting cross-legged on the roof; around him, little blood qi remained, and the flapping of the cloak was clearly visible.

On the ground ahead, wine bowls and meat were scattered; over a thousand corpses were stacked into a pyramid on the site, and the exposed faces still bore eerie smiles of unrestrained desire.

Although Xie Jinhuan killed as casually as chopping grass, under rational circumstances, he did not cut down commoners; seeing this scene, he felt not a single one of these bastards could escape.

However, to prevent being blocked and allowing the mastermind to flee, he still looked toward the ghost beside him, seeking help with his eyes.

Ye Hongshang had no physical body, so she could not attack directly, but she could charm; immediately, she searched slightly, her gaze shifting toward the pile of miscellaneous items near the outhouse.

In the pile of items, a crowing rooster, terrified by the sky-piercing blood fiendishness, cowered in its coop, trembling and too afraid to even whimper.

Ye Hongshang blinked her eyes, then immediately floated over...

Hoo hoo...

The night wind blew against the cloak, and the blood qi rapidly gathered into the golden sphere in the palm.

He Hai desperately urged his cultivation technique, his peripheral vision watching the flashing Lei Guang dozens of li away; just as he was growing anxious, he suddenly heard a faint sound:

Tap tap tap~

Everyone's hearts tightened; hearing the sound, they all turned their gaze toward the source.

But they saw a speckled rooster running lightly toward the mountain of people; noticing them looking, it even turned its head: "Cluck cluck~" twice.

?

He Hai frowned, watching the rooster move; many of the cultists also gripped their weapons, somewhat bewildered.

Tap tap tap...

The big rooster ran fast; in just a few bounds it climbed to the peak of the human mountain, then spread its wings, hopped back and forth with its chicken feet, turned slowly in circles, and leaped toward the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss...

Hah?!!

More than a dozen cultists tilted their heads in unison.

He Hai was initially baffled, but quickly realized someone was secretly controlling the chicken and dog, attempting to take flight.

But at that very moment!

Boom—

The brick walls of the houses beneath them exploded, and the black-tiled roofs instantly arched upward!

A terrifying shockwave, like high explosives detonating within the houses, instantly destroyed the entire building!

He Hai, who had been sitting atop it, had not yet lifted his buttocks from the tiles when the entire person was blasted skyward by the impact, his cloak exploding along with him.

Xie Jinhuan closed in and executed a Huang Long Lying Down technique, giving the opponent no chance to react; as the Tiangang Mace descended, his left hand had already gripped the mace shaft:

Hiss~

Boom—

Scattered bricks and stones were swept up by the strong wind, instantly forming a straight, earth-yellow dragon tornado shooting toward the sky; at the very front was a point of cold light, and where it pointed was He Hai's chest and abdomen.

Suddenly struck by a martial artist's full-force killing move while airborne, He Hai was clearly unable to react in time; facing an almost certain killing blow from the mace, he could only grab with both hands!

Crack—

The thirty-six-section Tiangang Mace drove into his hands, tearing the skin of his palms, yet its momentum did not diminish as it still crashed into his chest.

Thud—

But what Xie Jinhuan found hard to believe was that the young man before him, whose face was somewhat familiar, possessed neither remarkable reactions nor skills, yet his physique was so formidable it rivaled a dragon or python!

The Tiangang Mace drilled into his hands without exploding his palms; only the mace's ridges scraped away flesh and skin.

And when the mace tip struck his chest, it was like hitting an iron block wrapped in cowhide.

Qi energy erupted at the mace tip, blasting his cloak and robes into tatters; his flesh and skin bore only a half-inch deep blood pit, with the surrounding skin brownish-yellow, rough and thick like wild boar hide...

?!

Sensing a familiar texture, Xie Jinhuan suddenly recalled that this young man before him bore a certain resemblance to the Ghost Witch killed by Dan Yang, and the texture felt much the same.

Sensing the situation was amiss, Xie Jinhuan immediately kicked at the center opening and顺势 withdrew the mace.

Thud—

His leg delivered a heavy strike to the chest and abdomen, but the young man before him possessed strength that was equally baffling; gripping the Tiangang Mace with both hands, he simply could not pull it out even an inch.

Both of them soared into mid-air; since the mace was not withdrawn, they crashed down to the ground together.

While restraining the weapon, He Hai had already kicked toward Xie Jinhuan's head, but halfway through, a flash of sword light appeared!

Clang—

Before Xie Jinhuan touched the ground, he discarded the Tiangang Mace, drew his sword with his reverse hand, and sliced a bloody gash along the flying leg, his body landing immediately after!

Splash!

He Hai fell into the coal ash, instantly bounced back up, lightly flipped his wrist to hold the Tiangang Mace in his right hand; his eyes first showed shock and anger, then quickly scanned left and right.

"Who are you?!"

More than a dozen cultists, realizing someone had launched a surprise attack, reacted at that moment, leaping down from all directions and landing in the field littered with corpses.

Tap tap tap...

Xie Jinhuan held his sword in his left hand, pointing diagonally at the ground, observing the young man nearby; he noticed the flesh on the chest had returned to normal, the wound gradually healing, and his eyes were filled with confusion:

"Are you human or demon?"

A Demon Path cultivator counts only as a half-demon; even when cultivated to the end, it is merely an enhanced and mutated human body structure.

A true demon, however, is a snake spirit, an octopus girl, etc.; their original form is a bird or beast. Although they can transform their shape, the required cultivation is extremely high.

This young man before him had a body resembling a true demon born with rough skin and thick flesh, yet his cultivation was not particularly high, exceeding Xie Jinhuan's understanding.

Tap tap tap...

More than a dozen people quickly surrounded the straw-hat-clad wanderer in the center of the field.

He Hai did not respond; he did not even look at Xie Jinhuan, but hurriedly searched left and right.

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan switched his sword to his right hand, then lightly flipped his left hand to retrieve a golden sphere from his sleeve:

"Are you looking for this?"

"You?!"

He Hai clearly did not understand how high Xie Jinhuan's robbery skills were; seeing the Blood Hua Yao Dan fall into his hands, his eyes blazed with fury as he stepped forward half a pace, but immediately raised his hand to stop his followers:

"I know you are Xie Jinhuan. Give me the item, and I will let you leave to send a message. Whether you can catch up to us depends on your ability!"

Xie Jinhuan casually tossed the golden sphere; midway through, he deliberately let it slip slightly, causing He Hai to shudder in fright, but fortunately he caught it:

"So this is the Blood Hua Yao Dan you've been working so hard for?"

He Hai's eyes were cold, yet concealed anxiety:

"So what? Everyone has already been killed, and you are surrounded by us. Put the item down, and I will order everyone to step aside, giving you a path to life. If you destroy this object, I will certainly tear you to pieces!"

Xie Jinhuan looked at the mountain of corpses piled beside him:

"You have committed every evil deed; if I destroy this object, were these people killed in vain? These people were all killed by you; I am taking this desperate measure out of necessity to avenge them."

?

He Hai frowned, feeling something was amiss:

"This is the Blood Hua Yao Dan, which can only be consumed by a Demon Path cultivator attempting to break through to the Super Rank."

Listening to the Ghost Wife analyze the medicine's properties, Xie Jinhuan explained seriously:

"This pill stimulates potential and greatly replenishes vital essence. It is carefully refined from pure, strong young men, so there is no need to worry about limbs or temperament being affected by beastly instincts. Pharmacologically speaking, any male cultivator who has entered the third realm can consume it.

"Because it is only useful the first time, Demon Path cultivators use it to break through realms. I have no intention of breaking through to the Demon Path Super Rank, so I can perfectly use it as a 'Sudden Surge of Cultivation Pill'."

He Hai himself did not understand these intricacies and replied coldly:

"Nonsense! You eat it, you explode on the spot, harming others without benefiting yourself. Moreover, you are of the Righteous Path; if you eat people, how are you any different from us demon cultivators?"

Xie Jinhuan tossed the golden ball, his expression calm:

"If I don't eat it, I die here today, not to mention you will still escape justice; if I do eat it, though I will feel guilty for the rest of my life, I will at least avenge the blood of these innocent people. Come to think of it, you are the ones who have caused me such suffering."

The more He Hai listened, the more something felt wrong; he glared and said:

"Put the thing down, and you still have a chance of survival. If you use this item, no matter how much you speak, death is certain—harming others without benefiting yourself..."

"Sigh~ These words are for the imperial court to hear afterwards, not for you to hear.

"Since you say death is certain, then even if I must be buried here with these people, I will not leave this item to you bandits just to seek a sliver of survival."

As Xie Jinhuan spoke, his left hand moved slightly, guiding the qi energy in his palm to draw out the red blood pearl within the golden ball.

Hiss~

In an instant, thick red mist surged from the blood gem, gushing out of the hollowed golden ball, coiling around his arm and spreading toward his body; the veins in his arm swelled and pulsed!

(End of this chapter)