Chapter 229: Blood Soul Charm

The combined power of three layers of Brilliant Light at Noon was overwhelming.

Hu Changyan's only sixth-rank defensive rune seal, just barely activated, was annihilated in an instant.

The next instant, a star-umbrella artifact flared with brilliant starlight, shielding Hu Changyan's entire body.

But in that same instant, the star-umbrella artifact began rapidly melting beneath the Brilliant Light at Noon!

Seeing this, Hu Fu, the sixth-rank expert just wounded by the Brilliant Light at Noon, instantly turned pale—next moment, his eyes flashed with resolve; he used a fourth-rank star artifact to clear a path, channeling all his star power into defense, and charged toward Hu Changyan, who was still struggling within the Brilliant Light at Noon.

He meant to save him!

Even if it meant grave injury, he would save him!

Seeing this, both Mo Ji the Demon Arrow and Qi Shanye silently cursed their luck.

They were seasoned veterans—they knew exactly what this meant.

Hu Xuechuan was dead, but he might have just unleashed a far greater trouble upon them.

A young man protected by a peak sixth-rank expert—his identity was obvious!

Kill or spare?

In the blink of an eye, Qi Shanye made his decision.

Cannot spare him!

We've come this far—letting him go would only make things worse.

Especially since he was using a supercharged rune seal provided by Xu Jin.

He's a dangerous variable that could threaten our disciple's safety.

No witnesses can be left alive!

The next instant, just as Hu Fu was about to plunge into the Brilliant Light at Noon, a massive soul wave surged upward—Hu Fu's body froze rigid, blood spurting from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Hu Fu's eyes instantly glazed over!

At that same moment, Qi Shanye hurled another high-grade fifth-rank rune seal straight at Hu Fu.

Qi Shanye had spent years fleeing for his life—he was a ruthless killer through and through.

A sixth-rank expert.

No need to hold back!

Facing a peak sixth-rank expert, any hesitation could mean death and the end of one's Dao.

The next instant, terrifying golden light surged like a golden rainbow, shattering Hu Fu's fourth-rank star artifact, piercing through layers of defense, and slamming into Hu Fu's chest.

At that same moment, an arrow of light flashed into view.

In the instant it appeared, it suddenly materialized right before Hu Fu's face.

Void Piercer!

It was Mo Ji the Demon Arrow striking at the same moment.

And with full force.

Even better—this Void Piercer followed precisely along the path carved open by Qi Shanye's rune seal.

It was about to utterly obliterate Hu Fu's chest.

But at the last possible instant, Hu Fu snapped out of Qi Shanye's soul assault—starlight exploded, his body twisted unnaturally, shifting half a meter left, narrowly evading Mo Ji's killing strike—yet half his shoulder was torn away by the arrow.

Instantly gravely wounded!

Mo Ji the Demon Arrow and Qi Shanye were stunned!

To evade a killing blow under these conditions—no wonder he was a sixth-rank expert.

Almost simultaneously, Qi Shanye, now hidden, unleashed another soul attack.

But this time, it missed.

Hu Fu had shifted position the moment Qi Shanye attacked.

"Remnant of the Ling Era!"

These four words, spat from Hu Fu's teeth, were stained with blood!

The next instant, Hu Fu charged again toward the Brilliant Light at Noon!

Shhh!

Void Piercer struck again!

This time, Hu Fu had no choice but to halt—but the moment he stopped, he realized something.

Qi Shanye had silently appeared not far to his left.

Another soul attack was coming.

And not far away, Hu Changyan's protective star artifact was beginning to collapse!

Hu Fu knew—he could save only one now.

Save the young master—or save himself.

Save himself, and he could still avenge the young master.

But the young master would die.

Save the young master, and the young master might live—but Hu Fu might not survive.

The thought flashed through his mind—and in that instant, Hu Fu made his instinctive decision!

With a flick of his wrist, he hurled his last two fifth-rank rune seals and another star artifact far into the glowing mass of the Brilliant Light at Noon.

The moment the seals and artifact were launched, a torrent of soul force struck—Hu Fu again spewed blood from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, his gaze instantly dimming, his mind reeling.

This time, Mo Ji the Demon Arrow seized the perfect opening!

The arrowlight shot forth.

Void Piercer!

In the instant it struck, it darted like a venomous snake straight into the massive wound on Hu Fu's shoulder.

Boom!

Injury upon injury!

Hu Fu's entire left chest exploded into a mist of blood!

Turquoise starlight gushed from Qi Shanye's hand, slamming into Hu Fu's exploded chest, followed by another soul strike.

Void Piercer struck again!

The next instant, Qi Shanye's turquoise starlight obliterated Hu Fu's entire chest—simultaneously, Mo Ji's Void Piercer arrowlight suddenly veered off course.

It slithered upward through Hu Fu's chest wound, drilling straight into his neck!

Boom!

Hu Fu's head exploded from within!

After three full breaths of sustained consumption, and the final expenditure of Hu Fu's two rune seals and star artifact, the combined power of the three layers of Brilliant Light at Noon finally dissipated.

Hu Changyan, his armor and skin charred, had assumed he was dead—but somehow, he survived.

Seeing the dissolving Brilliant Light at Noon and the corpse of Hu Fu, Hu Changyan had only one thought—escape!

In an instant, he spun and shot away like lightning, while simultaneously activating a fourth-rank speed rune seal on himself.

But the moment he pulled out the seal, Qi Shanye appeared silently before him.

A massive soul force surged upward.

Instantly, Hu Changyan spewed blood from all seven orifices, froze in place, his starlight dimming as he tumbled toward the ground.

The piercing whistle had barely sounded when the Void Piercer arrowlight struck like a venomous snake into the back of Hu Changyan's skull.

Boom!

Hu Changyan's head exploded like a watermelon!

"Perfect!"

Behind them, Mo Ji the Demon Arrow laughed heartily, "Old Qi, fighting alongside you is always exhilarating!"

Qi Shanye chuckled—back when the Ling Era Star Palace still existed, they had often teamed up to defeat stronger foes.

But this was the first time they'd jointly annihilated a peak sixth-rank expert.

Previously, their best result had merely been crippling a mid-sixth-rank expert.

And today, they'd succeeded in killing Hu Fu only because the sixth-rank expert's focus was on saving someone, not fighting.

He abandoned his defense to save Hu Changyan.

That's what gave us the chance to kill him.

Otherwise, crippling him would've been easy—but killing him? Nearly impossible!

"You think—"

Old Qi had just smirked triumphantly when suddenly, a faint blood-red glow, hovering between substance and illusion, rose from Hu Changyan's corpse—yet this glow emitted soul vibrations!

Almost instantly, Old Qi's face turned ashen!

The moment he sensed the soul vibration, he moved to shatter the blood glow.

Old Qi reacted fast—but the blood glow was faster.

The next instant, the blood glow, as if finding its target, shot forth like a crimson lightning bolt, slamming directly into Mo Ji the Demon Arrow's body.

Incredibly swift!

Mo Ji didn't even register the attack—the blood glow vanished inside him before he could react.

Mo Ji's face froze, utterly bewildered.

At that same moment, the brilliant starlight of the Star-Picking Tower's branch building suddenly vanished, turning plain and unadorned—and Xu Jin stepped out of the branch building.

The instant Xu Jin stepped out, he saw the crimson lightning bolt slam into his uncle Mo Ji's body—but Mo Ji appeared unharmed, though his expression was strangely odd.

Qi Shanye's face turned pale.

"Master, Uncle Mo, what was that blood-red lightning just now?" Xu Jin asked in surprise.

A bitter expression surfaced on Qi Shanye's face; Mo Ji, the Demon Arrow, also smiled bitterly.

"Alright, I guess I got lucky."

"My trouble is gone, but I never expected it would bring you a massive one!" Qi Shanye smiled bitterly.

He had just killed Hu Xuechuan and destroyed the Star Locator, the artifact Hu Xuechuan used to track him—but he hadn't anticipated this.

Xu Jin was confused.

"That blood-red lightning is called Blood Soul Guide. It's a technique only powerful seventh-rank or higher cultivators can use—to protect their blood descendants and deter enemies from killing them."

If a blood descendant protected by the Blood Soul Guide is slain, the killer will be marked and cursed by its backlash!"

"It's a feud to the death!"

Qi Shanye added with another bitter smile, "And the Blood Soul Guide's tracking is far more brutal than the Star Locator's!"

"No matter where you are—even tens of thousands of miles away—it gives a clear directional signal."

Xu Jin, who had just assimilated control of this branch of the Star-Picking Tower, stared in shock.

Mo Ji slowly lowered his bow and chuckled bitterly, "This bastard was a walking disaster! Why didn't you reveal your identity earlier? If I'd known he was protected by Blood Soul Guide, I'd have just knocked him out and fed him to beasts—no trouble at all!"

Qi Shanye also smiled bitterly.

"Is there no way to fix this?"

Mo Ji slowly shook his head.

"It's a feud to the death!"

"Or, the elder of this person must abandon the pursuit—or be killed!" Qi Shanye said bitterly.

In the next instant, Mo Ji let out a long sigh. "Running for my life? I've done it before. I've been on the run for twenty years already—what's another twenty?"

"Enough. We don't have much time."

"If you don't want to be wiped out together, we must leave immediately—and split up!"

"No!"

Qi Shanye's expression grew even more bitter. "Before, Hu Xuechuan's tracking of me was only vague—my concealment still worked. But this Blood Soul Guide? Concealment won't help at all."

"Do you want to be wiped out? Hurry up! Collect the Star-Picking Tower!"

As he spoke, Mo Ji immediately began clearing the battlefield, sweeping layers of star-force to erase all traces of combat, while Qi Shanye began looting the corpses.

"This sixth-rank cultivator was a pauper. This young master was wealthy—but he spent it all. A few ten-thousand taels in gold notes? Still a decent haul." Qi Shanye sounded listless.

Xu Jin frowned, then activated the Star Tower's spirit. Instantly, with a thunderous rumble, the Star-Picking Tower rose from the ground, shrank rapidly into a spinning speck, then vanished into Xu Jin's body.

"I just heard this kid's surname was Hu, right?" Qi Shanye suddenly asked.

"Seems so."

"There are many skilled Hu cultivators in the Sun Star Temple. Several seventh-rank ones. The strongest and most famous is the Sun Star Temple's Second Elder, Hu Zhen—he's eighth-rank."

Qi Shanye smiled bitterly.

Mo Ji's face darkened further.

Inside a grand hall of the Sun Star Temple's main compound, an old man meditating suddenly opened his eyes. The moment he did, two beams of starlight shot straight toward Hu Changyan's courtyard.

In the next instant, the starlight descended, and Hu Zhen appeared in Hu Changyan's courtyard.

"Where is Changyan?"

His roar startled over fifty servants, guards, stewards, and concubines, all of whom jolted awake.

They rushed into the courtyard and knelt down in a flurry.

"We pay homage to the Ancestor!"

"I ask you again—where is Changyan?"

The steward trembled as he raised his head. "Ancestor, the young master left half an hour ago with Master Hu Fu. He didn't say where he was going."

"Left?"

Hearing this, Hu Zhen's vision blurred; his body swayed violently.

So it was truly Changyan's Blood Soul Guide that activated—not someone else's. His perception was correct!

Suppressing his rage, Hu Zhen asked, "Do you know what Changyan was doing? Who visited him these past two days?"

All replied they didn't know—except the steward, who whispered, "Ancestor, I dared not ask the young master's destination, but last night, Sixth Master came by."

"Sixth Master? Hu Xuechuan?"

"Yes."

"This wastrel!"

Hu Zhen exploded in fury, having already deduced the truth. "Why didn't you stop him?"

"We… how could we dare, Ancestor? Forgive your servant!" the steward begged desperately.

In the next instant, Hu Zhen coldly scanned the fifty-odd guards, servants, concubines, and steward kneeling before him. He stomped his foot lightly—and starlight crashed down like a mountain.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! Explosions rang out endlessly.

In an instant, all fifty-odd people were obliterated by Hu Zhen.

In the next instant, a blood-red glow appeared in Hu Zhen's palm. He sank his mind into it, sensed briefly, then stepped into the Sun Star Temple's Star-Picking Tower—and vanished.

Thunderfall Mountains.

Qi Shanye, Mo Ji, and Xu Jin were flying swiftly toward Songzhou, already hundreds of miles from their previous location.

Suddenly, Mo Ji, flying ahead, came to a sharp stop. "Alright, we part ways here."

"Uncle Mo!"

Xu Jin was about to speak, but Qi Shanye interrupted urgently, "Old Mo, I know what you're thinking—this is absolutely unacceptable! We must fight! I still have a rune seal—I still have a chance!"

Mo Ji shook his head. "The rune seal your disciple gave you—if used well, might severely wound a sixth-rank. But a seventh-rank? Absolutely impossible."

"You understand—seventh-rank is entirely different."

"Uncle Mo, I still have a sixth-rank rune seal meant for survival—its power is doubled." Xu Jin volunteered.

Qi Shanye's eyes flickered slightly, then dimmed.

Mo Ji shook his head again. "Even a doubled sixth-rank rune seal? It might only repel a seventh-rank—can't even wound him."

"So it's useless."

"Remember, the Void-Breaking technique I taught you—find a successor for me someday."

"And this address—this is my only bloodline. He's nearly an adult. If you ever have the chance, look after him. If he has talent, guide him onto the cultivation path—give him some resources. Do as you see fit." Mo Ji tossed Xu Jin a jade tablet.

Xu Jin's face instantly turned grim.

Even a fool could tell—Mo Ji was making his final arrangements!

"Fight! Maybe there's still a chance!"

Qi Shanye, unwilling to give up, grew agitated.

But in the next instant, Mo Ji roared, "Fight what? The lowest is seventh-rank—what if it's eighth-rank?"

"If it's eighth-rank, we might not even get the chance to die!"

"Do you want to get your disciple killed too?!"

Qi Shanye fell silent.

Xu Jin remained mute.

"After we part, I'll move stealthily, seek out deadly, treacherous places—maybe I can still carve out a sliver of hope," Mo Ji comforted them.

Xu Jin racked his brain.

He even considered giving Mo Ji his strongest survival artifact—the Chaos Star—but he realized instantly: it wouldn't work.

The Blood Soul Guide's deadliest trait is that it cannot be removed!

Even if you evade it for a while, you can't evade it forever.

And Mo Ji is precisely the one who will trigger the final killing blow.

For a moment, Mo Ji himself had grown calm—but Qi Shanye and Xu Jin were both grim, agonizing over the situation.

A few breaths later, Qi Shanye suddenly slapped his thigh.

"I've got it!"

"I found a way!"

(End of Chapter)