Chapter 143: Evil Sacrifice and Blood Shadow, Traces of the Vast Sea Demon

Heishuicheng stands on the western edge of the continent, with its back against the vast, boundless "Blackwater Swamp," which is shrouded in gray mist all year round. The city walls are built from a local specialty—a black rock with extremely high water absorption. Damp all year round and covered in dark green moss, the entire city seems to merge with the dead, silent swamp behind it during overcast and rainy days, exuding a gloomy and oppressive tone.

Lin Xuan and Zhao Yuan did not enter the city with great fanfare. The two restrained their auras, disguised themselves as two wandering rogue cultivators, and mingled with the passing merchant caravans to enter this city, which was rumored to be shrouded in the shadow of a cult, without making a sound.

As soon as they entered the city, an atmosphere vastly different from other places rushed toward them. Although there were not few pedestrians on the streets, most looked hurried, with a hint of vigilance and unease between their brows. In addition to the damp, musty smell unique to the swamp area, the air was faintly mixed with a lingering, unsettling sweet and fishy stench, as if it were a mixture of some inferior incense and old bloodstains. At street corners and in alleyways, one could occasionally see figures dressed in gray-brown hemp robes, faces covered by hoods, walking by with lowered heads. On their cuffs or lapels, there was often embroidered an extremely simple, dark red symbol resembling a twisted vine—the very mark of the "Rebirth Sect" mentioned in the intelligence.

"Senior, the aura in this city... is very uncomfortable," Zhao Yuan transmitted. The "Silent Shadow" in his hand emitted an extremely faint humming sound from its scabbard; it was the sword spirit's instinctive rejection and warning against filth and evil.

"Hmm." Lin Xuan’s gaze swept calmly across the street. The power of his Chaos Tribulation Dao Dharma Body acted like invisible tentacles, meticulously sensing the "abnormalities" in the surrounding environment. That sweet, fishy stench was indeed mixed with an extremely faint, filthy energy that shared the same origin as the "World-Eroding" demonic thoughts, yet it was more heterogeneous, as if it were a mixture of countless negative emotions and the resentment of living beings. The flow of the city's ley lines also faintly showed an unnatural trend of converging toward the northwest area of the city, which was the approximate location of the "Rebirth Sect's" secret stronghold mentioned in the intelligence.

The two did not rush to act; instead, they found an inconspicuous inn in the city to stay in and, according to the agreement, made contact with the allied secret agents who had infiltrated the city earlier through a specific method.

Late at night, inside the inn room, an isolation array was quietly activated.

A middle-aged cultivator dressed in black, with an ordinary face and an aura restrained to the extreme, respectfully presented a more detailed dossier to Lin Xuan and reported in a low voice: "Dharma Protector Lin, Fellow Daoist Zhao. According to our secret investigations over the past few days, the 'Rebirth Sect' has at least five public 'Charity Halls' in the city as cover, but its core members and true ritual sites are all hidden underground in that abandoned 'Old Mine' in the northwest district. The mine tunnels there are intricate and complex, and they seem to have been modified by the cultists using special means, with restrictions set up to confuse perception and trigger alarms. Our people once tried to go deep, but they only reached the outer perimeter before losing two men and being forced to retreat. According to the survivors, the depths of the mine tunnels are filled with a thick, bloody smell and that sweet, fishy stench, and one can hear intermittent, painful groans and frantic ravings that sound as if they are mixed together from countless people."

He paused, a flash of terror crossing his face: "What is even more bizarre is that at the hour of the Rat last night, a powerful energy fluctuation briefly erupted from the direction of the Old Mine. Although it was quickly suppressed, at that moment, the evil symbol on the lintels of all the 'Rebirth Sect's' public places in the city lit up with a dark red light simultaneously. Subsequently, the frequency of disappearances in the city has clearly accelerated."

Lin Xuan flipped through the dossier, which included a rough topographical map of the Old Mine, the activity patterns of the cultists, and several side-investigation records of ordinary believers suspected of being bewitched or controlled. The records showed that most of these believers were people who had encountered major setbacks, lost loved ones, or suffered from terminal illnesses. They were attracted by the "Rebirth Sect" with pretexts like "relieving pain," "rebirth into ultimate bliss," and "gaining a new life." After participating in so-called "purification rituals," their temperaments changed drastically, becoming devoted to the sect, even actively donating their family assets, and even... "offering" themselves.

"The so-called 'purification ritual' is likely the initial demonic energy erosion and mental control," Zhao Yuan said coldly, tightening his grip on his sword hilt.

Lin Xuan closed the dossier, a flash of chaotic light in his eyes: "The energy fluctuation in the depths of the mine is related to the altar. Time is pressing; we must infiltrate as soon as possible, identify the core, and destroy it. You two provide support on the perimeter while monitoring the movements of other cultists in the city. Once we make a move inside the mine, prevent them from acting like cornered beasts and creating chaos or blood sacrifices in the city."

"Understood!"

At the third quarter of the hour of the Rat, dark clouds obscured the moon; it was the most silent and darkest moment of the day in Heishuicheng.

Lin Xuan and Zhao Yuan, like two ghosts merging into the night, arrived silently at the entrance of the abandoned Old Mine in the northwest district. The entrance was half-hidden by messily piled ore and dilapidated wooden frames, and the surroundings were permeated with a faint, yet more intense, version of the sweet, fishy stench found in the city.

Lin Xuan raised his hand and pressed it into the void; a wisp of chaotic energy, like mercury spilling onto the ground, seeped silently into the void around the entrance. A moment later, he withdrew his hand: "There are three layers of early-warning restrictions at the entrance: one targeting spiritual power fluctuations, one targeting life auras, and another... which seems to be a detection for 'conscious will.' Ordinary concealment methods would likely struggle to avoid them all."

Zhao Yuan frowned: "Then what should we do?"

"No matter." Lin Xuan flicked his fingertips, and two imperceptible gray glimmers sank into his own and Zhao Yuan's glabella: "This is the 'Garment of Falsehood' transformed by the Chaos Tribulation power. It can temporarily distort the definition of our 'existence' within a small range around us, causing those restrictions to judge us as 'harmless dead objects' or 'naturally dissipating energy flows.' It won't last long, so we must be quick."

The two followed suit. Sure enough, when they approached the entrance and even passed directly through those seemingly invisible restriction ripples, the restrictions did not react at all.

Entering the mine, a foul air mixed with rust, dampness, blood, and the sweet, fishy stench rushed toward them. The tunnel sloped downward, deep and dark, with only inferior fluorescent stones embedded sporadically on the rock walls providing meager illumination. On both sides of the tunnel, one could occasionally see abandoned mine carts, rusted tools, and some ancient, strangely positioned remains of miners, adding a sense of eeriness.

The further they went, the more the traces of manual excavation were replaced by a rougher passage that seemed to have been violently dug and widened by something. On the rock walls, the dark red evil symbol graffiti in the shape of twisted vines began to appear, emitting a faint, filthy energy. The sweet, fishy stench in the air grew thicker, and the faint groans and ravings became clearer, as if coming from all directions, and as if ringing directly in their minds, attempting to stir up negative emotions and fear.

Zhao Yuan kept his sword heart guarded, and his Nirvana Sword Intent acted like an invisible barrier, slicing away all those mental intrusions. Lin Xuan appeared even more composed; the Chaos Tribulation power encompassed all laws, and these low-level mental pollutions were no different from a breeze to him.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the path ahead suddenly opened up, and a huge natural grotto, which seemed to have been formed by connecting several mine tunnels, appeared before their eyes.

The scene before them made even Zhao Yuan, who was accustomed to life-and-death struggles, unable to help but shrink his pupils, his stomach churning.

In the center of the grotto was the very altar from the recording, built from bones (both human and various demonic beasts) and strange black ore. Its scale was even larger than what was seen in the recording, measuring ten zhang square. The surface of the altar was carved with dense, twisted runes that constantly flowed with dark red light; those runes seemed to possess life, wriggling slightly. In the center of the altar, what was worshipped was not a statue, but a mass of dark red light, about the size of a human head, that was constantly churning and seemed to be composed of thick blood and dark matter! Every pulse of the light mass emitted an evil, frantic, and thirsty intent that made one's soul freeze; it was the source of that sweet, fishy stench and mental pollution!

What was even more hair-raising was that around the altar, over a hundred "Rebirth Sect" believers in gray-brown hemp robes were kneeling. Most of them had dull and numb expressions, empty eyes, and were chanting something, constantly kowtowing toward the altar. And between the altar and the believers lay dozens of men and women who had been stripped of their clothes, bound hand and foot, and were still struggling weakly or had already fallen unconscious. Judging by their attire, they were the very cultivators and some wealthy merchants and commoners who had gone missing recently! Their wrists or ankles had been cut, but the blood did not flow wantonly; instead, it was guided by the runes on the altar, turning into thin threads of blood that flowed into the dark red light mass in the center!

And directly in front of the altar stood three gray-robed figures whose auras were clearly different from the ordinary believers. The leader had a hunched figure and held a twisted wooden staff embedded with pale animal bones. His whole body exuded the spiritual power fluctuations of the late Golden Core stage, but the nature of his spiritual power was cold and filthy, and two clusters of dark red flames burned in his eyes; he had clearly been completely demonized and controlled. The two people behind him also had the cultivation of the early Golden Core stage, and their eyes were equally frantic.

"The time has come! Offer the final sacrifices and welcome the arrival of the shadow of our Lord 'Blood God'! Open the gate of rebirth and grant you eternal bliss!" The hunched priest held the bone staff high, his voice hoarse and sharp, filled with fanaticism.

The two early Golden Core cultists immediately stepped forward and dragged a young female cultivator from the sacrifices who was on the verge of death but whose features could still be seen to be beautiful, intending to drag her to a depression on the altar clearly used for the final "blood sacrifice"!

Just at this critical moment—

"Chi!"

A faint yet incomparably sharp sound of something piercing the air rang out! Immediately following, a gray-white sword light, like the light of dawn piercing the darkness, shot out from the entrance of the grotto, precisely grazing the wrists of the two cultists!

"Ah—!" The two screamed in unison, their wrists severed at the root, and black blood gushed out! The female cultivator fell to the ground.

"Who goes there?!" The hunched priest turned around abruptly, his dark red eyes staring fixedly at the entrance. He slammed his bone staff onto the ground, and a filthy spiritual pressure mixed with blood and resentment erupted with a boom!

The figures of Lin Xuan and Zhao Yuan walked slowly out of the shadows.

"Disturbing the sacrifice, blaspheming our Lord! Kill him..." The hunched priest had not finished speaking.

Lin Xuan just looked at him indifferently, his right index finger pressing lightly toward the direction where he was.

"Freeze."

His words carried the power of law! The air around the hunched priest instantly solidified, and the space seemed to turn into indestructible amber, trapping him, along with the bone staff he was about to swing and the erupting filthy spiritual power, firmly in place, unable to move! Even the dark red flames in his eyes seemed to have frozen!

This was a use of space initially mastered by the Chaos Tribulation Dao Dharma Body—using the Chaos Tribulation power to forcibly "define" the laws of a small area, making it temporarily "solidified." Although the range was small, the consumption was high, and the duration was short, it was enough to secure victory at a critical moment.

The other two cultists with severed wrists saw this and were scared out of their wits, turning to flee into the crowd of believers.

Zhao Yuan had already moved.

"Silent Shadow: Severing Thoughts!"

His body followed the sword, man and sword as one. Two condensed gray-white sword lights, like lightning traveling through the void, arrived first despite being launched later, instantly piercing the backs of the two cultists! The Nirvana Sword Intent contained within the sword light not only destroyed their physical vitality but also severed and purified the demonic thoughts that had already eroded their souls!

Clean and efficient, killing two Golden Core cultivators of the same rank in an instant!

All of this happened too quickly. Only now did the ordinary believers kneeling around react, emitting a burst of terrified, chaotic screams and commotion, but most still had dull eyes and slow movements, as if they had not yet fully recovered from the mental control.

Lin Xuan's gaze passed over the chaotic believers and fell on the altar emitting ominous fluctuations, and the dark red light mass in the center of the altar that was constantly devouring blood and whose aura was becoming increasingly terrifying.

He could clearly feel that deep within this light mass, an extremely evil, ancient, and greedy will was attempting to cross a certain boundary through the sacrifice of the blood, flesh, and souls of countless living beings, projecting a trace of a "shadow" or "power" into this realm! This had similarities to the "World-Eroding" demonic thoughts, yet it carried a more primitive, twisted craving for "blood" and "life" itself.

"'Blood God'?" A cold arc appeared at the corner of Lin Xuan's mouth, "Just a broken evil thought lingering on its last breath, relying on stealing from living beings to survive, and you dare to call yourself a god?"

He ignored the trapped hunched priest (whose vitality was rapidly fading under the erosion of the Chaos Tribulation power) and took a step, arriving at the edge of the altar.

The altar seemed to sense the threat, and the runes on its surface suddenly shone brightly. The dark red light mass churned violently, emitting a harsh screeching sound as if countless wronged souls were screaming in unison! A thick pillar of light, mixed with viscous blood light and pitch-black demonic energy, erupted from the light mass, booming toward Lin Xuan with the terrifying power to corrode souls and defile all things!

"Careful!" Zhao Yuan shouted urgently.

Lin Xuan did not dodge or evade; he simply raised his left hand, his palm facing the incoming filthy pillar of light.

"Chaos returns to ruins; all laws are void."

In his palm, a miniature, slowly rotating chaotic vortex quietly emerged. Although the vortex was small, it seemed to contain the ultimate Dao rhyme of the beginning of heaven and earth, which could also cause all laws to return to silence.

The filthy pillar of light, which had such a terrifying momentum, was swallowed, decomposed, and assimilated silently the moment it touched the chaotic vortex! It didn't even stir up a ripple!

The dark red light mass in the center of the altar seemed to have been frightened; it shrank violently, then erupted with even more violent and resentful fluctuations. Countless threads of blood spread out from the light mass, attempting to connect to the sacrifices below that had not yet breathed their last, making a final struggle.

"Stubborn." Lin Xuan's right hand formed a sword gesture, and a wisp of gray-purple lightning, condensed to the extreme, danced at his fingertips.

"Nirvana Thunder Tribulation, Purify!"

"Shoo!"

The gray-purple lightning was as thin as a hair, yet it was faster than thought, instantly piercing into the core of the dark red light mass!

"Puff—!"

A light sound like a bubble bursting. Under the bombardment of the dual power of "ending" and "purification" contained in the Nirvana Thunder Tribulation, the light mass, which had condensed countless filth and evil thoughts, melted and vaporized instantly like snow under the scorching sun, and the runes on the altar below also quickly dimmed and disintegrated!

Having lost its core energy source, the entire altar let out an unbearable groan and collapsed with a boom, kicking up a sky full of bone ash and dust.

The suffocating evil pressure and sweet, fishy stench in the grotto dissipated rapidly. The dullness in the eyes of the ordinary believers who had been under mental control gradually faded, replaced by confusion and terror, and then they burst into cries and chaos of those who had survived a catastrophe.

Zhao Yuan stood guard with his sword, while simultaneously using his sword intent to shout, attempting to pacify the chaotic crowd.

Lin Xuan stood where he was, his brows slightly furrowed. Destroying the altar and the "Blood God" projection had gone smoothly, but when he purified the core of the light mass with the Nirvana Thunder Tribulation just now, he had clearly captured a trace of an extremely obscure, resentful, and unwilling intent that seemed to originate from an infinitely distant place. Within that intent, there seemed to be some fragmented information about "Vast Sea," "Return to Ruins," and "Ancient Contracts."

The source of the "Blood God" was indeed not in the Tianyuan Continent, but in... the Endless Vast Sea? And it seemed to be related to the Return to Ruins Sea Eye? It might even involve some kind of "Ancient Contract"?

He walked to the ruins of the altar, his gaze falling on the few broken stone slabs similar to those found in the Star Fall Plains. These stone slabs had now completely lost their luster, but the material was still special. He picked one up, sensing it carefully with his Chaos Tribulation power.

In addition to the "summoning" and "guiding" runes discovered earlier, on the edge of this more complete stone slab, he also "read" some extremely ancient totem patterns that had almost been erased by time—it seemed to be a twisted pattern composed of three stars and an encircling Ouroboros.

This pattern... he seemed to have caught a glimpse of it by chance in some ancient scroll rubbings of the Star Palace. It was said to be the symbol of an ancient civilization overseas that had long since perished and worshipped "Stars and Reincarnation."

The cult in Heishuicheng was far away in the western part of the continent, yet its source might actually involve an ancient civilization in the overseas Vast Sea and the Return to Ruins Sea Eye? The connection between these was far more intricate and complex than he had imagined.

"Senior Lin, how should these believers and survivors be handled?" Zhao Yuan's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Lin Xuan put away the stone slab fragments and looked at the chaotic crowd: "Contact the people providing support on the perimeter, properly settle the survivors, screen and control these bewitched believers, interrogate the possible middle and high-level personnel among them, and dig out the other strongholds and leaders of the 'Rebirth Sect.' This place is not suitable for a long stay; we must immediately..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his expression changed abruptly. He looked up sharply, gazing toward the dome of the grotto, as if piercing through the thick rock layers to look toward the extremely distant east—the direction of the Endless Vast Sea!

Just now, his Chaos Tribulation Dao Dharma Body's perception of "tribulation" and "abnormality" had captured an extremely faint, yet incomparably clear "pulse" that carried an aura of vastness, antiquity, madness, and destruction! That pulse did not come from the "World-Eroding" demonic thoughts, but was resonating with the totem on the stone slab in his hand, with the residual intent of the "Blood God," and even faintly with the Return to Ruins Sea Eye!

"The Vast Sea... something has happened." Lin Xuan's voice carried a hint of unprecedented gravity.

Almost at the same time.

Far away in the Imperial Capital, the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, who was presiding over the Star-Gazing Platform, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and the star disk floating in front of him cracked with a "click."

In the Endless Vast Sea, at the Shattered Star Isle branch of the Star Palace.

Beichen, who was in seclusion to stabilize his cultivation, was forcibly awakened by a rush of harsh alarm bells. He rushed out of the quiet room, only to see that above the night sky, the originally clear stars were now covered with a layer of eerie dark red blood light! And from the direction of the Return to Ruins Sea Eye in the distance came a dull, thunder-like, yet even more heart-palpitating roar, as if some colossal giant that had been sleeping for ten thousand ages was slowly... turning over.