Chapter 511 - 253: Past Enmity! Supreme Demon Fire

Chapter 511: Chapter 253: Past Enmity! Supreme Demon Fire

Splattered dots of blood added to the grim and terrifying atmosphere.

Although the central main hall was mostly intact, it too was soaked in bloodstains.

At the head of the hall, three figures huddled together.

The man in the center was burly with a sinister face, beardless and bald. His scalp and exposed skin were covered in ferocious, squirming, dark-red patterns.

His eyes were especially unsettling; a bloody light flashed within them as they opened and closed, making him seem like a ferocious beast choosing its prey.

This was none other than the notoriously infamous Blood River Sect Leader, Duan He, whose very name struck terror into the hearts of the surrounding prefectures.

At this moment, a woman was nestled against him on each side.

The young woman on his left was beautiful, but her face was deathly pale. She trembled uncontrollably, her eyes filled with terror.

The woman on his right was mature and still graceful. The resemblance in her features suggested she was the girl’s mother.

Although the woman forced herself to appear calm, her tightly pressed lips and faintly trembling fingers betrayed her inner fear and despair.

"Putting on a long face in my presence. Are you tired of living?"

Duan He shot a sidelong glance at the mother and daughter, his voice raspy and low, filled with unconcealed cruelty and impatience.

"N-No... We wouldn’t dare... Sect Leader, spare us!"

The woman was scared out of her wits. She hastily forced a smile uglier than a grimace, her voice trembling.

"If you wouldn’t dare, then smile for me!"

Duan He let out a savage laugh and pointed to the blood-soaked ground outside the hall.

"Look. This whole scene is so festive. Isn’t it something to be happy about?"

The mother and daughter followed his finger. All they saw was a blinding expanse of red and scattered, severed limbs. A wave of nausea churned in their stomachs, and their terror intensified. How could they possibly smile?

Seeing their reactions, Duan He was about to threaten them again when his brow suddenly furrowed.

With a flick of his sleeve, a smooth, white jade tablet fell into his palm, glowing faintly.

Upon seeing the jade tablet clearly, the cruel, mocking look on his face instantly vanished, replaced by one of utmost respect.

Duan He waved for the other Blood Robe-clad men in the hall to withdraw, leaving only the mother and daughter who were scared stiff. Only then did he carefully channel his True Essence into the jade tablet.

"Duan He."

Elder Gu’s distinctively cold voice emanated from the jade tablet.

"Elder Gu, what are your orders? Your subordinate is listening!"

Duan He immediately straightened his back, his tone incredibly humble. He was like a completely different person from the brutal tyrant of a moment ago.

"Keep a low profile for now. Don’t cause any more major disturbances. We’re preparing to move against the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect."

"When do we strike?" Duan He’s spirits lifted.

"Within five days, at the latest."

Elder Gu’s tone was flat, but it carried an authority that brooked no argument.

"Remember, there must be no leaks. If anything goes wrong, you know the consequences."

"Yes! I understand! I will guard this secret with my life!"

Duan He hastily promised.

As he did so, his cold gaze swept over the mother and daughter beside him, who were scared into silence. A flicker of killing intent flashed through his eyes and was gone.

"Also."

Elder Gu continued his instructions.

"Relay orders to the sects under our control. Tell them to ease the pressure on the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect for now. Don’t push them too hard, lest they grow desperate and lash out.

And... when we make our move, ensure Lan Yufei is kept alive. I have other uses for that woman."

"As you command!"

Duan He agreed at once, though he felt a twinge of regret.

She was, after all, the number one beauty of Nanzhao, a woman of unparalleled grace. He had originally harbored other ideas for her.

But since Elder Gu had specifically requested her, he had no choice but to give up on those thoughts.

On the surface, the Blood River Sect was an independent Evil Dao Sect. In reality, it was a "Blood Glove" secretly supported by the Profound Yin Valley, created to handle their dirty work.

Duan He himself had once been a deacon in the Profound Yin Valley. After committing a serious crime, he was forced to defect to escape the sect’s harsh punishment. He changed his name, founded the Blood River Sect, but secretly remained at the beck and call of certain powerful figures from the valley.

He was naturally full of awe and reverence for Elder Gu, his powerful backer in the valley, and wouldn’t dare to disobey him in the slightest.

"Right."

Elder Gu suddenly recalled something, and his tone grew heavier.

"That old demon... has he looked for you recently?"

Hearing this, Duan He’s heart clenched. He quickly replied:

"Reporting to the Elder, since last time, that... senior has not appeared, nor has he sent any instructions. It seems... he has found what he was looking for and is no longer forcing me or the Blood River Sect to act."

"Mm, that’s good."

Elder Gu’s voice seemed to relax slightly.

"Alright. For the specific arrangements, contact Song Zhe inside the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect directly. Seize the right moment and strike decisively. Remember to report to me before you make your move."

"Yes, I will remember!"

The transmission ended, and the light from the jade tablet faded.

Duan He let out a long sigh of relief and carefully stored it back in his Storage Treasure.

Even now, the memory of that old demon filled him with lingering fear.

When the man had first appeared, his vast, abyss-like, suffocating aura had nearly convinced Duan He that the Blood River Sect’s doom was at hand.

Fortunately, the old demon had not come to annihilate them. Instead, he had ordered the Blood River Sect to search for an item for him, providing only a few vague clues.

Duan He later learned that the item seemed to be related to the fallen Profound Flame Daoist.

To this end, the Blood River Sect had targeted the Danxia Sect of Ning’an Prefecture, suspecting that the last Profound Flame Order might be hidden there.

Later, they went to great lengths to collect the other two Tokens.

However, plans rarely survive contact with reality.

Not only did they fail to obtain the one from the Danxia Sect, but the two Profound Flame Orders they had acquired were also lost.

At the time, Duan He had been scared out of his wits, terrified that he would be unable to report his failure and be refined into a Corpse Puppet by the old demon, doomed to a fate worse than death.

Fortunately, in a twist of fate, the old demon seemed to have found what he needed on his own and was never heard from again, allowing Duan He a lucky escape.

But he never forgot this grudge.

Later, when an opportunity arose, Duan He took action personally and nearly wiped out the Danxia Sect. If not for the timely intervention of the Government Office and the Iron Sword Sect, the Danxia Sect would have been eradicated.

Since then, he had intentionally tried to infiltrate Ning’an, even reaching a tacit understanding with the Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple of that time.

But before he could establish a firm foothold in Ning’an, the situation in Nanzhao changed abruptly. A single order from Elder Gu urgently recalled him to focus all his efforts on dealing with the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.

What shocked him even more was that during his absence, the entire landscape of Ning’an had changed.

Golden Spring Temple and Qingfeng Temple were both destroyed, and the one behind it all was none other than Chen Sheng—a man who had a long-standing grudge with the Blood River Sect!

With new and old hatreds intertwined, Duan He’s killing intent toward Chen Sheng now burned like a raging fire.

It wasn’t just because Chen Sheng had repeatedly foiled the Blood River Sect’s plans.

It was also because he suspected Chen Sheng possessed two things he coveted in his wildest dreams.

The Profound Spirit Yin Fire left behind by the Profound Flame Daoist, and the Profound Flame Daoist’s inheritance!

Back then, the old demon had used both threats and promises to make him search for the Profound Flame Daoist’s relics. One of the promised rewards had been the Profound Spirit Yin Fire.

The old demon even bestowed upon him a scroll: the Refining Fire Divine Strategy.

It mentioned that if he could use his own cultivated Blood Spirit Demon Fire as a base to successfully smelt the Profound Spirit Yin Fire, the power of his Divine Techniques would increase explosively.

If, in the future, fate allowed him to find the compatible Cyan Yang Demon Fire, he could merge the three flames to refine a supreme Demon Fire Divine Technique of unparalleled power.

Once this Divine Technique was perfected, he would no longer have to fear even Golden Core Grandmasters.

This was the real reason why the Blood River Sect had been so obsessed with the matter of the Profound Flame Order.

Unfortunately, they had ultimately failed when success was just within reach.

However, according to the inquiries Duan He later made, a Flame Divine Technique Chen Sheng displayed after breaking through to the Mystic Realm had characteristics that closely matched the legendary Profound Spirit Yin Fire.

Furthermore, it seemed to have undergone some unknown mutation, making it even more powerful than usual.

This made Duan He even more certain of his judgment.

Originally, Duan He had planned to personally go to Ning’an after dealing with the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, find a way to capture and kill Chen Sheng, and seize the Anomalous Fire and the inheritance.

The Profound Flame Daoist’s inheritance itself might not be much, but a specific treasure that the mysterious old demon cared about enough to pursue personally had to be extraordinary.

Duan He secretly guessed that it was likely a heaven-defying opportunity, something that could change one’s fate and help them break through to the Golden Core realm, or even higher.

He had not revealed this secret even to Elder Gu, intending to keep it all for himself.

.....

"It’s true... To search far and wide for something, only to find it when you least expect it!"

After ending his brief communication with Song Zhe, a complex expression—a mixture of wild joy and ferocity—suddenly appeared on Duan He’s sinister face.

Through Song Zhe, he had confirmed it.

Chen Sheng was inside the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect right now!

In Ning’an, Chen Sheng had deep roots, numerous followers, and backing from the Government Office; attacking him there would require much more caution.

But here in Nanzhao, especially within the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect which they were about to control...

He would be like a turtle in a jar—completely at their mercy!

The more Duan He thought about it, the more he felt this was a heaven-sent opportunity. Luck was finally on his side.

Otherwise, how could such a coincidence happen in this world?

"Heh heh... HA HA HA..."

A sinister, irrepressible laugh rumbled from the Blood River Sect Leader’s throat.

It echoed through the blood-drenched hall, sounding particularly grim and horrifying.

To the mother and daughter beside him, the laughter was like the cry of a vengeful ghost come to claim their lives. It plunged them into an icy abyss, and they began to tremble like leaves in the wind.

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