Chapter 188 - 184: An Incomprehensible Sword, This Is a Necessary Sacrifice

"This way!" Du Youqian pointed in the direction where he sensed the Thousand-Mile Shuttle.

He had already tried to command the Thousand-Mile Shuttle, but perhaps because he hadn’t spent long refining it, his connection to it wasn’t deep enough for it to respond.

However, as an Artifact Refiner not far from reaching Tier Three, Du Youqian was still somewhat confident.

As long as he found the Thousand-Mile Shuttle, he was sure he could get it running in a short amount of time.

At the very least, escaping in the Thousand-Mile Shuttle shouldn’t be a problem.

But Lin Sha stopped, her white hair swaying in the wind, her gaze gentle. "Fellow Daoist Yu, you go on ahead. I have some business to attend to."

Du Youqian was displeased. He frowned and said, "This place is fraught with danger. There are dozens of Nascent Soul Realm Demon Kings, and Core Formation Realm ones are a dime a dozen. What kind of trouble do you think two little Foundation Establishment Cultivators like us can possibly stir up?"

Lin Sha smiled. "I’m not trying to stir up any trouble. In any case, Fellow Daoist Yu, you should leave first. I’ll come out after I’ve finished my business."

Du Youqian didn’t know what else to say.

He just watched as Lin Sha turned, her skirt swishing, her slender waist swaying as she walked barefoot into the dense forest.

After a moment’s thought, he dashed off to find the re-shrunken Thousand-Mile Shuttle, then returned. Concealing his aura, he quietly followed Lin Sha.

Lin Sha was also Concealing her Aura, moving silently forward. It seemed... she was planning a sneak attack.

Du Youqian trailed her from a distance while inspecting the Thousand-Mile Shuttle.

The Thousand-Mile Shuttle’s exterior appeared undamaged, but the Arrays inscribed within were slightly damaged.

It was likely caused by the earlier spatial fluctuations.

Du Youqian immediately began to repair it.

Up ahead, Lin Sha continued her stealthy advance until she came across a lone Core Formation Demon King.

The Demon King’s appearance was rather strange. Its body was like a monkey’s, walking upright with short, seemingly weak upper limbs. Its snout was pointed like a canine’s. Beneath its fluffy green fur, several brightly patterned venomous snakes slithered and played.

The range of a Core Formation Realm’s Divine Sense, even when suppressed in this place, was still dozens of yards.

But no one would keep their Divine Sense spread out to monitor their surroundings at all times; the drain was too great.

Lin Sha’s breath-concealing and stealth techniques were quite good. She crept carefully until she was just a few yards from the Green-haired Demon King before preparing to strike.

However, just as she was about to make her move, two small snakes suddenly leaped out from under her feet, viciously striking at her bare feet.

Ordinary snakes, of course, couldn’t even break her skin.

But these two small snakes were Demon Beasts, their strength equivalent to a human Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Naturally, Lin Sha dared not let them bite her.

And since she had been preparing a sneak attack, she hadn’t devoted any energy to controlling a Defensive Spiritual Artifact. All she could do now was dodge.

At that exact moment, the Green-haired Demon King whipped its head around. Its Core Formation aura was so substantial it felt tangible, pressing down with immense power.

The surrounding vegetation grew wildly. Blades of grass shot up into yard-long vines that entangled Lin Sha’s feet. Tree branches reached for her like arms, closing in to restrict her space to dodge.

It had unleashed Wood Element Divine Abilities from the very start!

This Green-haired Demon King was truly cunning. It had actually discovered Lin Sha long ago but had bided its time, pretending to be the prey.

Only now did it suddenly reverse the roles of hunter and hunted.

Du Youqian no longer bothered to hide. Since the Demon King had discovered Lin Sha, how could it not have scanned the surroundings with its Divine Sense?

He must have been exposed long ago as well.

The Jinhuan sword left its sheath, slicing at the vegetation to free Lin Sha.

He himself then took out the Talisman Treasure he had looted from Liu Chixin’s corpse and activated the precious trump card without hesitation.

There was no telling how many other members of the Demon Race were nearby. Trying to save resources or hide his strength at a time like this would be a suicidal path.

As for whether other members of the Demon Race would spare them out of respect for the Monkey Demon King from before?

Du Youqian didn’t count on it.

A blast of Core Formation-level Magic erupted from the Talisman Treasure, slamming viciously into the unprepared Green-haired Demon King.

Compared to human Cultivators, the Demon Race’s methods were pitifully lacking.

But their powerful Innate Divine Abilities, coupled with their tough hides, allowed them to contend with the Human Race.

The Green-haired Demon King took a direct hit from the Core Formation-level Magic, yet it didn’t seem to be injured at all.

Du Youqian’s original plan was to follow up with a combo and finish off the Green-haired Demon King.

Seeing this, he immediately adjusted his plan. Pushing off with his toes, he shot toward Lin Sha and swept her into his arms.

Then he released the newly repaired Thousand-Mile Shuttle. It expanded in the wind, growing to the size of a small to medium-sized cruise ship.

Du Youqian leaped onto the Thousand-Mile Shuttle while holding Lin Sha. With a backhand motion, he activated the Talisman Treasure again, then put away the now-depleted item—its materials could still be recycled.

The Green-haired Demon King was held back by the Magic for a moment, making it impossible to catch the Thousand-Mile Shuttle. It could only eat their dust.

Lin Sha said frantically, "Let me go! I’m going to kill that Demon King!"

As if Du Youqian would listen to her.

In just an instant, the Thousand-Mile Shuttle had crossed hundreds of yards.

Just then, a terrifying, world-shaking aura emerged, instantly immobilizing the Thousand-Mile Shuttle.

Du Youqian was stunned. He looked back and saw that the pursuing Green-haired Demon King was also frozen, suspended in mid-air.

He looked down and saw Lin Sha was also frozen as if trapped in amber, a subtle expression of shock and fear fixed on her pretty face.

’I’m the only one who can move?’

Du Youqian suddenly felt a pull and looked in the direction of the Cyan Yang Sect.

He saw a longsword, crimson from tip to hilt, swinging down toward the Cyan Yang Sect.

Looking closer, the crimson color was constantly flowing, as if the material that formed the sword was thick, fresh blood.

That terrifying, world-shaking aura was emanating from that very longsword.

What shocked and confused Du Youqian even more was that the sword’s length, as he perceived it, seemed perfectly normal.

But the sword was clearly tens of thousands of yards away. Logically, based on visual perspective, it should have appeared as small as a gnat to him.

He had no idea why this was happening!

~~~~~~~~~~

「In the Relics.」

The baby-faced Qi Cultivation Cultivator from the Lingxiao Sword Pavilion tilted his head back, his eyes filled with terror as he stared at the sword that was seared directly into his vision.

No matter which direction he looked, even if he closed his eyes or gouged them out, the sword was imprinted upon his very soul.

He had already been struck by the sword.

「On Yu Kun Mountain, in a secret chamber of the Lingxiao Sword Pavilion.」

Supreme Elder Zhang Wuming coughed up a mouthful of blood and opened his eyes, shouting in a rage, "Elder Blood Slaughter..."

Then, he sensed a terrifying Sword Intent locking onto his Divine Sense from within the Relics, surging toward him.

There was no dodging it, no escaping it.

It was a deathblow from the Blood Slaughter Sword, a Spiritual Treasure nearing the level of an Immortal Artifact.

"Holy Blood! Taihe! You old bastards! If you wanted to use me for a Blood Sacrifice, you could have just discussed it with me! It’s not like I’m some coward who clings to life. Damn it all, what a frustrating way to die. I didn’t even get to arrange my affairs..."

The next moment, the light in his eyes extinguished. His body bore no wounds.

But his soul had been shattered.

A dignified Core Formation Cultivator, his soul was utterly annihilated, unable to enter Reincarnation.

All of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit flowed through some unseen path, converging upon the Blood Slaughter Sword.

At the same time, this same scene was playing out in the Red Lotus Sect, the Destruction Sect, the Chongzhen Sect, the True Preservation Sect, the Ten Thousand Laws Sect...

In the Holy Blood Sect, a middle-aged man with crimson eyes spoke, his tone sharp and resonant like crisscrossing Sword Qi. "This is a necessary sacrifice. My apologies, juniors."

Back in the Relics, the aura of the Blood Sword climbed ever higher after the Blood Sacrifice of seven Core Formation Masters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Run!" Gu Xiaofang shouted.

He and Xie Linyu had previously followed the sound of screams and rescued a young woman from the Taihe Sect named Yin Ruozhen.

The three of them traveled together, but it wasn’t long before they ran headlong into a swarm of Demon Beasts.

Gu Xiaofang reacted the fastest, having already fled dozens of yards away.

Xie Linyu couldn’t get away in time. She was overtaken by a swarm of locust-like Demon Beasts and let out a piercing scream. A few breaths later, the screaming stopped.

Some of the locusts bit through her delicate skin and laid eggs in her flesh. Her once-beautiful body broke out in small lumps, inside which were incubating insect eggs.

In her panic, the girl from the Taihe Sect, Yin Ruozhen, fled in the opposite direction of Gu Xiaofang.

After running for a while, there were no more Demon Beasts ahead. She leaned against a large tree, gasping for breath. She wanted to turn back and save the other two, but she was frozen with fear.

Suddenly, a bird chirped.

Yin Ruozhen looked up, startled, as a streak of red light shot into her mouth with lightning speed.

"GACK..." she tried to spit out the foreign object, but it burrowed into her stomach almost instantly.

She doubled over, struggling violently, tears and snot streaming down her face.

A moment later, a shout came through the trees: "Linyu! Ruozhen! Where are you!"

Yin Ruozhen straightened up. Her eyes were completely black, with no whites visible.

But they quickly returned to normal.

A panicked look appeared on her face. "Xiaofang! I’m over here!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Du Youqian’s eyes, the aura of that Blood Sword was terrifyingly powerful, and it was still growing stronger.

The sky-full of Demon Race members, no matter how powerful, couldn’t move an inch.

Within the Cyan Yang Sect, there were clearly Nascent Soul Cultivators, and even those above the Nascent Soul Realm, yet they were as fragile as paper dolls.

The sword finally swung through, and the entire space shattered inch by inch like fragile glass.

The shattering spread, and all the members of the Demon Race and Human Race caught in its path were crushed along with it, vanishing like soap bubbles in the sun, leaving only nothingness behind.

Du Youqian simply couldn’t comprehend it. This was a level of power beyond his understanding.

An instant later, the Jinhuan sword flew out and circled the Green-haired Demon King’s neck, but its head didn’t fall off... its hide was just too tough.

The Flying Sword circled a few more times before it finally slew the Green-haired Demon King.

Then, with several more strikes, it hacked the Green-haired Demon King’s corpse to pieces before flying back with a pale green Demon Core.

By now, the vast army of the Demon Race and nearly everyone in the Cyan Yang Sect had been annihilated. Only then did the Blood Sword give a slight shake, as if flinging off some filth that had stained its blade.

Then it vanished.

~~~~~~

「Holy Blood Sect.」

Elder Shi Shentong spoke softly, "Elder Blood Slaughter, is it over?"

The Blood Slaughter Sword Spirit opened its eyes, a thoughtful look flashing in their crimson depths.

"It is over. The Cyan Yang Sect’s illusion has been destroyed. They can no longer cause trouble in this final sanctuary of the Human Race. Furthermore, I have followed the connection between their illusion and reality to strike at the real-world Cyan Yang Sect. Hopefully, this will cause them some trouble and relieve some of the pressure on the outside world. By the way, just now, I..."

"Elder, what happened just now?"

The Blood Slaughter Sword Spirit pondered for a moment, then shook its head. "It’s nothing."