novelraw Chapter 258
Chapter 258
In the midst of this overwhelming catastrophe, who would still care where Wang Yu was?
The only thought left was survival.
Among tens of thousands of cultivators, only about thirty were at the Core Formation stage, and they were divided into various factions. Against four Nascent Soul–level Medicine Kings, along with hundreds or even thousands of third-rank Blood Corpse Giants, their situation was hopeless.
To call it “an egg striking stone” would be inaccurate. It was more like tofu crashing into alloy—instantly crushed.
Wang Yu finally got what he wanted.
He hid invisibly in midair, trying his best to flee as far as possible.
Although the cultivators scattered in panic, the gap in power was far too great. Most were quickly surrounded. Only the Core Formation cultivators had any chance of breaking through.
In the blood mist, divine sense was severely obstructed.
Directions were hard to tell apart.
The ruins of the Heavenly Soul Sect had replaced the location of the former Yin Ghost Mountain. “Heaven and earth reversed” would not be an exaggeration. It had once been the mountain gate of an ancient overlord sect—vast beyond measure. Everywhere were fragments of formations and prohibitions. Fly too high, and Blood Corpse Giants would spot you. Fly too low, and you would be attacked by Blood Mist Beasts and Blood Corpses.Even accidentally triggering remnants of ancient formations and restrictions could be fatal.
As soon as the two sides clashed, cultivators suffered heavy casualties. The way they died was gruesome—their blood was sucked dry, and their withered corpses staggered back up to become new Blood Corpses. The more they fought, the more the enemy multiplied.
Miserable screams filled the ruins. The power of the Blood Demon was overwhelming, stronger even than the core mana of Core Formation cultivators, capable of corroding nearly any defensive technique or magical art.
Wang Yu saw a Core Formation cultivator of the Exalted Sect commanding countless Gu insects, trying to devour a Blood Corpse Giant. But the giant’s coagulated blood had a fusion property, it corroded the swarm instead.
The insects that had been refined for decades turned into blood demon slaves and devoured their old master completely, not even leaving bone fragments behind.
The war potential displayed was staggering.
And the easily slain ordinary Blood Corpses, once their number reached a thousand—would merge their demonic blood and form another Blood Corpse Giant.
Even cannon fodder could breed third-rank combat power.
Was that even reasonable?!
“Ahhhhhh!”
Broken limbs, heads, and flesh flew through the air.
At this moment, the ruins of the Heavenly Soul Sect resembled a slaughterhouse. All living beings could only wail in despair, utterly powerless to resist. And this was merely the remnant power of the ancient demon known as [Blood].
It was proof that legends claiming ancient demons surpassed even Spirit Transformation experts were not unfounded.
Wang Yu wished he could use his Ghost-Weeping Flute to absorb the newly born souls here. The number of fresh spirits generated in such a short time was immeasurable. It could easily perfect the Yin Crow Ghost Domain within the flute.
Unfortunately—
For the past several decades, Wang Yu had developed a deep aversion to the phrase “fortune favors the bold.”
Activating a Void Escape Talisman, Wang Yu once again turned into silver light and vanished into the cracks of space.
Unexpectedly, this talisman did not send him thousands of miles away. Instead, he appeared near the original secret realm’s gate, at the edge of the blood mist.
“It only moved me a few hundred miles... Well, escaping the center of the battlefield is already lucky enough.”
He suspected the issue lay with that Sky-Reaching Demonic Sunflower. In previous uses, the talisman had worked perfectly.
That demonic flower had late fourth-rank strength. If it tampered with the area, someone of Wang Yu’s cultivation would have no way to detect it.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz—”
“Hm?”
A sudden sound made Wang Yu stop short and quickly duck back down. Outside the blood mist, massive black clouds of venomous insects were pressing forward.
Wang Yu’s expression turned grim. One crisis had barely ended before another began.
According to records of the Blood Reversal Sect, the Heavenly Demonic Bone Forest was the territory of a Spirit Transformation–level venomous beast. Even if it had once made an agreement with demonic sects, the sudden appearance of the Heavenly Soul Sect ruins would certainly tempt it.
Just the super spiritual vein beneath the ground alone would never be ignored by a Spirit Transformation beast—it could steadily provide pure spiritual energy, a rare resource that could accelerate the slow cultivation of such mighty beings.
That alone was a great harvest, not to mention the accompanying supreme-grade spirit ore and the abundance of supreme-grade spirit stones within.
All manner of venomous beasts, both known and unknown, surged toward the blood mist like a black tide.
Wang Yu could only hide. There was nothing else he could do.
This time, he had truly provoked something far too great.
Venomous beasts were the rulers of the Heavenly Demonic Bone Forest, and there was no shortage of fourth-rank ones among them. The environment here perfectly suited their breeding, and they came in vast numbers.
There were definitely over ten million—perhaps even more.
The various poisons they left behind turned Wang Yu’s face pale green. Such mixed toxins were terrifying. Hiding underground, he hurriedly took out the Immaculate Jade Toad and placed it against his chest to absorb all the poisonous substances that came near.
The army of venomous beasts charged into the blood mist.
Wang Yu waited for nearly an hour before the last of them disappeared inside. The ensuing battle turned the already-ruined site into a wasteland flattened beyond recognition.
Rivers of blood flowed endlessly. Pools of venom spread everywhere.
A Blood Corpse Giant tore apart a hundred-meter spider with its bare hands. Scarlet Mosquito Beasts drained entire rivers of blood. Those that escaped the Blood Demon’s control instead fought against the blood fiends themselves.
The ground quaked and split open into massive chasms. A fourth-rank venomous beast had clearly arrived.
A toad manifested an image of swallowing the moon, freezing tens of thousands of meters of blood river with a single breath of frost. Blood Mist Beasts and Blood Corpse Giants alike perished instantly, only for the toad to clash next with the Blood Demon Shouwu.
When Wang Yu crawled out from beneath the ground, what greeted him was an apocalyptic scene. The earth was sinking, the mountains collapsing, and everything within sight was being destroyed.
“This is the might of a Nascent Soul cultivator… truly terrifying.”
Wang Yu continued flying toward the edge of the blood mist. Within a few breaths, he completely escaped it.
When he turned back, his expression grew complicated.
He saw Long Yiran’s corpse.
Her left leg had turned to stone, while the right half of her body was nothing but mangled flesh. In her wide-open left eye was deep longing and unwillingness to die. Toxins corroded her corpse, forming poisonous blisters that kept bursting open, spraying pus and poisonous smoke into the air. The thick purple-black poison mist blended with the blood fog, each resisting the other.
This trustworthy companion, whose life had just begun to show promise, now lay buried here. The reason was simple: lack of strength.
Truly a pity.
Perhaps it was because of the Nether River Pact that the two of them developed such trust, yet after years together, Wang Yu had genuinely felt his soul, his heart-mind, stirred.
Friendship—so near, yet so far from him.
Trust, a precious and fragile thing. Besides betrayal, even the death of the one trusted could leave a deep wound in the heart.
The impact was no less than what he felt back when Chang Xi deceived him.
It deepened his understanding of the Taihu Spiritual Domain. When he finished sorting through the emotions and realizations in his heart-mind, he would take another step forward on the path of the heart.
“Long Yiran. I will remember you.”
That single glance was enough for Wang Yu to remember her for life.
…
…
At the edge of the blood mist, on the opposite side of Wang Yu’s direction, Liu Jinxian and True Personage Green Serpent met atop a tall mountain, watching from afar as the poisonous beasts and blood spirit slaves fought below.
Their faces were filled with shock.
“There are so many fourth-rank beings.”
True Personage Green Serpent looked at his daughter, patting her head with a sigh. “This time, Gu Poison Peak has suffered greatly. I never expected something like this to happen.”
Liu Jinxian’s eyes turned as she spoke. “Father, since the Tenth Elder is dead, do you have a chance to take his position?”
The Blood Reversal Sect followed a Nine Peak system. Anyone who broke through to Foundation Establishment could become an elder, divided into outer and inner elders, with the latter holding higher status, similar to true disciples.
Each peak also had a council of Twelve Elders, usually composed of Core Formation cultivators at the peak stage. They held the highest authority beneath Nascent Soul cultivators.
This council’s structure was complex. Strength was a basic requirement, but background and potential were equally vital, with background being most important.
Those with potential to form a Nascent Soul, and who could manage to build connections, could attain a seat among the Twelve Elders. They oversaw every mundane and administrative affair of the peaks.
They also held control over the true treasury of a peak, including Spirit Slaves at the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation realms.
These Spirit Slaves were captured from righteous sect criminals, rebel forces, or enemies of the Exalted Sect, far more numerous and powerful than the petty captives of the Stone Hut District.
Liu Jinxian’s suggestion was indeed ambitious.
Yet True Personage Green Serpent pondered aloud. “Almost all our fellow disciples who came here have perished. If we seize this chance, perhaps your father might gain the favor of the Gu Poison Mountain Lord.”
If he could secure the position of one of Gu Poison Peak’s Twelve Elders, Liu Jinxian’s own standing as a second-generation disciple would rise as well. A father’s success meant glory for his child.
“Time is short. Your Uncle Wu’s message said that in the Heavenly Demonic Bone Forest, two overlords once appeared during the ancient era.
“After the fall of the ancient Myriad Insect Cult, this forest was formed. Later, the ancient Heavenly Soul Sect established itself here, only to be slaughtered during the Blood Demon Calamity.
“Judging from the current signs, it is more likely to be the Heavenly Soul Sect’s ruins. The Blood Demon Palace will definitely covet the Blood Demon Medicine Kings within.
“Xian’er, go contact Lu Chenzhou and sell the Blood Demon Palace a favor. I will reach out to the Gu Poison Mountain Lord and Senior Insect Demon.”
“Yes, Father.”
As the only two survivors of the Blood Reversal Sect here, neither wished to linger. This place was far too dangerous.
Even so, True Personage Green Serpent left behind a few snake gu to monitor the situation. The father and daughter moved quickly.
What happened in the Heavenly Demonic Bone Forest could not be spread within a day or two, but it could not be hidden for long either.
Those who frequently moved around Ten Thousand Poisons Town would hear of the conflict between poisonous beasts and blood corpses in half a month at most.
This window of time was the Blood Reversal Sect and Yellow Springs Monastery’s advantage. Once it passed and no victor emerged, the situation would become uncertain.
Both sides were moving.
The Yellow Springs Monastery also had survivors who had escaped by luck. The existence of even a single ten-thousand-year-old Medicine King was enough for them to fight with all their might.
Even in their current condition, they would never back down.
The intelligence about Wang Yu, the masked man, was also sent to the upper ranks of the Yellow Springs Monastery. The Curse Ghost Demon Lord was completely puzzled upon hearing it, not knowing when a true disciple had been dispatched to explore this place.
Could it be that one of his own Yellow Springs Evil Spirits acted independently?
The mysterious man’s identity remained unknown, but one thing was certain: he was from the Yellow Springs Monastery.
The urgent matter now was to compete with the Blood Reversal Sect for the Medicine King.
Storm clouds gathered once more.
After the turmoil of the Chasing Moon Prefecture, the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest in the northern Cloud Ridge region once again became the focus of countless eyes. A larger-scale Nascent Soul-level conflict was quietly brewing.