"Move!"
Ji Yuan's voice was a low growl as he prepared to lead the group into action.
But as soon as the words left his lips, a hand shot out from his left and another from his right, pressing down on his shoulders to halt his advance.
He turned his head to see Xu Qiqi and Jiang He shaking their heads at him, their faces grave, silently urging him not to put himself in danger, with a hint of caution in their eyes.
The middle-aged guard, understanding their intentions, let out a wry smile. He beckoned his companions and led the way towards the distant passage.
"You really didn't have to do this."
Ji Yuan shook his head, saying no more.
While caution was necessary, it shouldn't be too overt. After all, these guards had no prior connection with them. Their willingness to risk their lives stemmed from a desire to atone for their past regrets.
Their cautious approach, while perhaps prudent, was excessive. If these guards were truly harmless, such overt suspicion would only breed resentment and create a rift between them. This would be detrimental to everything that was to come.
However, since the deed was done, he could say no more. He followed, his steps uneven, not at the front, but also not at the rear, occupying a central position.
This way, the guards behind him, though still somewhat uneasy, were not overtly displeased.
It was a subtle, yet effective, course correction.
The passage carved by the roots of the ancient locust tree was long. The group walked for a full quarter of an hour before they finally saw the fiery glow of the exit in the distance.
As they ventured deeper, everyone could clearly feel the chilling, malevolent aura growing thicker.
Seeing the end finally in sight, everyone couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief, no longer fearing they would be attacked by some grotesque entity.
"Zhang Fang, Chen He, you two come with me. The rest, be ready to assist at any moment."
The middle-aged guard gave his orders, let out a heavy breath, and then strode swiftly towards the end of the passage.
As the three leading the way emerged from the passage, the first thing they saw was a massive platform of black mud. Even from a distance, they could sense the smell of blood emanating from it.
Behind these three, the rest of the group followed, and upon seeing the scene before them, their hearts collectively jolted.
"How much blood must have been spilled to stain this much mud this color?"
Gazing at the colossal platform, Jiang He murmured to himself.
Beside him, Xu Qiqi had already bent over, her body heaving as if to vomit. However, having already purged everything she had after witnessing the hellish scene in the courtyard of the wooden building, there was nothing left to expel.
"There seems to be something on top!"
Ji Yuan's eyes narrowed, his expression complex as he spoke.
The group, hearing him, immediately looked up. They saw a patch of granular mist on the platform, its overall color a grayish-white.
This mist, drifting in the air, evoked a sense of revulsion at first glance, as if witnessing the most foul and wicked thing in existence, inexplicably igniting a fire of anger within their hearts.
"Shall we go up?"
The middle-aged guard turned, looking at Ji Yuan amidst the crowd, his eyes filled with inquiry.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan pondered for a moment, then nodded heavily.
Following this, led by the middle-aged guard, three martial artists at the mid-stage of the flesh and blood realm immediately began to ascend the nine-zhang-high platform.
The blood-soaked black mud that formed the platform had already solidified, so climbing was not particularly difficult. In just a moment, the three reached the summit, and the others were about to follow.
However, as they were climbing, the sound of fighting erupted from above, accompanied by the angry shouts of the middle-aged guard and his companions, as if they were engaged in a fierce battle.
Before the others could quicken their ascent, a whistling sound suddenly swept down from above. Immediately, a figure was sent tumbling off the platform, crashing heavily onto the ground nine zhang below.
Ji Yuan's pupils contracted. He was astonished not only by the opponent on the platform who could incapacitate a mid-stage flesh and blood realm martial artist in mere seconds, but also by the fact that the blood flowing from the fallen body on the ground was being absorbed by the platform!
"Hurry up!"
Seeing this, he lowed his voice and urged.
In a short while, the group finally reached the platform. They then saw, several zhang away, the middle-aged guard locked in combat with a figure enveloped in a granular, grayish-white mist.
As for the other mid-stage flesh and blood realm martial artist, his arms were now broken, and he lay on the ground. His chest had caved in, his eyes vacant and lifeless, clearly not long for this world.
The middle-aged guard was also in a dire state, barely managing to hold on against the opponent's onslaught, relying solely on his extensive combat experience.
Seeing this, the surrounding guards unhesitatingly charged forward, blades in hand, attacking the figure.
"Retreat!"
The middle-aged guard, finding a brief opening during a breath, shouted a command.
However, he was a step too late. As his words rang out, three people were sent flying backward, tossed several zhang like sacks before crashing down from the platform.
By the time his command had finished, another four or five had fallen into pools of blood, either fatally wounded by their own blades or struck in the head and chest by the opponent's palm.
In mere breaths, of the more than ten guards, only a few remained, no longer daring to advance recklessly.
"More offerings delivered right to my doorstep... excellent!"
The figure's voice was hoarse.
Enveloped entirely in the grayish-white granular mist, their face was obscured. Judging solely by their voice, they appeared to be a middle-aged man of about thirty to forty.
However, their age was clearly not to be judged by conventional standards; even among cultivators, some appeared young while being nearly two hundred years old.
At this moment, after speaking, the figure suddenly lunged forward. Where they passed, the grayish-white mist expanded, engulfing the last five guards in their path.
In a mere handful of moments, as the grayish-white mist contracted, five desiccated corpses, devoid of blood, crashed to the ground, their lives utterly extinguished.
Witnessing this, the remaining four guards' pupils contracted sharply, and they instinctively took half a step back.
Meanwhile, the mist-shrouded figure had reached the middle-aged guard. A pair of pale, bloodless hands emerged from the mist, reaching directly for his neck.
The middle-aged guard let out a cold snort, raising his great saber to strike at those wrists. The furious rage burning within him surged forth.
*Clang!!!*
However, as the saber fell, aside from a shower of sparks, the sharp blade could not sever the opponent's wrist. Instead, with a deafening clang, the entire blade shattered into more than a dozen pieces!
And the hands that shattered the blade, completely unharmed, passed through the fragments, almost reaching to grip the middle-aged guard's neck.
"Slash!"
Xu Qiqi's sharp cry rang out, and her figure moved like lightning, appearing beside the two combatants.
She swung her long sword horizontally. Golden runes on the blade erupted with light, followed by layers of lightning.
In an instant, the lightning-infused long sword, swift as thunder, pierced through the grayish-white mist and slashed towards the opponent's vaguely discernible neck.
If this figure chose to prioritize breaking the middle-aged guard's neck at all costs, their own would inevitably be severed by the sword's edge.
Even if their body were harder than metal, under the sharpness of a formidable weapon, it would be no tougher than tofu, let alone a blade crackling with lightning.
Within the grayish-white mist, the figure, facing the sword edge mere inches away, instinctively revealed a deep apprehension in their eyes at the lightning flickering on its surface.
They hesitated no longer, withdrawing their attack, abandoning the opportunity to break the middle-aged guard's neck to avoid having their own severed by the sword.
But after retreating only seven or eight steps, a radiant glow suddenly erupted beneath their feet. Several talismans ascended, and a potent, righteous aura surged forth from their core.
Eight "Haoran Daxie Fu" talismans were activated. The thick grayish-white mist, immediately subjected to the relentless onslaught of the righteous energy, began to dissipate, revealing a gaunt figure.
"Get lost!"
The gaunt middle-aged man roared, a surge of formidable magical power emanating from him, dispelling the righteous energy that was about to engulf him.
His eyes burned with a scarlet ferocity. With a grasping motion in the air, the grayish-white mist from above his head recoiled, condensing into a somewhat illusory long sword in his palm.
Then, he turned, his gaze falling upon Jiang He, who was retreating rapidly. With a cold snort, he hurled the sword in his hand.
The grayish-white sword, entwined with wisps of mist, instantly transformed into a streak of light. In the blink of an eye, it appeared before Jiang He, piercing fiercely towards his heart.
In that moment of life and death, an unnatural flush appeared on Jiang He's face. Then, all his vitality began to vanish at an unimaginable speed, his entire body rapidly drying out.
At that very instant, the grayish-white sword pierced his heart. The force it carried sent him tumbling two or three zhang before he lay motionless on the platform.
"Fiend, die!"
Xu Qiqi cried out fiercely, her body leaping into the air.
She raised her long sword high. Golden runes flashed on the blade, emitting a golden radiance, while layers of lightning danced.
However, before the sword could fall, a whistling sound tore through the air. Immediately, a gray streak of light shot from afar, appearing to be on the verge of piercing the young woman's body.
"Yuan Bao!"
Seeing this, Ji Yuan immediately shouted.
Almost as soon as the word left his lips, the cloth binding the sword sheath on his back unraveled on its own. A blur of movement then shot out, instantly appearing beside Xu Qiqi.
*Ding!!!*
With a resounding clang, the oncoming streak of light dissipated. The grayish-white sword that had previously pierced Jiang He's heart was knocked aside by another sword with its sheath. As it flew, it emitted a mournful cry.
And as Yuan Bao, the sword, moved of its own accord to shield the young woman from the fatal blow, Ji Yuan took a deep breath and exhaled with all his might onto the flame of the bronze oil lamp.
Instantly, a violent pillar of fire erupted, slamming into the middle-aged man and sending him hurtling backward more than ten zhang amidst the roaring flames!
Simultaneously, Ji Yuan's mind moved. Yuan Bao, suspended in mid-air, immediately circled and appeared beneath Xu Qiqi. The young woman then stepped onto the sword sheath and rose another three or four zhang.
Peals of thunder emanated from within her body. Holding her long sword, she plummeted downward. The lightning crackling on the blade instantly enveloped her entire being, making her descend like a bolt of heavenly thunder!
*Boom!!!*
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted!
Dust and smoke billowed from the ground, and rolling thunder and residual flames swept outwards. For a moment, no one could discern the scene within.
Ji Yuan narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the swirling dust and smoke in the distance. A long sword, carrying its sheath, plunged several inches into the ground.
He instinctively weighed the black long saber in his hand. This action caused the sword at his feet to emit a soft hum, as if expressing its displeasure.
Suddenly, a streak of light descended from the sky, heading directly into the dust and smoke.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan inwardly cried out, "Not good!" He immediately released the bronze oil lamp and the black long saber in his hands. Disregarding the unhealed wound on his right calf, he sprinted forward with all his might.
"Yuan Bao! Come!"
His figure became a blur as he covered several zhang in a few blinks of an eye. With a call, the sword, previously stuck in the ground, unsheathed itself and transformed into a streak of light, falling into his outstretched palm.
In just a moment, he had reached the edge of the dust cloud. The streak of light descending from the sky had now plunged into it.
Ji Yuan's footsteps did not falter. He immediately charged into the dust, his vision filled only with the swirling particles, the raging wind carrying residual flames, and fleeting flashes of brilliant lightning.
Within two or three blinks, two blurry silhouettes appeared before him. The slightly taller figure was raising a long sword glinting with grayish-white light, about to bring it down with great force!
Ji Yuan's heart tightened. Without a word, he lunged forward. Each step he took echoed with a loud thud, and even the boots on his feet were torn to shreds by his full-speed sprint!