Chapter 44: I Want to Kill Them

On the left.

Lin Xiaoyu landed behind a boulder, holding her breath and focusing her mind.

Thirty zhang ahead was the first formation core.

A blood-red boulder, three zhang tall, was covered in dense runes.

The runes glowed faintly, their blood-red light pulsing like a heartbeat.

Two Foundation Establishment disciples stood guard beside the formation core.

Lin Xiaoyu did not rush to strike.

She closed her eyes, and the Eye of Heavenly Punishment opened once more.

Within her vision, a dim spot appeared at the center of the blood-red boulder.

That was the formation core’s weakness.

As long as she struck that spot, the entire formation core would instantly fail.

She opened her eyes and took a deep breath.

And then,

She moved.

Channeling the Grand Dao Evasion Technique to its limit, her figure traced a faint afterimage through the night.

The two Foundation Establishment disciples only caught a blur. Before they could react, heavy blows struck the backs of their necks.

Thud, thud.

With two muffled sounds, they collapsed limply to the ground.

Lin Xiaoyu landed in front of the blood-red boulder, raised her hand, and pressed her palm against the dim spot at its core.

A purple-gold light surged from her palm, instantly penetrating deep into the boulder.

The blood-red runes flashed violently, like a dying struggle.

But after only half a breath,

Crack.

A tiny crack split across the surface of the boulder.

Then more and more cracks spread, growing denser by the second.

Finally, the entire boulder silently crumbled into a pile of rubble.

The first formation core was destroyed.

Without pausing for a moment, Lin Xiaoyu flickered and vanished into the night.

*

The second, the third, the fourth…

She used the same method for every single formation core.

First, she used the Eye of Heavenly Punishment to see through the weakness, then she shattered it with a single strike of the Heavenly Dao Primordial Power.

The disciples guarding the cores did not even have time to make a sound.

In mere moments, all twelve formation cores were silently dismantled.

*

On the right.

Chen Ping was even faster.

He did not even bother to hide his presence.

Activating the Grand Dao Evasion Technique: Void Chapter, his figure shuttled through the void. Every time he appeared, he landed precisely at the core of a formation eye.

He raised his hand and pressed down gently.

The blood-red array, which would have troubled even a Nascent Soul cultivator, crumbled instantly like paper.

He paid no mind to the disciples guarding the cores.

With a casual wave of his hand, a purple-gold light enveloped them, pinning them in place before reducing them to blood mist.

In the blink of an eye, all twelve formation cores were neutralized.

*

In the mountain valley.

Two figures landed at the same time.

Lin Xiaoyu looked at Chen Ping, a trace of excitement in her eyes.

“Master, I have finished.”

Chen Ping nodded.

“Not bad. Let’s go.”

He raised his hand and waved, and a purple-gold light enveloped them both.

Shuttling through the void,

the next instant, they appeared inside the array.

*

Inside the mountain, a Grotto-Heaven lay hidden.

It was a massive underground space, spanning ten thousand zhang across.

The ceiling rose a thousand zhang high, embedded with countless blood-red crystals.

They emitted a sinister red glow, illuminating the entire space like an ocean of blood.

In the center of the space stood a high platform.

Atop the platform, a figure sat cross-legged.

It was a middle-aged man, bare-chested with knotted muscles.

A thick blood-red mist swirled around him, and within it, countless distorted faces could be faintly seen, screaming in agony.

Below the platform were hundreds of figures.

They sat cross-legged, currently cultivating some kind of technique.

A dense blood mist surged around each of them.

The blood mist seemed alive, weaving in and out of their bodies, ebbing and flowing erratically.

Their faces:

Hideous.

Distorted.

Terrifying.

Some had blood-red eyes bulging from their sockets.

Some had their mouths torn open to their ears, revealing rows of white teeth.

Some had rotting skin, exposing the flesh and bone beneath.

They were not human.

They were monsters.

Lin Xiaoyu’s pupils contracted slightly, and she instinctively gripped the Qingfeng Sword at her waist.

Chen Ping’s expression remained calm, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

The Blood Burning Scripture.

It was a forbidden technique of the Blood Fiend Sect, which allowed one to rapidly boost their cultivation at the cost of burning their own essence blood.

Those who cultivated this technique would gradually lose their sanity, degenerating into bloodthirsty monsters that knew only how to slaughter.

And the hundreds of people before them were currently cultivating this very technique.

*

On the platform, the middle-aged man suddenly frowned.

He raised his hand, and a communication talisman flew out from his robes, hovering before him.

With a wave of his hand, a blood-red barrier enveloped the entire platform, isolating it from the outside.

Then, he bowed respectfully.

“Greetings, Sect Master.”

A hoarse voice came from the other end of the communication talisman.

The voice was soft, yet it carried a pressure that made the soul tremble.

“Xuetu, how are those cultivating the Blood Burning Scripture progressing?”

The middle-aged man named Xuetu replied respectfully,

“Reporting to the Sect Master, I have arranged for three hundred and twenty-seven vicious, bloodthirsty individuals to cultivate the Blood Burning Scripture.”

“One hundred and eighty have reached the first layer, one hundred and twenty have reached the second layer, twenty-six have reached the third layer, and one… has already reached the fourth layer.”

Silence fell over the communication talisman for a moment, followed by a soft chuckle.

The laughter was hoarse and grating, like the screech of a night owl.

“Very good. Send them to the inner sect in three days.”

Xuetu quickly bowed:

“Yes!”

The voice on the other end paused, then added,

“There must be no mistakes. This matter concerns my grand plan. Failure is not an option.”

Cold sweat broke out on Xuetu’s forehead, and his voice grew even more respectful.

“I understand! I will ensure everything goes flawlessly!”

The other end of the communication talisman fell silent for a moment, and then,

A beam of bloody light flew out from the talisman, landing before Xuetu.

It was an ancient beast-skin scroll, covered in dense runes written in blood.

“This is the Blood Refining Hand: Lower Volume. Cultivate it well.”

Xuetu received the scroll with both hands, trembling with excitement.

“Thank you, Sect Master! I would gladly grind my bones to dust to repay your great kindness!”

The light of the communication talisman slowly faded.

Holding the scroll, Xuetu knelt on the platform, only rising after a long time.

He put away the scroll, took a deep breath, and turned to look at the monsters below the platform.

A look of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

*

Below the platform, in a hidden shadow.

Chen Ping and Lin Xiaoyu stood quietly.

The concealment effect of the Grand Dao Evasion Technique: Void Chapter allowed their auras to blend completely with their surroundings.

Even Xuetu, who was in the Divine Ability Realm, noticed nothing.

Chen Ping looked at Lin Xiaoyu and transmitted his voice:

“Did you hear that?”

Lin Xiaoyu nodded.

Her face was calm, but Chen Ping could see it:

Her hands were trembling slightly.

It was not out of fear.

It was out of rage.

Three hundred and twenty-seven vicious, bloodthirsty people, used as raw materials to cultivate a technique.

The one who had reached the fourth layer had likely turned into an unimaginable monster.

And all of this seemed to be merely for the Blood Fiend Sect Master’s grand plan.

“Master,” Lin Xiaoyu transmitted, her voice very soft.

“I want to kill them.”

Chen Ping looked at her.

“All of them?”

“All of them.”

Lin Xiaoyu nodded.

“Every single one of them has the blood of innocents on their hands. Letting them live will only lead to more deaths.”

Chen Ping fell silent for a moment, then smiled.

“Alright.”

He raised his hand and gently pressed it on Lin Xiaoyu’s shoulder.

“Go. I will back you up.”

Lin Xiaoyu looked up at him.

“Master, aren’t you coming with me?”

Chen Ping shook his head.

“This is your vengeance. Your path.”

He paused, then said softly,

“Besides, you must go through this. Avenge your blood feud with your own hands. I will hold back the man on the platform and make sure he does not interfere.”

Lin Xiaoyu nodded heavily.

She closed her eyes, and the Eye of Heavenly Punishment quietly opened.

In her vision, the entire underground space was shrouded in blood-red mist.

But deep within that blood mist lay countless hideous faces.

“Mother… I will avenge you,” she murmured.

When she opened her eyes, they were filled with nothing but ice.

She gripped the Qingfeng Sword and stepped out of the shadows, one step at a time.

*

On the platform, Xuetu was preparing to resume his cultivation.

Suddenly, he frowned.

Someone was here?

He spun around, looking down from the platform.

In the red glow of the moonstones, a slender figure stood quietly below the platform.

It was a young girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in plain robes with a long sword hanging at her waist.

She looked up at him.

Her eyes were as clear as water.

But beneath that clarity lay endless coldness and hatred.

“Who are you?” Xuetu asked in a deep voice.

Lin Xiaoyu did not answer.

She simply raised her hand and gripped the hilt of her sword.

The Qingfeng Sword was slowly drawn.

The blade gleamed like water, reflecting her face.

“Blood Fiend Sect, our old and new debts will be settled starting now…”