What's even stranger is that there isn't a single drop of blood in their bodies, as if they've been drained dry.
This makes one worry about what kind of ferocious beast they encountered that caused them to become in such a shocking state.
Seeing this situation, Lingyan understood perfectly.
Because she had seen far too many deaths like that.
Not everyone corrupted by demonic energy will transform into a demon. Those who are not strong enough will have all their spiritual power and flesh drained by the demonic energy, turning into nourishment for the demonic energy to grow stronger.
Ling Yan couldn't imagine how powerful the demonic energy that had been nurtured here must be after absorbing so many living beings. Could she handle it now?
Along the winding stone path, which could only accommodate one person at a time, the two walked closely together, one in front of the other, carefully feeling their way forward.
A faint, steady dripping sound could be heard coming from ahead, as if something was dripping.
Following the sound, they gradually moved forward, and the surroundings slowly opened up, wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side.
Meanwhile, the light that was sufficient for illumination gradually disappeared, so Lingyan had to use the mirage pearl as a substitute for lighting.
When they finally found the source of the dripping water, the sight before them sent chills down their spines and made their hair stand on end.
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Author's Note:
Waaaaah! Thank you so much, little angel Konghan! So many comments! So many flowers! So many grenades! (Kiss, hug, and lift high)
Thank you? Little angel's landmine! (Hugs)
Thank you all for your support and recognition. I will continue to work hard!
//Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 00:54:18 on November 23, 2021 and 20:17:20 on November 24, 2021!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: Kong Han 2;
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: ?2;
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 41686337 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 93 Astrologers and Defiant Ones (Twenty-Two)
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The mangled limbs of a mixed human and a demon were intertwined and piled up into a huge mountain of flesh and blood, hanging down from the cave ceiling.
Something resembling corpse oil gathered in one place, dripping down in a trickle, making the same sound of dripping water they had just heard.
Amidst the severed limbs, wisps of black mist seeped out, weaving into a thick black fog that clung to the mangled giant bird lying nearby.
—It was the demon king who had been severely injured and forced to flee by Gu Chong that day.
Upon closer inspection, one can see that the black mist seems to have merged with it, seeping out from within its body.
It seemed as if it was using this black mist to heal its wounds.
For some reason, the two strangers who suddenly entered the place were not able to disturb it.
The demon king remained motionless in place. If it weren't for the fact that its enormous body was still breathing, Lingyan would have almost thought it was dead.
However, such a cruel and bloodthirsty demon king must not live any longer.
Lingyan summoned the Star Chart, and Gu Zhong drew Yanyun from his waist, preparing to take advantage of its weakened state while it was healing to completely kill it.
"I truly never expected that the young sect leader would find this place..."
A familiar yet unpleasant sigh rang out from behind the two of them.
Ling Yan was startled and quickly turned around to assume a defensive stance.
Xia Xiange, dressed in red, leisurely played with a ruler in her hand, looking at the two with a faint smile.
Lingyan was completely unaware of when she appeared there.
"Elder Xia?"
Lingyan remained respectful in her words, but her hand gestures were anything but polite; she unleashed all the killing moves she had originally intended to use against the Demon King at Xia Xiange.
The appearance of this woman in this eerie cave is hardly a good thing; the threat she poses far outweighs that of the still-sleeping demon king.
"Young Master, you're still recovering from your serious injuries, yet you're already sending me this little gift. That's far too much of a show of hospitality..."
With a flick of her ruler, Xia Xiange unfurled a barrier in front of her, easily blocking Ling Yan's killing move.
"Then I, Xia, will have no choice but to send a return gift."
Before she could finish speaking, a barrage of attacks came crashing down on Ling Yan, leaving Gu Zhong, who was standing nearby, completely oblivious.
Having forcibly activated her spiritual power several times in a single day, Ling Yan's heavily injured body was already struggling to cope. Facing the full-force attack of a cultivator stronger than herself, she was truly unable to withstand it alone.
Fortunately, she was not alone; Gu Zhong was by her side.
Seeing Ling Yan's face growing paler, Gu Zhong was startled. He suddenly realized that his master was seriously injured and she always tried to put on a brave face. She was probably at her last gasp.
Gu Zhong quickly drew his sword and stepped forward to block the attack for her.
Unbeknownst to them, the demon king behind them, whose eyes had been tightly closed, had quietly opened them at some point. Inside, the eyes were a mixture of scarlet and pure black, and a blood-red ball of light was spat out from its mouth, rushing toward Gu Zhong's heart meridian at an extremely fast speed.
Lingyan, who was also facing away from the Demon King, couldn't help but feel a chill. Before she could react, the red ball of light had already entered Gu Zhong's vest.
"Ah Chong!"
A gasp escaped her lips, accompanied by a muffled groan as Gu Zhong fell to the ground. Ling Yan quickly rushed forward to support her.
Gu Zhong leaned on Ling Yan's shoulder, clutching his heart with his hand, his brows furrowed in pain. He looked seriously injured, but this sneak attack hadn't killed her outright. It was unclear whether Gu Zhong was lucky or if the Demon King had done it on purpose.
"What a deep bond between master and disciple, truly enviable."
Xia Xiange spoke words of envy, but there seemed to be a lot of regret in them.
She walked towards the two of them step by step. As if in response to her, the demon king behind them let out a hoarse cry and struggled to stand up from his prone position.
Lingyan then truly saw that the black mist wrapped around the Demon King's entire body was like chains, firmly controlling him.
The colors in the Demon King's eyes kept changing, with darkness and crimson seemingly locked in a constant battle, causing its enormous body to tremble incessantly.
As the Demon King rose, the ground began to shake violently, as if an earthquake had struck. The severed limbs hanging from the cave ceiling fell down and scattered all over the ground.
Along with the falling rocks, the place seemed poised to collapse soon.
Once the bloody cover was gone, the source of the black mist finally revealed its true form.
Above the cave ceiling, a huge black vortex was slowly rotating, from which all the black mist was dissipating.
"Xia Xiange, this is truly against the natural order! How could you do such a thing?"
With just one glance, all the unpleasant memories of the past flooded back to her, and Lingyan shouted angrily, her voice tinged with a hint of fear.
Xia Xiange looked up at the black hole at the top, then at the nauseating blood and flesh scattered all around her. Her brows furrowed involuntarily, and her eyes showed a hint of disgust.
"This is not the scene I wanted."
She sighed softly, closed her eyes, gripped the measuring ruler tightly, and suddenly swung it upwards.
The already fragile cave ceiling cracked inch by inch, and more rocks rolled down. Sunlight, blocked by the rocks, shone through the cracks and created a hole in the top.
Ling Yan was truly confused by Xia Xiange's attack, which seemed completely useless.
It wasn't until a large number of immortal cultivators stood in front of her that Ling Yan finally realized that Xia Xiange had deliberately lured the immortal cultivators over.
However, both Gu Zhong and herself were seriously injured, and she could easily take their lives without making a sound. Her plan to destroy the world could proceed smoothly, so why did she have to go through all this trouble?
"Young Sect Master, Gu Zhong has already committed a grave mistake. Look at the current dire situation, why are you still so stubbornly unrepentant?"
The audience was already in place, and Xia Xiange was well-prepared to make her grand entrance.
Her expression changed instantly, from calm and collected to heartbroken and remorseful, like a loyal minister earnestly admonishing a young master who had embarked on a path of no return.
Lingyan looked into the crowd and saw the solemn and serious Master of Xingluo Sect. No wonder Xia Xiange had to put on such a show.
If she still wants to establish herself in the cultivation world, she cannot force the young sect leader to his death in front of the sect leader.
Incidentally, they also pinned all the blame for the tragic scene on Gu Zhong.
Unfortunately, Gu Zhong was seriously injured at the time, and it was as if his mouth was sealed, so he couldn't say a word.
Faced with such a horrific scene, which resembled a living hell, the immortals listened to Xia Xiange's words and their words were full of condemnation of Gu Zhong.
If it weren't for the demon king behind them, they probably would have drawn their swords immediately.
"Xia Xiange, stop talking nonsense! The killings here were all committed by you, what does it have to do with Gu Zhong?"
Ling Yan was furious and quickly retorted.
“Young Master should be careful with his words. Wasn’t this massacre caused by the Demon King? I wonder what method your disciple used to control the Demon King and cause such a disaster. And that black mist is very ominous.”
Xia Xiange still maintained an upright and righteous demeanor, and her attempts to distort the truth became increasingly outrageous.
"Lingyan, come here!"
The Starry Sky Sect Master, who had been silent all along, spoke in a deep voice, indicating that he had already made a decision on the matter—Gu Zhong would inevitably be the one to be abandoned.
"Master..."
Gu Zhong leaned against Ling Yan's side, trembling more and more violently. It was unclear how much willpower and strength she had used to weakly utter a single sentence.
"You... just leave me alone..."
His words revealed his will to die.
I will not abandon you.
Lingyan naturally couldn't really abandon her. She swayed as she stood up, blocking Gu Zhong's way, making a gesture of not backing down even at the cost of her life.
"Sect Leader, you know my nature. I will not disregard the lives of the innocent. The so-called world-destroying destiny was planned by Xia Xiange from the beginning. I hope you will not be deceived by her."
"Young Master, I am truly innocent. I have no grudge against your disciple, so why frame him? I am merely following the will of Heaven."
Moreover…
Xia Xiange's explanation sounded even more reasonable. Before she could finish speaking, another unexpected event occurred.
The Demon King Blood Phoenix, who had been standing quietly to the side, now had eyes that had turned completely black.