A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 117 Traces of the Heretical Path
Tianhua Prefecture, Shenglong Town, Unnamed Mountain

Yin Zhong and Meng Fan carefully entered the valley. Looking around, the mountains and rivers were all red, the grass and trees were covered in red, and there were piles of white bones on the ground.

"Master Yin, if the outer perimeter of the valley is like this, the inside must be even worse," Meng Fan said in a deep voice.

In just a short while, the protective aura on his body was eroded by the blood mist. If this continued, his aura would be unable to sustain itself for more than half an hour.

"The origin of this blood mist is very strange. It seems to be drawing upon the life force of living beings to deal with something. Brother Meng, this matter is somewhat dangerous. You should wait here while I go in and take a look."

Although Yin Zhong himself suffered little loss, if he were to also attend to Meng Fan, he might find himself overwhelmed. Upon hearing this, Meng Fan solemnly replied, "Then please be careful, Master Yin. Here are three antidote pills; please don't find them too stingy."

Knowing his own weakness, Meng Fan didn't want to hold Yin Zhong back, so he handed over three pills. Whether they were useful or not, they were better than nothing, so Yin Zhong accepted them without hesitation.

Watching Yin Zhong leap into the air, Meng Fan temporarily retreated to the outer perimeter, a few miles away. The blood mist here was thin, and with his own true energy, he could stay there for several days. If anything unexpected happened, he might be able to offer some assistance.

"If even Master Yin is powerless to help, then relocation is the only option."

The government had reported the matter to the imperial court before, but had not received a reply. Otherwise, the government would not have pleaded with the Imperial Sword Manor for help.

Deep in the valley, Yin Zhong opened his protective aura to push away the blood mist, but the deeper he went, the more the blood mist began to adhere to the aura, constantly eroding it, and at an increasingly faster speed. If it weren't for Yin Zhong's profound skill, he would have already turned into withered bones on the ground.

After shattering the blood mist once again, Yin Zhonggong focused his eyes and walked towards the densest part of the blood mist. A moment later, Yin Zhonggong looked at the scene before him and was shocked.

Skulls were arranged in a tower shape, with a cluster of emerald flames burning inside each skull. As blood energy from all directions was continuously drawn in, the emerald flames grew even stronger. At the same time, a blood bead floated on the top skull, and a crimson light shot into the sky.

"Blood Refining Technique," these four words suddenly appeared in Yin Zhong's mind.

Yin Zhong looked closely and realized that this was clearly a blood refining array technique. However, the person who set up the array had done a very rudimentary job, failing to gather all the blood energy, which caused the scattered blood energy to form the appearance of blood mist.

"This blood refining technique is extremely vicious, extracting blood to refine the soul—who on earth set this up?"

Regardless, this thing must not be kept. Yin Zhong gathered his inner energy and forcefully struck the blood bead.

The formation was crudely arranged, and Yin Zhong knew where the array points were. With one palm strike, the blood bead vibrated violently, and several cracks appeared. However, as the blood energy surged in, the green flames flickered, and wisps of blood energy entered the blood bead, causing the cracks to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Seeing this, Yin Zhong remained unmoved. A white light slashed at the blood bead with his right palm, while a strong wind swept towards the skull's green flames with his left palm. With the combined force of the two, the momentum of the blood bead's green flames was greatly reduced. Yin Zhong added another force, and with a crack, the blood bead shattered. The green flames in the skull tower suddenly went out, and then the skull turned into a cloud of dust.

With the formation broken, the blood mist in this corner immediately thinned out, and within three or five breaths, the clear sky reappeared.

"It looks like there are still three of these formations," Yin Zhong jumped onto a tree and looked in the west, south, and north. The blood mist was still thick there, showing no signs of abating.

Just as the formation at the eastern corner was destroyed, a Taoist priest with an effeminate appearance opened his eyes in a stone cave deep in the valley.

“The formation has been broken; there’s a master.” Ji Ming’s slender eyes looked eastward, where the blood mist had already dissipated.

"Those people from the Supreme Path shouldn't arrive here so quickly; we need to hurry."

Ji Ming formed hand seals and pressed down on the spherical magic artifact in front of him. After a ripple, the spherical magic artifact shot out three beams of blood light in the northwest and south directions. Soon after, the blood mist above the three directions churned violently and then began to spread outwards. Wherever the blood mist passed, all living things instantly turned into withered bones.

Upon seeing this, Meng Fan's expression changed drastically. He quickly withdrew and left the valley a moment later, leading everyone away in haste.

The three from Yujian Manor refused to retreat, even at the cost of their lives. Their manor lord hadn't emerged yet, so they couldn't leave. Meng Fan tried to persuade them, "With Manor Lord Yin's abilities, he should be safe. You're only a burden here. Besides, the blood mist is already spreading towards the town; Yujian Manor is likely in danger."

Upon hearing this, the leading guard turned to look at Blood Mist Valley, then led the two away. Half an hour after they left, the blood mist enveloped the entire area.

At this moment, within the valley, Yin Zhong had successfully destroyed the formations in the north, south, and west. Although the blood mist had dissipated, the blood mist above had begun to turn into blood clouds, and judging from the direction of its movement, it was heading towards the town.

“This is a blood sacrifice to the entire town,” Yin Zhong’s eyes flashed with a cold light as he flew toward the place he had sensed earlier.

Inside the stone cave, Ji Ming looked at the spherical magical artifact in front of him with satisfaction; most of it had now turned blood red.

"Once this Blood Luo Celestial Instrument is successfully refined, I will become the number one person under the Demon Lord."

"Hmm," Ji Ming's mind stirred, realizing that someone had already trespassed into his territory.

"Could it be the expert who broke the formation? This aura is incredibly pure and intense. If I could absorb it into my magic artifact, perhaps it would enhance my spirituality."

Ji Ming intensified his refining of the magic weapon. When it turned mostly red, he heard footsteps outside. Before he could react, three palm strikes came one after another. Ji Ming hurriedly put away the magic weapon and dodged. As he dodged, he released a dark light with blue flashes on it, which was obviously a highly poisonous substance.

Yin Zhong burst through the door and looked at Ji Ming, saying, "The Blood Refining Array in the valley was set up by you, wasn't it?"

"That's right. I didn't expect that someone in this remote place would know this skill. I underestimated the people here. What's your name?"

Upon hearing Yin Zhongdao's name as the one who could break formations, Ji Ming frowned slightly. Since this person knew this technique and could break it, and dared to come alone, he must be quite confident. It seemed that he had been a bit too arrogant and should have left earlier.

"Since it's you, then die!" Yin Zhong's eyes flashed with malice, and he showed no mercy. In the narrow cave, a fierce wind swept across, and an astonishing aura burst forth from his body, terrifying Ji Ming to the point of turning pale.

"So he's a cultivator," Ji Ming was shocked when he sensed the cultivation aura emanating from Yin Zhong. Moreover, the aura was very familiar; it was clearly from the Tong clan.

"Damn it, wasn't the Tong clan wiped out? How come there are still clansmen here?"

Ji Ming struggled to resist, but he had already used most of his true essence to refine the magic weapon and power the blood cloud. Now, he was facing a master like Yin Zhong, and he was quickly forced to retreat. If it weren't for the terrain advantage, he would have been seriously injured even if he hadn't died.

After breaking through the two palm winds, Ji Ming took out a bloodstone and threw it outwards. It immediately turned into a hazy blood mist. Yin Zhong exerted his strength to urge it, and the blood mist actually condensed and did not dissipate. Instead, it absorbed the true energy.

Having caught his breath, Ji Ming immediately transformed into a streak of blood and flew out of the cave.

But just as they flew out of the cave, a loud bang was heard. The cave was shattered by Yin Zhong's palm strike. A fierce gust of wind, accompanied by several white rays, rushed over and struck Ji Ming heavily. The latter's protective aura shattered in response. He forcibly stabilized his injuries, and the blood-red light rushed towards the blood-red clouds in the sky at an even faster speed.

"Once I reach the Blood Smoke Clouds, I will be invincible. I must tell the Demon Lord this immediately. Those hypocrites of the Supreme Path really did hold back."

Just as Ji Ming was filled with resentment, he suddenly heard a whooshing sound. He turned around and was shocked to see Yin Zhong chasing after him with an expressionless face, the wind and thunder blade in his hand ready to be unleashed.

"Not good!" Ji Ming's expression changed. He was afraid that he would be killed by Yin Zhong before he could reach Xue Yun. It seemed that he could only protect himself first. He reluctantly took out the Xue Luo Tian Yi, used his true energy to stimulate it, and threw it backward. Ji Ming took the opportunity to speed up his escape.

The Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument hovered in the air, its crimson light blazing, releasing strands of blood that coiled towards Yin Zhong. Upon seeing this, Yin Zhong unleashed a series of wind and thunder blades, severing the blood threads before they could fully close, and striking the Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument.

The Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument dimmed in light after being severely injured, and the blood lines retracted and fell downwards. Yin Zhong didn't even look at it. His figure flashed instantly, and dozens of sword beams swept towards Ji Ming. The latter had lost all his abilities and was powerless to fight back. He let out a miserable howl and his soul was destroyed.

With Ji Ming dead, the blood-red clouds in the sky were no longer under anyone's control and immediately stopped moving, but showed no signs of dissipating.

"That magical artifact seems to be related to this; perhaps it can be used to avert this calamity," Yin Zhong thought, and flew down towards the spot where the Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument had fallen earlier.

Just as the blood cloud was approaching Shenglong Town, the yamen received Meng Fan's report and hurriedly discussed the matter. Some suggested evacuating the people as soon as possible, but they were afraid that too many people could not be evacuated in a short time, and it would easily cause riots.

After much discussion, the government took the lead, and all the families worked together to temporarily stabilize the situation, secretly sending some of the elderly, women, and children to safety.

Inside the Imperial Sword Manor, after learning of the situation, the steward forced himself to remain calm and instructed the three men, "Gather all the people in the manor. No matter what happens, you must protect the Madam. Even if it costs you your lives, you must do it. Understand?"

"Yes," the three men replied and left, while the steward hurriedly went to the backyard.

"Madam, the matter is urgent. Please rest assured that nothing will happen to the master of the manor," the steward could only reassure his wife at this point.

"Thank you for your trouble, housekeeper. Please take care of things outside. I'm doing fine here."

Ji He knew that it was precisely at times like these that she needed to keep her mind calm.

At that moment, everyone in the town saw the blood-red cloud in the distance. Someone shouted in panic that a demon was coming and everyone should run. Before he could finish speaking, Meng Fan chopped off his head with a single stroke.

"Spreading rumors and misleading the public will only lead to this consequence if you dare to speak recklessly again. This is merely a strange celestial phenomenon; there's no need to make a fuss. Everyone, go home."

Meng Fan was quite well-known in town, and his words dispelled the doubts of the others. Although some still had reservations, they dared not openly argue with him and obediently went home. "Xiao Liang, Xiao Shan, you two take your men and keep a close watch on this place. Anyone who spouts nonsense, chop off their head immediately!"

"Yes"

In the valley, Yin Zhong channeled his true essence into the Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument. A flash of red light appeared, and Yin Zhong immediately aimed it at the blood clouds in the sky. Countless blood lines rushed into it, and the red light flashed repeatedly, causing the color of the blood clouds in the sky to gradually fade.

"It works!" Upon seeing this, Yin Zhong immediately channeled his true energy into the artifact. With this help, the artifact spun rapidly, buzzing loudly. This continued for half an hour until the blood-red clouds in the sky were completely absorbed, and the azure sky was revealed once again.

Yin Zhong put away the magical artifacts, rested briefly, and immediately rushed back to Shenglong Town.

In Shenglong Town, Meng Fan saw the blood-red clouds on the horizon dissipate and knew that Yin Zhong must have succeeded. He immediately went to report to him.

A moment later, Meng Fan led several people to the valley, where they met Yin Zhong on the way.

"Master Yin," Meng Fan exclaimed in delight.

"Brother Meng," Yin Zhong cupped his hands in greeting.

"Has the matter of the Blood Mist been resolved...?"

"It's a long story, let's talk about it as we walk."

The group quickly rode back to town and headed straight for the Imperial Sword Manor. The steward, upon learning of Yin Zhong's return, hurried out to greet him.

After asking a few questions, Yin Zhong dismissed the steward, explaining that he had something to discuss and wanted to let his wife know he was safe.

Inside the main hall, Meng Fan asked urgently, "Master Yin, what exactly is going on inside?"

"He must have been a heretic, creating the blood mist to enhance his cultivation. He drained the blood from the missing corpses in the mortuary. I have now personally killed him."

When the blood cloud dissipated, Meng Fan already had a guess, but hearing it from Yin Zhong's own ears still shocked him.

That evil cultivator could render people helpless with just the flow of blood mist, so his skills must be quite formidable. Yet, even such a person fell into Yin Zhong's hands, which shows that his strength still exceeded his expectations.

"Does Master Yin know the origin of that blood mist?" Meng Fan had to ask, as this matter eventually needed to be resolved.

"It is the Blood Refining Technique, which uses the blood of living beings to condense blood beads. Those who follow evil paths can increase their cultivation by several years after consuming it. However, this technique has endless side effects and is extremely cruel. Apart from evil sects, no one is willing to use this method."

“I see. But our Shenglong Town is just a remote place. How could it have caught his eye?” Meng Fan was puzzled. According to what Yin Zhong had said before, the more living beings in the Blood Refining Technique, the better the effect. Why didn’t this person go to some big cities?

"This person is secretly creating blood mist, clearly trying to avoid being exposed. If it weren't for his crude array-setting technique, which allowed the blood mist to disperse, we might not have even noticed. Once he succeeds, he will naturally have no fear of external threats."

"Master Yin is right. I have already disturbed you for quite some time today. I will return to the yamen to report back. Farewell, Master Yin."

Regardless of the court's response, the necessary reporting procedures cannot be omitted, so that we can be prepared should they inquire about it.

Moreover, since heretics have set their sights on this place, whether intentionally or not, we should strengthen our vigilance in the future.

"Brother Meng, please take care."

After seeing Meng Fan off, Yin Zhong came to the backyard.

Juhe Mountain, the Long Clan's residence
Gu Xu stayed there for several days, and apart from telling Long Hai and the others some things about Long Teng, he didn't say anything else.

"Master, Elder Longhai requests your presence."

"Understood. Please wait a moment, Elder, while I tidy up."

"Yes"

Gu Xu had completed Long Teng's instructions and it was time for him to leave. After packing his belongings, Gu Xu walked out of the room and followed a member of the Long clan into the living room.

"Is the Taoist priest leaving?"

Looking at the bundle on Gu Xu's body, Long Hai knew that the other party had already decided to leave.

Thinking of this, Long Hai couldn't help but sigh. In the past few days, the Taoist priest had personally given Young Master Long Yu a few pointers, which broadened their horizons. They really hoped that he could stay for a long time.

But Long Hai knew that the Long family could not keep a master like the Taoist priest.

"I have already disturbed you here for several days, and I also have other matters to attend to, so I cannot stay any longer. Please forgive me, Elder."

"You flatter me, Daoist Master. It is already a blessing for the Long family that Long Yu has received your guidance. We invited you here today to witness this. Now that the Divine Dragon Sword has returned, it is time to pass the position of family head to Long Yu."

Gu Xu nodded upon hearing this and said, "This humble Taoist has no objection to this matter."

Upon hearing this, Long Hai immediately smiled. With a Taoist priest present, this simple inauguration ceremony instantly became extraordinary.

"Daoist Master, please follow me," Long Hai gestured, and Gu Xu followed Long Hai to a stone hall. At a glance, there were more than ten stone pillars on each side of the hall, carved with all kinds of dragons. Some were climbing clouds and spitting mist, some were holding golden pearls in their claws, some had ferocious faces, and some were majestic and awe-inspiring. There were all kinds of postures.

There were only a dozen or so people sitting in the hall at the moment. Apart from a few elders he had met before, Gu Xu did not recognize the rest of them.

Sitting on the stone chair next to the main seat was an eight or nine-year-old boy in brocade robes, who was none other than Long Yu, the young master of the Long family and the biological son of Long Teng.

Upon seeing Long Hai and Gu Xu arrive, everyone stood up and bowed.

"Elder Jiang, let's begin the ceremony," Long Hai said to the old man on his left after taking his seat. The old man nodded and walked up the steps.

Elder Jiang first read out the admonitions of the Long family ancestors, then recounted the great achievements of the outstanding family heads, and finally respectfully informed the ancestors that Long Yu should succeed as the twelfth family head of the Long family.

Under Long Hai's guidance, Long Yu sat in the main seat and received the Divine Dragon Sword. The elders of the Long clan below all bowed in respect.

"Greetings, Master of the Household"

Long Yu had never seen such a scene before, and he was a little uneasy. He turned to look at Gu Xu, who smiled at him and nodded. Long Yu felt relieved and looked at his clansmen bowing down below. He felt a sense of pride that he couldn't quite explain.

After the ceremony, Gu Xu gave Long Yu some pointers on his cultivation.

"These are some of my insights and experiences in cultivating the Dragon God Technique. I'm entrusting them to you now, and I hope you will study them diligently."

Long Yu blankly accepted the bamboo slip handed to him by Gu Xu, while Long Hai beside him was overjoyed.

"Master, this gift is far too precious," Long Hai said, but his eyes were glued to it.

They all knew that Gu Xu was practicing the Dragon God Technique. Since it was Long Teng who taught him, they naturally had no objections. Now it seems that Long Teng's approach was correct.

With the Taoist priest's guidance on this skill, Long Yu will surely cultivate the Dragon God Skill to a higher level in the future, which will be of great help to the Long clan.

"Gentlemen, I must take my leave," Gu Xu bowed to the crowd and turned to walk out.

Long Hai had someone wait there, while he personally escorted Gu Xu out of the mountain.

"Take care on your journey, Taoist priest."

"There will be a period later"

(End of this chapter)