A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 147 Thousand Blood God Refining
Outside Jiushan City, the city's protective formation was activated, and a group of people gathered outside the city gate. Elder Zheng distributed the Lianyun Talismans to everyone present, while Ning Dao distributed the Crimson Thunder Pearls. After everything was ready, Yin Zhong said a few words to City Lord Wang, and then the large group of people headed towards the Corpse Bone Plain.

Because of the blood-red eyes, there was a ravine several miles deep not far outside the city. Elder Zheng nodded to Elder Sun, who then called his disciples forward. They formed a hand seal, and soon a stone bridge spanned the two banks.

"Please hurry over, everyone. This stone bridge won't last much longer."

Elder Zheng looked at the completed stone bridge and addressed the crowd behind him.

Upon hearing this, the soldiers and martial artists hurriedly stepped onto the stone bridge. The bridge surface looked very fragile, but it was actually quite sturdy underfoot. The group crossed the stone bridge in an orderly manner, and within half an hour, most of them had crossed.

Seeing the stone bridge becoming increasingly ethereal, Ning Dao said to Elder Zheng beside him, "Fellow Daoist Zheng, we can cross on our own. Let's withdraw this stone bridge technique to avoid wasting too much true energy."

Upon hearing this, Elder Zheng gave him a serious look and said, "Just as you said, fellow Daoist."

Knowing that the Supreme Dao had other extraordinary techniques, Elder Zheng did not force the issue. He gave an instruction to Elder Sun, who understood and immediately withdrew his magic power. As soon as his true energy dissipated, the stone bridge disappeared without a trace.

Seeing this, Ning Dao gave an order to the disciples around him, and immediately took out a series of paper cranes. With a flick of his finger, a white light flashed, and a white crane about the height of two people landed in front of everyone.

The disciples of the Supreme Path each mounted a white crane, and in no time, they soared through the air and crossed the ravine to the other side. Ning Dao greeted Elder Zheng and the others, then rose into the air, his robes fluttering in the wind, his crown and ribbons billowing, reflecting the spiritual light behind him, exuding an ethereal aura.

Whether they were disciples of the True Martial Hall, disciples of the Supreme Path, or anyone else, they all showed expressions of amazement. Even the immortals in the painting couldn't be more amazing than this.

After Ning Dao crossed, Elder Zheng, not wanting to waste any more time, swept his sleeve, and a cloud path appeared in front of them. The disciples immediately stepped onto it, feeling its softness. After they stood firmly, the cloud moved slightly and then led them towards the other side. In less than a quarter of an hour, everyone had arrived.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, perhaps we should take turns going first and last to preserve our strength as much as possible."

The Supreme Path and the True Martial Hall are the two most powerful forces. To avoid unnecessary casualties, let the Blood Puppets and the like handle the vanguard. If they encounter a difficult opponent, then use the soldiers and martial artists with the Cloud-Connecting Talisman.

This wasn't meant to send them to their deaths intentionally; after all, each has its own purpose.

This statement is quite appropriate.

Ning Dao immediately nodded in agreement. After discussing with Yin Zhong, the two changed their formation, with Wushangdao in front, soldiers and martial artists in the middle, and Zhenwu Hall at the rear.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, the transformation was completed, and the group set off in a grand procession towards Xiyuan Prefecture.

Just as Yin Zhong and the others were heading towards the Corpse Plain, the Blood God, who was cultivating in the Blood Cocoon, sensed their approach. After calculating silently for a moment, the Blood God snorted coldly and activated all the traps and mechanisms he had set up.

"There are quite a few of you. Let's see how many of you can stand alive before me."

Ning Dao led the disciples of the Supreme Dao through thorns and brambles. After traveling for a mile, Ning Dao sensed that something was wrong and immediately raised his hand to stop the group behind him.

"Chief?" Wei Feng's heart tightened as he heard the silence around him.

"Something's not right. Tell those in the rear to be careful, especially those in the air and on the ground."

Xiyuan Prefecture is, after all, the territory of the Blood God. It would be easy for him to do anything. Looking at the blood-red sky and the withered mountains and rivers, Ning Dao was already very vigilant.

At the same time, Elder Zheng and the others at the rear also sensed that something was wrong and instructed their disciples to be careful. Just then, a disciple from the True Martial Hall looked back and shouted, "Elder, look!"

Upon hearing the sound, Elder Zheng immediately turned around and saw squads of blood puppets rushing forward. Elder Zheng made a quick decision, instructing his disciples to guard the rear while simultaneously sending a telepathic message to the people at the front. Soon after, Yin Zhong and Ning Dao received the news.

"Fellow Daoist Ning, Manor Lord Yin, leave the matters at the rear to us. Please be careful at the front."

Ning Dao dared not be careless, so he ordered Wei Feng, Meng Yu, He Fang, Zhou Chen and Wang Xiao to form a battle formation and slowly move forward.

Yin Zhong, meanwhile, kept a close watch on his surroundings. If anything seemed amiss, he immediately activated the Lianyun Talisman. Hearing the sounds behind him gradually diminish and then disappear completely, Yin Zhong breathed a sigh of relief. It was only the beginning of the tribulation in Xiyuan Prefecture, yet the Blood God was already launching an attack. It seemed that they had made the right decision.

After dealing with the blood puppet, Elder Zheng transmitted his voice to Ning Dao and Yin Zhong. After traveling several miles, they heard another earth-shattering sound, and several ravines appeared without warning beneath their feet. Several people fell down unexpectedly and were quickly swallowed by the lava in the valley.

"Everyone be careful"

Seeing this, Ning Dao leaped into the air, formed hand seals and chanted an incantation. A burst of bloody light enveloped everyone present, and their swaying bodies immediately stabilized. The ravines also quickly healed under the light, returning to their original state after a few breaths.

"Master, this seems to be a divine power from the Blood God Technique, but it's also somewhat different."

Seeing this, Wei Feng frowned and said.

"The Blood Refining Netherworld Technique—although the Blood God possesses great supernatural powers, his mastery of this technique is haphazard and incomplete. If he had truly perfected it, it should have been completely silent. How could he have caused such a commotion?"

Although this move resulted in the loss of several men, Ning Dao did not care at all. If this proactive attack could eliminate the Blood God, it would be worth it even if everyone was lost.

With a shout, Ning Dao led Wei Feng and the other four to continue clearing the way. The further they went, the thicker the gloom and bloody aura became. The place was extremely eerie, filled with mournful cries. After Ning Dao transmitted his voice to Elder Zheng and Yin Zhong, he nodded to Wei Feng. Wei Feng understood and immediately opened a blue treasure umbrella covered with runes. With a surge of true energy, the umbrella suddenly grew larger, and as the clouds rose, it enveloped everyone present.

The group, who had initially felt slightly unwell, suddenly felt refreshed, as if they were bathing in a hot spring, and were extremely comfortable.

"With the help of the misty umbrella, we'll be fine for the time being, Commander. We may proceed."

Seeing this, Ning Dao dispersed his protective aura, and under the cover of the misty umbrella, the group steadily moved forward through the gloomy blood mist.

Outside, eerie howls echoed, yet the fluttering ghostly figures couldn't move the people under the umbrella in the slightest.

Another half hour passed, and suddenly the surroundings became extremely quiet. All the eerie chants disappeared. With a thought, he swept his sleeve towards the blood mist beside him. The blood mist quickly dissipated like snow melting under the blazing sun, revealing an open space. On the ground lay the skeletal remains of living beings, which flickered. Several fluorescent flying insects suddenly took flight and flew towards Ning Dao. With their fluttering movements, a clear blood-red trail appeared before Ning Dao.

"Blood Moth"

Ning Dao's face darkened, and with a flick of his wrist, the short sword at his waist was drawn with a clang. In a flash of cold light, it had already killed all four moths.

"Wei Feng, tell the people behind you that if they spot these moths, kill them immediately. Their weak point is their wings. Use fire to attack them. Remember, make sure their blood and powder don't get on your bodies."

This "Blood Nether Moth" is a special kind of poisonous insect that usually breeds and thrives in places with a strong blood aura. Moreover, this creature is most fond of feeding on things with spiritual energy, regardless of whether they are human or animal. This misty umbrella is a magical artifact that contains spiritual light, which appears to the moth like a candle flame in the night.

These are just a few moths, which I can handle. But judging from the Blood God's arrangements along the way, there must be many more. The best course of action now is to get through this area as quickly as possible.

Elder Zheng, who was behind, received Ning Dao's telepathic message and was startled. He immediately told Elder Sun and Elder Zhao, and the three of them stood in three directions, holding a weapon in one hand and a talisman in the other. The other disciples also formed a circle and followed the people in front, moving forward quickly.

Just then, a buzzing sound grew louder and louder. Ning Dao's face turned extremely ugly. Clusters of small red dots appeared in front of him. After piercing through the blood mist, they revealed their true forms, which were the "Blood Nether Moths." These creatures smelled the blood and saw the spiritual light rising from under the misty umbrella, so they immediately pounced on it.

The piercing gnawing sounds sent chills down the spines of everyone inside the umbrella. Upon seeing this, Yin Zhong immediately shouted, and with a flash of white light from his longsword, he swept it out. A flock of moths fell silently to the ground, fluttering their bodies, but their wings had been completely severed by the sword light, and they could no longer fly.

Seeing this, the others slashed at the moths' wings, while the disciples of Wushangdao and Zhenwu Hall held talismans in their hands and released various kinds of yin and yang fire. In a short while, most of the moths were eliminated, and the remaining small group seemed to know that these people were not easy to deal with, so they scattered and left.

However, several people still died in the battle, and their bodies were burned to ashes by Elder Zheng.

"Master, the radiant light of the Misty Umbrella is no longer enough to protect everyone."

Wei Feng looked at the scattered, shimmering light all around, covered with countless tiny holes.

"It's alright. Let's use the Misty Umbrella to protect those soldiers and martial artists first. As for us cultivators, we'll use the protective light shield." Ning Dao immediately came up with a plan. Those soldiers and martial artists would be of great use, and they couldn't just perish here like this. After discussing with Yin Zhong and Zheng Changlai, the Misty Umbrella's light faded, then it spun in the air and suddenly shrank. Then, the clouds once again protected the central part.

After dealing with the "Blood Moth," Ning Dao looked at the pointer on the spirit detection compass to confirm his location, and then headed west.

The Blood God, inside the blood cocoon, noticed that his opponent had already broken through several levels. After a slight surprise, his eyes flashed with blood-red light. A fierce gale blocked their path several miles away from Ning Dao and the others. The surrounding blood mist was swept up by the gale, forming an extremely dense blood-red storm. Countless withered bones accompanied the storm, emitting suffocating ghostly sounds.

"It seems the Blood God has run out of tricks. Wei Feng, throw in three Crimson Thunder Pearls."

Ning Dao looked at the raging storm in front of him and immediately gave an order. Wei Feng reached out and grabbed the three Crimson Thunder Pearls. With a burst of true energy, the Crimson Thunder Pearls lit up slightly. Then Wei Feng flung them into the storm. There was a loud explosion, followed by three bright lights shining from the storm. Then the storm suddenly stopped and disappeared.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, Ning Dao swept it away with a flick of his sleeve, dispersing the foul air, and said calmly, "Continue onward."

Wei Feng and the others immediately responded and followed closely behind. However, they had only taken a few steps when they suddenly heard a commotion behind them.

What happened?

Although Ning Dao heard the voices behind him, he did not turn around, keeping his eyes fixed on the front.

"Master, it seems that fellow Daoists from the True Martial Hall have also encountered a blood-red storm."

Wei Feng received the message from behind and replied softly, but the commotion behind him was gradually subsiding, so there should be no major problems.

"Um"

Ning Dao glanced at the communication jade talisman and, finding no response, continued to clear the way ahead, successfully arriving at the outer edge of the Corpse Bone Plains.

Outside the Corpse Plain, hundreds of massive stone pillars, each several meters high and blood-red in color, were neatly arranged. Each pillar was topped with a skull burning with emerald flames, and four blood puppets guarded it below. Blood threads connected the pillars, shimmering with a bloody light. In the center of the pillar array stood a skull blood tower, with the Blood Sun atop it.

"Just as the Dao Lord predicted, the Blood God has set up the 'Thousand Blood Refining God Formation'."

Ning Dao looked at the familiar formation, his heart heavy. Elder Zheng stepped forward, noticing Ning Dao's grave expression, and couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist, is there any flaw in this formation?"

Yin Zhong, who was standing to the side, also looked over.

"This formation is called the 'Thousand Blood Refining God Formation'. It is activated by the power of blood and evil, which can erode the earth's veins and reverse yin and yang. Moreover, if someone is injured or killed in this formation, their entire flesh and blood will be devoured and transformed into the formation's essence."

Yin Zhong and Elder Zheng both frowned upon hearing this, but their expressions quickly relaxed. Elder Zheng looked at the blood-red skull tower and pointed at it, saying, "That skull tower should be the core of the formation. As long as we break it, the formation will self-destruct."

"Elder Zheng is right. That blood-red skull tower is indeed the core of the array, but getting to that place is extremely difficult."

Ning Dao's expression returned to calm as he addressed the two men. Yin Zhong, a thought striking him, said to Ning Dao, "Chief Ning, you did your best to protect the soldiers and martial arts practitioners beforehand. Did you anticipate this situation?"

Meeting the gazes of Yin Zhong and Elder Zheng, Ning Dao said calmly, "Master Yin, there's no need to test me. This was indeed my intention. The soldiers and martial artists are full of blood and energy, perfect for suppressing the enemy. As for us cultivators, as long as we extinguish the skull fire on the pillars as soon as possible, we can gradually break the formation. Once it's all extinguished, the skull tower in the middle will be nothing but bare wood."

Upon hearing Ning Dao's words, Yin Zhong nodded, then went to the soldiers and martial arts practitioners. He said something, but soon returned and bowed to Ning Dao.

"Chief Ning, please give the order on how to break the formation. We don't have much time to waste."

Seeing this, Elder Zheng also spoke up, "Fellow Daoist Ning, there's no time to lose, give the order quickly."

Upon hearing this, Ning Dao nodded, looked around at everyone, and then began to deploy his troops. Five hundred soldiers and martial artists attacked one of the stone pillars, preventing the blood puppets from attacking. Meanwhile, the disciples of the Supreme Dao and the True Martial Hall destroyed the skull fire on the stone pillar.

"Gentlemen, time is of the essence; the faster we resolve this, the better it will be for us."

Seeing that the soldiers and martial artists had already clashed with the Blood Puppet, and before the formation could be fully activated, Ning Dao solemnly bowed to Elder Zheng and the others, and then led the disciples of the Supreme Path to one place.

Seeing this, Elder Zheng discussed the matter with Elder Sun and Elder Zhao for a while, and then each led a group of disciples to attack the other three locations.

Just as Elder Zheng and Ning Dao simultaneously shattered a stone pillar, the ground suddenly shook violently, and countless blood-red skeletons emerged from the ground, attacking the soldiers and martial artists.

Fortunately, with the Cloud-Connecting Talisman and armor, although the soldiers were temporarily at a disadvantage, their overall formation was not disrupted. Some highly skilled individuals had already dealt with the Blood Puppet and firmly occupied the stone pillar.

Ning Dao looked at the situation below, his figure moved instantly, and with a sword he cleaved the skull fire apart. Before the sparks could scatter, they were extinguished by a gentle breeze.

On the other side, the three elders, Zheng, Sun, and Zhao, had each dealt with several giant pillars. The once seamless "Thousand Blood Refining God Array" had some flaws, and there were always some obstacles when the array was in operation. Ning Dao did not let this opportunity pass. He immediately took out several Crimson Thunder Pearls and threw them at the giant pillars in front of him. Several explosions rang out in succession. As the giant pillars collapsed, lines of blood suddenly shot towards Ning Dao, trying to bind him.

Seeing the sudden change in the situation, Ning Dao remained calm and moved nimbly. His flying sword flashed, weaving an impenetrable net of swords. The moment the blood lines touched, they were immediately struck as if they had been severely injured. Their momentum slowed down, and then they scattered like a spider web, attacking the others.

"We can't worry about that now."

Seeing that several people had died under the bloodline in just a few breaths, Ning Dao hardened his heart, leaped into the air, and headed towards the Skull Blood Tower.

At this moment, on the outer perimeter, due to the sudden appearance of blood puppets, the soldiers and martial artists were gradually becoming overwhelmed. In addition, the sudden appearance of blood lines meant that even the Heavenly Talisman and armor could not withstand it.

Those struck by the bloodline instantly turned into a pool of blood, which was then quickly absorbed by the formation, while the skull fire above intensified.

Seeing the Bloodline rampaging, Yin Zhong's eyes flashed with malice. He cleaved the Blood Puppet blocking his way with a single sword strike and charged towards the Bloodline alone. The Bloodline seemed to possess sentience. Seeing the spiritual light emanating from Yin Zhong's body, it abandoned the struggling figure and twisted into a single force, heading straight for Yin Zhong.

"Master Yin has risked his life; we must not let him down. Gentlemen, our fate rests on this moment."

Upon seeing Yin Zhong's actions, Wen Sheng was filled with pride and immediately punched the giant pillar. With a crisp sound, several cracks appeared on the pillar. Then, he swung his axe down, widening the cracks.

Seeing this, the others did the same. In an instant, the sound of the giant pillar being damaged could be heard. However, not everyone succeeded. Some who were a little slower were burned to death by the skull fire on the giant pillar.

The giant pillars were constantly being pushed down, and the formation began to slowly crumble. However, the remaining people all knew that if they could not destroy the skull blood tower in the middle, everything they had done would be in vain. Now they could only place their hopes on Chief Ning and Elder Zheng.

Seeing that the crowd below was gradually turning the tide, Yin Zhong felt relieved. He glanced around and unleashed several sword beams from his longsword, all of which struck the pursuing Bloodline. Although Bloodline's momentum slowed down, it continued to close the distance with Yin Zhong.

Just a few feet away from Yin Zhong, the blood line suddenly paused, then disintegrated on its own, turning into countless blood arrows that attacked Yin Zhong.

As Yin Zhong watched the blood arrows fly, his heart tightened. He descended from the sky and landed on an open ground. The blood arrows seemed to target not only Yin Zhong but also everyone present, launching an indiscriminate attack.

"Be careful, everyone, and make sure you don't get covered in blood."

Yin Zhong shouted loudly, and then beams of light rose from the bodies of the crowd. Although the blood rain was extremely corrosive, it was difficult to break through the Heavenly Talisman of hundreds of people in a short time.

However, nourished by the blood rain, the blood puppets became extremely ferocious. When their power surged, some people died on the spot, and even the Heavenly Talisman began to flicker, as if a gust of wind could extinguish it.

Seeing this, Yin Zhong shouted and activated the Dragon God Technique again. A turquoise dragon aura spiraled into the sky, roared, and the rolling waves of energy annihilated all the blood puppets.

Meanwhile, Ning Dao led Wei Feng and He Fang to the Skull Blood Tower, just as Elder Zheng and the others arrived.

(End of this chapter)