Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 153 Blood Spirit Cult
The behemoth completely lost its sight and became even more frenzied.

It rolled wildly in place, its massive body smashing the surrounding ground into craters.

Worried about Gu Changzhou's safety, Liu Sijun quickly used the Taixu Mirror to shoot out several spiritual ropes, pulling Gu Changzhou back to her side.

Although the behemoth was severely injured, it still possessed immense power and became even more ferocious due to its blindness.

It opened its mouth wide and spewed a cloud of black poisonous mist in the direction of the three people.

Wherever the poisonous fog passed, trees withered instantly, and the ground turned pitch black. Liu Sijun swiftly waved the Tai Xu Mirror, from which a beam of purifying light shot out, colliding with the poisonous fog. The purifying light, like a clear spring, gradually dispelled the poisonous fog.

However, the behemoth did not give up. Relying on its keen senses, it charged towards the three of them.

Liu Sijun knew she couldn't confront the giant beast head-on again. She looked at Gu Changzhou and Tong Lei and said, "Let's work together to lure it into the cave and seal it again using rune formations!"

Gu Changzhou and Tong Lei nodded in agreement.

The three immediately split up to draw the giant beast's attention, retreating towards the cave. The giant beast was indeed enraged and chased after them frantically.

After the giant beast entered the cave, Liu Sijun quickly activated the Taixu Mirror. The runes in the mirror resonated with the runes on the cave walls, emitting powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.

Gu Changzhou and Tong Lei also quickly infused their spiritual power according to the arrangement of the runes.

With the combined efforts of the three, the runic array shone brightly. A powerful suction force emanated from the array, firmly holding the giant beast in place.

The giant beast struggled desperately, but could not break free from the array's restraints, and was eventually slowly sucked into the array.

As the giant beast was sealed away, the runic light in the cave gradually dimmed, and the area around the icy pool returned to calm. Liu Sijun, Gu Changzhou, and Tong Lei exchanged glances, all seeing the relief of surviving a calamity in each other's eyes.

However, all three knew that this was merely the tip of the iceberg of Xuanji Hall's conspiracy.

Liu Sijun frowned, looking at the gradually dimming runes inside the cave, and said, "Although this giant beast has been sealed, the Xuanji Hall's conspiracy continues. They went to great lengths to awaken this thing, so they must have a bigger scheme."

Gu Changzhou nodded solemnly: "That's right. Elder Wuji Tower is still deciphering the map. We need to go back as soon as possible to see if there are any new clues. Moreover, we must inform His Majesty about the appearance of this cold pool and the giant beast, so that he can strengthen the defenses of the imperial city."

After reaching a consensus, the three immediately set off back to Zhongzhou City.

Upon returning to the city, Gu Changzhou first went to the palace to meet Bei Chenyao and reported the matter of the giant beast in the icy pool in detail.

Liu Sijun returned to the Longevity Palace and carefully sorted through the clues she had obtained from her trip to the Cold Pool. She discovered that both the spiritual energy fluctuations on the giant beast and the runes in the cave seemed to be intricately connected to the contents she had seen in the ancient books in the medicine storehouse.

This further confirms their previous suspicions that there is some kind of secret connection between Xuanji Hall and Blood Spirit Sect.

A few days later, the elders of Wuji Tower finally sent word that the map had been cracked.

Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun rushed to Wuji Tower.

In that secluded dwelling, the elder looked at them with a solemn expression and pointed to the unfolded map, saying, "There are seven locations marked on this map, each situated in a dangerous place on the continent. One of them is in the Fallen Soul Mountains, not far from the imperial city."

Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun leaned closer to examine the map and saw a mysterious symbol marked at the Fallen Soul Mountains, surrounded by complex runes. The elder explained, "This symbol represents an important altar of the Blood Spirit Sect. According to ancient records, the Blood Spirit Sect once held large-scale blood sacrifice rituals at this altar to gain immense power. If the Xuanji Hall is indeed colluding with the Blood Spirit Sect, they might very well hold another blood sacrifice at the altar in the Fallen Soul Mountains."

Liu Sijun was startled. Blood sacrifice rituals often resulted in the deaths of countless lives. If Xuanji Hall succeeded, the consequences would be unimaginable. She looked at Gu Changzhou and said with a firm gaze, "We must stop them."

Gu Changzhou nodded and said to the elder, "Elder, thank you for deciphering the map. We will now prepare to head to the Fallen Soul Mountain Range."

The elder frowned slightly and said, "The Fallen Soul Mountain Range is treacherous and fraught with unknown dangers. You must be careful on your journey. I will send several experts from the Boundless Pavilion with you, so that we can look out for each other."

After thanking the elder, Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun returned to the Marquis's residence to begin preparations.

They summoned Min Rui, Tong Lei, and several experts from Wuji Tower to discuss countermeasures in detail. Everyone knew how arduous this mission was, and each person's expression was serious, daring not to slack off in the slightest.

A few days later, the group set off towards the Fallen Soul Mountain Range without stopping.

Along the way, the group proceeded cautiously, constantly alert to any movement around them. As they stepped into the territory of the Fallen Soul Mountain Range, a sinister aura swept over them, and the originally bright sunlight in the sky was shrouded in a layer of gloom.

Thick fog blanketed the mountains, reducing visibility to extremely low levels.

Liu Sijun used his spiritual power to try to dispel the fog, but with little effect. Gu Changzhou said in a low voice, "Everyone be careful, this fog is strange, and it may be hiding danger."

Just then, a low roar came from not far away, as if some giant beast was watching them from the darkness.

Everyone immediately gripped their weapons tightly, ready for battle.

From the mist emerged several monstrous beasts resembling black panthers, their eyes flashing with an eerie red light and their bodies emanating a nauseating stench of decay.

Gu Changzhou shouted, "Prepare for battle!"

The several demonic beasts resembling black panthers pounced towards the group with ghostly speed.

Gu Changzhou flashed like a black lightning bolt, taking the lead in meeting the monster charging at the front.

His sword gleamed coldly, its blade flashing like starlight as he thrust it toward the beast's neck.

The monster reacted extremely quickly, twisting its body to nimbly dodge the fierce attack, while simultaneously extending its sharp claws to grab at Gu Changzhou's chest.

Gu Changzhou lightly stepped back and leaped away, avoiding the deadly claw.

Liu Sijun quickly activated the Taixu Mirror, and several golden rays shot out from the mirror, like ropes, wrapping around the demon beast.

The monster seemed to sense the threat of the light, opening its mouth to spew out a stream of black flame, attempting to burn it away. However, the golden light was exceptionally resilient, passing through the flame and successfully binding the monster's limbs.

Seeing this, Tong Lei shouted loudly, and his long sword burst into flames. He charged towards the entangled monster like a tiger descending a mountain, and slashed down fiercely with his sword.

(End of this chapter)