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In the capital of Yue, the rains of late spring continued incessantly.

Han Li stood on the top floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, gazing at the hazy outline of the imperial city in the rain.

The jade slip in his hand contained Qi Yunxiao's message: "The ancient teleportation array has been 50% repaired, and three 'Void Stones' are needed."

This news reassured him somewhat—the situation in the war between good and evil was dire, and he always needed to have a way out.

This time, Han Li was asked by Li Huayuan to protect the Qin family, descendants of his senior brother. So Han Li bid farewell to his fellow disciples and came to the capital of Yue Kingdom.

"Master Han, our master invites you in," the servant said respectfully from outside the door.

After putting away the jade slip, Han Li followed the servant to the backyard of the Prince's mansion.

Standing beside the artificial hill was an old man in a gray robe, a descendant of Li Huayuan, a fellow disciple.

This old man in gray robes is said to be the prime minister of the Yue Kingdom, a powerful figure in the capital.

In the days that followed, Prime Minister Qin took Han Li to the Prince's Mansion, where they encountered the charlatan Master Wu and obtained the sensational "Flame Manipulation Technique" from him.

As we left the Qin residence, the rain intensified.

Han Li raised his green bamboo umbrella and suddenly realized that someone was following him.

After turning into the alley, I suddenly turned around and saw a girl of about twelve or thirteen years old supporting an old man.

"Immortal Master, please have mercy..." The girl's voice was clear and melodious as she handed over an ancient jade slip. "The ancestral 'Breath Concealment Technique,' only ten spirit stones..."

Han Li scanned the area with his divine sense, and his pupils contracted slightly.

This jade slip is indeed a fragment of the profound "Concealing Breath Technique," which is exactly the kind of cultivation method he urgently needs to hide his cultivation level.

He then quietly bought the jade slip and secretly followed the grandmother and granddaughter, discovering that they were living in a dilapidated temple in the slums.

"Grandpa, I earned ten spirit stones today!" The girl named Xiao Cuier happily lit the oil lamp, illuminating the dense talismans on the wall.

Han Li was then shocked to realize that this dilapidated temple was actually a hidden array core!

Just as he was about to examine it closely, the spirit beast pouch at his waist suddenly became restless.

Han Li's expression changed, and he quickly left—this was the warning signal he had agreed upon with the Five Friends of Mengshan.

Inside an abandoned mine in the south of the city, five ragged monks were chained to stone pillars, each with a blood-stained nail embedded between their eyebrows.

Upon seeing Han Li appear, the white-haired elder at the head of the group exclaimed excitedly, "Fellow Daoist Han! The Black Fiend Sect intends to sacrifice the entire city in blood!"

"Don't rush! Speak slowly." Han Li's sword flashed, severing the chains.

The five friends of Mengshan revealed the terrifying truth one by one: the Yue Emperor was the mysterious Black Fiend Cult Leader, who had long ago built a Blood Pool Array under the palace.

On the nights of the new moon and full moon of each month, large numbers of mortals and independent cultivators are secretly sent into the palace and never come out again.

"The most terrifying thing is..." the white-haired old man lowered his voice, "...the Ghost Spirit Sect is behind the Black Fiend Cult Leader! All those 'Five Elements Blood Coagulation Pills' refined from the blood pool have been sent to the front lines!"

A cold glint flashed in Han Li's eyes.

No wonder the demonic cultivators became stronger with each battle; it turns out they were using such evil methods to quickly achieve Foundation Establishment!

"You all hide first." Han Li took out five talismans. "These are concealment talismans, which can temporarily evade the Blood Fiend's pursuit."

After leaving the mine, Han Li immediately sent a message to Su Ning and the others.

This is a matter of great importance, and we must notify Huangfeng Valley to gather a group of reliable people.

Three days later, the night was dark and the wind was high.

Six figures quietly gathered beneath the outer wall of the palace.

Besides Su Ning, Han Li, Li Feiyu, and Zhang Tie, there are also Liu Jing and Zhong Weiniang...

These two were the most upright among Li Huayuan's disciples.

"Where is Wu Xuan?" Liu Jing asked, frowning.

Han Li sneered: "He said we're making a mountain out of a molehill and he doesn't want to get involved."

“Never mind him,” Su Ning interrupted, his fingertips flashing with lightning as he outlined a map of the palace. “Proceed according to plan. Zhang Tie and I will launch a frontal assault, while Han Li and Li Feiyu will provide flank support. Senior Brother Liu and Senior Sister Zhong will be responsible for destroying the Blood Pool Formation.”

Zhong Weiniang, dressed in a red outfit and with two swords crossed on her back, winked at Su Ning: "Junior Brother Su, you must stay close to your senior sister, don't get lost."

At midnight, a thunderous roar ripped through the night sky!
Su Ning transformed into lightning and rushed straight to the palace gate. Thirty-six lightning-patterned puppets were activated simultaneously, forming a lightning chain array.

Before the Black Fiend cultists guarding the palace gates could react, they were electrocuted into charred remains.

"Enemy attack!" The alarm bells rang, and the four Blood Servants rushed out from different directions.

The blue-faced, blood-stained servant rushed straight at Su Ning, his hands transforming into blood-red claws.

Zhang Tie laughed wildly as he charged forward, his fist, as black as iron, clashing with the blood claw, producing a metallic clang!
"That was exhilarating!" Zhang Tie neither dodged nor evaded, letting the blood claws carve deep, bone-revealing wounds on his chest, before smashing half of his opponent's shoulder with a backhand punch.

The physical body cultivated by the Body Refining Technique is already comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and it becomes stronger the more it is injured!

On the other side, Han Li and Li Feiyu faced off against the White-Faced Blood Servant.

Li Feiyu's Gale Sword Technique unleashed countless sword lights, forcing the Blood Servant into a corner.

Han Li, on the other hand, had mastered the Qingyuan Sword Technique to perfection, and similarly forced his enemies into a retreat.

As Blood Servant staggered, Li Feiyu pierced his heart with a sword!
Deep within the palace, Liu Jing and Zhong Weiniang found the location of the blood pool.

Nine enormous pools of blood were arranged in a row, each containing dozens of corpses.

Intricate array patterns are faintly visible at the bottom of the pool, condensing the essence of flesh and blood into crimson pills.

"Beast!" Zhong Weiniang roared, her twin swords transforming into fiery phoenixes as she slashed straight at the blood pool.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred!
The Yue Emperor, who should have been in the front hall, suddenly emerged from the shadows and stabbed Liu Jing in the back with a claw!
Zhong Weiniang cried out in alarm, but it was too late.

Liu Jing managed to turn to the side, but the sharp claws still pierced through his right chest.

"Senior brother!" Zhong Weiniang rushed forward without hesitation, her two swords intertwining into a net.

As the final boss, the Black Fiend Cult Leader Yue Huang grinned and waved his sleeve, causing a foul-smelling cloud of blood to gush out.

When Zhong Weiniang's sword light touched the blood mist, it was as if she were sinking into a quagmire.

Just as it was about to be swallowed by the blood mist, a pillar of purple-gold lightning crashed down!
"Emperor Yue, your opponent is me." Su Ning arrived on lightning, with nine lightning orbs floating behind him.

Sensing the unusual spiritual energy from the direction of the blood pool, he immediately abandoned the battle and rushed over.

The Black Fiend Cult Leader's expression changed slightly: "Purple Heaven Divine Thunder? You are Lei Wanhe's..."

Before he could finish speaking, Suning had already made a decisive move!

Nine lightning orbs exploded in succession, illuminating the Blood Pool Hall as if it were daytime.

The Black Fiend Cult Leader was forced to fight, and the two exchanged more than a hundred blows in an instant. Wherever they passed, walls collapsed and blood pools evaporated.

Zhong Weiniang took the opportunity to save Liu Jing, but discovered that his wounds were emanating a strange black aura.

“It’s…blood poison…” Liu Jing struggled to take out a jade slip and handed it to her, “Give it to…Master…”

Before he could finish speaking, a wisp of black energy had already entered his heart meridian.

This third disciple, whom Li Huayuan valued most, died with his eyes open.

"Senior Brother!" Before Zhong Weiniang could finish her sorrowful cry, the top of her head suddenly collapsed!
The battle between the Black Fiend Cult Leader and Su Ning affected the entire hall, and a horizontal beam crashed down from above.

At the critical moment, a bolt of lightning flashed by and caught her in its arms.

With one arm around Zhong Weiniang and the other controlling the thunder dragon, Su Ning blasted it towards the Black Fiend Cult Leader: "Han Li! Now!"

Han Li, who had been lying in wait, suddenly appeared and threw out a jade bottle.

The medicinal powder in the bottle ignited upon contact with blood, instantly engulfing the Black Fiend Cult Leader in blue flames.

This is a "Blood Burning Powder" specially made with the venom of the "Blood Jade Spider," specifically designed to counter blood-based cultivation techniques!
"Ah!" Sure enough, the ugly Black Fiend Cult Leader screamed repeatedly, his body visibly shrunken away.

He frantically made hand seals, drawing upon all the remaining essence in the blood pool, transforming it into a blood arrow that shot towards Zhong Weiniang!

Without hesitation, Suning turned around and took the blow with his back.

The arrow of blood pierced through the lightning shield, creating a bloody hole in his shoulder.

But it also gave Li Feiyu a perfect opportunity—the ultimate killing move of the Gale Sword Technique, "Ten Thousand Swords Return to One," roared in and nailed the Black Fiend Cult Leader to the throne!
The battle ended abruptly.

Han Li searched the sect leader's storage bag and found half an ancient map and five blood-red pills—the fragments of the Void Heaven Palace map and the Five Elements Blood Coagulation Pills.

“Senior Brother Liu…” Zhong Weiniang held Liu Jing’s body, tears streaming down her face.

Su Ning pressed his shoulder wound and remained silent.

Although we won this battle, the cost was far too high.

Liu Jing died in battle, and Wu Xuan, who refused to participate in the war, was later found dead in the basement, his life essence drained... It must have been the work of the Black Fiend Cult Leader.

The rain started again, washing away the bloodstains in the palace.

A rooster crows in the distance, signaling the start of a new day.

But for these cultivators, some wounds can never fade with the night.
……

The sound of rain pattering on banana leaves continued for three whole days.

Su Ning sat cross-legged in the quiet room of his cave, with the spoils of war from this period floating in front of him. Each item was a treasure rarely seen by cultivators from the outside world.

However, Suning was not happy at all, because there were far more casualties than in this incident.

Moreover, the demonic cultivators seemed to come in an endless stream, while the seven sects were already showing signs of exhaustion.

"Senior Brother Liu and Senior Sister Zhong are actually Daoist couples..."

The image of Zhong Weiniang weeping over Liu Jing's body that day is still vivid in my mind.

Scanning the jade pendant left by Liu Jing with his divine sense, he could vaguely sense two intertwined auras: one as fierce as fire, and the other as gentle as water.

It was the unique fluctuation of the "Phoenix Dance Sword Technique" and Liu Jing's "Mysterious Yang Skill".

The fact that two completely different techniques could blend together so perfectly shows how deeply the two people understood each other.

“A Daoist partner…” Su Ning murmured to himself.

This word carries a heavy weight in the world of cultivation, signifying a profound cause and effect where one shares life and death.

No wonder Zhong Weiniang lost her composure so much back then...

Liu Jing was not only her senior brother, but also her Daoist partner who was willing to die for her.

Shaking his head to dispel distracting thoughts, Su Ning turned his attention back to cultivation.

The walls of the quiet room were engraved with thunder patterns, a "thunder-attracting array" personally set up for him by Lei Wanhe.

With a flick of the fingertip, the array was activated, and fine electric sparks immediately danced in the room.

The third level of the Great Wilderness Technique can be said to have caused Su Ning's physical body, divine sense and cultivation to increase dramatically.

Suning took off his shirt, revealing his muscular physique.

Faint golden lines appeared on the surface of the skin, which was a sign of minor success in body refinement.

He took out a Five Elements Blood Coagulation Pill and placed it in his palm, then hesitated for a moment before putting it back.

Although this pill can enhance cultivation, it always feels like it has an evil aura about it. Let's wait until Han Li has figured it out before making a decision.

"Crack!"

When the first bolt of lightning struck, Su Ning's muscles tensed instantly.

This is not natural lightning, but "Yi Wood True Lightning" refined through an array, which has both the power of thunder and the vitality of life, making it most suitable for tempering the internal organs.

"Ugh—!"

The excruciating pain swept over my entire body like a tidal wave, as if every inch of my flesh was being crushed and reassembled.

Su Ning gritted his teeth and activated the Great Wilderness Technique to guide the lightning force through the eight extraordinary meridians.

Gradually, a tingling numbness arose from the pain, a sign that the damaged meridians were being reborn under the nourishment of the Thunder Spirit's power.

Three hours later, Su Ning collapsed to the ground, his body charred black, only his eyes shining brightly like stars.

Upon internal inspection, the bones had already taken on a faint jade-like hue, and the surface of the internal organs was covered with a thin golden film...

This is a sign of "the initial formation of the Golden Body", meaning that the third level of the Great Wilderness Technique is about to be completed, and Su Ning's cultivation has also reached the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment stage.

After resting for a while, he took out the jade slip of "Dayan Jue" and stuck it on his forehead.

The cultivation of spiritual consciousness is relatively gentle, making it a good supplement after physical cultivation.

As the incantation was recited, a turbulent wave surged within the sea of ​​consciousness, and the originally scattered threads of divine consciousness began to intertwine on their own, gradually forming a dense net.

It far surpasses the third level of the Great Evolution Technique, "Divine Sense Forming a Net"—it's done!

This means that he can now control hundreds of magical artifacts at the same time, or sense the slightest movement within a five-mile radius.

If we were to encounter another chaotic battle like the Black Fiend Cult, I would never allow my companions to be unknowingly put in danger.

Time flies when you're cultivating, and half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Su Ning was studying the Great Wilderness Manual when the restrictions on his cave suddenly fluctuated.

A quick scan with his divine sense revealed that Han Li was standing outside the door, accompanied by an unexpected person—Zhong Weiniang.

"Senior Brother Su, I apologize for disturbing you." Han Li bowed respectfully, showing more deference than usual.

With a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivation level, one is already considered a core member of the Seven Sects.

Zhong Weiniang was still dressed in red, but her brows had lost their former spiritedness and gained a touch of calm.

She placed a jade slip on the stone table: "Junior brother, this is Senior Brother Liu's insights on the 'Mysterious Yang Skill,' which you... might find useful."

Su Ning noticed the jade pendant at her waist...

It is said that in the cultivation world, if one of the Daoist couple dies, the other will wear the broken pendant with them until the day their cultivation ends.

"Thank you." Su Ning didn't say much, but took out a brocade box and pushed it over. "This is a calming talisman carved from a lightning-struck wood core. It will be beneficial to your inner demons, Senior Sister."

Zhong Weiniang's fingertips trembled slightly, but she ultimately accepted it.

Han Li changed the subject at the right moment: "There is a problem with the Five Elements Blood Coagulation Pill. I tried it with a special method and found that there is a living Gu hidden in the pill."

As he spoke, he took out a recording jade, and the scene he showed was horrifying: the demon beast that had taken the blood pill suddenly exploded and died twelve hours later, with countless blood-red threadworms crawling out of its body!
"The Mind-Controlling Gu of the Ghost Spirit Sect," Han Li said in a deep voice. "Those cultivators who suddenly defected at the front lines are probably all..."

The three exchanged a glance, and a chill ran down their spines.

The Demonic Path is trying to undermine the Seven Factions from within!
"The situation is far too complicated right now! It's something that we low-level cultivators can't possibly worry about."

"Senior brother, do you have any plans for the future?"

"Let's take it one step at a time! I suspect the Seven Factions can't hold on any longer."

"What do you mean, senior brother?"

“Junior brother, taking out the ancient teleportation array is our way out.”

"Understood! Senior brother, I will find a way to repair the formation as soon as possible."

After seeing the two off, Su Ning sat alone for a long time.

As the sun began to set, Mo Cai gently carried Su Mo inside.

The little one can already crawl, and when he sees Suning, he babbles and reaches out to be held.

"I tested your spiritual root today, and the five elements are very well balanced." Mo Caihuan's eyes gleamed with pride. "Master Qi said that it will be very difficult for Mo'er to cultivate immortality..."

"Don't overthink it! The cultivation technique I mainly practice is somewhat special, and it is actually most suitable for the five elements spiritual roots."

"That's good."

She suddenly stopped talking because she noticed that Su Ning was staring at something outside the window.

Following the line of sight, one could see Zhong Weiniang walking alone into the distance, the setting sun staining her red dress as blood-red and poignant.

“Brother Su…” Mo Caihuan hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

"It's alright." Su Ning looked away and teased her son in her arms.

A faint, yet pure, five-colored spiritual light suddenly emanated from Xiao Su Mo's palm.

The general outline of the Great Wilderness Manual states: Only when all five elements are present can one become a king.

This child might actually be able to carry on his legacy.

At the same time, the true energy within his body began to boil uncontrollably...

This is a sign that one's cultivation has reached a bottleneck.

"It seems...it's time to prepare for Core Formation," Su Ning said softly.

If one wants to achieve a peaceful Core Formation, the Outer Sea is indeed a necessary destination, as its monsters and resources are indispensable.

Outside the window, the last rays of the setting sun disappeared behind the mountains.

The path to immortality is long, and some people are destined to only accompany you for a short while.

But what awaits him ahead is an even more perilous world.
...(End of chapter)