Searching for the best path, starting from Renjia Town

Chapter 210 Seven Stars
"Finally we're here!"

After walking along the passage for three or four miles, the view suddenly opened up before us.

There was a huge space, nearly two hundred meters in diameter. Just like in the passage, the walls were covered with torches, illuminating the cave as if it were daytime.

Although not perfectly regular, it does not appear to be entirely natural, showing signs of artificial carving.

"where……"

Immediately afterwards, the eight people began searching.

The space was large, but also very empty; it was completely open and there was no treasure to be found.
Finally, everyone's gaze fell upon the central position, on a stone pillar.

The stone pillar was only five or six meters high, some distance from the top of the cave, and less than a meter in diameter. It looked quite ordinary.

But apart from the stone pillars, there was nothing else in the cave.

The eight people walked up to the stone pillar and examined it carefully, but found nothing.

Is there some kind of organization involved?
With that in mind, the eight of them searched again.

"found it!"

Soon, the eight of them found a rock at the base of the wall that was clearly distinguishable from the rock face.

It's actually not hard to find. The stone pillar stands in the center of the cave, and there are eight grooves under the pillar. These grooves extend all the way to the rock wall, and at the end of the grooves is this unusual stone.

Dong Dong~!

A light tap produced a dull thud, and it turned out that the stone was hollow!
After a moment's hesitation, the eight people exchanged glances and nodded.

Bang~!

The eight people attacked simultaneously, and with a muffled thud, they shattered the rock.

Wow~!

The next moment, crimson liquid flowed out.

"Blood?"

One whiff is enough to tell that it's not water deliberately dyed red, but real blood.

Moreover, this blood contains spiritual power. Only a small amount is human blood; the majority comes from animals, or rather, from spirits.

"Liu is here?"

"So that's it..."

This was all fresh blood that had just flowed out of their bodies, and everyone immediately understood.

The blood of those who were killed outside the cave and at the stone bridge was collected and used here.

This explains why so many people had to fight each other for the appearance of this treasure; it was all about drawing blood.

But what is the purpose of drawing blood?
In an instant, everyone's gaze followed the flowing blood and finally converged on the central stone pillar.

Zizzi~!

The blood flowed downwards, and after reaching the bottom of the stone pillar, it did not stop, but instead continued upwards against the flow of the blood.

It was only then that everyone realized that there were actually grooves on the stone pillar, but they were so small that they were difficult to see with the naked eye.

The blood flowed through, appearing as thin red threads, and only then was it revealed.

"This is……"

As the blood continued to rise, the blood lines outlined patterns that appeared on the stone pillar.

It resembled some kind of rune, or perhaps an array, but neither these spirits who had cultivated for hundreds of years, nor Li Bi, the disciple of the Maoshan sect, recognized it.

Its complexity surpasses all the rune formations Li Bi knows, which shows that these patterns are not simple.

Thinking of this, Li Bi couldn't help but take a small step forward.

Judging from the current situation, this stone pillar is the key to the treasure.

As the saying goes, "being near the water tower makes it easier to get the moon first," meaning that being closer to the source makes it easier to succeed.

After all, he wasn't alone; there were seven other competitors.

Clearly, the others did the same, and began to approach the stone pillar as well.

But everyone was extremely cautious, and no one dared to rush directly to the base of the stone pillar.

The closer to the end, the more dangerous the situation often becomes. Who knows if there are any traps on this stone pillar?
Getting too close rashly might cost you your life instead of the treasure.

It must be said that those who have made it this far are far more accomplished and mentally stronger than ordinary people.

About twenty meters from the stone pillar, the eight people stopped simultaneously, keeping their eyes on the pillar while remaining wary of each other.

Buzz~!

When all the blood was absorbed by the stone pillar, the pattern on it was finally completed, and its complexity and profundity far exceeded everyone's initial expectations.

Just then, before the eight people could react, a faint humming sound rang out, and the stone pillar emitted a golden light.

"This is……"

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, golden light condensed, and a verdant vine emerged from the stone pillar.

It grows rapidly, followed by the unfolding of several large lotus leaves. Once the lotus leaves cover most of the stone pillar, a flower bud emerges, quickly swells, and blooms.

Before anyone could even admire the beautiful lotus flower, the petals had already fallen, and the once lush green lotus leaves had turned yellow and withered, leaving only a lonely lotus seedpod on the stem.

The lotus pods are ripe, and the lotus seeds inside shimmer with a dazzling brilliance.

At this point, all the strange phenomena disappeared, as if a lotus seedpod had always grown on the stone pillar.

"That is the treasure!"

With a loud shout, the eight of them rushed toward the lotus pod.

Bang~!

With a muffled thud, they clashed in the next moment.

After the preliminary rounds and semi-finals, now it's time for the finals.

It's unrealistic to fight seven people at once, and no one would be foolish enough to do so; everyone fights nearby.

The two demonic claws collided heavily, two ghostly figures blocked the masked man, and two other demonic figures attacked Li Bi together.

For the time being, it was temporarily divided into three places.

Whoever defeats their opponent first will be the first to reach the lotus pod.

Everyone understood this principle, and there was no need to hold back at this point, so they all showed their true abilities.

Hurrah~!

Seeing the two monsters rushing towards him from the left and right, Li Bi's expression turned serious, and he cast the Fire Bell Spell again.

Compared to before, now the flames are blooming with red lotuses, which are the karmic fire of the red lotus.

The two spirits realized the danger; one temporarily hid, while the other actually sprayed water to defend itself.

"Hmph~!"

Li Bi snorted coldly and instantly increased his firepower.

The ten Blood God Children gathered, all at the hundredth level of Qi Refining. With such profound blood and qi, the flames expanded more than tenfold in an instant!
"Ah~!"

"It's over!"

Caught off guard, the two spirits were engulfed by the raging flames in an instant.

Let alone being completely engulfed by the fire, as a spirit, if it gets even a little bit of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire on its body, unless it has special supernatural powers or extremely high cultivation, it will have no chance of escaping.

"Spare me!"

Clearly, neither of these two spirits possessed such abilities. Under the scorching heat of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, they let out painful roars and repeatedly begged Li Bi for mercy.

Li Bi ignored him and went straight to the lotus pod.

"Stop him!"

The other five were still fighting when they saw this and were all greatly surprised.

Unexpectedly, Li Bi dealt with the two highly skilled spirits in an instant.

Seeing Li Bi heading straight for the lotus seedpod, they didn't have time to think much for a moment. With a loud shout, they temporarily stopped and tried to stop Li Bi.

In a chaotic battle, the final victor may not necessarily be the strongest; sometimes, it also depends on assessing the situation.

A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind; if one's performance is too outstanding, one will be targeted instead.

"Hmph~!"

Looking at the five people who were rushing towards him, Li Bi let out another cold snort, a hint of disdain in his eyes.

That makes sense, but there's another point: if you're strong enough to sweep the entire field, why bother with the current situation?

Boom~Boom~!

Li Bi raised his hands to the sky, and the next moment, accompanied by a series of booming sounds, countless bolts of lightning danced wildly like silver snakes, almost instantly filling the entire cave space.

"Lefa!"

"Amazing!"

"Ouch~!"

The other five were all taken aback. Faced with such violent lightning, they had no time to stop Li Bi and all used their own methods to defend themselves.

Bang~!

Two of the ghosts were weaker and were directly struck by lightning, flying away and instantly severely injured.

The remaining three methods, each different, were enough to barely hold on.

"Oh no!" But when the thunder subsided, Li Bi had already reached the foot of the stone pillar.

Before they could react, Li Bi reached out and plucked the lotus seedpod.

“Finally got it!”

Looking at the lotus seedpod in his hand, Li Bi's face lit up with joy.

The lotus seedpod shimmers with golden light; perhaps the relics are inside.

However, not knowing what was special about this lotus seedpod, Li Bi dared not disassemble it easily. After thinking for a while, he decided to take it back whole and hand it over to Number One for processing.

Seeing that Li Bi had succeeded, the remaining three stood there, all frowning.

Although Li Bi obtained the lotus seedpod, as long as he didn't leave the cave and was still in sight, he could continue to steal it!

But the key question is, can they win the fight?

The five of them attacked together, but two of them were severely injured by the lightning. Although the other three barely withstood this wave, they probably won't be able to withstand the second or third.

"Humph."

Li Bi tucked the lotus seedpod into his robes, glanced at the crowd, gave a disdainful snort, and turned to leave.

We've reached the bottom of the cave, and there's no other way out, so we have no choice but to return the way we came.

Although the cave entrance is sealed, Li Bi's strength might not prevent him from opening it.

If all else fails, he can always try methods like burrowing underground.

Watching Li Bi leave like that, although he was unwilling, he didn't have the strength to stop him.

The remaining two spirits exchanged a glance and finally sighed helplessly.

The masked man, however, glanced at the stone pillar in the center, which had returned to its normal appearance.

"Ok?"

As Li Bi re-entered the passage, his heart suddenly sank. He turned his head slightly and glanced at the masked man out of the corner of his eye.

A moment later, after estimating that Li Bi had gone far away, the masked man walked to the foot of the stone pillar.

After circling and examining it for a while, he pondered for a moment, then his gaze suddenly turned cold, and he slammed his palm heavily onto the stone pillar.

Boom~!

Unexpectedly, the stone pillar, which had remained unscathed from the earlier fighting and the lightning and fire, was now broken and collapsed by a single palm strike from the man.

"This is!"

Within the broken stone pillar, a massive Guan Dao (a type of halberd) measuring three or four meters in length stood.

Seven points of light shimmered on the blade, arranged like the seven stars in the sky.

"Sure enough!"

The masked man was filled with excitement. He had been right; the lotus seedpod was just the surface, and the real treasure was hidden inside the stone!
"Haha! This precious sword is finally mine!"

He threw his head back and laughed loudly, then reached for the knife.

"stop!"

"The treasured sword is mine!"

The other two spirits stared wide-eyed, never expecting such a turn of events.

Then, with a look of excitement on his face, he shouted and was about to rush forward to snatch it.

"You two dare to compete with me?"

The masked man's gaze was cold and sinister; he didn't take the two monsters seriously at all.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have broken the stone pillar at this time.

"What if it were me?"

Just then, with a soft shout, Li Bi walked out of the passage again.

"you……"

Upon seeing Li Bi return, the masked man's eyes widened in surprise.

Then he frowned, realizing he had underestimated the young man.

Boom~!

Li Bi didn't waste any more words with him and immediately unleashed a thick ball of lightning.

That's right, the Seven Star Crescent Blade is indeed inside the stone pillar!

"not good!"

The masked man's eyes widened, and he shouted as he quickly cast a spell to defend himself.

Boom~!

The next moment, the lightning ball exploded upon contact with the masked man.

With a deafening roar, lightning once again filled the cave, but it was even more intense and violent than before.

"Ah~!"

Ouch!

Before the two spirits could even grab it, they were caught in the crossfire and seriously injured, collapsing to the ground.

Li Bi ignored him and looked at the masked man in the middle.

"Ok?"

He does have some skills; he's still able to stand still at this moment.

But during the thunderstorm, the mask on his face was shattered.

Upon seeing the man's true face, Li Bi was taken aback; it was actually Lei Gang!
As Li Kunshan's Blood God Child, his primordial spirit was formed from a wisp of his divine thought, which also contained Li Kunshan's memories.

"hateful!"

Although he blocked the lightning ball, Lei Gang was also injured. He glared at Li Bi with resentment, then roared and defiantly drew his Seven Star Crescent Blade.

Boom~Boom~!

The moment the Seven Star Crescent Blade was pulled from the stone pillar, the entire cave suddenly shook violently.

"Haha~! It's finally been pulled out! The Seven Star Crescent Blade has finally been pulled out, and I, the Old Demon Moon Wolf, am finally free!"

At that moment, accompanied by loud laughter, a maniacal voice suddenly rang out.

Moon Wolf Demon?

Li Bi was startled again and looked around. Could this old demon be nearby as well?

Then he frowned again, wondering what he meant by regaining his freedom, and what connection he had with the Moon Wolf Demon and the Seven Star Crescent Blade.

Bang! Boom!

Before I could think it through, the cave began to collapse.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Lei Gang grabbed the Seven Star Crescent Blade and ran away.

"not good!"

Li Bi's expression changed, and he was about to give chase, but just as he took half a step, a huge rock fell down, blocking his way.

As soon as Li Bi stepped over the boulder, Lei Gang had already vanished without a trace.

"hateful!"

At this moment, the cave completely collapsed, and Li Bi had no choice but to temporarily hold off the attack.

Boom~!

With a loud bang, the earth trembled violently, and a section of the mountain suddenly collapsed.

Ouch~!

Under the moonlight, the male wolf howled and transformed into human form, excitedly running into the distance.

Bang~!

A few moments later, the rubble parted and Li Bi emerged from it.

He looked around, his face extremely gloomy.

Where did Lei Gang go?

"Look for each other separately!"

The next moment, nine more Blood God Children flew out of his body, and the ten of them ran off in all directions.

Unfortunately, after searching the surrounding area for hundreds of miles several times throughout the night, Lei Gang was still nowhere to be found.

Lei Gang was, after all, ranked second in the Ghost-Catching Conference. Even if he couldn't compare to Li Kunshan, his methods were still quite formidable.

Since he escaped, he won't be so easy to find.

"Oh~!"

After dawn, the ten Blood God Children merged again. Li Bi looked at the deep mountains and forests around him and couldn't help but sigh.

The Seven Star Crescent Blade was within reach, yet he missed it.

Immediately afterwards, he took out the lotus seedpod from his bosom. In the sunlight, the lotus seeds on it shimmered with golden light, and the seven lotus seeds were arranged in the shape of the seven stars.

Li Bi pondered for a moment, then put the lotus seedpod back in his pocket and returned to Hehuan Town.

(End of this chapter)