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Chapter 230 The Blood Pool Rift Reveals Its True Form, the Abyss in Peril Unveils Its Evil Deeds [Part Two]

Feng Bohan's expression remained unchanged.

He looked at his father, who was utterly corrupt from body to soul, and at the culprit who had dragged the family into the abyss.

The last ripple in my heart caused by blood ties turned into stagnant, frozen water.

He slowly raised his hand, not to attack.

Instead, it points to the magnificent and boundless landscape of the surrounding land, and to the black-armored Nightmare Warriors who stand in the distance like statues, yet exude an aura that chills the heart.

"Bloodline?" Feng Bohan's lips curled into a cold, devoid of any warmth.

“I’m sorry, Father, in this Nightmare Kingdom, the will of the Sovereign is above all else. I am merely a Nightmare Servant under the Sovereign’s command and have no right to interfere with the Kingdom’s handling of ‘materials’.”

The words that came out of his mouth were extremely chilling.

"When you chose to dance with the demons and sacrifice yourself and the entire Windcaller City to the filth, you should have thought about the end result."

Looking at the Wind Clan Chief's soul, utterly broken and twisted by despair, he spoke, word by word, for himself and for all the souls who perished in the calamity of Wind City:

"Your destiny is to become eternal laborers in the kingdom...nightmare material, and your sins will be chewed up inch by inch by endless time."

Before the words were even finished, and before Chief Hufeng could let out an even more mournful howl, two silent, black-armored Nightmare Spirit soldiers appeared behind his soul like phantoms.

The last thing Chief Hufeng saw was this scene.

Feng Bo turned away indifferently, merging into the magnificent backdrop of eternal darkness.

It was the majestic figure of Ji Liang, head held high, with crimson clouds rising as it followed Feng Bohan away, leaving behind only a sacred and compassionate silhouette.

Neither the man nor the horse looked back at him again.

He felt two cold, lifeless metal arms grab his soul.

He couldn't even make a sound before being dragged away from his spot by an irresistible force.

Throwing into the depths of this boundless kingdom, into a dark abyss filled with a cold, eerie light, resembling a giant furnace or workshop...

In that darkness, the terrifying echoes of countless other "materials" struggling silently and laboring eternally could be faintly heard.

"Do not……"

Chief Hufeng's final howl echoed long over the Nightmare Kingdom.

"Gulu..."

"Gulu..."

The sound of swallowing saliva repeatedly came from a corner of the square.

The demonic cultivators, who had recently been transformed into Nightmare Servants, couldn't help but look up at the twenty-three stars that circled the night sky, and then exchanged a chilling glance.

Each of those stars was inhabited by Nascent Soul cultivators, and they were all killed by our lord and his people just like that?
Twenty-three were made into stars, and one was eternally imprisoned in the abyss. This method... is simply terrifying!

"Our Lord is merciful, and has not punished us by such means. Thank you, our Lord, for your forgiveness!"

"Yes, we participated in the ambush, but he never held us accountable. He is truly the most benevolent ruler in the world."

"It must be because the Lord was grateful that we volunteered to fight, that he made an exception for us. Yes, that must be it!"

"So, it's all thanks to the Heartless Fairy's reminder!"

"In the future, we should make more contributions to the country."

After watching the excitement, the Nightmare Attendants chatted as they walked back to their lodgings.

Shen Mengyao walked at the back, taking a deep look in the direction where the Hufeng Clan Chief had finally landed.

Then his gaze swept around, as if searching for something. After searching for a while without finding anything, a look of disappointment and melancholy appeared on his face.

But she dared not do anything, nor could she do anything.

Having witnessed the ruthless methods of the Nightmare Kingdom, she no longer dared to use the tactics she had originally planned, such as relentless pursuit.

'That's for the best. If Tang Hao simply ignores me, at least I won't have to worry about suffering the same pain.'

Thinking of what Feng Bohan had said, Shen Mengyao couldn't help but tremble.

She made up her mind to do what others did in the future, and try to minimize her presence so as not to attract Tang Hao's attention.

However, even after making this decision, Shen Mengyao still couldn't help but feel anxious and fearful.

Day and night, night and day.

She was afraid that one day the other party would remember her and, in a moment of displeasure, punish her.

In the plaza, high in the sky, the throne is hidden in the void.

Tang Hao glanced at the departing Nightmare Servant and was slightly out of breath.

It doesn't feel much easier than maintaining the remote rift passage, even after the Nightmare Kingdom has grown again after absorbing a large amount of Yin energy.

Before this battle, let alone suppressing a Nascent Soul cultivator, the entire planet would have collapsed the moment the opponent entered.

"As expected of a Nascent Soul cultivator, if he weren't suppressed by the power of the entire kingdom, wouldn't he cause chaos if he went berserk?"

After a moment's thought, he made a sword gesture, and the [Judgment] sword appeared with a clang.

Then, under his command, they descended into the dark abyss that suppressed the chieftain of the Wind Clan.

After careful consideration, Tang Hao decided to add an extra layer of insurance.

Although he had made arrangements with the power of his kingdom in that abyss, the opponent's strength would still be suppressed within it.

However, if one cannot bear the loneliness and suddenly erupts in anger, one will find that it is not a long-term constraint. At that time, one will really have to spend a lot of effort to suppress it.

Yes, the fact that Chief Hufeng was so easily defeated just now was entirely due to Tang Hao's covert suppression and weakening.

Otherwise, under Feng Bohan's various verbal attacks, if the other party had the support of cultivation, he might have become even more emboldened and attacked the rebellious son with all his might, instead of being able to be so easily subdued as he is now.

As for the charges Feng Bohan brought against him, Tang Hao felt ashamed. He had only informed him of what he knew, and he had no idea what the guy had imagined.

After recovering slightly, Tang Hao took one last satisfied look at his own little world before turning his attention back to the outside world.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the outline of a celestial city appear at the end of his vision.

As the new day dawned, the sunlight finally pierced through the haze in the sky, gilding the city of Hufeng with a golden edge.

Tang Hao and his three companions concealed themselves in mid-air, looking down at the immortal city below.

It was nearly noon, and the city was bustling with people. There were still many vendors hawking their wares on the streets, and pedestrians would stop from time to time to buy their favorite items.

The four of them couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.

If one were unaware of this beforehand, anyone looking down would see the most prosperous ancestral city of a large clan.

Perhaps, they might even sigh from the bottom of their hearts, "No wonder it is one of the eight great clans of the Northern Region."

But they knew that it was all an illusion.

The city was full of life and its inhabitants, but countless of them had been parasitized by evil creatures from beyond the realm.

"If you look closely, you can still find some clues," Bai Jue's voice rang in the ears of the three.

Following her directions, Tang Hao and Feng Mingyang indeed discovered some Feng clan members behaving strangely.

An old woman mechanically swept the steps, without stopping for a moment, even though they were completely empty.

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators were awkwardly carrying spiritual materials. They could have easily done it with their [Object Manipulation] techniques, but they were carrying them by hand and on their shoulders like ordinary people, their movements extremely clumsy. There were even a few children squatting in the corner playing with pebbles, but… if Tang Hao wasn't mistaken, those weren't pebbles at all; they were clearly a small pile of sheep droppings.

Besides these, there are many, many more...

However, since they knew the result first and then worked backward to find the problem, they were more likely to discover the strangeness.

To an outsider, all that could be seen were some faint black veins on his neck and slightly empty, unfocused pupils; otherwise, he was almost no different from an ordinary person.

“They are ‘playing’ living people.” Bai Jue’s voice came again, moonlight flowing through his fingertips. “The sunlight suppressed the instinct to tear the skin, but the parasitism never stopped.”

Compared to when Feng Bohan entered the city, his performance was like the difference between artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence.

Tang Hao speculated: "Those Nascent Soul cultivators who were parasitized first may have played a role in transferring and coordinating things within the symbiotic consciousness control; otherwise, they shouldn't have behaved this way."

Faced with three puzzled gazes, Tang Hao briefly recounted what he had seen and heard while spying on the screen.

Having experienced it firsthand, Feng Mingyang was the first to agree, and Bai Jue and Yan Yumin nodded thoughtfully after listening.

If this is true, the [Skin Thief] will definitely accelerate the process of parasitizing the Nascent Soul's existence if they want to continue expanding their control.

Having figured this out, Feng Mingyang clenched his fists and looked down at a courtyard half-hidden by vines at the foot of the mountain: "That was the residence of an elder, an old friend of my father's. I wonder what he is like now..."

Bai Jue extended his divine sense to investigate that area.

"There's no one in the courtyard." She shook her head gently.

I noticed the worry in Feng Mingyang's eyes.

She comforted him, saying, "According to what you said, he shouldn't be under control yet. If the main body of the 'skin thief' is removed, there might still be a chance of survival."

Suddenly, a water mirror unfolded before everyone, reflecting two "Holy Spring Guardians".

Each of them dragged a struggling cloth bag toward the holy spring barrier, crimson blood seeping from the seams of the bags.

Yan Yumin maintained the hand seal of the [Water Mirror Technique] and said in a chilling tone, "They are selecting 'fresh food,' we need to hurry!"

Bai Jue thought for a moment, then said to Tang Hao, "Brother, you and Yu Mian..."

Knowing that the other party wanted him to stay outside, Tang Hao figured he had the magic [Purification Technique] and the [Yellow Guardian] jade talisman with him, so why would he agree?

If he truly didn't intend to enter the Holy Spring, he simply wouldn't step into the area covered by the symbiotic consciousness.

Besides, it's broad daylight now, so there won't be a situation like last night's encirclement and suppression.

Moreover, even if Yan Yumin were to hide in the heavens, it wouldn't necessarily be as safe as if she were to stay by Bai Jue's side.

Tang Hao immediately explained his idea, and Bai Jue, after a moment's thought, agreed to let him accompany him.

The four of them moved like ghosts to the foot of the mountain where the sacred spring was located.

The cyan-gold barrier that covered the entire mountain peak was now covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

A viscous, dark red substance seeped continuously from the cracks, climbing upwards along the barrier and even distorting, swallowing, and blocking out the sunlight.

Five Nascent Soul cultivators from the Hufeng clan sat cross-legged at the entrance of the barrier, their magical power flowing peacefully around them, as if they were just ordinary guards.

But Feng Mingyang's breathing suddenly became rapid: "The third one on the left is a late-stage Nascent Soul Elder. He also appeared yesterday, but he was always on the edge, so it seems that he was not deeply parasitized."

Almost simultaneously, Tang Hao's Black Gold Dragon Butterfly flew out silently.

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the five people's vicinity.

Then, Tang Hao stiffened, his face turning grim, and said to Bai Jue and the other two:

“The aura of the Skin Thief lurking on the five people is no less than that of Chief Hufeng and his group in three of them, and the aura of the other two is also rapidly deepening.”

"Huh, there are five of them. Is there some kind of explanation behind this?" He suddenly realized this and looked at the five people with some curiosity.

This is a question that no one can answer at the moment.

"We can't force our way in!" Yan Yumin said softly.

After a moment's thought, she tossed out a jade talisman.

The talisman flowed into the barrier like a stream of light, and the five "guards" suddenly opened their eyes, their pupils as black as ink.

Blood-red vines suddenly emerged from the crack in the barrier and coiled around the jade talisman.

"The symbiotic consciousness has activated the barrier's own defenses!"

The white jade moon wheel suddenly appeared, and the silver light severed the vines in an instant. The necks of the five people were torn open, revealing mouthparts wrapped in black energy.

Strangely, they did not give chase. Instead, they closed their eyes and sat upright again, their neck wounds slowly healing.

The four people looked at each other in bewilderment upon seeing this.

Through the Nightmare Butterfly's vision, Tang Hao saw that the dark light and shadow at the bottom of the Holy Spring had expanded from the size of a bowl in the video to the size of a bathtub.

"They're stalling for time..." Tang Hao suddenly realized, "The cracks are widening; they're waiting for nightfall!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Mingyang was startled and immediately bit his fingertip, using his blood essence to draw an ancient clan pattern on his palm and press it against the barrier—this was an emergency passage technique known only to the clan leader's bloodline.

The barrier opened up as if melting, and the four rushed in like lightning.

In an instant, the world spun around, and a strong stench of blood mixed with decay assaulted our senses.

Where is the sacred spring now?
A boiling pool of blood churned with shattered bones and human skin. In the center of the pool hung a dark rift about ten feet wide, from which countless pale arms were desperately crawling out!
"Mingyue!" Feng Mingyang's eyes widened in fury.

In the center of the blood pool, three crystal pillars stood around the rift. In the middle pillar, a faintly breathing girl in purple was imprisoned; she was none other than his younger sister, Feng Mingyue.

The other two crystal pillars contain two Nascent Soul elders from the Ji Liang lineage, each frozen inside.

"It is reinforcing the crack with the purest Chenghuang and Jiliang bloodline!" The white moon wheel transformed into a stream of light and crashed into the crystal pillar.

The blood pool suddenly erupted with huge waves, and five Nascent Soul level monsters pieced together from blood and bones instantly condensed at the bottom of the pool.

These were the skin thieves who were severely injured after besieging Bai Jue last night. They had abandoned their host's true form and reshaped their bodies with filth.

For some reason, Tang Hao's heart clenched the moment he saw the girl in purple.

His eyes welled up with tears. Noticing Feng Mingyang's forward movement, Tang Hao shouted, "Cover Feng Mingyang!"

His hands flew, forming hand seals, and a vast expanse of pure energy surged like a reversed celestial river. The crystal-white halo of the third-tier [Purification Technique] coiled around the blood pool monster like chains.

The monster's movements suddenly froze, black mist hissed and rose from its body, and it let out a shrill scream.

Bai Jue transformed into afterimages, weaving through the waves of blood. Wherever the moon passed, the arms that crawled out of the cracks broke off and melted away.

A blood-bone monster seized the opportunity to pounce on Tang Hao, but was firmly locked down by the thirty-six water tornadoes summoned by Yan Yumin.

Feng Mingyang rushed towards the crystal pillar without regard for anything, and the family heirloom jade pendant burst into a blinding light: "Open for me!"

The crystal that sealed his sister shattered instantly.

The moment he touched the girl's sleeve, the crack in the center of the blood pool suddenly expanded.

A gigantic hand covered in purplish-black eyeballs gripped the edge of the crack, and an indescribable roar shook the very soul.

All the remains of the skin thieves surged toward the giant hand as if summoned, and even the ice crystals that had sealed the elders of the Jiliang lineage began to crack and bleed.

Seeing this scene, Tang Hao was terrified.

"The entity within the Yin-Yang rift wants to forcibly descend upon this realm!"

(End of this chapter)