I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

After descending about a hundred zhang, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a huge man-made cave! Roughly estimated, it was over a hundred zhang in length and width, and several tens of zhang in height, as if the mountain had been hollowed out!

The ceiling of the cave was inlaid with some minerals that emitted a pale green glow, providing dim light.

In the center of the cave stood a chilling structure—a bizarre altar ten feet high, built from countless white bones!

The altar is pyramid-shaped, with a huge pool of blood at the top. The dark red, viscous blood in the pool is constantly churning and bubbling, emitting an extremely strong bloody smell and resentment!

Around the blood pool, nine pitch-black banners were planted, each painted with a hideous demonic image. They moved without wind, emanating a sinister aura that seemed to absorb souls.

Below the altar, there were dozens of pits of varying sizes, each imprisoning several figures! At a glance, there were over a hundred people!

Most of them were dressed in rags, with numb or terrified expressions, and more or less had injuries on their bodies. They were also breathing weakly, clearly miners who had been captured and missing disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect!

They were imprisoned here like livestock, and some of them had strange tubes inserted into their bodies, from which their life essence was slowly extracted and injected into the groove leading to the blood pool at the altar!

Around the cave, a dozen or so figures dressed in black with a chilling aura were scattered around. Most of them were in the Foundation Establishment to Golden Core stage, and they were patrolling or processing materials in a daze.

Directly in front of the altar, a figure dressed in a dark red robe, with his back to the cave entrance, faced the blood pool on the altar, his hands constantly forming hand seals, seemingly presiding over some kind of ritual. His aura was that of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and it was extremely unstable, fluctuating greatly, with a dense aura of bloodlust surrounding him.

Qin Yuan and his three companions landed silently in a shadowy spot below the cave entrance, holding their breath. Even Sun Ying and Wang Shan, seasoned by life and death, felt a chill run down their spines and their stomachs churn at the sight before them. Li Zhen's face turned deathly pale, and he clutched his mouth tightly.

This is a blatant, evil blood sacrifice workshop that uses living people as materials!

Qin Yuan's eyes were icy cold, and killing intent surged within him. His gaze swept over the imprisoned mortal cultivators, then settled on the dark red figure before the altar. This person, even if not "Mr. Mo," was definitely a key figure!

"System, scan the entire underground structure, mark the location and strength of all enemies, analyze the core and weaknesses of the altar formation, and assess our possible plans to rescue most of the trapped people without alerting the enemy."

[Scanning... 200 energy points consumed.]

[Dungeon structure diagram generated... Enemy location marked... Altar formation analysis in progress...]

[WARNING: The blood pool at the altar, connected to the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Banner, is gathering a large amount of living soul and blood energy. The ritual is in its final stages and may be completed at any time. When the ritual is completed, the blood pool will erupt, and the souls of all those trapped will be completely devoured. The sacrificer may receive a power infusion or summon some kind of being.]

[Optimal Intervention Plan: Split into two groups. One group (Sun Ying and Wang Shan) will use the 'Shadow Escape Talisman' (temporarily obtainable through the system) to sneak into the prison area, quietly disrupt some of the restrictions, create chaos, and attract the attention of the patrollers. The other group (the host and Li Zhen) will directly attack the altar's presiding figure, interrupting the ritual as quickly as possible and destroying the Nine Nether Soul-Devouring Banner or the Blood Pool core. The host must use powerful methods to aim for a fatal blow or kill the presiding figure. Li Zhen will be responsible for disrupting the formation's operation.]

[Estimated success rate: 70% (based on variables such as the host's strength, the opponent's unstable condition, and the number of trapped individuals creating chaos).]

[Temporarily exchange for 2 'Advanced Shadow Cloak' charms, requiring 400 energy points. Exchange now?]

"Exchange it." Qin Yuan replied without hesitation. Saving lives, interrupting the ritual, and eliminating the ringleader must all be done simultaneously!

[Exchange successful. Energy points remaining: 17850.]

Two talismans, faintly shimmering with shadowy energy, appeared in Qin Yuan's hands. He quickly handed the plan and talismans to Sun Ying and Wang Shan, transmitting his voice: "Use these talismans to stealthily advance. Prioritize destroying the prison's defenses in the northeast and southwest corners, where the guards are relatively weak. After creating chaos, do not linger in battle. Prioritize your own safety and rescuing as many people as possible. Retreat towards the cave entrance. I will create opportunities for you."

Sun Ying and Wang Shan nodded emphatically, their eyes flashing with determination. They knew the danger of this mission, but they also understood that if they did not act, these hundreds of people would surely be wiped out.

Qin Yuan then transmitted his voice to Li Zhen: "The instant I make my move, immediately throw 'Array-Breaking Thunder Pearls' at the third and seventh positions on the altar base. These are secondary nodes in the energy flow of the array, which can cause temporary disruption. Then, do everything you can to maintain the concealment and defense of our retreat route."

Li Zhen took a deep breath, gripped the Thunder Pearl tightly, and nodded.

Qin Yuan took one last look at the dark red figure. Within his body, the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Technique quietly circulated to its limit. His Nine Revolutions Nascent Soul trembled slightly, and pure, vast spiritual energy surged through his meridians like a volcano about to erupt. The power of the Universe Starry Sky Undying Body also quietly coalesced in his fists.

He slowly raised his right hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together. A faint golden spiritual light, dazzling to the extreme and containing the Dao of Destruction, began to condense and compress at the tip of his finger, causing the surrounding air to seem to distort slightly.

"Mysterious Origin Demon-Slaying Finger" is fully charged!

At the same time, a dark red, violent aura began to appear in his left palm—a precursor to the "Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique"! Facing an opponent in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm who was in a strange state, he needed to ensure a fatal blow, or at least a severe injury!

Sun Ying and Wang Shan exchanged a glance, crushed the Shadow Escape Talisman, and their figures seemed to melt into the shadows, silently sneaking towards the prison area.

Inside the underground cave, the blood pool churned, the nine Soul-Devouring Banners fluttered in the wind, and the dark red figure's incantations grew faster and faster. The howls of the vengeful spirits in the blood pool could be faintly heard. The ritual had reached its most crucial moment!

It's now!

Qin Yuan's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his right hand, which had been gathering power to its peak, pointed a finger swiftly at the back of the dark red figure from a distance!

"call out--!!!"

A condensed, hair-thin, yet dazzlingly bright golden finger strike tore through the air, accompanied by a piercing shriek and a powerful Daoist aura that could dispel all evil. It hurtled toward its target at a speed that surpassed the limits of divine sense!

Almost at the same moment the finger strike pierced through the air, Qin Yuan's left palm erupted with dark red blood energy, instantly raising his aura to a terrifying level. His figure moved like lightning, following closely behind the finger strike, and he pounced towards the altar!

As dawn broke, deep within the Taiyi Immortal Sect, atop a solitary peak shrouded in seven-colored clouds, stood a figure known as the "Qiankun Platform." Dozens of figures stood solemnly on the platform, their auras varying from deep and composed to sharp and ethereal. They were all core disciples and prospective Dao children of the sect, all under a hundred years old and whose cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul stage.