My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

The group was plunged into boundless darkness, attacked by an unknown enemy, and filled with fear and unease.

"boom!"

Li Xuancang activated the vast power of his internal energy, his entire being rising like a blazing sun and a raging furnace, his boundless energy surging forth.

Li Xuancang raised his hands to the sky, conjuring a large red sun with a radius of three meters, which instantly illuminated the surrounding environment.

"call out!"

The sun dispelled the darkness, catching the enemy who had ambushed them off guard. They had no time to hide and their figures were seen by everyone.

The crowd saw several bat-like figures flash by and disappear into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

"Is it a demonic beast?"

The group suspected that a demonic beast had launched a sneak attack on them.

Although the sun could not illuminate all areas, everyone could see the light, and their fear and anxiety gradually subsided.

"Everyone, look carefully for the exit."

Under the blazing sun, Li Xuancang continued within a certain area as usual, and everyone hurriedly checked for an exit.

While Li Xuancang and the others were trapped, those who entered the cave later suffered an even more tragic fate.

"boom!"

Suddenly, the ground of the cave lit up, and countless spiritual patterns emerged from the gaps in the bluestone bricks.

It was densely packed, spreading outwards like a spider web.

The colors of those runes were not normal gold or white, but a dark, deep red, as if they were drawn with dried blood.

"Oh no, retreat quickly!"

Someone realized what was happening, loudly alerted the others, and retreated rapidly.

They reacted quickly, but it was still too late.

"boom!"

The surrounding stone walls simultaneously lit up with dazzling light, intertwining to form beams of light that divided the space into numerous independent areas.

Some people disappeared within the light curtain, some were bounced away by the light curtain, and some were trapped in place by the light curtain and unable to move.

"what……"

Terrified screams rose and fell, echoing through the cave and creating a deathly symphony.

Before long, the cave was littered with corpses and rivers of blood.

Some people looked like they had been strangled by something; there were deep black marks on their necks, and their heads were almost severed.

Some people looked as if all the blood had been drained from their bodies; their skin was dry, black, and clung tightly to their bones.

Some people have tiny wounds all over their bodies, as if they have been pierced by countless needles at the same time.

Blood was everywhere, but there wasn't a single drop of blood next to the body.

The manner of their death was so gruesome that it sent chills down one's spine and made one's body go cold.

What's most terrifying is that these corpses are moving.

It's not that they're moving; something is dragging them.

The corpses seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, sliding one by one into a black vortex deep within the cave.

The vortex hovered in mid-air, slowly rotating, its edges blurred, as if a hole had been gnawed into space.

At the same time, the people from the Bixie Division arrived outside the cave.

Looking at the destroyed barrier and the empty canyon, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

"Oh no, we're too late."

They traveled day and night, but they were still a step too late.

"The cave has been opened, and the chances of survival for everyone are slim. How should we proceed?"

The people from the Bi'an Bureau looked at the tightly closed bronze gate with furrowed brows.

"Set up the Nine Heavens Demon Subduing Formation to seal off the cave, and absolutely do not allow the Blood River Demon to rise from the dead and harm all living beings."

Tao Tianyang, who was in charge, made a decisive decision to set up a demon-subduing formation.

"Setting up a grand formation so that anyone who enters the cave can never leave—is that really necessary?"

Once the Demon-Subduing Formation is set up, it cannot be easily interrupted, otherwise the people in the cave will not be able to leave the formation. The group hesitated.

"They entered the cave with little hope of survival. For the sake of all living beings, they had no choice but to sacrifice themselves."

The cave is inhabited by the Blood River Demon; those who enter have a slim chance of survival.

Even if one or two people were to escape by divine intervention, they wouldn't care.

If the Blood River Demon is allowed to leave, it will cause widespread devastation, and even more people will die.

"Let's set up the formation!"

Without further hesitation, everyone immediately set up the demon-subduing formation.

Inside the cave, the death toll continued to rise.

Besides Li Xuancang and his group, nearly 10,000 other people entered the cave.

Very few survived; almost all of them had died in the cave.

Li Xuancang and his group proceeded cautiously until they finally saw a light ahead.

"There is light, we've come out."

Upon seeing the light ahead, everyone was overjoyed and extremely excited.

Li Xuancang withdrew his power, and the continuous exertion of his qi and blood for several hours had also taken a toll on him.

As the group emerged from the darkness, the surroundings instantly became as bright as day.

They arrived at a spacious underground palace, with hundreds of glowing luminous pearls embedded in the ceiling.

"Everyone, quickly take stock of the casualties."

Everyone quickly assessed the damage.

Over a hundred people were killed in the Xuan Kui Camp, and five disciples of the Xuan Xin Sect also disappeared.

"Look, what's that?"

Before they could grieve, everyone stared wide-eyed ahead.

A blood-red vortex floated in mid-air, emanating a terrifying suction force.

A pale hand slowly emerged from the vortex, its skin so white it was almost transparent, revealing the bluish-black veins beneath.

After the arm was extended, everyone could see the silhouette of a person in the vortex.

It was the figure of a man, shirtless, with deathly pale skin.

His chest was covered with dense black runes, each one pulsating slightly.

His face was so handsome it was almost otherworldly, but his eyes were closed, as if he were still asleep.

Even just the outline of it was enough to make everyone feel an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"boom!"

An overwhelming aura swept over them, making it almost impossible for everyone to breathe.

"puff!"

"what!"

"Well!"

"..."

Some of the lower-level cultivators in the Xuan Kui Camp were severely injured by the impact of the aura, as if struck by lightning.

The others also had bulging veins, bearing immense pressure, their bones cracking all over their bodies.

Zhao Wuji's face was also flushed, and cold sweat was streaming down his forehead.

Only Li Xuancang remained unmoved and unaffected by anything.

"He...he's coming out..."

Some of the disciples' voices were trembling.

"Not coming out."

Zhao Wuji's voice was also trembling, but he was knowledgeable and insightful than his disciples.

"He is being reborn, and the flesh and souls of these dead people are the sacrifices for his rebirth."

"When he fully emerges from the vortex, that will be his day of rebirth, and then..."

He didn't continue, because there was no need to.

At that time, everyone present will die.

Everyone was terrified and trembling all over.

"There is no inheritance at all. This is the cave of an evil cultivator. His purpose is to lure people here so that he can devour them and resurrect himself."

Zhao Wuji belatedly realized the whole story.

From the very beginning, this was a conspiracy by evil practitioners.

Zhao Wuji looked utterly hopeless, unable to muster even the slightest thought of resistance.

Although it was the cave dwelling of an evil cultivator, the evil cultivator's strength was terrifyingly boundless.

Having the means to resurrect the dead, the evil cultivator's strength in life had already surpassed the Profound Realm.