Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

Shen Chu took a deep breath, suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind, walked to Situ Aotian's side, and asked in a deep voice:

"Miss Situ, what should we do now? And what exactly is this red light?"

What Shen Chu asked was exactly what everyone present wanted to ask.

Situ Aotian stood in the middle of the street.

Although she had killed Constable Zhang, there was no excitement on her face.

She held the blood-stained hammer in her hand, glanced around at the crowd that had gathered around her, her face grave, and then slowly spoke:

"This red light is called 'Blood Lotus Sealing Barrier.' It is one of the most forbidden formations of the Red Lotus Sect, using a red lotus as its core and the blood and energy of living beings as fuel. Once activated, it forms a sealed barrier, trapping all living beings within its range. Unless the core is destroyed or all living beings within its range are extinct, the barrier will never disappear."

She paused, then continued, "Moreover, it might not be just meant to trap us. The red light will slowly draw the life force from all living beings in the city, gathering it into the red lotus at the center of the formation, ultimately sacrificing it to a more powerful being. Once the sacrifice is complete, everyone in the city will die."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengwen immediately became anxious: "Miss Situ, could there be a mistake? How could we, in such a small town, encounter something so terrifying!"

"There's absolutely no mistake!" Situ Aotian's words were resolute. "Just last year, in the neighboring Blue Lake County, the entire county was shrouded in this Blood Lotus Sealing Boundary. The entire Blue Lake County, from top to bottom, was turned into a sea of ​​blood. If Shangyi hadn't sent experts to deal with it, it might have affected the entire Dafeng County!"

These words stirred up a huge wave of controversy.

Everyone was stunned by Situ Aotian's words, exchanging bewildered glances with disbelief and fear on their faces.

The middle-aged man from the Longchuan Sword Sect seemed to recall the tragic scene in Blue Lake County, and a wave of fear washed over him. However, being older, he was the first to regain his composure.

He then strode forward and asked urgently, "Nephew Situ, is there any way to break through this barrier? We can't just wait here to die!"

Situ Aotian glanced at him and slowly shook his head:

"There are two ways. The first is for a master at least at the Spirit Aspect Realm to forcefully attack the barrier from the outside and break it. But we are trapped inside now and cannot contact the outside world. We also don't know if the people outside the city have noticed the anomaly here."

"A master of the Spirit Realm?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Chu's heart stirred once more.

This is a whole new realm!

"That's impossible!" The middle-aged man's face darkened upon hearing this. "Spirit Realm experts are only found in Yicheng, and besides, such experts are extremely elusive. Getting them to help in a short time is practically impossible!"

Situ Aotian nodded in agreement.

"Therefore, for us, the only option right now is to go deep into the core of the barrier, which is the location of the red lotus that was being nurtured, and destroy it. Once the red lotus is destroyed, the barrier will naturally dissipate."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's eyes lit up: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find that red lotus right now!"

But Situ Aotian poured cold water on his enthusiasm:

"The most crucial problem is that we don't know the exact location of the Red Lotus! It could be in the county government office, a secret stronghold in the city, or anywhere else. The Red Lotus Banner Leader is dead, and there are probably very few people left who know its exact location."

"We still have to find them! Are we just going to stay here and wait to die?"

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth in reluctance, turned around, and waved to the Longchuan Sword Sect disciples behind him: "Everyone, listen to my command! Split up and search for Honglian's whereabouts! Find her even if you have to dig three feet into the ground!"

The disciples of the Longchuan Sword Sect responded immediately, preparing to scatter and begin their search.

However, at this very moment, a sudden change occurred!

The corpses of the Red Lotus Cult members, who had already fallen into pools of blood, suddenly began to convulse violently.

Wisps of red mist rose from their wounds, blending with the red light that filled the air.

Immediately afterwards, the corpses stood up one after another, including Zhang, the constable whose head had been smashed by Situ Aotian's hammer!

At this moment, his headless corpse also stood up unsteadily, blood still gushing from the severed neck, yet it seemed to be pulled by some invisible force, taking steps toward the crowd!

The resurrected corpses had empty eyes and emitted low growls, but they had no consciousness or expression, only pure killing instinct.

However, their movements were more agile than when they were alive, and their strength had also increased significantly!

Each step he took landed on the ground with a heavy thud!

"What...what's going on?!"

A disciple of the Longchuan Sword Sect exclaimed in surprise.

Situ Aotian gripped the sledgehammer tightly, his voice tinged with bitterness:

"This is also the effect of the Blood Lotus Sealing Barrier. As long as the Crimson Lotus remains, the dead within the barrier will be driven by its power, turning into mindless killing puppets. Unless the Crimson Lotus is destroyed, or all living beings within the barrier are wiped out, they will continue fighting like this indefinitely!"

The resurrected corpses had already begun to pounce on the group.

They were incredibly fast and powerful. Several disciples from Qingyang Academy and Longchuan Sword Sect were caught off guard and knocked to the ground, nearly losing their lives!

The middle-aged man and Situ Aotian had no choice but to wield their swords and hammers, leading the crowd in a desperate struggle to resist.

The middle-aged man cleaved a lunging corpse in two with a single stroke, then turned and shouted to Situ Aotian, "This won't work! We're tied up; we can't split up to find Honglian!"

Situ Aotian smashed a corpse to pieces with a single blow of his hammer, then panted as he looked around.

The disciples of the Longchuan Sword Sect are fighting a bloody battle against the resurrected corpses, while the students of Qingyang Academy have also formed a defensive formation and are struggling to hold on.

She gritted her teeth and made a difficult decision: "Uncle-Master Li! You and I will stay here with the main force to hold off these things! We can only send a small group to find Honglian!"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's expression changed, but he ultimately nodded.

Situ Aotian's gaze swept across the room, landing on Shen Chu and the others.

Among those present, Shen Chu, though not the most powerful, was quick-witted, agile, and knowledgeable about the Red Lotus Sect, making him the most suitable candidate.

Shen Chu also looked at Situ Aotian, her gaze filled with a mixture of apology and trust, and said in a deep voice:

"Shen Chu, I know you've already helped a lot, but I still need to ask you one more thing: go find the Red Lotus now and destroy it! I'll stay here to buy you some time!"