Chapter 1848: Helping Hands

“No matter. Miaozhantian’s divine soul is exhausted and on the verge of collapse. This is my perfect opportunity to pick up something valuable; if I don’t go, everyone here will die.” He Lingchuan pressed his collar. The divine bone necklace was not only hot but also vibrated constantly, more eagerly than ever before. “But before that—”

He raised his wrist and suddenly shot a sleeve arrow towards the broken wood and branches nearby.

“Come out.”

The wind blew through the scattered wood, but there was nothing else.

He Lingchuan said coldly, “Still trying to hide? Your blood-smell is too pungent; I can smell it from a mile away.”

With that, he casually took out the Soul-Capture Mirror and shone it into the nearby desolate woods.

The mirror emitted a concentrated beam of strong light. Everyone saw that besides a pile of messy dead branches and rotten wood, a crow was standing there, its head tilted by the intense light.

Its eyes were dark red, reflecting an agate-like glow under the strong light.

“Blood Fiend!” When did this guy find them?

Dong Rui’s bat demon puppet immediately leaped forward two steps, poised to attack.

He Lingchuan, however, waved his hand. “No rush.”

The crow hopped forward two steps and tilted its head. “Miaozhantian won, you’re all dead!”

What a jinx! Dong Rui was displeased. “Whose side are you on anyway? If we’re out of luck, you won’t fare any better. You killed the Sky Demon by his side.”

“Even Qianhuan couldn’t do anything to me back then, so what can Miaozhantian do to me, having just taken over the Upside-Down Sea?” The Blood Fiend chuckled. “As soon as the clam shell opens, I can leave immediately.”

It could transform infinitely, unlike these pathetic humans who could only stay here and wait for death.

He Lingchuan stared at it and asked, “Then why are you looking for us?”

“Don’t you know crows like to circle around the dying?” The Blood Fiend cackled. “I can smell the aura of death on you!”

A handful of spider silk shot out; Madam Zhu disliked its tone.

The crow quickly dodged, but a strand of spider silk still stuck to its wing, gluing it to a broken piece of wood.

This crow body had sustained some injuries in a previous fight with the Cave Infant King, making it less agile than before.

But the Blood Fiend didn’t care. With how many people had died in the lower realm of the Upside-Down Sea, changing bodies was like child’s play for it.

It asked He Lingchuan, “How did you find me?”

He Lingchuan could not only detect it but also knew when it arrived—likely when Miaozhantian emerged from the large pit in the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror.

“You are steeped in immense blood-guilt and evil karma; no matter how far away you are, I can see you instantly.”

This was no lie. The moment the Blood Fiend approached, He Lingchuan knew, without needing any prompt from the divine bone necklace.

Even Miaozhantian had to manually activate the Eye of Truth to detect the Blood Fiend’s movements; but in He Lingchuan’s eyes, where this fellow was, a bloody light shot straight into the sky, like a mobile lighthouse constantly flashing red. It would be strange if he didn’t see it.

The Great Emperor of Nine Serenities specialized in apprehending those deeply mired in sin, and this was no lie meant to deceive the world.

The Blood Fiend was surprised. “You can see the karma on me?”

Even Qianhuan couldn’t see it without activating his cultivation technique.

He Lingchuan directly changed the subject. “When you were captured back then, was it also because True Master Qianhuan set up such an illusion, and you couldn’t get out?”

The crow blinked, but said nothing.

“You’re lurking near me, hoping to possess my body when my divine soul enters the mirror?” He Lingchuan understood. On Stone Dragon Peak, as soon as Xiao Wencheng released the Blood Fiend, it came looking for He Lingchuan; it probably still harbored malicious intent.

The Blood Fiend giggled. “You’re just going to your death anyway once you enter the Sea of Consciousness, and it would be a shame for this body to be ownerless. Why not give it to me?”

He Lingchuan wasn’t angry at all. “So, you’re not actually confident you can hide from Miaozhantian and leave the Upside-Down Sea, right?”

Madam Zhu said coldly, “A prey targeted by a Great Sky Demon has only one path in a confined space like the Upside-Down Sea: death, and that includes you!”

It realized He Lingchuan wanted to use the Blood Fiend’s power.

The Blood Fiend snorted. “I’ve never had any grudge with Miaozhantian, so it has no reason to deliberately make things difficult for me. Hehe, I’ll kill you all and then go find Miaozhantian. How benevolent!”

If it offered its allegiance with this credit, Miaozhantian might not kill it.

So it was hiding here, not only coveting He Lingchuan’s body but also wanting to kill all these living people.

The abacus beads clattered so loudly He Lingchuan could hear them. He also smiled. “Have you forgotten something?”

Without waiting for the Blood Fiend’s reply, he tapped the Hao Yuan Golden Mirror. “Sect Master Xiao, please come over. There’s something to discuss.”

There was no response from the other side of the mirror.

Everyone understood. If they were Xiao Wencheng, they would absolutely not want to come over now.

He Lingchuan continued, “Sect Master Xiao, Miaozhantian is still alive. If you don’t come now, the Heavenly Palace will occupy the Upside-Down Sea.”

After a few breaths, ripples appeared in the mirror.

Then, Xiao Wencheng stepped through the mirror.

He looked as if he had aged ten years in an instant; the calm composure of a sect master had vanished.

“Island Lord He, the Immortal Venerable has unfortunately fallen.” Xiao Wencheng looked at He Lingchuan with a complex and unreadable gaze. “I assume you already know.”

With Qianhuan’s death, the sky had fallen for him and the Illusion Sect.

His sand table couldn’t display the battle within Qianhuan’s Sea of Consciousness and Solitary Dragon City, but Qianhuan had told him that He Lingchuan’s Hao Yuan Golden Mirror might be able to.

Therefore, He Xiao must have witnessed the entire battle between the two powerhouses and knew that Qianhuan had unfortunately died in battle in Solitary Dragon City.

Xiao Wencheng raised his hand, and a golden sword hovered restlessly by his side, ready to strike at any moment.

Madam Zhu immediately stepped forward, positioning herself in front and to the side of He Lingchuan.

Tensions rose between the two sides.

The Blood Fiend’s light flickered slightly, hesitating when to step forward.

He Lingchuan, however, stood with his hands behind his back. “Before Qianhuan self-detonated, did he order you to kill me?”

Xiao Wencheng remained silent, which was an implicit acknowledgment.

The Immortal Venerable had identified He Xiao as the mastermind. Indeed, the last command given to Xiao Wencheng before self-detonating his divine soul was to order the Illusion Sect to hunt down He Lingchuan!

He had two major enemies: Miaozhantian and He Lingchuan.

Even Xiao Wencheng couldn’t say for sure which one the Immortal Venerable hated more.

Miaozhantian was dealt with by Qianhuan himself, while He Lingchuan was outside the Sea of Consciousness, beyond his reach, so he could only leave him to his disciples.

“You alone can’t kill me anymore,” He Lingchuan said succinctly and chillingly.

Most of the Illusion Sect elders had fallen, and Xiao Wencheng had come alone, while He Lingchuan’s side was fully assembled. Fighting one against many, even a strong opponent like Xiao Wencheng would not have the advantage.

Moreover, Xiao Wencheng had endured repeated battles and was greatly depleted, unlike He Lingchuan and Dong Rui who had conserved their strength and prepared for unforeseen circumstances.

As for the few hundred people from the Illusion Sect, well, let’s not mention them.

Therefore, True Master Qianhuan’s hatred was destined to be endless and eternal.

He Lingchuan then, before the Blood Fiend could speak, continued, “Besides, look who’s in the mirror!”

The mirror showed a figure in Solitary Dragon City:

Miaozhantian had climbed out of the large pit created by Qianhuan’s self-detonation. His first few steps were unsteady, but his stride grew firmer with each step, and his wounds were slowly healing.