Chapter 1233: Purgatory

Holding the jade pendant, Gongliang Yu seemed to gain confidence, and his expression softened slightly. With one hand gripping the small figure and the other holding the jade pendant, Gongliang Yu then jumped into the blood lake.

The moment he touched the blood, Qin Sang felt a sinister force invading his entire body, penetrating everywhere. This strange chill could infiltrate his mind and seep into his bones. Qin Sang, uncharacteristically, shivered, and his expression changed slightly. He recalled how he had used the Nine Nether Demonic Flames to resist poisonous mist when gambling against the Qianji Demon King, so he decided to use the same trick again, activating the demonic flames to form a fiery armor around himself. Unexpectedly, the chill was so strange it could even penetrate the demonic flames. Qin Sang then transformed the fiery armor into Ancestral Sacred Fire, but it still couldn't block the chill. It wasn't until he retracted the spiritual flames and activated his true essence to form an armor that he felt some improvement. Fortunately, the consumption of true essence was not too fast, which had little impact on him as a Nascent Soul cultivator.

"Splashing..." His vision was filled with crimson; the surrounding blood flowed with splashing sounds, its destination unknown. Qin Sang could feel that the sinister force originated from a peculiar power within the blood, carrying him towards an unknown place. Qin Sang looked around, and then his body plummeted. He felt a sudden release, finally freed from the blood's restraint.

Beneath the blood lay an unknown space shrouded in blood mist. Qin Sang observed while carefully descending. Soon, he landed on hard ground. The sinister force was still present, filling the entire space through the blood mist.

Qin Sang dared not remove his spiritual armor. Instead, with a flick of his sleeve, three demonic banners flew out, circling him continuously as a means of protection. At the same time, he conjured the Golden Sinking Sword in his hand.

As the sect master of Shaohua Mountain, Dongyang Bo must have comprehended the Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter. Dongyang Bo knew that Qin Sang practiced this cultivation method. If he used the Ebony Sword and sword formation in front of Dongyang Bo, even if Dongyang Bo hadn't seen the second part of the cultivation method, he would surely notice something and deduce Qin Sang's identity. Therefore, Qin Sang intended to use sword techniques as little as possible, planning to use the demonic banners and demonic flames as his primary means, and avoid using the Seven Souls Killing Formation if possible. The eighteen demonic banners were sufficient to handle dangerous situations.

As Qin Sang conjured his magic treasures, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly also awoke. It still preferred to perch on Qin Sang's shoulder, rubbing his cheek with its soft wings, staying close to its master. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly had self-preservation abilities, so its safety was not a concern even outside, and Qin Sang let it be. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly became alert, its vision penetrating the blood mist, allowing it to see further.

After some probing, Qin Sang confirmed that the blood mist here only slightly obstructed vision and had no effect on divine sense. As long as one resisted the sinister erosion, it was nothing to worry about. However, according to the information they had gathered, the interior of the blood lake was like a purgatory; one should not carelessly extend divine sense too far, lest they accidentally trigger mechanisms and attract danger. The records were vague, and Qin Sang didn't know what was truly here, but it was definitely wise to be cautious. He kept his divine sense within three *zhang*. He had the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, so not using his divine sense didn't significantly affect him.

Activating the Heavenly Eye Divine Ability and seeing the surrounding scenery clearly, Qin Sang finally understood why this place was called purgatory. He stood on a patch of bare rock. A mountain stood not far ahead. This mountain was also made of rock, with no soil to be seen and no vegetation or living creatures. The entire mountain was crimson; he didn't know if it was stained by the pervasive blood mist or if it was naturally that color. The scene on the rocky mountain was terrifying. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, and a chilling wind blew ceaselessly. The lightning was also blood-red.

Above the rocky mountain, crimson lightning bolts, like countless blood-red pythons, struck simultaneously in thousands upon thousands of streaks, without a moment's pause, seemingly aiming to pulverize everything around the mountain. "Rumble..." The thunder was deafening, shaking one's very soul. This kind of crimson lightning was definitely not benign, and Qin Sang had no desire to experience its power. The rocky mountain was bombarded by crimson lightning day and night, enduring countless trials. Yet, for countless years, it remained perfectly intact. It must either be made of special material or be protected by powerful enchantments. Each crimson lightning bolt that struck the mountain burst into a blood-red lightning flower, with wisps of blood-red light scattering, yet it couldn't shake the mountain in the slightest. The chilling wind was also formidable, blowing ceaselessly around the mountain. When the crimson lightning collided with the chilling wind, the lightning was sometimes dispersed by the wind, showing its power. The rocky mountain endured, but a human body could not last eternally. Recalling Qin Sang's previous conjectures about the Abyss Ruins, if someone were suppressed here, subjected to lightning strikes and bone-eroding chilling winds, the suffering of the punishment would be no less than that of the Hell of Knives and Saws. Even for the most heinous criminals, enduring such punishment would be sufficient. And such wind and lightning mountains were considered commonplace in the records. It was no wonder that the cultivators who had entered before harbored fear for the blood lake, regarding it as purgatory.

Just then, the Primordial Twin-Heart Ring on Qin Sang's wrist flashed, and Fatty Chicken jumped out. "Do you feel anything?" Qin Sang asked. Fatty Chicken didn't answer. It opened its mouth and spat out the precious orb, then exhaled several mouthfuls of vital energy. The orb slowly ascended, floated three *cun* above Fatty Chicken's head, and hovered motionless. The orb pulsed with light, as if breathing, with glowing light radiating downwards, helping Fatty Chicken resist the sinister forces. A moment later, a look of disappointment flashed in Fatty Chicken's eyes. "If my mother were nearby," it said, "we could use the Thunder Soul Orb to sense each other's location through our bloodline... The Thunder Soul Orb isn't reacting."

Qin Sang asked about the range, then comforted it, saying, "Don't be anxious. The interior of the blood lake is vast, and just the outer perimeter will take us some time to explore. Even though it's just the outer perimeter, there are quite a few wind and lightning mountains similar to that one. It would be normal for your mother, even with her strength, to accidentally fall in and get trapped." Qin Sang pointed to the rocky mountain ahead and said calmly. He was now in front of the rocky mountain, but dared not approach. The chilling wind and crimson lightning also enveloped the space around the rocky mountain, with residual energy spilling out, affecting anyone who passed by. Qin Sang suspected that if he recklessly trespassed, he would encounter more than just the chilling wind and crimson lightning. The enchantments on the rocky mountain were hidden, unactivated, and incredibly strange. Looking at the rocky mountain, Qin Sang felt a chilling dread. His rationality told him it was best to steer clear of this place.

Fatty Chicken was delighted to hear this, but also a little worried. "I just fear it will delay your important plans, Master," it said. "This king is weak and untrusted," Qin Sang replied. "Arriving a little later might not be a bad thing. However, before that, we must first find the locations marked on the incomplete map and ascertain our bearings." He had no desire to be the first one to step forward and confront Elder Demon Ye directly, but rather intended to act as circumstances dictated. Furthermore, he also wanted to circle the blood lake to see if the Killing Sword's spirit reacted.

As he spoke, Qin Sang took out a piece of beast hide, on which very simple lines were drawn. It was the incomplete map copied by Nether Demon Lord, left by a senior who had once entered the blood lake. It was unknown if anything had changed over the years. Unfortunately, the wind and lightning mountain before him was not on the map.

Qin Sang told Fatty Chicken to follow behind him. Just as he was about to bypass the wind and lightning mountain, unexpectedly, dozens of crimson lightning bolts, without any warning, suddenly changed direction and struck towards him!