Chapter 213: Using Blood as a Path

In the sky, Sixth Granduncle was laughing. His laughter, however, was filled with heart-wrenching agony, unspeakable sorrow, and a madness suppressed for years. The Starfish Race's Old Ancestor, caught in Sixth Granduncle's assault, had disintegrated repeatedly, suffering an horrific demise.

Although the Starfish Race Old Ancestor's divine abilities were strange, allowing him to regenerate even after his body repeatedly crumbled, this very regeneration only fueled Sixth Granduncle's berserk fury.

Evidently, the more his enemy suffered and wailed, the greater the murderous intent surged within him.

Thus, in mid-air, he practically flayed the Starfish Race Old Ancestor alive, scattering vast amounts of flesh and blood, which were then instantly incinerated into ashes by blue flames. Yet, his hatred remained unquenched.

On the ground, Xu Qing's eyes were bloodshot. He, too, had gone insane with killing.

From where he landed to the Starfish Race Ancestral Temple, every Starfish Race member he encountered met an inescapable death!

At that moment, Xu Qing raised his right hand, and a Blightfire Dagger materialized instantly. He took a step, appearing before a Starfish Race cultivator in a flash, and violently slit their throat.

As the head flew, Xu Qing stepped towards another Starfish Race cultivator.

He plunged the dagger forcefully into their chest, striking repeatedly. Finally, with a fierce swing, the dagger flew out and lodged into the neck of a third Starfish Race member. Xu Qing arrived an instant later, grabbing the dagger and ripping it with all his might.

Immediately, the head fell, and within the collapsing corpse, Xu Qing once again saw broken, thread-like worms.

These small worms were numerous; some were entangled, others solitary, appearing extremely eerie.

They were present in almost every Starfish Race cultivator. Xu Qing had seen too many during his rampage, and a few even attempted to burrow into his body after he attacked.

However, his formidable physical body prevented these nematodes from burrowing in, and they were instead incinerated by the spreading flames within Xu Qing.

Yet, these worms possessed tenacious vitality; the flames only caused them to contract and twist, unable to kill them instantly. Only when the Golden Crow devoured them were they completely destroyed.

Xu Qing also realized that besides their strangeness, these nematodes seemed capable of influencing the will and soul of the Starfish Race cultivators. He had clearly seen the worms flash within the eyes of the Starfish Race members on several occasions.

Each time they flashed, the Starfish Race cultivators would go mad, charging forward without fear of death.

Moreover, when the Blightfire devoured souls, Xu Qing noticed the souls consumed were clearly incomplete, as if they had already been largely consumed beforehand.

The same applied to their vital blood essence; while the Golden Crow refining myriad spirits yielded some gains, they were not substantial.

It was as if the entire Starfish Race, though outwardly normal, had its inner essence largely devoured by some force.

"Sixth Granduncle was right; there's indeed a great secret hidden within the Starfish Race," Xu Qing thought, recalling Sixth Granduncle's words. But at this moment, it was not important to him.

Xu Qing's body swayed, and the Golden Crow roared out from behind him, engulfing six charging Starfish Race cultivators in front, devouring them instantly. Simultaneously, the black iron skewer, where the Vajra Sect Old Ancestor resided, pierced through one cultivator after another in the distance.

With each penetration, it unleashed lightning, obliterating life force.

The Shadow behaved similarly; within its covered range, eyes opened in the shadows of numerous Starfish Race cultivators, frantically devouring. Although often the targets were killed by Xu Qing and the Vajra Sect Old Ancestor before the Shadow could finish devouring, it did not give up. Eventually, some were successfully controlled by it, and these moments were the Shadow's highlights. It would control the body to suddenly charge out, laugh maniacally up at the sky, and then directly self-detonate amidst the Starfish Race throng.

However, these were not Xu Qing's sharpest weapons in his current massacre. What truly startled even the Captain, who followed behind, was the black mist surrounding Xu Qing.

This black mist, composed of tiny black worms, spread around Xu Qing. Wherever it passed, it was indestructible and consumed everything. Whether coral trees or Starfish Race cultivators, anything it burrowed into was frantically devoured and torn apart.

As various horrific screams echoed continuously, even the nematodes became food for the tiny black worms. However, their consumption was clearly not smooth, often requiring large numbers to overwhelm the nematodes.

Regardless, the pent-up frustration in Xu Qing's heart was completely unleashed on this battlefield. He advanced, killing relentlessly, and by the time he finally reached the Starfish Race Ancestral Temple, his entire body was covered in blood, with countless corpses in his wake.

Outside the Ancestral Temple, four figures sat cross-legged.

These four figures slowly raised their heads, revealing faces covered in bulging veins. They were also Starfish Race members, but with some differences. Firstly, their aura: all four surpassed the "three-fire" level but had not yet reached "four-fire."

Secondly, the blue veins on their faces were pulsating, as if thick nematodes were moving beneath their skin, forming these distinct veins.

The moment they looked at Xu Qing, he also saw, behind these four cultivators and within the Ancestral Temple's main gate, a middle-aged cultivator sitting cross-legged before a cauldron, fully focused on alchemy.

This middle-aged cultivator wore a green robe embroidered with intricate golden thread patterns, exuding an an air of nobility. On his head, he wore something resembling an imperial crown.

The cultivation of a Golden Core continuously emanated from him, and there was also a starfish mark on his brow.

From a distance, the middle-aged cultivator's expression was calm yet commanding. Even with the immense slaughter and existential calamity outside, he seemed unmoved, remaining seated with eyes closed, diligently tending to his alchemy cauldron.

It was as if, to him, the destruction of the entire race was insignificant, as long as the elixir in his cauldron was successfully refined.

He was none other than the Patriarch of the Starfish Race, the offspring of the Starfish Race Old Ancestor who was currently suffering so horribly in mid-air.

Almost the instant Xu Qing's gaze fell upon the Starfish Race Patriarch, and murderous intent surged within him, the four Starfish Race cultivators outside the Ancestral Temple stood up.

Their eyes were cold, seemingly devoid of emotion, and white, chopstick-thick lines writhed within their pupils. Then, all four moved, whistling towards Xu Qing.

Moving at incredible speed, they each entered a Profound Radiance state, displaying "three-fire" combat power, and charged directly at Xu Qing from four directions.

The moment they closed in, large fleshy tumors swelled from their backs, taking on the appearance of starfish, seemingly stimulating their physical bodies. All four simultaneously roared low and unleashed a punch at Xu Qing!

The instant these punches were thrown, the surroundings warped, and a violent, seemingly indestructible power erupted.

Xu Qing did not dodge. He stood still, closing his eyes. The next instant, the Golden Crow behind him shrieked, enveloping Xu Qing. Its black feathers transformed into a black imperial robe, its phoenix tail flames became a cape, and its raised head seemed to crown Xu Qing with an emperor's diadem.

An aura of ferocity, combined with domineering might, made Xu Qing appear like a young Divine Emperor at this moment. His eyes snapped open.

A thunderous roar erupted. The bodies of the four Starfish Race members surrounding him violently shuddered. Their punches, striking around Xu Qing, could not even slightly shake the Golden Crow Refining Myriad Spirits. Instead, they were all repelled by the backlash.

But it was too late. As Xu Qing's eyes opened, he stepped forward directly before one of them. Ignoring their Profound Radiance state, he raised his right hand, grabbed their neck, and squeezed hard. In the instant it shattered with a crack, the black iron skewer also whistled over, frantically piercing through the body, traversing back and forth seven or eight times.

The next moment, Xu Qing released his grip. His tail-flame cape behind him violently flicked, and he transformed into a streak of light, appearing directly before the rapidly retreating second Starfish Race cultivator, ramming into them.

With a crash, the Starfish Race cultivator shrieked horribly, still reeling backward. But Xu Qing was faster; he rammed again, and with a bang, the second Starfish Race cultivator's head instantly exploded.

It wasn't over. A thick mist formed by countless tiny black worms had already enveloped the third retreating Starfish Race cultivator, rapidly burrowing in and beginning to devour.

As horrific screams echoed, Xu Qing had already reached the last Starfish Race cultivator. Amidst the other's terror and dismay, the Golden Crow on Xu Qing's body surged out, and vast amounts of Blightfire erupted, engulfing the cultivator and incinerating them alive.

All of this happened in a flash; in the blink of an eye, the four Starfish Race members were dead. Their vital blood essence dissipated, their souls scattered, and their flesh was devoured.

But alas, it was like meat that had been frozen for years and then thawed: it had neither nutrients nor flavor, worse than mere scraps.

Xu Qing waved his hand, and all the surrounding corpses vanished, scattering into ash. Some of the dust drifted before him, passing through his gaze, but it failed to capture his attention.

His gaze was fixed intently on the Starfish Race Patriarch beside the Ancestral Temple's cauldron, who was still engaged in alchemy.

Meanwhile, the Captain's figure emerged from behind Xu Qing and stood beside him, holding a strangely blackened apple. "Wow, Junior Brother, look at that guy, he looks like he's dead," the Captain remarked with a laugh, eating his apple.

The instant he spoke, the Starfish Race Patriarch beside the cauldron suddenly opened his eyes, and a divine light flashed out from them like lightning!

The next instant, Xu Qing's mind roared, and an immense oppressive force surged towards him like a storm. However, the moment the pendant around his neck flashed, this pressure instantly dissipated.

The Captain also took a few steps back, runes shimmering in his eyes. With a hint of madness in his expression, he licked his lips, some black fruit pulp clinging to his teeth.

"Xu Qing, how about we team up and kill him?"

Xu Qing nodded. The next instant, both charged simultaneously towards the Starfish Race Patriarch inside the Ancestral Temple, who had opened his eyes. A strange light flickered in the Golden Core cultivator's eyes, and he suddenly smiled.

"Interesting. I didn't expect to see little sparrows like you in this small place, daring to charge at a Golden Core cultivator."

"There's still enough time; I'll play with you a bit."