Chapter 2309: Blood Sacrifice

Zu An had never imagined the existence of Heart-Devouring Demonic Spiders. It simply hadn't crossed his mind that any of those people could be compromised.

The formation he had set up was designed to defend against powerful external foes. However, if an enemy was already inside the formation, it would be rendered useless.

Zu An grabbed Ji Dengtu and hurried back the way they had come, urgently asking, "Which one of them is compromised, or are all of them?"

"I don't know who exactly it is," Ji Dengtu replied, his face equally grim. "I just happened to overhear them chatting while they were pursuing me."

"They were pursuing *you* earlier?" Zu An recalled his first encounter with the group of 'constables,' who indeed seemed to be searching for someone.

"That's right. Xiao Xi hadn't returned, and I was worried, so I came to Copper Gong Mountain to find her," Ji Dengtu explained. "I didn't find her, but I stumbled upon those monsters killing people. I wanted to save the constables, but I was no match for the creatures." A shudder ran through Ji Dengtu as he recalled the scene.

Zu An couldn't help but remark, "It's quite impressive you managed to survive an encounter with those monsters."

The Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider they'd just encountered was incredibly powerful, at least on par with a human Master. With its bizarre abilities, even a Grandmaster could easily be ambushed and defeated.

"This old man is, after all, the Second Teacher of the academy," Ji Dengtu said with a hint of pride. "I'm not so easily subdued."

Zu An snorted. "Whose fault is it that you always portray yourself as a lecherous old man?"

At this, Ji Dengtu's expression changed. "Give me back that page from Teacher Bai's book! I painstakingly tore it from my beloved collection just to warn you!"

Zu An grumbled, pulling the page from his pocket and tossing it to him. "When I saw this paper, I knew you were nearby. But why couldn't you just inform me directly? Why make it so complicated? What if I hadn't understood your message? Wouldn't your efforts have been wasted?"

"The Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider is incredibly insidious, and you were with them. Who's to say you weren't parasitized?" Ji Dengtu carefully blew on the page as if it were a precious relic. "Fortunately, this old man is clever. I immediately produced something only you and I in this world would recognize, allowing me to confirm whether you were truly yourself." He then carefully took a book from his robe and slipped the page back inside.

"That Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider is truly disturbing," Zu An said gravely. "It can completely control a corpse, making it behave exactly as it did when alive."

"From a medical standpoint, that's highly improbable," Ji Dengtu mused. "Even if they possess unique abilities, they shouldn't be able to access all of a host's memories. It's more likely limited to memories from the past few days, or perhaps only deeply ingrained information like their name or identity."

Zu An nodded inwardly. Given Ji Dengtu was a renowned physician, his assessment likely held considerable weight.

That was a relief; otherwise, the Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider would truly be invincible. If it could hide completely within a human body, who would ever suspect it was a fake?

While they exchanged information, the two had already arrived back at the former campsite.

Zu An's expression changed instantly. The camp's formation had been shattered!

Numerous broken branches littered the ground, and a bonfire, still emitting faint smoke, had been violently scattered. A battle had clearly just taken place here.

"Xiao Xi?" Ji Dengtu cried, his voice laced with panic.

Zu An didn't answer. Instead, he rushed to a nearby figure lying in a pool of blood. When he recognized the person, his face tightened grimly.

"Hmm, this person looks somewhat familiar," Ji Dengtu murmured, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"His name is Sun Hai," Zu An said in a low voice. "He was the one who bravely protected Xiao Xi, allowing her to survive until I arrived."

"I remember now," Ji Dengtu said, letting out a long, regretful sigh. "He's a rogue cultivator. He came to me years ago for treatment after suffering severe injuries. But at the time, I was going through some personal turmoil, utterly despondent, and simply couldn't bring myself to help him. It was Xiao Xi, unable to bear his suffering, who secretly prescribed him medicine and treated his wounds, ultimately saving his life."

The man who had saved his daughter had now met such a tragic end. Ji Dengtu couldn't help but feel a profound sense of lament.

Zu An knelt beside the body and began his examination. "The wound is a stab to the back of the heart," he stated. "Just as you suspected, one of them is indeed a host for a Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider."

As he spoke, he channeled his true qi, checking the man's body to ensure he hadn't been parasitized by a Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider.

Ji Dengtu paced frantically. "Even *he* is dead! Where is Xiao Xi?"

Zu An didn't reply. Instead, he closed his eyes, his divine sense spreading out in all directions. Suddenly, a flicker of insight struck him, and he dashed a hundred *zhang* to the south, reaching into a nearby thicket.

Just then, two swords thrust out from within, accompanied by a startled and fearful female voice. "Monster! I'll fight you to the death!"

Zu An simply flicked his finger, sending both swords flying.

Only then did the figures recognize him, crying out in a mix of surprise and relief, "Jijiu!"

Zu An had ceased his attack in time to avoid harming them, having recognized them as academy disciples Chang Tian and Mei Rou.

"Why are only the two of you here? Where are the others?"

Ji Dengtu rushed over immediately. "Xiao Xi! Where is Xiao Xi?"

Their eyes reddened. "It turns out Lu Bei was a monster in disguise! Brother Sun is dead, Yao Fang is severely wounded, and she and Miss Ji were both taken away by Lu Bei."

"What?!" Ji Dengtu nearly fainted upon hearing this. His precious daughter had been abducted by a monster; it surely meant the worst.

"Lu Bei?" Zu An's mind raced. Hadn't that person found an excuse to prevent him from taking them out of the mountains earlier? He didn't trust them implicitly. "Let me check for injuries first. While I do, tell me exactly what happened."

He placed a hand on each of their shoulders, channeling his vital energy to examine their bodies. There were no signs of Heart-Devouring Demonic Spiders within them.

"After Jijiu set up that grand formation, we all felt an unprecedented sense of security," Chang Tian explained. "We hadn't truly rested in days due to the constant fear, so after a while, drowsiness overwhelmed us. However, with dangers lurking everywhere, we couldn't all afford to sleep. So, we let a few of the girls rest first, while us men took turns guarding different directions."

Zu An nodded. It seemed they weren't hothouse flowers after all; they understood the importance of vigilance even in dire circumstances.

"Lu Bei suggested pairing with Sun Hai, claiming he could look out for him," Chang Tian recounted, gesturing to their past positions. "We figured Lu Bei was typically the strongest among us, so it made sense for him to be with Sun Hai. I took the rear position."

Mei Rou added, "Yao Fang and I were with Miss Ji. Though young, she's remarkably strong. We agreed to sleep together, but I noticed her eyes remained open the whole time."

"Eventually, I succumbed to exhaustion and drifted off to sleep."

"Not long after I fell asleep, I was jolted awake by screams," Mei Rou recalled, a tremor in her voice. "When I opened my eyes, Brother Sun was already lying in a pool of blood, and Chang Tian was severely wounded. Miss Ji was protecting him, confronting Lu Bei. We had no idea what was happening. Yao Fang, who was usually closest to Lu Bei, stepped forward to question him, but he struck her down with a single sword, instantly incapacitating her."

Chang Tian nodded. "While I was on guard, I heard a strange sound from the front and went to investigate. I had no idea that Sun Hai had already been ambushed by Lu Bei. Unaware of the danger, I too was ambushed and severely wounded."

Zu An nodded inwardly. Lu Bei was clearly experienced. He had quietly dealt with the veteran Sun Hai first. Although the other students were exceptional among their peers, their real-world experience was lacking. They had heard something amiss but remained utterly unprepared, allowing Lu Bei to neutralize most of them in a single swift move.

"Then how did *you* two survive?" Ji Dengtu asked, his gaze scrutinizing. With his daughter's safety at stake, he regarded everyone as a potential suspect.

So many companions had been neutralized in a single encounter; they couldn't possibly have been a match for that monster.

"Thanks to Miss Ji," Mei Rou replied. "A golden light suddenly burst from her body, manifesting as a flying sword that engaged Lu Bei in combat. It was then that she revealed Lu Bei was controlled by a monster."

"A flying sword?" Ji Dengtu was startled. He didn't recall his daughter possessing such an item.

"I gave it to her," Zu An mused to himself, relieved that his earlier apprehension had led him to give Xiao Xi the flying sword talisman.

Ji Dengtu's expression became complicated. He had always suspected Zu An had ill intentions towards Xiao Xi, wishing his daughter would stay far away from him. Now, however, he found himself wishing Zu An would give her even more protective treasures.

"But that Lu... no, that *monster* was simply too powerful. Even Xiao Xi's flying sword couldn't fully hold it off," Chang Tian said, a flicker of terror in his eyes. "But then the monster suddenly froze, as if listening to a distant sound. After that, it disengaged, spraying out a large quantity of a web-like substance. It then dragged Yao Fang and Miss Ji away, not even bothering with us."

Zu An realized the Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider must have sensed its companion's death. No wonder these two had been spared.

"Which way did they go?" Ji Dengtu demanded impatiently.

Both shook their heads, bewildered. "Its movements were too erratic," Mei Rou explained. "It leaped through the trees from all angles and vanished in an instant. We couldn't tell which direction it went."

"You couldn't even tell?" Ji Dengtu roared, furious. "Were you just running for your lives then?"

Their eyes reddened, but they had no retort.

Zu An interjected, "The Heart-Devouring Demonic Spider is incredibly fast; it's perfectly normal they couldn't track its movements. Don't worry, I've already pinpointed Xiao Xi's location."

"How do you know?" Ji Dengtu exclaimed, a mix of surprise and delight in his voice. "Haven't we been together this whole time? Do you possess some kind of heavenly vision?"

"I placed a tracking talisman on Xiao Xi," Zu An explained, having learned from his previous ordeal of searching for her in the vast mountains. He had specifically left a tracking talisman on her—a simple one he'd crafted recently, relying on the *Baopu True Scripture*'s methods of talismanship. He hadn't expected it to prove so invaluable.

Even while questioning them earlier, he had in fact been sensing the talisman's precise location.

He left a protective formation for Mei Rou and Chang Tian, instructing them to wait there, then took Ji Dengtu and flew towards Shadow Moon Lake.

Shadow Moon Lake had been their initial destination all along. He hadn't expected their path would ultimately lead them there.

"That monster is exceptionally cruel, Xiao Xi might..." Ji Dengtu's eyes welled up as he spoke.

Noticing the usually frivolous and lecherous old man's voice trembling with fear, Zu An reassured him, "Don't worry, I also gave Xiao Xi a few protective talismans. She should be safe for a while."

Ji Dengtu instantly brightened. "Boy, you possess such remarkable abilities! If you can save Xiao Xi this time, I'll agree to her..."

Seeing him abruptly trail off, Zu An paused. "Agree to what?"

"Agree to you two being friends," Ji Dengtu warned, "but you mustn't harbor any other intentions!"

Zu An simply stared.

Meanwhile, above Shadow Moon Lake, a colossal rift hung in the sky, resembling a giant, vertical eye. Billows of purple mist pulsed outwards from within it.

'Lu Bei' knelt prostrate on the ground. "I, your humble servant, have prepared the blood sacrifice," he intoned. "I implore your esteemed presence to descend, my lord, and deal with that terrifying human."