Chapter 248: Blood Corpse Giant, Dragon Vein Traces

The two immediately dashed past the massive ruins towards the outer perimeter. In less than a moment, numerous shadowy figures appeared within the blood mist. These were all disciples of the Heavenly Soul Sect who had perished during the Blood Demon Catastrophe years ago. Their numbers were terrifying.

As Wang Yu fought his way through, he discovered that these blood-corpse monsters, though weak, possessed the ability to merge. The first blood-corpse he killed, for example, released a drop of blood that symbolized the Blood Demon's power. Even his Ice Dragon Core Flame couldn't incinerate it. After he had killed a dozen or so, those drops of blood actively merged, re-entering the blood-corpses and causing a dramatic leap in their strength. From being easily dispatched, they became powerful enough to exchange a few blows with him, with their combat power increasing to at least Tier 2—and this was merely the enhancement from a dozen drops of blood.

Upon realizing this, Wang Yu stopped trying to kill them. Instead, he used his extreme cold power to freeze the blood-corpses, preventing them from merging into powerful entities he couldn't handle.

He wondered if terrifying blood-corpses, already merged into single entities, existed deep within this ancient ruin. Logically, there must be, given the many traces of combat here. The thought made him quicken his pace even further.

Just then, Long Yiran suddenly spoke. "There were remnants of a formation where we went a few days ago. Head south."

"Alright!"

After cooperating for so long and experiencing life-or-death crises together, even Wang Yu had grown to trust Long Yiran more, especially regarding formation arrays, where she was exceptionally reliable.

*Boom!*

However, just as they soared another thousand meters, the ground suddenly cracked open. A colossal hand of flesh and blood emerged from beneath, slamming towards them. Judging by the size of the hand, the creature must have been at least several hundred meters tall.

How could such a monster hide underground in the outer perimeter? No wonder the Purple Dragon Earth-Traveling Art couldn't be used these past few days; it wasn't just due to the Heavenly Soul Sect's formations but also the presence of this creature.

As the giant hand descended, they swiftly flew to dodge it. Immediately after, a bleeding head emerged from the crack, roaring at them. The storm-like commotion was accompanied by a foul stench that nearly made them vomit.

"It stinks," Long Yiran said, gagging continuously beside him, her eyes watering.

Wang Yu's expression was grim. Just as he had surmised, the Heavenly Soul Sect disciples must have resisted during the ancient Blood Demon Catastrophe. Given the characteristics of these blood-corpses, they would have merged into an incredibly powerful entity at the time, falling into slumber within these ruins afterward. This monster undoubtedly possessed Nascent Soul-level power. However, since the Blood Demon had been sealed and its power couldn't be replenished, coupled with the relentless passage of time, less than a tenth of its original power remained, causing it to fall to Tier 3. Even so, its inherent essence was terrifyingly high; even if it dropped to Tier 2, Wang Yu might not be its match.

"Run!" Taking advantage of the blood-corpse giant's slow ascent from underground, Wang Yu grabbed Long Yiran and intended to flee further away. However, she had already recovered from the stench, her eyes now gleaming with a golden reflection.

With a surprised gasp, she pointed at the blood-corpse giant's emerging upper body: "Wang Yu, quickly! Look behind the monster—that's the tail of a dragon vein!"

"What?!" Within the wide fissure in the ground, a massive cavity had naturally formed where the blood-corpse giant had squeezed out, raising clouds of dust. Amidst the swirling dust, Wang Yu also saw a golden airflow, partially buried by soil and debris, vaguely resembling a dragon's tail.

"It's a Tier 3 dragon vein," she explained. "I suspect this monster captured it for the Dragon Vein Treasure. Look at the blood-corpse giant's chest." Following Long Yiran's pointer, Wang Yu noticed a pearl embedded in the blood-corpse giant's chest, surrounded by swirling dragon shadows. The pearl was constantly being corroded by blood-colored power, and the surrounding blood mist grew denser, seemingly replenishing the blood-corpse giant's strength.

A decision had to be made!

The commotion grew louder. The blood-corpse giant had already pulled out one of its left legs and was kneeling, attempting to extricate its other leg, causing the ground to tremble continuously. More ordinary blood-corpses began to converge from all directions.

"Long Yiran, set up a formation to block those ordinary blood-corpses!"

"Understood."

Long Yiran clearly understood his intention. Fortune favors the bold, and the Dragon Vein Treasure was invaluable, capable of refining natal magic treasures with immense potential. It was evident that the blood-corpse giant had been restraining the dragon vein all this time. Missing this opportunity, and waiting for the dragon vein to fully conceal itself or even move elsewhere, would mean spending a vast amount of time searching for it slowly. Although they couldn't escape the secret realm, the Heavenly Soul Sect ruins were truly too dangerous for them to explore every area.

Feeling the Yellow Springs Runes in his hands, he thought, *Perhaps I can try it.*

At this moment, Wang Yu had completely forgotten what happened the last time he pursued "fortune in danger." Wealth swayed hearts, and an opportunity like the Dragon Vein Treasure was coveted even by Nascent Soul cultivators.

After the decision was made, Long Yiran threw out formation flags, and four purple walls of light rose from the ground, enclosing them and the malignant corpse.

The Taeyin Malignant Corpse leaped from its coffin and immediately unleashed its most powerful technique—the Malignant Corpse Demonic Curse of Descent! The powerful weakening effect of Moon Malice caused the blood-corpse giant to stumble and fully collapse to the ground. However, its right leg was pulled free, and blood flowed from its body like a stream. Within the formation, a pool of blood quickly accumulated, rising above their ankles.

Wang Yu leaped into the air, swallowing all the high-grade Spirit Recovery Pills, Soul Essence Pills, and other spirit pills he had held in his mouth. He raised his right hand, and a turbid yellow light bloomed, accompanied by what sounded like the surging roar of river waves crashing against the shore. Eighty percent of his true essence was consumed in a single breath, only to rapidly recover under the effects of the high-grade spirit pills. This was Wang Yu's first time casting the Yellow Springs Great Seal since he had mastered it.

The surging phantom of the Yellow Springs River manifested behind him, and a colossal, turbid yellow hand, like a pillar supporting the heavens, clenched towards the blood-corpse giant. Compared to this hand, the several-hundred-meter-tall blood-corpse giant seemed like a mere radish, perfectly sized to be completely enveloped.

"ROAR!!!" The blood-corpse giant roared furiously, and the overflowing blood around its body shaped into numerous blood spears, lunging towards the Yellow Springs Great Seal. What appeared to be an ordinary counterattack caused Wang Yu's expression to change slightly the moment they made contact. The essence of its power was terrifyingly high!

The power of the Blood Demon's true form far surpassed that of Soul Transformation Venerables; the ancient Blood Demon Catastrophe was rumored to have been quelled with the aid of immortals from the upper realm. While the blood-corpse giant was merely a pseudo-entity formed by contamination, Wang Yu hadn't truly mastered the power of the Yellow Springs, so they were evenly matched in that regard. However, the monster's Tier 3 strength firmly suppressed his mere Foundation Establishment cultivation. Dense blood spears pierced straight through the Yellow Springs Great Seal! As the remaining force advanced, it was completely extinguished by a surging barrier of blood waves. Even with the monster suppressed by the Malignant Corpse Demonic Curse of Descent, Wang Yu's full-power attack had been effortlessly blocked.

"As expected, I can't beat it..." Wang Yu's expression was bitter. He couldn't help but recall the last time he'd sought "fortune in danger"; that phrase truly seemed to jinx him.

"Wang Yu!" Long Yiran suddenly called out, her resolute gaze sweeping towards him, immediately making him understand her intent. The Nether Tiger Suppressing Prison Formation! Long Yiran could borrow the power of the local geomancy formation.

This local formation was impossibly strong. Although its power couldn't be replenished, each time it was borrowed, the suppression on the secret realm would weaken, potentially causing the ancient Heavenly Soul Sect ruins to vanish into spatial turbulence. Yet, it was indeed the best way to reverse their predicament.

Meanwhile, the blood-corpse giant rose from the pool of blood and charged at Wang Yu. Its colossal fist, like a cloud hanging from the sky, cast a vast shadow as it bore down.

Wang Yu naturally wouldn't sit idly by. The Soul Shattering Finger shot out from his glabella, and with a flick of his right hand, a black ice sword imbued with extreme cold power materialized. As he leaped to evade the giant fist, he danced around the blood-corpse giant's arm, the sharp ice sword piercing directly into the monster's elbow joint. Its physical defense wasn't strong, but its regeneration was terrifyingly potent; wounds inflicted just moments before healed as the ice sword sliced past. Its recovery speed far exceeded imagination.

"ROAR!!!" With another explosive roar, the blood-corpse giant's constantly seeping blood transformed into numerous blood snakes, extending infinitely to try and grasp Wang Yu. Relying on the speed granted by his Perfected Evasion Technique: Frost Moon Wings, he darted left and right, doing his best to buy time. But as the blood snakes proliferated, his evasion space continuously shrank. After a dozen or so breaths,

Wang Yu's body stiffened as his left hand became entangled by a blood snake. Driven by instinct, he unleashed his Ice Dragon Core Flame. The blue core flame, a fusion of ice and fire, could only stiffen the snake but couldn't completely incinerate it. During this stalemate, his right leg also became ensnared by a blood snake.

Just then, the blood-corpse giant's head drew near. A third bloody vertical pupil suddenly split open on its forehead, and a crimson beam of light shot out swiftly. Unable to dodge, Wang Yu was about to sever his left hand when his whole body went numb. The blood snake on his right leg had bitten through the Iron-Armored Corpse Robe formed by the Corpse Demon Secret Art, and a unique blood poison was taking effect. There wasn't enough time! With a resolute thought, the protective shield formed by his True Gang Qi instantly shattered. His entire body was struck by the crimson beam, and Wang Yu let out an agonizing roar. The blood in his body was evaporating, his skin turning pale and withered, and the essence blood within his dragon spine was disappearing. This was a special divine ability that evaporated blood.

*Boom!* Finally, dark lightning formed from the void, transforming into a nether tiger that pounced towards the blood-corpse giant. Long Yiran had succeeded again. A sea of black lightning formed. Confined within the small space of the formation's light walls, the power of this black lightning burst was even more terrifying, with the blood-corpse giant bearing the full brunt. It howled, its body visibly shrinking—concrete proof of its constantly draining power. However, unlike the White Malice, it didn't immediately turn to ashes, which already demonstrated the blood-corpse giant's terrifying nature.

Wang Yu was also affected by the black lightning, but he wasn't the primary target. Though electrocuted to an agonizing degree, his robust physique ensured he wouldn't die. Long Yiran, however, on the periphery, had directly fallen into a near-death state after activating the geomancy formation's power, and being caught in the lightning sea made her condition even worse than last time. Her life force, like a flickering candle in the wind, was continuously weakening.

This time, Wang Yu didn't hesitate. He stumbled towards the formation's light wall, took out the Heavenly King Life-Preserving Pill from his Sea Heart Ring, and gave it to Long Yiran. Then he summoned Snowy Jade and instructed it to carry her further away. Only then did he turn his serious gaze back to the blood-corpse giant.