Chapter 257: Poison Beast Army, The Death of Long Yiran

In the midst of such an overwhelming upheaval, no one cared where Wang Yu was. The only thought was to survive!

Among tens of thousands of cultivators, only a little over thirty had reached the Core Formation stage, and they were divided into numerous factions. Facing four Nascent Soul-stage Medicine Kings and hundreds of third-tier blood zombie giants, their situation was dire. Describing it as "eggs hitting rocks" wouldn't quite fit; it was more like tofu colliding with an alloy—instant collapse.

Wang Yu finally got what he wished for. Invisible in mid-air, he tried to hide as far away as possible. While the cultivators certainly fled in disarray, the disparity in the number of powerhouses was too vast. Consequently, most of them were encircled; only Core Formation cultivators possessed the ability to break through.

In the blood mist environment, spiritual sense was severely hindered. Direction was hard to discern. The Heaven Soul Sect ruins had replaced the original Yin Ghost Mountain. It was no exaggeration to say the landscape had been completely transformed, revealing the ancient mountain gate of a bygone hegemon. Its vast area was filled with incomplete formations and restrictions. If a cultivator flew too high, they would be targeted by blood zombie giants; flying too low meant attacks from blood mist beasts and blood zombies. They might even trigger residual formations and restrictions.

As soon as the two sides clashed, the cultivators suffered heavy casualties. Their deaths were particularly gruesome: their blood was drained, and their desiccated bodies stumbled back to life as blood zombies, making the enemy numbers grow with every kill. Screams of agony echoed everywhere. The power of the Blood Demon was formidable, surpassing even the spiritual power of Core Formation cultivators, capable of eroding almost any defense formed by spells or divine abilities.

Wang Yu saw a Saint Sect Core Formation cultivator attempting to devour a blood zombie giant with vast swarms of gu-worms, only to have their own worms corroded by the blood's aggregating properties. The swarms of worms, cultivated over many years, transformed into Blood Demon servants and turned on their old master, devouring him completely, leaving not even a speck of bone. The combat potential displayed was astonishing. Furthermore, once the death toll of ordinary, easily slain blood zombies reached a thousand, their demonic blood would converge, swiftly forming a new blood zombie giant. Even cannon fodder deaths could spawn third-tier combatants.

Was this reasonable?!!

“Ahhh!—”

Limbs, heads, and flesh splattered everywhere. At this moment, the Heaven Soul Sect ruins resembled a slaughterhouse. All living beings, apart from their wails, had almost no power to resist. This was merely a fraction of the lingering power of the ancient demon named "Blood." It was evident that the legends of ancient demons far surpassing Soul Transformation Venerables in power were not unfounded.

Wang Yu dearly wanted to use his Ghost-Cry Flute to absorb souls. The sheer number of living souls generated in such a short time was boundless, enough to instantly perfect the Flute's Yin Crow Ghost Domain. Unfortunately, for the past few years, and likely for the next three or four decades, Wang Yu would have a stress disorder when it came to the phrase "fortune found in danger."

The Void Escape Talisman was already activated, and Wang Yu once again transformed into a silver light, vanishing into the spatial void. Unexpectedly, the talisman did not teleport him a thousand miles away. Instead, it reappeared him near the original secret realm entrance, at the edge of the blood mist!

“It only teleported me a few hundred miles…”“Well, it’s lucky enough to escape the center of the battlefield.”

He suspected the Sky-Reaching Demonic Sunflower was the cause, as previous uses had been problem-free. The Demonic Sunflower possessed late Fourth-tier strength; if it had tampered with this area, it would be impossible for him to detect with his current power.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz—”“Hm?”

The sudden noise made Wang Yu, who had just gotten up, immediately shrink back again. Outside the blood mist, dark clouds formed by countless poisonous insects were pressing in. Wang Yu’s expression instantly turned grim. One wave hadn't settled, and another had already begun.

According to the records of the Spirit Reversing Blood Sect, the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest was the territory of a Soul Transformation-stage poisonous beast, even if some agreement had been reached with demonic forces. The Heaven Soul Sect ruins, which had suddenly burst through space and appeared in the current world, still held immense allure, enough for it to temporarily disregard any agreements. The Soul Transformation poisonous beast would not let go of the super spirit vein underground alone, as it could stably provide pure spiritual energy. For Soul Transformation Venerables, whose cultivation progress was painstakingly slow, this was already an excellent gain, not to mention the super spirit mine that came with it, which surely contained a substantial number of top-grade spirit stones.

Various poisonous beasts, both familiar and unfamiliar, charged towards the blood mist like a dark, overwhelming tide. Wang Yu had no other option but to hide. It seemed the trouble he had stirred up this time was quite significant. Poisonous beasts were the rulers of the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest, certainly not lacking in Fourth-tier beings. The environment here was also exceptionally suitable for their proliferation, so they arrived the fastest and in the greatest numbers. Their numbers definitely exceeded ten million, perhaps even more.

The various toxins left in their wake turned Wang Yu's face green. This kind of mixed poison was the most terrifying. Hiding underground, he quickly took out his Immaculate Jade Toad. He placed it on his chest, allowing it to devour all toxic substances that approached him.

The army of poisonous beasts surged into the blood mist. Wang Yu waited for nearly an hour before the entire army of poisonous beasts entered the blood mist. The fighting transformed the already ruined site, this time leveling it completely. Rivers of blood flowed, and pools of venom formed. Blood zombie giants tore apart hundred-meter spiders, while crimson mosquito-beasts drained entire blood rivers, yet remained uncontrolled by the Blood Demon power, instead fighting the Blood Demon Ginseng. The earth quaked and mountains shook, with canyon-like fissures appearing everywhere. This was clearly a Fourth-tier poisonous beast. A toad manifested the scene of "swallowing the moon," freezing a ten-thousand-foot blood river with a breath of cold air. Blood mist beasts and blood zombie giants could not escape, and it then confronted the Blood Demon Polygonum Multiflorum.

When Wang Yu emerged from underground, he witnessed this apocalyptic scene: the earth was sinking, mountains were collapsing, and everything in his sight was being destroyed. “Is this the might of Nascent Soul cultivators… truly exaggerated,” he muttered.

Wang Yu continued to speed away from the blood mist, completely escaping in mere seconds. He cast a glance back, and his expression instantly became complicated. He saw Takigawa Yiran… her corpse! Her left leg was petrified, and the right half of her body was a mangled mess. Her wide-open left eye was filled with longing and reluctance for life as toxins corroded her corpse. This caused poisonous pustules to continuously form and then burst, spewing pus and toxic smoke that mixed with the air, creating a purplish-black poisonous mist that contended with the blood mist.

This trustworthy person, whose life had just begun to improve, was regrettably buried here. The reason, in essence, was simply "strength." What a true pity. Perhaps it was due to the River Styx pact that they shared this trust, but over several years of interaction, Wang Yu truly felt a stir in his heart. Friendship… it felt so close, yet so far. Trust, this ineffably precious thing, when lost not just through betrayal but also through the death of the trusted person, causes a profound emotional impact. The impact was no weaker than when Chang Xi had schemed against him years ago. It also added a new layer of understanding to the Taihu Spirit Domain for him. Once he sorted through his feelings and insights, he would advance further on the Path of the Heart.

“Takigawa Yiran—“I will remember you.”

That single glance was enough for Wang Yu to remember her for the rest of his life.

At the edge of the blood mist, on the opposite side from Wang Yu, Liu Jinxian and Venerable Jade Serpent converged atop a tall mountain, gazing from afar at the battle between the poisonous beasts and the Blood Demon servants. Their shock was unmistakable.

“There are actually so many Fourth-tier beings here.”

Venerable Jade Serpent looked at his daughter, reached out to pat her head, and sighed, “Our Gu Poison Peak suffered considerable losses this time. I never expected something like this to happen.” Liu Jinxian, however, her eyes darted, then she said, “Father, the Tenth Elder has died. Do you have a chance to take his place…?”

The Nine Peaks system of the Spirit Reversing Blood Sect stipulated that one could become an Elder simply by breaking through to the Core Formation stage. There were two types: Outer Sect Elders and Inner Sect Elders, with the latter holding higher status, comparable to true disciples. Beyond these distinctions, each peak's Inner Sect also had a title of "Twelve Elders," typically held by cultivators at the peak of the Core Formation stage. This was the highest authority within each peak, below the Nascent Soul stage. The composition of this Elder Council was more complex. While strength was a rigid requirement, it was also the simplest one. Other considerations primarily involved background and potential, with background being the most crucial. If one possessed even a hint of potential for forming a Nascent Soul and cultivated connections, they could also assume a position among the Twelve Elders. They oversaw all mundane affairs and operations of their respective peaks. Furthermore, they held control over each peak's true "moneybag": Foundation Establishment and Core Formation spirit slaves! These slaves were comprised of righteous path war criminals, rebellious forces, or groups hostile to the Saint Sect, and their scale was far greater than the minor operations in the stone house area.

What Liu Jinxian said was nothing short of a wild fantasy. Venerable Jade Serpent, however, pondered, “Almost all the fellow disciples who came this time have died. If I can seize this opportunity, perhaps I can gain the Gu Poison Mountain Lord's appreciation.” If he could indeed scheme his way into a position among the Twelve Elders of Gu Poison Peak, Liu Jinxian's status as a second-generation disciple would also rise. This was exactly what it meant to hope for one's father to become a dragon!

“There's no time to lose. Your Uncle-Master Wu's message stated that this part of the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest saw the emergence of two hegemons in ancient times. After the ancient Ten Thousand Insects Sect was destroyed, this Heavenly Demon Bone Forest formed. Later, the ancient Heaven Soul Sect established itself here, only to be annihilated during the Blood Demon rebellion. Given the current situation, it's more likely to be the Heaven Soul Sect ruins. The Blood Demon Hall will certainly be interested in these Blood Demon Medicine Kings. Xian'er, you go contact Lu Chenzhou and do the Blood Demon Hall a favor. I will contact the Gu Poison Mountain Lord and Elder Insect Demon.”

“Okay.”

As two of the few survivors from the Spirit Reversing Blood Sect, neither wished to remain in this place; it was simply too dangerous. However, Venerable Jade Serpent still left a few snake gu-worms to monitor the situation here. The father and daughter moved with remarkable speed.

What happened in the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest would not spread in just a day or two. However, it absolutely couldn't be concealed. For those regularly active in Myriad Poisons Town, news of the conflict between the poisonous beasts and blood zombies would take at least half a month to reach them. This window of opportunity was the advantageous time for the Spirit Reversing Blood Sect and the Yellow Springs Temple to act. Once it passed, if no victor had been decided, the outcome would become unpredictable.

They were taking action. On the Yellow Springs Temple's side, there were also alert individuals who had narrowly escaped with their lives. The mere existence of ten-thousand-year-old Medicine Kings was enough to make them contend with all their might. Even if their condition wasn't optimal, they would still strive to compete. Information about Wang Yu, the masked man, was also sent to the higher echelons of the Yellow Springs Temple. Demon Lord Ghost Curse was bewildered upon learning of it, unsure when he had dispatched a true disciple to explore. Could it be manipulated by the Yellow Springs Fiends under his command? The mysterious person's identity remained a mystery, but it was undoubtedly someone from the Yellow Springs Temple. The immediate priority, however, was to contend with the Spirit Reversing Blood Sect for the Medicine Kings!

Both sides were gathering forces. Following Zhuoyue State, the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest in the northern Cloud Ridge once again became the focus of attention, with a larger-scale Nascent Soul-level conflict brewing.