The tall man’s expression changed drastically.

The power of the Blood Evil Gourd was immense.

Even a Cultivator at the Qi Introduction Eighth Layer could suffer a major setback if they were carelessly tainted by it!

But the malevolence of this Magical Artifact also far surpassed that of ordinary ones!

As its wielder,

while using Magical Power to activate the Blood Evil Gourd’s innate power, one would also have to endure the backlash from the assault of countless resentful souls.

Therefore, when using the Blood Evil Gourd, a Cultivator had to be completely focused, dedicating almost all of their energy to resisting the backlash and controlling the eerie Blood Evil Smoke Clouds for attack.

This price seemed too high.

In the midst of battle, it effectively immobilized the wielder,

leaving them with a massive opening for anyone to attack. A moment of carelessness could send them into an abyss of eternal damnation.

If people knew such a thing existed, they would probably curse whichever moron created this Magical Artifact.

But since the Blood Slaughter Three Demons considered this Blood Evil Gourd their ultimate trump card,

it obviously wasn’t that simple.

The Blood Evil Gourd’s attack was twofold.

First was the red light that poured out from the gourd along with the bloody, malevolent smoke clouds.

Once bathed in that red light,

an enemy Cultivator’s Divine Soul and Heart Spirit would be affected. Even the Magical Power in their body would become significantly sluggish, making the enemy feel as if they were trapped in a mire.

It could immobilize an enemy almost instantly.

The second was the rapidly expanding, highly corrosive, and terrifying Blood Evil Smoke Clouds!

This thing’s speed of expansion and attack was not the least bit slow.

For instance, even though Shen Changchuan was over a hundred meters away from the two members of the Blood Slaughter Three Demons,

when the tall, thin figure uncorked the Blood Evil Gourd, the cloud of blood-colored smoke expanded rapidly, enveloping him in just one or two breaths!

With such a fast attack speed, coupled with the control from the crimson light,

for any Cultivator below the Ninth Layer,

it was practically a guaranteed hit!

And the power of the Blood Evil Smoke Clouds didn’t stop there.

It had a powerful corrosive effect on Magical Power.

Once enveloped by the Blood Evil Smoke Clouds,

if a Cultivator at the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer relied solely on their Magical Power Shield for protection, the power of the Blood Evil Smoke Clouds could corrode it completely within two or three breaths!

It would then drill into the enemy’s body from all over, corroding their skin and surging backward through their meridians to trap and kill them from within.

Even if the enemy desperately activated their Magical Power to temporarily force the Blood Evil Smoke Clouds out of their body,

the process would still leave indelible corrosive damage to their meridians!

This was precisely why a Qi Introduction Eighth Layer Cultivator they had injured in the past had his cultivation path completely severed!

Even if the enemy deployed a defensive Magical Artifact,

the Blood Evil Smoke Clouds would still continuously corrode the artifact.

At most, a defense propped up by a Magical Artifact would only last a little longer than an ordinary Spiritual Shield.

But as time wore on,

the wielder could control the Blood Evil Smoke Clouds, causing them to gather around the enemy, increasing their concentration and power, and thereby rapidly depleting the enemy’s Magical Power.

It could be said that the longer it was drawn out, the more dangerous it became!

Of course,

a Cultivator trapped by the Blood Evil Smoke Clouds was not completely without the ability to fight back.

They could split their focus.

On one hand, they could use a Magical Artifact to protect themselves,

while on the other, they could launch an attack against the wielder of the Blood Evil Gourd.

But again, the problem was the Blood Evil Smoke Clouds.

Due to the smoke’s retarding effect, the speed of any cast Magic would be greatly reduced.

This meant that before the Magic could even reach the Blood Evil Gourd’s wielder, it would likely be completely corroded and annihilated by the Blood Evil Smoke Clouds!

Even if they attacked with a Magical Artifact,

it might still retain some power upon reaching the wielder,

but the tall man standing beside him was clearly not just for show. Facing a Magical Artifact attack with greatly reduced power, a single slap would be enough to send it flying.

It was precisely because of this,

that while the Blood Evil Gourd seemed to have a massive, irreparable flaw,

in reality,

its excellent mechanics, combined with the cooperation of an ally, were enough to completely cover up this weakness!

And this,

had become the foundation for the Blood Slaughter Three Demons to remain at large and act with impunity for so many years!

Relying on this Blood Evil Gourd,

the three of them even had the confidence to take on a Cultivator at the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer!

But as the saying goes, the hunter becomes the hunted.

At this very moment,

facing Shen Changchuan and Si Houqing,

the two of them,

were finally tasting the consequences of relying too heavily on the Blood Evil Gourd!

TWANG!

Between heaven and earth,

a clear sword cry seemed to ring out, as if tearing through space itself. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

A line of light streaked across the scene.

The protective barrier, condensed from the full power of the tall man’s Magic Fist Glove, offered no resistance as the line of cyan sword light sliced through it at the waist as if it were made of paper,

and continued on to pierce the tall, thin figure behind him—the one who was fully focused on controlling the Blood Evil Gourd and continuously pouring Magical Power into it!

The world seemed to freeze for an instant.

Then,

with the two of them at the center,

within a hundred-foot radius,

the houses that hadn’t yet collapsed, the remaining ruins, and the tall trees and grass growing all around,

were all sheared clean in half. The top sections slid off slowly, creating a cacophony of shattering sounds and kicking up clouds of dust.

The view suddenly became unobstructed.

The cut surfaces on everything,

were as smooth as a mirror!

At the same time!

The tall man’s eyes widened in disbelief as the upper half of his body fell to the ground.

He had been sliced in two at the waist.

Just before his consciousness faded into endless darkness,

he saw his own lower body, still standing in place,

and behind it,

his big brother... also cut in two, falling to the ground.

His wide eyes reflected this final scene.

He died with his eyes wide open!

With no more Magical Power being infused into it, the red light from the Blood Evil Gourd faded.

The surrounding Blood Evil Smoke Clouds also began to thin.

Although the dispersing Blood Evil Smoke Clouds still possessed a strong corrosive nature,

without anyone controlling them, they no longer gathered in one place. Instead, they quickly dissipated in all directions, their concentration—and their corrosiveness towards Magical Power—dropping by more than tenfold!

’It’s over!’

Shen Changchuan let out a long sigh of relief.

His face was also a little pale.

Just now,

while using the Bronze Jar to maintain his defense, he had consumed a great deal of Magical Power against the Blood Evil Smoke Clouds outside.

Then he had unleashed the finishing blow: the Cyan Wood Sword Light.

One had to understand that the power of a Magic was directly proportional to its Magical Power consumption. The cost of the Cyan Wood Sword Light was in no way comparable to that of ordinary Basic Magic.

Because of this,

the Magical Power within his body was now almost completely depleted!

’It’s a good thing I took advantage of the opponent’s moment of grief before the fight to recover some Magical Power.’

’Otherwise, a miss would have been as good as a mile.’

’I might not have succeeded with that counter-kill.’