Daoist Competition-Chapter 160 - 49: Yin Demon Rampage, Slashing the Blood Essence (Part 2)

The female cultivator let out a piercing scream, spat a mouthful of blood toward the heavens, then collapsed limply onto the ground.

At this moment, Zhang Yan felt a wave of nauseating energy sweep over him, causing his mind to blur briefly. He let out a cold snort, shook his sleeve, and a pill dropped into his palm. He tossed it into his mouth, holding it under his tongue, and his clarity immediately returned.

Looking up at the green cloud overhead, he raised the Proclamation Pen that had returned to his hand and offered it up into the air. With a single strike, a large chunk of the energy cloud was shaved away. After consecutive sweeps, the cloud shattered into fragmented pieces, dispersing in all directions.

The male cultivator’s face changed drastically; without uttering a word, he grabbed the female cultivator and flew off into the air to escape.

Zhang Yan sneered coldly, stomped the ground, and conjured a rising mist of clouds before taking off in pursuit.

Because the male cultivator was carrying someone, his speed was not particularly fast. Zhang Yan quickly closed the gap, pointed his fingers forward, and two streaks of light—one green and the other blue—shot forth, targeting the man’s back.

The male cultivator hurriedly pulled out a bone token, gave it a wave, and it transformed into a large shield bearing a sinister face with fangs, encasing him entirely. Only two sharp "clang" sounds could be heard, as the shield held firm against both the Ruyi Divine Shuttle and the Star Sword Ball.

The sword ball and Ruyi Divine Shuttle didn’t give up, continuing their relentless strikes. For a time, the dense sounds were akin to torrential rain beating against roof tiles, yet the bone shield remained impregnable.

Seeing this, Zhang Yan narrowed his eyes, reached into his sleeve, and touched the Soul Suppressing Inkstone. After a brief moment of thought, however, he decided against using it.

If he unleashed the Soul Suppressing Inkstone, the male cultivator could simply sacrifice the female cultivator to save himself. Doing so would remove his burden, and there was a chance he might actually succeed in escaping.

At this moment, Zhang Yan noticed the male cultivator’s resolute expression as he fought and retreated, circling around the area. It was clear he was stalling for time, hoping for "Senior Brother Li" to arrive. Zhang Yan sneered inwardly, "Do you truly think I can’t deal with you like this?"

Spreading his hands, a beast-faced great saber suddenly materialized in his grasp. With a thunderous shout, his tunneling speed doubled in an instant. In the blink of an eye, he reached the male cultivator. Raising the Divine Weapon he acquired from Qu Chang high, he swung it down directly at the bone shield!

The male cultivator hadn’t anticipated such a decisive move from Zhang Yan. However, the beast-faced great saber bore down fiercely; there was no way to dodge. Left with no choice, he raised the shield for defense. With a resounding "crack," the bone shield shattered on the spot.

The male cultivator’s face turned pale with fright. He tossed the female cultivator aside and turned to flee, but the saber light flashed, slicing off his left leg. He let out a cry of pain, his face contorting in agony, his body momentarily frozen in place. At this moment, the third strike came down, and he had no chance to evade. He could only watch helplessly as the saber’s edge closed in on him, landing heavily overhead.

With a sickening "squelch," his body was split cleanly into two. Zhang Yan twisted the saber’s edge, pivoting it to shred the Primordial Spirit, before descending slowly to the ground.

The female cultivator, having been thrown from the air, was already half-dead and unable to move. Watching as Zhang Yan approached step by step with a blank expression on his face, she pleaded frantically, "No, don’t kill me! Whatever condition you have, I’ll—"

Zhang Yan remained indifferent, walking up to her and slicing her cleanly in half without hesitation. With a wave of his sleeve, he dissipated the Primordial Spirit along with her.

With a heavy "clang," Zhang Yan drove the blade’s hilt heavily into the ground!

With two enemies slain, not a drop of blood clung to the blade. Zhang Yan felt a rush of exhilaration. No wonder so many cultivators were drawn to the Power Dao. Armed with a Divine Weapon and protected by superior mysterious skills, one needn’t concern themselves with Dharma Treasure Flying Swords. In battle, charging forth and cutting down opponents with a single strike provided unparalleled satisfaction.

He had initially considered capturing one of them alive, but after recalling the Demon Sect disciples’ bizarre and enigmatic methods, he realized that there was no guarantee the information obtained would be accurate. Worse still, they might have soul-tracking techniques at their disposal, in which case it would backfire spectacularly. It was better to eliminate them outright.

From their earlier conversation, Zhang Yan had gleaned that their master was expected to arrive in half a month. This individual could place a Blood Essence up to a thousand miles away and suppress multiple Ming Qi cultivators in one stroke, a terrifyingly powerful feat. The exact cultivation level of their master was still unclear.

Zhang Yan thought to himself that given his current level of cultivation, he stood no chance against such a formidable foe. It would be wiser to find a safe location and focus on improving his strength as soon as possible.

The techniques recorded in the Taiyin Golden Book would only reveal their true potential upon reaching the Xuan Guang Realm. If he could master them earlier, he might stand a chance in future confrontations.

With this in mind, he gathered the Qiankun Pouches from the corpses of the two cultivators. Without sparing the remains another glance, he dissolved their bodies entirely using Evil Salt and flew swiftly toward a distant cave marked on the map.

Not long after he left, a shadowy figure filled with heavy blood energy appeared, revealing a man with sharp, predatory eyes, slender lips, and a prominent nose. His strange nose twitched side to side as his expression shifted from puzzlement to gloom.

Soon, over a dozen individuals arrived one after another. Catching sight of him, they all greeted him with respect, saying, "Greetings, Senior Brother Li."

Senior Brother Li let out a snort through his nose, deeming it a response. His eyes moved downward, noticing one disciple holding someone in his grasp. He asked, "Who is this?"

The cultivator replied, "This one is a disciple of Mingcang Sect. I’ve captured him specifically to hand over to Senior Brother for judgment."

Without moving his body, a blood-colored Xuan Guang emerged from the top of Senior Brother Li’s head, forming a massive hand that reached out, grabbing the captive and hoisting him into his line of sight. In a deep voice, he asked, "Tell me, how many of you from Mingcang Sect ventured into this Demon Cave? What are your names? Are there any notable experts among you?"

If Zhang Yan were present, he would have recognized the captive as Zhao Zhen.

Faced with Senior Brother Li’s interrogation, Zhao Zhen smirked disdainfully and said, "With that ghost-like complexion of yours, it’s obvious you’ve practiced Blood Essence Skill and turned yourself into something neither human nor demon. Someone like you dares interrogate Master Zhao? Hah! Just kill me quickly and be done with it."

Senior Brother Li’s eyes revealed a trace of appreciation, and he said, "Fine. You’ve got spine; I’ll grant your wish."

The blood-colored hand tossed Zhao Zhen upward before clutching and squeezing him tightly. The sound of snapping bones and flesh tearing echoed briefly, and moments later, the Xuan Guang receded, leaving Zhao Zhen entirely consumed—his flesh, blood, bones, and Essence—all absorbed into Senior Brother Li’s body.

With a single glance, Senior Brother Li’s gaze exuded an oppressive aura. All the disciples present instinctively lowered their heads, daring not to meet his eyes.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke, "Master is currently refining the True Demon. If there is work to be done, disciples must rise to the occasion. You are to search the surrounding areas. If you encounter any Mingcang Sect disciples, report back immediately."

The group responded collectively, their tunneling lights rising into the sky as they scattered throughout the Demon Cave.

...

...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l