Chapter 884
Dried Dark Red
The runes suddenly lit up.
Blood spurted out.
It instantly engulfed Li Wuji.
Amidst the bloodshed.
A blurry figure slowly emerged.
That figure... looked exactly like Li Wuji.
But it is even taller.
Even more ferocious.
Even more...terrifying.
The bloodstains dissipated.
Li Wuji has disappeared.
Only a blood-red figure remained in the same spot.
His figure and face were identical to Li Wuji's.
But his eyes were bloodshot.
Countless blood-red chains were wrapped around his body.
His aura... is more than twice as strong as before.
There are even... faint signs of breaking through to the next tribulation.
The blood-red figure slowly raised its head.
He looked at Zheng Yi.
His voice was deep, yet filled with endless resentment:
"Dark night..."
"Now...it's your turn."
Zheng Yi was suspended in mid-air.
The sword tip drooped down.
Golden flames flickered on the sword.
He looked at the blood-red figure.
Looking into those bloodshot eyes.
Looking at that face that was exactly the same as Li Wuji's.
Suddenly he laughed.
Extremely pale.
Extremely cold.
"it is good."
"Then... let's go."
The wind rises.
The river water surged again.
The blood-red figure took a step forward.
The sky and earth changed color.
The great battle... is entering its most frenzied final stage.
And that blood-red rune.
It was thrown into the palm of the blood-red figure.
Rotate slowly.
A blood-red figure hovered at the edge of the ninth-level platform of the Nine Nether Soul-Suppressing Tower, the hem of his robe fluttering without wind, like a black cloth soaked in water dripping down. The face that had once belonged to Li Wuji was now twisted beyond recognition, two green flames flickering violently in his eye sockets, his pupils completely swallowed by bloodshot veins, leaving only two bottomless black holes. Chains emerged from his back and pierced through his chest, coiling in mid-air into a writhing cocoon of blood, within which countless distorted human faces could be vaguely seen, silently wailing.
The roar of the battlefield below seemed to be isolated, leaving only the low whistling of the wind blowing through the tower and the occasional sound of bones cracking from within the blood cocoon.
Zheng Yi hovered a hundred feet away, the tip of his sword, wreathed in golden flames, drooping slightly. The bloodstains on the blade had been evaporated by the intense heat, leaving only dark red scorch marks. His chest heaved dramatically, each breath causing his broken ribs to creak softly. The left sleeve of his black robe was torn to shreds, revealing a bulging vein on his exposed arm, beneath which fine golden threads could be seen moving—the Heavenly Qi forcefully suppressing his internal injuries.
The blood-red figure—or rather, Li Wuji at this moment—slowly raised his right hand.
The blood-red rune in his palm was still spinning, but it was no longer the size of a fingernail. It had swelled to the size of his palm, and tiny blood vessels were constantly oozing from its edges as if it were being scorched by fire.
"Sacrifice..."
His voice was no longer the old, hoarse one it once was, but echoed with a metallic scraping sound. With each word he uttered, the blood cocoon behind him would suddenly contract, as if countless hands were squeezing him at the same time.
"The Li family...three hundred and twenty-seven years of bloodline..."
"Today...it's all mine!"
Before he could finish speaking...
Screams echoed simultaneously from all parts of the ancestral land.
In the direction of the East Gate, dozens of heavily armored cultivators who were still struggling to hold on suddenly froze. Blood burst from their chests, brows, and dantian at the same time. The blood seemed to be forcibly drawn out by an invisible hand, flowing back through their meridians and turning into thin blood lines that passed through the tattered light curtain, through the burning withered vine forest, through the scattered limbs, and headed straight for the ninth level of the main peak.
In the west side hall, a group of cultivators responsible for guarding the spirit medicine storehouse had just rushed out of the room when they were wrapped around the neck by blood threads. Their whole bodies withered instantly, like rag dolls that had been drained of their life force. Their skin collapsed down to their bones, and in the blink of an eye, they became mummies.
In the forbidden area behind the mountain, several elders who had been in seclusion suddenly opened their eyes. Before they could even form hand seals, blood threads emerged from the ground and burrowed into their backs. The elders opened their mouths to shout, but only spat out a mouthful of black blood. Their bodies withered at a visible speed, their skin cracked like old tree bark, and finally turned into a pile of ashes.
The screams were continuous, then stopped abruptly in a very short time.
The entire ancestral land of the Li family seemed to fall silent in an instant.
Only the sound of the wind and the "crackling" sound of the blood cocoon contracting remained.
Blood continuously flowed into Li Wuji's palm.
The crimson rune spun faster and faster, growing larger and larger.
Li Wuji's originally pale face regained its color.
It's not just the color of blood.
His skin began to gleam with a metallic sheen, his bones cracked like popping beans, and he grew half a foot taller at a visible rate. His muscles bulged, and his veins throbbed beneath his skin like earthworms. The chains behind him were no longer phantoms, but solid, blood-iron chains, each engraved with tiny runes, and the chains rattled like thunder when they snapped together.
The energy surged dramatically.
The aura of the half-step Tribulation Transcending Realm, which had been nearly exhausted, has now been re-condensed, and there are even faint signs of a breakthrough.
The blood-red figure looked up and let out a long howl.
The whistling sound did not come from the throat, but exploded simultaneously from the chest, from the dantian, and from all the limbs, like countless wronged souls screaming at the same time.
The whistling sound transformed into tangible, blood-red sound waves, spreading in all directions.
On the battlefield below, the Guo family's elite troops bore the brunt of the attack.
Dozens of cultivators groaned, blood seeping from their ears and noses at the same time. Some knelt down, some covered their ears and screamed in agony, and some collapsed to the ground bleeding from all seven orifices.
Zhao Sanhuai gritted his teeth, his short sword embedded in the ground to support his body, his voice hoarse: "This old monster... has gone mad..."
The withered lotus immortal's blue lotus dharma form trembled violently, and half of the twelve lotus petals withered instantly. He himself staggered back three steps, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth: "Sacrificing the entire clan... this old beast has gone mad!"
Lady Bixiao's flute slipped from her hand, her dark green dress torn in several places by the sound waves. She clutched her chest, her face deathly pale: "He...he sacrificed the entire Li family..."
Iron-Armed Marquis slammed his warhammer to the ground, his one eye bloodshot: "I...I'm going to kill him!"
The Ghost Shadow Elder's figure flickered, but he was forced to reveal himself mid-air by the sonic wave. His bone blade fell to the ground, and blood spurted from his mouth and nose: "This power... is no longer that of a half-step Tribulation Transcending cultivator..."
Zheng Yi was suspended in mid-air.
The golden flames wrapped around the sword, but it shook violently under the impact of the sonic waves.
He groaned, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth again, and staggered back more than ten feet, his boots carving two golden trails in the air.
The blood-red figure—Li Wuji—slowly descended.
With each step he took, a crack appeared on the platform at the top of the tower.
With each step he took, the blood iron chains wrapped around his body wrapped another layer.
He stopped fifty feet in front of Zheng Yi.
His bloodshot eyes stared directly at Zheng Yi.
The sound had a metallic echo, yet also carried a familiar, aged quality:
"Dark night..."
"I sacrificed the lives of over three hundred members of my clan... to win this battle."
"What... are you going to use to block?"
Zheng Yi raised his sleeve to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.
The sword tip was raised again.
Although the golden flames had dimmed, they were still burning.
His voice was calm, yet every word was clear:
"I'll risk my life to stop them."
Li Wuji smiled.
The laughter was like countless rusty knives scraping against an iron plate at the same time.
"it is good."
"Then... let's go."
He took a step forward.
The blood iron chain instantly surged in price.
Dozens of chains, like living snakes, lunged at Zheng Yi from all directions.
Each chain was wrapped with a distorted human face, its mouth agape in a silent scream, a wailing sound so loud it felt like eardrums would burst.
Zheng Yi will not back down.
He suddenly slashed out with his sword.
The golden flames surged three zhang (approximately 10 meters).
The sword flashed like a bolt of lightning, slashing down directly at the first chain.
"Zheng—!"
The clang of metal rang out.
The chain was cut in half, and black blood gushed from the break. A human face could be vaguely seen wailing in the blood.
But in the next instant, the broken half of the chain regenerated, like a snake's tail that had been cut off instantly.
More chains came crashing down from the sides, from behind, and from above.
Zheng Yi swayed slightly.
The person flashed continuously in mid-air.
The sword light merged into a golden afterimage.
With each swing of the sword, a chain was severed.
The speed at which something can be severed can never keep up with the speed at which it regenerates.
The chains are increasing.
more and more.
Like a giant blood net, it was about to trap him completely.
Below, twelve cultivators saw this and attacked simultaneously.
The withered lotus immortal's blue lotus form solidified again, and twelve lotus petals flew out, blocking the three chains on the side.
Lady Bixiao forcefully played her short flute, and the sound waves transformed into dark green spears, piercing the chains that were rushing towards her from behind.
Iron Arm Marquis dropped his warhammer and smashed it into the chains above his head.
The Ghostly Old Man's figure flickered, his bone blade slicing through the flanks.
However, they had already been severely injured by the sonic attack, so their power was greatly reduced.
The chains paused only slightly before lunging forward again.
Zhao Sanhuai led the swordsmen to the front, slashing wildly with his short swords, but was caught by the chain and thrown into the air, crashing heavily against the cliff wall, spitting out blood.
Guo Tianyou fired his longbow in rapid succession, arrows wreathed in talismanic fire, aimed at the chains, but were instantly extinguished by the blood mist.
The battlefield descended into chaos.
Screams, roars, the clanging of metal, and howls of ghosts mingled together.
Zheng Yi was bound more and more tightly by the chains.
The golden flames began to flicker.
For every one he cuts off, two new ones are born.
With each step back, the chains drew ever closer.
at last.
A chain wrapped around his left arm from behind. A human face on the chain opened its mouth and bit down.
A sharp pain instantly spread throughout my body.
Zheng Yi groaned, and his left arm instantly went numb.
The golden flame was mostly dimmed.
More chains took the opportunity to wrap around it.
Right arm, legs, waist and abdomen, neck...
In the blink of an eye, he was bound into a blood-red cocoon by dozens of chains.
Only the head and the right hand holding the sword were visible.
Li Wuji hovered opposite him, his blood-red figure, though his aura was unstable, wore a sinister smile of certain victory.
"It's over... Dark Night."
"I would give up the lives of my entire clan... to save your life... It was worth it."
He raised his hand.
The blood cocoon began to tighten.
The faces on the chains all opened their mouths at the same time.
Countless wronged souls screamed and burrowed into Zheng Yi's body.
Zheng Yi's face was as pale as paper.
Blood kept flowing from the corner of his mouth.
But then he suddenly laughed.
Extremely pale.
Extremely cold.
"value?"
“Li Wuji…”
You've miscalculated one thing.
His voice was weak, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly:
"I... never intended... to go back alive."
The words fell.
He suddenly bit the tip of his tongue.
He spat a mouthful of blood onto the sword.
The golden flames surged instantly.
The originally dim sword light suddenly burst into a blazing golden flame, like a torch doused with oil.
Golden flames burned back along the chains.
The burning of those faces caused them to scream in agony.
The chains sizzled as they burned.
The burning blood cocoon trembled violently.
Li Wuji's expression changed drastically.
"Are you insane?! You want to die together with me?!"
Zheng Yi did not answer.
He used his last bit of strength, holding the sword in his right hand.
His entire body, along with the blood cocoon, transformed into a golden shooting star.
It pierced straight into Li Wuji's chest.
"Tian Gang—"
"A decisive blow!"
The sword tip drew a dazzling golden line in mid-air.
Wherever the gold thread passed, the chains snapped.
The human face wailed as it turned into black smoke.
The blood cocoon peeled off layer by layer.
finally.
The sword tip pierced Li Wuji's chest with pinpoint accuracy.
Golden flames surged wildly into the sword.
Li Wuji's eyes widened.
He looked down at the longsword wreathed in golden flames at his chest.
He looked up again and gazed at Zheng Yi.
Zheng Yi's face was ashen.
Blood was seeping from the corners of the mouth, nostrils, and eyes simultaneously.
He looked as if all the blood had been drained from him.
But he was still looking at Li Wuji.
The voice was extremely soft, yet every word was like a knife:
"Li Wuji".
"The Li family... has paid off their debts."
The tip of the sword suddenly trembled.
Golden flames exploded from Li Wuji's body.
The blood-red figure trembled violently.
The chains broke one by one.
The human face vanished, wailing in agony.
Blood mist was leaking out wildly.
Li Wuji raised his head and let out a long, unwilling roar.
The whistling sound had not yet subsided.
He exploded.
Blood mist, bone fragments, bits of flesh, and shards of chains... flew everywhere.
Like a blood-red blizzard.
The Nine Nether Soul-Suppressing Tower has lost its master.
The tower trembled violently.
The ninth floor collapsed with a deafening roar.
The entire tower is broken in two.
It plummeted downwards with a thunderous roar.
It crashed into the main peak of the ancestral land.
It smashed with a deafening roar.
Dust, gravel, and blood mist shot into the sky.
Cover the sky.
The battlefield fell silent instantly.
Only the sound of the wind remained.
And limbs scattered all over the ground.
Zheng Yi was suspended in mid-air.
The longsword slipped from his hand.
She was like a kite with a broken string, slowly falling downwards.
The golden flames went out.
The black robe was soaked in blood.
He fell to the ground.
But at the last moment, he was caught by a blue water dragon.
Master Kulian was pale-faced, his hands forming a hand seal, and the water dragon gently placed Zheng Yi on the cliff ridge.
Lady Bixiao staggered over, knelt beside him, and her fingers trembled as she checked his breath.
"She...she's still breathing!"
Iron-Armed Marquis charged forward, his one eye bloodshot: "Quick! Take him back! Find the alchemist!"
Ghost Shadow Old Man flashed and appeared beside Zheng Yi, his voice trembling: "This kid... he's gone mad... he's really willing to risk his life for another..."
Zhao Sanhuai dragged his broken leg over, knelt beside Zheng Yi, and choked out:
"My lord...you...you can't die..."
Guo Tianyou lunged forward, his armor slamming against the ground with a loud thud. He clung tightly to Zheng Yi, his voice hoarse:
"Sir! Sir!!!"
Shen Changyuan finally came from behind.
The white robe was stained with blood and dust.
He crouched down and placed one hand on Zheng Yi's chest.
A wisp of bluish-white spiritual light seeped in.
Zheng Yi's chest heaved very little.
But in the end... it still fluctuates.
Shen Changyuan looked up at the crowd.
His voice was deep, yet carried an undeniable authority:
"Back to the city."
"Everyone... protect him and take him back."
Everyone stood up at the same time.
Someone carried the stretcher.
Someone formed a protective array.
Someone covered the rear.
The team slowly retreated.
Behind them, the ancestral home of the Li family had become a pile of ruins.
The Nine Nether Soul-Suppressing Tower broke in two and lay in a pool of blood.
The tower was still smoking.
The blood mist gradually dissipated.
The wind blew by.
A cloud of charred ash was stirred up.
Ashes drift and drift.
It eventually fell into the Blackwater River.
Drifting downstream.
Drifting into the distance.
On the battlefield, only mangled limbs remained.
And... the sword that Zheng Yi left behind.
The sword was stuck in the spot where Li Wuji had exploded.
The sword is broken.
Only half of the sword blade remained stuck in the ground.
The golden flames had long since died out.
But the dark red strip of cloth on the hilt of the sword was still fluttering gently in the wind.
The north gate of Hongyun City seemed stained with blood that night; dried, dark red blood seeped into the cracks of the blue bricks in the city wall, and a gust of wind would whip up tiny bloodstains, which drifted like snowflakes reflecting the moonlight. The city gate was already wide open, and the torches of the guards on both sides crackled and burned, casting a yellowish-blue glow on everyone's faces. As the stretcher passed through the crowd, the four Guo family members carrying it walked unsteadily, their knees trembling, yet they gritted their teeth to prevent the stretcher from swaying even an inch. (End of Chapter)