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He felt a bit fortunate to have brought Lu Yang along. Even if he met with disaster, could the Heavenly Court Sect really allow their young Sect Leader to fall here?

“I know very little about demonic blood rituals. I’ll have to trouble Sect Leader Petrified with the situation in this small village,” Lu Yang said seriously, and it was the truth.

Vice Sect Leader Petrified didn’t refuse. He walked to the door of one of the outermost thatched houses, pushed it open, and found no one inside. The bowls and chopsticks were still set on the table, as if the house’s owner had been about to eat when something suddenly happened, and they disappeared without a trace, without any sign of struggle or resistance.

Vice Sect Leader Petrified opened several more doors, all showing similar scenes. Signs of life were evident; it was clear people had lived here, but for some unknown reason, everyone had vanished.

It was as if time had stopped, and one by one, the people had been moved away, then time resumed.

Peach Blossom Leaf felt chills watching this scene. It reminded her of the ghost stories she used to read under her blanket at night as a child.

She cautiously tugged on Lu Yang’s sleeve, instantly feeling much safer.

“Sect Leader Petrified, can you tell what happened here?”

Vice Sect Leader Petrified analyzed, “From what I know, there are two ways this could have been done: spatial confinement or time stop.”

“If it’s spatial confinement, that’s manageable. A Unity stage cultivator proficient in spatial techniques could achieve this. But if it’s with time stop, that’s a problem. Anyone capable of stopping time is likely at least at the Tribulation Crossing Stage!”

“In my memory, no one has ever managed to stop time. Even those at the Tribulation Crossing Stage can only theoretically accomplish it!”

Lu Yang nodded. “Immemorial Immortal could achieve such a feat.”

“Immemorial Immortal?” Vice Sect Leader Petrified was shocked. He had never heard of such an immortal.

Lu Yang nodded again. “Immemorial Immortal mastered the Time Ariya-Phala, having an unparalleled understanding of time during ancient times.”

“Is that even possible?!” Vice Sect Leader Petrified exclaimed. The Dao of Time was notoriously obscure and difficult to comprehend, with even entry-level mastery being rare.

He hadn’t expected that in ancient times, an immortal had actually wielded time as an Ariya-Phala. What kind of terrifying power would such a skill unleash?

Even Peach Blossom Leaf was moved. Why was Senior Brother Lu suddenly talking about immortals?

Judging by Vice Sect Leader Petrified’s extreme reaction, it seemed like even a Nine Nether Sect vice sect leader had never heard of this.

Where had Senior Brother Lu learned such things?

Had the gap between her and Senior Brother Lu already grown so vast?

Vice Sect Leader Petrified’s expression gradually returned to normal. He blinked and then asked Lu Yang, “Wait, what did you just say? I must have spaced out for a second.”

“Nothing,” Lu Yang replied, surprised that even a late-stage Unity powerhouse like Vice Sect Leader Petrified couldn’t resist the forgetting trait of an immortal. He had thought a Unity stage cultivator might be immune.

“It’s unlikely that the culprit is someone at the Tribulation Crossing Stage who controls time. I’m more inclined to believe it’s a Unity stage cultivator proficient in spatial confinement.”

From the moment they stepped into the small village, Lu Yang had been frowning continuously. So many people had died in such a bizarre manner—how terrifying must the murderer be?

Killing people right under the imperial court’s nose, without anyone noticing.

If Huai’an Village was like this, what about the other villages? Just how many people had the murderer killed?

Vice Sect Leader Petrified squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil from the ground, and gently pinched it. The originally dark brown soil revealed a deep red color.

Seeing the confusion on Lu Yang and Peach Blossom Leaf’s faces, he took the initiative to explain, “So many people have died here that even the soil has absorbed the scent of their blood! But because of that, I’ve confirmed something!”

“What is it?”

“The stench of blood here is overwhelming, yet it’s not as strong as it should be. Someone must have transferred the blood energy elsewhere!”

“I recall that blood energy can be used to forge the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, a powerful demonic tool?” Lu Yang recalled his knowledge related to demonic cultivation.

“Exactly. Whether it’s the Soul Summoning Banner, Soul Guiding Banner, or the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, they all require blood energy and resentment.”

Vice Sect Leader Petrified seemed confident. He ground the soil into powder, tossed it into the air, and quickly formed a seal with one hand, casting a black mark.

The soil powder was gathered by the black mark, floating like silk in the air, drifting toward a distant location.

“Let’s go, follow it. If the blood energy had been refined on-site, it would be difficult to track. But since it was moved first and then refined, I can follow the lingering blood energy to find the real refining site!”

Vice Sect Leader Petrified grabbed Lu Yang and Peach Blossom Leaf, and the three flew several hundred miles in one breath, landing in a mountainous area.

“The trail ends there!”

Vice Sect Leader Petrified pointed to a spot not far away. The three of them exchanged glances, nodded, and cautiously proceeded, holding their breath.

Suddenly, Vice Sect Leader Petrified and Lu Yang both stopped in their tracks at the same time. Lu Yang instinctively reached out and stopped Peach Blossom Leaf from walking any further.

Peach Blossom Leaf looked ahead. The trees were lush, and the birds were chirping amidst the fragrant flowers, nothing out of the ordinary.

Vice Sect Leader Petrified glanced at Lu Yang in surprise, not expecting him to react as quickly as he did.

“You noticed it too? One more step and we’d be inside a barrier!”

Lu Yang nodded. “In ancient times, this was known as the Ghost Wall Formation. Anyone who enters it loses their sense of direction, becoming confused and ultimately trapped inside until they die.”

“It’s still called the Ghost Wall Formation nowadays.”

“Setting up such a formation here clearly means someone doesn’t want outsiders entering. There’s definitely a secret!”

“More than that, the Ghost Wall Formation also conceals other types of formations within it, isolating everything from external detection. Meanwhile, those inside the formation can’t detect anything outside either.”

“Someone is likely cultivating inside, unwilling to be disturbed by the outside world.”

“I can smell a hint of blood. It’s leaking out from the formation!”

“Judging by the way the formation is set up, it wasn’t created by someone at the Tribulation Crossing Stage.”

“Good to know it’s not someone at that level.”

The two of them continued to analyze the formation, deducing that a Unity stage cultivator had set it up in the mountains to refine blood energy, ensuring no one could interfere. This was most likely related to the massacre at Huai’an Village.

Peach Blossom Leaf silently followed behind, feeling a bit left behind by Lu Yang’s pace.

Why could Senior Brother Lu converse so easily with a Unity stage cultivator about such matters?

Peach Blossom Leaf had encountered skilled cultivators at the Foundation Building Stage and Golden Core Stage during missions, and they spoke confidently, almost as if they knew everything. Yet when faced with someone at the Spirit Transformation Stage, they would hesitate, appearing nervous. And if they encountered someone at the Void Refinement Stage or Unity Stage, they could barely speak properly. Compared to Senior Brother Lu, those people were far behind.

Vice Sect Leader Petrified chuckled. He particularly enjoyed interrupting others’ cultivation, hoping the ancient Unity stage cultivator inside would suffer from qi deviation.

He pulled out an eight-sided hammer from his storage ring, tossed it into the air, and the hammer swelled in size, growing to the size of a small mountain. Each edge gleamed with a cold, sharp light.

The massive eight-sided hammer descended like a falling meteor, its momentum overwhelming.

Crack—

The enormous hammer collided with something, making a cracking sound.

Vice Sect Leader Petrified rubbed his hands together and pressed down harder, infusing the hammer with more power. The hammer smashed through the invisible barrier with renewed force.

Crack—Crack—Crash—

The barrier shattered, and the stench of blood rushed out, filling the air.

Peach Blossom Leaf widened her eyes in disbelief at the scene before her. The once tranquil setting of chirping birds and lush trees was gone.

The trees had withered, rivers of blood flowed, the ground was stained red, ghostly figures flickered, and howling winds blew. At the center sat a shriveled old man, beside him stood a blood-red, tattered banner.

“Who are you?!” The old man suddenly opened his eyes, completely ignoring Lu Yang and Peach Blossom Leaf. He glared fiercely at Vice Sect Leader Petrified, his teeth clenched.

His formation wasn’t supposed to be discovered. The only flaw had been the leaking blood energy, but only a seasoned demonic cultivator could have detected it.

Why would such a cultivator, with no enmity between them, break his formation!?

“I’m your grandpa!” Vice Sect Leader Petrified burst out laughing, called the eight-sided hammer back to his hand, and swung it at the old man.

The shriveled old man grabbed the tattered banner and dodged while chanting under his breath.

Vice Sect Leader Petrified was unconcerned. In his other hand, he held a bone scythe, swinging it wildly at the old man. He could tell that the backlash from the broken formation had weakened the old man significantly.

Time to hit him while he’s down!

“Is this all you’ve got? You’ve brought shame to ancient cultivators!”

“Still refining that Ten Thousand Soul Banner? I played with those things ages ago!”

“Die, and greet your grandpa!”

Vice Sect Leader Petrified unleashed his full power, and the shriveled old man retreated in defeat, unable to mount a proper counterattack.

Boom—

The eight-sided hammer and bone scythe struck together, slamming the shriveled old man deep into the mountain.

“Impressive, very impressive, youngsters these days!” The old man, furious but smiling through gritted teeth, emerged from the cave, his blood-red banner now glowing.

Vice Sect Leader Petrified clicked his tongue. “I was careless.”

“What do you mean, careless?” Peach Blossom Leaf asked.

Vice Sect Leader Petrified pointed at the old man and spat on the ground. “I was having too much fun fighting and didn’t notice that while I was hitting him, he was still refining the Ten Thousand Soul Banner. Now that it’s fully refined, it’s going to be much harder to deal with.”

The shriveled old man’s expression was so dark that it could drip water. His words came through clenched teeth, making everyone feel deeply uncomfortable.

“I stumbled upon an enormous amount of blood energy, perfect for refining the Ten Thousand Soul Banner. Today, you younglings will witness my power!”

“Ten Thousand Soul Banner, arise!”

A freezing wind howled as it converged toward the shriveled old man. Countless ghostly figures began to appear behind him, their massive forms numbering not just in the tens of thousands.

As the old man laughed, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner was fully refined, and the outlines of the ghosts became clearer.

Lu Yang recognized the forms of these ghosts: pigs, cows, sheep…

“Huh?”

All four of them were stunned.

(End of the chapter)