Chapter 275: Remnants
Chapter 275: Remnants
Chu Tian chose to disembark in Cang State.
Cang State was only half a day's journey from the Imperial Region. Cang State was the Imperial Region's neighbour with two of them being very close.
Imperial Region, Cang State, and the northern War Hound Plain, they were all grassland. A vast stretch of land with no dangers for ten thousand miles. Cang State was also the main horse production base of the Southern Summer Country, with most of the famous Azure Storm Colts being breeded here.
The War Hound Tribe was a nomadic race with no fixed abodes and every member being a warrior. They hid in the plains when they weren't attacking, without a single shadow being seen. They launched their attacks as fast as lightning, leaving as soon as they finished, cleanly performing their task.
If there wasn't an elite mobile unit, how could they deal with the War Hound invaders?
The Cang State plains were very important.
But because Cang State was so close to the Imperial Region, there was a part of it that bordered the War Hounds Plains, so they were frequently attacked by the War Hounds, bathing them with the flames of war. Cang State was the third largest county of the eight states, but its population was the inverse.
Under the sun, by the lake, the fragrant grass danced under the sky.
Cang State did not have any large trees or any high mountains, only having a vast and desolate land.
"Not bad, a good fertile prairie, no wonder they can breed that many Azure Storm Colts!" After Chu Tian disembarked, he said with an emotional sigh, "When the War Hounds Tribe was still the "Great Hound Kingdom", if the Fang King attacked Cang State some more, it would have made the Great Summer Country lose their most important horse breeding area. How could the Southern Summer Country have risen up then?"
"Pei!" Nangong Yun said in a dissatisfied voice, "Boss, don't you think that if it really was like that, would there still be you and me? If you say this kind of thing in Imperial City, you'll suffer a large disaster!"
"I'm just casually speaking." Chu Tian revealed a casual smile, "Let's find a place to rest first."
A Giant Shark Gang member arrived in front of Chu Tian, "In the several hundred mile area around us, there is only a town called Great Lake Town. Our Giant Shark Gang brothers have just arrived there and were setting up a base in Great Lake Town. You can rest up there and buy some quick horses. It is only half a day's distance from the Imperial Region and you should be able to arrive at Imperial City in three-four days."
Chu Tian gave a satisfied nod, "Coming to Cang State for less than two months, the Giant Shark Gang has done pretty well!"
"The Giant Shark Gang had a good inheritance and now with the financial support of Miracle Commerce, our development speed is sure to be high!" The Giant Shark Gang member excitedly said with a happy expression, "In just a single month, we have left the Four States Lake and have spread to over sixteen regions. We have recruited over ten thousand new members and quite a few of them are experts. I think that in just a few years, the Giant Shark Gang will dominate the waters of the Southern Summer Country!"
At this time, a bunch of people dressed like civilians appeared in front of them.
These people were all either carrying babies, pulling along children, herding their cattle, or holding their household items as they looked back with a scared expression.
"Hey!" Nangong Yun asked in a curious voice, "Where are you heading to in such a panic?"
The villagers were clearly frightened and were recklessly leaving this area, like there was an evil ghost chasing after them.
"You still don't know!"
"Great Lake Town was slaughtered last night!"
"The several thousand people in the town were all killed!"
"It was too tragic, quickly run! Otherwise the demon will come and we will all die!"
They all quickly said a few words as if they were not willing to speak anymore and just wanted to run.
What?
Great Lake Town was slaughtered!
Chu Tian just learned that there have been cases of murders near Cang State and the Imperial Region. He wanted to solve it on the way, but before he could even search for it, it appeared in front of him.
"What nonsense are you saying?!" The Giant Shark Gang member angrily blocked them and grabbed an old man as he shouted, "If you speak any more nonsense, be careful I don't beat you to death!"
The old man almost fainted with fright as his pants became wet.
"Stop!" Chu Tian stopped the angry Giant Shark Gang member and walked in front of the terrified old man, "Old uncle, no need to be afraid. We are cultivators that were on our way to Great Lake Town. Can you tell us what happened there?"
"You are…..You are all great cultivators!"
The old man was very terrified of Chu Tian's group. There was a large disparity in strength in this world. If cultivators wanted to kill a few villagers, no one would care at all.
"We are villagers that lived near Great Lake Town, I am the village chief."
"I went to the market in Great Lake Town this morning, who would have thought that when I entered...I was frozen with fear in that moment. Dead, they were all dead and they died so tragically! I have never seen a picture like that before, it was too terrifying!"
"That's right!" A white face tall man said from the side, "I was also there at the time, the village chief is speaking the truth!"
"Great Lake Town is just fifty miles from here and the murderous demons are still nearby, so we must run! Those people aren't human, they are human eating, blood drinking demons! If we fall into their hands, we will be finished!"
"That's right!"
"They are all demons!"
The villagers all began shouting out.
Chu Tian and the others looked at each other in blank dismay.
"Please let us go!"
"Those demons are too terrifying, we don't want to die!"
The villagers were afraid of being caught, so they all bowed to Chu Tian's group.
Chu Tian and the others looked at each other in blank dismay again.
Why was there such a coincidence.
But from the eyes of the villager, their fear was real, so something must have really happened to Great Lake Town. While these villagers were not completely weak, the strongest among them were only at the 2nd or 3rd Body Refinement Layer, so how could they fight back?
Disasters and human disasters were all fine, it didn't matter how many of them died. To those large characters and those above them, they did not pay any attention to them, so they could only run away.
This was also the helplessness of the citizens in this era.
"You can go now!" Chu Tian knew that he couldn't get any useful information from these villagers, "We're going to Great Lake Town!"
Great Lake Town was the newly established foothold for the Giant Shark Gang and the only foothold they had in Cang State, so Chu Tian had to go take a look.
Their group quickly rushed to Great Lake Town. From afar, they could smell the fresh scent of blood. The news they received was not wrong, there was a brutal slaughter that occurred not long ago.
Everyone's hearts sank.
This situation did not look good!
Great Lake Town had over ten thousand citizens, but when they entered the town, they didn't see any corpses and just saw bloodstains on the ground. When they followed the bloodstains to the center, a terrifying scene appeared in front of them that made shivers run down their spines.
No wonder they didn't see any corpses on the road, all of them were piled together here.
The corpses were like trash, thrown together in one spot, creating a small hill.
What was the most terrifying was that the corpses seemed like they were completely withered, without any water in them. They were corpses dried by the wind, but the tragic slaughter had only happened last night.
"Ah!" The Giant Shark Gang members found a few corpses, "It's our people!"
They were withered like they had no water in them at all. Their eyes popped out, their mouths were open, and their faces were completely dried. They had died a very tragic death.
"They're all dead!"
"Ten thousand citizens and several hundred members of the Giant Shark Gang, all of them are dead! Damn, who did this!"
The Giant Shark Gang had finally entered Cang State and had developed in Great Lake Town because it was close to the water. When they had a solid foundation, they began to expand outwards, but before this could even happen, the people sent to Cang State were all killed.
There was all elite members!
The blow the Giant Shark Gang and Miracle Commerce suffered was not small!
"This really makes my blood boil!" Nangong Yun had personally seen the disaster of Thunder State, but that had been done by a demon. Everything that happened in Great Lake Town was clearly done by humans and it couldn't be done by demons, it was two different concepts, "Most of these citizens were just ordinary people, why did they kill them all? Could it have really been done by the War Hounds Tribe!"
Chu Tian looked around, "For the War Hounds troops to break into Cang State or the Imperial Region and come here isn't easy to accomplish. If they really entered Southern Summer, then what would they gain from attacking this little town?"
"Is there a need to say this?" Nangong Yun indignantly said, "Of course it's to plunder and create chaos! Don't you know that the War Hound fellows are all bloodthirsty and don't have any human nature? They can definitely do something like this!"
"Wrong." Chen Bingyu looked at some coops and pigsties, "The grains and livestock have not been plundered, this is not the War Hound Tribe's style."
"As for creating chaos, it's even more wrong." Chu Tian narrowed his eyes as he swept over this terrifying scene, "Destroying a small town like this is insignificant to the Southern Summer Country. Which one of those aristocrats in Cang State or the Imperial City care if a few citizens get killed? If they were to attack something, they would have attacked a Cang State horse field. Destroying one breeding farm is more significant compared to a hundred villages."
That's right!
Even if the War Hounds did this.
Why would the War Hounds Tribe attack a small village like this?
"It wasn't the War Hounds Tribe?" Nangong Yun felt that it was a bit strange, "Other than the War Hounds Tribe's raiders, who else could have done such a dishonourable thing!"
Chu Tian looked at the bloodstains on the ground and vaguely saw a trace of a law.
These bloodstains seemed to form an array, but it had been too long and the blood melted, turning into dried blood.
"I think it's more likely it was done by demonic cultivators."
"Demonic cultivators?"
"I can tell from the injured corpses that they have all been sucked of their essence blood. Other than the demonic cultivation techniques of those demonic cultivators, I can't think of a second option."
To cleanly slaughter a town like this, it definitely wasn't an easy matter. If it were demonic cultivators, they had to be well known demonic cultivators, but he couldn't think of anyone.
"Be assured, this isn't just the Giant Shark Gang's matter, it also involves Miracle Commerce." Chu Tian comforted the Giant Shark Gang members as he said, "Since a blind person is annoying father, then even if I shouldn't care about this matter, I'll still care about it!"
"Of course! Of course we do! This matter has just occurred last night, so the demonic cultivators shouldn't be far! These group of bastards are just too rampant! Nangong Yun will not allow this!" Nangong Yun angrily said, "We must catch them and make these killing demons pay a blood price!"
You can say this, but how do we find them?
There weren't many clues left on the scene. Even the fresh blood source energy array had mostly dried up already, so Chu Tian could not distinguish what it was.
The little fox jumped down, running while it was sniffing around. It immediately noticed something and turned around to gesture to Chu Tian.
Chu Tian was a bit surprised, "Do you know who did it!"
The little fox forcefully nodded. It spat out a long silver needle from its mouth into its hands and called out a few times while point to the needle.
"These people are like the people that we met in the Heavenly Demon Cult's cave?" Chu Tian rubbed his chin and revealed a look of doubt, "Heavenly Demon Cult?"
Chu Tian pulled out a token from the gourd.
If it wasn't for this matter, he would have forgotten about this.
This token was found in the secret branch of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Chu Tian had found that there was an array on it, but he did not know what it was used for, os he did not care about it.
Who would have thought that he would meet remnants of the Heavenly Demon Cult today!
Could this be considered destiny?
Chapter 276: Ambush
Chapter 276: Ambush
The Heavenly Demon Cult were even more ancient than the Southern Summer Country. They were very powerful at their peak, ruling over ten large and small kingdoms. Their sphere of influence included most of the Southern Summer Country and half of the War Hounds Plains.
That time, they were the illustrious Heavenly Demon Warring Kingdom.
Kingdoms had three types: Small Kingdoms, Large Kingdoms, and Warring Kingdoms.
The difference between large kingdoms and warring kingdoms was that large kingdoms were stable with a power balance formed around them, so they wouldn't be able to expand in a short amount of time.
Warring kingdoms were large kingdoms, but the surrounding areas had not formed a power balance, so with the warring kingdom's overwhelming strength, they could conquer small and large kingdoms. This would allow them to further their own strength, so they were known as warring kingdoms.
Warring kingdoms were filled with aggression.
The Heavenly Demon Kingdom was a sect formed warring kingdom from a thousand years ago!
A traditional country was inherited by a family and the king was the leader of the family, making everything set. A sect country was led by several strong sect leaders and the king was the leader of the sect, so the king's surname would regularly change.
The two types of governance both had their advantages. A traditional country was stable, but the person sitting on the king's throne would not always be the most outstanding person. The leader of a sect country would be the strongest person, but it would make life chaotic and the country unstable.
For the Heavenly Demon Cult to create a warring kingdom, it meant their background was very deep. There were many large and small inheritances that formed several branches within the sect. The various branches would all fight for leadership, so it would cause a large fight, causing endless internal struggle.
Secondly, the Heavenly Demon Warring Kingdom was a demonic cultivator kingdom. It was easy to lose one's life and citizens had no rights, oppressing the populace, sparking all kinds of rebellion.
The Heavenly Demon Warring Kingdom developed to a peak, but it collapsed in the end, however, a centipede was not easy to kill. Although the Heavenly Demon Warring Kingdom fell very quickly, the Heavenly Demon Cult continued on for several hundred years.
Finally, under the collaboration of many parties, the Heavenly Demon Cult was nearly extinguished.
After several hundred years, there were no mentions of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
The little fox would not make a mistake. The demonic cultivators that slaughtered this village were remnants of the Heavenly Demon Cult!
When Chu Tian took the command token from the gourd, his expression slightly changed. On the token, the array carved on it was actually completely activated.
This was something that was not seen originally.
"Something must have happened."
"Wouldn't we know after capturing the demonic cultivator and questioning them?" Nangong Yun bent down to touch the little fox's head, "Little fellow, can you find where they went?"
This kind of small matter for this fox, wouldn't it be as easy as drinking water?
Whether it was for revenge or for investigation.
They had no choice but to make a move.
"Chase!"
The little fox received Chu Tian's orders. It jumped out and vigorously ran off.
The opposing side could slaughter a small town, so it was not a single person. Otherwise, no matter how high their cultivation was, they would not be able to block off all the exits. If he didn't guess wrong, there were five-six people minimum and over ten at maximum. They would attack from different directions, being able to create this shocking massacre.
These people had to be experts of the True Soul Realm!
These people were clearly not easy to deal with, but Chu Tian had the eighteen Divine Blood Yin Corpse, Nangong Yun, and Chen Bingyu, so he had enough fighting power.
...
Close to dusk.
The little fox's tracking led to some woods. It used its claws to point at the forest, showing that those people were currently inside.
"Go!" Chu Tian casually looked at the little fox, "See how many of them there are and what kind of strength they have. After you investigate everything, come back and report to me."
The little fox entered into the forest.
It came back out after around five minutes.
It used its claws to form some gestures. Nangong Yun and Chen Bingyu could not understand it, but Chu Tian caught the little fox's meaning.
"The Heavenly Demon Cult's remnants have over ten people with two of them being in the True Soul Realm. What isn't simple is the face that these two people are high level True Soul Realm experts, coming close to the 9th Awakened Soul Layer."
"That strong?"
Nangong Yun never thought that the demonic cultivators would be this strong!
Experts at the 9th Awakened Soul Layer were strong enough to become guests in the Three Great Clans and could become official level characters. This was still when the demonic cultivators still had not recovered their strength yet. If they recovered their full strength, these two people might be as terrifying as the Eight Marquises.
Currently speaking, they would be a bit weaker compared to Chen Bingyu and Boss Yu.
But in a situation of two versus one, Chen Bingyu was not their match.
The cultivation techniques of demonic cultivators were sinister, so in a situation of one on one, Chen Bingyu might not be able to safely retreat. Not to mention that other than the two at the True Soul Realm, the other ten or so cultivators would not be ordinary people, having strength at the 5th-6th Awakened Soul Layer at least.
"It is impossible for them to be an obscure person with this strength." Chu Tian speculated, "They probably aren't ordinary people and there is a chance this is a branch lord of the Heavenly Demon Cult."
It was similar to the branch lord they had met before.
When the Heavenly Demon Cult was destroyed, they searched for secret places to fake their deaths and have been awakening recently. These branch lords were not weak, but after being heavily injured and slumbering for a long time, they were very vulnerable after awakening. So, they needed the blood essence of normal people to restore themselves.
Nangong Yun asked, "How should we fight them?"
"There is no need to worry, these people can't be considered anything." Chu Tian took out the gourd, "I will refine something first and let you guys drink it!"
...
Night time.
In the deep dark woods, there was a fire with several black robed people sitting around it, currently roasting a skinned deer.
Chi!
A deer leg that wasn't fully roasted was torn off.
The black robed person ripped the meat with his mouth and the fresh blood continued to flow.
"Two sir branch lords, we have restored 70-80% of our strength. If we kill a few more villages, the two sir branch lords will fully recover their strength and we can meet up with the leader. Then we can return to headquarters, revive the scarlet blood head venerable and resurrect our Heavenly Demon Cult!"
"Once the head venerable revives, the scarlet blood branch can make a comeback!"
The demonic cultivators were all visibly excited.
"Humph, you can't be too negligent!" A black clothed man's strong and low voice rang out, "There were previously ten scarlet blood branch lords that were dormant, but now there are only the two of us left. The others must have encountered some sort of accident."
"There's nothing we can do about this." The other black robed branch lord's hissing voice said, "The Saint grade cultivation technique 'Dreaming of the Yellow Springs' can let a person enter a false death state, but there is a 50% chance of actually dying in the process. Our luck can be considered good that we awoke, but the side effects of this are too heavy. Our cultivation techniques have been seriously injured."
"This slaughter to collect blood essence will attract many people's attentions, so the Southern Summer experts may already be investigating around the area."
"What is there to worry about? Meeting up with the leader, if the two of us work with the leader, what can the Southern Summer experts do to us? When we awaken sir head venerable, even if it is the so called Southern Summer Three Rulers, what is there to be afraid of!"
"You're right. We have to meet the leader as soon as possible and find the headquarters to revive sir head venerable!"
"You." A branch lord gave an order to a young demonic cultivator at the side, "Go and get some water."
This demonic cultivator quickly ran to the small stream to get some water.
After everyone ate their fill and drank from the stream water, they were all high spirited.
"We aren't far from headquarters right now. We'll rush to the meeting spot tomorrow and meet up with sir leader." The branch lord's voice changed as soon as he finished. His body trembled and he held his chest, as he said with a face of pain, "What is happening? Why is our blood turning and our blood essence burning, it feels like we can't control it."
"Ah!"
"Me too!"
"We've been poisoned!"
"This is bad, there is an ambush!"
When these Heavenly Demon Cult members reacted, it was already too late. Suddenly, a cold current fell from the sky, quickly putting out the fire and forming a layer of frost on the ground.
The two branch lords were shocked.
"Such strong spirit energy!"
"It's an expert!"
"Run!"
When they prepared to run, a well endowed lady suddenly arrived. Countless snowflakes began to appear and although they seemed weak, they were filled with powerful might.
"Bloodstained Divine Technique!"
A branch lord spat out a mouthful of blood and all the snowflakes that met with the blood melted, destroying Chen Bingyu's spirit energy. When Chen Bingyu saw her first wave of attack had no use, she immediately sent a palm at the branch lord. The other branch lord also charged forward, sending out a palm at Chen Bingyu.
The palms collided.
The branch lord fell down in the forest like a kite with its strings cut.
"Wa!"
Several mouthful of blood spilled out with cold air, turning mixed with ice shards. Chen Bingyu's ice cold spirit energy had severely injured him.
This branch lord was not Chen Bingyu's match, not to mention that he had suffered Chu Tian's poison. Chen Bingyu also had the Nine Lion and Tigers Bracers, further increasing her might, so it wasn't strange at all that this palm sent him flying.
"Who are you!"
The other branch lord was glaring at her. Chen Bingyu gave him no chance to catch his breath, sending out a palm at him and sending him flying several meters, with four-five snowflakes chasing after him.
"Just you alone and you want to kill us?"
"I'll let you see the skills of my scarlet blood branch!"
When the branch lord wanted to use his demonic cultivation technique to block it, a snow white fox jumped out and suddenly inhaled at him, stealing the energy the branch lord had just condensed.
What?
What kind of spirit beast was this!
The branch lord's demonic cultivation technique was broken and the snowflakes slammed into him, causing him serious injuries.
The Heavenly Demon Cult members were terrified and wanted to quickly escape. However, when they reached the forest, they heard a bell sound and several silent, tall figures charged out and blocked their escape path.
"Die!"
A giant burning hammer slammed the chest of one Heavenly Demon Cult member.
Nangong Yun's explosion created high temperatures that instantly burned the Heavenly Demon Cult member's body.
Nangong Yun's body was covered in flames and was holding an exaggerated hammer as she charged at a second person, "You bunch of maniacs, die!"
Nangong Yun had already reached the 5th Awakened Soul Layer and had a strong amplification from his source spirit, so it could be said that she had no match under the True Soul Realm. Even a True Soul Realm cultivator at the 7th Awakened Soul Layer would be injured by her attacks!
Not to mention the fact she had the Starlight Immortal Body.
She even had the power to fight Chu Xinghe.
The Heavenly Demon Cult members were only at the 6th Awakened Soul Layer, how could they stop Nangong Yun?
Not to mention...
Several streaks of burning sword glow were sent forth.
Two Heavenly Demon Cult members that wanted to sneak attack Nangong Yun were cut down by the Netherworld Sword.
With the eighteen Divine Blood Yin Corpses diverting them and Nangong Yun and Chu Tian working together, even if they Heavenly Demon Cult members used their full strength, they could not live to escape. Not to mention that they had been poisoned and had their power weakened.
"You actually dare move against my sacred church!"
"A sect that has been destroyed for many years, what qualifications do you have to be wild? Not to speak of people of little skills like you." Chu Tian laughed and said, "Even if it is a branch lord, I have already killed one! Naturally, I'll have to add another two to that count tonight!"
"What?"
The faces of the Heavenly Demon Cult members fell.
Chu Tian did not have time to waste words with them, "Nangong, they are yours. Take care of all of them!"
Nangong Yun's body exploded with flames as she revealed a fiendish grin. Raising the giant hammer, it fell like a flaming falling star, wildly attacking the demonic cultivators.
The forest was filled with a series of explosions.
Then it returned to normal.
Chapter 277: Scarlet blood headquarters
Chapter 277: Scarlet blood headquarters
The Heavenly Demon Cult members were all killed by Nangong Yun and the two branch lords were fighting Chen Bingyu, but they had no strength to fight back already.
"I will remember this enmity!"
One branch lord began to run, charging at Chu Tian like a meteor.
The branch lord saw that this young man was not strong, but he had a high position among the three. If he could catch him, that fierce woman would become more cautious and the two of them could escape.
Starlight Immortal Body!
Chu Tian was covered in a layer of starlight.
The Heavenly Demon Cult branch lord swiped at him, "Want to stop me with this defense? Break for me!"
This was a True Soul Realm expert, so the Starlight Immortal Body dimmed a bit and Chu Tian was forced back several steps. However, the most shocking thing was that Chu Tian had been attacked by a True Soul Realm expert, but had not been hurt at all.
The branch lord was shocked.
He had sent out a quick attack because of the poison. It only contained 20% of his strength, but this attack was still enough to take care of any Illustrious Soul Realm cultivator. How could this young man incredibly block it?
"I don't believe this. If you have the skills, then block this attack!"
The Heavenly Demon Cult branch lord sent out another attack with 40% of his strength.
This time the other side's defenses would be shattered like glass as well as turning his body into a meat patty. Who knew that when the palm approached, the other side would suddenly take out a silver thing. Hearing an ear grating whistle sound, a dense group of beams came forward like rain in a storm.
Too close.
Too sudden!
The Heavenly Demon Cult branch lord did not think that Chu Tian would counter attack, so he did not condense a strong protective spirit energy. In this face of this quick and intense unexpected attack, his protective spirit energy was torn to shreds and the violent energy left him lacerated. He took several steps back and was severely injured.
What was this thing?
While the Heavenly Demon Cult branch lord was shocked.
A Raging Flame Slash was released!
The head of the branch lord was cut off and he fell down dead.
The branch lord at his peak could not compare to the Three Rulers, but he could at least compare to the Eight Marquises and was even a bit stronger than them. In the end, he died at the hands of someone in the Illustrious Soul Realm and did not even know what weapon had killed him. This kind of death could not let him rest in peace.
Chu Tian trampled the headless corpse, "With your stupidity, you want to go against father? Be a bit smarter in your next life!"
On the other side, under Chen Bingyu's relentless attacks, the branch lord was slowly being pushed back.
Chu Tian raised the Source Energy Gun.
A group of light bullets swept out.
The Heavenly Demon Cult branch lord was hit by seven-eight bullets. Although they didn't injure him, he was still confused for a second by this. Chen Bingyu seized this chance to send a palm attack at him, but when she raised her hand.
Chu Tian called out, "Stop!"
The Heavenly Demon Cult branch lord stared at the weapon in Chu Tian's hand with a look of panic, "You…..What is that treasure!"
Chu Tian's Source Energy Submachine Gun was also specially made with Saint Grade metal. The cost alone was enough to shock a person to death, so the might was increased, letting him kill an Illustrious Soul Realm expert and it could even affect a True Soul Realm expert.
"Now isn't the time to be curious." Chu Tian walked in front of the Heavenly Demon Cult branch lord and pointed the hot muzzle against his head, "You will answer whatever I ask you. If you dare to not speak or lie to me, father will directly blow your head off!"
"I'm dying anyway! Just do it!"
"As long as you honestly answer my questions." Chu Tian softly said, "I won't kill you!"
The branch lord's face filled with doubt, "Why should I believe you?"
Peng, peng!
Chu Tian shot two bullets into the branch lord's legs, making him give a pained cry, "I can take your life at any moment, so you have to believe me!"
"Alright! What do you want to know?"
"Where were you prepared to go?"
"We're going to meet up with the leader and then we were to head to the scarlet blood headquarters to awaken a head venerable of our scarlet blood branch. We would have the head venerable restore our strength and then we would resurrect the Heavenly Demon Cult!"
"That head venerate can restore all of your strength?"
"The scarlet blood branch's blood chalice is in the headquarters, it can quickly restore our strength."
"Then why doesn't the scarlet blood head venerate take the initiative to find you?"
"The Heavenly Demon Cult has a forbidden cultivation technique named 'Dreaming of the Yellow Springs' that can let one fake their death. The deeper one's cultivation, the deeper their slumber. I woke up two-three months ago, the leader has recently awakened, and the head venerable is still sleeping, needing us to personally awaken him."
Chu Tian pointed to the corpse of a demonic cultivator, "What about these people? They couldn't have been people who faked their deaths!"
"When the Heavenly Demon Cult fell, there was an incomplete inheritance left behind. These are people that received the inheritance of the Heavenly Demon Cult and are not a true part of the Heavenly Demon Cult."
The Heavenly Demon Cult was a large sect with many different branches of inheritances, the scarlet blood branch was one of it. Their main cultivation technique was the «Scarlet Blood Grand Technique», a technique that allowed one to suck out the essence blood of others.
The two branch lords had the same aura as the one from Blackwind Stronghold because they were from the same branch, so they had the same cultivation technique. In the scarlet blood headquarters, there was a sleeping head venerate who should be the leader of the scarlet blood branch.
The branch lords were already this strong, so the leader would have a stronger cultivation.
Then what about the head venerate?
They did not dare imagine it!
At their peak, they would not be weaker than the Three Rulers and may be even stronger!
"As long as you don't kill me, I will recommend you to sir head venerate. Our sacred church requires more people right now and sir head venerate will certainly have a use for you."
Chu Tian gave a cold laugh.
Chen Bingyu walked in front of the branch lord.
When the Heavenly Demon Cult branch lord felt a strong killing intent, he immediately shouted in a panicked voice, "You promised that you wouldn't kill me."
"When did demonic cultivators believe in the promises of others?" Chu Tian began to laugh, "Then again, I said I wouldn't kill you, but that did not mean that others would not kill you!"
The branch lord did not even have time to beg for mercy.
Chen Bingyu slapped him to death with a single palm!
"Good!" Nangong Yun laughed, "Good kill! So satisfying!"
These demonic cultivators had wandered all over Cang State and the Imperial Region, killing who knows how many innocent citizens. Dying quickly like this, it was making it too easy for him! If it were by this old lady's hand, something surely would have happened to him!
Chu Tian said to the two of them, "See if they have anything of value."
The little fox snuck into a person's clothes.
Chu Tian's hands quickly reached out and grabbed its large tail, pulling it out. The little fox had a jade bottom in its mouth. There was a strong blood smell coming from inside of it.
Chu Tian reached out a hand at the little fox and said with a firm voice, "Hand it over!"
The little fox held the jade bottle in its mouth as its eyes looked over it and it sniffed it with its nose. Then it opened its mouth and presented it to Chu Tian with two claws, looking very obedient.
Nangong Yun said in a shocked voice, "When did it become this obedient?"
"It most likely has a limited energy and wouldn't fill its stomach."
How could Chu Tian not understand the fox. If this fellow really found a precious item, it would have sucked it into its stomach. How could it take it out like this?
The little fox understood Chu Tian.
At most it would get a slap on the butt.
Chu Tian opened the small jade bottom and the strong scent of blood came out.
"What is this thing, it's so disgusting. I'm about to puke!" Nangong Yun revealed a look of disgust.
"This is a blood pill refined from blood essence. Back in the Blackwind Stronghold Heavenly Demon Cult branch, I also found these things. The cultivation technique of the scarlet blood branch most likely requires blood essence to restore strength. The two branch lords were collecting these things to recover."
"Is this thing useful?"
"This thing has a strong evil aura, so it is of no use to us." Chu Tian threw it into the gourd, "But it is useful for refining Yin Corpses and I was just lacking this item."
"I found a book!"
Nangong Yun pulled out an old sheepskin scroll. This was the map of the Heavenly Demon Cult scarlet blood branch's headquarters, clearly marking the position of the headquarters itself and the altar.
"The scarlet blood headquarters are in the Scarlet Swamp!"
Nangong Yun found the position on the map.
"The Scarlet Swamp is the largest swamp in the Southern Summer Country. There is poison and vicious beast there, creating a patch of barren land!"
Chen Bingyu silently took out a book.
This book came from the Heavenly Demon Cult branch lord's body.
"This seems to be a picture book." Chu Tian took a few simple glances at the book and his eyes slightly sparkled, "Yi, this is interesting."
"Let me see it!" Nangong Yun jumped onto Chu Tian's shoulder without hesitation and looked over it a few times, "What do these strange marks mean!"
Chu Tian replied, "It's a series of secret signals."
"Secret signals?" Nangong Yun thought of something, "You're saying the Heavenly Demon Cult contact each other with secret signals? This also means that if we can obtain these secret signals, we can contact the remnants of the Heavenly Demon Cult and even contact their leader?"
"That's right!"
"Then what does the back say?"
Nangong Yun saw Chu Tian flip through the book. There were several strange Heavenly Demon Cult secret techniques and several illustrations filled with data, introducing some kind of Sacred Items of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
There was a seemingly normal chalice described.
Blood Chalice: The unsurpassed Sacred Item of the scarlet blood branch. It can collect various kinds of blood essence to refine 'True Blood', or change it into unending power. The chalice is owned by the scarlet blood branch and provides infinite spirit energy, healing all wounds, improving cultivation, and sweeping away all obstacles!
"This thing is the blood chalice these demons mentioned?"
"It should be!"
True Blood was a very precious material.
Only it was very difficult to refine. The one advantage of the blood chalice was that it could collect vitality from various living things to automatically refine it. For the demonic cultivators of the scarlet blood branch, this was like having an endless supply of precious materials, so this item was an incomparable treasure to them.
Although this blood chalice did not have any direct uses to Chu Tian, it was a good material collecting item.
Chu Tian used the divine blood to refine the Divine Blood Yin Corpses, but the vitality in the Divine Blood Yin Corpses was too weak and couldn't contain the strength of a Spiritual God.
If he had this blood chalice with an endless supply of materials, it would be much easier to refine the Yin Corpses.
"The headquarters is in the Scarlet Swamp and one can only enter with the scarlet blood token." Chu Tian said to the two of them, "Each branch lord should have one on them, so go and have a look."
"Found it!"
It was the same as the one from the Blackwind Stronghold. The three of them had one for each of them and they had a map, so how could they easily let go of a good thing like this?
They properly searched over the others.
Chu Tian found a journal on one of the members.
It was mainly filled with cultivation and life experiences. This demonic cultivator was born in a Cang State City family who all practiced demonic cultivation techniques, but no one knew about their relation to the Heavenly Demon Cult.
When he heard of the scarlet blood branch appearing in the Southern Summer Country, this youth immediately defected. As long as the Heavenly Demon Cult was revived, what did the Southern Summer Country count for.
It was a pity that this was doomed to be a mistake!
The Heavenly Demon Cult had been destroyed, so what kind of wave could they cause now?
"We shouldn't stay here for long, let's go!" Chu Tian placed his hand into the gourd, "We'll take a detour and head directly to the Scarlet Swamp!"
Chapter 278: Various experts
Chapter 278: Various experts
Chu Tian hurried along while examining the thing in his hand.
The Heavenly Demon Cult was a warring kingdom and the scarlet blood branch was one of the branches, so they had a deep history. The scarlet blood branch at its peak had over six hundred thousand people with branch lords for every twenty thousand people and one leader for every three hundred thousand people. That meant there were thirty branch lords and two leaders, as well as the scarlet blood head venerate.
This might was just too terrifying!
The normal branch lords were stronger than the Eight Marquises, so the leaders had to be equal to the Three Rulers. The scarlet blood head venerate at their peak had to be above the Three Rulers, even be far above them, being able to match the Hell Fire Demon that entered Thunder State.
How shocking!
This was at least too shocking for Chen Bingyu and Nangong Yun!
The Heavenly Demon Cult had many branches and the scarlet blood branch was just one branch. They might not be one of the strongest branches and they could already destroy the Southern Summer Country. Just how strong was the Heavenly Demon Warring Kingdom in the past?
When the scarlet blood headquarters had been destroyed, most of the elites had been killed.
Only ten branch lords, one leader, and one head venerate had escaped.
It was already impossible for them to make a comeback at the time, so they decided to use the forbidden technique to fake their deaths and wait several hundred thousand years and rebuild themselves. Of the ten branch lords, three died in Chu Tian's hands and it was unknown what happened to the other seven.
The forbidden cultivation technique came with a high risk. The weaker one was, the weaker one's spirit energy, so it was very likely to die during the slumber. The other branch lords most likely died during their sleep. The leader had already awakened and was in their old headquarters. As for the head venerate? He was such a strong person that he wouldn't be unlucky enough to die in his sleep!
Perhaps the Heavenly Demon Cult had fallen.
But it had once been very magnificent.
Chu Tian had a pass in and if he didn't go in, how could he be satisfied? Not to mention the fact that if the scarlet blood head venerate were to revive, it would be a great danger to the Southern Summer Country. Chu Tian was not very patriotic, but if the Heavenly Demon Cult revived, it would affect Miracle Commerce.
He did not want to see this, so he had to stop this demon from reviving!
After travelling for several days, the three of them arrived at a place called Scarlet Swamp Town. This small town had a large population, housing over a hundred thousand people. The buildings were very crude and the ground was not paved. Whether the adults or the children, all the citizens seemed like rustic people.
There's no other way.
Who let this small town be built on a swamp?
"The entire way was covered in mud." Nangong Yun sat down in a hotel room and immediately took off her long boots, pouring out swamp water from inside, "Damn, my boots are filled with water. This old lady's feet are almost rotten from soaking in this!"
Chu Tian couldn't help taking a look.
Nangong Yun did not have Meng Qingwu's devilish legs, but her legs were still long and slender, conforming to the golden ratio. Her snow white legs were long and slender, and they were well proportioned with her round butt. She had a very fiery style to her.
"The town is on the edge of the Scarlet Swamp and the Scarlet Swamp is a swamp region in Cang State, as well as Southern Summer's largest swamp, so of course it wouldn't have any roads." Chu Tian then added, "We need to enter the Scarlet Swamp next, so let's first have a good rest. Our travels the next few days will not be easy."
The eighteen Divine Blood Yin Corpse had half turned into clay dolls.
Chu Tian cleaned them up and then took out several large barrels. He engraved a refining array on it and then placed the essence blood inside, directly refining them.
The Divine Blood Yin Corpses would be no help in the Scarlet Swamp.
It would be better to use the time to refine them using the materials he had obtained from the branch lords.
Nangong Yun put on her boots and walked to the window, opening the curtains to take a look, "The Scarlet Swamp is filled with fatal gas, so how could people live in a place like this!"
"Although the town is small, they have a rich variety of products! The products of the swamp cannot be found anywhere else!"
"I found something." Chen Bingyu suddenly came into the room and coldly said, "Come with me to have a look."
The two of them were curious and followed Chen Bingyu out of the hotel. They saw a black mark on the walls on one of the back streets of the town. This mark seemed very ordinary and normal people just considered it a doodle, but the three of them could tell that this mark did not have a simple significance.
Nangong Yun asked hesitantly, "This is?"
"That's right, the Heavenly Demon Cult's secret signal." Chu Tian gave the answer, "The scarlet blood leader has already arrived in Scarlet Swamp Town and is currently waiting in the town."
Nangong Yun immediately felt a chill run down her spine.
This can't be!
That fellow came this fast?
Chu Tian did not have time to speak before shocked cries came from the citizens in the street. The swamp lizard beast carts carrying goods lost control as they randomly ran about, splashing up mud and stepping on several citizens.
The street quickly fell into chaos.
The three of them could feel a strong and aggressive aura coming from the west of the town. It was this aura that shocked the beast carts, creating all this chaos.
"There is a strong demon beast coming!"
As soon as this was said.
A giant demon beast passed over them. That large pair of wings cast a giant shadow and a terrifying aura suddenly spread that made all the citizens and beast carriages hide in fear. The swamp lizards all hid on the ground, trembling while not daring to make a move.
This demon beast looked very fierce, being around eight meter long. It did not have feathers and was very smooth, with rough brown skin that gave people a firm feeling. When it spread its wings, one could clearly see its skeleton. At the end of its giant tail was a green, arrow like object that left traces of green light wherever it went.
Chu Tian shouted in surprise, "Dual Winged Poison Dragon!"
The Dual Wing Poison Dragon was not a real dragon, but rather a high grade poison attribute demon beast.
The griffin mounts of the Southern Summer royal guards were merely level two low grade demon beasts, yet they still cost over thirty million per mount. This was because flying demon beast mounts were far more expensive than land demon beast mounts!
This demon beast's strength was already in the True Soul Realm.
Demon beasts had a natural strength advantage, so normal True Soul Real experts could not beat them. This already could not be measured in wealth, or least in a small country like the Southern Summer Country, this couldn't be bought with money.
A proud middle aged man in purple armour holding a long lance in his hands and was enveloped in a strong aura was standing straight on the back of the Dual Winged Poison Dragon. He did not use any reins or saddles, just standing straight on the Dual Winged Poison Dragon's back like a needle.
Chen Bingyu said in a low voice, "The one on the winged dragon's back is general Wang Tu!"
Chu Tian asked in a surprised voice, "You recognize him?"
"There is only one general who rides a Dual Winged Poison Dragon in the Southern Summer Country." Chen Bingyu frowned and hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "This man is a lieutenant in the Battle Dragon Army and a member of the Imperial City Vanguard. Because of his long periods of operation in the War Hound Plain, he is very well known in the kingdom."
Wang Tu's eyes slightly focused and looked down in a direction.
A whistling sound came from that direction. A golden sedan like tool was currently pushing forward at high speeds like a meteor, sending flames in all directions.
"Flowing Flame Palanquin!"
This was a special made tool that was crafted by a weapon refiner. There was an array on it that when one instilled spirit energy inside, the sedan would be activated and would have the power of flight.
This was clearly a rare treasure.
The sedan was refined from Sacred Grade metals. Just the material alone was so precious and the array engraved onto it was a lost technique from the ancient Heaven Race.
"The Flowing Flame Palanquin is a treasure of the Nangong Family." Chen Bingyu said with tightly knit brows, "This person is a member of the Nangong Family and definitely is not an ordinary person."
"The famous winged dragon general Wang Tu, I am able to see your great style today." A feminine male voice came from the flaming sedan, "This one is Zuo Yan."
"It's the Nangong Family's minister." Wang Tu's eyes revealed a faint trace of fear, "I never thought that the remnants of this broken evil sect would actually attract the attention of the Nangong Family."
Zuo Yan gently said, "Why has the famous Flying Dragon General not come!"
"The young general is keeping the War Hounds at bay in the plains. Otherwise, if he personally came, would your excellency still have a change?" Wang Tu broke out in laughter, "However, since we've met by coincidence, how about we cooperate?"
"Why do I need to work with you!"
"I've received a bit of news that part of the scarlet blood branch have been wandering in the War Hounds Plains and have been caught by the War Hounds. This also means that there might be War Hounds Tribe experts in this mission. If you encounter the War Hounds Tribe experts along the way, you might not be able to win. We can only proceed by working together."
"War Hounds Tribe? In our Southern Summer, the War Hounds Tribe dare cause trouble?"
"It's up to you whether to believe it or not!"
The Nangong Family minister considered it. If the War Hounds Tribe really interfered, this matter would be complicated. Moreover, from the information he received, the Heavenly Demon Cult survivors will surely participate. An ordinary branch lord was already hard enough to deal with and there was even a leader level character, so this matter was not small.
"Alright! I'll work with you!"
With the two of them reaching an agreement, Chu Tian's group of three frowned.
This situation was suddenly becoming more complicated.
The Heavenly Demon Cult leader was already so strong and was currently in the town.
Now there were two more masters who weren't inferior to Chen Bingyu working together?
Not to mention the mysterious War Hounds Tribe expert participating. It was unknown how strong they were, but they were not below Chen Bingyu...This mission to find the scarlet blood branch's treasures would not be as relaxed as they had thought.
"Boss, what do you think?"
"I knew that it wouldn't be that simple. Since treasure has appeared, there will definitely be others who covet it as well." Chu Tian rubbed his chin and his black eyes began to slightly sparkle, "From the current situation, if we meet them, we won't be able to win."
Out of Chu Tian, Nangong Yun, and Chen Bingyu..
Only Chen Bingyu was a high level True Soul Realm expert.
Chu Tian and Nangong Yun were both only at the 5th Awakened Soul Layer. Even if they had extraordinary fighting power, they could not be involved in this fight. It would be very hard for them to deal with any sides.
Moreover, whether it was the Southern Summer experts or the War Hounds Tribe experts, since they came here for treasure, they would have researched the scarlet blood headquarters for a long time, making plenty of preparations. As for the Heavenly Demon Cult leader, there was no need to mention them.
Not only did Chu Tian not have an advantage in strength, this had happened too suddenly, so he had made no preparations at all. It was not sensible to create a stir like this.
"I have an idea." Chu Tian's mind began to move, "This idea will seem a bit crazy, but it will save us a lot of strength."
Nangong Yun's eyes lit up, "Then just say it!"
Chu Tian explained the plan he had just thought of.
"You're simply crazy!" Nangong Yun thought she was brave, but this was just frightening, "This is like picking the chestnut from the fire, a single mistake will end it."
Chen Bingyu's calm face revealed a visible look of shock.
Only Chu Tian could have thought of a crazy and bold idea like this!
"No need to worry, the little fox still has a final summoning of the Hellfire Demon and I'm not a vegetarian. As long as we are discreet, the plan will not fail, but it is easy to escape without a problem."
"Have you really thought it out?"
"We can't waste time, we need to make our preparations immediately. I need some materials and you guys should go buy them for me, especially the ones that restore mind energy. It'll be too late if we wait any longer."
Chen Bingyu and Nangong Yun looked at each other in blank dismay before finally giving a helpless sigh. Who told them to have Chu Tian as their boss.
Chapter 279: Scarlet blood leader
Chapter 279: Scarlet blood leader
At night.
When a dim mist covered Scarlet Swamp Town, the citizens would bring their day's harvest back home. Whether it was tough reed, lotus root herbs, or even strange insect herbs, this was what they depended on to make their livelihood.
At this time, a blood figure ran through through the streets of the town. It fell down on the road and was covered in mud, finally crawling to a waste warehouse.
The youth looked very cold. He used to have a handsome face, but because of several scars on it, it made him look very aggressive. It was clear that this was not a good person.
The youth looked at a giant blue stone beside him and when he saw the strange black mark on it, it was like he was relieved as he revealed a look of joy, "This is truly great..."
The youth walked to the front door of the warehouse and knocked using a rhythm on the wooden doors.
Zhi ga!
The wooden doors were opened by an invisible strength.
A sudden wind came from inside.
A hoarse and cold voice entered his ears, "Enter!"
The youth walked into the warehouse. In the center of the abandoned warehouse, there was a skinny old lady sitting there. Most of her hair had fallen out and her fingers were scarlet. Her eyes popped out and were bloodshot. She looked like a monster that was neither human nor ghost and her body was covered in a blood red mist.
There was a black clothed large man beside the old woman, holding a blood red large saber with both hands. With a strong face and wild beard, this was the perfect image of a wild man. There were two black clothed people standing around them with fierce appearances that showed that they weren't good people.
"Strange." The large man looked at the youth with a stunned expression, "Why is it only you?"
The youth kneeled on the floor, "The two branch lords were both killed on the road!"
The old woman frowned.
"What did you say? The branch lords have such deep cultivation, how could they be killed!" The large man said in a cold voice, "If they were killed, how could you have survived?"
"When we were in the woods at night, the branch lord sent me out to hunt some animals. When the prey had been prepared, a sound suddenly came from the woods. Those people had deep cultivations and I couldn't fight back at all. In the end, the two branch lords were killed and I snatched one scarlet blood token before running!"
After say this.
The youth took out a token.
"This…..really is a scarlet blood token!" The large man's eyes flashed with a cruel and greedy look. The scarlet blood tokens were the tickets into the headquarters and the large man did not have one. The leader already had one, so the other ten scarlet blood tokens were given to others.
"A good and evil disciple you are!" The large man's face was covered in anger as he spoke, "The branch lords are dead, but you survived alone. You are nothing more than scum!"
These words were just said for appearance.
Who didn't know the style of demonic cultivators?
On the basis of profit, they only cared about themselves. They were cruel beyond compare, even taking advantage of their allies. Who cared about those kinds of restraints?
"Leader, look..."
The ugly old lady slowly opened her eyes and stared at the youth with blank eyes, "What is your name?"
"This small one is Leng Jun. I'm….."
Before he even finished.
A dry hand suddenly grasped his throat, grabbing him off the ground.
The youth said in a surprised voice, "Sir leader, what are you doing."
"With such a weak cultivation, how could you escape alone after the two branch lords were killed?" The old lady's voice was like sand being rubbed together, creating a deep and hoarse voice, "Do you think I would easily trust others? Speak, just how did you come here."
The vitality in the youth was surging, like it would burn up at any moment.
The old woman's strength was incomparably deep and her methods were very cruel. Under the power of her aura, even if it were a True Soul Realm, their minds would fall into the enemy's hands, not to mention an Illustrious Soul Realm expert.
"This little one is a junior from the Leng Family, who has received the grace of the Heavenly Demon Cult's Meng En. Our ancestors have handed down teachings for several generations, waiting for the revival of the sacred church! If you don't believe me, you can find out with an investigation!" The youth said with a painful face, "As for the branch lord being killed...This little one truly escaped by luck. If the leader does not believe, this little one has nothing else to say."
Cang State's Leng Family?
It seemed like there was a slight impression.
The old woman stared at the youth. When faced with this strong aura, his body temperature, heartbeat, expression, and even his eyes did not show any unusual reactions.
The old woman said to the large man to his side, "Go and look outside."
The large man charged out of the warehouse as fast as lightning.
"Search his body."
The two people took out all the things on the youth's body. They found a treasure sword, a book, and a diary. When Heavenly Demon Cult members handed the items to the old lady, the old lady looked it over one by one. This treasure sword was filled with a bloody qi and it was a rare top quality Soul Item. It was very close to the scarlet blood branch attribute.
A common cultivator would not use a weapon with such a heavy bloody qi because this kind of weapon could easily harm its master, but it suited the style of the Heavenly Demon Cult. The book contained information on the Heavenly Demon Cult and the diary contained a detailed record of the cultivator named Leng Jun. It went from accepting his inheritance to his attainment with his cultivation.
The large man had already returned, "Reporting to the leader, there is nothing strange outside."
The old woman slowly recalled her aura, "You do seem like a real sacred church believer. Being able to escape in that situation, you should have quite a bit of skills."
The youth quickly said in a humble voice, "This little one has admired the sacred church since my childhood, but I've only learned a fragmented cultivation technique. This little one hopes that the leader can accept this little one and allow this little one join the sacred church!"
"There's an extra token." The old woman ignored the youth and kicked the token. The scarlet blood token fell in front of the youth and he heard a cold voice, "Since it's like this, I will bring a single person into the headquarters to see the master. As for who it is, you can pick amongst yourselves."
After saying this.
The old woman's eyes flashed with a cruel and teasing light.
When the large man heard this, his eyes suddenly filled with killing intent as the long sabre passed through the chest of a person on the side like a blood flood dragon, turning it into dust. When the long sabre came out, it brought a wave of blood as it slashed at the other person.
"You….."
The Heavenly Demon Cult members were not normal people. The large man had launched a sneak attack against one person, but it wouldn't be easy for him to launch a sneak attack on the other one.
"Blood barrier!"
That person's spirit energy formed a giant barrier. When the blood wave sabre fell on it, it instantly slashed the barrier apart.
That person was forced back a step. His face turned red and he spat out a large mouthful of blood.
This blood was not spat out because of injuries, but rather he was using a mysterious method to send out essence blood mixed out a large amount of spirit energy, turning each drop of blood into a fatal weapon. This large mouthful of blood was spat out and with this short distance, it had a strong might that sent the large man flying.
"Blood Curse Sword!"
The person quickly cast a few seals and the blood beads stopped in the air. It finally condensed together forming a treasure sword of blood covered in curses in the air.
"Illness!"
The blood sword turned into a streak of light that was like a fatal poisonous snake that shot at the large man's chest.
The large man roared into the sky and demonic energy was released. His entire body turned black and a large amount of runes were engraved all over his body, making the large man's aura explode by several times.
The other person's face fell, "Heavenly Demon Art?!"
This demonic art greatly amplified battle strength, but it had a strong aftereffect. The side effect would not show itself in the short term and would gradually consume their potential over a long period of time. In a normal life and death situation, they would not use it easily.
The large man's blade increased several times by the demonic art slashed at the Blood Curse Sword.
That dark red glowing blade slashed down in a quick manner, slashing at the other person's head.
"Wait a minute. I don't want the scarlet blood token!"
The large man seemed like he hadn't heard him at all. With a blade glow, the body was sliced up and turned into a pile of hashed meat.
"Hee, hee, hee." The old woman gave a few strange laughs. Seeing these members kill each other, she was not angry and instead said, "How ruthless, you really are a promising youth."
"Many thanks for the leader's praise!" The large man was still covering with demon qi, looking like a terrifying demon god. When he heard the leader's praise, he couldn't help revealing a look of wild joy. He turned around at the youth and then said with a fierce smile, "Many thanks for sending me this scarlet blood token. Since you gave me this fortune, you can be assured that I will be quick and not let you suffer any pain."
"This chance is very important." Who would have thought that at this moment, the weak youth would slowly stand up and pick up the sword on the ground. His eyes revealed a strong desire to fight, "I cannot hand it over!"
"Ha, ha, ha? Hand it over?" The large man broke out in a wild laugh, "You should worry about your own life first!"
The youth Leng Jun softly said, "You think you can win against me?"
The large man was a bit stunned and even the old lady revealed a strange look.
This youth was only at the 5th Awakened Soul Layer, but the large man was in the 6th Awakened Soul Layer, not to mention he had a high attainment in the Heavenly Demon Cultivation Technique, making his battle strength formidable. Even if he fought two demon cultivators on the same level, he could easily win, meaning he wasn't simple.
Demonic cultivators and normal cultivators were not the same.
The cultivation techniques of demonic cultivators were very cruel, making them different from normal cultivators, making their battle strength greater than that of normal cultivators. A trivial injured demonic cultivator at the 5th Awakened Soul Layer wanted to challenge a powerful 6th Awakened Soul Layer cultivator?
"I have changed my mind." The large man coldly took a step forward, "I have decided to properly cut you up and let you regret your stupidity."
The youth did not speak and slowly raised his treasure sword. Gripping the hilt with a single hand, the red sword edge was slowly pulled out, releasing a strong bloodthirsty aura in all directions.
"Die!"
The large man released a red sabre glow, slashing at the youth's face.
"Sword!" The youth roared out and his spirit energy was wildly released, forming a sword source spirit. When the source spirit was released, an incomparably strong aura was released like a Spiritual God filled with prestige and power.
God Level Source Spirit?
This was close to a God Level Source Spirit!
Whether it was the large man or old woman, they were both shocked!
The owner of this source spirit was destined to be a super level talent, easily sweeping away others of the same level, even easily jumping levels in fights, having a limitless future. No one would have thought that this common fellow was actually the owner of a God Level Source Spirit. No wonder he could escape alive.
The blood red treasure sword came out of its sheath.
The youth was covered in a blood mist that transformed into a blood red sword glow, slashing through the space.
The instant the sword hit!
Pa!
A clear snapping sound rang.
The sabre was broken.
The youth steadily landed on the ground and then like he collapsed, he fell to the ground. The large man's body also fell to the ground, with a head rolled to door of the warehouse, with eyes wide open that were filled with shock and disbelief.
This was the strength of a God Level Source Spirit?
So strong!
The youth pointed at the body with the sword and then turned to the old woman, "Leader, I….."
He did not even finish.
"You really pretended quite well!" The old woman erupted with an ice cold aura, with killing intent blotting out the entire sky, "You almost even fooled me! However, do you really think that members of the Heavenly Demon Cult are all blind?!"
Chapter 280: Scarlet Swamp
Chapter 280: Scarlet Swamp
In the face of this heaven soaring killing intent, he couldn't help taking several steps back.
Those two branch lords had been awake for around two months, but they did not hesitate to slaughter innocent citizens to collect blood essence to recover to the 9th Awakened Soul Layer. This leader had been asleep for several hundred years, but had just awakened a few days ago and her strength was above the branch lords', reaching the peak 9th Awakened Soul Layer. This kind of difference could be seen!
This person's strength was not inferior of the Eight Marquises, even being a bit stronger. This Heavenly Demon Cult was terrifying!
This youth was Chu Tian's disguise, but he was confident that there was no problem with his disguise. This was one of the demonic cultivators killed in the forest, Chu Tian had gone through the diary and cultivation experience, finally finding a way to easily disguising himself as one of the demonic cultivators. Chu Tian had switched the Netherworld Sword for the Blood Drinking Sword.
The Blood Drinking Sword belonged to Central State Chu Shi, but now it was one of Chu Tian's collection.
The Blood Drinking Sword drank human blood essence. This harming people effect was like the same as the inherited demonic technique of the scarlet blood branch. Chu Tian believed that he hadn't been seen through, so the leader was trying to cheat him. Since it's like this, why didn't he just fall for her plan and give her a little, letting her believe him more?
"I don't understand the leader's meaning."
"You think you can kill the two branch lords and then sneak into our Heavenly Demon Cult?" The old woman's killing intent increased as her blood red nails began to be surrounded in a layer of energy, "You use this sword to conceal yourself and make it seem like you have our Heavenly Demon Cult's cultivation technique? This kind of laughable trick, you think you can trick me!"
"This little one is not a true member of the sacred church, so my cultivation technique is limited and I can't display the scarlet blood branch's skills!" The youth anxiously said, "But this little one does not dare deceive the leader. Please believe me leader!"
"How will you let me trust you!"
Chu Tian pretended to steel his heart. He gritted his teeth and said, "As long as the leader is willing to cultivate this little one once the sacred church rises again, I am willing to sign a master and servant contract with leader and spend my entire life with leader!"
The old woman was shocked.
She was just cheating Chu Tian.
She did not believe that this person was a spy.
First, there was no problem with his identity and secondly, his strength was not strong enough to threaten her.
The most important thing was that this person had a strong source spirit. No matter where he went, he would be valued as a super genius. Which power would dare use him as bait and let him enter such a dangerous place? This was completely unnecessary!
Anyone knew that cheating him would give a great harvest.
This fellow had a large space to grow. With the sacred church rising up once again, if she could cultivate this person and support him to a high place, as well as being able to control him in her palms, then that would be a great advantage to her.
"Since you're this loyal….." The old woman's aura was slowly retracted, "Then I will give you a chance. Sign this spiritual contract!"
"Yes!"
Chu Tian entered some spiritual sense into the contract. This contract was controlled by this old woman, so this youth's life was firmly being grasped in this old woman's hands.
The old woman was very satisfied with this ending.
When the sacred church rises again, it was the time they needed to recruit people. First recruiting this giant talent was giving a great contribution to the sacred church and would cement her own position.
"I am old woman Shi Xin." After old woman Shi Xin obtained the contract, her temper was much more gentle. After all, the other party's life was in her hands, what reason did she have not to trust him, "We will open the headquarters soon and we will personally awaken the head venerate. We will surely receive great rewards from the head venerate, so this is a good chance, I hope you grasp it."
"Yes, many thanks for the leader's help."
"Take these two bottle of pills. One is for resisting the poison gas while the other is for curing your injuries." Old woman Shi Xin threw two bottles of pills over, "The scarlet blood barrier is slowly stabilizing, so we need to prepare over the next two days. You need to heal your injuries as quickly as possible."
Chu Tian held the jade pill bottles as he left the warehouse. The corners of his mouth curled into a cold smile. This old fool probably thinks that she has eaten me, right? But she didn't know that everything was being controlled in the palm of his hands!
Chu Tian's plan was actually very simple.
Since he was weaker than them, he would just borrow strength.
The War Hounds expert and Southern Summer experts were very strong and the Heavenly Demon Cult's leader old woman Shi Xin was not weak. If the strong fight, they will surely be injured, then Chu Tian could make his move.
A miniature, cute little fox came out of a tunnel in the corner. Shaking the dirt off its body, it immediately jumped into Chu Tian's chest and spat out a bottle of pills.
"Want to trap me with the spiritual contract? What a joke!"
If a spiritual contract could trap uncle Chu Tian.
Chu Tian would still be Meng Yingying's little slave, how could he have met this old and ugly fellow?
Chu Tian swallowed the prepared item and immediately began to fix his lost spiritual sense…..This would make things safer.
Chu Tian opened the old woman's pills and smelled it before revealing a cold smile of ridicule. The pills truly did have a complicated long term poison in them. Chu Tian would have been poisoned if he ate them. The poison would incubate for a long time, but other than the original person who refined it, there was no cure it at all.
Once in a while, the pain of ten thousand ants biting him would fill his body.
The cruel demonic cultivators liked to use underhanded methods to control their subordinates. The spiritual contract was not enough, as it could only control their life and death. They needed a method that would make the person obedient without causing death, so using medicine was the best option.
"Old thing, I'll let you be proud for a while." Chu Tian gave the pills to the little fox, "I'll be vigilant for a few days and won't be discovered by that old hag."
The little fox threw the pills high up and then it fell into its stomach. It ate the poison pills like it was eating candy and then it gave Chu Tian a hand signal showing that it was all fine.
"Do I need to repeat the plan?"
"Ji, ji!"
Are you suspecting this fox's intelligence? It's just leaving clues on the road to make Imperial City, the War Hounds, and the old lady meet each other, letting them fight it out. How hard could this small matter be?
The little fox did not have many skills.
But its stealth skills were first class.
Not to mention old woman Shi Xin, even the Southern Summer Three Rulers could not catch the little fox. So, handing this matter to the small fox was basically something that could not fail.
Chu Tian's injuries seemed very serious, but most of them were from the disguise. It was very quick to heal and he healed most of them after just one night.
"Let's go."
Old woman Shi Xin led Chu Tian out of Scarlet Swamp Town and headed off in the direction of the Scarlet Swamp. The Scarlet Swamp was a very large patch of swamp land. These swamps were several hundred meters deep and were rich in swamp life.
Therefore, once you entered the swamp, you shouldn't think of leaving it.
The other fatal area of the Scarlet Swamp was the air.
The main plant life in the Scarlet Swamp was a kind called Scarlet Algae.
This plant was widely spread across the Scarlet Swamp and they wildly grew by absorbing the poison within the swamp. When they were in the process of reproducing, they would release a poisonous material. This poison was very condensed and hard to disperse, so it formed a layer of poisonous gas.
Now the entire Scarlet Swamp was covered in a layer of violent poison gas.
Non Awakened Soul Cultivators would be poisoned in just one hour. They would go crazy, feel angry, experience illusions, and finally die. Even if it were an Awakened Soul Cultivator, without protections, it would be hard to reach the depths of the swamp. This was because the deeper into the Scarlet Swamp, the stronger the gas.
As for normal people?
They did not even dare approach the edge of the swamp.
When Chu Tian entered the swamp, his first impression was that this should be a patch of barren land. However, looking at it, he was shocked to find that the Red Swamp was different from what he had imagined.
The entire area was a patch of red.
This was the colour of the Scarlet Algae. It was a bright red that was very eye catching. Looking at it from a broad view, it was like a bright red sea. The swamp seemed like it contained a sort of energy, so there were patches of activity in areas, that could actually create a magnificent scene of waves.
Old woman Shi Xin walked in front, "The waters of the swamp are highly poisonous. If you lose your step, your body will be corroded in a short period of time, so be careful if you don't want to die!"
Chu Tian quickly and respectfully said, "Yes, yes!"
Old woman Shi Xin's skinny body jumped into the air, landing onto some debris in the swamp and instantly crossing several hundred meters of distance.
Gu lu, gu lu!
A large air bubble came from the swamp!
A large amount of concentrated poison gas came out of the swamp. Even if it were a piece of metal that was hit, it would be instantly dissolved.
Following this, several dozen toad like beings revealed themselves from the mud. Their bodies were covered in Scarlet Algae and black silt. Their bodies did not seem stable as if they were made of silt.
This was a swamp monster!
The only kind of being living in the Scarlet Swamp!
They were born in the depths of the swamp and hunted pray with the help of the swamp. They were extremely violent and poisonous!
These monsters were not strong and as long as one avoided the poison, an Awakened Soul Layer cultivator could easily deal with it. Not to mention a peak expert like old woman Shi Xin.
Pa, pa, pa, pa!
Several dozen blood blades intertwined and all the swamp monsters were sliced to pieces.
Old woman Shi Xin did not even give them a glance as she continued pushing into the depths of the swamp.
This old woman's cultivation base was deep, even Chen Bingyu would not last over ten rounds with her. Not picking to fight these fellows directly was indeed the most correct decision.
Chu Tian followed behind old woman Shi Xin.
Other than being covered in Scarlet Algae, the Scarlet Swamp also had a large patch of firm reeds. These reeds were a kind of material that was the main revenue source for the town's citizens. Of course, there were poisonous snakes and lizards hiding among the reeds, so this patch of land could be considered dangerous.
No one would have thought that.
The scarlet blood headquarters would be set up here.
As the two of them went deeper in, the poisonous gas became more dense and the red mist blurred their vision, as the toxicity became stronger. Chu Tian had no choice but to use the pills he prepared beforehand to resist the poison gas. After traveling at full speed for an entire day, they reached the center of the Scarlet Swamp.
Chapter 281: Sitting on the mountain watching tigers figh
Chapter 281: Sitting on the mountain watching tigers fight
There were bottomless vortexes in the swamp here, but the surface was covered in Scarlet Algae, so it could not be seen through. The inside of the swamp was always stirring and swirling, always active. It was strong enough to pull a person into the Swamp, making them fall to the bottomless depths to become a part of the silt in the swamp.
The demon beasts and life forms present here were even stranger and were growing larger. Even if it were a True Soul Realm expert, if they were not careful, they would suffer a fatal injury.
Old woman Shi Xin was taking the lead and was currently fighting a swamp monster.
Chu Tian had been following Shi Xin from a distance. At this moment, a small fox head popped out from the reeds and called out a few times at Chu Tian. It made a few gestures with its hand, signalling that everything had been prepared.
Chu Tian nodded and had it quickly hide.
Old woman Shi Xin turned around in a dissatisfied manner after taking care of the swamp monster, "What are you dallying for?"
"Sir leader, there is a something happening!"
"What?"
Shi Xin suddenly flew through the sky, moving several hundred meters in the direction Chu Tian was pointing in before falling down on a patch of mud. When she looked forward, Shi Xin's brows suddenly knit together, "This is….."
An incomparably large purple tentacle was reaching out of the reeds.
This tentacle was dark purple and over ten meters long. Its skin was covered in runes with big disgusting suckers. It was still in one piece like it still hadn't died yet.
The cut was very smooth and clean, with large amounts of purple red liquids flowing into the surrounding swamp. It sent out sounds of corrosion and large amounts of poisonous gas.
Chu Tian pretended to be surprised as he said, "The monster this tentacle came from must be a powerful swamp monster!"
"From how clean the cut is, the one who did it had to be an expert at the 9th Awakened Soul Layer or above!" Old woman Shi Xin thought about it and then said with a serious face, "These people are making moves faster than I expected. We should use this time to reach the scarlet blood temple as quickly as possible."
The Scarlet Swamp was huge and to perfectly bump into people here, the possibility was very small. It was naturally thrown here by the little fox to coordinate with Chu Tian.
Go to the scarlet blood temple?
If you all went in.
Then I'll be able to get a bargain!
"Yes!" Chu Tian deliberately said without any expressions, "There were two Southern Summer experts that appeared in Scarlet Swamp Town on that day. Other than the Southern Summer experts, there are also War Hound Plains experts. It seems like the number of people trying to reach the scarlet blood headquarters is not small!"
"Those experts from the various powers, it seems like their goal is the scarlet blood hidden treasure, so they will be regarded as the Heavenly Demon Cult's number one enemy. Especially the scarlet blood head venerate, with a deep cultivation and a strong might, he will be their greatest enemy." Chu Tian said with a serious expression, "But, the head venerate has been asleep for many years, so the head venerate will be weak after awakening. If the head venerate is faced with the attacks of the various experts, I'm afraid..."
"Enough!" Old woman Shi Xin gave a sneer as her eyes filled with a cold killing intent, "Those mice want to go against the head venerate? Let's go! Keep up!"
Chu Tian pretended to be surprised as he said, "Leader, are you not entering the temple?"
Old woman Shi Xin had already made her decision. That skinny and dry body shot out like a bullet, passing through the reeds and charging out in a direction.
They would have to fight sooner or later, so why wait until the scarlet blood temple?
It was better to be unnoticed by the other side and carefully follow them to launch a sneak attack! If she could take out one or two of them and then met up with the head venerate, the rest would be easily taken care of.
It was like this fellow had said, the scarlet blood head venerate was very strong, but after being asleep for several hundred years, the head venerate would be weak for a period of time. With the fame of the scarlet blood head venerate, how could those people that came for the Heavenly Demon Cult's treasures not fear him?
If the scarlet blood head venerate was allowed to remain, it would be the end of them.
If the scarlet blood head venerate restored his strength, even the Three Rulers could not save them!
No one wanted to leave a large problem for the future. The scarlet blood head venerate would surely be their first target. With all the various experts attacking, if something were to happen to the head venerate, the scarlet blood branch would not be able to rise up again.
Old woman Shi Xin would attack the other side without any hesitation.
She had only found a single clue, but as she chased, there were more and more clues. This was because the little fox had already placed a path to the other side for Shi Xin to follow.
When they approached the core region of the Scarlet Swamp, the poison fog became even more dense. Chu Tian looked into the distance to find a giant red coloured barrier in the center of the Scarlet Swamp. It formed a half circle that was like a giant cover over the center of the swamp.
A large scale barrier.
Was the scarlet blood temple sealed within the barrier?
The sounds of fighting coming from ahead attracted Chu Tian and Shi Xin's attention.
There was a large monster in the center of the swamp that looked to be a terrifying demon dragon, with a body covered in scales and barbs. Its claws were as sharp as blades and it had a terrifying build, making it look like a small hill. Green rays came from its mouth which had a strong destructive might.
Wherever the green ray went, it disintegrated everything it touched, having a shocking might.
This was a powerful level two top grade demon beast, the Dragon Lizard Beast. Its strength was not inferior to that of the Eight Marquises and only in the depths of the Scarlet Swamp could this strange beast be found!
Three ash gray figures were fighting against this Dragon Lizard Beast.
The Dragon Lizard Beast wildly spat out this green energy. Wherever this energy went, it cleanly disintegrated everything it touched.
Those three tall gray robed people were not simple. Although the Dragon Lizard Beast was very strong, they were calmly dealing with it, not being at any disadvantage.
Anyone with a brain could see it.
These three people did not go all out when fighting the Dragon Lizard Beast, clearly trying to waste the Dragon Lizard Beast's strength. The Dragon Lizard Beast had an incomparable strength, but it was still a stupid demon beast, so it could not understand the strategy of the three people and continued to wildly attack.
Of the three grey robed people, one held an axe and another held a wolf fang cane, and they were at least in the 9th Awakened Soul Layer. The strongest one who was holding a long and narrow fang blade in each hand was at least in the peak 9th Awakened Soul Layer.
Moreover, their fighting style was different from Southern Summer cultivators.
The identities of these three people could already be guessed.
"Roar!"
The Dragon Lizard Beast once again spat out flame energy. The wild energy roared forth, being released in a fan shape in front of it. The three grey robed figures jumped back at the same time, but the flame continued forward, charging at the reeds behind the three of them.
Chu Tian was frightened.
The flame was coming to his position!
Were they discovered by the other party already?
"Humph!"
Old woman Shi Xin jumped out, holding Chu Tian. When the green glow swept over the reeds, the reeds were disintegrated, instantly disappearing from sight, not leaving a single ash.
Before the two of them fell, a grey figure jumped out while releasing a strong source spirit behind it. Two cold glowing fang blades came forward like poisonous serpents, sending out two blade glows forward. Although it wasn't very beautiful, it was still very strong.
Old woman Shi Xin threw Chu Tian aside and her robe began to move without any wind as a strong source spirit was released. It was a blood red serpent that attacked from behind her, biting at the blade glow. Old woman Shi Xin seized this chance to send a palm out which the grey robed person blocked with a blade and was sent back flying.
The ash grey robe was ripped apart and the person was revealed!
When he saw the other side's appearance, Chu Tian couldn't help being a bit surprised.
This person was close to two meters tall. Although it had a human appearance, its body was covered in fur. The most prominent part of it was its head, which was like a wolf's, having two dark green eyes that sparkled like ghost flame, which made people's heart turn cold.
It really was the War Hounds Tribe!
The spirit beasts born on the War Hound Plains were mainly Dog and Wolf Tribes. The Wolf Tribe had a higher status, so most of the upper and lower level powers were made of Wolf Tribe members. The spirit beast expert that had appeared in front of them was a Wolf Tribe expert.
This dual bladed Wolf Tribe expert was not a weak person!
Perhaps the Southern Summer Country did not have as many experts as the War Hounds Tribe, but a peak 9th Awakened Soul Layer expert was still considered a peak existence in the War Hounds Tribe.
"I am the Broken Fang Tribe's great warrior, Nuo Luo!" The War Hounds Tribe expert used a very strange voice to ask, "Who are you!"
The spirit beast and human language was very different. Spirit Beasts were a race with a large population, but they were not united like humans. The Wolf Tribe was just one of the tribes of the population. So, the spirit beast culture was very conflicting and they had many different languages.
The spirit beasts' intelligence was lower than that of humans and they could not adapt like humans, so spirit beasts wouldn't normally learn other races' languages. This Wolf Tribe members was not just strong, he could also learn the human language, meaning that this was a very outstanding spirit beast.
Old woman Shi Xin did not answer this question. The blood red giant serpent source spirit charged into the sky and changed into a blood fog that instantly fell down like a waterfall.
"Roar!"
The War Hounds expert Nuo Luo let out a loud roar.
The two War Hounds experts entangled with the Dragon Lizard Beast immediately went on alert. When they saw the large patch blood red fog fall down, their expressions fell.
One of them was lucky enough to avoid this attack.
The other person was not fortunate enough to dodge it as the blood red mist enveloped him. This War Hounds member's fur was covered in a layer of red as a strong blood poison invaded his body.
The War Hounds expert was indeed strong. Although old woman Shi Xin's poison entered his body, he did not immediately suffer heavy injuries as he used his spirit energy to resist it.
But at this time.
The Dragon Lizard Beast suddenly released another green light attack on it.
"Roar!"
The War Hounds expert let out a pitiful cry filled with pain as his body was instantly ripped to pieces. Old woman Shi Xin revealed a cold smile because she never thought that she would get rid of one this easily.
Chu Tian also revealed an excited face on the side.
Fight, fight! It's best if all three sides are mutually injured!
The more their strength was consumed, the greater an advantage Chu Tian had!