The Blood Shadow squatted down, carefully examining the rapidly healing and restructuring meridians and flesh of Tie Dan, with the full operation of the Blood Jade Technique.
"Hiss... This is indeed the Divine Lord Body! Who exactly are you?"
Tie Dan glanced at Lord Xiao, who was exclaiming in surprise and awe beside him, knowing this guy couldnât be relied on either. After a moment of silence, realizing this was a dead-end, he decided to face it head-on, since he would end up being devoured regardless, and candidly said,
"Your grandpa here is Tie Dan from Yanzi Cave..."
The Blood Shadow snorted coldly, shattering half of Tie Danâs newly gathered body with a palm, his blood-red eyes glaring at Tie Danâs face,
"Humph! Liu, from the moment you entered the Ruan residence, Iâve been watching you. Did you really think you could escape my Five-Finger Mountain!
Speak honestly, if you utter a single falsehood, donât blame me for being ruthless!"
"..."
Tie Dan rolled his eyes, choosing silence once more.
Seeing that this trick was useless against "Liu Xiaoliu," but noticing the Blood Godâs Seal in his Divine Court responding with a red glow to his blood eyes, the Blood Shadow was also momentarily stunned, realizing this guy truly possessed the true inheritance of their sectâs Heavenly Book.
However, this was no problem for the Blood Shadow. He traced a finger in the air, forming a Blood Talisman, and slapped it onto Tie Danâs Divine Court.
Hmm? This talisman seems pretty familiar...
The Blood Shadow asked,
"Where did you learn the Divine Skill of our sect?"
Tie Dan felt a jolt in his Divine Court, unable to resist blurting out,
"Blood Jade."
The Blood Shadow was startled, quickly asking,
"The Divine Master Jade? Where is it now?"
Tie Dan replied,
"Gave it to the Holy Daughter."
The Blood Shadow was even more surprised,
"Youâve met the Holy Daughter! Where is she?"
Tie Dan said,
"Met her. Sheâs gone missing."
The Blood Shadow froze for a moment, seemingly realizing he had asked two foolish questions.
However, the Divine Sectâs Primordial Spirit Method indeed had some unique aspects, as the same Soul Summoning Talisman continued to influence Tie Dan, who could not shake it off, and the other party also took a moment to consider before finally asking,
"If you see the Holy Daughter again, what will you do?"
Tie Dan said,
"Rescue her."
"Rescue her? Rescue her, huh... Hehe, hehe, hahaha!"
After a moment of silence, the Blood Shadow unexpectedly burst into laughter, then summoned the dagger inserted in the core of the wooden crane into his hand, examined it, calculated, and nodded,
"You truly are a tough nut to crack, being able to remain silent under my Divine Light. It seems youâve indeed received our sectâs true inheritance.
That Mr. He Lin is a candidate for the sect leader of Hutong Mountain, possessing the true inheritance of Immortal Zi Qing, and is incredibly difficult to deal with.
Yet you broke through his formation, dismantled his spell, destroyed his Sword Box, and severed his arm!
Good! No wonder you were chosen as the Holy Daughterâs protector!
Even though you caused the downfall of my family, as the Eastern Law Enforcement, I must act impartially and acknowledge the prowess of our sect members!"
Tie Dan, "..."
Indeed, this Blood Shadow seemed to be Mr. Ruanâs true puppet master.
However, Tie Dan hadnât expected that the other party was not a local altar master from Zhen Country, but rather the Eastern Law Enforcement Venerable!
Ten Extremes Divine Sect!
Ten Extremes Venerable Lord!
Sect Hierarch, Holy Daughter, Four Great Dharma Kings, Four Great Venerables!
Only ten top experts in total!
Moreover, in the Immortal Palace, the Emperor is succeeded by bloodline, the sect leaders of the Mystic Sect are passed down through master and apprentice, but the Venerables of the Divine Sect are selected based on merit! Elected by the entire sect!
Which means anyone who can become a Venerable is essentially at the level of a Sect Leader, with just some fluctuations in contributions, regional allocations, and different focuses!
In other words, this Eastern Law Enforcement Venerable likely holds the power over the entire eastern Divine Sect!
Damn, itâs like going out to level up and accidentally entering a realm only to face the strongest big bad BOSS of the version...
Tie Dan was completely dazed.
Really, even though the path is fraught with deadly tribulations and countless obstacles, it shouldnât come to this, right?
Even though the Divine Sect would eventually be flattened to avenge his master and senior brother, he was merely at the Golden Core stage... How did even the Ten Extremes Venerable appear?
Lord Xiao said,
"Donât worry, donât worry, the Ten Extremes Venerable needs to suppress the Divine Sectâs fortune, except for the Holy Daughter who is an exception, everyone else must at least reach the Divinity Transformation Realm.
Especially for the position of Law Enforcement Venerable, it must be the most formidable expert in the sect, someone who has mastered the Blood Godâs sonâs great method to perfection, with a Blood River flooding the sky.
If this fiendâs true body lands, it would certainly bring about a worldly calamity, attracting the nine major sects to join forces in a Demon Extermination.
Hence, what youâre facing here is merely a Blood Godâs sonâs avatar, who knows where the true body is hiding!"
... Is this supposed to be reassuring in some way?
And the Eastern Law Enforcement Venerable said,
"Since you are chosen by the Holy Daughter as her protector and the inheritor chosen by the Divine Master Jade, Iâll let you go. Scram!"
Tie Dan frowned,
"The Princess from the Xiao Family and... my junior sister, what about them?"
The Law Enforcement Venerable sneered,
"Youâre quite affectionate, arenât you? Rest assured, we have no need to bother with juniors, theyâve already been sent back to Lanling.
But donât say I didnât warn you, if you want to live, donât come to court death again!"
Tie Dan frowned,
"Our... that old man, Mr. He Linâs friend, is also you?"
The other party nodded,
"Yes, things have come to this point, thereâs no harm in telling you. Iâve already arranged and planned everything in advance. This time, Iâll take this opportunity to provoke Mr. He Lin into a dispute with the Xiao Family over that spiritual elixir.
Killing two birds with one stone, breaking off the arm of Break Demon Palace! Exterminating the limbs of the Demon Sect! Bringing them all down at once! Slaughtering them all!"
How ruthless, fierce, and vicious... Do they so easily wipe out entire families in the Central Plains on a daily basis...
Tie Dan was silent for a moment,
"Alright, Iâll help you."
The Eastern Venerable sneered, looking as if he didnât believe a word.
Tie Dan said,
"I promised Marquis Xichang to bring his daughter back, Iâll leave after saving her."
The Eastern Venerable snorted,
"With all thatâs happening, youâre still thinking about a few women! Someone who achieves great things doesnât pay attention to trifles! Spineless!"
Tie Dan also said,
"I went to great lengths to save her, to earn an Immortal Pill from the Xiao Family, not for myself, but to extend the Holy Daughterâs life.
Now that Iâve received it, my business isnât finished yet, and even if we donât mention the karmic debt, youâre still turning around to kill their entire family.
Returning kindness with ingratitude, wonât that just add to my karmic burdens, causing trouble for me and disrupting the Holy Daughterâs cultivation?"
"..."
The Eastern Venerable calculated with his fingers, realizing Tie Dan was indeed speaking the truth, leaving him speechless.
Taking advantage of the situation, Tie Dan pressed,
"And besides, Venerable said itâs merely a few women, whatâs the big deal, I take them away, and you can still slaughter Lanling."
The Eastern Venerable frowned.
Giving it another push, Tie Dan added,
"Moreover, arenât you busy with such a large endeavor on your own? You saw my abilities, I can help you kill a few Xiao Family gatekeepers in exchange for the rescue, how about that."
The Eastern Venerable pondered, made some calculations, and finally nodded,
"You indeed can be of help. Mr. He Lin thought this formation could trap you for seven days, yet you broke through it in two, clearly outsmarting him multiple times. Maybe you really can catch him off-guard...
Since thatâs the case, sneak back to Lanling now, and reveal Mr. He Linâs disguise to the Xiao Family! Let them take the lead, weaken him with their efforts, and then Iâll step in. In a mantis-stalking-a-cicada manner, Iâll have them all killed! At that time, you can take your women away!"
Seven days? Wasnât it supposed to be three?
And he actually agreed? Somethingâs not right...
Tie Dan was puzzled. Mr. He Lin had said he was instructed by a friend to block their ship and exchange for the elixir.
Yet Tie Dan had seen the Xiao Family, who valued the elixir as a significant treasure to win over followers, and it was impossible they would hand it over, so where did this half-baked calculation of intercepting robbers come from?
Moreover, not only was Mr. He Lin targeting Xiao Baoqin, even his "friend", the Eastern Law Enforcement Venerable of the Divine Sect, seemingly didnât know about Shi Guiâs existence or the Xiao Familyâs smuggling of the Princess of Kan.
He was even eager to wipe out Lanling, to slaughter all the people within.
Someone is lying, or there is another "friend" lurking in the shadows, intending to block the Princess of Kan from reaching the Xiao Family.
This isnât as simple as it seems, there must be more twists to come...
Tie Dan nodded and agreed,
"Okay, the Law Enforcement Venerable has given an order, how dare I disobey, only my Dao Body has collapsed, and it might need another day to recover..."
"Thatâs easy enough!"
The Blood Shadow lifted a hand, cutting his own body in half, grabbing it and transforming it into a blob of Essence Blood, injecting it directly into Tie Danâs pool of blood.
Thus the pool of blood began to boil, instantly gathering Tie Danâs Dao Body together, helping him reform his body anew, with a significant increase in power!
Then the Blood Godâs son turned his remaining body, transforming it into a thin blood glow, adherent to the Court Ceremony Treasure Saber, dying the blade into a Red Blade!
"That old guy Mr. He Lin is indeed difficult to deal with, although my avatar is lurking beside him, I canât find an opportunity to strike!
However, he does appreciate you, having spared your life multiple times, take this opportunity and stab him from behind!
As long as you can injure him, Iâll seize the moment for a body seizing sneak attack! With coordinated efforts, thereâs no worry about not being able to eliminate him!
Achieving this would not only allow us to strike at Lanling and destroy the Xiao Family, cutting off Break Demon Palaceâs support!
Perhaps we can seize the opportunity to take over, infiltrate Hutong Cave! Eradicate the Mystic Sectâs Daoist Inheritance!
Haha! Monumental achievement! Just ahead! Haha! Haha! Brotherhood, arenât you happy?"
Tie Dan,
"... Happy, happy, hahaha..."
The Law Enforcement Venerable seemed to sense his insincere laughter, conjuring a face out from the blade with a skeptical expression.
"As the Holy Daughterâs protector, do you think thereâs a future with the Demon Sect? Or are you eating from the pot, gazing at the pot, are you being ensnared by the Xiao Family women?"
Tie Dan was speechless, but resolved to go all out, grinning openly,
"Venerable is joking! I will kill the entire Xiao Family ah! Hahaha cacklecackle cacklecackle! Cacklecackle!"
Consequently, the Law Enforcement Venerable was satisfied,
"Good! Letâs go! The fortune of our Divine Sect! Rests on this battle!"
Tie Dan, "Cacklecackle!"
Lord Xiao watched his silly appearance aside with Kun, who even opened a laptop to play monitoring footage.
The footage showed a Blood Shadow pacing in the corridor, attempting to stealthily sneak towards the doors on the other side, towards Chen Xuantianâs dorm room.
How difficult, these old ghosts, one tougher to deal with than the other...
This Eastern Venerable also says one thing and does another, claiming to help him recover his cultivation, letting him go for the Holy Daughterâs sake, yet secretly laying latent threats, sneakily leaving a soul fragment hidden within Tie Dan in case of any unforeseen changes.
When the crucial moment comes, Tie Danâs hand on the blade, whether it extends or retracts, will necessarily have to strike. Any bit of hesitation, and the blade might not land on Mr. He Lin, but on himself instead.
Yet, it doesnât matter anymore, after all, wandering the Jianghu, itâs a battlefield of fighting, scheming, and counter-scheming, ultimately, doesnât it all come down to combat?
At the end, the winner takes all, the loser eats dust, and thatâs all there is to it.
No need to overthink!
Fight! Defeat them all and thatâs it!