A Blood Sacrifice Revealed

Two thuds rang out as the bodies of Liu Jing and his companion were casually dropped to the ground by their attacker. Han Li’s eye twitched slightly.

“Since you’re here, don’t bother leaving. I could use a few more Foundation Establishment cultivators for my blood sacrifice.” The speaker let out a dark chuckle, revealing gleaming white teeth that shone under the moonlight.

It was the Yue Emperor—the same man who had seemed utterly panicked moments before. But now, there was not a trace of his earlier dishevelment. The spiritual energy radiating from his body was no weaker than the blue-robed man’s. He, too, was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Han Li’s expression turned even colder as he sensed the man’s cultivation level.

He had no idea what technique the Yue Emperor had used to suppress his aura to the point where none of the Yellow Maple Valley cultivators had detected him. It reminded Han Li of the time he had encountered the Little Prince and Steward Wang, unable to sense any magic power on them at all. But this time, that strange, foreboding premonition hadn’t surfaced—which only made him more wary and cautious.

Han Li flicked his fingers. The White Phosphorus Shield and the Tortoise Shell artifact shot out simultaneously, circling slowly around his body.

Beside him, Chen Qiaoqian and Song Meng stared nervously at the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man, releasing their own artifacts to form a protective barrier.

Seeing the defensive posture of Han Li’s group, the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man exchanged a glance and let out simultaneous sneers.

Then, the blue-robed man’s form flickered. In an instant, he appeared over a dozen zhang away at a pile of glittering ice shards—the remains of the Ice Fiend, torn apart by Han Li’s Blinking Sword Art.

Reaching down, the blue-robed man gently grasped at the ice fragments. A blue bead shot up from the pile and flew into his hand.

At the same time, the treacherous Yue Emperor flashed over to where the two Blood Servants had died, incinerated by the Fire Bird True Treasure. He slammed his palm against the ground, and a gold bead and a yellow bead burst from the earth, flying obediently into his hand.

“These are…?”

Seeing those beads, Han Li’s mind raced back to the cyan bead from earlier, and he immediately guessed what they were. His heart tightened.

Before he had even finished planning how to achieve his mission’s goal, the items had appeared right in front of him.

These had to be the “Five Elements Blood Coagulation Pills” the Little Prince had mentioned—the pills related to Core Formation. But there were only four here. Where was the fifth?

Just as Han Li’s mind churned with a mix of delight and shock, the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man also showed undisguised joy at obtaining the beads.

Standing apart from each other, they suddenly threw their heads back and roared with laughter. Then, amidst the laughter, they turned cold eyes toward Han Li’s group. The murderous intent was unmistakable. Everyone on Han Li’s side felt their expressions twist.

“Get in the air, now!” Han Li barked after a rapid assessment. The Divine Wind Boat appeared beneath him, and he shot upward.

The others hesitated for a moment, but trusting Han Li’s earlier performance, Song Meng and the cultivation partner of Senior Sister Xue Hong followed suit, taking to the air. Chen Qiaoqian hesitated, then pulled Zhong Weiniang up on her flying artifact as well.

Seeing this, the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man exchanged a strange glance, then sneered in unison. Though their faces were completely different, the uncanny synchrony of their expressions sent a chill through Han Li.

“These little ones are clever. Looks like you’ll have to make your sacrifice early.”

“Mine is yours. Take it.”

The exchange between the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man was calm, but the words sent a cold shiver down the spines of Han Li and the others.

“Han-shidi, what are they talking about?” Song Meng sidled up to Han Li, swallowing hard.

Having watched so many fellow disciples die before his eyes, even the normally aggressive Song Meng had lost some of his earlier fearlessness. Turning to Han Li now was as much about seeking comfort as it was about information—Han Li’s mysterious competence had made him feel a little more reliable.

Han Li gave a bitter inward smile. He opened his mouth to respond, but what happened below made his face change instantly. He swallowed his words. Chen Qiaoqian let out a startled cry, making Song Meng’s heart pound as he whipped his head around.

The Yue Emperor had driven one hand straight through the blue-robed man’s chest.

The blue-robed man’s arms hung open. He showed no sign of struggle, only a calm, faint smile.

Then, dazzling blood-light erupted from both of them. The light connected through the Yue Emperor’s arm buried in the blue-robed man’s chest. A torrent of blood-light surged from the blue-robed man into the Yue Emperor—whether it was being drained or freely given was impossible to tell. Song Meng stared, dumbstruck.

The blue-robed man’s aura dimmed. His flesh began to wither. Meanwhile, the Yue Emperor’s blood-light blazed brighter. His face grew visibly younger.

“What kind of demonic technique is this?” Song Meng exclaimed in horror.

But Han Li’s face was dark. He had no time to dwell on Song Meng’s shock. Taking a deep breath, he flung both hands outward.

A swarm of fire snake talismans and fireball talismans surged from his hands toward the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man below—over a hundred in total, nearly every fire-attribute talisman he had left.

The talismans transformed mid-air into a sky-filling wave of fire spells. A massive wave of flame roared down with overwhelming force. The sheer scale of it dwarfed even Liu Jing’s Fire Bird True Treasure. Of course, few cultivators in the world could afford to throw over a hundred talismans at once—this wasn’t spellcasting, it was burning spirit stones by the dozen.

The display stunned Song Meng and Chen Qiaoqian. Even the dazed Zhong Weiniang blinked and stared. The Yue Emperor below was also taken aback at first, but quickly recognized them as low-grade spells. He sneered dismissively and ignored them.

He knew his blood-light barrier could easily shrug off such attacks. His priority was completing his current transformation. Once that was done, killing these few would be as easy as reaching into his own pocket.

Just as a chilling glint flashed in the Yue Emperor’s eyes, the fiery wave engulfed him and the blue-robed man in an earsplitting series of explosions.

But as loud as the blasts were, as high as the flames rose, the man inside the blood-light remained unharmed. Most of the blue-robed man’s blood-light had already transferred to the Yue Emperor, who now appeared no older than his thirties. A pleased smile crept onto his face.

Seeing Han Li strike, Chen Qiaoqian and the others also released their artifacts, hurling them toward the enemy. After all, the two seemed locked in some dark ritual and couldn’t fight back—it was the perfect time to hit them.

But just as their artifacts left their hands, a blinding white light erupted between the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man. A thunderous roar shook the air. The white light contracted, then expanded, swallowing the two men whole.

The terrifying spiritual power contained in that white light, and the panic that flashed across the Yue Emperor’s face, were clearly visible to Chen Qiaoqian and the others. Joy and hope surged through them. They turned to Han Li—this was clearly his doing.

But there was no joy on Han Li’s face. His expression was only colder.

“Don’t celebrate so soon. That bastard is still alive.”

He spoke flatly. The group’s hearts clenched. They looked down.

Smoke and dust still covered everything, but the Yue Emperor’s spiritual energy signature was faintly discernible—weakened, but still present.

Sensing this with their spiritual sense, Song Meng and the others perked up. They circled in the air, their artifacts poised, waiting for the Yue Emperor to reappear so they could strike him down together and avenge their fallen comrades.

“Cough… good… good! Cough! I underestimated you. So you were the most ruthless one in this group all along. What did you hide in those talismans? Even my blood-light barrier couldn’t block it!” A coughing voice came from the smoke, then gradually steadied, turning cold and sharp.

Song Meng’s group looked stricken. Even Han Li’s heart pounded.

“Just a single Heaven Thunder Seed. I never thought there was a Foundation Establishment cultivator in this world who could survive one.” Han Li let out a sigh and spoke slowly. He waved both hands, and over a dozen puppet beasts and puppet soldiers materialized in a flash of white light before him, all aiming at the figure slowly emerging from the haze.

The moment the figure appeared, Song Meng’s group sent their artifacts hurtling down without hesitation. But a crimson flash flared, and all the artifacts simultaneously lost their connection to their owners.

Then, the Yue Emperor stepped out of the smoke, covered in blood and grime. His eyes, filled with venomous hatred, locked onto Han Li.