***
Almost in an instant, Wenren Ying’s body went rigid!
Master Chongxu’s arrival had been so sudden that, in order to restrain Wu Guanyue, Wenren Ying had wrapped his left arm around her, loosely encircling her body while covering her mouth and nose with his hand.
That warm, moist sensation seemed almost magical. A fine, tingling pleasure swiftly traveled from his palm into his body, causing the arm around her to tighten instinctively.
“Mmph…!”
Heated by Wenren Ying’s body, Wu Guanyue felt warm all over. A muffled, hazy sound escaped her lips, and her body tilted slightly, as though she had gone limp and was resting against his arm.
The footsteps outside grew even quieter… It seemed that it was precisely because of the heavily suppressed sound Wenren Ying had made that the Blood Demon Ancestor truly believed they were engaged in an intimate act.
Wenren Ying lowered his head to look at the… Little Yue in his arms.
Her twin ponytails had been mussed up by him, one tilting higher than the other. Her hair had rubbed against his clothes and become somewhat frizzy, making her look almost… pitiful.
Wenren Ying let out a long breath and slowly removed the hand covering her mouth and nose.
The person outside was already extremely close to the door.
Wu Guanyue regained consciousness almost immediately, her eyes sharpening!
Success or failure would be decided by this one move!
Wu Guanyue quietly raised her head and exchanged a glance with Wenren Ying. Then she slowly pressed her hand against the door, taking over the task of pushing it from Wenren Ying and continuing to make the wooden door creak.
At the same time, Wenren Ying’s hand slowly—very slowly—closed around the hilt of his blade.
His long blade had no sheath. Normally, it was merely wrapped in a strip of cloth, which was nothing special; it was simply a tattered cloak Wenren Ying had once owned, put to some other use.
Now, the cloth wrapping slipped silently to the floor. His wrist turned sharply, and the blade flashed like snow in his eyes. Yet the killing intent in his gaze shone brighter than the edge itself!
Blood Demon Ancestor… He had allowed him to live for another two hundred years.
The horrific scenes of the Donghua Blood Moon flashed one after another before Wenren Ying’s eyes. They were images he would never be able to forget for the rest of his life.
From the day he escaped Donghua City, Wenren Ying had known that there was only one thing he had to accomplish in this life—
His expression had become utterly focused, like a wolf lying in wait in the depths of the jungle.
The person outside stopped. Only a thin wooden door stood between them.
Now!
Wenren Ying struck without hesitation!
The blade-light was like a white rainbow piercing the sun!
Wenren Ying held a long blade in his hand, yet the move he used was unmistakably a sword technique—light, swift, and unstoppable.
The blade-light was as fast as lightning, yet it made not even the slightest sound. It pierced cleanly through the wood and drove straight into Master Chongxu’s dantian and spiritual core!
The dantian was divided into upper, middle, and lower sections: the upper dantian at the Tiangu acupoint, the middle dantian at the Shanzhong acupoint, and the lower dantian at the Guanyuan acupoint. Wenren Ying’s target was the Guanyuan acupoint, also known as the “Sea of Qi.” Every cultivator’s golden core circulated there, and it was also precisely where an external primordial spirit could take shelter!
The key to Wenren Ying’s ability to pursue demonic cultivators afflicted with blood poison despite having a shattered spiritual core lay in his profound knowledge of the human meridians. He could strike at an opponent’s vital points and cripple them in the shortest possible time. At this very moment, that terrifying ability had been brought into full play!
“Chk—!”
The long blade pierced Master Chongxu’s body with unerring precision.
At that moment, Master Chongxu did not even feel pain.
For a long time, he had resisted the arrival of this moment. Yet deep within his subconscious, he had also known perfectly well that this was the only solution. Perhaps that was precisely why he had… why he had remained so indecisive.
But when the moment truly arrived, Master Chongxu felt something like… release.
Bright red blood stained his white robes, dripping steadily onto the floor.
“Bang—!”
Wenren Ying suddenly exerted his strength from inside the room. The thin wooden door exploded into countless splinters, filling the air with a cloud of dust.
The swordsman stood in the doorway. His eyes were hidden beneath his bamboo hat, making his face impossible to see. Yet at that moment, everyone could sense the fury surging through him from his knotted muscles and coiled, ready-to-strike body!
The moment of vengeance had arrived!
“What—?! Master Chongxu—you—you actually dare—!”
Within Master Chongxu’s rapidly shrinking sea of consciousness came the Blood Demon Ancestor’s panicked voice. He had clearly never imagined—never imagined—that Master Chongxu would truly resolve to perish together with him!
He had never once considered that things might develop this way!
The Blood Demon Ancestor was not someone who would sacrifice himself. Naturally, he assumed that no one else would either. Perhaps humanity’s greatest weakness was its habit of judging others by its own standards.
Master Chongxu smiled.
A mouthful of blood spilled from his lips. It stained his teeth red, making his smile look almost… savage.
“Are you going to possess me?”
He asked the question with utter contempt and provocation.
What reached his ears was the Blood Demon Ancestor’s furious stream of abuse—but that was merely the manifestation of his helpless rage.
Possess him? What use would possessing him be now?
He could indeed take over Master Chongxu’s body, but possession would consume a great deal of his primordial spirit. For three years, he would be unable to change bodies again. Wouldn’t that be the same as locking himself inside a prison called Master Chongxu?!
“Damn you, you filthy swine! You worthless cur!”
The Blood Demon Ancestor roared in unwilling fury, but his primordial spirit was astonishingly honest. It flew out of Master Chongxu’s body.
A mass of blood-red mist suddenly emerged from Master Chongxu’s body. The moment it broke free, it shot away like a streak of crimson lightning, racing straight downstairs!
Run for his life! Run for his life!
Obviously! He was merely a mass of primordial spirit now, without even a physical body. If he did not run, was he supposed to wait for Wenren Ying to catch him and grind him into dust?!
A primordial spirit moved far faster than the physical body—traveling a thousand miles in a day was no exaggeration. In the blink of an eye, he had reached the inn’s main hall.
The hall was already crowded. Bai Yunsheng was eating turkey ramen—self-cooked. Baili Yuling was playing Cat Mario—the two-bread-sandwich version. The pampered young masters were anxiously searching for their Senior Brother She.
When they saw a mass of bloody mist suddenly emerge from upstairs, the pampered young masters had yet to react. Bai Yunsheng and Baili Yuling, however, responded almost immediately, snatching up their weapons and eyeing it warily.
The Blood Demon Ancestor had no time to cause trouble here.
As long as he could escape this place—as long as he could escape this place—!
But since the plan to hunt the Blood Demon Ancestor had been laid out long ago, forcing him to reveal himself was naturally part of the plan. Did Wu Guanyue and Wenren Ying really not have preparations in place?
Of course they did!
A bronze mirror suddenly appeared in Wenren Ying’s hand. The instant its light shone upon the mass of bloody mist, the mist seemed to become bound by countless ropes, able only to struggle madly in place.
—This mirror was called the “Soul-Seeking Mirror,” a magical treasure designed specifically to bind a primordial spirit. The item Master Chongxu had sent She Wenjie to deliver to the inn that day was precisely this treasure.
How despicable! Shameless!
The Blood Demon Ancestor’s primordial spirit cursed inwardly.
He had intended to take revenge. Who could have imagined that he would once again die at the hands of the enemy who had been his nemesis two hundred years ago? How could he not hate this? How could he not?!
Could it be… that this was where it would all end…?
He still hadn’t… married a wife…!
He hadn’t married a wife yet!!!
The Blood Demon Ancestor’s primordial spirit struggled unwillingly.
Yet at that very moment, something unexpected happened!
“Bitch! Prepare to die!”
She Wenjie suddenly leaped out from the shadows and thrust his sword at Wu Guanyue!
Earlier, Wu Guanyue had thrown him from the back courtyard into the woodshed. After all, the plan had yet to begin, and if the spoiled young masters discovered him, the inn would descend into utter chaos, which would be most inconvenient. So she had hidden She Wenjie away first.
Who could have known that She Wenjie actually possessed a little bit of cunning?
That tiny bit of cleverness had allowed him to break free of his restraints, sneak away, and hide himself while waiting for a chance to avenge his humiliation.
At this moment, Wenren Ying was holding the Soul-Seeking Mirror and engaged in a battle of wills with the Blood Demon Ancestor’s primordial spirit, leaving him unable to move. In that case, wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to strike?!
She Wenjie’s bloodshot eyes blazed with terrifying malice—a mixture of resentment, hatred, and savagery.
At this moment, he could no longer worry about anything!
He could not even care that his elder brother was covered in blood and being supported by Wu Guanyue! He had to kill Wu Guanyue first! Kill Wu Guanyue and Wenren Ying first!
“Haah—ah!”
She Wenjie roared, determined to reclaim his might and dignity!
The Blood Demon Ancestor, meanwhile, felt an overwhelming surge of joy!
Just when all seemed lost, a glimmer of hope appeared—what a sudden turn of fortune!
A sudden turn of fortune indeed!
She Wenjie’s figure darted past the crimson mist—and at that precise instant, that very wisp of mist slammed into him from the side and vanished into his body!
She Wenjie’s eyes turned red in an instant, and he realized in horror that he had simultaneously lost control of his own body.
The Blood Demon Ancestor had taken control of She Wenjie’s body in an instant, just as he had controlled Master Chongxu’s body that day!
“Waaah—!”
The Blood Demon Ancestor let out a strange cry. His sword flashed like a rainbow as he thrust it straight at Wenren Ying!
“Clang—!”
Blade and sword collided, producing a metallic screech that set one’s teeth on edge. Enemies meeting again, their hatred burned brighter than ever. The Blood Demon Ancestor gave Wenren Ying a sinister smile, baring blood-red gums that made him look uncannily like a hyena or jackal.
Blades and sword-light intertwined in a chaotic blur as Wenren Ying and the Blood Demon Ancestor actually began fighting inside the inn!
The Blood Demon Ancestor actually dared to face Wenren Ying head-on? It was simply preposterous.
Two hundred years ago, he had already been no match for Wenren Ying. Now, he had forced himself into a completely unsuitable body and could barely control its movements… Did he truly think he could defeat Wenren Ying?!
Of course not! The Blood Demon Ancestor was not that foolish.
However, he had another trick up his sleeve.
The Blood Demon Ancestor suddenly threw back his head and laughed. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he called out, “Wenren Ying! If you’ve got the nerve, destroy this man’s spiritual residence too!”
There were so many scions of prestigious clans here. Even if one body were destroyed, there would still be another. Wenren Ying was forced to hold back—how could he possibly dare destroy these young heirs one after another?
And so, the underhanded scheme Master Chongxu had casually mentioned in order to deceive the Blood Demon Ancestor was now being used by the Blood Demon Ancestor in earnest.
Here it comes. The author’s note has gained a new feature—it can now add links to other chapters of this book… Uh, what use is that supposed to be?
