Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 217: Chapter 214: Blood Bell Flower, Slaughter

”Cyan Fur, do you still blame me?” the White Ape asked, looking at the Cyan-Haired One-Horned Lion.

The Cyan-Haired One-Horned Lion bared its teeth, but finally shook its head. ”It’s all in the past. Besides, I can’t really blame you for what happened. You were just deluded by the Demon Cave.”

”Cyan Fur, you forgive me?” the White Ape asked, full of delighted surprise.

”I do,” the Cyan-Haired One-Horned Lion nodded.

”Thank you for what you did just now, Young Master.”

The White Ape was overjoyed. It quickly cupped its fists in a salute to Ning Jiang. ”An old Daoist taught me this Human Race etiquette. He said this is what you do when you want to express thanks.”

He was incredibly grateful to Ning Jiang. A huge reason he was able to resolve his grudge with the Cyan-Haired One-Horned Lion and let go of the past was because of what Ning Jiang had just done.

”Alright, I’m heading to the Demon Cave. The two of you can do as you please.”

”We’re going too! Our brother died inside the Demon Cave years ago, and we never dared to go down and avenge him. It’s been a constant source of regret for us.”

The White Ape and the one-horned lion made their position clear. Though they were Demon Beasts, they valued relationships and loyalty, no different from humans.

The Demon Cave had always been a thorn in their side. This time, they planned to face it head-on and stop running away.

”Then let’s go.”

The man and the two beasts set off, heading for the Demon Cave.

「...」

Meanwhile, numerous Martial Artists leaped down from the cave entrance. Each one raised their Protective Spiritual Qi, weapon in hand, ready for anything.

One hundred zhang, two hundred zhang...

’This deep?’

No one dared to be careless. The several young titans all activated their Cultivation Techniques and unleashed their abilities. Flames wreathed some, Sword Qi crisscrossed around others, snow and ice danced about, and the roar of a War Elephant echoed.

The further down they went, the colder the air became.

After falling for nearly a thousand zhang, their feet finally touched the ground.

Below was an underground world, beautiful and serene.

Green vegetation was everywhere, and a gentle breeze blew softly.

DING DONG DING DONG...

The sound of bells echoed in their ears. They finally saw the source of the sound.

It was a field of flowers, filled with purple blossoms shaped like bells. They swayed gently, emitting waves of chimes.

”Blood Bell Flowers?” a knowledgeable Martial Artist identified them.

”What are Blood Bell Flowers?”

”I only chanced upon them in an ancient text once. They’re a rare flower from Ancient Times, but they’re said to have gone extinct long ago. Also, Blood Bell Flowers are supposed to be blood-red. I heard they need to be cultivated with blood.”

”Flowers cultivated with blood? Isn’t that a bit too sinister?” a Martial Artist shuddered.

”Let’s hurry. There must be some kind of Treasure here.”

Unable to hold back any longer, many of the Martial Artists scattered, searching everywhere.

”Something’s not right!”

”Something is very wrong!”

The few young titans didn’t move. They exchanged a look, seeing the same confusion in each other’s eyes.

”The people who came in here before us, where did they go? Why isn’t there a single trace of them? And why is it so quiet?” Yuwen Chi frowned.

”I found something over here!”

Following a sudden cry of alarm, people crowded around.

It was a scrap of cloth, only about the size of a palm.

”There’s writing on it.”

All eyes focused on it. On the scrap of cloth were two words written in blood: Don’t trust!

The words were written hastily, in a panic. The last word was even incomplete, as if the writer ran out of time.

”The blood is still fresh.”

Someone exclaimed in shock. The blood on the cloth was fresh and still bright red, clearly written not long ago.

”Senior Brother,” a sorrowful cry rang out.

It was the young woman who had been warning everyone not to descend. She rushed over, picked up the scrap of cloth, her face filled with grief.

This was from her senior brother’s clothes, which he had been wearing just a short while ago. But now, only a blood-soaked scrap remained.

Her heart ached with unbearable grief. She knew her senior brother had likely met a terrible fate, his chances of survival slim to none.

”Could he have been warning us? Telling us not to trust?”

”But not trust what?”

The Martial Artists looked at each other in dismay, an unnatural feeling creeping over them. Their skin crawled; this place was simply too bizarre.

”No, everything here is fake! We’re in an illusion!” Li Kuangba was not tall, but his voice was thunderous, booming across the area.

”An illusion? That’s definitely possible!”

”Hmph. If it’s an illusion, I’ll just break it!”

Li Kuangba took a step forward and a deep breath, his chest swelling. A moment later, he let out a long roar, a low sound like muffled thunder that swept through the area.

”ROAR!”

The deafening roar of a Giant Elephant enveloped the entire space.

”Huh? It didn’t work.”

After the roar stopped, they looked around. Everything was the same—picturesque, beautiful, and serene.

At this point, even the young titans felt a deep chill run down their spines. The blood-soaked scrap of cloth convinced them that this place was not as simple as it seemed; it couldn’t possibly be this peaceful.

Otherwise, where had all the people who entered before them gone?

”Let’s try too.”

The other Martial Artists also used their abilities, trying to shatter the scene before them.

”It’s completely useless. Maybe it’s not an illusion after all?” someone’s resolve wavered.

”Since someone went to the trouble of leaving a message in blood, there must be a trick to this. But with so many of us here, none of us have discovered anything. How did your senior brother find out?”

Liu Bingxue’s voice was pleasant to the ear. There were quite a few people here whose Cultivation was higher than the young woman’s senior brother, yet they couldn’t find a thing. How did he discover it?

Suddenly, a thought struck her. ”Wait, where was that scrap of cloth found?”

”In the flower field. Why?”

”Try attacking the flower field!” As Liu Bingxue spoke, she raised a slender hand, and several Ice Cones shot out.

PFFT PFFT.

The Ice Cones struck the Blood Bell Flowers, making a sound like flesh being pierced. Instantly, the flowers splattered blood, releasing an overwhelming stench.

As the flowers were attacked, the scenery around them began to change.

Within a few breaths, everything before their eyes had transformed completely.

”What in the hell is this place?”

Many Martial Artists were filled with terror, staring in horror at their surroundings.

The serene scene from before had vanished. In its place was a dim, gray space where the ground was barren and shrouded in an aura of death.

The only thing that remained was the field of Blood Bell Flowers, but they had changed too, turning from purple to a vibrant, sinister red.

”Look! It’s the people who died!”

With the illusion broken, everyone could now see the corpses lying in the flower field. They had all been turned into desiccated husks, completely devoid of moisture.

’Are the Blood Bell Flowers really cultivated with blood?’

Everyone’s scalps tingled with fear. Both the dried corpses on the ground and the fact that the flowers bled when attacked pointed to one thing: the sinister nature of the Blood Bell Flowers.

”Everyone, don’t forget that the Blood Bell Flower went extinct a long time ago. So, who cultivated the ones here?”

The speaker was the elder of the Twin Sword Sons. He posed a question that made everyone’s expression turn grim.

Why would the long-extinct Blood Bell Flower appear here?

”Who is it that set all this up? Do you dare show yourself?”

Li Kuangba looked in all directions, his voice rolling out like a clap of thunder.

The surrounding light was dim, making it impossible to see far, and no one answered Li Kuangba.

”These Blood Bell Flowers are too damn creepy. Let’s destroy them all.”

”Alright.”

The crowd took action, beginning to attack the Blood Bell Flowers.

PFFT PFFT...

One by one, the Blood Bell Flowers were shattered, splattering blood that turned into a fine powder in the air.

”Stop! Something’s wrong!”

Liu Bingxue shouted, sensing a problem.

But her warning came too late. The shattered Blood Bell Flowers had transformed into a vast, faint blood mist that filled the entire space.

After taking a few breaths of it, the Martial Artists felt their blood begin to boil as waves of killing intent assaulted their minds, eroding their sanity.

”KILL KILL KILL KILL!”

In less than ten breaths’ time, a large number of Martial Artists’ eyes turned bloodshot. Their faces twisted into savage expressions, and a sinister-looking Blood Bell Flower pattern appeared on each of their faces.

”KILL!”

In an instant, the crowd began to slaughter each other, descending into a chaotic brawl.

They had lost their minds, left with nothing but the most primitive instinct to kill.

”Damn it.”

At this point, the only ones who could barely maintain their sanity were the few young titans and the other first-tier experts.

Everyone else had fallen victim.

”You bastards! Stop this at once!”

Yuwen Chi roared in fury. His own people from the Fire Cloud Sect were actually killing each other.

”It’s no use. The Blood Bell Flower has already invaded their bodies,” Liu Bingxue said.

”Damn it, the Fire Cloud Sect has already lost one batch of experts. Are we going to lose another today?”

Yuwen Chi’s eyes burned with rage. Just then, his gaze fell upon three figures, and a murderous glint instantly flashed in his eyes.

SIZZLE.

Flames erupted from his body as he lunged forward to kill.

BANG—! With a loud explosion, the three figures were sent flying back.

”Yuwen Chi, what do you think you’re doing?”

Tang Lin and his two companions stared at Yuwen Chi, shocked and furious.

”Do you even need to ask? Your Yanyue Sect and my Fire Cloud Sect are like fire and water. Today, I’ll personally bury the younger generation of the Yanyue Sect and send it into complete decline!”

As Yuwen Chi spoke, he slapped his large hand forward. Flames condensed into a palm that struck out, causing the very air to boil like water.

”Form the array!”

Tang Lin and his companions knew the gap in power between themselves and Yuwen Chi. They immediately activated the Three Talents Golden Lock Formation, joining their power to fight back.

”Oh? There’s something to this Battle Array. Hand it over, and I’ll give you a quick death.”

”In your dreams!”

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG—

Soon, dozens of moves had been exchanged.

The pressure on Tang Lin’s group mounted. The Three Talents Golden Lock Formation could only let them contend with a young titan temporarily; they couldn’t hold out forever.

”How much longer can you last?” Yuwen Chi sneered, striking out once more.

PFFT.

The three of them coughed up blood in unison as their Battle Array was broken.

”Today is the day you die.”

”If you dare kill us, the Ninth Elder will never let you go!”

”That little brat? If he dares to show his face in front of me, I’ll crush him with one hand,” Yuwen Chi laughed heartily.

Far away, in the dark space, a pair of eyes watched everything unfold.

’Go on, kill each other. You lowly members of the Human Race will all become my blood-food.’