The sky filled with Blood Shadows, making it impossible to tell which were real and which were illusions.

Each Blood Shadow carried a boundless ferocity and a reek of blood that soared to the heavens, making one feel as if they were submerged in a Blood Sea, on the verge of suffocation.

The hairs on Bai Zichen’s body stood on end. A tangible killing intent, mixed with resentful wails, made him feel as if sharp thorns were pricking his back.

’What a terrifying Cultivation Technique. Any one of these Blood Shadows could solidify and deliver a fatal blow...’

He closed his eyes, his expression as calm as ever. Two streaks of Sword Light pulsed faintly, suspended before him.

Since his eyes couldn’t keep up, unable to distinguish illusion from reality, he decided not to use them at all.

His Heart Like a Bright Mirror, he extended his Divine Sense. Every scene within a one-hundred-and-sixty-zhang radius centered on him was reflected in the lake of his mind.

As his Divine Sense had grown stronger, the range reflected in his mind’s bright mirror had expanded with it.

From this unique perspective, as long as he focused his will, the movements of the Blood Shadows all slowed down.

Even the Blood Shadows’ bizarre Divine Techniques, which allowed them to flicker in and out of existence, would be preceded by a faint red glow, revealing their next point of appearance.

The Sword Light flashed, and one Blood Shadow after another exploded like popping balloons.

Strangely, it was as if the Blood Shadows were deliberately flying into the Sword Light, not dodging at all, as though they had all agreed to put on a show.

’The advantage of my Divine Sense combined with Heart Like a Bright Mirror truly has endless uses in combat.’

Bai Zichen grew more relaxed as he fought, his Sword Light flowing freely and naturally, without a trace of worldly effort.

In just a few moments, dozens of Blood Shadows had been reduced to a mere handful, which abruptly retreated to a safe distance.

The Blood Shadows merged, and Mo Changzhi reappeared. There wasn’t a single sword wound on him, though his form seemed to ripple with flowing blood.

However, the bloody aura on his face was clearly much fainter, and his entire being radiated weakness.

’Impossible! After comprehending Blood Escape, no one in the same realm should be able to track me...’

Mo Changzhi’s voice was shrill, his confidence shattered.

Since childhood, he had been regarded as the true heir of the Fire Phoenix Mo Family. Not only was his aptitude outstanding, but he had also been able to control the negative effects of the Fire Phoenix Bloodline even before reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage.

After becoming a disciple of Blood God True Man, he learned the peerless Hundred Demons Blood Sea Technique. He then sacrificed the Fire Phoenix Bloodline his family was so proud of in exchange for the first upgrade to his Cultivation Technique’s grade.

His mastery of the Blood Escape’s speed ranked him in the top five among Blood God True Man’s hundreds of disciples.

Normally, an Escape Technique was a Tier Three Magic that only a Core Formation True Man could comprehend and master.

Only the most top-level Cultivation Techniques would include an Escape Technique, allowing a Cultivator to master it ahead of time.

Among all Escape Techniques, Blood Escape was considered one of the most bizarre and difficult to counter, second only to mysterious arts like Star Escape, Cloud Escape, and so on.

How could Mo Changzhi not be shocked when a Cultivator of the same realm had seen through it so easily and broken it with a mere flick of his wrist?

"So it’s the Blood Escape Technique, using blood as a medium to traverse the void... A pity your cultivation of it is so lacking!"

Bai Zichen had, of course, heard of the famous Blood Escape.

The Taiyin Star Escape Talisman in his storage bag, his life-saving trump card, sealed a similarly wondrous Escape Technique.

Once activated, he could use the light of the Taiyin Star to escape a hundred li away.

It wasn’t limited to nighttime use; starlight existed in broad daylight as well, just invisible to the naked eye.

The brilliant Sword Light was both magnificent and terrifying. A sound like wind and thunder accompanied its jade-like hum, as he now fully revealed his Sword Qi Thunder Sound Realm.

He had no plans to leave Black Mountain to travel anytime soon, so it didn’t matter if he exposed his Sword Qi Thunder Sound Realm.

It would only serve as further proof of Bai Zichen’s genius Sword Cultivator halo.

Besides, his true trump card was to detonate his Glazed Body, transform into a reckless brute, and crush all enemies with his tyrannical physique.

The price was merely one year of recuperation and three years of re-cultivating. When it came to a life-or-death moment, it was a price he could afford to pay.

"Sword Qi Thunder Sound..."

Mo Changzhi already wanted to retreat. His Hundred Demons Blood Sea Technique was profound, and after transforming into a Blood Shadow, he was fearless of attacks from Spiritual Artifacts.

The Rainbow Feather Robe he wore was a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact passed down in the Mo Family. It was rumored to be an Exotic Treasure that the Ancestor who founded their branch of the Fire Phoenix Mo Family had obtained in a Secret Realm.

With the Rainbow Feather Robe, not only could he make his body as light as a feather, but he could also nullify over seventy percent of all Tier Two Five Elements Magic.

The Hundred Demons Blood Sea Technique combined with the Rainbow Feather Robe—this combination was the foundation of Mo Changzhi’s confidence in daring to barge into Black Mountain.

He feared no one below the level of a Core Formation True Man.

If he couldn’t win, he could still escape.

His plan was to drain the heart’s Essence Blood from enough Foundation Establishment Cultivators, break through to the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, and flee far away long before the Qingfeng Sect decided to report the matter to a Core Formation True Man.

But this young Sword Cultivator from the Qingfeng Sect had a strange swordsmanship, and he could predict the landing spots of his Blood Escape.

Moreover, every time a Blood Shadow clone was slain, it left behind a sharp Sword Qi.

When Mo Changzhi reabsorbed the shattered Blood Shadows, the Sword Qi accumulated within him, feeling like countless sharp little knives scraping away at his insides.

PTUI!

He spat out a mouthful of blood, which fell as a rain of gore, forming a great net to meet the brilliant Sword Light.

SWOOSH!

The Sound Bamboo Sword sliced through the rain of blood, emerging as pristine as ever. Not a single drop of blood stained its brilliant Sword Light.

The cultivation techniques of the Blood Demon Sect were exceptionally good at defiling treasures. Doused with their blood, a treasure’s power would diminish at best; at worst, it would grow dim and become unusable for a short period.

Naturally, Bai Zichen wasn’t about to test whether his Sound Bamboo Sword could withstand being defiled by the blood.

The instant the Sword Light split the rain of blood, he executed the "Zhen" technique recorded in the True Enlightenment Sword Techniques.

In the span of a finger-snap, the Sound Bamboo Sword vibrated nearly a thousand times, using a clever force to fling off the blood, achieving an effect where not even a single leaf could stick to it.

Watching the Flying Sword grow larger in his vision, Mo Changzhi was scared out of his wits.

That mouthful of defiled Essence Blood had been converted from the flesh and blood of cultivators he had devoured, mixed with dozens of poisons.

Even a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact would lose thirty percent of its power if struck by it.

It would have to be re-refined to recover.

But the Sword Light passed through the rain of blood, remaining pristine and white. Its Sword Qi soared to the heavens, shattering his understanding of the world.

"DUO!"

Mo Changzhi steeled his heart, tore open his own stomach with both hands, and pulled a Blood Pearl from the sea of blood within.

He spat a mouthful of his heart’s Essence Blood onto the Blood Pearl. This was the true Essence Blood that maintained his Blood Shadow state, not the defiled blood from before.

The Blood Pearl absorbed the Essence Blood, and a demonic, bloody wave flashed across its surface as it shot directly toward the brilliant Sword Light.

After a violent collision, the Blood Pearl merely trembled slightly, completely unharmed.

The Flying Sword didn’t feel like it had struck a hard object; instead, it felt like it had plunged into a boundless Blood Sea.

The Sword Light was like a clay ox entering the sea—it vanished without a ripple.

’A top-grade defensive Spiritual Artifact, or a Magical Treasure Embryo?’

A thought flashed through Bai Zichen’s mind. His will and actions synchronized, and a transparent Sword Light, like a venomous snake, stabbed out from the void.

This was his real killing move!

It was a tactic inspired by Meng Shigui: use the Sound Bamboo Sword as a diversion while the Willow Leaf Sword concealed its presence for an assassination strike.

The transparent Sword Light moved like a fleeting shadow. Under its influence, time and space themselves seemed to slow to a halt.

DING!

The Blood Pearl, despite moving later, arrived first, once again blocking the Sword Light’s path.

This time, however, the Blood Pearl shook, and a faint crack appeared—a spiderweb-thin fissure that one could only see by focusing intently.

’It really is a Magical Treasure Embryo!’ 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Bai Zichen understood now. Only a Magical Treasure Embryo, in its unique state of being not yet fully formed, could block his Sword Light before Mo Changzhi himself could even react.

It was similar to his own Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror, which possessed the quality of a Magical Treasure but was temporarily at the tier of a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact.

As long as it was nourished by Pill Qi, it could immediately display the might of a Magical Treasure.

With both sword strikes failing to connect, Bai Zichen remained unhurried. He sent the two streaks of Sword Light sweeping out again, striking from different angles.

"Damn you, you damaged my Blood Pearl!"

Mo Changzhi’s heart ached. This Blood Pearl was unique to the disciples of Blood God True Man. It required a Tier Three Demon Beast Inner Core as its nucleus and had to be personally refined by Blood God True Man for forty-nine days to take form.

By swallowing it into his Dantian, he was essentially starting to nourish his Lifebound Magical Treasure a hundred years ahead of schedule.

He only had to wait until the moment he reached Core Formation, and he could infuse his Divine Sense into the Blood Pearl to make it his Lifebound Magical Treasure.

If used prematurely during the Foundation Establishment Stage, the Blood Pearl could display a fraction of a Magical Treasure’s power, but it would severely damage the Pearl’s foundation.

No disciple of the Blood Demon Sect would do so except in a truly desperate, life-or-death struggle.

Mo Changzhi had offered up the cream of the Mo Family’s centuries of accumulated wealth just to get Blood God True Man to agree to refine this Blood Pearl for him.

But feeling the swift Sword Lights bombarding him from all directions, Mo Changzhi’s heart went cold with fear.

He knew that if he didn’t retreat now, he might truly suffer a devastating injury.

Besides, this was just some wet-behind-the-ears brat. Once his master was free, he could be extinguished with a wave of his hand.

Mo Changzhi consoled himself with this thought.

"Blood Demon, manifest!"

Mo Changzhi spat out another mouthful of Essence Blood. His main Blood Shadow flickered, growing almost transparent, and he became weak to the extreme.

He knew full well that even if he fled, he had to force his opponent back first. Otherwise, if he was pursued and had his clones continuously slain, his cultivation might fall all the way back to the Early-Stage Foundation Establishment.

The Blood Pearl shattered completely, and an intangible Blood Demon burst forth. The moment it appeared, a soaring evil intent and a bloody, malevolent Evil Qi radiated from it.

The bloody light flashed, appearing directly above Bai Zichen’s head and diving toward him.

If it hit, all that would be left of him was a sheet of human skin.

The Seven-Quartet Rosy Glow before him erupted with a blinding light. The Blood Demon passed through four consecutive layers of divine light before a milky-white curtain of light rose, grand and brilliant.

The moment the Blood Demon touched it, a wisp of black smoke appeared. It let out a piercing shriek and retreated a hundred zhang away.

’This is the one good thing about my Seven-Quartet Profound Bead—pure defense... Its seven Forbidden barriers are each designed for different purposes, allowing it to handle various enemies. This Great Brilliance Platinum Forbidden barrier is the perfect counter to the Blood Demon.’

Bai Zichen let out a slight sigh of relief. A circle of his pristine Sword Light immediately intercepted the Blood Demon.

At the same time, Mo Changzhi transformed into dozens of red silk ribbons that fluttered like butterflies, scattering in different directions to escape.

"Freeze!"

A beam of Moonlight fell, instantly immobilizing all the red silk ribbons. At the same time, a clear light swept over them, turning many of the ribbons to ash.

It was the slower-flying Longx Longx, who had finally arrived. She had used her Moonlight Spiritual Artifact to immobilize Mo Changzhi, who had fused the properties of his Blood Escape Technique and his Rainbow Feather Robe.

"Quick, activate the Purifying Evil Demon Talisman! It can break his magic!"

Hearing this, Bai Zichen immediately threw the Purifying Evil Demon Talisman dozens of zhang ahead of the red ribbons.

He could see that the Moonlight had only immobilized the ribbons for an instant, and they were already breaking free.

Qi Yue’s handsome face turned bright red with shame.

He had been intimidated by Mo Changzhi’s bizarre Blood Dao Technique; with a simple gesture, his own blood had begun to boil out of control, and he had only dared to hide defensively within the Divine Wood transformed from his Spiritual Artifact.

In a flash of action, the Blood Dao Demon Cultivator was sent fleeing in disarray under Junior Brother Bai’s sword, while he himself had just been watching from the sidelines.

As if waking from a dream, he now unleashed all the Primordial Yang Divine Thunder around his body.

In an instant, a Thunderbolt Ocean formed. Blue and red lightning flickered in and out of existence, carrying a terrifying, demon-slaying power of destruction that engulfed all the red ribbons.