Daoist Competition

By normal reasoning, his thoughts did hold some merit. Moreover, unlike Guo Nanxing, all his Cave Mansion disciples were here; if they were exterminated, his efforts from the past hundred years would be completely wasted, which added to his growing doubts.

After weighing his options, he figured that since the Mingcang Sect had already learned of his actions and sent their Top Ten Disciples to hunt him down, that small demon cave would be off-limits in the future. He needed to swiftly take down Zhang Yan and then leave this place with his disciples—this would be the wisest decision.

He had also considered turning around and fleeing right now, but Zhang Yan’s sword ball, which he clearly saw, made him hesitate. If he simply ran away, losing face would be the least of his worries—his disciples might be massacred by the opponent, something he would absolutely never allow.

Thus, he had no choice but to engage in battle first. Even if he couldn’t kill Zhang Yan, he needed to weaken him enough to prevent pursuit.

He carefully calculated in his heart, noting that Zhang Yan had the Mystical Hand protecting him externally and the sword ball shielding him internally, both offensive and defensive feats. If it were him alone, taking Zhang Yan down in a short amount of time would indeed be difficult. With that in mind, he cast a glance at Guo Nanxing, who immediately understood his intent and nodded in response.

Following this, Yu Gu She let out a mighty yell, shook his body, and seven Blood Essences emerged from him, arranged like soldiers into left and right formations.

However, these Blood Essences appeared faceless and blurry, their bodies resembling shadows, giving off only glowing blood light.

Since obtaining the small demon cave more than twenty years ago, Yu Gu She had refined a total of twelve Blood Essences. Although none were as solidified as the Main Soul, their effectiveness in harming enemies was still considerable. Now, wanting to defeat Zhang Yan, he brought out the majority of his resources.

When his disciples saw this display, they immediately understood their master was fighting desperately. They too shouted in unison, releasing their own Blood Essences.

Guo Nanxing let out a wild laugh, unwilling to fall behind. He shook his body, emitting red light that scattered, releasing six Blood Essences.

Behind him, his disciples mimicked his actions. Soon, amidst the Heavenly Clouds, more than twenty Blood Essences were flying and hovering, emitting sharp, piercing screams that created an overwhelmingly terrifying scene.

Yu Gu She dared not underestimate Zhang Yan, fearing this might still not be enough to defeat him. Therefore, he formed an eerie hand gesture and began chanting a spell.

In just a blink, a Dharma Treasure flew out from his Cave Mansion. It was spindle-shaped, round-headed and bulky, but upon closer inspection, appeared to be a blood-colored fluid clumped together, viscous and oppressive, reeking heavily as it hurtled toward Zhang Yan.

When it came close, its contents became discernible—countless tiny blood insects, writhing and tangled together, densely packed, and incessantly squirming, enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

"Blood Line Golden Worms?"

Guo Nanxing’s face slightly changed color. He hadn’t expected his junior brother to have cultivated such a Dharma Treasure. While secretly feeling a sense of relief, he also experienced a surge of fear.

When Guo Nanxing initially came here, he didn’t harbor any goodwill. He had intended to absorb Yu Gu She’s disciples into his own. It was only after seeing Yu Gu She’s cultivation progress that he abandoned this notion. Thankfully, they hadn’t turned against each other earlier; otherwise, defending against such an artifact would have been impossible.

The blood insects, formed after cultivating the Blood Essence Skill, could devour flesh, erode Spirit Light, and defile Dharma Treasures. Normally, Yu Gu She’s cultivation would allow him to refine over three hundred of these insects—already an extraordinary feat.

However, years ago, a renowned master of the Blood Essence Sect devised a clever method. By using an exotic golden insect sourced from the South Cliff Continent as a surrogate, feeding it with underdeveloped blood insects, and finally selecting a leader insect for sacrificial refinement using Essence Blood, it could command an entire swarm of alien insects to attack enemies.

Although such golden insects, after being cultivated, were only a fraction as capable as regular blood insects and couldn’t be freely divided, assembled, or directed as seamlessly, their sheer numbers made them formidable nonetheless. Average cultivators stood little chance, often drained of Essence Blood and reduced to mangled bones in mere moments.

Still, Guo Nanxing silently speculated about the efforts involved in refining these exotic golden insects to such a degree. Yu Gu She must have consumed an immense number of devils during the process to achieve this level.

Convinced more than ever, Guo Nanxing concluded that his junior brother had most certainly stumbled upon some secret Demon Cave. Yet, given the current situation, he had no time to inquire. He made up his mind to uncover this secret through questioning once Zhang Yan was eliminated.

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As Zhang Yan watched the Blood Line Golden Worms flying toward him, the stench filling the air made him nauseous even before they reached. Refusing to take any chances, Zhang Yan activated a spell, flipping the Xuanhuang Great Hand outward as a barrier.

In an instant, the two forces collided. With a loud "bang," the viscous mass burst apart, transforming into countless tiny golden-headed flying insects that shrieked and scattered across the skies.

These insects unfurled their wings as they flew, constantly screeching, swarming toward the Xuanhuang Great Hand and gnawing relentlessly.

Within moments, the great hand shrank significantly, while the blood insects swelled slightly. What had been shriveled forms now turned transparent, revealing the blood membranes on their wings more clearly, apparently absorbing the Essence Qi from the hand.

Seeing this, Zhang Yan shouted and activated Elixir Evil. The great hand momentarily shook and expanded, forcibly dispersing the blood insects. However, none were harmed. Like flies attracted to carrion, they buzzed wildly in the air before surging forward to attack the hand again, refusing to be repelled.

Guo Nanxing, seeing Zhang Yan entangled by the blood insects, naturally couldn’t resist exploiting the situation. He chuckled maliciously, and from within his Cave Mansion, his True Body opened its eyes and retrieved a red gourd adorned with golden talismans. Biting off the stopper and pointing forward, the gourd flew out of the Cave Mansion, arriving at the mountaintop.

His Blood Essences sensed the aura, immediately connecting with it. As the gourd inverted, plumes of black smoke spouted out initially as wisps before rapidly increasing in volume, seemingly endless. The smoke blanketed the entire mountain in darkness—wherever it passed, grass withered, trees decayed, and flowered plants perished—building a dense wall around Zhang Yan.

Behind him, Guo Nanxing’s disciples also seized the opportunity. Their Cave Mansion True Bodies activated various Dharma Treasures, launching attacks downward.

Yu Gu She’s senior disciple, Qian Yi, audaciously urged his two Blood Essences forward, hiding them stealthily within the thick smoke as he fixated on Zhang Yan’s form ahead. His cunning thoughts calculated the moment Zhang Yan exposed even the slightest vulnerability, he would pounce to consume Zhang Yan’s flesh and blood, nourishing his own cultivation.

...

...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)