"Dad, you must avenge me! Kill all those rebellious bastards!"
Halfway through their return journey, Fan Ling, the Young Sect Master of the Blood Sect, continuously spoke ruthless words to Fan Lao.
He had been lording over Mu Zhi City when suddenly, the entire city erupted into chaos. Everywhere, there were shouts of "kill the Blood Sect!" He had only managed to escape under the careful protection of the Blood Guards.
"This old man will certainly not let them off easy," Fan Lao said darkly. Practicing the Blood Dao cultivation method, he was cruel and bloodthirsty. Although he was a Dou Emperor, he didn't have a single Dou King under his command. If anything went wrong, his so-called Blood Sect would be utterly useless. This time, he was lucky; Fan Ling wasn't in the City Lord's Mansion, otherwise, he would have been dealt with by the Dou Kings who had targeted Mu Zhi City.
"Stop!"
Fan Lao, leading some of the men who had escaped with Fan Ling, suddenly halted in a valley. Two masses of blood-red clouds shot out from his remaining left arm. Silently, two powerful forces pierced directly through the blood clouds, and numerous auras appeared from all directions.
"Fan Lao, your good days are over!"
Shouts of "kill!" echoed from all around. Fan Lao's face darkened, while Fan Ling was completely stunned. They had been ambushed.
"Qingwang City, Wang Mang!"
Fan Lao stared at the person who had appeared before him, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes. Qingwang City's rise in the Black-Corner Region, attracting a large number of people due to its more stable order, had caused the most severe loss of resources for the chaotic Mu Zhi City, which was above a certain level of conflict.
The Blood Sect, known for its blood affinity and requiring blood refinement for cultivation, was inherently cruel and bloodthirsty. It had grievances with many factions in the Black-Corner Region. If not for Fan Lao's exceptional strength, they would have been besieged and eliminated long ago.
With the rise of Qingwang City, the Blood Sect suffered the greatest loss of population. Fan Lao naturally wouldn't let it go easily. Relying on his strength, he led his men into several conflicts with Qingwang City. He dared not act ruthlessly because of the Jia Nan Academy backing Qingwang City, but a feud had already been established between them.
However, he never expected Qingwang City to attack him at this time. Although he had taken the medicinal pills given by Han Feng, his injuries were still severe, and with the loss of an arm, his combat strength was less than fifty percent of its peak.
"Wang Mang, this Venerable is returning to Mu Zhi City today. I have no intention of getting entangled with you. Clear the path, and from now on, my Blood Sect and your Qingwang City will not interfere with each other!"
Fan Lao was unwilling to fight Qingwang City at this moment. Fighting now would only delay his return to quell the rebellion. He had already lost an arm, and if he lost Mu Zhi City, the Blood Sect's old lair, he feared there would be countless people ready to kick him while he was down.
"Fan Lao, you weren't like this when you were showing off your might! Now you're thinking of peace talks? Too late!!!"
Wang Mang let out a long cry. The elites of Qingwang City he brought with him surged forward, charging at the remaining Blood Sect forces, determined to keep Fan Lao and his group here permanently.
"Kill!"
Fan Lao roared grimly without the slightest hesitation. Formidable Dou Qi surged out from within his body. The powerful aura directly sent the leaves and debris on the nearby ground flying backward. He himself charged directly toward Wang Mang's position.
Accompanied by Fan Lao's roar, numerous remaining Blood Sect experts simultaneously drew their weapons. Dou Qi surged and circulated over their bodies, forming blood-red energy, and they charged towards the encircling Qingwang City elites.
Two torrents, one green and one red, collided fiercely. A ripple of energy, like a wave, burst forth from the point of contact.
The Blood Guards, their faces expressionless and fierce, swung their blades, filled with a bloody, murderous aura, without making a sound. The Qingwang City elites, on the other hand, circulated their Dou Qi to the extreme, their weapons making hissing sounds as they cut through the air, piercing shrewdly and viciously at the vital points of the Blood Sect warriors.
Neither side was ordinary. Not only were they powerful, but they were also clearly well-trained. As the two sides clashed, there was no loud noise, but a silent, life-and-death struggle was unfolding. Every now and then, there was a subtle thud of a sharp weapon piercing flesh, followed by blood spattering.
Here, Wang Mang merely took one of Fan Lao's moves before retreating. Fan Lao, who was about to give chase, suddenly recoiled as if shocked when he neared the dense forest.
He retreated to Fan Ling's side, blasted open a path with a palm strike, clearing out the Qingwang City forces there, then enveloped Fan Ling and more than a dozen of the most powerful Blood Guards.
"Blood Sect Blood Guards, escort the Young Sect Master out of the Black-Corner Region! This Sect Master will hold them back here!"
"Dad~~~"
Fan Ling was stunned and disoriented by Fan Lao's roar. Before he could react, the cold-faced Blood Guards beside him were already trying to take him away.
"Fan Lao, sending your son away now, don't you think it's too late?!"
Wang Mang attacked again. Suddenly, several figures darted out from the dense forest, each exuding a fierce aura. All of them were at least Tier 5 Magical Beasts, completely surrounding Fan Lao and his group.
Fan Lao said nothing. With a flick of his left hand, he conjured a mass of blood-red cloud, transforming himself into a sea of blood and charging towards Wang Mang.
"Hmph!!!"
Suddenly, a cold snort made the entire scene tremble. Fan Ling, who was about to be carried away from the battlefield by the Blood Guards, suddenly found his path blocked. A young man in green robes stood on the back of a giant eagle-like magical beast, coldly staring in their direction. Immediately after, a pure green Dou Qi streak swept over.
"Dad!"
Fan Ling was sent flying and then landed back in the center of the battlefield. Although he wasn't dead, his injuries were severe, with bloodstains all over his body.
The blood cloud coiled again, transforming into Fan Lao's figure. At this moment, he looked gravely at the newly appeared figure. The green-robed youth's aura was not weak, but compared to him, a five-star Dou Emperor, he should only be a low-level Dou King, not an opponent. Yet, from this youth, he felt an unprecedented threat. His instincts had always been accurate, so he dared not act rashly this time.
"Secret Technique: Dragon Transformation!!!"
Accompanying Yan Qingshan's low roar, a powerful aura surged around him. Streaks of light, like swimming dragons, intertwined and condensed on his body. His entire being was enveloped in a green glow, and purplish-green dragon patterns rapidly formed. His aura continuously grew stronger.
"Tidal Blood Sea!"
Fan Lao watched as Yan Qingshan's aura rapidly transformed from a low-star Dou King to a state infinitely close to Dou Emperor within an extremely short time. The fear and unease in his heart made him choose to act. He transformed into a sea of blood and directly swept towards Yan Qingshan.
"Wood Attracting Lightning, Rolling Heavenly Thunder!!!"
Fan Lao, who had transformed into a sea of blood, failed to hit Yan Qingshan immediately. Instead, Yan Qingshan's figure rapidly shot up into the sky, creating shifting winds and changing clouds a hundred zhang (approximately 333 meters) high. Dark clouds quickly gathered, and lightning and thunder continuously flashed in the sky.
"Roar~~~"
Amidst an inexplicable roar that sounded like a dragon's cry, endless lightning power was drawn and gathered around Yan Qingshan. The green glow became even more intense. Following a flash of bright light, Yan Qingshan's figure disappeared, replaced by a thunderous green dragon roaring downwards.
A giant, profound dark vortex rapidly spun in the sky, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring, and wind howling. Below the lightning was a continuously expanding sea of blood. As countless bolts of thunder descended, a green dragon bobbed and weaved within the sea of blood, growing increasingly powerful.
The pervasive sea of blood began to churn the moment the green dragon entered it. The foul stench rapidly dissipated, and the dense sea of blood became thinner. Even within the sea of blood, Fan Lao's extremely furious roars could faintly be heard.
Fan Lao was indeed unlucky. His Blood Sea offensive was his signature move, which he relied on to run rampant in the Black-Corner Region. Once unleashed, he could conceal his form, and within it, both his Dou Qi recovery and other aspects could be greatly amplified.
Having roamed the Black-Corner Region for many years, he had accumulated quite a few enemies, but most of them helplessly retreated in the face of his Blood Sea. But now, this Blood Sea encountered nearly inexhaustible lightning power.
The sinister Blood Sea, encountering the powerful, masculine force of lightning, was like a mouse seeing a cat, having little power to resist. Although Fan Lao was a Dou Emperor expert, against Yan Qingshan, the combat power he could unleash was probably only comparable to that of an ordinary Dou King expert.
"Blood Spear Pierces Heaven!"
As the sea of blood grew thinner, Fan Lao finally could no longer bear it and let out a low roar. A blood spear, half a zhang (approx. 1.67 meters) in size, shot out from within. Wherever the blood spear passed, space trembled, and the sharp wind was almost clearly audible throughout the entire mountain stronghold.
"What's the use of making a last stand? It's better to calmly accept destruction."
Yan Qingshan raised his hands, and countless lightning bolts intertwined. As he flew into the sea of blood, the sea of blood immediately began to churn wildly. The sounds of combat continuously echoed from within. Moments later, as an energy ripple spread, the entire sea of blood was completely dispersed.
The blood sea dissipated, and two figures slowly reappeared. Yan Qingshan was fine except for slightly rapid breathing. Fan Lao, on the other hand, had his robes completely shattered, and fresh blood continuously dripped from his remaining left hand.
Clearly, in the previous confrontation, Fan Lao had been completely at a disadvantage. Fan Lao's gaze, like a venomous snake, stared intently at Yan Qingshan, his heart filled with unwillingness. If not for the sudden events of today, he wouldn't have been in such a sorry state.
"Your strength is indeed very strong, but if you want to kill me, it won't be that easy!"
A strange smile suddenly appeared on Fan Lao's face. The hand seals he formed abruptly changed, and immediately, a mouthful of fresh blood spurted from his mouth. As the blood dispersed, Fan Lao's figure eerily vanished from his original spot.
"Want to leave? Have you asked my One Thought, Flowers Bloom?!"
Petals suddenly fluttered in mid-air, and the green dragon, formed by countless lightning bolts, rapidly split into several, chasing after Fan Lao in various directions.
Streaks of green dragon light and shadow attacked from all directions, engulfing Fan Lao and his son. Already at the end of their rope, how could they resist? They were ultimately completely crushed by the endless power of the surging crowd.
"What exactly are you?!"
Fan Lao looked at Yan Qingshan, who had dissipated his green light and transformed into human form. Blood continuously seeped from the corner of his mouth, and he himself was extremely weak. But at this moment, he desperately wanted to know who had defeated him.
Yan Qingshan calmly spoke, "I am Yan Qingshan, a student of the Jia Nan Academy. At the same time, I am also the Green King (Qing Wang) of Qingwang City in the Black-Corner Region. Everything that happened today was for my safety."