Under the blood moon's luminescence, the short dark grey sword emanated a bloody crystalline brilliance. Dark flowing blood patterns intertwined, its aura burgeoning violently.
Chen Yu, with his heart unleashing the cultivation technique, channeled all his burgeoning strength and internal breath into this mid-grade poisonous treasure sword.
Lu Zhuo, having been closely approached, felt a trace of fatal chill.
He had just been bitten by the Iron Moon Strange Insect, leaving a slight gap and unable to dodge.
All Lu Zhuo could do was to enhance his own protection.
A layer of bluish-purple light film emerged from his beast skin, encasing his whole body, particularly guarding the vital areas of his upper body.
Chen Yu suddenly lowered his stance and didn't stab toward the common vital points like Lu Zhuo's head, throat, or heart,
Which were the very points he heavily guarded.
A dark residual shadow flickered as the Dark Snake Sword slashed across Lu Zhuo's left leg.
The beast skin armor on Lu Zhuo's body was not of full-body type.
Being a high-grade treasure, once fully activated, the energy layer formed could protect the whole body.
Protection in areas without the armor itself was somewhat weaker by two to three tenths.
The bluish-purple light film on Lu Zhuo's left leg was torn open by the Dark Snake Sword, the dull black-iron patterns on his skin, flickering dimly, finally being sliced open.
This sword cut only grazed the flesh, not even amounting to a minor injury.
Yet a smug smile crossed Chen Yu's face.
He rolled on the ground, swiftly dodging an attack from a puppet behind him.
Lu Zhuo felt a numb stiffness in his left leg as the virulent poison began to corrode his entire body.
Lu Zhuo's complexion drastically changed, his body swaying, the wounded leg darkening with a bruise-purple tinge.
"Hmph, the intense poison of this sword, after several enhancements, even one struck during Postnatal Qi Transformation would hardly escape unscathed."
Chen Yu sneered inwardly.
If Lu Zhuo had been at his peak, with vigorous Bloodline Power, this sword strike of his might not have succeeded.
But now his Bloodline Power was nearly depleted, and his defensive strength sharply reduced by thirty to forty percent.
Chen Yu had learned from past lessons; this time, he aimed for the leg.
During that incident in Beishan Spirit Garden, he wounded Shangguan Qi's arm with one strike, expecting him to be undoubtedly dead.
However, Shangguan Qi amputated his arm and barely survived.
"Tsk tsk, if you amputate a leg yourself, you might still stabilize the rampant poison."
Chen Yu smiled sinisterly.
That would mean losing much of his mobility. How could he continue to fight?
Lu Zhuo's face turned a deathly pale yet retained his calm, immediately swallowing a special black elixir.
A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Yu's eyes.
After a few moments, Lu Zhuo's poison had not yet attacked his heart?
Lu Zhuo possessed a robust Bloodline Body, perhaps like him, having a strong resistance to deadly poison.
Chen Yu rushed forward, the Dark Snake Sword striking again under the glow of the blood moon, its attack force enough to intimidate anyone undergoing Postnatal Qi Transformation.
Lu Zhuo defended passively, letting the puppet block most of the onslaught.
He kept a vigilant expression, strictly guarding against sneak attacks from the Iron Moon Strange Insect.
In a short time, Chen Yu found it difficult to replicate his initial success.
"The Detoxification Secret Pill I just took has only neutralized thirty to forty percent of the poison. Once my Bloodline Power is completely drained..."
Lu Zhuo became even more anxious inside.
He was mainly relying on the remnant Bloodline Power to suppress and neutralize some of the poison.
He had only two paths left.
To flee, or to fight to the death?
He had just killed Chen Yu's fellow disciple, inciting a strong murderous intent in him.
His mobility was reduced due to the leg poisoned; if he fled, his puppet's movement and defense would show flaws.
Fleeing would mean certain death!
"I can only break the cauldrons and sink the boats in one battle…"
Lu Zhuo took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with a grim ferocity.
He pointed rapidly at over a dozen spots on his body.
From Lu Zhuo's Bloodline, a majestic force was unleashed, his eyes emitting a terrifying divine light.
Instantly, the dark iron patterning on Lu Zhuo's body brightened once more, his Bloodline Power returning to its peak condition.
"This is..." Chen Yu's face changed.
Then, the intense poison in Lu Zhuo's leg was swiftly suppressed, his figure swaying as he charged at Chen Yu aggressively.
Lu Zhuo's arm, as stout as black iron, was wrapped in a deep dark aura, like a rampant black iron wild boar charging at Chen Yu up close.
Chen Yu switched to his Xuan Heavy Sword, swiping with a crescent moon-like brilliant silver arc, also unleashing a limit-breaking strike.
The dark aura clashed with the silver arc, and both figures retreated simultaneously.
Chen Yu stepped back a few paces, while Lu Zhuo was forced back by about ten meters.
A large puppet lunged from another side, slashing a dazzling blood arc.
Chen Yu hastily retreated, a "Ding" sound resounding as a shallow blood trace was left on his abdominal area.
The puppet's attack force was comparable to the Postnatal Middle Stage.
Luckily, Chen Yu's swift reaction allowed him to avoid the main attack, only enduring fifty to sixty percent of the residual force.
Lu Zhuo and the puppet, from left and right, rapidly lunged again at Chen Yu.
After the recovery of his Bloodline Power, Lu Zhuo was able to control the puppet while simultaneously deploying about eighty percent of his own strength.
Together, they would make anyone undergoing Postnatal Qi Transformation recoil.
"It's unwise to fight head-on."
Chen Yu's mind tensed, quickly retreating into the main hall.
The geographic environment inside this hall was more familiar to him, which was an advantage.
Lu Zhuo's coordination with the puppet was imperfect; the puppet's defense was strong, but its movements, compared to two individuals, were somewhat clumsy.
If Chen Yu did not directly confront but rather used evasive maneuvers, he could protect himself.
Lu Zhuo, mad with the pursuit, gritted his teeth.
He activated his bloodline potential through a secret technique, restoring himself to his peak condition, but the cost was immense.
He would lapse into weakness, his strength reduced by over half, and his bloodline power would be depleted for at least half a month.
Swoosh! Swish, swish!
Three figures closely followed without giving up, quickly entering the depths of the great hall.
The puppet's speed was a beat or two slower than the two humans; as long as Chen Yu did not confront them head-on, he wouldn't have to face both a person and a puppet at the same time.
"What is this place?"
Lu Zhuo entered the great hall, his face alert.
A breathtakingly majestic statue of a woman, ten zhang tall, dressed in a Lotus Blood Robe, exuded a cold loftiness that seemed to disdain the world.
"So this is the place..." Lu Zhuo mused thoughtfully.
Under the statue of the Blood Robed Woman, a strikingly cold and beautiful young girl was sitting cross-legged, dressed in a Blood Lotus Skirt just like the statue.
Chen Yu hardly recognized the girl.
Upon close inspection, one of the stone cabinets where the Lotus Blood Robe had been stored was open and empty.
The Lotus Blood Robe on Tong Yuling's body was the very same one from the stone cabinet.
"Hand over the Blood Soul Flower."
Lu Zhuo, seeing the seated Tong Yuling, his eyes lit up.
He remembered this woman was not a top disciple of the three sects; she was now sitting in front of the statue, apparently circulating her cultivation technique.
Lu Zhuo, dropping the crafty and troublesome Chen Yu, led his puppet to attack Tong Yuling.
Chen Yu felt a chill in his heart and spun around to go and rescue Tong Yuling.
Tong Yuling opened her cold, deep eyes; the blood lotus mark on her forehead shimmered with a glistening blood luster.
Tong Yuling emitted an aura not weaker than that of someone in the Postnatal Qi Transformation stage, though it was strangely cold and unfamiliar.
A bloody afterimage flickered, and Tong Yuling disappeared from her spot.
The puppet's giant sword swung, missing its target entirely.
Lu Zhuo was shocked, and so was Chen Yu, who was en route.
Tong Yuling's cultivation had reached the limits of the Organ Refining Stage, with a hint of True Qi flickering within her breath fluctuations.
The Blood Lotus Skirt on Tong Yuling burst into a flurry of blood lotus shadows, and she astonishingly leapt into the air.
An overwhelming pressure radiated from her.
"How is this possible... are you really..."
Lu Zhuo seemed to realize something, fear apparent on his face.
Tong Yuling, engulfed in a swarm of bloody lotus shadows, collided with Lu Zhuo.
Lu Zhuo was sent flying, spitting a mouthful of blood; his skin's purple-black membrane shattered greatly.
After striking that blow, a moment of pallor crossed Tong Yuling's face as she murmured, "This body's foundation is far too weak..."
This scene caught Lu Zhuo's eye.
With gritted teeth, Lu Zhuo quickly maneuvered his puppet to attack Tong Yuling.
"What are you dazed for? Leave the puppet to me, handle him..."
Tong Yuling's icy gaze swept past Chen Yu.
Chen Yu was startled.
Leave the puppet to her to deal with? Knowing that, when it came to a straight fight, the puppet was slightly stronger than Lu Zhuo.
But since she had spoken thus, Chen Yu did not object.
Chen Yu picked up the Xuan Heavy Sword, unleashing a breeze-like delicate silver sword maelstrom, and charged at Lu Zhuo.
That seemingly feather-light silver sword maelstrom forced Lu Zhuo back, his lips dripping with a trace of blood.
Chen Yu was greatly surprised; why had Lu Zhuo weakened?
Turning his head, he got a shock.
On the other side, "Tong Yuling" had transformed into a ghostly bloody shadow, darting around the puppet.
"Tong Yuling" reached out a fragile jade finger, pressing several times on certain joints of the puppet.
On each press, the puppet's frame shuddered.
This unfamiliar "Tong Yuling" had a way to specifically curb the puppet, distracting much of Lu Zhuo's attention.
Lu Zhuo was already injured by Tong Yuling's earlier hit, and now diverted in managing the puppet, his strength was only about sixty to seventy percent of his prime.
Under such circumstances, Chen Yu naturally showed no mercy, beating the proverbial drowning man.
Lu Zhuo, under Chen Yu's fierce offensive, vomited blood—the blood was dark purple, tainted with poison.
The poison had backfired!
Seeing Lu Zhuo's unsteady form, Chen Yu was overjoyed.
Just as Lu Zhuo was about to pull something else from his storage bag, his foot hurt again, and he screamed.
The Iron Moon Strange Insect attacked once more!
This time, the Iron Moon Strange Insect's entire body shimmered with blood luster; its biting power greatly increased, almost on par with the Postnatal Qi Transformation stage.
It seemed to have digested the earlier chunk of the Blood Soul Bud it had bitten, significantly boosting its strength.
A remnant shadow wind struck Lu Zhuo's face, and Chen Yu bodied him out of the air, his internal injuries and virulent poison acting up simultaneously.
As Lu Zhuo was midair, just trying to flip over.
Chen Yu roared, soaring into the air, twisting his opponent's arm behind his back and pressing his head vigorously downwards.
Lu Zhuo's head hit the floor of the hall hard, blooming painfully, a wave of dizziness washing over him.
Chen Yu exerted tremendous force; with a "crack," he first broke Lu Zhuo's arms.
Lu Zhuo let out a mournful scream, followed by a snap in his neck, losing consciousness, his consciousness sinking into darkness.
His head had been brutally twisted off by Chen Yu's raw strength.
"This method really works..."
Chen Yu exhaled deeply.
This primitive method of killing proved more effective than attacking Lu Zhuo's hard shell with swords.
Thump! Thump thump! Thump thump thump!
Chen Yu's heart was still in explosion mode.
Chen Yu realized something was amiss; why hadn't he stopped from this state yet?
He felt a strange suction force emanating from the center of his heart.
And then, an astonishing scene unfolded.
The blood within the dead body of Lu Zhuo surged, seeping through the skin, forming a deep black blood crystal stream that "whooshed" into Chen Yu's body.