“One at the peak of the eighth level, two at the middle stage of the eighth level, and five at the seventh level!” Chen Fan’s pupils shrank when he saw this group of people.
He was strong enough to exchange a few moves with a Qi Grandmaster like Sun Wenshan, but that didn’t mean he could fight so many people alone.
Moreover, each of these individuals exuded nefarious qi, indicating their ruthlessness. They were not to be underestimated.
Although he felt uneasy around them, he wasn't afraid.
“What did you call out to me ?” Chen Fan asked calmly.
“Kid, cut the nonsense and come with us,” said the leading man, the only person with a peak eighth-level cultivation.
He had caught Chen Fan putting away a few shining objects from afar. They were obviously treasures.
However, he refrained from mentioning it, not wanting to back Chen Fan into a corner and risk him fleeing.
The leading man could see the skinned Golden Scaled Rhinoceros nearby. Despite having a seventh-level cultivation, Chen Fan had killed the beast, so he wasn’t sure his group could stop him from fleeing.
“Come with you... to where?” Chen Fan asked, frowning.
“Come with us to meet Sir Blood Shirt,” said the leading man coldly.
Chen Fan wanted to refuse at first.
Initially inclined to refuse, Chen Fan reconsidered upon seeing the icy gazes, the palpable killing intent, and the ferocious demeanor of the group. He realized that a refusal might result in immediate attacks from all sides.
Although he wasn’t afraid, he was smart enough to know that escaping wouldn’t be easy.
Furthermore, he wanted to see who exactly was this so-called “Sir Blood Shirt.”
“Alright, I’ll go with you guys. Lead the way,” Chen Fan said, nodding.
As they set off, Chen Fan was positioned in the middle of the group, as they feared that he might run away.
Chen Fan smiled coldly in his heart, keen to discover the intentions of this group.
The group ran straight to a valley about a dozen miles away.
Before they entered the valley, a nauseating stench of blood wafted out.
“Hurry up and go in, kid!” one of the men with seventh-level cultivation suddenly pushed Chen Fan, scolding him.
They were finally barring their savage fangs.
Chen Fan furrowed his brow. A cold glint shone in his eyes. However, he refrained from retaliating. Instead, he walked into the valley.
Once he entered the valley, Chen Fan’s pupils shrank violently.
As he stepped into the valley, Chen Fan's pupils violently contracted.
He could see the entirety of the valley at a glance. At the innermost area, there was a massive blood pool, churning and bubbling with surges of blood qi, casting the surrounding air into a blood-red mist.
Several silhouettes could be seen next to the blood pool.
However, these figures were all tied up and kneeling on the ground. Their necks had been sliced open, and their fresh blood streamed into the blood pool.
Surrounding them were densely packed human bones.
Some skeletons were pitch-black, obviously dead for a very long time.
Blood had congealed in the middle of the blood pool to form a blood altar.
A demon-like youth sat on the fresh blood altar, wearing a bloody shirt. He was devouring large amounts of qi and blood energy.
Chen Fan’s heart twitched violently, realizing the youth was using human blood to cultivate.
White bones littered the surrounding ground, a testament to the countless lives lost in this tragedy.
Chen Fan could even sense a mass of resentment gathering in this valley, which could evolve into an evil spirit in the decades or centuries to come.
The youth in a bloody shirt opened his eyes and looked at Chen Fan. His expression screamed displeasure as he said, “Hmm? Why did you only capture one guy?”
“Reporting to Sir, few people are showing up in the vicinity, so we only managed to bring one person back. If we were to expand our search area and continue capturing many people, we’d likely draw the attention of the four great sects,” said the leading man respectfully.
This man in a bloody shirt was “Sir Blood Shirt.” He frowned slightly and said, “Bring him here. It’s better than nothing.”
“Quickly get moving, kid. To become Sir’s blood sustenance is your fortune cultivated from eight lifetimes!” That seventh-level martial artist from before pushed Chen Fan.
Chen Fan had realized by now that this group captured people in the vicinity, brought them back here, and killed them to collect their blood for Sir Blood Shirt's cultivation.
Now, he was on his way to become Sir Blood Shirt’s next meal.
Chen Fan suddenly turned around. Killing Wind appeared in his hand, turned into a lightning bolt, and cleaved the seventh-level practitioner who had shoved him.
“Undefeated King’s Fist!”
Summoning a second head and a pair of arms that struck out with incredible force, he swiftly dispatched three opponents before they could even react.
Chen Fan used the Thunderclap Sword next, slashing the man with peak eighth-level cultivation.
However, this man was experienced and reacted in time. He sacrificed a hand to block Chen Fan’s lethal attack and quickly retreated.
In a series of explosive confrontations, five of the eight men were killed, and two were left seriously injured. Only one man, with cultivation at the middle stage of the eighth level, managed to react in time and retreat. He was tens of meters away but was utterly shocked. Chen Fan didn’t try to pursue and attack the man.
Sir Blood Shirt was a Qi Grandmaster, and his aura was quite a bit stronger than Sun Wenshan’s. He was likely cultivating here with human blood to enter the Yuanfu realm.
Chen Fan immediately used his Ghostly Shadow Steps and turned to run.
Now that he had killed off many of Sir Blood Shirt’s followers, it would become much harder for him to capture people to cultivate.
Sir Blood Shirt also reacted to the situation and exclaimed, "You’re seeking death!"
Furious at the swift demise of his minions and the severe injuries inflicted on his strongest follower, Sir Blood Shirt's aura erupted. The blood altar blew up, along with everyone and everything by the blood pool. Even the white bones turned into powder.
Leaping into the air, Sir Blood Shirt chased after Chen Fan. A long, crimson whip made from primeval qi materialized in his hand.
“Blood Shadow Divine Whip!”
This cultivation technique was extraordinary; at the very least, it was a profound tier cultivation technique. It turned Sir Blood Shirt’s bloody qi into a long whip, like a blood dragon, lashing at the void and winding towards Chen Fan.
The blood whip sliced through the air, emitting a haunting sound akin to an ape's cry in the dead of night, its tragic resonance indescribable.
Chen Fan turned around and attacked again with his sword.
A thunderbolt tore through the air, colliding with the Blood Shadow Divine Whip. The strong impact made Chen Fan stumble; the shock made his arms numb.
So powerful! Chen Fan thought.
Despite being a Qi Grandmaster like Sun Wenshan, Sir Blood Shirt was much stronger than him. He had dislodged Killing Wind from Chen Fan’s hand with a single whip attack.
“He must be a peak stage Qi Grandmaster, and his cultivation technique is complex. His identity must be not simple. His strength is much higher than ordinary peak Qi Grandmasters. I’m in trouble.”
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Chen Fan steadied himself and used the momentum to flee the valley.