Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 409 The Great Formation Breaks, the Crowd Gathers, Blood Mist Blocks the Path, Chaos Arises (1.6 words, Second Update!)

Seeing this scene.

Xu Chuan summoned the Blood Demon King once again.

“Swallow it,” Xu Chuan said calmly. “Its essence, blood, and demon core are all resources for your advancement to the fourth rank.”

The Blood Demon King let out an excited shriek and immediately transformed into a bloody shadow, rushing straight towards the dragon at the bottom of the ravine!
Even at its peak, this late-stage third-order dragon was no match for a half-step fourth-order ghost king, let alone now that it is already at its last gasp.

"Roar!"

The dragon roared in resentment, barely managing to gather its demonic power, and spewed out a stream of dark green poisonous fire.

However, the Blood Demon King easily dodged and pounced on it, beginning to absorb its essence and blood.

"woooooo"

The dragon's struggles grew weaker and weaker, and its massive body withered away at a visible rate.

The dark green scales lost their luster and turned gray and withered.

The plump flesh quickly withered, leaving only a layer of skin covering the bones.

Those once arrogant vertical pupils gradually dimmed and eventually lost their luster completely.

Several dozen breaths later.

The Blood Demon King swallowed its demon core and roared to the sky with satisfaction.

His body was filled with surging, boiling blood-red energy, and his aura was rising steadily!
Xu Chuan glanced at it and then put the dragon corpse into his storage ring.

After all, every part of a dragon is a treasure, and it shouldn't be wasted.

The entire corpse of a late-stage third-tier dragon is enough for Xu Deling to refine more than a dozen mid-to-low-grade magic weapons.

As for its essence, blood, demon core, and spirit, they could have been used to refine the Demon Spirit Pill.

However, in order to increase the chances of the Blood Demon King advancing, Xu Chuan could only keep feeding it high-quality food to strengthen its foundation.

"What a pity about the Zhao family."

Xu Mingxuan suddenly sighed.

"During the great calamity, the stronger one is, the more likely one is to perish first. On the contrary, those lone Foundation Establishment cultivators have a greater chance of survival."

If they can truly pull through, they might become the next Lei family, the Zhao family, or even the Cao family or the Sima family.

"Father, are you sure you'll give them a chance?" Xu Mingxuan smiled and said, "If they control a region like the Cao family and the Sima family, they'll just be entering another cycle."

Only with the guidance of my Xu family can we hope to avert this tragic end in the future.

Xu Chuan remained silent, only saying lightly, "Let's go, it's time to go to the capital. It's very lively there."

This place is only a little over a hundred miles away from the capital of Daliang.

Xu Chuan's divine sense could cover two hundred miles, allowing him to easily perceive the situation in the Great Liang Imperial City.

Within one or two hours that Ye Fan and his team broke through the city's protective formation.

Three more demonic cultivators from the Blackwater Domain arrived: one at the peak of the Golden Core stage and two at the late stage of the Golden Core stage.

Tens of thousands of demonic beasts and hundreds of thousands of wild beasts also poured into the city.

In a short period of time, hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people have lost their lives.

A distance of 100 miles.

For Xu Chuan and Xu Mingxuan, it was only the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

They arrived outside the imperial city.

The once majestic twelve city gate towers have been more than half collapsed.

The largest main gate tower was wiped out by some kind of terrifying magic, leaving only a charred crater several feet deep in its place.

The bottom of the pit still contained molten lava, hissing and emitting blue smoke.

On the city walls, the corpses of the defending soldiers were piled up like mountains.

There were mortal soldiers clad in armor and wielding spears, their faces torn apart by the monsters.

A Qi Refining cultivator who fought on a sword had his flying sword broken and his chest cavity pierced.

There were also martial artists at the Transcendent Realm who built a defensive line with their flesh and blood, perishing together with the demonic beasts, their severed limbs mixed together, indistinguishable from one another.

Blood flowed along the cracks in the city wall bricks, merging into the moat like a stream.

The once clear river water has turned dark red, and countless corpses, both human and monster, float on the surface.

Several water monsters were devouring the river, creating ripples of blood.

Within the city, flames of war raged.

The once bustling Qinglong Street is now a scene of utter devastation.

Shops on both sides were either burned down or collapsed, with silks, gold and silver utensils, ancient books and paintings scattered all over the ground, soaked in pools of blood.

A thousand-year-old civilization was destroyed in a single fire.

A magnificent carriage overturned in the middle of the street, its four horses already disemboweled.

The carriage was empty except for a pool of blood.

On a street corner, dozens of civilians were fleeing in terror.

Most of them were ordinary people with no cultivation, including men, women, young and old, wandering around like headless flies.

"Quick! Run towards the west gate! I heard that Master Cao is organizing a defense there!" a middle-aged man shouted hoarsely.

Before he finished speaking, the sky suddenly darkened.

The three-headed, late-stage Tier 1 Ironfeather Eagle swooped down, its wingspan spanning over ten feet, its iron-gray feathers as hard as armor.

Their beaks are sharp as hooks, and their claws are like knives.

With a single strike, he shattered the skulls of four people, their brains splattering out.

"what!"

The crowd erupted and scattered in all directions.

A hawk spotted a woman holding a baby and swooped down.

The woman desperately shielded her child, closed her eyes, and awaited death.

"You beast, how dare you!"

A sword light shot out from the side, accurately piercing Iron Feather Eagle's left eye and penetrating its skull.

The Iron Feather Eagle let out a miserable cry and crashed to the ground.

The one who made the move was a young man in blue robes, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining. He should be a member of some family.

His face was pale, and his hand holding the sword trembled slightly, but he gritted his teeth and stood in front of the woman: "Go quickly!"

The woman staggered to her feet and was about to thank him when her expression suddenly changed drastically: "Watch out!"

Behind the boy, another Ironfeathered Eagle had already pounced!
The sharp claws pierced through his chest.

The boy looked down at the eagle claw piercing his chest, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but suddenly turned around and with a sword, severed the Iron Feather Eagle's neck.

He fell to the ground alongside the eagle's corpse, his eyes gradually losing focus, his last words being a murmur: "Run, run!"

The woman, tears streaming down her face, continued to flee while clutching her baby.

East of the city.

A mansion covering a hundred acres, with the words "Chen Mansion" written on the gate plaque.

This is one of the foundation-building families of the Great Liang Imperial City.

At this moment, the protective formation of the Chen family mansion has been broken.

The shouts of battle echoed throughout the mansion, and flames soared into the sky.

But in front of a Golden Core demonic cultivator, even the Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Chen Clan was nothing more than an ant that could be easily killed.

Through soul searching, the demonic cultivator obtained the location of the treasure vault and how to open it.

He looted all of the Chen family's accumulated wealth over hundreds of years and then left triumphantly.

What remained was a mansion full of corpses and rivers of blood.

There was resistance everywhere, and there was also people fleeing everywhere.

Some sacrificed themselves to save mortals from monsters, while others pushed others into the monsters' mouths and fled into alleys.

An imperial city, showcasing both the brilliance and the baseness of humanity.

Xu Mingxuan felt that his heart was as hard as iron.

But seeing women and children about to be torn apart by the monster in front of him, he couldn't help but intervene.

Xu Chuan said calmly, "If you want to make a move, then do so. This is also a way to temper your mind."

But do not use magical artifacts; some are too unique and easily identifiable.

"Thank you, Father."

Xu Mingxuan is not Xu Chuan. If he does not act now, he may feel blocked in his mind, which will hinder his cultivation.

Of course, the most important thing is that killing these monsters is not crucial to the overall situation.

The two headed towards the palace.

Along the way, Xu Mingxuan rescued people whenever he could.

However, he wouldn't leave Xu Chuan's side to go to various parts of the capital to provide rescue.

If that's the case, Xu Chuan will probably scold him.

After all, Xu Mingxuan himself was only a Golden Core cultivator in the early stage, who had not yet completed a full year of Core Formation.

In such a catastrophe, everyone else is destined to be nothing more than an ant.

If he didn't have the Xu family backing him, he would only have a little power to protect himself.

If you act a little too recklessly, you'll die even faster than everyone else!
The Imperial Palace of the Great Liang Dynasty.

The elites of the Cao, Sima, and Liu families gathered here.

As for the other aristocratic families of the imperial city, they have already been abandoned by the Liu family.

At this moment, three demonic cultivators confronted Ye Fan and his two companions.

These three had just arrived in the capital of Daliang. Unlike other Golden Core demon cultivators who targeted Foundation Establishment families first, they went directly to the palace.

After all, all three of them are quite capable.

The leader was an elderly man with a hunched back, holding a skull cane.

His face was as thin as a skeleton, his eyebrows were green, and two clusters of eerie green flames flickered in his eye sockets. His aura was unfathomable, indicating that he had reached the peak of the Golden Core stage.

He was known as the Green-Eyebrowed Old Man.

To the left of the hunchbacked old man was a glamorous woman in a revealing red dress, her skin so smooth it seemed to break at a touch, exuding an alluring charm.

Her eyes held a captivating yet cruel allure. She cultivated the Joyful Union Path and was known as the Blood Charming Lady, reaching the late Golden Core stage.

The last person was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man who held a black iron-slaying sword. His face was indifferent, and there were three ferocious claw marks on his right eye. He was also at the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

All three were rogue cultivators from the Blackwater Domain.

When they first arrived, they clashed with Ye Fan and his two companions.

The two sides exchanged blows briefly.

Ye Fan fought alone against Madam Blood Charm and the middle-aged man with scars, while Xu Deyue fought against the old man with green eyebrows.

They fought for dozens of rounds.

Seeing that neither side could gain the upper hand, they all gave up, resulting in the current standoff.

If it were a third-tier demonic beast, it probably wouldn't be so simple.

"Fellow Daoists, what are your names?" The old man with green eyebrows asked in a sinister voice. "I am the old man with green eyebrows. This is Lady Blood Charm, and this is Xue Tiedao."

Ye Fan said, "My name is Zhang San."

"Li Si".

"Wang Wu."

Xu Deyue and Mei Yun spoke in turn.

The old man with green eyebrows listened with a slight ripple in his eyes. Although he suspected that Ye Fan and the others' names might be fake, he didn't care.

After all, these are just nicknames, not their real names.

They are also similar in nature.

“Fellow Daoist Zhang, if we remain in this stalemate, the situation will only become more chaotic once the others and the demonic beasts arrive.”

I think the three of you are also interested in the resources and treasures accumulated by the owner of this palace.

He smiled and continued, "Why don't we join forces, break through this great formation first, eliminate the Golden Core cultivators inside, and then each rely on our own methods?"

Ye Fan pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then we will do as Fellow Daoist Green Eyebrows says."

He had tested the strength of three families. The details of the Cao family were unknown, but the Sima family's trump cards should be enough to deal with late-stage Golden Core cultivators or even those at the peak of the Golden Core stage.

By leveraging the imperial dynasty's fortune, the Liu family can elevate their cultivation to the late Golden Core stage, and the quality of their fortune-enhancing secret techniques can also be upgraded to the level of superior-grade magic treasures.

It is estimated that even ordinary Golden Core cultivators at their peak would be no match for him.

In other words, the combined strength of these three groups can be considered as a force with three Golden Core Perfection cultivators in charge.

In addition, there are numerous Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators.

It's highly unlikely that Ye Fan and his two companions alone could defeat them.

The old man with green eyebrows smiled with satisfaction: "Excellent!"

He slammed his skull cane down and said to Lady Blood Charm and Xue Tiedao, "Let's attack together and break this formation first!"

Six people attacked at the same time!

The Thousand-Faced Old Monster pointed his cane to the sky, and countless skeletal phantoms flew out, crashing into the purple-gold light barrier.

Lady Blood Charm tossed out a blood-red jade pendant, which transformed into a river of blood that could defile magical artifacts and formations.

Xue Tiedao wielded a black iron-slaying sword, unleashing streaks of black blade light, each over ten feet long.

Ye Fan threw a punch, unleashing a pale golden fist aura.

Xu Deyue unleashed streaks of moon-white sword light, carrying an intense chill, as he thrust them towards the great formation.

Mei Yun then threw the "Mountain and River Seal".

Each of the six displayed their unique abilities.

Mei Yun was the weakest, but his "Mountain and River Seal" was not weak, so it also had the power of a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The imperial palace's grand formation erupted with dazzling golden light.

The next moment, the golden light transformed into nine golden dragon phantoms, rushing towards the six people.

The golden dragon phantom was of average power, but apart from Ye Fan, no one dared to confront it head-on with their physical bodies, and they all took action to destroy the golden dragon phantom.

Then they continued attacking the large formation.

However, as long as the great formation remains intact, the golden dragon phantom can continue to condense.

It only consumes the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, as well as some spirit stone resources.

At this critical juncture, the Sima, Cao, and Liu families naturally wouldn't care too much about the consumption of these spirit stones.

With abundant resources, the golden dragon phantom condensed at an exceptionally fast speed.

It can be condensed in almost a few breaths.

This greatly slowed down the speed at which Ye Fan and the others broke through the formation.

It is located more than ten miles southeast of the palace.

Xu Chuan and Xu Mingxuan stood high in the sky, quietly watching Ye Fan and the others break through the formation.

With Xu Chuan concealing their presence, even Golden Core cultivators would find it difficult to detect them.

"Father, are we just going to watch like this?" Xu Mingxuan turned to Xu Chuan and asked telepathically.

"This is Ye Fan's own choice. Even if he doesn't come to Daliang, I will still take action personally."

But since he wanted to personally destroy the Cao family.

As his master, I naturally have to respect his wishes.

I believe he can handle it.

If there is danger, it's not too late for your father to intervene.

"Father, you are truly despicable!"

With Xu Chuan's strength, even if he only used demonic methods, he could sweep through the entire Great Liang Imperial City.

Upon hearing this, Xu Chuan simply smiled faintly.

He's waiting, preparing to pull off a big heist, and then he'll switch to a bigger account for a while.

Although the imperial palace formation is a combination of offense and defense, its defense is still only at the lower third rank. With the strength of the six of them, they could break through it in a little over a quarter of an hour if they went all out.

However, more than half an hour had passed, and the breach had not yet been completely breached.

The old man with green eyebrows and the others frowned.

Just then.

"Fellow Daoists, why don't we join you as well?"

As the laughter rang out, the five Blackwater Demon Cultivators arrived one after another.

They naturally knew that the treasure trove in the Great Liang Imperial Palace was the real treasure, far exceeding the value of the foundation-building families in the imperial city.

But they also understood that the palace would be even more difficult to attack than the city's defensive formation.

They temporarily abandoned this plan and instead focused on plundering the resources of the Foundation Establishment families.

However, if a major battle breaks out at the palace, they will probably drop everything and rush to the palace to get a share of the spoils.

"In that case, fellow Daoists, you shall be responsible for blocking those golden dragon phantoms," the green-browed elder said calmly.

“Okay,” they readily agreed.

The golden dragon phantoms are not very powerful; a Golden Core cultivator in the early stages could easily handle two of them.

And without their interference.

Ye Fan and his group could then unleash their full power without any restraint. Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fifteen minutes later.

With a mournful cry, the great formation shattered, turning into countless golden specks of light that vanished.

This commotion immediately attracted the attention of other third-tier demonic beasts throughout the imperial city.

Immediately, seven third-tier demonic beasts rushed towards the palace.

Although they did not have any peak-level third-tier demonic beasts among them, and only one late-stage third-tier beast, their strength was still not to be underestimated.

"go!"

The old man with green eyebrows immediately called to the other two, and his figure rushed into the Great Liang Imperial Palace like a ghost.

The other five Golden Core demon cultivators followed closely behind.

Then came the seven-headed demon beast.

Seeing that they had all gone inside, but Ye Fan hadn't made a move yet, Mei Yun couldn't help but ask telepathically, "Senior Brother, aren't we going in?"

Ye Fan replied, "I have tested the strength of the three families, and they are not so easy to deal with."

The voice just fell.

A dark red mist rose from all parts of the palace.

The red mist spread at an astonishing speed.

In just a few breaths, the aura spread from the depths of the palace to the palace gate square, enveloping the entire palace.

"A formation?" Mei Yun frowned.

"The Sima family's Blood Mist Array," Ye Fan said in a deep voice, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes. "This is a third-order mist array. Blood mist permeates the area, limiting both vision and divine sense."

I initially thought it was a fixed array, but now it seems to be a set of third-tier array flags or array plates.

If it were just the Sima family, even with a powerful formation, their strength would not be enough to deal with Green Eyebrows and his group. But now, the three families have formed an alliance.

Even if Green Eyebrows and three others were to suffer a great loss.

Not to mention other demonic cultivators in the early to mid-stages of the Golden Core realm.

Within the blood mist formation.

"Green Eyebrows, we acted impulsively. We never expected that the Golden Core family in this prison would have a third-order mist array."

His eyesight was only a dozen meters, and his divine sense could only cover a range of thirty feet.

If they are scattered, they could very well be defeated one by one.

Lady Blood Charm frowned slightly.

"Fellow Daoist Xue, you are in charge of attacking. Madam Blood Charm, you are in charge of defense. I have the strongest divine sense, which can cover an area of ​​fifty feet in radius, so I will be in charge of guarding."

And, when necessary, participate in attack and defense.

Lady Blood Charm and Xue Tiedao exchanged a glance, nodded, and agreed.

A short while later.

"An attack is coming from the left," said the green-browed old man.

Then they saw the blood-red jade pendant in Lady Blood Charm's hand transform into a river of blood, blocking their way.

Then Xue Tiedao leaped high into the air and unleashed more than a dozen terrifying blade beams.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Immediately, seven or eight screams rang out.

Lady Blood Charm said disdainfully, "So it was a Foundation Establishment junior who launched a sneak attack."

"Don't be careless."

On the other side of the palace.

Cao Jiyi, Sima Chengdao, and Liu Qiankun were all here.

As the controller of the grand formation, Sima Chengdao was naturally aware of the power of the three, including the Green-Eyebrowed Elder, so he first set his sights on the other five Golden Core demon cultivators and the demon beasts.

Using the cover of the mist array, they launched a sneak attack on the third-tier demonic beast.

This immediately enraged the monster, which charged and gave chase.

They were led to the five Golden Core demon cultivators, and they were made to fight each other.

Although this plan is clumsy, it is very effective against demonic beasts.

After all, once a war breaks out, they won't care about any conspiracies; they'll just crush the people in front of them first.

"Hoohoho!"

Roars echoed from within the blood mist.

Then came various sounds of collisions, explosions, and the clash of metal.

Various sounds mingled together, constantly emanating from the fog, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes clear, sometimes blurry.

Half an hour later.

With a scream.

A Golden Core demon cultivator from the Blackwater region has perished.

"Senior Brother, this..."

Mei Yun looked at Ye Fan in shock, "Could it be that a Golden Core cultivator has perished?"

"Cao Jiyi and the others have made the Golden Core demon cultivators in the Blackwater Domain fight against the demonic beasts. I estimate that those people will soon be scattered."

And that's exactly what the Cao family wanted to see.

After all, the great formation was controlled by Sima Chengdao, who knew the whereabouts of the people in the formation very well.

Once separated from their own kind, unless they are late-stage Golden Core cultivators, they will soon face certain death.

Once scattered, it's not so easy to bring them back together.

Listening to Ye Fan's logical analysis, Mei Yun's eyes gleamed slightly, "They really are a bunch of old foxes, but if there are no third-tier demonic beasts..."

Cao Jiyi and his group's scheme is unlikely to succeed.

"Perhaps, but it's not without a way to deal with it. People are greedy, and once they break into the palace, they will inevitably separate to avoid fighting each other when they encounter each other."

With the fog array at their disposal, they will inevitably fall into the trap set by the three families sooner or later.

"When shall we enter?" Xu Deyue asked.

"Wait a little longer, there may be other powerful demonic cultivators, or peak third-tier demonic beasts arriving."

Fierce battles are taking place everywhere.

Another half hour passed.

Of the seven demonic beasts, only the late-stage third-tier Mountain-Embracing Ape survived.

Only three Golden Core demon cultivators are still alive: Elder Green Eyebrows, Madam Blood Charm, and Xue Tieshan.

Under Xu Chuan's divine sense, the entire palace was laid out before him.

Cao Jiyi and his group's use of the great formation to surround and kill the Golden Core demonic cultivator and the third-order demonic beast was all within his expectations.

However, to his surprise, Cao Jiyi and Sima Chengdao also broke through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

Moreover, the three of them cooperated very well, showing no signs of being sworn enemies who had fought for thousands of years.

Cao Jiyi possessed a black armor shield, a mid-grade magic weapon primarily for defense.

Sima Chengdao possesses the mid-grade magic weapon, the Crimson Spike, and the low-grade magic weapon, the Soul-Capturing Bell, primarily for surprise attacks and support.

Liu Qiankun had been at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm for decades, and now he had reached the fifth level of the Golden Core realm.

In addition, the Nine Dragon Seal is a mid-grade magic weapon that combines offense and defense.

Therefore, he mainly attacks head-on.

With such coordination, it's no wonder that even a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator couldn't last long.

However, the remaining people were not so easy to kill.

The three Green-Eyebrowed cultivators were more cautious and stronger than the other Golden Core demon cultivators.

The three launched a sneak attack. First, Sima Chengdao attacked with the "Soul-Capturing Bell," which affected both Lady Xue Mei and Xue Tiedao.

However, Green Eyebrows' soul was exceptionally strong, and he regained consciousness in an instant.

Then he easily defeated Liu Qiankun with his skull cane.

Then, Lady Blood Charm and Xue Tiedao launched an attack simultaneously, but Cao Jiyi blocked it with his black armor shield.

Soon, Cao Jiyi and the other two disappeared into the depths of the blood mist, leaving no trace.

The same applies to the mountain apes.

However, it relied on its strong physical body and immense strength to move mountains, making it difficult for Cao Jiyi and the other two to do anything to it in a short time.

"Since we can't solve it, let them clash head-on," Liu Qiankun said.

"Brother Liu's words are exactly what I was thinking. As long as a plan works, there's no need to worry about whether it's clumsy or not," Sima Chengdao said with a smile. "Brother Cao, I'll leave the matter of leading the mountain ape to you."

Once you lure them to the vicinity of those three, I will ambush them from behind.

I refuse to believe that the mountain-embracing ape wouldn't take its anger out on those three.

Cao Jiyi said, "The three of them are no ordinary demonic cultivators; the Mountain-Embracing Ape should not be a match for them."

“Then the three of us will lend it a hand!” Liu Qiankun said.

With the plan in mind, the three immediately took action.

When the mountain-embroidered ape saw the three people with green eyebrows, it was wary and did not make a move.

But then a blood spike shot out from their direction, which, though knocked away, enraged them.

Lady Blood Charm immediately tried to find the person behind them, but they had already disappeared without a trace.

"How insidious!" said the old man with green eyebrows. "Lady Blood Charm, Fellow Daoist Xue, you kill that beast. I will guard the surroundings to prevent them from launching a sneak attack."

"Thank you for your trouble, Fellow Daoist Green Eyebrows."

After speaking, Lady Xue Mei and Xue Tie Dao faced off against the Mountain-Embracing Ape.

Although the Mountain-Moving Ape is not at the peak of the third rank, it possesses the bloodline of the ancient demon beast Mountain-Moving Ape, and is no weaker than a Golden Core Perfection cultivator.

Therefore, even when Lady Xue Mei and Xue Tiedao joined forces, they only gained a slight advantage.

It will probably take quite a while to kill him.

Sima Chengdao, Cao Jiyi, and Liu Qiankun launched several sneak attacks with magical weapons, but were all stopped by the Green-Eyebrowed Elder.

The scene immediately fell into a strange stalemate.

However, at this very moment...

"hiss--!!"

A piercing shriek, so sharp it seemed to tear the soul apart, came from the horizon outside the imperial city!

The sound was initially very distant, as if it came from a hundred miles away.

But in the next instant, it was right next to his ear!

Ye Fan suddenly looked up, his pupils shrinking sharply.

In the distance, a black lightning bolt was seen tearing through the sky!

No, that wasn't lightning.

That was a... snake.

A massive, suffocating black snake!
It was over thirty feet long and as thick as a palace pillar, its entire body covered with palm-sized, jet-black scales.

The scales were not smooth, but covered with fine, eerie dark patterns.

The most terrifying thing is its back, which has a pair of huge black wings!

Its wingspan was over ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), blotting out the sky and the sun.

The wing membrane was as black as ink, yet its edges were as sharp as knives. Each flap of its wings stirred up a violent hurricane, lifting the remaining rubble of the buildings below into the sky.

The wing bones were jagged, with barbs growing at the joints. The tips of the barbs gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light, clearly indicating that they were coated with a potent poison.

The snake's head was ferocious, with a single spiral horn on its head, the tip of which was crackling with black arcs of electricity.

His vertical pupils were as large as lanterns, scarlet as blood, and exuded cruelty and cunning.

This is a peak third-tier demonic beast—the Xuan Yu Ming Snake!
This is a rare, ancient species.

With the bloodline of the ancient feathered serpent, not only is its physical body incomparably strong, but it is also born with control over the three attributes of wind, thunder, and poison.

With a single flap of its wings, it can soar for dozens of miles.

It was no less impressive than the Nine Nether Earth Python that Xu Chuan had seen before.

It was clearly drawn here by the bloody battle and overwhelming bloodlust within the imperial city.

"Not good!" Ye Fan's expression changed drastically.

The aura emanating from the Xuan Yu Ming Snake startled the three of them.

Upon arriving here, its first target was none other than Ye Fan and his two companions!
"hiss--"

With a flap of its wings, the Xuan Yu Ming Snake's massive body became incredibly agile, leaving a twisted black afterimage in the air as it pounced straight at Ye Fan and his companions!
Wherever it passed, the air was torn apart, emitting a shrill, ghostly wail.

Black arcs of electricity danced around him, and poisonous mist seeped from the gaps in his scales, staining the space he passed through with a faint gray-black hue.

"Retreat! Enter the battle!"

Ye Fan immediately shouted.

The three of them rushed into the surging blood mist formation behind them without looking back!
Almost at the same instant their figures disappeared into the blood mist—

"boom!!!"

The massive body of the Xuan Yu Ming Snake slammed down on the spot where they had just been standing!

The ground was blasted open, creating a huge crater ten feet in diameter, from which debris rained down like a storm.

The black poisonous fog and lightning arcs spread out from the point of impact.

Within a radius of thirty feet, everything—bluestone slabs, corpses, and broken weapons—was instantly corroded and carbonized!
When its attack missed, the Xuan Yu Ming Snake's crimson vertical pupils fixed an even stronger gaze, as if it were locking onto its prey.

Without the slightest hesitation, its massive serpentine body twisted and followed closely behind Ye Fan and the other two, charging headlong into the thick, crimson blood mist!
And only a dozen breaths after the Xuan Yu Ming Snake entered the formation—

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"

Three beams of light arrived at the palace gate square almost simultaneously from three other directions of the imperial city.

The light faded, revealing three figures.

The person in the center is a short, wiry-looking old man.

He was wearing a wrinkled gray Taoist robe, his hair was sparse and casually tied up with a wooden hairpin, and he held a compass in his hand.

The compass needle spun wildly, and countless intricate patterns appeared on its surface.

Although this person's aura is only at the late Golden Core stage, he seems to be a master of formations.

On the left is a middle-aged scholar with a fair complexion and no beard, holding a jade-shaped folding fan.

He wore a gentle smile, but his eyes were as cold as a venomous snake as he surveyed the blood mist array as if admiring a work of art.

On the right was a tall figure shrouded in a black robe, his face obscured, only the faint metallic gleam visible beneath the robe.

He carried a massive sword as wide as a door panel on his back. Even before it was drawn, a chilling sword aura emanated from it, cutting fine sword marks into the surrounding ground.

"I've heard that the three oldest Golden Core families in the Prison Lands have all gathered here. It seems they do have some skill," the middle-aged scholar said with a faint smile, looking at the blood mist array below.

"Judging from this commotion, there are already quite a few fellow cultivators here, and there are also demonic beasts."

"Old Daoist Xuanji, this formation shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"

The gray-robed old man stroked his beard and said, "The third-tier low-grade blood mist array is quite mysterious. It will take about half an hour to break it."

However, we must first enter the formation and locate its core.

"With Du and Brother Tie here, you can break the formation with peace of mind. If you succeed, you can choose one item from this harvest. How about it?"

A glint of light flashed in the eyes of the old Taoist Xuanji.

Although they each have their own agendas, their interests are currently aligned, so cooperation is not a problem.

Therefore, he chose to agree.

Without further hesitation, the three transformed into three streaks of light and charged into the blood mist array.

"Father, that feathered serpent's aura is terrifying, far more so than that old demon Wu, Rong Yang, and the others." Xu Mingxuan asked worriedly, "Will Ye Fan and De Yue be alright?"

"They all possess mid-grade magic treasures and are not weak in strength. It won't be easy for the Xuan Yu Ming Snake to kill them."

Xu Chuan smiled faintly, "It wasn't in vain that I waited for this long."

"With this Xuan Yu Ming Snake, if it swallows the Golden Core cultivators present, the Blood Fiend Ghost King should have a 10% or 20% chance of advancing to the fourth rank."

Xu Mingxuan was secretly alarmed upon hearing this.

But then it occurred to me that they were treating the creatures in the prison as food and offerings.

It was only natural that they were sacrificed to the fourth-tier ghost king by their own father.

"Father, it's time for you to make your move."

"almost."

Meanwhile, deep within the Blood Mist Array...

The three old men with green eyebrows were located more than two hundred feet to the east.

Sima Chengdao suddenly frowned and transmitted his voice to Cao Jiyi and the others, saying, "The three scarred men have come in, along with a terrifying peak third-tier feathered serpent."

and many more.

Three more have joined the fray!

Upon hearing that Ye Fan and the others had entered the formation, Cao Jiyi immediately asked, "Brother Sima, tell me their location, I'm going to kill them."

"Brother Cao, don't be impulsive. They are not weak, not to mention they have a third-tier peak demon beast behind them."

"That's none of your concern, Brother Sima. I have my own ways of killing them!"

Sima Chengdao thought for a moment, and seeing that they had made up their minds, he handed the two jade tokens to Cao Jiyi and Liu Qiankun, so that they would not be affected by the blood mist in the blood mist formation.

Thank you.

After saying that, Cao Jiyi rushed towards Ye Fan and the others.

(End of this chapter)