The path to immortality through martial arts begins with being forced into marriage!

"When ordinary cultivators reach the peak of Foundation Establishment, their true qi and physical body may be close to saturation, but they often have shortcomings or fail to fully unleash their potential."

"And your current state is the true, flawless foundation of the Dao."

"This realm is rare and requires great perseverance and great fortune to achieve. It will be of great benefit to your future breakthrough to the Core Formation stage and even higher realms."

After hearing Xi Yue's explanation, Cui Yi felt enlightened and a surge of joy welled up inside him.

That's it!

Just then, an irresistible force suddenly arose, forcibly pulling the nine disciples who were still desperately absorbing the last bit of spiritual energy on the stone platform out of their deep cultivation state.

The spiritual energy in the blood pool was completely depleted, triggering the protective mechanism of the forbidden area!

"puff--"

"Ugh!"

Everyone groaned, their breathing becoming erratic, and some of the weaker ones even vomited blood on the spot.

Cui Yi reacted quickly and immediately put Erdan back into his spatial storage.

Fortunately, these people did not notice anything amiss; they only wore expressions of regret for not having had their fill and a hint of anger at having their cultivation interrupted.

The group looked around in disbelief at the dimly lit pool of blood before them.

"What... what's going on? How did the spiritual energy in the blood pool run out so quickly?!"

One of the disciples cried out in disbelief.

"Only a day has passed! According to the sect's records, when the Blood Pool opens for a thousand years, even if ten people cultivate at full strength simultaneously, it can remain full for at least three days! The spiritual liquid has never receded so noticeably before!"

"Moreover, it's so thoroughly dried out, as if it had been forcibly squeezed dry by something..."

They had hoped to use this rare opportunity to solidify their foundation, break through bottlenecks, and even attempt a breakthrough.

They put in a lot of effort to earn these top ten spots.

But now, in just one day, the spiritual energy of the Blood Pool has been completely depleted!

The huge gap between expectations and reality left many people with ashen faces and a feeling of suffocation about to explode.

The two disciples from Blood Demon Peak stared at Cui Yi, whose aura was rapidly receding, with undisguised glares.

They already harbored resentment towards Cui Yi, and the abnormality of the blood pool at this moment gave them an outlet for their anger.

One of the thinner disciples shouted sternly, "Cui Yi! Was this your doing?!"

"Of everyone here, only you have become so powerful. Could it be that you used some evil magic to steal everyone else's opportunities?"

His question instantly drew everyone's attention to Cui Yi.

At this moment, Cui Yi truly gave them a completely different feeling.

Having absorbed so much spiritual energy, not only did his aura not leak out at all, but he also exuded a profound aura.

"That's right!"

Another disciple glanced at the other seven fellow disciples whose faces were grim, and seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, saying, "Fellow disciples! We went through great hardships to earn these top ten spots through the Blood Fiend Illusion, and we should be able to share the blessings of the Blood Pool for three days!"

"But now, because of someone's insatiable greed, they have committed this despicable act, causing our opportunities to be completely ruined and our path to enlightenment to be blocked!"

"How is such behavior any different from theft? How is it any different from cutting off people's path?!"

His words were highly inflammatory, elevating Cui Yi's actions to the level of severing people's moral compass.

Sure enough, the other disciples looked at Cui Yi with even more hostility, their gazes becoming more unfriendly.

People's hearts are fickle.

Even before entering the Thousand-Year Blood Pool, their attitude towards Cui Yi was neutral, but now they had no choice but to change it!

They may not completely believe the two from Blood Demon Peak's story, but the abnormality of the Blood Pool is a fact.

It's also true that Cui Yi's aura has greatly increased!

And the pain of losing their own interests is even more acute for them!

At this moment, there is an urgent need for an outlet and a culprit.

The atmosphere inside the cave suddenly became tense, with everyone's aura subtly locked onto Cui Yi.

The two Blood Demon Peak members sneered inwardly; this was exactly the effect they wanted!

Regardless of whether the abnormality of the blood pool was entirely caused by Cui Yi, let's first pin the blame on him, incite public anger, and make him the target of everyone's anger!

The elder once made a stern statement: whoever can teach Cui Yi a lesson will be richly rewarded!

How could the rewards bestowed by the lord of a peak be anything less than the best?

Seeing that everyone was so hostile towards him, Cui Yi didn't even raise an eyebrow.

Explanation?

excuse?

In this situation, any words seem pale and powerless, and may even give the other party something to use against them to continue harassing them.

Since reasoning is not working, then communicate in a way that they can understand!

In a flash, Cui Yi made his move!

Without warning or preparation, a sword light flashed past everyone's senses!

Wait a minute! With the combined power of mental energy and true qi, it even produced a sonic boom!

Even though the two disciples of Blood Demon Peak sensed the danger, they were no match for Cui Yi, who was at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment!

hum!

Pfft!

"ah--!!!"

"My hand!!"

The next instant, two extremely shrill screams almost shattered everyone's eardrums!

Two disciples of Blood Demon Peak had their arms severed at the same time, and their sleeves were instantly stained red with blood!

The excruciating pain turned their faces ashen, and cold sweat poured down their foreheads!

Looking at the severed arm lying on the ground, his lips trembled for a moment, clearly not yet in a state of shock!

The other seven disciples gasped in shock at the sight, their eyes filled with horror as they looked at Cui Yi!

They only knew that Cui Yi was quite strong, and that he was even able to kill people of a higher level than themselves in the illusion.

Moreover, even without Cui Yi's powerful methods in the environment, anyone who could obtain the qualification to bathe in the Thousand-Year Blood Pool must have extraordinary abilities. However, no one expected that he would be so powerful!

The two from Blood Demon Peak were at least at the mid-to-late stage of Foundation Establishment, but in front of Cui Yi, they were like clay chickens and earthenware dogs, unable to withstand even one move before having one arm crippled instantly!

What a terrifying difference in strength!

Cui Yi slowly raised his eyes, a disdainful smile curving his lips. He even disgustedly flicked away the blood that stained the Qieman Sword.

"The blood pool's spiritual energy was depleted due to our collective cultivation; I won't take the blame for that."

"You two dare to spout nonsense and incite your fellow disciples to tarnish my reputation without any evidence."

"This time, I'll impose a slight punishment, crippling one of your arms, as a warning to others."

"If you dare to spread rumors and provoke me again, next time it won't just be your arm that gets broken."

"If you're not satisfied, come find me at Blood Fiend Peak."

"The opportunity in the Blood Pool has run its course; there's no point in staying here."

"Please make yourselves at home, everyone."

After saying that, Cui Yi didn't linger and took the lead in walking towards the cave exit.

Wherever he went, the other disciples subconsciously made way for him, and not one of them dared to utter a word to stop him!

In fact, no one dared to look him in the eye!