Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

However, a shocking scene unfolded.

The bullet, which was powerful enough to easily pierce a steel plate, seemed to sink into some kind of absolutely still spatial swamp the moment it entered the area.

The bullet's violent kinetic energy was instantly stripped away. Then, the invisible forces of law surging from all directions, like a giant millstone, forcefully crushed the hard cartridge case into a chaotic mass of twisted scrap metal.

"Clang—"

A lump of scrap metal fell onto the cold stone surface, making a crisp sound.

Xilun's gaze sharpened, but he did not give up. He gripped the alloy spear tightly with both hands, exerted force from his waist, and thrust forward with a sudden lunge.

The shot was powerful and heavy, but the tip of the gun suddenly stopped in mid-air, two meters away from Dean.

Xilun felt as if the tip of the spear had struck an invisible wall of extremely tough energy. An extremely domineering repulsive force rolled back along the spear shaft, causing his tiger's mouth to go slightly numb, and he was unable to get any closer.

Xilun took a deep breath and laboriously retracted the greatsword.

The earlier probing confirmed a fact for him: while the other party was indeed constrained by the field like a trapped beast, he was also unable to use such a trick to cross the social class and harm him.

Given this situation, the only option when faced with a raging second-tier powerhouse who is about to escape is to flee.

Without any hesitation, Xilun turned around and transformed into a black blur, swiftly darting out of the bronze gate and disappearing into the swirling snow.

Behind him, Dean's face was contorted in extreme anger, rage, anger, and horror...

A mix of emotions clung to the middle-aged man's face.

However, he couldn't even take a step. He could only stare wide-eyed, his teeth grinding, watching helplessly as his son's killer calmly left.

After a long while, Dean's trembling hand finally landed with difficulty on the ground.

He let out a beastly roar, and his hand slowly fell down, wiping away the shimmering, inverted patterns completely.

"Buzz—"

A soft hum emanated from the void, as if some kind of shackles had been broken.

Dean finally felt a sudden release in his body, as the oppressive force deep within his bones was instantly transferred back.

He knelt on the ground, panting heavily, his entire body already soaked in cold sweat.

He raised his head, his eyes flashing with a tangible, crimson ruthlessness, his voice like a demon crawling out of the depths of hell:

"Damn you little thief... If I ever see you again, I'll personally skin you alive and tear you to pieces, and take your dog's life!"

He roared and turned to look at his son, who had been shot through and turned into a skeleton. The grief in his heart turned into a violent force that could destroy the world.

Immediately, he gripped the heavy bronze spear with both hands, his blood and qi erupting like a volcano, and he swung the spear downwards!

"Boom!"

The entire stone chamber inside the bronze door shook violently. The hard stone on the ground was smashed into countless pieces by the blow, and the violent shockwave stirred up billowing dust, completely engulfing Dean's demonic figure.

Meanwhile, Xilun had successfully escaped from the ancient bronze gate.

Braving the howling blizzard, he slowly exhaled a puff of warm white mist, casually removed the cloth covering his face, and a smile curved his lips.

"I'm quite lucky. Not only did I complete the mission, but I also got such a great deal."

He was about to pick up his spear and turn to leave the treacherous snow-covered mountain when his gaze suddenly stopped as he swept over a patch of snow.

On the pristine white snow, there was a small, inconspicuous, yet remarkably fresh, dark red bloodstain.

Xilun crouched down, dipped his finger in the blood, sniffed it, and his eyes became deep.

"This road down the mountain... should be the direction that Ross's third uncle, Rox, fled in."

Xilun clicked his tongue, quickly analyzing the situation in his mind.

"I don't know the extent of this person's injuries. As a second-tier elder of the Ocelli family, he almost killed me before. There is no possibility of reconciliation between us. I must kill him to prevent future troubles."

He hesitated for a moment in the wind and snow.

If the opponent is at their peak, even if I, a first-level extreme realm cultivator, have a strong physical body, I would be no match for a second-level opponent in a head-on confrontation, and I would lose my life if I was not careful.

But things are different now. The opponent just fought against Dean, a top-tier second-tier expert, and even Dean was seriously injured. It is clear that Rox used his trump card to escape, and his injuries must be extremely serious. He may have already fallen below the second-tier combat power level.

"I could simply follow the trail of blood to find out what's going on."

If the opponent is in extremely poor condition, already at their last gasp, I will seize the opportunity to eliminate them completely, using them to sacrifice my new talent; if the opponent's injuries are minor and they still have some strength left, with my current physical attributes and agility, I am absolutely confident that I can escape unscathed.

Once that thought crossed his mind, Xilun's eyes became as sharp as a lone wolf hunting in the dead of winter.

He lowered his body, concealed his aura, and like a ghost, silently followed the trail of blood that was dripping intermittently into the snow.

As he walked, he carefully observed the broken branches and messy footprints along the way, constantly sketching out the route the other party had hastily fled in his mind.

Halfway up the snow-capped mountain, the wind and snow are even more violent than at the summit, howling like ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

Deep within a dense, twisted, and dark forest lies a small natural cave.

At this moment, the cave was pitch black, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

The only sound that could be heard was a series of heavy, painful gasps, as if a broken bellows was being pulled.

Rox lay curled up quietly on the cold, damp ground, like a dying wild dog.

The injuries on his body made him realize what it meant to be worse than dead. The violent backlash of his blood and qi, along with the domineering energy left by Dean's shot, raged wildly in his body, making him tremble uncontrollably and even his teeth chatter.

He clenched his teeth so hard that he almost drew blood from his lips.

With difficulty, he stretched out his trembling right hand, pulled a sharp dagger from his waist, and raised his head to gesture towards the deep, bone-revealing, and even purplish-black fatal wound on his chest.

"laugh--"

Without the slightest hesitation, Rox ruthlessly slashed off the rotten flesh that had been completely destroyed by the force of the energy and was emitting a foul stench.

The intense pain made his vision go black, and he almost fainted.

He gasped for breath, pulled a bottle of precious healing powder from his pocket, and frantically sprinkled it on the bloody wound.

The moment the powder touched the wound, it hissed. Rox felt utterly terrible, filled with endless regret and despair.

Originally, as a second-tier elder of the family, he entered the Wonderland only to accompany Young Master Ross in exploring opportunities, which should have been an easy journey.

However, simply because he was going to hunt down that commoner boy named Xilun, he was completely outmaneuvered by the other party's extremely clumsy diversionary tactic!

She was sent away, leaving the young master alone, and ultimately she was murdered by this person.

That's one of the family's most valued heirs!

Not only that, but driven by greed, he tried to follow the Shudalk family to seize the ancient opportunity within the Bronze Gate. However, his attempt backfired, and he ended up in a direct confrontation with Dean, suffering severe injuries that left him on the verge of death.

Now, he has suffered several serious injuries and is exhausted, and can only eke out a living in this dark and sunless dog hole.

Rox was panting heavily, cold sweat pouring down his forehead like a waterfall.

Waves of tearing pain washed over him, gradually numbing his nerves.

Under the shadow of death, his mind began to replay his tragic life in a blur.

That tragic childhood, fighting for food with stray dogs in the slums; that ambitious and enterprising youth, risking his life to obtain extraordinary paths; and that decadent and calculating middle age after advancing to the second tier, indulging in family power and comfort.

He still had too many regrets. He had not yet truly enjoyed the pinnacle of power, nor had he obtained the high-level potion that could prolong his life.

But having reached this point, feeling his life force rapidly draining away, he knew he was probably doomed.

He leaned against the cold stone wall, thinking sadly and silently:

If that madman Dean had followed the trail of blood, with the speed of a second-tier expert, he would probably have reached the cave entrance by now.

He could only hope that the treasure inside the bronze door could buy Dean a little more time, because his crippled body was already doomed.

Just as he closed his eyes in despair, awaiting death, he suddenly felt that the only faint light source of wind and snow filtering into the dark cave was being blocked.

A surge of extreme blood energy that sent chills down his spine, mixed with pure, deadly killing intent, instantly locked onto his throat.

Rox suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils instantly contracting to their maximum size, staring incredulously at the pitch-black figure standing backlit like the Grim Reaper.

It's not Dean!

He gaped in astonishment, a dry, hoarse gasp escaping his throat: "It's...it's you?!"

Rox couldn't understand why the person standing in front of him at this moment, looking down at him like the Grim Reaper, was none other than Siren!

This commoner boy, whom he regarded as an ant and who was only at the first level of the extreme realm, not only did not escape during his previous pursuit, but also dared to come to his door alone.

However, Xilun did not give him any chance to answer his questions, because in just a moment, Xilun's tall and slender figure had closed in within a few steps.

Xilun's eyes were as cold as the ancient ice of the far north as he slowly raised the heavy alloy spear in his hand.

Instead of rushing in, he fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

He recalled the strange thrill he had felt when he absorbed Deeford's blood.

In the blink of an eye, he felt the newly formed lines deep on his spine begin to heat up slightly.

The next moment, a dark red blood-red pattern appeared out of thin air at the tip of the spear, rapidly intertwining and outlining like a living vine.

Just two seconds later, the pattern condensed into a shallow, white-reddish mark in front of the spear tip.

The mark, shaped like a square card, floated silently in the air, emanating a chilling aura.

Xilun narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

He finally understood that the card-shaped mark was the embodiment of the terrifying talent that the Earth Blood Bat Dragon had acquired through killing and plundering—"Bloody Slaughter"!

This slightly pale mark contains the essence and blood energy extracted from Deeford's entire body when he was killed.

At this moment, the blood seal gave Xilun an extremely cold, fierce, domineering, and powerful feeling.

Moreover, it is like a bottomless black hole of greed, which, driven by the will to kill, can continue to absorb the blood and essence of living beings to continuously increase its power.

"I'll use you to test the quality of this talent," Xilun said calmly.

Before he finished speaking, Xilun suddenly exerted force in his waist, and a booming sound erupted from his muscles. His spear, like a black dragon emerging from the sea, shot forward with a sharp shriek that tore through the air.

Feeling the deadly pressure, Rox knew he was cornered, and his survival instinct drove him to make a final, desperate struggle.

"roar!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and ignoring the ruptured wound in his chest, he thrust out his hands like iron pincers and grabbed the shaft of the spear that was thrusting at him, attempting to forcefully resist with the foundation of a second-tier extraordinary being.

Although he was already at his last gasp, with his internal organs groaning, he miraculously produced a final burst of light and lingering brilliance under the threat of death.

"Even if I die, I'll take someone down with me! You lowly commoner, come to hell with me!"

Rox shouted fiercely, gripping the gun tightly and refusing to let go, even ignoring the blood streaming from his palms as the barbs on the alloy gun cut him. He frantically mustered the last bit of strength in his body, trying to turn the gun around and snatch it, then close in to kill Xilen.

Faced with this suicidal frenzy, Xilun remained calm and unhurried, even a mocking sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

As the two remained locked in a stalemate in the cave, Xilun suddenly had a sudden thought.

The white, reddish card-shaped bloodstain that was hovering at the tip of the gun suddenly flew out!

In mid-air, the blood seal twisted and deformed instantly under Xilun's control. The violent essence was extremely concentrated, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a slender but terrifyingly penetrating dark red blood needle.

Fast! Too fast!

The blood needle moved with lightning speed, even leaving a barely perceptible red glow in the air.

With a crisp "snap" as it cut through the air, the blood needle detached from the gun and flew out with an unstoppable killing intent!

The energy of Deford's blood that was infused inside erupted completely at this moment.

Before Rox could even react, his attempt to grab the gun froze in mid-air, his eyes wide open, the madness and ferocity in them instantly replaced by endless emptiness and despair.

"Bang."

Rox's heavy body fell backward like a piece of rotten wood, crashing heavily to the ground, with no strength left to struggle.

There was a tiny pinhole in the very center of his forehead.

No blood flowed out, because the moment the blood needle pierced his brain, it had already destroyed all his life force with devastating power.

Xilun stared coldly at the corpse on the ground, then a thought crossed his mind once more.

The blood-stained needle, stained with brain matter, pierced through the back of Rox's head, arcing through the air before flying back to Xiren's side.

As Xilun relaxed his mind, it transformed back into the card-shaped blood seal, quietly hovering above his palm.

Xilun rested his chin on his hand, a hint of undisguised surprise and excitement flashing in his eyes.

"What a powerful blood seal... Just from killing Deford, that good-for-nothing who had only recently entered the Extreme Realm, the initial blood seal he condensed was already enough to penetrate and injure a second-tier extraordinary being like Rox."

Of course, Xilun was also well aware that this was largely due to Rox being at its last gasp and its defensive capabilities having plummeted.

However, it cannot be denied that the penetrating power and unpredictable nature of the blood seal far exceeded his previous expectations.