Wizards pursue the truth

Chapter 385 [385] The Lord of the Black Slave Blood

"Zhu San of the Blood River Sword and Meng Bo of the Dragon Fire Hand, these two really do have a grudge against each other, and they're at each other's throats right from the start."

"The Buddha's Wrath Monk, ranked tenth on the Earthly Ranking, has also arrived. This is going to be interesting."

"The fifth-ranked 'Young Master Wuchen' on the Earth Ranking, and the eighth-ranked 'Flying Swordsman' on the Earth Ranking. The small Sanhe Restaurant has actually gathered so many masters. The reappearance of the Blood Demon Sect in the martial arts world has truly attracted the attention of the entire southern martial arts community."

"That's not all. It's said that even the neighboring martial arts worlds in the east and west have been alerted, and even top-ranked experts have been mobilized."

"No way, the masters on the Heavenly Ranking are all senior figures in the martial arts world, and they are like dragons whose heads are seen but not their tails. Even the Blood Demon Cult Master at his peak could only barely make it to the bottom of the Heavenly Ranking. His Blood Demon Technique also has many hidden dangers. What could possibly attract the masters on the Heavenly Ranking?"

One by one, martial artists carrying swords sat at the dining table, their expressions subtle. Some were talking quietly, while others glanced at the entrance. All five floors of the Sanhe Restaurant were filled with martial artists, their atmosphere chaotic, and anyone with eyes could sense the oppressive and dangerous atmosphere.

The monk was burly, shirtless, with a face full of scars. His prayer beads were strung together and hung around his neck. His footsteps were extremely heavy, and when he stepped over the threshold, everyone in the restaurant could hear the deep thud.

The young man in red, holding a sword, sat in the center of the first floor. Opposite him was a young man in black wearing black leather gloves with wide sleeves. The two glanced at the wrathful monk who had entered, their eyes flashing with apprehension. As they withdrew their inner energy, some bowls and chopsticks that had been floating in front of them fell onto the table with a crisp sound.

The short-haired youth holding a wooden sword was dressed very strangely and was rather thin. He leaned against a pillar while holding the wooden sword. None of the martial artists present dared to underestimate him, simply because his eyes were as cold as swords. The martial artists who were swept by his eyes felt a chill down their spines and thought to themselves that this young man's sword intent had reached a new level.

"Everyone should eat and drink as they please. Only when you're well-fed and watered will you have the energy to venture into Sanhe Mountain. Don't make things so tense."

A young man in a white robe stood on the edge of the railing on the third floor. He was handsome and had a fox-like smile. He gently opened his folding fan, and a slight breeze lifted his hair.

"Young Master Wuhen is right. Everyone, don't be so tense. Eat and drink as usual. If we run out of energy halfway up Sanhe Mountain, we'll just become a laughingstock." The shop owner, a man of courage, echoed Young Master Wuhen's words, which eased the oppressive atmosphere considerably. His large frame was already soaked with sweat. In his heart, he cursed, "These damned martial artists are all restless bastards. If it weren't for the generous money they're being paid, they'd be starving sooner or later."

"What a show-off." In the innermost private room on the fifth floor, one could see the situation downstairs through some gaps in the windows. Xie Yan said irritably, "When my father arrives, he'll kick these unruly guys out of Sanhe City sooner or later."

The Jianghe Gang is her family's business, and Sanhe City is an important transit point for the Jianghe Gang. Most of the docks are occupied by martial artists from Sanhe City who are subordinates of the Jianghe Gang. Disagreements often lead to fights, causing chaos at the docks and even affecting a significant portion of the Jianghe Gang's business.

She came here with the purpose of resolving these issues.

"Miss, you should speak more tactfully and politely. This is what the master instructed."

"Being reserved is a load of rubbish! I, Xie Yan, have such high talent in martial arts, why shouldn't Xie Tianbao let me practice the Mountain and River Manual? He himself came from humble beginnings, yet he expects me to be pedantic and well-mannered. I, Xie Yan, will not do that. I want to learn martial arts. If he won't let me learn martial arts, if he won't let me practice the Mountain and River Manual, then I will learn other martial arts, study other secret techniques. I will learn all the martial arts in the world, gather the classics, and create my own martial arts."

"That damned Xie Tianbao! I'll make him see what I, Xie Yan, am capable of! Who says women are inferior to men? What kind of bullshit Jianghe Gang is this? Who cares?"

The pageboy watched helplessly as his young mistress rambled on, uttering his own vulgarities.

"It seems you're quite dissatisfied, Yan'er."

A deep voice reached their ears. Xie Yan's pupils contracted, her face flushed instantly, and her body seemed to collapse as she curled up.

Turning around to face the middle-aged man in the gray robe, she stood up, then sat down again, her face flushed, and said with her head bowed, "Father!"

"Alright, I won't hold your petty matters against you. However, Sanhe City has become a place of trouble. Now, you should board the big ship and leave this place."

Xie Tianbao had an ordinary face, yet he possessed an inherent air of authority that made people unconsciously believe his words.

"I don't."

"Hmm!" Xie Tianbao frowned slightly. "Don't be ridiculous, Yan'er. This is no joke. If Sanhe City really falls into chaos, I might not be able to protect you."

Xie Yan's pupils contracted, her face showing surprise.

It was practically saying, "You're the ninth on the Heavenly Ranking, the Great Hero of the Rivers and Lakes, Xie Tianbao. There are things in this world that you can't do."

"There are still many things in this world that I can't do." Xie Tianbao sighed and said, "I don't know what kind of magic the Blood Demon Cult Master has that has attracted so many martial artists. Even those old fogies on the Heavenly Ranking have come. I wonder where they are hiding in Sanhe City."

Xie Yan said in shock, "Father, you mean the other people in the top ten of the Heavenly Ranking have also come? What are they after?"

"I don't know either, but something feels off about it."

Xie Tianbao, the Great Hero of the Rivers, is a figure who rose to prominence within a thousand years. Like a new star, he steadily climbed from the Human Ranking to the Earth Ranking and finally to the Heaven Ranking. He was not the strongest martial artist of his time, but he was not weak either. He would not fall behind. Although his talent for martial arts was not high, his talent for combat was frighteningly high.

Even the top experts in the Heavenly Gate who ranked higher than him on the Heavenly Ranking had said that they were not entirely confident of defeating Xie Tianbao.

In the entire martial arts world of the south, Xie Tianbao is definitely one of the top figures, standing at the very top of the pyramid.

"No matter what, Sanhe City is like a whirlpool. You should leave here as soon as possible so that I can act freely." Xie Tianbao did not speak. His pupils contracted and his aura was released all at once. All the martial artists in the Sanhe Restaurant were hit as if by a heavy blow and fell to the ground or lay on the ground.

Everyone was horrified. This was the aura of a Heavenly Gate expert, there was no mistake. A Heavenly Gate expert had actually come to Sanhe City, and was even in the restaurant.

A sense of awe and fear arose in their hearts for the powerful figure at the Heavenly Gate. Little did they know that Xie Tianbao, like a mouse seeing a cat, was staring intently in one direction. His special combat talent made him instinctively release his protective aura.

"What is that? It makes me feel the thrill of impending death."

Xie Tianbao seemed to see through the wall, through an extremely distant distance, and gaze upon an existence.

Wang Ya blinked his dark eyes and smiled, squatting at the edge of a pool at the foot of Sanhe Mountain, washing his hands. As blood mixed into the water, some fish, attracted by the fishy smell, rushed over.

More blood flowed into the pool following the curve of the terrain, a celebration for the fish.

Wang Ya stood up. He was wearing a white robe and black cloth shoes, but his body was spotless. Only his hands looked as if they could never be cleaned properly, and they were stained with blood.

When he turned around, he saw a scene of blood flowing like a river, with mutilated corpses hanging from treetops, dripping blood, or embedded in the soil, their human forms unrecognizable. All the swords and knives were bent and turned into scrap metal.

He doesn't absorb just any essence or true energy; only high-quality essence can give him some impetus and increase his extraordinary spiritual power.

The local tribes, being relatively weak and at the bottom of the hierarchy, could only offer minimal benefit, so he didn't want to waste his time. If the wizard's true form were here, he could easily and quickly absorb and devour each city one by one.

"We can't waste these flesh and blood corpses."

Wang Ya muttered to himself, "Everything has its value, just like these indigenous martial artists who guard the area around Sanhe Mountain."

To make Sanhe City a suitable stage, he can't do it alone; he needs more helpers.

As he activated the [Myriad Formless Devouring Heaven True Technique], the crimson color in his hands intensified, and the scarlet true energy spread out layer by layer like radiating waves, enveloping the entire Sanhe Mountain.

Boom!

Blinding lightning lashed out from the thick, dark clouds, striking the largest ancient tree on Sanhe Mountain and splitting it in two, filling the air with a scorched, blackened odor.

At this moment, all the flesh and blood killed by Wang Ya, whether they were mangled corpses or remains plastered in the mud, trembled as if they were about to come back to life.

The flowing blood returned to the corpses, gradually forming a human form made of blood, flesh, and skeleton. It was not a zombie, but a more terrifying and abhorrent form.

They have no facial features; their skeletons are covered with skin, and beneath the skin and flesh lies mud, grass, wood debris, and blood. What truly gives them the right to live is blood.

One of the special moves of the Myriad Formless Devouring Heaven True Art: [Lord of Blood]

Manipulating blood, imbuing it with spirit, and resurrecting corpses and mutilated bodies—depending on the degree of mutilation of the corpse and the amount of blood, one can possess a fraction of their former strength.

Of course, in essence, it's about stimulating the superhuman cells in these dead people who haven't died yet, making them go berserk and play their final role.

Within 24 hours of death, the cells in a person's body continue to live and may even exhibit an astonishing vitality that was not shown when they were alive.

Wang Ya consumed approximately 20% of his Myriad Manifestations True Qi.

It wasn't over yet; the color of Wang Ya's hands changed, gradually becoming one black and one white.

One of the techniques: [Black and White Trial]

White can control memories and influence the mind; it belongs to the realm of illusion.

Black represents the control over flesh and blood, influencing mutated bodies; it is a force that exists in the realm of reality.

It all stems from Harak's innate nature.

The Myriad Manifestations True Qi turned pitch black, and during its release, it transformed directly into mist, rapidly enveloping the entire Sanhe Mountain.

One of the techniques: Lord of Shadows

Everything shrouded in black true energy was under Wang Ya's control. As the black true energy spread, it would move, and at an astonishing speed.

Boom!

Another bolt of lightning struck down, and the rain that had accumulated in the dark clouds poured down on the earth like a celestial river.

Sanhe Mountain has been surrounded by multiple layers of defense by disciples from several sects near Sanhe City. There are three layers on Sanhe Mountain corresponding to the top and bottom of the mountain. Along the road from Sanhe Mountain to Sanhe City, small teams of martial artists are constantly patrolling and have captured many outside martial artists who tried to break into Sanhe Mountain.

"What is that? Black mist, I've never seen anything like it before. Has something strange happened at Sanhe Mountain?"

"No, run! There are monsters in the black mist! Monsters! Lots of blood, vampires!"

"How could this be?! Help! Someone please save us! Ah!!"

The black mist spread extremely quickly, expanding and occupying everything in its path. One after another, the patrol teams of martial artists were swallowed up. In an instant, the black mist filled their seven orifices, turning the blood flowing in their veins black, and their pupils became pitch black, leaving them numb like walking corpses.

This is the [Black Servant]. Those affected by the black true energy will become Wang Ya's puppets, able to unleash 100% or even more of their original strength.

They were fearless and incapable of dying; death in the conventional sense was of no use to them.

Even if their bodies are beaten to a pulp, under the influence of the Blood Lord's radiation, their blood and flesh can be reattached, transforming them into blood demons to continue killing enemies.

The black mist surged towards the location of Sanhe City like a great river.

Wang Ya hovered in the air, his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent. He knew that these blood demons and black slaves were of little use; powerful martial artists could destroy them in large numbers. But if he didn't make a big commotion, how could he highlight the power of the Blood Demon Pearl, this supreme treasure from the upper realm?

It's just a system for identifying strong individuals. Martial artists who can't even defeat vampires and black slaves shouldn't bother getting involved; it's a waste of their time.

The black mist was his true energy, and naturally it could be resisted and countered by true energy.

He wanted to see just how strong the so-called strongmen of this world really were.

As for ordinary people?

His black mist true energy is very precious, and it would be too wasteful to infect and control ordinary people. Even the first and second level of human realm experts are not within the standard for infecting and controlling.

"Oh my God, what is that?"

Standing atop the city wall of Sanhe, some warriors wielding swords looked on in fear as they watched the billowing black mist approach.

Not only the black fog below, but also the gloomy weather above, which changed accordingly, spread rapidly as if it had been stained with ink.

"Coming from the direction of Sanhe Mountain, could it be that a great demon has truly been born?"

In every direction within Sanhe City, the old man lying on the ground begging for food, the old man sitting under the tree enjoying the shade, and the masked figure playing the flute on the rooftop all looked with moved expressions towards the city gate.

P.S.: Starting tomorrow, I'll be updating 10,000 words a day. I'm back to my usual rhythm. I need to finish the Martial Arts arc as soon as possible and focus on writing The Wizarding World. I don't feel like writing arcs well.

(End of this chapter)