On the path to immortality, I can see destiny.

The woman in purple stood at the cave entrance, moonlight streaming down from behind her, outlining a slender and graceful silhouette.

She was extremely beautiful, with exquisitely beautiful features, skin as white as snow, and long, jet-black hair casually draped over her shoulders. Most striking of all were her eyes.

The pupils were a rare purple, gleaming faintly in the night, like two crystals bathed in moonlight, cool and profound.

She wore a light purple dress, the fabric thin and light. The night breeze blew, and the hem of the dress fluttered slightly, revealing a pair of bare feet beneath.

Her ankles were slender, her toes rounded, and as she stepped on the rough rocks, it felt as if she were walking on clouds, untouched by dust.

She looked at the cave entrance halfway up the mountain, a hint of coldness flashing in her purple eyes.

"This aura... it really is the Blood Demon Curse."

She murmured to herself, her voice clear and melodious.

Then, she flashed away, her entire body like a wisp of smoke, silently drifting towards the cave entrance.

The two men in black guarding the cave entrance didn't even notice anything unusual. They only felt a gentle breeze pass by, and then there was no one in front of them.

The woman in purple had already entered the cave.

The cave was deep and grew darker as she went in, but her purple eyes shone even brighter in the darkness, as if they could pierce through all obstacles.

She descended the stone steps, her footsteps so light they were barely audible, enveloped in a thin mist that completely concealed her presence.

Ahead, the crimson light grew brighter and brighter.

The woman in purple slowed her pace and disappeared into the shadows of the cave wall. She peeked out halfway and looked into the cave.

In the center of the cave, the pitch-black coffin was open. A man covered in blood-red liquid stood beside the coffin. In front of him was a woman slumped on the ground, her clothes tattered and her body covered in wounds. It was Su Zixuan.

Zhang Tie bent down and gently traced his pale fingers across Su Zixuan's neck.

A thin trail of blood appeared, and fresh blood gushed out.

Su Zixuan trembled all over, but couldn't even make a sound. Her eyes were filled with fear and despair, and her body trembled violently due to blood loss and weakness.

Zhang Tie stretched out his hand, and the gushing blood seemed to be drawn by an invisible hand, turning into a thin line of blood that slowly merged into the blood-red protective membrane around his body.

He closed his eyes, a look of enjoyment on his face, which seemed to add a touch of color to his pale skin.

"Excellent, your blood and energy are abundant."

He muttered to himself.

"If there are two or three more like this, the injuries will be almost healed."

The woman in purple watched this scene silently, her purple eyes showing neither anger nor pity, only a cold calm.

Zhang Tie was drawing blood faster and faster, and Su Zixuan's face grew paler and paler, her eyes beginning to glaze over.

Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

Seeing that Zhang Tie had entered a meditative state, the woman in purple made a move.

She transformed into a streak of purple light, shooting out of the shadows! Her speed was so fast that only a blur remained, and the air seemed to be torn apart, emitting a sharp whistling sound!

Zhang Tie's pupils suddenly contracted!

He hadn't noticed anyone approaching at all! The aura was so well concealed that he only sensed the terrifying fluctuation of spiritual power the moment she made her move.

He's actually at the peak of Qi Refining!

The woman in purple flipped her right hand, and a short sword, entirely black, appeared in her palm.

The short sword was only about a foot long, its blade as black as ink, yet it gleamed with a faint purple light.

She thrust out her sword, the blade flashing like lightning, aiming straight for Zhang Tie's back!

Zhang Tie reacted extremely quickly; the crimson protective membrane around his body instantly expanded, transforming into a crimson shield.

However, the shield was as fragile as paper in front of the short sword, which easily pierced through it, penetrating his body along with it.

This strange short sword contained some kind of power, and when it pierced Zhang Tie's body, it began to devour his blood.

Zhang Tie's expression changed drastically. In a flash, he transformed into a ball of blood, rolled in the air, and then coalesced into a human shape in the distance.

He had no time to say anything else at that moment, and turned to escape towards the hidden exit on the other side of the cave.

The woman smiled disdainfully as she watched Zhang Tie's retreating figure. She made a hand seal, and wisps of purple mist flew out from her sleeves, completely enveloping the surroundings.

The mist looked eerie, as if some evil creature lurked within it, with pairs of strange red eyes floating about.

Zhang Tie looked at the surrounding fog and gritted his teeth, determined to push through.

When the purple mist touched the blood-red protective membrane around him, it made a hissing, corrosive sound!

The protective film melted away at a visible speed, and his skin, exposed to the mist, immediately felt a burning pain!

"Who are you!"

Zhang Tie roared, his blood surging wildly as he tried to dispel the purple mist.

But the fog seemed to have a spirit, gathering thicker and thicker, trapping him firmly in place!

The woman in purple did not answer, but simply raised the black dagger in her hand again.

This time, intricate purple patterns lit up the sword's surface, and a chilling aura emanated from it.

A flicker of fear flashed in Zhang Tie's eyes.

We can't fight them head-on!

Zhang Tie gritted his teeth and took out a dark gold talisman from his pocket. As soon as the talisman appeared, the surrounding spiritual energy fluctuated violently, as if it could not withstand its pressure.

"break!"

Zhang Tie roared, and his spiritual power surged wildly into the talisman!

The talisman instantly burned out, transforming into a golden pillar of light that shot straight up to the top of the cave!

Wherever the beam of light passed, the purple mist retreated as if it had met its nemesis! The rocks on the cave ceiling were struck by the beam of light and shattered with a deafening roar, revealing a huge hole! Moonlight streamed through the hole, illuminating the cave chamber!

Zhang Tie flashed forward and was about to rush towards the hole!

But would the woman in purple let him have his way?

With a wave of her left hand, countless wisps of mist began to gather upwards, and the punctured opening rapidly merged.

Zhang Tie snorted coldly, waved his right hand, and four white rays of light flew out from his sleeve.

Those were four puppets, all white, with blood-red threads wrapped around them.

As soon as they appeared, they pounced on the woman and used their bodies to block her pursuit!

Although these four puppets could only entangle the woman for a short while, that was enough.

Zhang Tie had already rushed to the bottom of the hole and was about to escape.

Just then, a very faint voice came from behind him.

The sound was very soft, as soft as a sigh.

But Zhang Tie felt a sharp pain in his back!

He looked down and saw a small, dark ball embedded in his back. The ball was no bigger than a thumb, completely black, and was emanating an eerie aura that was the complete opposite of his Blood Demon Curse, yet equally unsettling.

An expression of disbelief flashed in Zhang Tie's eyes.

He turned his head and looked at the floor of the cave.

Su Zixuan lay there limp, her face ashen, and blood still flowing from the wound on her neck.

But her empty eyes were now fixed on him, filled with hatred and madness.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

But Zhang Tie understood the shape of her lips.

"I told you... you'd regret it..."

Zhang Tie's body stiffened.

The small, dark ball quickly exploded, releasing immense power. This attack was no less powerful than a full-force strike from a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

"No--!"

Zhang Tie let out a piercing scream!

He was already severely injured, and this explosion was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Zhang Tie's body was blown to pieces on one side. He rolled several times and landed on the ground motionless.

The woman in purple watched this scene quietly, a hint of surprise flashing in her purple eyes.

She looked at Su Zixuan with admiration in her eyes.

On the ground, Zhang Tie's body began to gradually become transparent.

Upon seeing this, the woman frowned and immediately stepped forward, intending to retrieve Zhang Tie's body.

But she was a little too late. Her spiritual power swept over Zhang Tie, and his body immediately shattered into fireflies.

Only a pale yellow talisman remained, slowly drifting down from mid-air.

A faint flame was burning on the talisman.

The woman in purple stepped forward and reached out to catch the talisman.

She looked at the patterns on the talisman, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Could this be the legendary substitute death talisman?"

She murmured to herself.

"This demonic cultivator certainly has a grand scheme."

The talisman burned to ashes in her palm, turning into a wisp of ash that drifted away in the wind.

He fled.

At the last moment, the precious substitute talisman blocked the fatal blow for him, and his real body had already escaped through some secret method.

The woman in purple turned around and looked at Su Zixuan on the ground.

Su Zixuan had completely fainted, her face as pale as paper, and her breath so weak that it was almost imperceptible.

The wound on her neck was still slowly bleeding, staining the rocks beneath her red.

The woman in purple knelt down, extended her slender fingers, and checked her breath.

still alive.

She looked at Su Zixuan's pale face, a fleeting, unfathomable look flashing in her purple eyes.

A moment later, she took out a pill from her storage bag and put it into Su Zixuan's mouth, then reached out and picked Su Zixuan up from the ground.

"He's got guts, though."

The woman in purple said no more, picked up Su Zixuan, and walked out of the cave.