"Never mind, knowing this much is enough."
Xu Chuan sighed softly, "The Blackwater Region... our Xu Family's reach cannot extend that far yet. I estimate that only a faction overseen by a Grand Cultivator has any hope of developing across regions."
Xu Dewen remained silent.
From the many fragmented memories of Old Demon Yun Huan, he deeply felt the extreme danger of the Blackwater Region.
'Is that the place I will go to develop myself in the future?'
He felt a slight sense of bewilderment in his heart.
For many things, the more one knew, the more fear would breed in one's heart.
As the saying went, the ignorant are fearless!
Xu Chuan glanced at Xu Dewen and said indifferently, "Right, the two magic treasures on him are both Mid-Grade Magic Treasures, especially the Yin Yang Twin Cones.
Hearing this, a look of anticipation suddenly appeared on Xu Dewen's face as he looked up.
He was currently lacking powerful magic treasures.
"However, an elder of the Harmonious Joy Sect is not someone with a small background. I am afraid many people know of his signature magic treasures. Keeping them on you will inevitably bring disaster."
Xu Dewen felt somewhat disappointed after hearing this.
But the very next moment, a new path opened up.
"Therefore, I have prepared two Mid-Grade Magic Treasures for you, personally forged by Deling."
He waved his sleeve robe, and the Blood Bone Blade and the Six Profound Crystal Shield appeared in front of him.
"Although the Blood Bone Blade is not as good as the Yin Yang Twin Cones, with the cultivation method you practice, I am afraid you would find it very difficult to unleash all of their power anyway.
As for this blade, it possesses a bloodthirsty characteristic.
The more you slaughter, the thicker the explosive fiendish aura will become, and the stronger the power it will exert. It is highly compatible with your True Fiend King True Scripture.
In the future, you can even refine it into your Natal Magic Treasure, allowing it to grow alongside you."
Hearing these words, Xu Dewen's eyes instantly lit up, and he raised his hand to touch the blade.
A surge of pure fiendish aura seeped through his skin, seemingly trying to erode his physical body, but it was suppressed in an instant, ultimately converting into a part of his own fiendish aura.
"Good blade. This Blood Bone Blade is indeed suitable for me. Third Sister is very thoughtful," Xu Dewen said with a grinning smile.
"As for the Six Profound Crystal Shield, although it is not a Demonic Dao magic treasure, it has the effect of deflecting force and absorbing a small amount of the power from an opponent's Divine Ability attack.
By storing that energy and unleashing it at a critical moment, it might have miraculous effects."
"Third Sister's artifact refining attainments are growing stronger and stronger," Xu Dewen praised once more.
"Also, do not waste this corpse. Refine it into a Profound Yin Blood Corpse. I happen to have corpse refining materials on hand.
I have also made a rubbing of the corpse refining secret art and the yin soul refinement secret art into this jade slip."
Xu Chuan tossed a storage pouch to Xu Dewen.
"Thank you, Grandfather."
"If not for the fact that I do not have any other third-tier formation flags on me, I would have given them to you as well. This Cloud Heaven Illusionary Array was created by Mingxian, and its characteristics are far too obvious."
Xu Dewen felt silently moved.
"Alright, go find a place to refine the Profound Yin Blood Corpse and process the magic treasures. This Great Tribulation is not something you can participate in.
There is a restriction jade tablet in the storage pouch. Refine it with a drop of blood, and divine sense probes from anyone below the Nascent Soul stage will find it difficult to discover you."
Xu Chuan stepped forward and patted his shoulder. "Dewen, on the path ahead, the assistance our Xu Family can provide you will not be significant. You will mostly have to rely on yourself to forge your way."
"Your grandson understands," Xu Dewen nodded heavily. "I will not let down Grandfather's expectations."
Xu Dewen found a small barren mountain nearby and carved out a grotto-residence.
Seeing that he was settled safely, Xu Chuan finally departed with Xu Mingxuan.
Inside the temporary grotto-residence.
Xu Dewen opened the storage pouch Xu Chuan had handed to him, and his eyes instantly widened.
Inside was a dazzling array of porcelain bottles.
There were Nine Revolutions Rejuvenation Pills for healing injuries, Jade Void Pills for restoring mana, Purple Splendor Pills for detoxification, Azure Cloud Pills, Purple Profound Pills, and Vast Origin Pills for advancing cultivation, and Golden Origin Pills for breaking through realms.
There were also wondrous pills like the Withered Glory Pill, the Life and Death Pill, the Bone Generation Pill, and the Pole Star Pill.
These were enough to let Xu Dewen handle a multitude of situations.
They could even help him cultivate to the seventh or eighth layer of the Golden Core realm.
In the corner of the storage pouch lay seven or eight Demonic Dao magic treasures that Xu Chuan had harvested in the past.
There were also mid-grade spirit stones worth over six hundred thousand.
'Did Grandfather empty out half of the Xu Family's treasury for me?'
His eyes became complex. 'The old man thinks too highly of me. If I get robbed, wouldn't the other party make a massive fortune?'
After a brief moment.
Xu Dewen's eyes immediately grew firm again as he murmured in a low voice, "Since Grandfather is willing to place such a heavy bet, gambling that I can rise in the Blackwater Region...
Since he isn't afraid of these resources going down the drain, what do I have to worry about!"
He then carefully inspected the effects of these pills, feeling very curious about wondrous pills like the Withered Glory Pill and the Life and Death Pill.
'To think such pills exist in this world. Why don't I first consume the Withered Glory Pill to elevate my mana quality and vigor to the Late-Stage Golden Core level?
This will better prepare me to handle future crises.'
After considering it, Xu Dewen immediately swallowed the pill.
Having roamed through Great Jin for decades, he deeply understood one truth: no matter the time, one's own strength was the greatest source of confidence.
External objects could only be relied upon temporarily.
"Father, where are we going next?" Xu Mingxuan looked at Xu Chuan and asked.
"I should be asking you," Xu Chuan smiled faintly. "Otherwise, why did your father call you here?"
"So I really am just a treasure-hunting mouse?"
Xu Mingxuan sighed helplessly, "I should have known."
"Alright, pick a direction."
Xu Mingxuan looked around.
"It's strange. This is clearly a Great Tribulation, but it feels like there are opportunities everywhere. Is it because you are here, Father?"
"For the strong, this Great Tribulation is naturally an opportunity. After all, there are many Demonic Dao experts from the Blackwater Region like Old Demon Yun Huan who have entered this place, and even stronger figures.
Their net worth is undoubtedly substantial."
Xu Mingxuan's eyes lit up.
Old Demon Yun Huan alone had three Mid-Grade Magic Treasures and a massive amount of Demonic Dao resource materials.
He paused and focused on sensing his surroundings.
After a brief moment.
"Let's head southwest first."
Xu Chuan nodded.
The two immediately changed their course toward the southwest.
Their streaks of light moved like lightning, tearing through the gloomy sky.
After less than a few minutes of flight, the landscape below had already transformed entirely.
At first, there were scattered villages.
The curling smoke of cooking fires was no more; only broken walls and ruins remained.
Charred wooden beams pointed at an angle toward the sky, earthen walls had collapsed, and fences were shattered into pieces.
On the village roads and in the courtyards, large pools of congealed, dark red blood were visible everywhere, mixed with the dirt in a shocking display.
Broken farming tools, overturned clay pots, and children's rag dolls were scattered about, silently narrating the panic and despair that struck when the disaster arrived.
The air was thick with a murky scent that mingled the stench of blood, scorched matter, and faint rot.
Even high in the sky, the two of them could vaguely smell it.
As they moved forward, larger towns and even county cities came into view.
The scenes there were even more tragic.
The city walls had collapsed in multiple places, with massive claw marks, burn scars, and signs of corrosion clearly visible.
The crisscrossing streets within the city resembled an anthill trampled recklessly by a giant beast. Whole swaths of houses had collapsed, and the marketplaces were reduced to ruins.
In many places, unextinguished embers still emitted trails of green smoke.
Not many corpses could be seen, evidently having already been "cleaned up" by demonic beasts or demonic cultivators.
However, the remaining shreds of clothing, mottled bloodstains, scattered blades, and the occasional severed limbs left half-eaten in dark corners...
...all revealed the utterly brutal massacre that had occurred here.
The entire county city was completely devoid of life, resembling a massive tomb.
Not long after, they encountered a few tragedies that were currently "in progress."
At a valley pass, over a dozen Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivators from the Blackwater Region were surrounding and slaughtering a small team of cultivators and martial artists.
They had presumably fled to this place from elsewhere.
But against Foundation Establishment experts, they had virtually no power to resist.
There were already seven or eight corpses lying in pools of blood nearby.
Xu Chuan did not even look down; he merely swept the area with his divine sense, his eyes remaining as calm as ever.
He did not pause, nor did he even slow his flight speed.
However, the moment he streaked past, he raised his hand and tapped his fingertip lightly.
Immediately, over a dozen streaks of azure light shot out faster than lightning.
In just an instant.
A red dot appeared simultaneously on the glabella of the dozen or so Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivators. Without so much as a grunt, they collapsed to the ground, dead.
The martial artists and cultivators who witnessed this scene blanked out for a moment, then immediately dropped to their knees, kowtowing toward the streak of light flashing through the sky. "Thank you for saving our lives, Senior!"
Any demonic beasts they encountered along the way were likewise easily slain by Xu Chuan.
Yet, he never stopped for them for even a fraction of a second.
Seeing these tragic scenes play out one after another, Xu Mingxuan could not help but feel a ripple in his heart. He sighed softly, "Under the Great Tribulation, all living beings suffer.
The fate of the countless living beings in our realm... is simply too miserable."
Xu Chuan looked straight ahead and said indifferently, "Born here, raised here.
Our Xu Family will naturally settle this karma in the future."
Hearing this, Xu Mingxuan nodded.
Although their Xu Family was powerful now, trying to sever the reincarnation cycle of the Great Tribulation at this moment was no different from idiotic nonsense.
Even if they wanted to turn the tide and save everyone during this tribulation, they were powerless to do so.
All they could do was preserve themselves and wait for another day.
Two hours later.
On the horizon ahead.
The silhouette of a city, far more massive than the previous county cities, gradually grew clear.
However, the entire city was currently shrouded entirely by a writhing, blood-red light barrier!
The light barrier was blindingly scarlet, thoroughly isolating the city from the outside world.
Xu Chuan swept it with his divine sense and instantly understood.
"A Blood Demon Dao cultivator, I see." He turned his head and smiled at Xu Mingxuan. "Do not go over. There is a Golden Core Perfection stage demonic cultivator over there.
Down below, there are two peak third-tier and three late-stage third-tier blood corpses."
"Yes, Father," Xu Mingxuan cupped his hands in respect, feeling shocked inwardly.
Any random one of those blood corpses could easily kill him.
Xu Chuan flicked his sleeve robe, and several formation flags shot out, once again setting up the Cloud Heaven Illusionary Array and covering the entire city.
At the same time, five dark red figures radiating a ferocity far exceeding an ordinary peak third-tier entity leaped out from the Yin Corpse Pouch at Xu Chuan's waist.
They were exactly the Profound Yin Blood Corpses he had painstakingly refined!
The moment they appeared, the intense bloody yin energy caused the surrounding temperature to plummet.
One of the Profound Yin Blood Corpses threw an unadorned punch straight into the low-grade second-tier blood barrier array covering the city.
Only a crisp "crack" could be heard.
The blood-red light barrier surprisingly shattered like glass upon impact, dissipating into a sky full of bloody specks of light.
The fluctuations from the broken formation immediately alerted Old Demon Wu within the city.
Xu Chuan's figure was hidden within the clouds and mist of the illusionary array, his aura ethereal and hard to trace.
Driven by his thoughts, the five Profound Yin Blood Corpses lunged straight for Old Demon Wu himself, like sharks smelling blood in the water.
Old Demon Wu furrowed his brow, sweeping his divine sense across all directions.
He only detected five fiercely baleful blood corpses rushing toward him at top speed.
He immediately summoned back his own fiend blood corpses to guard his surroundings. As for the ants in the city, they were not worth mentioning.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The Profound Yin Blood Corpses launched their attack without a word.
"Go!"
Old Demon Wu ordered his fiend blood corpses to meet them head-on, but his brows were locked tight, his expression exceptionally grave.
'They are all peak third-tier Profound Yin Blood Corpses! How did this person nurture them?'
'Wait, what exactly is the background of the person hiding in the dark? They shouldn't be from my Blood Demon Grotto, could they be from the Corpse Yin Sect?'
When it came to refining corpse puppets, the Corpse Yin Sect naturally held the top spot in the Blackwater Region.
The Blood Demon Grotto was only skilled in refining blood corpses; they were not very proficient with other types of corpse puppets.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The state of the battle became clear in an instant.
Xu Chuan's Profound Yin Blood Corpses were visibly suppressing Old Demon Wu's blood corpses.
Even the peak third-tier ones clashed fiercely.
One of the Profound Yin Blood Corpses was even fighting alone against two of Old Demon Wu's late-stage third-tier blood corpses.
Claw shadows flew wildly, the yin energy oppressive!
It actually completely suppressed its opponents, causing them to roar incessantly while struggling to parry the blows.
The final Profound Yin Blood Corpse, which possessed the thickest aura, went straight for Old Demon Wu himself.
When Old Demon Wu saw this blood corpse, a look of shock first appeared on his emaciated face.
Then, a greedy glint erupted in his eyes. "Such a powerful aura, it's practically comparable to a Half-Step Fourth-Tier blood corpse!"
For immortal cultivators, above the Golden Core Perfection stage was the Nascent Soul realm.
However, some cultivators, despite condensing an infant fetus, failed to break through the Golden Core barrier, and even more so, lacked the courage to endure the Inner Demon Tribulation.
Therefore, a transitional stage known as the False Nascent Soul Realm existed in between.
Although False Nascent Soul experts were slightly stronger than Golden Core experts, the gap was not tremendously large.
For corpse puppets and yin soul ghostly creatures, above the peak third-tier was the Half-Step Fourth-Tier level.
A single corpse puppet or yin soul of this level was comparable to a Golden Core Perfection cultivator who had reached Great Accomplishment in their divine abilities.
Of course, cultivating such demonic path fiends was incredibly difficult and required an unknown amount of resources.
The further into the later stages, the more useless ordinary blood food resources became.
At the very least, Golden Core stage blood food was needed to promote growth.
The reason Xu Chuan's Profound Yin Blood Corpses and Blood Fiend Ghost King had grown so quickly was that they had been fed dozens of Golden Core cultivators, massive numbers of Foundation Establishment cultivators, and tier 3 demonic beasts.
Even the Corpse Yin Sect in the Blackwater Region could not possibly concentrate such a massive amount of resources onto a single person.
Without a resource investment like Xu Chuan's, it would take anyone else at least several decades to cultivate a peak third-tier blood corpse.
And that was already considered the faster end of the spectrum.
The slower ones would take centuries, or even longer.
Old Demon Wu resisted the attacks of the Profound Yin Blood Corpse with his magic treasures. Given his strength, his commonly used magic treasures were naturally Mid-Grade Magic Treasures.
Thus, he handled the situation with ease, thoroughly capable and unbothered.
As he fought, his divine sense swept across his surroundings.
Clouds and mist gradually rose around him, obscuring his line of sight.
'This mist can actually block my spiritual sense probing. What kind of array is this? It seems incredibly profound.'
While shocked, thoughts of greed began to sprout in Old Demon Wu's heart.
A moment later.
He looked around and raised his voice, shouting, "Which Daoist Friend who cultivates the Blood Demon Dao is present?
Why attack this Wu for no reason?
Could it be that you wish to rob a fellow thief?"
He attempted to probe with words, using this to locate the other party's position.
Hidden in the dark, Xu Chuan turned a deaf ear to his shouts.
The battle between the blood corpses grew increasingly fierce.
The sounds of colliding bones, roaring, and the corrosive clash of yin and bloody auras rang out endlessly.
His three late-stage third-tier blood corpses had already suffered heavy injuries.
Only then did he realize that the armor worn by these Profound Yin Blood Corpses were actually all Low Grade magic treasures.
Although they looked like standard-issue products, having such protection absolutely elevated their strength by another level.
The more Old Demon Wu looked, the more frightened he became.
'I cannot let this go on, otherwise, once I am surrounded by these five Profound Yin Blood Corpses, even my life will be in danger.'
"It seems, Daoist Friend, that you have taken a liking to these fiend blood corpses that I have painstakingly refined. You wish to use them as resources to help your Profound Yin Blood Corpses advance to the fourth tier, right?"
Hearing this, Xu Chuan's heart stirred. 'There is actually such a secret method?'
His eyes rippled slightly.
If he could cultivate a fourth-tier blood corpse, with his current Nascent Soul divine sense, he could still suppress it steadily.
It would be enough to become a tremendous asset in the Ancient Battlefield.
A fierce light flashed in Old Demon Wu's eyes, and he smiled savagely. "Then let us see exactly who will snatch whose fortune today!"
Without further hesitation, his hands rapidly formed a bizarre and complex hand seal, his mouth muttering an incantation.
Then, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of natal essence blood.
The essence blood did not dissipate; instead, driven by the secret method, it transformed into a sky full of blood-red threads. Accompanied by gusts of yin wind, they shot swiftly toward the Profound Yin Blood Corpses!
This was a secret method unique to the Blood Demon Grotto!
It could forcefully weaken an opponent's control over their blood corpses, or even temporarily snatch them away.
As soon as the blood threads touched the surface of the Profound Yin Blood Corpses, they drilled into their bodies, interfering with their core restrictions.
Xu Chuan immediately felt his control over those Profound Yin Blood Corpses beginning to weaken.
They let out bursts of roars, their facial expressions becoming increasingly ferocious and terrifying due to the pain!
Subsequently, the movements of the Profound Yin Blood Corpses grew sluggish, the soul flames in their eyes flickering chaotically.
There were actually faint signs of them rebelling and breaking free from control!
"Hahaha!"
Seeing this, Old Demon Wu laughed smugly. Although his face was pale from the loss of essence blood, it was filled with excitement.
"Although Daoist Friend has nurtured these blood corpses well, this corpse control secret art is truly crude!
If you were controlling other types of corpse puppets today, my Blood Demon Grotto's secret method would struggle to have such an effect.
When it comes to controlling blood corpses, even the Corpse Yin Sect cannot compare to my sect!
Today, I, Wu, will gladly accept these fine Profound Yin Blood Corpses of yours!"
Watching the Profound Yin Blood Corpses struggle more and more violently, almost on the verge of turning on him.
"Hmph!"
Xu Chuan snorted coldly.
He originally wanted to rely on the blood corpses to solve this, but now he had no choice but to act personally!
The next moment.
About forty feet behind Old Demon Wu, a dark shadow materialized out of thin air like a phantom.
The revealed figure was none other than Xu Chuan.
This was the Ghost Shadow Escape; even while moving, it would not emit overly large fluctuations.
Coupled with the Dao that Xu Chuan had comprehended himself, his ability to control his aura could be considered top-tier; even an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't compare.
Therefore, Old Demon Wu did not discover him immediately.
Almost exactly as Xu Chuan appeared.
A tyrannical, peerless power of divine sense was already unleashed!
Although his Sword of Divine Sense was not yet fully cultivated.
With Xu Chuan's Nascent Soul Quality divine sense, the thirty-two Divine Sense Silver Needles he condensed were already a terrifying killing move that Golden Core cultivators could hardly fathom!
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
The formless Divine Sense Silver Needles ignored all physical and mana defenses, instantly piercing into Old Demon Wu's sea of consciousness!
"Ah!!!"
Old Demon Wu, who was utilizing his secret method with all his strength, was suddenly hit by this divine sense attack. He felt as if his head had been impaled by tens of thousands of steel needles simultaneously!
The agony far exceeded the physical body's limits of endurance, and he let out a miserable, bloodcurdling scream.
Blood flowed from all seven of his facial orifices simultaneously, and his body violently shuddered.
The hand seals in his grasp dissipated instantly, and the sky full of blood-red threads came to an abrupt halt, collapsing one after another.
The backlash from the secret method combined with his divine soul severely injured made his vision go black, nearly causing him to faint.
Right at this moment.
Xu Chuan closed in on him, his right palm pressing lightly toward the center of his back.
Within the center of his palm was not furious mana, but a surge of deathly stillness!
"Bang!"
The light barrier of Old Demon Wu's defensive magic treasure was breached in an instant.
The residual power of the palm strike landed on his body.
Old Demon Wu was immediately sent flying like he had been hit by a meteorite, smashing viciously into the ground below. He carved a deep crater into the hard bluestone pavement, sending dust and smoke billowing into the air.
He lay at the bottom of the crater, having suffered over a dozen broken bones throughout his body and completely ruptured internal organs.
It was obvious that his physical body had suffered exceptionally severe trauma.
The intense pain brought Old Demon Wu back to consciousness. He struggled to lift his head, his blurred vision staring at the azure-robed figure descending slowly from the sky.
His eyes were filled with boundless terror. "This is a death qi divine ability, and it has even reached Divine Ability Perfection! Just who are..."
Before his words could finish.
An imperceptible flash of azure light shot from Xu Chuan's fingertip, instantly piercing his glabella and extinguishing his final trace of life.
Old Demon Wu, a man once thought highly of by many Nascent Soul Demonic Cultivators in the Blackwater Region, perished just like that in an unceremonious fashion.
Following their master's death, Old Demon Wu's fiend blood corpses instantly grew enraged, trying to scatter in all directions.
With a thought, Xu Chuan immediately had his Profound Yin Blood Corpses subdue them.
"It seems those late-stage third-tier fiend blood corpses were only a tiny bit away from evolving to the peak third-tier."
Xu Chuan sent a sound transmission for Xu Mingxuan to come over while he began inspecting Old Demon Wu's storage pouch.
Inside were hundreds of thousands of souls, each one overflowing with pain and endless resentment.
Aside from that, there was a massive amount of mortal essence blood, along with some essence blood from cultivators and martial artists.
There were also three or four Low Grade magic treasures.
Along with the Blood Demon Dao corpse refinement and corpse control secret arts that Xu Chuan wanted.
As for the Blood Demon Dao inheritance ancient classics, Xu Chuan didn't value them much, but he wouldn't mind storing them away in the Xu Family's Dao Repository Pavilion.
"The Ninefold Corpse Release Art: by using nine corpse puppets of the late-stage third-tier or above as nourishment, it can help a peak third-tier corpse puppet gain a ten percent chance to break through to the fourth-tier.
If they are all at the peak stage, the chances rise to thirty percent."
After reading it, Xu Chuan murmured to himself, "The demonic path's secret methods really do have their unique merits. Those three late-stage third-tier fiend blood corpses are on the verge of reaching the peak third-tier.
Including them, there will be exactly ten.
While ten peak third-tier blood corpses would make even an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator wary.
How could that compare to a fourth-tier corpse puppet!"
Cultivating just one peak third-tier was already difficult enough, let alone ten.
It was no wonder breaking into the fourth tier offered a thirty percent chance.
"Father," Xu Mingxuan cupped his hands toward Xu Chuan.
Xu Chuan nodded slightly.
"We will stay here for a few hours. I need to take control of the fiend blood corpses left behind by that Blood Demon Dao Demonic Cultivator."
Hearing this, Xu Mingxuan looked at the fiend blood corpses suppressed by the Profound Yin Blood Corpses and asked in surprise, "They clearly look inferior to the blood corpses you cultivated, Father.
Why bother with them?"
Xu Chuan smiled and handed the Ninefold Corpse Release Art to Xu Mingxuan to read.
He immediately realized what was going on.
"So you want to cultivate a fourth-tier blood corpse, Father! With such an asset, you will undoubtedly be like a tiger that has grown wings."
Xu Chuan nodded slightly and began to study and practice the corpse control secret art.
In merely four hours, he mastered it.
Then, he laid restrictions upon the fiend blood corpses.
After that, he added restrictions to his own Profound Yin Blood Corpses to further enhance his control over them.
Compared to Old Demon Wu's, the corpse refinement and control secret methods he had previously obtained were practically child's play.
"Eat it."
Xu Chuan divided Old Demon Wu's remnant soul and essence blood among the three late-stage third-tier blood corpses, and then used the mortal essence blood in his storage pouch as their nourishment.
As for those souls.
Xu Chuan absorbed them into the Soul-Gathering Banner.
They had all already become resentful souls that could not dissipate normally. If left alone for long, they would transform into ghostly creatures and fiends.
Since that was the case, it was better for them to become food for the Soul-Gathering Banner.
Of course, if Xu Chuan had a way of delivering them to the afterlife, he wouldn't mind purifying them.
Having obtained the perfect blood food of a Golden Core Perfection stage cultivator, the three late-stage third-tier fiend blood corpses were on the verge of advancing.
Xu Chuan put all the blood corpses away into Old Demon Wu's Yin Corpse Pouch.
This Yin Corpse Pouch was of a high-tier quality. Not only was the space vaster, but the yin and fiendish aura inside was much richer.
Once the fiend blood corpses all became peak third-tier, he could start the process of helping the Profound Yin Corpse King advance to the fourth-tier.
"Let's go. On to the next opportunity point."
Xu Chuan stored away the Cloud Heaven Illusionary Array and departed together with Xu Mingxuan.
Although this city had been slaughtered by Old Demon Wu, by the time Xu Chuan arrived, tens of thousands of people had still survived.
But now that he had removed the array and left, exactly how long these people would survive was completely unknown.
"Father, heading west... it seems there is a considerable benefit within the borders of Great Liang."
"How does it compare to this time?"
"It shouldn't be inferior," Xu Mingxuan thought about it and replied.
"Not inferior... Could it be that the Blackwater Region Demonic Cultivators who entered this time also include someone controlling an army of yin souls and ghostly creatures?"
"Are you saying that person has a magic treasure similar to your Soul-Gathering Banner, Father? But why wouldn't it be someone who refines corpses?"
"I have a significant amount of confidence in successfully cultivating a fourth-tier Profound Yin Corpse King. You said the opportunity this time isn't any less than the one we just had, and the only thing I have on hand that can compare to it is the Blood Fiend Ghost King.
The Blood Fiend Ghost King had already reached the Half-Step Fourth-Tier level; he is not far from the fourth tier.
If we run into a similar Demonic Cultivator and convert all their yin souls and ghostly creatures into nourishment for the Blood Fiend Ghost King, he will have a ten to twenty percent chance of stepping into the fourth tier.
Of course, if that person has an even stronger ghost path secret art on them.
The chances of the Blood Fiend Ghost King crossing into the fourth tier will increase even further."
Xu Mingxuan marvelled inwardly. Before they even saw the person's shadow, Xu Chuan had already roughly guessed what the opportunity entailed.
"But, Father, you excel at divination. Why don't you just divine the opportunities directly? Why do you need your son?"
Xu Chuan turned to look at him and patiently explained, "Under normal circumstances, divination is indeed more accurate; one can even divine a bit of their origins.
But the Great Tribulation is chaotic and has scrambled the heavenly secrets here.
This is also a weakness of the Dao of Divination. Once the heavenly secrets are obscured or blinded, it is as if one has gone completely blind.
Some Grand Powerful Cultivators can even cause people to divine false information."
"I didn't expect this path to have so many drawbacks as well," Xu Mingxuan sighed with emotion.
Xu Chuan smiled and said, "Let's keep moving. If the Sima Family hadn't relocated to Great Liang, we could have taken a trip to Demon-Controlling City this time around.
Unfortunately, the Sima Family took away more than ninety percent of their resources.
And having already been pillaged by Dewen, it has lost any value in visiting.
It's roughly the same over in Great Wei.
The Jiang, Lei, and Lin Families control the Great Wei Imperial Palace. Given our relationship with them, it would be inappropriate to go and rob them."
"The Cao Clan, the Sima Family... It seems the grievances between our Xu Family and them will have to be resolved at the Great Liang Imperial City."
Xu Mingxuan smiled faintly and continued, "I wonder if Ye Fan and the others will have solved everything by the time we get there."
"It might still be a bit difficult. It depends on exactly how many Golden Core Demonic Cultivators and demonic beasts are besieging the Great Liang Imperial City right now."
Hearing these words, Xu Mingxuan also fell silent.
Meanwhile, six hours prior.
Ye Fan, Xu Deyue, and Mei Yun had already arrived outside the Great Liang Imperial City.
Compared to the Demonic Dao cultivators running rampant over in Great Jin, here, there was a greater influx of invading demonic beasts.
However, as time passed, quite a few Demonic Dao Golden Core experts had also arrived here.
As for those at the Foundation Establishment stage, most of them simply couldn't fly fast enough to arrive so soon.
It would take until tomorrow at the earliest for them to spread into the borders of Great Liang and Great Wei.
Along the way, they too had witnessed the tragic devastation of the Great Tribulation.
They intervened occasionally, but it only relieved the immediate danger.
Once they left, the fate of those they had saved remained unpredictable.
The three of them stood suspended in mid-air.
The Great Liang Imperial City was over a dozen miles away.
At this moment, all four gates of the Imperial City were shut tight.
Runes flowed ceaselessly atop the thick city walls, and a massive, heavy, bright yellow light barrier enveloped the entire city tightly.
As the halos of the array circulated, it gave off a steady aura as solid as a mountain.
Yet, it also revealed the tense, ominous signs of an impending storm.
Mei Yun turned his head to look at Ye Fan beside him and asked, "Eldest Senior Brother, do we strike directly, or..."
Ye Fan's gaze was heavy as he looked at the Great Liang Imperial City.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he slowly shook his head. "No rush.
If we forcefully attack now, breaking the array will consume a massive amount of mana. The elites of the Cao Clan, the Sima Family, and the Liu family are all gathered here.
Even if we shatter the grand array, we might not necessarily be able to take them down in a short amount of time.
I have a premonition that it won't be long before tier 3 demonic beasts and Golden Core Demonic Cultivators come attacking.
Therefore, we should hold our ground and observe first."
Hearing this, Mei Yun nodded thoughtfully and said no more.
He understood that Ye Fan was afraid of leading them into danger.
The Great Tribulation was out of the ordinary, which could be seen from everything they had experienced on the road earlier.
Fifteen minutes later.
In the western sky, ferocious roars and avian screeches pierced through the clouds and echoed over!
First came an Iron Feathered Hawk-Eagle, a beast with four wings and feathers like steel!
Closely following it was a dense, dark flock of hundreds to thousands of various ferocious birds. Although they were mostly tier 1, the demonic clouds and sharp shrieks they formed were terrifying in scale.
Below them.
Dust and smoke billowed up in all directions.
Two massive figures with towering demonic qi trampled through the mountain forests, charging over madly.
One was an Earth-Rending Elephant covered in bone armor with tusks like halberds, while the other was a Fiery Spike Bear with an entirely crimson body and sharp spikes growing on its back.
Behind them trailed massive hordes of beasts.
The moment they arrived, they unleashed a furious assault against the bright yellow City Protection Great Formation without the slightest pause!
The Earth-Rending Elephant smashed the earth with its long trunk, triggering waves of dirt to crash into the light barrier, while the Fiery Spike Bear spewed scorching flames to roast the array.
As for the Iron Feathered Hawk-Eagle, it flapped its broad wings, slashing out one blade of wind after another.
Among the rest of the demonic beasts, some rammed, clawed, or pecked at the light shield, while others unleashed their innate spell arts.
The array's light barrier rippled violently, waves surging wildly.
"Hold them back!"
Inside the west gate, numerous cultivators and Cao Clan descendants were gathered.
They maintained the array with their mana to offset the attacks of the demonic beasts outside.
Doing so could prolong the duration of the array's protection.
Two hours later.
"Hahaha! What a lively scene! This Imperial City truly is a fat sheep!"
A burst of insolent, demonic laughter echoed from the northeast, as five or six streaks of light in various colors—all exuding an equally sinister demonic aura—sped over.
They revealed the figures of several vicious-looking individuals with tyrannical auras.
They were all Golden Core Demonic Cultivators from the Blackwater Region.
Among them, three were at the Early-Stage Golden Core, and two were at the Mid-stage Golden Core.
They glanced over at the demonic beasts but did not interfere.
Instead, without hesitation, they each unleashed their demonic cultivation methods, brought out corruptive magic treasures, or cast corrosive divine abilities, joining the siege on the grand array!
The mingling of demonic qi and demonic beast energy battered the grand array, causing its brilliant light to flicker unsteadily as the pressure spiked.
The Demonic Cultivators who had entered the Land of Imprisonment could generally be divided into three categories.
The first category was those like Old Demon Wu, who collected resources for cultivation. They were the main force behind the slaughter.
Wherever they went, all living beings perished.
They made up the highest proportion in terms of numbers.
The second category consisted of those who came to scavenge for resources.
They specifically targeted the aristocratic clans, acting like a swarm of locusts passing through, ensuring complete eradication without leaving a blade of grass alive.
Their numbers were second highest.
Finally, there were those who came to fight experts and temper themselves.
Among them, the proportion of Late-Stage Golden Core and even Golden Core Perfection cultivators was the highest.
It was obvious that those who had just arrived at the Great Liang Imperial City fell into the second category.