Blood Infants

Qin Sang held back from asking about Bai's whereabouts and patiently listened as Daoist Zhenyi continued speaking. Bai had broken the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, but its physical core remained inside his body. As long as neither of them deliberately concealed themselves, within a certain range they could still sense each other through the Heavenly Corpse Talisman. Yet Qin Sang had been inside the ghost mist for so long, and Bai still had not responded at all. Could the ghost mist isolate even the connection of the Heavenly Corpse Talisman? "Unexpectedly, before we could get close to the altar, Old Demon Ye suddenly struck. Capitalizing on the surging ghost mist, he scattered us by brute force before we could set up the formation, even though we were on guard. Pindao had the misfortune of being separated, and my senses were suppressed. Moreover, the closer one gets to the Scarlet Altar, the greater the interference and resistance. To be safe, Pindao had no choice but to fall back some distance first, where I regrouped with several fellow Daoists. We were just about to head back when you arrived, Fellow Daoist Qin..." Daoist Zhenyi briefly finished recounting what had happened. "With Fellow Daoist Qin here, Pindao is greatly reassured. Let us regroup with the others as quickly as possible. Old Demon Ye and the fiend are atop the Scarlet Altar doing who knows what. If another fiend is sealed within, it will be trouble." Qin Sang roughly understood the situation. His Heavenly Eye divine ability suffered comparatively less suppression here, so locating Senior Sister and the others should not be difficult. He glanced at the surrounding yin souls, ghost mist, and blood clouds. "What are these things? Were they already present in the Immortal Graves, or are they Old Demon Ye's handiwork?" A nearby Nascent Soul cultivator chimed in, "Does Fellow Daoist Qin recall the Nascent Souls captured by Old Demon Ye? I caught glimpses showing that those Nascent Souls were refined into blood infants using the crystal spheres of the Nether Crystal Pagoda, which Old Demon Ye then arranged into an unknown evil array. Our senses being suppressed, the pervasive blood clouds, and so many yin souls being controlled here are likely all effects of this evil array." Qin Sang glanced over and remembered this person was surnamed Guan, hailing from the Beichen Great Desert. "Fellow Daoist Guan is skilled in the Thousand Chi Pupil divine ability," Daoist Zhenyi introduced, worried Qin Sang might not know. The cultivator surnamed Guan offered an abashed smile. "My Thousand Chi Pupil requires condensing spiritual eye power into fine needles to momentarily pierce through space and restrictions, allowing me to see objects beyond normal sight. However, it consumes immense energy, and each use causes a piercing ache in my eyes that demands a period of rest. I have heard that Fellow Daoist Qin's spiritual eye divine ability is also extraordinary. I wonder when I might have the honor of exchanging pointers with you?" "Qin would be delighted. Once this matter is resolved, you are welcome at the Yuanshen Sect at any time!" Qin Sang replied in a mild tone, then pondered for a moment before adding, "In that case, Old Demon Ye deceived the Sin Abyss and snatched the crystal spheres and Nascent Souls all to set up this evil array. Did Fellow Daoist Guan catch sight of the Jade Bone and Brocade Skin, or the fiend released by Old Demon Ye?" "The Jade Bone and Brocade Skin is hovering on the other side of the Scarlet Altar, standing alongside Old Demon Ye. But it remains completely motionless, so it is impossible to tell whether it is a living entity or what relationship it shares with Old Demon Ye," said the cultivator surnamed Guan. Daoist Zhenyi looked toward the Scarlet Altar. "Our only option now is to regroup with the other fellow Daoists as quickly as possible. The longer we delay, the more likely complications will arise." Qin Sang had the same intention and stepped forward without hesitation. "Let me take the vanguard; Daoist Priest can bring up the rear." "Very well!" The group shifted formation, with Qin Sang and the Nascent Soul talisman puppet in the lead and Daoist Zhenyi at the rear. Just as Daoist Zhenyi had said, the closer they drew to the altar, the greater the resistance grew. The blood clouds merged into continuous expanses. The Nascent Soul talisman puppet charged at the very front, forging a path through the blood clouds. Qin Sang followed closely behind the puppet, the Ebony Sword suspended inverted above his head. The hum of the sword resonated incessantly. Sword rays burst forth in unbroken succession toward the front, each mowing down a swathe of yin souls and ghostly wraiths, yet the cleared spaces were immediately refilled. The yin souls and ghost creatures threw themselves forward wave upon wave, utterly fearless of death, with no shortage of Core Formation-stage entities among them. The group could not help feeling as if they had stumbled into hell. The others dared not hold back either, deploying magic treasures or casting Daoist arts to clear the way. Daoist Zhenyi's horsetail whisk turned into a flurry of white light, its form barely discernible. With Qin Sang's addition, their pace was noticeably faster than before. As they advanced, Qin Sang did not forget to keep the Heavenly Eye Butterfly constantly channeling its divine ability, letting no anomalous detail in their surroundings escape notice as he tried to discern the evil array's patterns. After pushing forward for a distance, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly finally picked up the trail of another group. Just as Qin Sang was about to change course and rendezvous with them, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly suddenly transmitted another thought, warning him. Qin Sang's eyes flickered, and he casually glanced past the blood clouds. To the naked eye, that area seemed no different from anywhere else, shrouded only in the omnipresent ghost mist. Yet through the vision of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, a bloody silhouette lurked right there! Recalling the blood infant evil array described by the cultivator surnamed Guan, Qin Sang's heart stirred. Keeping a calm facade, he secretly sent voice transmissions to the others, pretending to blunder about aimlessly like headless flies. He attempted to draw closer to the bloody shadow. Yet several attempts all failed. The bloody shadow seemed sentient; every time they drew close, it flickered away to another spot, exceptionally cunning. Even so, in this battle of wits, Qin Sang did not come away empty-handed; he made a fresh discovery. There was more than one bloody shadow! Three bloody shadows shared intricate, tangled connections with the blood clouds. Barring any surprises, the shadows were blood infants, and the blood clouds and yin souls were under their control, directing the onslaught against them. Old Demon Ye had captured only a limited number of Nascent Souls. Eliminating even one would weaken the evil array's power by a fraction. If they could capture a bloody shadow, it might aid in breaking the evil array. Qin Sang did not want to miss this opportunity. After consulting secretly with Daoist Zhenyi, he decided to make a move. After circling and maneuvering for a while longer to observe the blood infants' patterns, Qin Sang grew concerned that Old Demon Ye, who was controlling the array, might see through their ruse, so he chose to wait no longer. *Bang!* The Nascent Soul talisman puppet abruptly shifted direction, smashing through a cloud of blood beside it. At the same time, without the slightest warning, all their magic treasures swung around in unison. In an instant, multi-colored treasure light erupted simultaneously. There was the whisk transforming into a shower of white radiance, golden blade beams, a small seal carved with unknown ancient characters... The Nascent Soul talisman puppet charged forward with fierce abandon, working in tandem with the various magic treasures to carve out a path for Qin Sang. The next instant, a bolt of lightning tore open the void. Qin Sang manifested his phoenix wings, unleashing both Thunder Escape and Sword Escape at once. His speed reached an unimaginable peak, like a shooting star cleaving through the darkness—stunningly brilliant and dazzling within the pitch-black ghost mist! And his target was none other than a patch of seemingly empty space. An ear-piercing shriek tore through the air. Sensing danger, the blood infants hiding here finally showed themselves from the void. Seeing what they looked like, Qin Sang could not help feeling a chill in his heart. These blood infants were all refined from Nascent Souls. They were the size of normal Nascent Souls, their facial features still intact, but their bodies were translucent and fused seamlessly with the crystal spheres. Their minds were utterly lost, leaving behind horrifying monsters. They strained to open their tiny mouths, shrieking at Qin Sang in warning. Yet to his surprise, the blood infants did not attempt to counterattack. Even as they shrieked, they turned into streaks of bloody light and fled at astonishing speed.