"That matter was spearheaded entirely by Martial Uncle Wu. And Martial Uncle Wu himself, because he forced his cultivation of this art, had his heart corrupted by baleful fiend energy, drastically altering his temperament. He nearly caused a catastrophe that would have destroyed our sect's foundation. The chaos of that day continues to plague us even now. My adoptive father chose not to pursue the matter further and let Martial Uncle Wu take you all away—that was already the height of benevolence..."
First Seat Lu did not agree with the burly cultivator's words at all.
The burly cultivator waved his hand sharply, cutting Lu off with a sneer. "Master is long gone, so of course you can say whatever you like! I didn't come here to argue about who was right and who was wrong. After leaving the Landou Sect, my senior brothers suffered every manner of torment. Following Master's dying wishes, we finally devised a method that might relieve us of our agony, but it requires that stone platform. Junior Brother Lu, for the sake of our past fellowship as sect brothers, hand this item over to me, and our past grievances will be wiped clean!"
First Seat Lu felt a pang of surprise, but flatly refused aloud. "That item is of grave importance and cannot be moved from Dongming Island. As for resolving the hidden flaws of the Lightning Command Technique, that is utter nonsense. It merely happened to be discovered alongside the Lightning Command Technique and has some auxiliary function, nothing more. Martial Uncle Wu and Master contemplated it countless times. Senior Brother Gao, do you take me for someone who knows nothing of this secret art?"
The burly man snorted. "If you don't believe me, let me go to the Thunder Cave and test it out. Wouldn't that make things clear?"
First Seat Lu frowned slightly, doubt rising in his mind.
Looking at the man's expression, had they truly comprehended something?
Yet back then, two Nascent Soul Patriarchs had pooled their efforts to study it for years, only to come away empty-handed in the end.
At that moment, a flicker of suspicion flashed in the eyes of Old Daoist Huayang, whose gaze had remained fixed on the trio, yet he could not be entirely certain. After a brief consideration, he sent a voice transmission to First Seat Lu.
"Junior Brother Lu, if that is the case, have them hand over that method first. Once we verify whether it is genuine, it won't be too late to discuss the matter."
First Seat Lu nodded slightly and spoke aloud, "If the hidden flaws of the Lightning Command Technique can be resolved, it will benefit us all. Senior Brother Gao, let me examine the method first. As long as it is effective, I am not an unreasonable man."
Hearing this, the youth surnamed Fang standing at the rear raised his head, his eyes glinting.
The burly cultivator feigned contemplation, then produced a jade slip and reached out to hand it to First Seat Lu. "Then please take a look, Junior Brother Lu!"
As he spoke, a flash of bloody light suddenly flared in the burly man's pupils.
Old Daoist Huayang's face changed drastically, and he shouted in fury, "He isn't Junior Brother Gao! Beware of treachery!"
At the same time, his horsetail whisk flicked out violently, transforming into a sky full of fine threads that shot straight toward the burly cultivator.
But his reaction was still a step too late. A sinister smile curled at the corners of the burly man's mouth, his expression abruptly stiffened, and an unearthly screech rose from his throat.
*Bang!*
The burly man's body suddenly exploded.
A cloud of blood mist violently blasted outward, filling the entire bamboo pavilion and leaving nothing of the burly man behind. The mist, gathering all of the burly man's essence blood, pulsed as though alive. In a single expansion and contraction, a slender blood flood dragon surged out. Opening its gaping, bloody maw, it lunged violently toward the nearest target, First Seat Lu, amidst a bloodcurdling cry.
First Seat Lu was, after all, an expert at the peak of the late stage, and Old Daoist Huayang's warning had come in the nick of time. Although catastrophe erupted mere inches away, he kept his composure in the face of danger.
He swept his palm, and true essence surged like a tide, forming a wall of light. But under the rush of blood mist, the light wall collapsed instantly, and the blood flood dragon was already right in front of him.
Lu's expression shifted slightly. Blue light flashed at his dantian, and a round bead the size of a longan shot out—his life magic treasure.
With a thought urging the treasure forward, vast power of water essence rose like a colossal wave, crashing violently against the blood flood dragon.
At the same time, Old Daoist Huayang's whisk arrived. Its white threads, like countless silver needles, pierced right through the beast.
The peril seemed to have been averted.
However, the others lacked First Seat Lu's strength.
At the exact moment the blood corpse bug detonated the burly man's physical body, the cultivator surnamed Hong also blew apart, all of his essence blood devoured entirely by a blood corpse bug to form another blood flood dragon.
The blood corpse bug was already a spirit insect of the third metamorphosis. For a period after devouring all the essence blood of a Core Formation cultivator, its power would surge to the absolute limit it could control until the essence blood's energy was exhausted—making it terrifying indeed.
Otherwise, the youth surnamed Fang would never have dared to venture alone into the tiger's den with merely two corpse puppets against so many formidable foes.
Under the deliberate guidance of the youth surnamed Fang, the cultivator surnamed Hong had stood very close to two early Core Formation cultivators from the Landou Sect.
Those two could never have imagined that their former senior brother would ruthlessly strike to kill; they had virtually no defenses raised.
The corpse puppet detonated.
Before the two could react, the blood mist engulfed them.
Two agonized screams rang out in succession from within the blood mist, followed immediately by a figure tumbling backward in utter disarray. The skin on his face had been corroded by the blood mist beyond recognition.
Fortunately, as a Core Formation cultivator, he had managed to muster his spiritual power and magic treasure just in time to protect himself, barely surviving the disaster.
Unexpectedly, the other voice was quickly extinguished.
Then, another loud detonation erupted from within the blood mist. The crimson fog grew even denser, birthing an even larger blood flood dragon that was utterly ferocious as it pounced toward the survivor.
Terror gripped the man's face, and he spun around to flee.
Yet out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a blood sword piercing through his back with startling speed. The man died on the spot. His body was enveloped by the blood mist, and his essence blood was devoured clean by the blood corpse bug.
On the other side, the youth surnamed Fang joined forces with the blood flood dragon.
He had now revealed his true cultivation; though not quite equal to First Seat Lu, he was not far behind. Clad in a strange insect armor, he pressed forward alongside the blood flood dragon, forcing First Seat Lu to retreat repeatedly while taking on three opponents at once, holding off Old Daoist Huayang and another cultivator.
As a result, the three could only watch helplessly as their two junior brothers died gruesome deaths in the jaws of the blood corpse bugs.
Of course, this was because the youth surnamed Fang had come fully prepared, whereas First Seat Lu and his companions had been forced to fight on short notice.
Such suppression could not possibly last long, but having devoured the essence blood of three Core Formation cultivators, the blood corpse bug's power had skyrocketed once again, and it was already moving in to reinforce him.
While relentlessly pressing the attack against the Landou Sect cultivators, the youth silently chanted an incantation. The blood mist within the bamboo pavilion coalesced without dispersing, and the blood flood dragons merged into it, forming an extraordinarily solid barrier that sealed First Seat Lu and the others inside.
The youth surnamed Fang had plotted this for a long time; when he struck, it carried thunderous momentum.
The other cultivators were outside on the bamboo platform. After discussing the Landou Sect for a while without reaching any conclusion, some had left to check on their own disciples, but most remained.
When the commotion reached their ears, before anyone could comprehend what had happened, they saw that the bamboo pavilion had already turned into a sea of blood, and the pungent stench of gore was nauseating.
Immediately afterward, a shout from an unknown voice rang out: "Lu, you even dare defy the Patriarch's orders—do you intend to betray the sect?!"
This accusatory question caused all the people who had been about to rush into the bamboo pavilion to rescue them to halt in unison, filled with shock and doubt.
The Landou Sect had only two Patriarchs.
Sect Master Lu was trapped in the Demon Sea, unable to return.
The one remaining at the mountain gate was precisely Patriarch Wu.
Could it be that their earlier speculations had actually come true?
Chapter 899