The Blood Crow City Lord’s face instantly twisted with shock and fury, his body trembling slightly as he tried to dodge the golden light. However, his divine sense was violently pulled by the silver vortex, slowing his movements more than usual.
*Clang!*
The golden light struck the Blood Crow City Lord’s neck, but in an instant, a burst of bloody radiance erupted, effortlessly deflecting the attack.
Within the bloody glow, a crimson jade talisman flickered faintly, expanding and contracting irregularly.
The Blood Crow City Lord actually possessed a top-tier demonic artifact capable of activating autonomously to protect its master, blocking the fatal strike at the critical moment.
Even so, the Blood Crow City Lord was drenched in cold sweat. With a furious roar, a blood-colored gale surged around him, forcibly retracting his divine sense. His figure blurred and vanished from the spot, reappearing atop a massive boulder dozens of feet away.
The golden light let out a sharp screech and flickered after him in pursuit.
By then, the silver-eyed elder had recovered and, without hesitation, spat out a pitch-black ghostly head that spewed bloody rays, clashing with the golden light.
At the same time, a thunderous explosion erupted from another direction.
Yang Lao’er staggered and tumbled from a ghostly claw strike, but it seemed he also had a protective treasure. A layer of silver light flashed over his body, and he instantly split into seven or eight illusory shadows that shot off in all directions, narrowly escaping the sneak attack.
A soft *”Huh?”* sounded.
From where Yang Lao’er had stood, seven or eight black streaks shot out like maggots clinging to bone, chasing after the fleeing shadows. A rolling mass of black mist then emerged, revealing a figure clad in a dark robe, slowly retracting a palm.
The figure’s face was deathly pale, yet his features were identical to the Blood Crow City Lord’s, as if they were twins.
*Boom!*
Most of the fleeing shadows of the middle-aged man were pierced and shattered by the black streaks. Only one shadow suddenly spat out a burst of green light behind it, colliding with the pursuing black streak and annihilating together in a burst of spiritual radiance.
The blurred shadow flickered and solidified back into place, its body becoming clear once more. With a cold gaze fixed on the figure in the black mist, it spoke word by word:
“An external incarnation! So this is why Fellow Daoist Bing’s cultivation hasn’t advanced in all these years—you’ve poured all your efforts into refining this second body.”
“Without this backup, did you really think I’d follow you here? Now that things have come to this, call out your hidden companion as well. The Weeping Spirit’s Secret Treasure was always destined for only one of us—there’s no way to share it.” The Blood Crow City Lord glanced at the golden light before lowering his gaze and speaking slowly.
“Humph, since it’s come to this, I have nothing more to say. Brother Crow, show yourself. Even with his second incarnation, his cultivation is still inferior to his main body. If we join forces, we still have a great chance of succeeding.” Yang Lao’er’s eyes flashed with ferocity, no longer concealing his intentions.
“I knew the Weeping Spirit’s Secret Treasure wouldn’t be so easily obtained. After all, Fellow Daoist Bing once stole the Sacred Brick right from under the noses of the Seven Thunder Sea Fiends and the Tianfang Mountain.” A soft sigh came from the void where the golden light had first appeared.
Then, with a flash of gold, a tall, barefoot, and hideous man materialized in the air.
The man’s hands were empty, but he carried a golden gourd half his height on his back, gazing at the distant Blood Crow City Lord with a mocking smile.
“Golden Gourd Demon Venerable!”
The Blood Crow City Lord’s expression shifted slightly as he recognized the ugly man’s face and the massive golden gourd behind him.
“I didn’t expect someone of my meager reputation to be known to you, Fellow Daoist. I’ve long heard of your illustrious name, Fellow Daoist Bing. To cross hands with you today is a wish fulfilled.” The Golden Gourd Demon Venerable smiled faintly and gave a slight bow.
Despite his brutish and ugly appearance, the Demon Venerable’s speech and demeanor were refined, exuding an air of an otherworldly expert.
“Very well. Once I eliminate the two of you today, the Weeping Spirit’s Secret Treasure will be mine. It’s no waste of the centuries I’ve spent planning for this moment.” The Blood Crow City Lord glanced at Yang Lao’er and the Golden Gourd Demon Venerable before letting out a strange laugh.
“What do you mean by that?” Yang Lao’er stiffened, his vigilance skyrocketing.
The ugly man’s eyes also flickered with suspicion.
The Blood Crow City Lord only smirked coldly without answering. Instead, he slapped both hands against his waist.
*Whoosh!*
Two leather pouches—one black, one red—flew out, spinning in midair before flipping upside down. A bloody radiance and a black swarm of insects surged forth.
The bloody light seemed ordinary, but upon closer inspection, it was divided into seven distinct layers of varying intensity, emitting an eerie hum.
The demonic insects in the black swarm were thumb-sized, pitch-black with white patterns covering most of their backs, vaguely forming skull-like shapes—an utterly sinister sight.
“Damn it! The Seven-Kill Blood Shade and the Black Bone Demon Insects! Fellow Daoist Yang, we must retreat!” The previously composed Golden Gourd Demon Venerable paled at the sight of the insect swarm. He slapped his back, and the golden gourd soared into the air, enveloping him in golden light before he shot backward in retreat.
Beside him, Yang Lao’er’s heart sank as he saw the bloody radiance and black insect swarm. Realizing he had underestimated the Blood Crow City Lord, he flicked his sleeve without a word, and green flames erupted from his feet, propelling him in the same direction.
The two were so terrified of the bloody light and black insects that they fled without hesitation.
“Thinking of running now? Too late! I’ve spent years in this Blood Crow City refining these two techniques—just for you two to experience them!” The Blood Crow City Lord laughed maniacally, forming hand seals. The bloody radiance and insect swarm dispersed, chasing after the fleeing duo at speeds even faster than their own.
Yang Lao’er and the Golden Gourd Demon Venerable noticed this and, in horror, spat out essence blood to merge with their escape lights, drastically increasing their speed.
The Blood Crow City Lord’s expression darkened. He and his incarnation blurred, transforming into streaks of gray light that shot forward, overtaking the Seven-Kill Blood Shade in a few flashes and merging into it.
Their bodies then dissolved into layers of bloody mist, becoming one with the radiance.
The already swift Seven-Kill Blood Shade trembled violently, roaring as its speed doubled. In just a few flashes, it caught up to the fleeing pair, curving to block their path.
The bloody light split, revealing the blurred figures of the Blood Crow City Lord and his incarnation, who grinned savagely at the two.
Yang Lao’er, still in his escape light, halted in terror and turned to look back—only to see the black insect swarm closing in from behind, trapping them between the two forces.
Exchanging glances with the equally halted Golden Gourd Demon Venerable, Yang Lao’er’s face twisted with dismay.
“Fine, you win. Let us go, and we’ll hand over the last Sacred Brick,” Yang Lao’er said decisively, shouting at the silver-eyed elder.
“Very well. Show me the Sacred Brick first. If it’s genuine, I’ll spare your lives,” the Blood Crow City Lord agreed without hesitation.
The insect swarm behind them churned, forming a massive ring with the bloody radiance, firmly trapping Yang Lao’er and the Golden Gourd Demon Venerable in the center.
The silver-eyed elder’s immediate agreement made Yang Lao’er hesitate.
“Before handing it over, you must first swear a Heart Demon Oath and sign this Blood Contract forged by the Blood Ancestor himself,” Yang Lao’er said after a moment of thought.
“Agreed. But first, I must verify whether you’ve truly brought the Sacred Brick. Otherwise, I’d rather kill you and extract its location from your souls,” the Blood Crow City Lord replied coldly.
“Brother Jin, what do you think?” Yang Lao’er’s expression flickered uncertainly as he turned to his companion.
“Let him see the Sacred Brick. But if he dares to attack with the Blood Shade or insects, destroy it immediately,” the ugly man said coldly, his eyes narrowing.
The Golden Gourd Demon Venerable had pinpointed the other’s weakness, proving himself a shrewd tactician.
“Brother Jin is right. I’ll show Fellow Daoist Bing the real Sacred Brick. But as before, you may only inspect it from afar using a secret technique,” Yang Lao’er said, his eyes shifting before he loudly addressed the Blood Crow City Lord.
“Naturally. If the brick is genuine, I’ll swear the oath and sign the contract on the spot,” the Blood Crow City Lord replied expressionlessly.
Yang Lao’er nodded and opened his mouth, spitting out a swirling black mist.
Within the mist, an object rapidly expanded into a half-foot-long green wooden box.
Yang Lao’er slapped the box, and its lid flew open, revealing a crystal brick identical to the previous one.
“This is the fourth and final Sacred Brick. If you want it—” Yang Lao’er smirked, about to say more to the silver-eyed elder.
But at that moment, the void before him split open, and a golden hand calmly reached out, seizing the crystal brick the moment it emerged.
“No!”
“You dare!”
Yang Lao’er and the Golden Gourd Demon Venerable, stunned by the sudden act, reacted with fury.
Yang Lao’er spat out several pitch-black ghostly heads that cackled as they lunged at the golden hand.
The Golden Gourd Demon Venerable’s face darkened as his sleeve whipped out, unleashing a dazzling sword beam over ten feet long that slashed downward, aiming to cleave both the hand and the hidden void it emerged from.
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