Chapter 1456: Mu Qing and the Blood Dragon

Han Li’s performance still greatly astonished Lei Lan and the other two. Two seemingly formidable groups of enemies were effortlessly annihilated in one wave, while the other was frightened into retreat, allowing them to finally overcome the immediate crisis.

Though the three felt greatly relieved, they remained unaware that the three blood puppets Han Li had slain possessed the strength of low-level Spirit Commander cultivators. Had they known, their shock would have been even greater.

Seeing no further signs of monsters and Han Li descending to assist his spirit beast in completing the final step of its advancement, Lei Lan and the other two sat cross-legged in the flying carriage, quietly recovering their depleted energy.

An hour later, a dazzling white light flashed several times from the ground, followed by a roar that resembled both a dragon’s cry and a tiger’s growl.

Han Li, who had been reaching into the white light with one hand, suddenly changed expression. His figure blurred as he shot backward, leaving a trail of afterimages.

Almost simultaneously, a golden shadow burst from the white light, spinning once before transforming into a massive beastly phantom over ten zhang in length. Covered in golden scales, it was the illusory form of a golden qilin.

Though merely a phantom, the qilin raised its head and let out a mighty roar, unleashing an overwhelming aura that forced even Han Li, who had just steadied himself, to retreat another step.

But the phantom lasted only a fleeting moment before slowly dissipating.

At the same time, the white light below faded, revealing the small beast.

The current Leopard Qilin Beast appeared largely unchanged in size, but its fur now bore faint golden streaks, and its pupils had turned a shimmering silver.

With a flicker, the beast vanished from its spot.

Almost instantly, Han Li felt a weight in his arms—a furry creature had leaped into his embrace.

Looking down, he saw the newly advanced beast nuzzling against him, its eerie eyes gazing up as it affectionately licked his hand with its pink tongue.

Without a word, Han Li swept his divine sense through the beast’s body, and soon, a look of joy crossed his face.

The beast had indeed successfully advanced, reaching the Nascent Soul level.

Given its innate abilities and qilin bloodline, it far surpassed other beasts of the same rank and would undoubtedly become an invaluable ally.

The beast yawned in Han Li’s arms, clearly exhausted from the ordeal of advancement and in urgent need of rest.

Han Li flipped his hand, producing an apricot-red pill, which he fed to the beast before gently patting it.

A flash of azure light later, the beast vanished, stored away in his spirit beast bracelet, where it promptly fell into a deep slumber.

Upon witnessing the qilin phantom, the three on the spirit carriage exchanged uneasy glances, their faces slightly pale. Though the Feathered Serpent Tribe revered only avian-type true spirits, the qilin was a legendary being renowned across the Spirit Realm. That Han Li’s spirit beast possessed qilin bloodline naturally left them stunned once more.

Han Li then soared into the air as a streak of azure light, circling the area within several hundred zhang. Multicolored beams of light shot up from the ground, vanishing into his sleeves as he collected all the formation flags and plates.

The ten crimson pillars and the formation on the ground dissipated, restoring everything to its original state.

“We don’t have much time. We must proceed to the third layer immediately,” Han Li said calmly as he reappeared in the flying carriage.

Bai Bi and Lei Lan naturally had no objections and nodded in agreement.

With a light tap of Han Li’s foot, the triangular spirit carriage shot forward as a streak of white light. After a few flickers, it gradually faded into the darkness of the horizon.

Deep within the Earth Abyss, at the same moment the three blood puppets were reduced to ashes by the Devouring Spirit Heavenly Flames, the blood-robed man reclining in his mountain chamber suddenly sensed something and opened his eyes with a soft exclamation.

“Hmm? The blood puppets were destroyed, and not even a trace of the three divine senses escaped. What happened? Did someone interfere with my plans?” A fierce glint flashed across his face as he muttered.

“Never mind. They were just three blood puppets. Sending others now would be too late. It’s not worth my time to personally deal with a mere Spirit General-level existence in the upper layers.” Stroking his chin, he fell into thought.

After a while, he flicked his sleeve, summoning the same orb as before. It hovered before him, spinning gently.

With a hand seal and a tap of his finger, the orb glowed crimson and emitted a faint hum.

Soon, a cold female voice responded:

“Earthblood, what do you want from me?” The speaker showed no courtesy toward the blood-robed man.

“Heh, I wish to propose a small trade with Fellow Daoist Mu Qing,” he replied lightly.

“What kind of trade?” The woman sounded surprised.

“Nothing major. I’d like to borrow one of your high-level Spirit Commander-ranked blood flood dragons,” he said casually.

“Blood flood dragons? What for? I need them to gather blood sacrifices,” she retorted.

“I need them to eliminate a few Spirit General-level Feathered Serpent Tribesmen in the second layer. It’s too late for me to act personally, and there’s no teleportation array leading directly there. Hence, I must trouble you,” he explained.

“Humph, using blood flood dragons for mere Spirit Generals? Fine, I won’t pry into your schemes. But if you want them, you must give me a section of your Spirit-Concealing Wood. Otherwise, forget it!” After a pause, she replied coolly.

“Spirit-Concealing Wood? Very well. But I have one condition—the souls of those Feathered Serpent Tribesmen must be brought to me intact,” he said impassively.

“That’s a trivial matter. Send me their last known location and appearances,” she agreed, her tone softening slightly.

“Naturally. Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist Mu.” The blood-robed man touched the orb with a finger, closed his eyes, and transmitted the information via divine sense.

Moments later, he withdrew his finger and reopened his eyes. “I’ve sent their recent location. If the blood flood dragons hurry, they should find them easily. I await your good news.”

“If they’re truly only Spirit General-level, it won’t take long. But if your information proves false…” She chuckled darkly.

“Should that happen, you may cancel the deal at any time,” he replied with a faint smile.

Given his abilities, misjudging the cultivation of a few Spirit Generals was impossible.

“Since you’re so confident, the deal is settled. I’ll teleport the blood flood dragon directly to the second layer. Within three days, you should receive word.” With that, the orb’s glow faded, cutting off the connection.

Rather than angered, the blood-robed man looked pleased. Storing the orb, he murmured, “With a high-level Spirit Commander blood flood dragon, success is assured. If they still fail, it means the Feathered Serpent Tribe’s old monsters have infiltrated the Earth Abyss. Then I’ll have to tread carefully to avoid ruining everything.”

Leaning back in his chair, he soon drifted into a light slumber.

…

In the third layer of the Earth Abyss, within a grand hall constructed of countless black timbers, a shadowy figure sat atop a golden flower spanning several meters, chin resting on one hand, motionless.

Below, two rows of varying-sized shadows knelt—fifteen or sixteen in total.

After a long silence, the figure suddenly flicked a finger, sending an emerald streak shooting into the void.

Moments later, thunderous rumbles echoed outside the hall, followed by a flash of bloody mist that darted inside.

The mist dispersed, revealing a flood dragon-headed humanoid monster, who bowed deeply toward the figure on the golden flower.

“Master, what task do you summon Bloodtox for?” it rasped.

“Bloodtox, temporarily set aside gathering blood sacrifices. Go to the second layer,” the shadowy figure commanded in the same cold female voice—the “Mu Qing” who had spoken with the blood-robed man.

“Your orders, Master!” The monster’s crimson head swiveled, its gaze brimming with savagery, yet it remained utterly submissive before its master.

“A few Spirit General-level Feathered Serpent Tribesmen are in the second layer. Teleport there, kill them, and deliver their souls directly to Earthblood. Here are their last known location and appearances. Be cautious—they may be unusual. If anything seems amiss, return at once. Make haste!” She tossed a black bamboo tube toward it.

“As you command!” The monster caught the tube, then transformed back into bloody mist and vanished through the hall doors.

“Now, report on the progress of blood sacrifice collection across the layers. Time is short for the next ritual. Hei Zhuo, it’s your turn.” Her chilling voice turned toward the kneeling shadows.

“The largest blood sacrifice groups in the fourth layer—the Four-Winged Vipers and Rainbow Cloud Scorpions—have been captured. Only the Three-Eyed Gray Rats remain, having fled into Black Crow Mountain, making them temporarily unreachable…” A tall shadow rose and began its report.