“Hmph.”

Qin Lu let out a cold snort. In mid-air, he pivoted sharply, his body tearing through the atmosphere with such explosive acceleration that it generated a howling gale. He carved a perfect arc through the sky, the wind screaming in his wake.

His target was unmistakable: the fleeing Blood Cultivator.

The distance between hunter and prey vanished in the blink of an eye.

“A pack of animals.”

Qin Lu’s voice was frigid. The [Seven Star Sword] in his hand descended, a streak of cold light slashing viciously toward the Blood Cultivator’s skull.

Clang!

At the critical moment, the cultivator drew a Magical Artifact with desperate speed, twisting his body to block the strike.

But he had woefully underestimated the sharpness of the [Seven Star Sword].

Shhht!

There was barely any resistance. The sword slashed through the enemy’s artifact as if it were rotten wood, continuing downward without a pause. The Blood Cultivator’s head, along with his weapon, was split cleanly in two.

“Kill him!”

“This bastard has ruined our great undertaking!”

“Everyone, charge! Tear him apart!”

The moment Qin Lu executed the fleeing cultivator, a cacophony of enraged roars erupted from the surroundings. Hordes of Blood Cultivators surged from the shadows of the temple complex, rushing toward Qin Lu like a tide of madness.

Their eyes were shot through with crimson veins, their faces twisted into masks of insanity. They brandished their weapons wildly, charging with zero regard for their own survival.

“Hmph. Truly gone mad.”

Qin Lu exhaled slowly, his gaze indifferent. He would show no mercy.

The [Seven Star Sword] in his hand trembled. The blade danced, leaving behind a fan of afterimages as he unleashed his cultivation. Streak after streak of blinding white sword qi erupted from the blade, sweeping outward in a devastating wave.

Everything near him—the swarming Blood Cultivators, the stone walls, the temple structures—was consumed.

Buildings collapsed with a thunderous rumble. Stone turned to dust; flesh turned to mist. In a single breath, the majestic architecture of Lingfeng Temple was reduced to a desolate ruin, choked by billowing clouds of debris.

BOOM—Rumble!

Massive explosions echoed from the rear of the temple complex as well.

Qin Lu and Gu Can, two Foundation Establishment powerhouses, had merely stretched their legs, and Lingfeng Temple was already annihilated.

Qin Lu strode forward through the wreckage, hacking and slashing with rhythmic precision. No one was his match. Even the late-stage Qi Condensation elites crumbled before him like dry twigs.

As the slaughter intensified, the madness in the Blood Cultivators’ eyes began to crack, replaced by dawning terror. Those who encountered Qin Lu scrambled to turn and flee.

Qin Lu’s expression was mocking. He leaped into the sky, activating the [Heavenly Eye Technique]. His vision expanded, locking onto every heat signature and energy fluctuation below. He would not let a single evil cultivator escape.

However, as he culled the stragglers, he noticed a disturbance in the rear courtyard.

A group of cultivators had Gu Can surrounded.

It was a coordinated unit, including several late-stage Qi Condensation experts. They had formed a battle formation, their bodies shrouded in a strange, thick red mist. Leading them was a cultivator at Qi Condensation level 9. With a frenzied expression, he directed the formation, channeling their collective power to suppress Gu Can.

Incredibly, by combining their strength, they had managed to stalemate a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The fight was currently dead even.

“That’s the Blood Cultivator boss.”

Qin Lu identified the ninth-level leader instantly.

He didn’t hesitate. Qin Lu dove from the high heavens, his momentum building like a falling meteor. He punched downward, the air compressing into a visible fist of wind that slammed directly into the center of the blood formation.

BANG!

The impact was catastrophic. The red mist shattered, and the formation was blown apart, scattering the cultivators like leaves in a hurricane.

The moment the formation broke, the pressure on Gu Can vanished.

“Ha!”

Gu Can seized the opening. The long spear in his hand lunged forward like a swimming dragon!

The thrust was blindingly fast. The scattered Blood Cultivators couldn’t even register the movement, and the ninth-level leader in the center was no exception.

Shhht!

The spear tip drilled directly into the center of the leader’s forehead. It punched a massive, bloody hole through the back of his skull, extinguishing his life instantly.

“Hall Master!”

“We can’t fight Foundation Establishment cultivators! They’re monsters!”

“Run! Run for your lives!”

With the death of their leader, the remaining Blood Cultivators’ morale collapsed completely. They screamed in panic, scattering in all directions like headless flies.

But against the encirclement of two Foundation Establishment experts, where could mere Qi Condensation cultivators hide?

It was a harvest. Qin Lu and Gu Can caught up to them effortlessly, cutting them down with ruthless efficiency.

Using thunderous methods, they purged the temple. Even the mortals who had been possessed by demonic energy were not spared. They were slaughtered to the last man, leaving nothing but silence in their wake.

After the battle.

“Phew~”

Gu Can flicked his wrist, shaking the gore off his spear tip. He grinned. “Not bad. That fight let me loosen my muscles and bones a bit. Though I have to admit, those Blood Cultivators’ battle formations were interesting. To think they could produce combat power rivaling the Foundation Establishment realm.”

“Indeed.”

Qin Lu nodded slightly. He had witnessed the stalemate. Without his intervention from above, Gu Can would likely have had to pay a steep price to break that formation.

Qin Lu scanned the devastated, ruin-filled temple. “Let’s sweep the area. See if there are any spoils nearby.”

“On it!”

Gu Can stowed his long spear and began rummaging through the debris.

This was a major stronghold for the Blood Cultivators; it stood to reason there would be valuable loot. With time on their hands, they could afford to be thorough.

The two split up.

Qin Lu, utilizing his [Heavenly Eye Technique], could see the flow of Spiritual Qi. Following his senses, he walked toward the rear courtyard, where the energy fluctuations were thickest.

Soon, he arrived at a secluded structure.

It was a spacious hall, heavy with the metallic stench of blood. The floor was carved with a complex network of small trenches, densely covering every inch of stone.

Fresh, crimson blood flowed through these grooves, thousands of red tributaries feeding into the center of the hall.

There, sitting in the nexus, was an Array Disc pulsating with blood qi. As the blood flowed into it, the disc glowed with a rhythmic light, expanding and contracting as if it were breathing.

“What the hell is this thing?” Qin Lu observed it with interest. “A Formation? Or a Magical Artifact?”

Exercising caution, Qin Lu levitated into mid-air, looking down at the pattern from above.

From this vantage point, the dense network of blood trenches formed a grotesque, mysterious diagram.

Suddenly, Qin Lu’s gaze sharpened. He spotted a glowing object tucked in the corner.

He maneuvered closer and used the [Object Control Technique] to snatch it from a distance.

It flew into his hand—a lump of silver metal, irregular in shape. Despite its size, it was incredibly dense; Qin Lu’s hand dipped slightly under the unexpected weight. Worse, the object radiated a heavy, suffocating murderous aura.

“This silver lump is definitely a treasure, but I have no idea what it is. I’ll take it back to the market and have an appraiser look at it…”

Qin Lu muttered to himself, tossing the heavy silver metal into his [Storage Bag].

He continued his sweep of the main hall.

Scattered around were various items used by cultivators: Magical Artifacts, Talismans, Pills. These were likely the personal assets of the Blood Cultivators stationed here.

Although they were merely Qi Condensation level goods, Qin Lu wasn’t picky. He swept everything into his bag.

A moment later, Gu Can strolled into the hall, looking lazy.

“I searched the outside. Nothing good out there.”

Qin Lu asked, “Did you strip the Magical Artifacts from the corpses?”

“Grabbed ’em all. Tsk, just cheap trash. Probably not worth much money.”

“Income is income. At least it wasn’t a wasted trip.”

“True enough. Shall we head out?”

“No.”

Qin Lu shook his head gently, his expression turning solemn. “Did you hear what they shouted earlier? When that ninth-level Qi Condensation cultivator died, what did his subordinates call him?”

Gu Can paused, digging through his memory. After a moment, his eyes widened. “Hall Master?”

“Correct.”

Qin Lu’s gaze was calm but piercing. “That implies that man wasn’t the head of this organization. He was just a Hall Master. The true mastermind… is someone else.”

“Good!”

Gu Can punched the air, shouting in excitement, “That means we get to fight another battle!”

Qin Lu didn’t share his companion’s simple joy. He turned his head, staring at the pulsating, blood-filled pattern on the floor, lost in thought.