The Rat Cultivator

Chapter 136: Blood Fiend Refining Spirit Fire

As the massive snake demons withered into mummies and died, the mist of condensed Baleful Qi began to seep into their desiccated husks.

The larger the snake and the higher its cultivation in life, the more Baleful Qi it absorbed in death. The mummified corpses stiffened, their black scales gleaming with an oily sheen as faint, ghostly patterns ignited along their flanks. They stood erect in the mud like black totem poles, exuding a wild, maddening aura.

Infected by this frenzy, the other demon beasts in the pool lost their minds. They joined the chaotic slaughter, tearing at each other indiscriminately. The Corrupt Water Pool became a writhing knot of poisonous insects and beasts devouring one another, a scene of absolute purgatory.

The sound of the bone flute echoing through the valley grew higher and more piercing.

Under this sonic assault, the originally disciplined swarm of Blood-Winged Black Mosquitoes finally broke. They tore free from the Mosquito Mother’s mental control, descending into anarchy. Instead of attacking the enemy, they turned their mouthparts on each other, flying in blind, erratic circles.

Wu Yuan raised an eyebrow, glancing at the Fleshy Crest Snake King. “I didn’t expect your venom to have such a potent hallucinogenic effect.”

The Snake King looked listless. His body had shrunk by a full size, and the fleshy tumor on his head was shriveled like a dried fruit. He took a few heavy, rasping breaths before offering a cunning, fawning smile.

“Great King, this Mind-Confusing Snake Venom is my secret weapon! It is the key to how I control my subjects. It just so happens… hiss… to meet your needs for the formation!”

The Snake King shook his head with evident pride.

Wu Yuan looked at the reptile with a newfound appreciation. “Impressive. You actually have the insight to guess my intentions.”

Seeing Wu Yuan’s appreciative gaze, the Snake King reared up, ready to boast further. “I am—”

He stopped abruptly. His eyes, previously glazed from the exhaustion of expelling so much venom, suddenly cleared and locked onto Wu Yuan’s hand.

Specifically, onto the bottle of Snake Spirit Blood.

His throat bobbed continuously as he swallowed mouthfuls of greedy saliva.

Wu Yuan didn’t press for the rest of the sentence. He watched the Snake King’s reaction for a moment, then casually tossed the bottle through the air.

“Reward.”

The Snake King caught it mid-air and swallowed the jade bottle whole in one gulp. He smacked his lips, savoring the treasure sitting in his belly.

“I won’t delay the Great King’s important matters anymore! If you need me, just call!”

With that, the Snake King turned and slithered back toward Snake Valley, moving significantly faster than when he arrived.

Wu Yuan turned his attention back to the Corrupt Water Pool.

Under the stimulation of the formation, the Baleful Qi had transformed the basin into a black vortex that sought to devour all light and life. The black totem-corpses loomed in the mist, acting as anchors that dragged everything toward the crushing center.

The dying poisonous insects sprayed red and green ichor as they were ground apart, turning the pool into a slurry of toxic meat paste. It was a sealed world of death; not a single Blood-Winged Black Mosquito could escape.

The Mosquito Mother was now alone.

She muttered curses, flitting left and right with lightning speed, but she could not hide the terror in her eyes. Every time she stirred up a burst of red light to dissolve the beasts blocking her path, a new wave of reanimated corpses would rise to take their place. They were endless.

Suddenly, a massive claw formed from Baleful Qi, composed of countless severed limbs and rotting flesh, rose from the center of the vortex.

Splatsch!

It grabbed the Mosquito Mother.

She shrieked in rage, struggling against the crushing grip, but the formation’s suppression was absolute. She was dragged inch by inch into the churning abyss, sinking into the humiliating filth of the pool.

Wu Yuan watched from the cliff edge, chuckling darkly.

“This is the fate of beasts who refuse to use their brains! Without unparalleled strength, brute force must bow to the crystallization of wisdom that is the Formation!”

The Mosquito Mother, eyes locked on Wu Yuan, saw his mocking smile. Rage detonated in her heart, overpowering her fear.

“DIE!”

She suddenly exploded with power, wrapped in a shroud of soaring Baleful Qi, blood mist, and resentment. She looked like a burning black sun as she charged straight up at Wu Yuan, momentarily breaking the vortex’s hold. Her aura was so tragic and terrifying that the rat demons behind Wu Yuan trembled.

But Wu Yuan didn’t flinch. He just shook his head, sneering.

“Wasted effort.”

As the words fell, the giant corpse-claw surged up from behind her. Countless rotting mouths bit into her legs and wings, dragging her back down.

“Damned rat! You wait!” she screamed, her voice filled with ancient hatred. “I won’t die! I will kill you! I am the Queen of the Blood-Winged Black Mosquitoes! No one can kill me!”

She vanished beneath the surface of the meat slurry.

Wu Yuan’s expression turned solemn. He stared intently at the pool.

The surface gradually calmed. The flesh and blood merged into a thick, viscous liquid that filled the dried-up basin. Beneath the surface, the reanimated corpses churned the fluid, causing waves to roll as if leviathans were swimming in blood.

Wu Yuan turned his back to the pool and faced his army.

“Children!” he shouted, his voice echoing like a verdict. “It is time to make your contribution!”

“Offer yourselves to the King!”

A ripple went through the rat swarm. Thousands of rat demons, their eyes turning a fanatical scarlet, let out a unified screech.

Whoosh!

Blood Fire ignited on their bodies. They lit up like living torches, illuminating the dim valley with an eerie crimson glow. Bonfires rose everywhere outside the Corrupt Water Pool, the firelight dyeing the sky red.

Crack! Crack!

One Ear lashed his Rat Tail Whip, the crisp sounds echoing like thunderclaps. It was the signal.

The surrounding rat demons, their eyes dull and devoid of self-preservation, moved as one. They threw themselves into the Blood Fire with wooden, mechanical obedience, letting the flames consume their flesh.

Then, burning like meteors, they charged.

One after another, thousands of flaming rats leaped into the Corrupt Water Pool.

Sizzle—

The sound of burning flesh filled the air as the Blood Fire began to boil the filth in the pool. The noise was accompanied by a high-pitched, piercing psychic buzzing.

The Blood-Winged Black Mosquitoes, condensed from pure Blood Qi, swarmed toward the fire like moths. But the rats were not victims; they were fuel. The Blood Fire devoured the mosquitoes and the filth alike, growing more vigorous with every life it consumed.

Seeing this, Wu Yuan let out a sharp cry, his voice shrill and piercing, threatening to puncture the heavens.

“Heaven and Earth as the Furnace! Creation as the Craftsman!”

“Flesh and Blood as Charcoal! Ten Thousand Demons as Copper!”

He leaped into a wild, primal dance, chanting ancient demon sacrificial incantations as he bowed toward the West—the direction of White Tiger, the direction of Killing.

Spiritual light flickered on the black totem poles in the pool, stirring an ancient presence in the void. As the final step of the dance landed, it felt as if an invisible, cold gaze from the West had locked onto Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan looked up at the sky without fear. He bowed respectfully.

“I pray for the Spirit of the Demon Race to descend… the Blood Fiend Refining Spirit Fire!”

The space around Wu Yuan seemed to freeze.

Then, a streak of green light flashed.

In the center of the pool, the chaotic Blood Fire converged into a single, dark red spark.

The spark was small, but its aura fluctuated wildly between Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment, occasionally revealing a terrified glimpse of the Golden Core realm. The pressure it emitted made every remaining rat demon tremble in their souls.

Wu Yuan looked at the spark, his eyes burning with fanaticism.

“Charge forward!”

“Feed the fire!”

The black tide surged. The remaining sacrificial rats rushed madly into the spark, using their own flesh, blood, and souls as firewood.

ROAR!

The Blood Fiend Refining Spirit Fire ignited in earnest. It expanded violently, threatening to consume the entire Corrupt Water Pool. The dense mass of rats filled the pit, screeching as they used their dying breaths to drag the fire into every corner of the pool, covering the air and the underground in a purifying crimson hell.

Blood Fire refines Flesh and Blood!

The two were a perfect match.