Spells Grinding: From Basic Sparks to Divine Arts

Chapter 215: Blood Fiend Grand Formation

Qin Lu stared at the wall of red mist rising around them, his expression grim.

His gut instinct had been right. The sudden retreat of the evil cultivators, despite holding the advantage, had been a trap. And Jiang Ge, blinded by rage and the thrill of the chase, had led them straight into the tiger’s mouth.

“Damn it!” Qin Lu cursed silently.

There were only seven defenders left in the trap. Aside from the original six elite fighters, a burly man had joined the pursuit at the last minute—Zhang Jinglong, the artifact refiner who had crafted Qin Lu’s Silver Sand Sword.

But no one was thinking about crafting now. All eyes were locked on the twelve evil cultivators arrayed before them.

“Hehe… I hoped I wouldn’t have to use this,” the Blood Demon sneered, licking his lips. His gaze swept over the terrified defenders before settling on Qin Lu. “But you… you ruined everything, boy. For that, you will die first.”

“Hmph!” Jiang Ge snorted, waving his cyan banner defiantly. ” big talk for a dog who ran with his tail between his legs! You’re the ones who will die here!”

“Hahaha!”

The Blood Demon threw his head back and laughed, a sound like grinding bones. A thick, metallic scent of blood erupted from his body. “Oh, Great Market Master Jiang… you still haven’t realized what you’ve walked into, have you?”

He floated forward. Behind him, the eleven other cultivators moved with practiced precision, slotting into formation like cogs in a machine. As they locked into place, the red mist began to swirl around the Blood Demon, spinning faster and faster until it became a crimson cyclone.

Qin Lu’s face went pale.

He recognized this. He had seen it years ago in the Great Lie Dynasty, at the Lingfeng Temple.

The Combined Blood Battle Formation.

Back then, a ninth-level Qi Condensation cultivator had used this formation to fight Gu Can—a Foundation Establishment expert—to a standstill. It bridged the gap between realms effortlessly.

And that was with weaklings. Now, the formation was powered by twelve Foundation Establishment experts, several of whom were at the late stage.

The power scaling was unimaginable.

“It’s that formation!” Gu Can shouted, recognition dawning on his face.

As the Blood Demon channeled the energy, a suffocating pressure descended on the trapped defenders, crushing their spirits like a physical weight.

“Don’t let them finish!”

Qin Lu roared, launching himself forward. A massive fireball materialized in his hand—the [Ignition Technique], supercharged to the limit—and he hurled it like a meteor at the enemy formation.

Formations took time to stabilize. If they struck now, they might break the connection.

“Right! Attack!” “Kill them now!”

Jiang Ge and the others snapped out of their stupor. They unleashed a chaotic barrage of Dharma Treasures and spells, desperate to disrupt the ritual.

“Hmph.”

The Blood Demon didn’t even flinch. He watched the incoming storm of attacks with cold disdain.

Just as the spells were about to land, the swirling blood mist hardened.

BOOM—!

The explosions were deafening. Fire, lightning, and wind hammered against the crimson barrier, but it held. The mist trembled violently, its color dimming for a moment, but it didn’t break.

“It’s working! Keep hitting it!” Jiang Ge screamed.

They redoubled their efforts, pouring every ounce of Spiritual Qi they had into the assault. But for every layer of mist they burned away, more gathered from the surrounding trap to replace it. It was like trying to empty the ocean with a spoon.

“What do we do?!” Qin Lu’s mind raced.

If that formation completed, they were dead. This was a trapping array; the only way out was to destroy the core or kill the caster. And right now, neither seemed possible.

“AHAHAHA!”

The Blood Demon’s laughter cut through the noise.

The protective mist dissipated, revealing the twelve cultivators standing in a perfect line. Their hands were pressed against the backs of the men in front of them, channeling a river of energy into the Blood Demon at the apex.

The leader raised his hands high. Above him, the gathered energy coalesced into a terrifying avatar—a blood-red giant, standing thirty feet tall, with a pulsing light at its heart.

“The Blood Fiend Grand Formation is complete!” the Blood Demon roared. “Now, die!”

“Bullshit!”

Jiang Ge screamed, shaking his banner. A massive wave of Spiritual Qi crashed toward the giant.

Pfft.

The blood avatar simply swiped its hand. Jiang Ge’s full-power attack—his signature move—was dispersed like smoke in a breeze.

“W-what…”

The defenders froze. The sheer casualness of the block shattered their hope.

Jiang Ge’s face turned the color of ash. “That aura… that’s Golden Core level…”

“Golden Core?!” “It’s over… we’re finished…”

Despair spread like a plague. Against a Golden Core entity, resistance wasn’t just futile; it was laughable. Several cultivators began looking for a way to run, their fighting spirit extinguished.

But not everyone.

“What are you afraid of?!”

Gu Can stepped forward, his spear burning with defiance. “We fight together, or we die alone! If I die, I die standing!”

“Hmph! A little early-stage brat dares to bark?”

The Blood Demon sneered. The giant avatar blurred, vanishing from its spot and reappearing instantly in front of Gu Can.

“Come on! I’m not afraid of you!”

Gu Can roared. His skin turned a deep, burning crimson as he activated the Gu Family’s forbidden technique—burning his own lifespan for a burst of explosive power.

He thrust his spear, pouring his life force into a single, desperate strike.

“Run away!!”

Qin Lu screamed, throwing himself forward. But he was too slow.

The blood avatar didn’t even bother to dodge. It swung a massive, bladed arm.

Whoosh!

CRUNCH!

Gu Can’s spear shattered. The blow connected with a sickening wet thud, and his body was blasted backward like a ragdoll.

Qin Lu froze, his eyes wide with horror.

Gu Can hit the ground, rolling to a stop. His entire right arm was gone. Half of his chest had been sheared away, leaving a gaping, ruinous wound where ribs and lung should have been. Blood pooled beneath him in a dark, expanding lake.