The Goat Demon narrowed his eyes, studying the Rat with genuine curiosity.

“I must admit, I’m intrigued. Where did a lowly creature like you acquire such a sophisticated Formation?”

He paced slowly, his voice dripping with false magnanimity. “Who is backing you? Is it those scheming elders from the Rat Clan? or perhaps… the Beast Spirit Temple is secretly pulling the strings?”

He stopped, offering a serpentine smile. “Why don’t you surrender to me instead? Pledge your loyalty, and I might just spare your miserable life.”

But even as the words left his lips, the air around him exploded with killing intent.

Boom!

With lightning speed, ink-green vines burst from the earth like striking cobras. Before Wu Yuan could react, they pierced his fur and skin, wrapping around him with the crushing strength of a python.

The vines writhed as if alive, their thorns digging deep into his muscle, greedily siphoning his blood.

Simultaneously, the Goat Demon sprinted backward, putting distance between them while unleashing a barrage of spells.

[Wood Spike Art] sharp, jagged stakes erupted from the ground beneath Wu Yuan’s feet.

[Demon Power Impact] A tidal wave of emerald energy crashed into him, threatening to crush his bones.

[Rock Spike Art] Cruel stone spears jutted up, boxing him in.

[Vine Entanglement] More vines surged from every direction, layering over the first, binding Wu Yuan into a living tomb.

The relentless assault tore at Wu Yuan’s flesh, leaving him no room to breathe, let alone counterattack.

“Treacherous scum!”

Wu Yuan roared, feigning uncontrollable rage. He gritted his teeth so hard they creaked, veins bulging on his forehead like worms.

Ignoring the agony of the thorns tearing his skin, he slashed wildly with his claws, shredding the parasitic vines.

[Blood Surge Art]!

Wu Yuan’s body swelled instantly. His muscles ballooned, ripping through his fur as he channeled his Spiritual Energy into a frenzy. He swung his claws, sending arcs of bloody Demon Power flying through the air like crescent blades.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The blades cut into the Goat Demon’s hide, leaving shallow, weeping wounds. Green blood began to ooze.

[Poison Induction Art]!

The green blood sizzled. The Goat Demon felt the venom enter his system and flew into a thunderous rage.

“You stubborn fool!” he bellowed, his eyes bulging. “I offered you life, but you choose death! I’ll give you a quick end!”

Suddenly, one of his majestic horns began to glow with an intense emerald light.

Crack.

The horn detached from his skull. Like a guided missile, it whistled through the air, carrying the terrifying momentum of a Foundation Establishment strike.

Wu Yuan’s eyes narrowed. Too fast. I can’t dodge completely.

With a desperate twist of his torso, he shifted just enough.

Thunk!

The green horn punched through his shoulder, missing his heart by inches. The force nearly knocked him off his feet, blood spraying into the dirt.

Yet, instead of fear, a twisted, triumphant smile split Wu Yuan’s face.

“Finally… you used your Artifact!”

The Goat Demon’s heart skipped a beat. A sudden, overwhelming sense of dread washed over him. He instinctively tried to recall the horn.

Return!

Nothing happened.

Wu Yuan had gripped the vibrating horn with both paws, ignoring the way it shredded his flesh. His blood poured onto the artifact, sizzling as it made contact.

“[Spirit Awakening]!”

Wu Yuan roared the command in his soul.

In the distance, the Goat Demon’s face turned sheet white. He vomited a mouthful of blood, staggering as if struck by an invisible hammer.

“My… my Life-Bound Artifact…” he stammered, terror flooding his eyes. “How can you control it?!”

Wu Yuan couldn’t truly control it. But his innate talent, [Spirit Awakening], allowed him to disrupt the connection between master and tool for a few critical seconds.

It was enough.

Wu Yuan abandoned defense. Like a rabid beast, he launched himself across the gap, tackling the disoriented Goat Demon.

Finally! Close range!

He slammed into the Goat, locking his limbs around the larger beast.

Countless silkworm threads erupted from Wu Yuan’s open wounds. These threads, soaked in his own Spiritual Energy-infused blood, glowed with a sinister crimson light. They swarmed over the Goat Demon like living fire.

At that exact moment, the ritual began.

Under the Spirit Mulberry Tree, the ten surviving Rat Demons fell to their knees. They chanted in a high, eerie pitch, then plunged their claws into their own chests, ripping out their beating hearts as offerings.

Underground, 30,000 ordinary rats went mad. Their eyes turned scarlet as they tore at each other’s throats, drenching the soil in a river of sacrificial blood.

Bibo emerged from the earth, dancing a wild, primal jig, chanting ancient syllables that resonated with the desolate power of the old gods.

Blood Sacrifice: [Blood-Binding Mystic Silkworm Formation]!

Buzz!

The valley turned blood-red. The formation activated, enveloping both Wu Yuan and the Goat Demon in a suffocating crimson glow.

The Goat Demon felt the silkworm threads digging into his skin, felt his Qi stagnating. Panic set in.

“What are you doing?!” he screamed, losing all composure.

He puffed up his fur, transforming each hair into a steel needle. They pierced straight into Wu Yuan’s body, turning the rat into a bloody pincushion.

Wu Yuan didn’t let go. He grinned maniacally, blood dripping from his teeth.

“You’re too strong for the formation to hold alone,” Wu Yuan thought, the pain sharpening his focus. “So I have to be the anchor. I have to trap your Artifact and your body with my own flesh!”

The blood-soaked threads followed the steel hairs back into the Goat Demon’s pores. Fueled by the sacrifice, they burrowed deep, knitting the two beasts together into a grotesque, inseparable cocoon.

They were truly intertwined now. Life and death, bound in blood.

The Goat Demon felt his strength draining away, siphoned by the formation. His terror peaked.

“No! You lunatic!” he shrieked. “Do you intend to die with me?!”

Wu Yuan looked up, his face already beginning to shrivel as the formation consumed his essence. His smile was a nightmare.

“A lowly rat trading lives with a mighty Spirit Goat? That’s a bargain!”

The Goat Demon’s pupils shrank to pinpoints. He was broken by the sheer insanity of the creature clinging to him.

“I yield!” he screamed, his voice cracking. “I surrender! Let me go, and we stay out of each other’s way! I swear!”

“No! I’ll serve you! I’ll acknowledge you as Master!”

But the moment he begged, his aura collapsed.

Wu Yuan laughed, a rasping, wet sound.

“Sure! Just release your Qi defenses and sever your link to the Artifact, and I’ll spare you!”

“You’re joking!” the Goat Demon roared, outraged.

Wu Yuan’s eyes went cold.

“You started the joke.”