With his declaration made, Wu Yuan poured every ounce of his remaining Demon Power into his claws, burying them deeper into the Goat Demon’s chest until hot blood sprayed across his face.

He didn’t stop there. He unhinged his jaw, biting down savagely on the Goat’s neck. His teeth, honed and tempered with Spirit Copper, tore through the tough hide like paper, ripping out chunks of flesh and leaving bloody craters in their wake.

The Goat Demon’s agonized screams echoed through the valley, a haunting melody to accompany the slaughter.

“You think you can eat me?!” the Goat Demon roared, his eyes bloodshot and bulging. “Then let’s see who dies first!”

Boom!

The Goat Demon detonated his own Demon Power, unleashing a barrage of spells at point-blank range.

[Wood Spike Art]! The ground beneath them erupted. Countless sharpened stakes thrust upward, impaling Wu Yuan’s underbelly and punching clean through his limbs. Blood gushed like a broken dam.

[Spirit Explosion Art]! A shockwave of volatile energy followed immediately, blasting outward and shredding Wu Yuan’s flesh. Gore flew in all directions; it was a spectacle of pure carnage.

Yet, Wu Yuan remained silent.

He activated the [Blood Surge Technique], forcing his remaining blood to circulate violently around his internal organs to hold his shattered body together.

Simultaneously, he acted with the desperation of a starving glutton.

From the Storage Bag concealed in his cheek, he frantically spat out supplies—jars of Spirit Bee Honey, Snake Spirit Fruits, and various spirit plants. He shoved them into his maw along with raw chunks of Spirit Beast meat, swallowing them whole without chewing.

Gulp. Gulp.

The yellow spirit patterns on his stomach flared with blinding intensity. His monstrous digestion system broke down the high-energy food instantly, converting it into a rush of healing energy and Demon Power to replace what he was losing.

Wu Yuan knew the truth: The Goat Demon possessed the cultivation of a Foundation Establishment threat. His reserves, his artifacts, and his spells were far superior.

There was no winning a fair fight. To kill a beast this strong, Wu Yuan had to offer up his own body as the trap. He had to risk everything to make the Formation work.

Seeing Wu Yuan refuse to die, the last trace of hope for a lucky escape vanished from the Goat Demon’s heart.

“Die!”

The Goat Demon stiffened his muscles, ignoring the rat gnawing on his neck. He forcibly channeled his stagnant Demon Power.

[Wood Spirit Growth]!

Suddenly, the steel-hard goat hairs embedded in Wu Yuan’s skin began to wriggle.

They transformed into parasitic vines, burrowing deep into his flesh, rooting themselves in his muscles and veins. They grew with terrifying speed, piercing out of his back and limbs to form small, twisted saplings.

Tiny flowers bloomed on the vines. Within seconds, they bore fruit—bizarre, red-and-green berries that pulsed like beating hearts.

Wu Yuan transformed from a white hedgehog into a grotesque ball of green vines. As the fruits ripened, he felt his vitality draining away in a torrent. His body withered rapidly, his skin clinging to his bones.

But instead of panicking, Wu Yuan grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth.

“Suck away! Let’s see if your spell drains me faster than my Formation drains you!”

“Let’s see who breaks first!”

The Goat Demon’s face twisted with savage cruelty, his feral instincts fully ignited. “Then I’ll drain you dry until you’re nothing but dust!”

“You want to risk your life now? Too late!”

But then, the Goat Demon froze. He stared at the withered rat clinging to his chest, his eyes widening in shock.

“Why… why is there so little blood energy in your body?!”

Wu Yuan was nothing but skin and bones. He looked like a dried husk, a pitiful sight.

“Hah! I planned this!” Wu Yuan laughed, a raspy, rattling sound. “I drained myself before you even started! You can’t drink from an empty cup!”

The Goat Demon sneered, though sweat beaded on his forehead. “I think you’ve lost your mind. Do you think starving yourself will stop me?”

Regaining his composure, the Goat Demon’s eyes glowed crimson.

[Wood Spirit Drain]!

He opened his mouth and inhaled. The red berries growing on Wu Yuan’s back detached and flew into the Goat’s mouth.

Crunch. Squish.

As he swallowed the blood-filled fruits, the Goat Demon felt a rush of warmth. His weakened aura began to climb, his strength returning.

Wu Yuan’s completely desiccated face twitched. A glint of malicious cunning flashed in his dull eyes.

“You finally took the bait.”

Suddenly, Wu Yuan opened his mouth.

A swarm of fat, translucent red silkworms crawled out. Simultaneously, the skin on his back split open as hundreds more burrowed out from within his own flesh.

Blood Jade Spirit Silkworms.

These weren’t ordinary insects. They were plump, round, and glowing with the red blood flowing inside them—Wu Yuan’s blood.

Skreee! Skreee!

The Blood Jade Spirit Silkworms opened their serrated mandibles and began to devour the parasitic vines rooted in Wu Yuan. The sound of their feasting—crunch, crunch, crunch—sent chills down the Goat Demon’s spine.

“How… how did you know…”

The Goat Demon didn’t get to finish.

As the silkworms devoured the vines connected to the Goat’s magic, the connection snapped.

Boom!

The Goat Demon’s aura destabilized violently. His Qi rebelled, surging backward through his meridians. He lost control of his body.

Worse, the silkworms he had just inhaled—hidden inside the blood fruits—began to wake up.

Inside the Goat Demon’s stomach, and crawling into the open wounds on his chest, the Blood Jade Spirit Silkworms began to feast heartily. They latched onto his flesh, draining the chaotic Qi and blood that was running wild in his system.

“You…” The Goat Demon trembled, terror flooding his gaze. “You raised Blood Silkworms inside your own body? Aren’t you afraid they’ll eat you alive?!”

“You absolute madman!”

His screams turned into gurgles.

The Blood Jade Spirit Silkworms spat out countless threads of silk, linking up with the [Blood-Binding Mystic Silkworm Formation] outside. The formation roared to life, clamping down on the Goat Demon with crushing pressure.

The Goat Demon struggled, thrashing against the invisible weight, but his strength was evaporating. The silkworms were draining him dry from the inside out.

Slowly, his struggles ceased. His massive body went limp, collapsing onto the blood-soaked earth with a heavy thud.

Wu Yuan, now little more than a living skeleton, felt his consciousness fading. The world spun. Darkness encroached.

Is this it?

In his daze, he recalled the words of the Gray Rabbit Demon:

“The Stone Wood Spirit Goat Clan is expert in flesh-rooting and draining Arts.”

“But if their draining spell is forcibly broken, it causes a backlash. The blood energy reverses and riots.”

“That is why they only use it on prey that cannot fight back.”

Wu Yuan had bet everything on that backlash.

As his life force flickered like a candle in the wind, the Spirit Mulberry Tree sensed its master’s critical state.

The formation patterns etched into the tree lit up. The flow of energy reversed.

Instead of draining, the silk threads connected to Wu Yuan began to pump pure, refined Blood Qi back into his withered body.

Whoosh.

Wu Yuan snapped awake, gasping for air. He endured the agonizing pain of his re-inflating veins and mentally commanded the Spirit Mulberry Tree to send the signal.

He was alive. Barely.

His body was a ruin. His skin looked like dry bark stretched over bone, completely devoid of color. The only parts of him that retained any moisture were his vital organs, wrapped in protective layers of silk.

He had let the Goat Demon drain him almost completely. The only reason he had any blood left to fuel the silkworms was that he had pre-fed his own blood to the parasites hidden inside him before the fight.

It was a gamble of insanity.

In the valley.

Big Old Black lay panting on the ground, his mental energy nearly exhausted from directing the rat swarm’s sacrifice. His eyes were darting around in panic.

Bibo was on his knees, blood and sweat dripping from his chin as he maintained the [Spirit Rain Technique] to keep the tree alive.

Little Huang, the pangolin, was frantically tossing Spirit Stones into the array nodes to keep the formation running.

Suddenly, the leaves of the Spirit Mulberry Tree rustled loudly.

Shhh-shhh-shhh.

A rhythmic, distinctive sound.

The fear that had gripped their hearts vanished instantly. A wave of relief washed over them, so potent it nearly knocked them over.

They knew Wu Yuan had succeeded.

The tension in the valley broke.