Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chapter 356: Chapter 327: Great Terror

Chu Mu was alarmed and a little confused.

He glanced at Xu Changqing, who also showed no signs of joy despite their great victory. Instead, like Chu Mu, his brow was tightly furrowed and his gaze was unsettled, obviously lost in thought.

"Gather our sect’s disciples. Detain all Cultivators who have been corrupted by Demonic Qi. The rest will assemble outside the Imperial Palace."

"Break the array, and annihilate the demons!"

A majestic voice echoed from the heavens, ringing throughout the city. As the elder’s figure flickered, the towering giant bamboo transformed back into a Grand Array. A terrifying power swept across the city, bearing down on the formation that enveloped the mortal Imperial Palace.

"We respectfully obey the Master’s command!"

The Longevity Disciples bowed respectfully, their morale soaring. With the enemy’s Golden Core cultivator dead, the remaining Demon Cultivators in the city seemed to lose their backbone. Their previous frenzy visibly dissipated.

In the midst of the boundless carnage, their frenzy gave way to overwhelming fear.

Under the cultivators’ assault, the Demon Cultivators were routed in a matter of moments. Their former death-defying ferocity vanished, and they all scrambled to flee. But with the cultivators in hot pursuit, their fate was sealed.

Outside the Imperial Palace, the Grand Array formed from the colossal bamboo, controlled by the Longevity Sect’s Golden Core cultivator, relentlessly bombarded the formation shrouding the mortal palace.

Without the Demon Cultivator Golden Core to sustain it, the defensive array’s Mighty Power was clearly diminished. Under the continuous bombardment—a battle of one Grand Array against another—the barrier of light rippled like a wave, obviously on the verge of collapse.

Organized by the Longevity Sect, numerous Cultivators closed in on the Imperial Palace. A myriad of dazzling lights, accompanied by surging waves of Spiritual Qi, erupted against the palace’s Grand Array.

Chu Mu remained motionless on the rooftop. Only when the Array Prohibition was faltering and on the brink of shattering did he seem to realize something. With a sweep of his hand, the Sorcerer’s Compass appeared, hovering above his palm.

The Compass spun, and black dots, each representing a Demon Cultivator, became visible upon its surface.

When he got a clear look at the Compass’s display, his pupils contracted, and his heart began to pound uncontrollably.

On the Compass, flashing black dots still marked the Demon Cultivators fleeing within its range.

In the upper-left corner of the Compass, a faint red dot flickered in and out of existence.

The red dot represented the source of the True Demon Blood.

And the upper-left corner represented the direction of... the very Imperial Palace before him!

In other words, the source of the True Demon Blood was inside the Imperial Palace!

Chu Mu swallowed hard. As he looked back toward the grand hall within the Imperial Palace, the clues converged in his mind, and a clear picture began to form.

’It’s highly likely... that a True Demon is in the Imperial Palace!’

’And for the Jieyin Demon Sect to have plotted for decades, investing countless people and resources, roping in who knows how many Cultivators, painstakingly achieving the Demonization of a Spirit Vein, and then sacrificing an entire city in a blood ritual...’

’The most likely reason...’

’Was it slumbering? Are they trying to awaken it? Or perhaps help it recuperate and heal?’

As these speculations flashed through his mind, most of his questions seemed to find their answers.

BOOM!

Just then, with a deafening roar, the Array Prohibition enveloping the Imperial Palace shattered completely.

The giant bamboo swept across, instantly destroying more than half of the Imperial Palace. The remaining Demon Cultivators within were all annihilated by the single blow, turned to ash.

In the next instant, the illusory giant bamboo dissipated. The Cyan Bamboo Staff flashed, disappearing straight into the earth beneath the grand hall.

The Longevity Sect’s Golden Core cultivator, who was high in the sky, followed right after it.

Now, without the Array Prohibition to obstruct it, the flashing red dot on the Compass became much clearer.

It blinked steadily, its position clearly located beneath the collapsed palace hall.

Chu Mu hesitated, but just then, a voice transmission suddenly echoed in his ear.

"If I may trouble you, Fellow Daoist, please come with me to investigate."

Chu Mu glanced at Xu Changqing, who was surrounded by Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Longevity Sect, and was once again at a loss for words.

But a deal was a deal, so he didn’t bother to argue. After glancing at the Compass to confirm that none of the Foundation Establishment cultivators were Demon Cultivators, he leaped down. Following Xu Changqing and the others, he landed amidst the ruins of the grand hall a few breaths later.

Dust still hung in the air, but the large hole in the ground was clearly visible.

A thick, bloody stench billowed up from the hole, so strong it was almost nauseating.

As they neared the hole, a vast cavern came into view. Its entire surface was caked in a thick layer of brownish, dried blood.

At the bottom of the cavern, a Blood Pool remained, but it was nearly dry. The viscous, churning blood moved like lava.

Through his Divine Sense Perception, Chu Mu could tell that all the blood from the city was being drawn into this cavern, a continuous stream converging here to sustain the Blood Pool.

Chu Mu glanced down at his Sorcerer’s Compass, preparing to confirm the situation inside the cavern.

His experiences over the past few days had taught him just how insidious and difficult to deal with Demon Cultivators could be.

’There’s a Demon Cultivator in the cave...’

Chu Mu stared, slightly taken aback, at the faint black dot flickering on the Compass.

The cavern was enormous, but with the strength of his Divine Sense, he should have been able to perceive everything if he focused it for a scan.

And yet, he had just swept the area and found no trace of a Demon Cultivator.

’He’s hidden quite deep...’

Chu Mu’s eyes narrowed as he carefully scanned the massive cavern, searching for any trace of the hidden Demon Cultivator.

"It’s safe in here now! Come on down!"

Just then, an excited voice echoed from within the cavern. The viscous Blood Pool surged, and the Golden Core elder emerged from it. Treading upon the churning blood, he looked up at the entrance, his expression flush with unconcealable excitement.

At his words, the Longevity Sect’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators at the cavern’s edge began leaping down.

Puzzled, Chu Mu glanced again at the Sorcerer’s Compass. On its face, the flashing black dot was conspicuous, as was the flashing red dot.

The two points were nearly overlapping. They remained perfectly still, pointing directly at this underground cavern.

’Is the Compass... malfunctioning?’

Chu Mu was bewildered, but in the next instant, he froze. His vision suddenly focused on the aged figure hovering above the Blood Pool inside the cavern.

As if struck by a horrifying thought, his arms went numb and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

In the next instant, he shot out a hand and grabbed Xu Changqing, who was just about to leap into the cavern.

Xu Changqing looked slightly puzzled, but when he saw the Sorcerer’s Compass that Chu Mu had tilted toward him, his pupils contracted. He snapped his head up to look at Chu Mu.

Their eyes met. No words were spoken, but in that instant, a perfect, silent understanding passed between them.

...

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