The Flying Sand Domain was an immense barren desert region on the North Heaven Continent.
Countless powerful Spiritual beasts resided there, and it was also a gathering place for many cruel and vicious beings.
It was a lawless zone, one of chaos and peril.
This time, Hong Xiao had led her team for tempering training in a region near the Flying Sand Domain.
However, during their training, they suddenly heard rumors that a Deity-grade Art had appeared within the Flying Sand Domain.
Tempted by the lure of opportunity, they deviated from their original path and entered the domain.
Yet in the end, they were deceived.
That so-called Deity-grade Art was nothing but false information deliberately spread to lure them in.
And the one who had devised this scheme was none other than the Blood Demon Dragon, Yu Yuan.
Back outside Mu City, although Yu Yuan had tricked Gu Tianyan using his Blood Shadow Clone Technique, the technique itself was not so easily performed.
It contained one-third of his true body's power, and after its loss, Yu Yuan had spent an entire month recovering.
Having suffered such a huge setback, he naturally felt resentment.
Thus, he had been patiently waiting for a chance to take his revenge.
It didn't take long for the opportunity to present itself.
With Yu Yuan's strength, if he directly faced Hong Xiao's group, while he could indeed kill some of the students, he could not guarantee that all twenty-plus of them would be eliminated.
That was why he took the trouble to set up this elaborate trap.
At this moment, on a solitary peak at the northwestern edge of the Flying Sand Domain—
With the mountain peak as its center, the surrounding sands surged like dragons, blotting out the sky and sun.
Circles of sandstorms coiled upward into the heavens like the arrival of a catastrophic storm.
Within the raging spiral of sand, one could vaguely see faint traces of bloody shadows twisting endlessly, formless yet tangible, filled with an overwhelming bloody aura and ghastly shrieks.
Those shadows were continuously pouncing toward the peak.
This was the Blood God Formation that Yu Yuan had arranged using the special environment of the Flying Sand Domain.
Within the formation were one hundred and eight hidden Blood God Subshadows.
Anyone caught by the sandstorm's bloody shadows would have the blood and essence of their body instantly devoured, leaving behind only a dried corpse buried within the sands.
Atop the peak, Hong Xiao and another male student at the Early-phase of the Heavenly Transformation Realm had unleashed all their spiritual power, supporting a burning, palm-sized shield of blazing flame before them.
The shield released immense spiritual fire, enveloping the entire mountaintop.
The scorching heat repelled the oncoming winds, sand, and blood shadows.
Behind the two of them, the original group of more than twenty students had now been reduced to less than five.
At their feet lay three dried, withered corpses.
"Everyone, hold on a little longer! The Blood Chime has already sent word back to the Academy. We only need to wait for reinforcements from the Academy's experts. This is our last chance! We must hold on until help arrives!"
The once fiery-tempered Hong Xiao no longer showed any trace of her usual brashness.
Her face was pale, her red dress torn in several places—clear evidence of countless intense battles.
But her words now held little power to inspire.
They all knew the truth: given the distance between the Flying Sand Domain and the North Heaven Spiritual Academy, even the fastest rescue would take at least one or two days.
Unless a Grand Elder or even the Dean himself took action, the chance of rescue arriving in time was almost nonexistent.
If they had any hope left before, it had now been extinguished.
Trapped atop this lonely peak by the blood fiend outside, and watching their companions die one by one, the faint glimmer of hope in everyone's hearts was slowly swallowed by darkness.
At this point, including Hong Xiao, only six remained.
They all understood that this blazing flame shield was their final defense. Once the shield was shattered, it would also mark the day of their deaths.
"The Blood Demon Dragon… the Academy will definitely avenge us!" the other Heavenly Transformation Realm male student said hoarsely, his eyes bloodshot.
Yes, revenge…
But so what?
By then, they would have been dead for who knows how long—perhaps not even their corpses would remain intact.
Someone's gaze shifted toward the three dried corpses not far away.
"I… I don't want to die. I'm still young. I've worked so hard to cultivate to this point. I don't want to die…"
A stifled sob escaped one of them.
Hearing this, Hong Xiao's face darkened in anger.
She opened her mouth to rebuke him but, upon seeing that tear-streaked, dust-covered face, she suddenly found herself unable to say a word.
Gritting her teeth, Hong Xiao declared decisively, "In a moment, I'll hold off Yu Yuan. Lu Yan, you'll take the others and break through!"
At this point, the only choice left was to trade lives for a glimmer of survival.
"You? How will you hold off Yu Yuan?"
The male student named Lu Yan gave a bitter laugh.
"Forget his strange abilities—just his Heaven Completion Realm cultivation alone is enough. Even if the two of us attack together, we can't withstand a single strike from him. Do you really think you can delay him?"
"Then what should we do? Just sit here and wait to die?!" Hong Xiao snapped furiously.
"Yes… we can't just sit here waiting to die…"
Lu Yan's eyes grew unfocused, as if he could already see the terrifying Blood God Subshadows through the wall of flame.
Taking a deep breath, resolve returned to his gaze.
He looked at Hong Xiao, then at the four people behind them.
"Among the six of us, the only one who still has a chance to escape is you, Hong Xiao."
"Bullshit! I'll never abandon everyone to escape alone! Even if I die!" Hong Xiao roared in fury.
Though she was merely a twenty-year-old girl, she had never once feared death.
"If worst comes to worst, I'll just blow up my Divine Soul! Even if I die, I'll take two of that Blood Demon Dragon's teeth with me!"
This was a woman whose fiery nature made her capable of anything she set her mind to.
"No, listen to me…"
Lu Yan inhaled deeply and spoke, looking at her and the others.
"I've already said it before—neither you nor I can stall Yu Yuan. If we want even the slightest chance of survival, then the others must stay behind together!"
"Among the six of us, only you and I have any hope of breaking free. And as a man, how could I possibly let a woman go to her death in my place?
"As for the other four… their strength hasn't even reached the Heavenly Transformation Realm. They are doomed no matter what."
His words plunged the entire mountaintop into silence.
Even the one who had been crying earlier now sat still, eyes as calm and lifeless as stagnant water.
"If we're going to die anyway, then why not fight back? Why die like pigs waiting for slaughter? No matter what you all think, I refuse to die so pitifully."
Lu Yan's final words were directed at the four others.
"Damn it! If I'm going to die anyway, I won't die like a coward! I'll make that bastard pay the price!"
The young man whose tears had not yet dried wiped his face roughly, his eyes flashing with savage determination.
When a person faces unavoidable death, fear is instinctive.But when there is truly no escape, rage often burns hotter than fear, driving one to raise their blade and tear apart the enemy before them.
And such scenes are most often found on the battlefield.
"That's right! Even if I die, I'll die standing! I won't die cowering like this!"
"Yes! Let's fight back! Let's take him down with us!"
Seeing the four of them ignited by his words, Lu Yan smiled faintly.
Then, he turned to the girl beside him.
"Hong Xiao, go. We will use the last of our lives to open a path for you.
Don't waste our sacrifice. Carry all of our wills and live on."
At that moment, the hot-tempered girl, who had never shed tears before, finally began to cry. She wanted to stay behind, but when she saw the faint smile in Lu Yan's eyes, she found herself unable to say a single word.
"Do not hesitate any longer, or all of us will die here!"
Lu Yan suddenly roared, his voice shaking Hong Xiao out of her grief. In the next instant, he rose to his feet, his body erupting with violent spiritual light. Streams of spiritual energy gushed out from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
Lu Yan's sudden outburst caused the blazing shield before him to surge violently. Intense flames spread outward, and when they came into contact with the blood shadows, sizzling sounds filled the air as thick red mist billowed from their bodies.
"Sister Hong Xiao, hurry! Do not let Brother Lu and our lives go to waste!" another shouted, igniting all of his spiritual energy in desperation.
"Go!"
"Hurry!"
One after another, figures charged forward with reckless abandon, breaking through the hurricane that covered the mountaintop.
Tears streaming down her face, Hong Xiao clenched her teeth. Her figure transformed into a streak of red light as she shot forward through the path her companions had carved for her with their lives, without looking back.
Outside, Yu Yuan, who had been manipulating the hurricane and stirring the sea of blood, was slightly surprised at the sight. "Oh? So you intend to sacrifice yourselves to open a path for your companion? But… do you not think too simply?"
He had gone to great lengths to trap this group here for one reason: not a single one was to leave alive. How could he allow them to escape so easily?
With a thought, the vast blood sea roared to life, and a massive blood-red waterspout erupted upward, forming an endless sea-dragon vortex that surged toward Hong Xiao's fleeing figure.
"Yu Yuan! Your opponent is me!"
Lu Yan's eyes widened in fury at the sight, and he let out a thunderous roar. He poured all of his remaining spiritual energy into the Blazing Shield.
The other four did the same, forcing out every drop of spiritual energy from their Qi Seas and channeling it into the shield above them.
Boom!
The Blazing Shield, filled with an overwhelming torrent of energy, suddenly erupted with violent fluctuations. Terrifying flames surged skyward, clashing head-on with Yu Yuan's blood sea.
For a brief instant, the two forces were evenly matched.
However, it was only a momentary burst. Even with the combined strength of all five, they were still far inferior to Yu Yuan, a cultivator of the Heavenly Completion Realm.
Under the immense strain of their power, cracks began spreading across the crimson shield, unable to withstand the overload. A heartbeat later, it shattered with a resounding explosion.
A terrifying spiritual storm burst outward from the mountaintop, sweeping across heaven and earth.
The blood-red waterspout that was about to reach Hong Xiao was cleaved apart by the explosion.
Even the surrounding hurricane collapsed under the impact, and the sea of blood recoiled violently. Countless Blood God Servants were instantly vaporized into red mist by the searing flames.
Yu Yuan was caught off guard by the shockwave and was blasted backward hundreds of meters before he barely managed to stabilize himself.
When he looked up again, the hundred-meter-tall peak had completely turned to dust, leaving behind only a massive crater.
"You damn wretches!"
Yu Yuan's furious voice resounded.
Lu Yan's explosion had cost him dearly—Hong Xiao had escaped his grasp. After all his careful planning and effort, one had still managed to slip away.
Face dark with rage, Yu Yuan descended to the edge of the crater. Below him lay five mangled bodies, broken and scorched.
Cultivators who had reached the Three Heavens Realm possessed tenacious life force. Even with shattered limbs and ruined organs, as long as their divine souls were not destroyed, they would not die immediately.
However, they had completely exhausted their spiritual energy, their Qi Seas utterly dry. Even if they were still barely alive, death was only moments away.
"You dared to ruin my plans? Did you think I would let you die so easily? Become my Blood God Servants instead!"
Yu Yuan's expression twisted with cruelty as he thrust out his palm. A torrent of blood energy surged forth, manifesting hideous blood shadows that rushed toward the five dying figures below.
Just as the bloody mist was about to devour them, a brilliant five-colored radiance descended from the heavens, enveloping the five in its glow.
The moment the blood mist touched the light, it recoiled as if burned by fire, instantly dispersing.
Rolling thunder echoed above Yu Yuan's head as black clouds pressed down so low they nearly touched the ground. A terrifying divine pressure descended from the heavens, making every hair on Yu Yuan's body stand on end.
Boom!
A golden bolt of lightning split the clouds and struck straight toward Yu Yuan's head.
"Blood God Servants!"
Unable to dodge in time, Yu Yuan bellowed. Countless blood shadows burst from his body, rising to meet the descending golden thunder.
.....
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