Chapter 431 - 215: Doom_2
After obtaining the blood robe’s bone and blood, he smeared them on the scroll, then applied a secret technique, indeed establishing a connection with Chu Xuan, vaguely sensing his location.
Though this has distance limitations and is not precise, it can only detect a general area.
But it’s enough, more than enough.
The man inferred from the sensation that Chu Xuan was likely hiding beneath the Grotto Heaven, within the Celestial Water Array. All conditions seemed ripe, but he didn’t act rashly, choosing to wait patiently.
The altar in his hand, called the "Blood Sword Twelve heavenly Gods Slaying Altar", has the ability to curse and kill remotely with the help of a medium, granted by the Patriarch, and now being used to assist the "Heart-devouring God-seizing Dagger".
For three days now, he has been silently praying, strengthening the connection between the scroll and the dagger, awaiting a perfect opportunity to strike.
Finally, one day after the departure of the Shangguan family, Chu Xuan began to move.
The man in black was extremely cautious, staying at the farthest distance that the scroll could sense, flying parallel to him on the left rather than behind him.
This barely ensured not losing track of Chu Xuan, remaining oblivious to his surroundings.
Still, the man wasn’t in a hurry to strike, even with the risk of exposure, as Chu Xuan might indeed have Primordial Monarch Taixu and others nearby.
But he was ready to be discovered, secretly hoping Primordial Monarch Taixu would charge at him, leaving Chu Xuan unprotected, the perfect moment to act.
To his surprise, shortly after Chu Xuan’s departure, a clash of high-level cultivators erupted above a distant sea area!
Though silent, ordinary cultivators couldn’t perceive it, yet it couldn’t escape his senses, feeling the huge impact that disrupted the spiritual energy in the sea.
Almost immediately! The man in black lifted his hands, causing the black altar to expand back to its original size, floating in the air as he pushed it forward.
His hands formed seals, manipulating the scroll to hover upright from the altar, the black dagger stirring restlessly.
Wait a bit more, wait until Chu Xuan gets further away from them...
The man forcibly quelled his impatience, reasoning that once the two fought, it wouldn’t end quickly, and might even move further away, with no sign of Chu Xuan stopping, so he shouldn’t act rashly.
Yet with each passing breath, he had the illusion that "those two will soon return to Chu Xuan’s side", losing this rare opportunity...
Silently estimating distances, not just between Chu Xuan and the battle site, but also pushing closer to Chu Xuan himself, aiming to maximize the strike’s power.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths... it’s time!
The man suddenly stopped, dropping the altar onto the sea, his expression solemn, chanting:
"Jia Yin hidden in the open doors, Yi Mao rests, concealing murderous intent."
"Bing Wu opens the birth door, Wu Ji earth, Ding Si views, killing intensifies."
"Geng Shen frightened door, Xin You dead, Ren Gui wounded, concealed its trail."
As he recited the eight words: open, rest, birth, view, fright, death, wound, conceal, the mysterious characters surrounding the portals illuminated brightly!
Ultimately, the eight doors merged, centered on the death door, one of the three most dangerous doors of Qimen Dunjia, symbolizing execution, mourning, punishment, hunting, and slaughter.
Simultaneously, the talismans and charms on the "Blood Sword Twelve heavenly Gods Slaying Altar" glowed collectively, exuding a dark light akin to a solar eclipse, as twelve small swords aligned, fiercely piercing the altar.
The "Heart-devouring God-seizing Dagger" instantly lifted, aiming at the heart of the figure in the scroll!
The dagger pierced through the scroll, dragging it into the death door.
At that moment, the ancient scroll was burned to ashes by black fire within the death door, while the black dagger vanished without a trace.
...
As for Chu Xuan, ever since Qingqing left, he had been feeling uneasy.
Will they engage in battle? It shouldn’t happen, right?
Chu Xuan looked back, the surroundings calm and quiet, shaking his head, thinking he might be overthinking.
"What’s wrong?" Qingqing cautiously asked him.
This made Chu Xuan regard her with complex emotions; once, Qingqing was so proud before him, never being this wary of annoying him, fearing he might dismiss her without hesitation.
Chu Xuan shook his head, about to say "it’s nothing", but suddenly he felt a jolt of unease!
His expression changed, instinctively wanting to retrieve the Six Souls Banner, summon the beauty’s head, but too late...
A blood-stained black dagger emerged from the void, too fast for Chu Xuan to react, piercing his heart!
Qingqing couldn’t even discern its shape, merely sensing a flash in her divine sense, and Chu Xuan’s chest sprouted a bloody hole!
Only then came the sharp sound explosion, the black dagger disintegrated in mid-air, falling as scattered black dust over the sea~
Chu Xuan’s face turned pale rapidly; only then did the Six Souls Banner appear in his hand, the beauty’s head emerged, looking at him in confusion.
The Six Souls Banner had no reaction?! What is its protection mechanism?
Chu Xuan had always thought, whenever there’s a "life-threatening crisis", it would activate to protect him, like during the Li’an Demon Sect incident.
But now it seems, "life-threatening crisis" is a necessary but insufficient condition, leaving him caught off guard by the fatal ambush, with no response from the Six Souls Banner.
Unable to fly due to serious injuries, Chu Xuan plummeted into the sea, Qingqing’s face turned pale, "Chu Xuan!"
She flew down frantically, catching him in her embrace, tears instantly filled her eyes, "Don’t die, don’t die, how could this happen, who did this?!"
"Su Mengqing! Ji Mingyu! Hurry back!"
Amid Qingqing’s fearful, desperate, angry, helpless screams, a mysterious figure suddenly appeared on the horizon.
Dressed in black, enveloped in layers of chaotic energy, wielding a slender sword, charging at them swiftly!
Before reaching them, a twilight realm, akin to the primordial chaos, swiftly encompassed them, attempting to envelop the pair.
Qingqing’s pupils contracted; she’d known Gu Haitang for quite some time, had fought multiple times, this was undeniably the Primordial Eight Sceneries Scripture she’d cultivated, was this someone from the Shangguan family?
But how, didn’t they leave...
In that brief moment, the two were engulfed by the mysterious domain, but suddenly, among heaven and earth, a flash of blood light appeared, dispersing the domain, and the black-clothed man disappeared.
"Go." Chu Xuan gasped weakly in Qingqing’s embrace, just now he commanded the beauty’s head to temporarily trap that man into the blood-red world.
Before his voice faded, the beauty’s head already gripped Qingqing’s collar, dragging them into the external void, quickly escaping the area.
Yes, though said to be "certain death", Chu Xuan hadn’t died immediately, or rather the tenacity of the Celestial Marrow physique combined with the Qianming Immortal Qi far exceeded any outsider’s expectations.
Under their influence, his chest was even attempting to forcibly heal, regenerate, but the newly condensed outline of his blood-red, pulsating heart was instantly shattered into countless bloody fragments, causing Chu Xuan to spit a mouthful of blood, worsening his injury.
"Chu Xuan! Hold on, hold on." Qingqing cried helplessly, her trembling hands retrieving a healing elixir, feeding it to him.
At this moment, Chu Xuan’s consciousness began to fade, relying solely on a wisp of immortal qi transferred to the wound, fighting against the annihilating curse-killing power, barely keeping him alive.
On the brink of death, Chu Xuan suddenly recalled, Li Xingchuan had warned him years ago to be wary of Gu Haitang; one reason being:
"I once encountered someone who practiced a similar cultivation technique, a very tricky opponent, hiding in secret, clearly not a good character."
It’s him, it’s always been him...