189

Xu Yan reached for the concealed item bag on the stone table. Suddenly, with a bang, the crimson stone coffin shattered, and a crimson hand extended from the coffin, grabbing his wrist.

"Youth, you managed to kill Huo Tu and come here. That's impressive. This seat needs a blood sacrifice!"

A cold voice followed.

Xu Yan's expression remained unchanged as if he had anticipated this. His outstretched hand did not retract but directly grabbed the concealed item bag. Simultaneously, his wrist was seized by the crimson hand.

A powerful, eerie aura emanated from the crimson hand.

The crimson palm ignited with a faint blood-red flame, seemingly intending to corrode and refine his flesh and blood essence.

With his palm gripping the concealed item bag, a cold light flashed in Xu Yan's eyes. A sword light emerged from his wrist, forming a rotating sword wheel around the crimson hand.

The sword wheel rotated, appearing as though it would sever the crimson hand.

"Hmm?"

A surprised voice came from the shattered crimson coffin.

The hand gripping Xu Yan's wrist hurriedly retracted, but the sword wheel clung to it like a bracelet, spinning relentlessly.

"What is this?"

With a loud bang, the stone coffin completely exploded, and a crimson figure stood up.

This figure was shrouded in a bizarre blood-red aura. His other hand struck out, attempting to shatter the sword wheel.

Xu Yan snorted coldly, and the sword wheel suddenly expanded, enveloping the entire crimson figure.

"Good boy!"

The crimson figure, unafraid, erupted with a burst of blood-red flames, exuding a sinister corrosive aura. It transformed into a thick, blood-like substance, covering the sword wheel.

A sizzling sound was heard.

Xu Yan's eyebrows slightly furrowed as he grew more cautious.

As the sword wheel dissolved under the blood flames, Xu Yan did not continue his attack. Instead, he frowned at the crimson figure.

The figure had long, crimson hair and an aged face, giving an impression that his body was filled with blood, extraordinarily crimson.

The sinister aura continuously permeated, with an unusual hint of a blood scent.

"Could it be that you are the real Huo Tu Demon Lord?"

Xu Yan asked in surprise.

"This seat is the Blood Fiend King of the Demon Sect. Huo Tu was merely my disciple."

The Blood Fiend King's eyes glowed with a faint crimson light.

"Blood Fiend King?"

Xu Yan frowned. He had never heard of this name, but since he was Huo Tu Demon Lord's master, he must be a notorious figure in the Demon Sect.

"Your disciple Huo Tu is dead. I had an agreement with him that if I killed him, his lifelong collection would belong to me. So, I'll take this concealed item bag."

Xu Yan said as he hung the concealed item bag at his waist.

The Blood Fiend King frowned in displeasure, "Young man, have you never heard of this seat?"

The Blood Fiend King was a notorious figure in the Demon Sect. He once massacred an entire city, refining their blood to step into the Grandmaster realm. He had killed several peak Grandmasters to break through his bottleneck, advancing his strength further.

After the Demon Lord's disappearance and the Demon Sect's collapse, he competed with other leaders for power, got ambushed, and had to fake his death to recuperate.

Huo Tu Demon Lord was his disciple, tasked with finding blood sacrifices to sustain his vitality.

Anyone knowledgeable about the Demon Sect or the martial world of the Inner Region would know of his infamous reputation.

Xu Yan glanced at him indifferently, "I'm not interested in knowing about old wastes like you. It's normal not to know."

Old waste?

The Blood Fiend King laughed grimly, "A delicious blood sacrifice dares to insult this seat. Indeed, living long enough, one encounters everything!"

A terrifying power, like thick blood, surged from him.

Xu Yan coldly replied, "Living so long with such weak strength, and you still dare to boast. Is it so hard to admit you're a waste?"

Xu Yan had no fondness for the Demon Sect members, especially those who practiced killing techniques.

For the Blood Fiend King to possess such terrifying power and that crimson aura, who knew how many warriors he had blood-refined to gain this strength?

"Kneel before this seat!"

The Blood Fiend King roared angrily. With a thunderous noise, his half-step Celestial might pressed down.

Xu Yan stood calmly, unaffected. A faint sword intent gradually emanated from him, forming the Life and Death Sword Wheel.

"Perfect for honing my swordsmanship!"

The sword wheel split into two, and the life and death sword lights fiercely attacked the Blood Fiend King.

At this moment, the Blood Fiend King's expression changed. The opponent remained unaffected by his half-step Celestial might. Could this boy be a half-step Celestial?

Moreover, he suddenly realized Xu Yan's aura was unusual, neither a Grandmaster's nor a Great Grandmaster's, nor even a half-step Celestial's.

Boom!

The barren mountain exploded, creating a large hole, and two figures flew out.

One was crimson as blood, with a terrifying blood-red aura like a thick blood wave, extremely frightening.

He wielded a crimson, sinister-looking hook.

Xu Yan held a long sword, unleashing the Life and Death Sword Wheel. The cycle of life and death, endlessly changing, kept attacking.

The Blood Fiend King grew increasingly alarmed as the battle progressed. Every time he shattered the eerie sword wheel, another would immediately appear.

Initially, the sword wheel seemed somewhat illusory, as if imperfect. But as the battle continued, it became more solid and powerful.

Moreover, the sword wheel's attacks and defenses were unpredictable and increasingly tricky. At one point, he sensed a deathly aura from a sword light.

Meanwhile, another sword light blocked his fierce attacks, flowing endlessly. Just when he thought it was a defensive sword, it suddenly turned into a death sword.

It almost severed his arm!

As the battle continued, Xu Yan grew more enlightened. The Life and Death Sword Wheel was continually perfected. At one point, it spun like a Taiji symbol before him.

The sword light gradually transformed into black and white, constantly interchanging, as if a new sword intent was being born.

However, it still fell a bit short, unable to fully comprehend the Life and Death Sword Intent.

"Today is a great harvest day. I got the concealed item bag, and my Life and Death Sword Wheel has begun to take shape. Blood Fiend King, remember this, your killer is the Sword God Xu Yan!"

Xu Yan's Life and Death Sword Wheel suddenly split, transforming into two terrifying sword lights, instantly enveloping the Blood Fiend King.

The sword lights instantly converged, alternating between life and death, striking towards the Blood Fiend King with a thunderous force!

"You think you can kill me, boy? You are too arrogant!" 

A cold gleam flashed in the Blood Fiend King's eyes. With a roar, a burst of blood-red light shot up to the sky, and the blazing blood flames turned half of the sky crimson.

His crimson hook seemed poised to tear the heavens apart.

The power of a half-step Celestial surged to its peak in this moment.

Desperate, the Blood Fiend King unleashed his secret life-preserving martial arts technique.

He felt a strong sense of life and death crisis, far more intense than when he was besieged by numerous powerful warriors in the past. This young man's sword light was too dangerous; it could kill him at any moment.

Despite the Blood Fiend King's frantic attacks, the Life and Death Sword Wheel continued its relentless assault, shredding defenses and annihilating strikes.

With a sudden merger, the Life and Death Sword Wheel's terrifying sword intent surged, resembling mountains and rivers, and in a split second, life and death converged, obliterating everything!

The Blood Fiend King watched in horror as his body disintegrated into ashes within the sword light.

What kind of sword technique is this?

Even as a half-step Celestial, his physical body was destroyed, but his spiritual consciousness remained.

Xu Yan frowned. He could sense the faint, intangible spiritual consciousness that was the martial spirit of a Celestial?

"Extinguish the soul! As expected, when one's strength reaches a certain level, killing the body alone doesn't guarantee death!" 

Xu Yan mused, understanding why his master had always taught him to destroy both body and soul to prevent enemies from escaping.

The sword wheel spun, and the sword of death shredded the intangible spiritual consciousness, completely annihilating it.

The Blood Fiend King was dead!

After killing the Blood Fiend King, Xu Yan pondered. Although the Blood Fiend King was only a half-step Celestial, it suggested that a true martial Celestial might not be much stronger.

"Are there any true martial Celestials in the Inner Region?"

Xu Yan was curious. So far, there were no known martial Celestials in the Inner Region. Even half-step Celestials were rare and only known by top powers and peak Grandmasters.

It seemed that true martial Celestials didn't exist in the Inner Region.

"If I could spar with a martial Celestial, my Life and Death Sword Wheel might become even more refined."

Xu Yan felt a tinge of regret but soon became excited.

Finally, he had obtained a concealed item bag he had long coveted!

He took the concealed item bag from his waist, infused it with true energy, and opened it. Inside, he found a stack of spirit tickets and a small pile of spirit crystals, along with several bottles, jars, and spiritual herbs.

"The Huo Tu Demon Lord was indeed wealthy!"

Xu Yan counted the items and was thrilled to find himself wealthy once again.

The concealed item bag, resembling a toad, hung at his waist. When true energy was infused, it opened easily for convenient storage.

Having successfully obtained the Huo Tu Demon Lord's treasures and killed the Blood Fiend King, improving his Life and Death Sword Wheel, Xu Yan left the desolate mountain and set off for Canglan Island.

In a city, he found a messaging point for the Sword Sovereign Cliff and sent a message to Xie Lingfeng to meet him on Canglan Island.

"To avoid major conflicts and martial disputes in the Inner Region, we must research how to convert Inner Region martial arts to the Great Wilderness martial arts. Only then can the Great Wilderness replace the Inner Region."

Xu Yan pondered. He didn't have a definitive method yet, though refining true energy was a start. However, refining true energy alone wasn't enough to fully convert martial arts.

"The martial scholars of the Seven Star Academy are deeply knowledgeable about Inner Region martial arts. If I teach them the Great Wilderness martial arts, they might find a way to convert them."

"Or I could further understand the essence of Inner Region martial arts from them and devise a compromise method."

Xu Yan thought silently.

Since Xu Yan defeated the peak Grandmaster on Canglan Island, no one dared to set foot on the island. After the battle for Changqing Pavilion, which marked Canglan Island as part of the Great Wilderness, many passed by the island on the river, looking longingly but not daring to approach due to Xu Yan's formidable reputation.

Until Peng Yuan of the Seven Star Academy, accompanied by seven martial scholars, arrived. Canglan Island had been largely uninhabited.

After spending some time at the Seven Star Academy, Peng Yuan and his companions were often seen poring over books, constantly researching, or writing something.

Their study of martial arts never ceased.

"Scholar Xu is here, please sit!"

Peng Yuan and the others ran over excitedly when they saw Xu Yan, pulling up a chair for him.

In the Seven Star Academy, Xu Yan held the title of Great Martial Scholar, so they addressed him as such.

They were well aware of the battle at Changqing Pavilion.

"Scholar Peng, you're too kind."

Xu Yan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

Peng Yuan and his companions were handpicked by Xu Yan from numerous martial scholars. They were entirely devoted to studying martial arts, as evidenced by their dark circles from sleepless nights of research.

"Researching martial arts wastes no time. Scholar Xu, is this the Great Wilderness martial arts?"

Peng Yuan and his companions, despite their dark circles, had bright eyes filled with anticipation as they looked at Xu Yan.

"Alright, let's not waste time then."

Xu Yan took out a booklet.

It was a foundational martial arts manual covering skin refining, bone refining, organ refining, and the blood and qi realm.

"This is the foundational and introductory martial arts manual. You scholars can study it. Also, the Great Wilderness martial arts and the Inner Region martial arts are fundamentally different. Many Inner Region martial artists want to convert to the Great Wilderness martial arts but lack a method."

"You scholars have spent your lives studying Inner Region martial arts. After understanding the Great Wilderness martial arts, you can research how to convert Inner Region martial arts."

Peng Yuan and the others became solemn. The emergence of Great Wilderness martial arts was a significant blow to the Inner Region martial world. Signs indicated that Great Wilderness martial arts were superior, and every warrior sought greater strength.

Once Great Wilderness martial arts spread, the major powers would feel threatened. Their strength came from their profound martial arts heritage, stronger than external martial arts techniques.

This was why top powers were formidable.

The Great Wilderness martial arts threatened to undermine their foundations. The shocking battle at Changqing Pavilion had made these powers wary, preventing them from taking any action.

Once they recovered and sensed the severe threat to their legacies, they would inevitably join forces for survival.

To avoid or minimize this martial conflict, a conversion method must be offered. The strong from major powers had deep foundations, and if they successfully converted, they would still hold advantages.

This way, they wouldn't risk everything in a desperate fight.

Heritage was crucial, but stronger martial arts were even more important.

"Scholar Xu, rest assured. We will give our all, not just for others but for ourselves. We will find a way to convert the martial arts."

Peng Yuan vowed solemnly.

(Chapter End)