Yellow sand filled the sky, blanketing the entire world.
The further they went, the more Blood Demons they encountered, but Xu Zimo couldn’t be bothered to kill them.
Zhong Xin, on the other hand, was extremely enthusiastic. His sword energy was aggressive and sharp, as if Xu Zimo and the others were stealing his kills. He slaughtered every Blood Demon they came across.
Watching Zhong Xin fight so fiercely up ahead, Xu Zimo yawned and waved his hand.
“…Do you even hear yourself?” Zhong Xin looked back at Xu Zimo, feeling a sudden sting in his chest.
He had come with the intention of blocking Xu Zimo’s progress, trying to make sure he left the Hidden Realm empty-handed.
But now, it felt more like he was clearing the path for Xu Zimo’s group.
“Damn it… I’m a core disciple of the True Martial Sacred Ground. I’m in the Paragon Meridian Realm. And this is what I’ve been reduced to? But if I stop now, I’d be going against my master’s orders…”
Zhong Xin was caught in a storm of conflict. He didn’t just hate Xu Zimo anymore, he was starting to resent Shao Xingyu, too.
Xu Zimo kept heading in a specific direction.
As they moved deeper into the Hidden Realm, the sandstorms became fiercer, the bloody skies above merged with the red horizon, and the air grew more oppressive.
Even the sand beneath their feet turned moist and sticky. The heavens looked like they’d been doused in blood, and from above came the sound of dripping blood rain.
Zhong Xin furrowed his brow, a suffocating feeling weighing on him.
“Where exactly are you going?” he finally asked.
“What, getting scared?” Little Gui looked smug. “Should I call you our little tail, or a really annoying fly?”
“You want to die?” Zhong Xin roared, sword humming violently in his grip.
“Come on then, kill me,” Little Gui taunted. “Killing fellow disciples is a capital crime! Go ahead, if you’ve got the guts, kill us all. I dare you!”
Zhong Xin glanced at Xu Zimo. It wasn’t that he didn’t dare, if someone died here, it could always be blamed on Blood Demons.
But he also knew Xu Zimo had a trump card from Xu Qingshan, likely something that could kill him if things went wrong. If his actions were discovered, he’d be doomed.
“You’re not going to bait me that easily,” Zhong Xin said, calming himself. “Wherever you go, I’m following.”
Xu Zimo smirked and kept walking with the others.
The deeper they went, the more surreal the crimson sky became.
Blood rain fell steadily, but strangely, the drops vanished the moment they touched anyone, leaving no trace.
They walked for a long time and didn’t encounter a single Blood Demon.
Eventually, a massive pit blocked their way.
There were pits everywhere around them, deep and bottomless like abysses. Clearly, some great battle had taken place here long ago.
Xu Zimo smiled and took out a horn from his storage ring.
When he blew it, the sound was strange and haunting, as if summoning something ancient.
Suddenly, everyone present felt their blood surge violently. Their veins bulged beneath their skin as if ready to burst open.
As the horn’s sound echoed, nine distinct beast roars shook the heavens and earth.
The crimson sky grew even more eerie, and then, nine massive beast phantoms rose from the pits.
The nine God Beast phantoms were: Primal-Chaos, Qiongqi, Phoenix, Taotie, Dark Snake, Profound Bird, Chimera, Ice Armored Horned Demon Dragon, Bian.
Each beast let out a deafening roar as they began to merge in mid-air.
Blood rain turned into a deluge. The entire Hidden Realm trembled. Silver-white lightning streaked across the sky like dragons.
As the nine phantoms fused, Zhong Xin stepped back and shouted at Xu Zimo, “What are you doing?
Back then, Grand Emperor Zhen Wu killed these nine God Beasts to end the Desolate Era and usher in a golden age for humanity. Are you trying to resurrect them and become a traitor to the entire human race?”
“You need to understand something,” Xu Zimo replied calmly. “Unless one escapes the River of Fate, death is permanent. No creature can ever truly be revived.”
“Then what the hell are you doing?” Zhong Xin froze, realizing he'd overreacted when he saw the God Beast phantoms.
“What do you think?” Xu Zimo asked, still smiling.
“Madman! I’ll report this to the Vice-Lord,” Zhong Xin growled, the oppressive atmosphere around him growing stronger. He turned to leave.
But Xu Zimo chuckled, and with a flick of his wrist, tossed a Level 6 formation disk toward Zhong Xin.
This was a Level 6 formation, a gift from Luang, that had never been used until now.
As it activated, a dense baleful aura filled the air. Tens of thousands of swords shot into the sky and plunged into the ground, surrounding Zhong Xin.
Hundreds of swords quivered in unison, sword energy piercing the clouds, as if they were ready to shred everything inside the formation.
This was the legendary formation: Radiant Sword Prison.
One of Luang’s most powerful arrays.
They say of the Five Sons of Myriad Arrays: Lu excels at slaughter. Qi excels at illusions.
As the formation flared, Zhong Xin’s expression changed. Even though he was at the peak of the Paragon Meridian Realm, he wouldn’t dare underestimate such a powerful formation.
Above, the nine beast phantoms had fully merged into a single giant.
It stood over a hundred meters tall, with a humanoid body and nine beast heads on its shoulders, each head representing one of the ancient God Beasts.
All nine heads howled to the heavens, the sound shattering the air. Even space itself began to crack.
The beast dropped from the sky, landing with a thunderous boom. The ground fractured beneath its feet.
“Enjoy the feast I’ve prepared for you, Brother Zhong,” Xu Zimo said, laughing as he led his group backward.
“You set me up!” Zhong Xin shouted angrily as he dodged the formation’s attacks, stumbling in the chaos.
“How can it be a setup?” Xu Zimo called back. “You’re the one who insisted on coming with us, remember? It’s just part of the martial path.”