The young man's body was entwined with dark qi, and in an instant, his body was covered with scales, looking ferocious and terrifying.
"It's you Martial Artists who turned me into this neither-human-nor-ghost creature. My name is Number Eighteen, Test Subject Eighteen," Number Eighteen said coldly, his blood-red eyes staring at Lin Chen.
"Who was it? Who turned you into this?" Lin Chen asked in shock and urgency.
"You don't need to know, because you will soon become the nourishment in my blood pool."
As soon as his words ended, Number Eighteen appeared in front of Lin Chen like lightning, his clawed palm slashing towards his throat.
Lin Chen's pupils contracted, and his body flashed, disappearing from the spot instantaneously, though his shirt still got ripped a few times.
The next instant, Lin Chen's fist collided heavily with Number Eighteen's claws.
In the darkness, the figures of the two men were not visible, only black and purple flames could be seen continuously colliding in the air.
The whole cave was a mess, with rocks shattered to bits, and the ground everywhere cracked and scorched with deep pits.
Lin Chen hadn't expected Number Eighteen's black flames to be so formidable, matching his own purple Netherworld flames.
Their fists collided again in the air, and the two flames extinguished in the air, each stepping back several steps.
A strong fighting spirit surged on Lin Chen's face; this was the first tough battle he had faced since his advancement.
The power of the purple flames excited him immensely, a killing power that was leagues beyond his former flames.
Number Eighteen's expression, however, was getting uglier.
Unlike Lin Chen, he was burning his life to battle. He could hold on for a short time, but if the fight prolonged, he would inevitably lose.
"Soon, very soon, once the sacrifice is complete, I will gain terrifying power, and then killing Lin Chen will be as simple as crushing a bug."
Lin Chen had also noticed this, looking at the black blood flowing toward the eight ice beds, his expression became tense.
He had to finish the battle quickly, Lin Chen's body shot out again launching a frenzied attack.
Bundles of purple flames constantly exploded in the air, while Number Eighteen was forced into a sorry state with only the ability to defend.
"Damn it, I want you dead!"
No matter what, Number Eighteen had never expected that even after transforming into a beast, he was still no match for Lin Chen, gritting his teeth fiercely, his face showing a look of determination.
With a roar, the dark qi around Number Eighteen suddenly gathered into a huge skull, attempting to devour Lin Chen.
Lin Chen's warning bracelet instantly turned red.
It was a dire situation!
If he retreated, there was a slim chance of survival, but Lin Chen knew he could not retreat.
Almost simultaneously, the two noticed that the black blood had filled up the eight ice beds at the sacrificial altar. If Number Eighteen managed to return to the altar, the sacrifice would be completed.
Not only would the eight girls die horrifically as sacrifices, but once Number Eighteen gained the terrifying energy, his power would surge, and the consequences would be unpredictable.
A purple Spirit Sword instantly formed in his palm, Lin Chen leapt up, lifting the sword with both hands slashing downwards from the air.
Accompanied by a heaven-shattering, earth-splitting noise, the two flames collided in the air.
"Hahaha, die you detestable Martial Artist!" At this moment, Number Eighteen stood on the ground now full of cracks, laughing madly.
The vast energy emitted by the colliding flames caused the scales on Number Eighteen to rapidly shed, turning him instantly into a blood-soaked man.
However, suddenly his laughter froze, and from within the smoke, he suddenly saw a figure charging out.
Number 18's face suddenly changed, and he turned and ran toward the altar.
"Ten meters, five meters, one meter..."
As long as he reached the altar, he could complete the sacrifice and become a Blood Demon, and then he could slaughter all the Martial Artists.
With this thought, a fierce grin appeared on Number 18's face, now only one step away from the altar.
Just as Number 18 was about to step onto the altar, a sudden cold voice rang out behind him.
A bolt of lightning exploded from the sky, tightly binding his body.
"How... how is this possible!"
Number 18, wrapped in electric chains, could not move forward an inch; at this moment, he stared desperately at Lin Chen, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Wasn't he a fire-element Martial Artist?
How could he possibly wield thunder?
This can't be, it must be an illusion!
However, the intense, heart-wrenching pain forced him to believe the reality before his eyes.
What made him even more desperate was that Lin Chen was slowly raising his right hand, hurling a purple flame toward the altar.
Number 18 let out a heart-wrenching scream, collapsing to his knees on the ground.
He had lost, utterly defeated.
"Xiaoxue, Mom, I can't avenge you, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Lin Chen walked step by step towards Number 18, who knelt on the ground and suddenly laughed.
"Just kill me! If you kill me, I can see Xiaoxue and Mom again."
Facing death, Number 18 didn't show a trace of fear but instead wore a smile."
"Tell me the truth," Lin Chen asked coldly.
Lin Chen had a feeling that this boy wasn't evil; the eight girls, although held captive for several days, had their clothes intact.
That is to say, the girls had not been violated, and since Number 18 had been talking about avenging his girlfriend and mother, Lin Chen knew there must be something fishy going on.
Number 18 glanced at Lin Chen: "What good will knowing the truth do you? You Martial Artists are all the same."
Lin Chen responded lightly, "Some Martial Artists seek power for ambition, others to protect their loved ones, and I belong to the latter group, so we should have something in common."
"Protecting loved ones, and the ones we love?" The red in Number 18's eyes gradually faded as he stared intently at Lin Chen.
After pondering for a moment, Number 18 finally spoke, "My name is Huang Li, I lost my father when I was very young, and my mother raised me. We relied on each other, living a hard but happy life.
"My mother worked in the Bai family's enterprise, and our beautiful life changed completely after my mother's company medical check-up," said Huang Li, clenching his fists tightly.
"During the check-up, they found an anomaly in my mother's blood, and they captured both my mother and me as experimental subjects for the Bai family. Do you have any idea what kind of days we endured there?" Huang Li said, his eyes filled with hatred.
"Later, I found out my mother was a failed experiment; she died a horrible death." Huang Li's hands tightly clutched the ground rocks, even bleeding unwittingly.
"From that day onwards, I vowed to escape, find the Bai family, and get revenge on you Martial Artists, but alas, I was too weak." A bitter smile appeared on Huang Li's face.
"Those scum of the Bai family!" Lin Chen's eyebrows furrowed tightly.
"If you can help me take revenge and annihilate the Bai family, I would recognize you as my master," Huang Li said earnestly, kneeling before Lin Chen.
"Okay, I promise you," Lin Chen nodded, his eyes swirling with killing intent.