Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 188 Blood Sacrifice Appears

The deeper you go into the valley, the thicker the fog becomes, almost to the point where you can't see your hand in front of your face.

The air was sticky and cold; each breath felt like tiny shards of ice scraping across my throat. All around was deathly still; even the wind had vanished, save for the occasional crunch of snapping twigs underfoot and the increasingly loud thumping of my own heartbeat and breathing.

The chanting of the monks at Jingang Temple sounded somewhat ethereal in the thick fog. The faint golden light emanating from their bodies became the only source of light, barely dispelling the darkness within a radius of several feet, but unable to penetrate the rolling sea of ​​fog further away.

Master Liu walked at the front, the eerie green flame at the tip of his snake staff now compressed into a tiny, flickering flame that could only illuminate three feet in front of him. The two corpse-sniffing dogs clung tightly to his legs, emitting suppressed growls, their fur standing on end, clearly terrified.

The Vajra relic on Chen Anran's chest felt slightly warm, and a gentle yet firm Buddhist power quietly spread out, even dispersing some of the dense fog within three feet of him.

Su Wan walked beside him, her steps still steady. But in Chen Anran's perception, the aura around the senior sister seemed even "quieter" than usual, like a bottomless ancient pool, containing all ripples within. She gazed ahead, her profile appearing calm and focused in the dim light emitted by the monks of the Vajra Temple.

Suddenly, Elder Jiang Yan, who was walking at the front, shouted in a low voice, "Stop!"

Everyone stopped in their tracks. The bronze disc in Jiang Yan's hand was trembling violently, its surface runes flashing wildly, almost detaching from the disc. The short Elder Jiang Lei, his face pale, pointed to the left front: "The barrier...it's right there! The earth's spiritual energy and the Yin energy have formed an absolute barrier there!"

Looking in the direction he pointed, one could vaguely see a distorted area of ​​light and shadow within the thick fog. There, the air itself seemed to be wrinkled, with various colors mixed together, constantly writhing and changing, emitting eerie fluctuations that made one dizzy.

"This is it." Zhang Nanshan took a deep breath, untied the vermilion wine gourd from his back, uncorked it, and took a big gulp. The rich aroma of the wine mixed with the intense pure yang spiritual energy spread out, causing the surrounding cold mist to ripple.

"Half an incense stick's time, everyone, get ready!"

Without a word, Master Tianbao slapped all the remaining barrier-breaking talismans onto his chest, instantly enveloping him in a faint yellow light. He took the lead and stepped forward, a peach wood sword now appearing in his hand.

"Heaven and earth are boundless, the universe borrows its power, break!"

The tip of the peach wood sword emitted a dazzling spiritual light, fiercely piercing towards that distorted light and shadow!

"Move!" Zhang Nanshan gave the order, and almost simultaneously, everyone moved.

Qi Lan's figure transformed into a blur, her vertical pupils under the brim of her hat shining brightly in the dim light, and her ten fingers flicked out foot-long, cold, sharp claws, which fiercely grabbed at the barrier!

Feng Lie threw out five jade talismans of different colors, which were arranged in the air to form a five-element formation. They exploded with a bang, and the spiritual power of the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth turned into a five-colored torrent that rushed out!

Feng Changyuan opened his medicine box wide, and he sprinkled out several different colored powders with a special technique. They ignited upon contact with air, turning into various colored flames and poisonous mists that were either scorching hot, icy cold, or highly corrosive, which he used in conjunction with the attacks of the others!

Master Haishan led the warrior monks of Vajra Temple in a roar, and eighteen golden lights converged into a thick golden pillar of light. Accompanied by deafening chanting, it crashed down like a vajra's pestle!

Chen Anran did not use the powerful magical artifacts in the Museum of Evolution, but instead used the "Five Thunder Orthodox Method" taught to him by Zhang Nanshan to attack with thunder magic.

Su Wan did not participate in the direct attack. She simply stood there, her delicate hand slightly raised, and a soft white halo flowed from her fingertips, sprinkling down on everyone like moonlight. Enveloped in this halo, everyone's spirits were invigorated, and their spiritual energy seemed to flow more smoothly.

It was a powerful attack that combined the full strength of the world's top cultivators, and its power was earth-shattering.

"Snap—!"

First came a faint cracking sound, followed by a deafening roar like glass shattering!

The twisted, writhing barrier of light and shadow trembled violently, and countless spiderweb-like cracks appeared on its surface. The cracks spread rapidly, instantly covering the entire barrier.

"BOOM!!!"

The barrier was completely shattered!

A violent surge of energy, carrying fragments of the shattered barrier and an overwhelming aura of malevolent energy, surged outwards! Everyone was prepared, employing various methods to protect themselves. The monks of the Vajra Temple formed a golden bell shield, their bodies enveloped in Buddhist light; Zhang Nanshan's gourd spewed forth scorching wine vapors, creating a protective shield; Tianbao Zhenren's yellow talismans danced, transforming into a curtain of light…

The chaos lasted for about ten breaths before gradually subsiding.

After the barrier shattered, the true scene behind it was revealed.

It was a huge, naturally formed circular valley, but at this moment the scene at the bottom of the valley was like a projection of the deepest hell on earth.

The ground was no longer soil, but covered with a thick, sticky, dark red substance, like dried blood mixed with some kind of oil, emitting a nauseating, sweet, and putrid stench. Countless twisted, pitch-black runes wriggled on the surface of this substance like living creatures, together forming the core of a massive magic array with a diameter of over thirty feet.

At the center of the magic circle was a three-tiered altar made of bones.

At the top of the altar, a dark red ball of light floated, constantly churning and changing shape. Within the ball of light, the distorted, tormented phantoms of human faces could be faintly seen, constantly appearing, wailing, and vanishing. The ball of light exuded an endless aura of coldness, resentment, and hatred; a single glance was enough to shake one's mind and cloud one's spirit.

Below the altar, at the edge of the magic circle, sat seven figures.

They wore matching black cloaks, their faces obscured by hoods, revealing only their sharply defined jawlines. The seven sat cross-legged in the direction of the Big Dipper, each with a small black banner in front of them, painted with grotesque demonic images. These banners continuously absorbed energy emanating from the dark red orb atop the altar, and through the runes beneath them, channeled a transformed, more refined, and malevolent power into the earth.

Even more horrifying were the dozens of desiccated corpses scattered between the seven people and the altar. Some were human, others were larger animals. All the corpses were in a kneeling posture, their heads facing the altar, their skin clinging tightly to their bones, as if all the blood had been drained from them.

"Seven stars summon evil, white bones form the altar, living beings are sacrificed with blood..." Zhang Nanshan's voice was terrifyingly low, his eyes blazing with fury. "How dare you! You dare to perform such inhumane and evil rituals!"

Beneath the altar, among the seven figures in black robes, the leader slowly raised his head. Two crimson lights shone from beneath the shadow of his hood.

A hoarse, dry voice rang out, carrying an extremely unsettling mockery:

"Human nature? Hah... The Great Way is ruthless; only power is eternal. You who claim to be on the righteous path, clinging to outdated rules and regulations, how can you possibly comprehend the true 'Way'?"