Chapter 238: Purgatory on Earth, The Flesh and Blood Soul-Refining Formation

As the elderly man with the hawk-like nose waved the crimson flag in his hand, a strange power permeated the air.

The Silver Moon Sect Master and the others were completely immobilized, filled with dread.

"Senior, what are you planning to do?"

The Silver Moon Sect Master stared at the crimson flag, his heart pounding with terror. His instincts told him that it was something incredibly dreadful.

"You'll all find out soon enough what I intend to do."

A sinister grin spread across the hawk-nosed elder's face, his expression growing more and more bizarre.

A faint black mist began to emanate from the crimson flag in his hand.

At the same time, in certain peculiar locations throughout Liuyun Town, the originally stationary stone pillars began to sway slightly, as if connected by an invisible force.

Thin tendrils of black mist appeared on the stone pillars and quickly spread throughout the town.

"What is this?"

On the street, a townsfolk watched as the black mist floated towards him, piquing his curiosity. He reached out to touch it.

But the next moment, he regretted his action.

As soon as his fingertip made contact with the black mist, his finger began to melt like a burning candle, followed by his hand, wrist, and rapidly up his arm.

"Ah!!!"

Such intense pain was unbearable for an ordinary person.

The townsfolk let out a piercing scream, falling to the ground and rolling around frantically in an attempt to shake off the black mist.

However, it was to no avail. The black mist seemed to have a life of its own, and once it tasted blood, it refused to let go.

It clung tightly to the townsfolk's arm and began to devour his entire body bit by bit.

Boom!

Such a terrifying scene naturally startled and chilled the hearts of the other pedestrians on the street.

Everyone scattered in panic, their eyes wide with horror as they watched the unfortunate townsfolk. They couldn't comprehend why he had suddenly transformed like this.

Some tried to help by using brooms and cloths to disperse the black mist, but their efforts were futile.

The black mist seemed to have singled out the townsfolk, refusing to let go of its victim.

The excruciating pain quickly caused the townsfolk to lose consciousness.

Then, everyone watched helplessly as he was slowly devoured and melted by the black mist.

Before long, his entire body disappeared, leaving behind only a set of clothing and a pool of blood.

After consuming its victim, the black mist floated up once more, its color turning slightly deeper as it drifted towards the next person.

"Ah, run for your lives!"

Having witnessed the previous person's tragic fate, the crowd needed no further convincing of the black mist's horror. As it floated towards them, everyone was gripped with fear and fled in all directions.

A few who were slower were touched by the black mist, and their screams echoed once more.

But this time, no one dared to stop and help. Everyone was too preoccupied with saving themselves.

Similar scenes played out on various streets of Liuyun Town, and for a time, the town was filled with incessant screams, like a purgatory on earth.

"What's going on?"

On a hill a few miles away from Liuyun Town, Lu Qing and Magu had been setting up their tent in the forest. Suddenly, Lu Qing's expression changed.

Without a moment to spare, he vanished from his original spot and, with a few leaps, climbed to the top of a nearby giant tree, gazing down at the town below.

His face paled even further at the sight that greeted him.

At that moment, Liuyun Town was enveloped in a thin layer of gray light, shrouded in black mist. He could vaguely make out people writhing and struggling within, letting out silent roars.

Strangely, not a single sound reached their ears.

"Qing, what's happening? I sense a surge of vengeful energy coming from the town."

The old doctor appeared beside Lu Qing.

"Master, look."

Lu Qing pointed forward, and the old doctor followed his gaze. With the enhanced vision granted by his primordial body, he immediately took in the horrifying scene in the town and the gray light that enveloped it.

A look of astonishment crossed his face as he asked, "What is that?"

"It's a formation, and an extremely vicious demonic one at that!" Lu Qing said in a low voice.

With his heritage from the Shenfu Sect, he instantly recognized that the gray light shrouding Liuyun Town was the product of some evil formation.

However, what puzzled him was how someone could set up such a formation when spiritual energy had only just begun to recover.

"A formation, a technique of the Immortal's Way?" The old doctor's face also changed. "Qing, do you know how to dispel it?"

Although the old doctor was already a powerful warrior who had achieved Initial Success in the Primordial State, he had little knowledge of esoteric techniques like formations and could only pin his hopes on Lu Qing.

"There are generally two ways to deal with formations: brute force and clever tactics.

Brute force involves using overwhelming power to shatter the formation's defense and destroy it.

Clever tactics, on the other hand, involve finding and disrupting the formation's nodes. If enough nodes are destroyed, the formation will fail and collapse on its own."

Lu Qing quickly explained what his master had taught him.

"So, which method can we use?" Magu asked.

The old doctor saw people in the town trying to escape, only to be blocked by the light barrier at the edges. In desperation, some tried to force their way out, but as soon as they touched the barrier, the black mist floating on it dissolved and melted them, leaving them with ugly expressions.

"I'm not sure, Master," Lu Qing replied, his eyes fixed on the light barrier.

Finally, a faint purple light of supernatural power appeared, and in his vision, several sticky notes floated into view.

[Melting Flesh Grey Light: A formation light barrier born from the Blood and Flesh Refining Soul Formation, an evil sect formation from ancient times. It has strong defensive capabilities and can dissolve flesh and blood.]



[Blood and Flesh Refining Soul Formation: An elementary-level evil sect formation passed down from the ancient cultivation era. It is exceptionally sinister and malicious.]



[When living beings are within the Blood and Flesh Refining Soul Formation, their qi, blood, bones, and flesh will be melted and refined by the formation's power, transforming their resentment and nourishing the formation's eye and flag.]



[There are a total of eighteen formation nodes in the Blood and Flesh Refining Soul Formation. Once more than half of the nodes are destroyed, the formation will fail and collapse.]



[The Blood and Flesh Refining Soul Formation before us seems to be a simplified version. Its power can only dissolve and refine beings below the Innate Realm, and its might is far inferior to the complete version.]



...

Reading the information in his vision, Lu Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he still didn't understand why an ancient evil sect formation had appeared in Liuyun Town, since it was only a simplified version of the Blood and Flesh Refining Soul Formation, it would be much easier to deal with.

"Qing, have you thought of a solution?"

The old doctor had been paying close attention to Lu Qing's expression, and seeing his sudden relaxation, he immediately asked.

"I have a plan, Master. We need to break this formation quickly. Otherwise, everyone inside might perish," Lu Qing replied.

"Then tell me quickly. What should we do?" The old doctor asked, his eyes fixed on the tragic scene in the town.

"Disrupting the formation isn't difficult. However, whoever set up this formation must be extraordinary, and we might need your help to deal with them," Lu Qing said.

"Of course," the old doctor nodded, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

The situation in Liuyun Town below was truly dire, stirring up his desire to take action, despite his usual reluctance to fight.

"Master, let's head over as we talk. I'll grab something from the carriage," Lu Qing said, his figure disappearing and then reappearing as he climbed down from the tree and headed towards the carriage.

When he reappeared, he held a longbow and a sword.

"Young Master Lu, what's happening? Where's Doctor Chen?" The rotund middle-aged man asked as he approached.

He had seen Lu Qing's sudden change in expression and his subsequent climb to the treetop, followed by the old doctor. Something unusual was definitely happening.

But now, Lu Qing had returned, and the old doctor was nowhere to be seen, which struck him as odd.

The others also looked on curiously.

"There's been an incident in Liuyun Town, and my master and I need to go there. Uncle Xu, please stay here for now," Lu Qing explained.

Then, turning to Ma Gu and Wei Zian, he said sternly, "Ma and Zian, you two stay here as well and watch over our belongings."

"Yes, young master!"

Seeing the seriousness in Lu Qing's expression, Ma Gu's heart skipped a beat.

He knew that whatever had happened in Liuyun Town must be significant for both Lu Qing and the old doctor to be so solemn.

"Alright, let's go, Master." Lu Qing leaped off, heading downhill. "Xiao Li, protect Xiao Yan. If anyone dares to harm her, kill them without mercy!"

"Young Master Lu..."

The rotund middle-aged man, Xu, saw Lu Qing about to leave without fully explaining the situation, and he was about to call out to him, but Ma Gu gently stopped him.

"Uncle Xu, our young master has important matters to attend to. Please don't disturb him. We'll wait here," Ma Gu said, understanding that whatever was happening in Liuyun Town must be grave for Lu Qing and the old doctor to be so serious.

Their presence might only hinder rather than help.

"Oh..."

Xu was taken aback by Ma Gu's unusual firmness, but he didn't take offense. Instead, he also realized the severity of the situation.

Ma Gu thought back to how Lu Qing's expression had only turned solemn after climbing to the treetop. His blood stirred, and he leapt up into the tree as well.

"What is that?"

The rotund middle-aged man gazed towards Liuyun Town, his eyes widening at the sight of the gray light barrier.

Such a bizarre and mystical scene was beyond anything he had ever witnessed.

"And... is that Doctor Chen and Young Master Lu?"

After his exclamation, the rotund man's attention was drawn to another sight.

He saw two figures heading towards Liuyun Town.

One of them was dashing through the forest; from the color of his clothes, it was Lu Qing.

The other figure was moving gracefully atop the treetops, their feet barely touching the canopy as they covered a distance of over ten zhang with each step, like a celestial being.

Who else could it be but Doctor Chen?

"Moving as if riding the wind, such a mystical movement technique... could Doctor Chen be..."

The rotund man stared, his eyes wide as saucers, a whisper escaping his lips.

...

"Master, this evil formation covers too wide an area. If we were to brute-force our way through, I'm afraid the two of us wouldn't be enough. We can only use clever tactics to break it," Lu Qing shouted as he ran through the forest.

"Once we reach the formation, you attack the gray light barrier with your sword qi. I'll observe the flow of the formation's power and find its nodes. Once the nodes are destroyed, the formation will collapse on its own."

"Alright!" The old doctor nodded in agreement, his grip tightening on the longsword Lu Qing had given him, his eyes sharp and focused.

Master and disciple rushed towards Liuyun Town, and when they were less than a li away, they suddenly sensed a powerful aura surging towards the town.

"A Precelestial Realm cultivator?"

Both Lu Qing and the old doctor were startled, their eyes fixed on the source of the aura.

Now that they had left the forest, there were no obstacles between them and Liuyun Town.

Just then, they saw a figure standing before the town, exuding a formidable aura. The figure swung a longsword, sending a red sword qi surging towards the gray light barrier.

Just as the sword qi was about to hit the barrier, a white force rushed out from within the barrier to meet it.

Boom!

The collision of the two forces caused a powerful explosion, but in the end, it only made the gray light barrier tremble slightly without causing any damage.

"Yan Tianhua, so you were hiding in the shadows, following those disciples of the Silver Moon Sect."

As the force dissipated, a figure in a black robe walked out from within the gray light barrier, a cold smile on his face as he looked at the swordsman.

"Mo Hu, it's you!"

The swordsman's expression turned grim as he recognized the black-robed figure.

"Another Precelestial Realm cultivator!" Lu Qing and the old doctor were surprised once again.

"Indeed, it is I." The black-robed figure replied arrogantly.

"Mo Hu, how dare your Liuyun Sect set up such a vicious demonic formation, harming your fellow cultivators? Don't you fear the retribution of the Holy Mountain, which will surely wipe out your sect?" The swordsman shouted angrily.

"Holy Mountain?"

However, upon hearing these words, the black-robed figure broke into loud laughter, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"With the changes in the world already underway, various sects are seizing the opportunity to further their own interests. Even the demonic path is stirring, seeking to dominate the Nine Provinces once more.

Just the situation in Zhongzhou is enough to occupy the Holy Mountain, leaving them no energy to spare for our affairs in Yunzhou.

Moreover, after today, my brother and I will undergo a transformation, greatly increasing our strength. By then, even the Holy Mountain won't be able to touch us!"

"You and your brother are truly madmen! To enhance your strength, you resort to evil methods, harming innocent lives, and even sacrificing your own disciples. You've lost all sense of morality!" The swordsman's face twisted in disgust.

"Enough chatter. In this world, only strength is real. The strong prevail, and the weak perish.

Yan Tianhua, your arrival is most opportune. I had thought that at most, I would harvest a batch of Postcelestial Realm souls.

But now, I have the chance to obtain a Precelestial Realm soul as well.

If I can refine your soul, the power of our artifacts will surely increase exponentially!"

The black-robed figure brandished the staff in his hand, charging towards the swordsman.

"What!"

The swordsman swung his sword to block, but his expression changed drastically as he felt the overwhelming power of the staff.

With his strength, he couldn't withstand the force at all, and he was sent flying.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end