Chapter 18. Blood-Transmuting Demon Blade (Magic Treasure)

Chen Changyan’s gaze grew distant with recollection as he said, “A 100 years ago, I was barely 10 years old, yet the memory of that terrifying demonic calamity remains as vivid as yesterday.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he gazed at the severed head in the cellar and added.

Fortunately, this little fiend didn’t dare to run amok within the city—he merely covertly killed a few dozen people. Had he seized the chance to slaughter several 1000 and forge them into a demonic treasure, even an ordinary Qi Refinement, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivator might have struggled to subdue him.

Eldrin (Person Name) listened in silence, a faint glint of murderous intent flickering deep within his gaze.

For now, this demonic cultivator indeed dares not act recklessly. Yet should the Chen Clan ever weaken, such hidden malevolent forces would undoubtedly seize the first opportunity to sink their teeth in. When calamity strikes, it will ultimately be the common folk of the Chen Immortal Clan who suffer.

Throughout the ages, countless cultivation families, in their moments of decline, fell prey to the machinations of these demonic practitioners. Stripped of their mortal bloodlines—the very foundation of their legacy—they were reduced to wandering cultivators, living each day in uncertainty and adversity, until they gradually vanished into the vast river of time.

"It seems my resolve to eradicate them early was absolutely the right decision."

After carefully inspecting the demonic cultivator's dwelling and confirming there were no further clues, the group had no choice but to return to the plaza.

The testing continued without interruption. In the blink of an eye, 2 more days passed, and on this very day, another demonic cultivator unexpectedly emerged.

This demonic cultivator was not detected through investigation. Instead, when summoned for interrogation, he grew terrified of being exposed and chose to slay the messenger before attempting to flee.

Unfortunately, the city's protective formation had long been activated, transforming Pingyang County into an inescapable net. Even a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator would have to leave their life behind if they dared enter—there was simply no path of escape for him.

In the end, the Fourth Elder, Chen Qingyuan (Person Name), personally took action, activating a magic artifact to slay him at the city's edge. In the following days, silence swiftly descended once more, as though the demonic cultivators had vanished without a trace.

Several nights later, in a large courtyard within the city, 5 figures cloaked in black gathered together, secretly plotting something.

"Esteemed colleagues, it appears the Chen Clan has truly made up their mind this time, leaving us no path to survival."

"At this moment, waiting idly for death is no solution. Only by taking the initiative can we find a sliver of hope for survival."

The leader spoke first. This man was a demonic cultivator at the Qi Refinement, 8th Layer (Cultivation Realm), possessing striking features yet eyes tinged with a crimson glow.

The others seemed rather intimidated by him, with only 1 person letting out a cold snort before speaking.

"Han Mo, your master is the Eldrin Zhang. Surely you have some means to make your escape?"

"Now that they're driving us to fight desperately, could it be they want to use us as cannon fodder?"

Upon hearing this, the demonic cultivators immediately turned their vigilant gazes toward Han Mo.

Zhang the Eldritch inherited the demonic path from the Devil's Cavern, renowned throughout Yu County as a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator. Cunning and malevolent by nature, he would stop at nothing to achieve his ends.

Leaning against this mighty tree, Han Mo had always carried himself with unbridled audacity, striking fear into the hearts of all.

Han Mo fell into a rare silence upon hearing this. Only after a long pause did he speak again.

"We never expected the Chen family to act so decisively."

"Even Junior Brother Zhang, the master’s own son, was slain by the Chen family’s elders after sacrificing thousands of mortals, wasn’t he?"

"I'm merely a nominal disciple, how could I possess so many contingency plans? Our only chance of survival lies in fighting our way out together with everything we've got."

He spoke, then felt it showed too much weakness before the crowd, and added, "But rest assured, over a dozen or so days have passed—Master must have realized long ago."

"Now we only need to strike from both within and without to breach their Pingyang County's City Protection Array. Once that's done, our Master can cut straight through the formation and lead us out alive."

The demonic cultivator who had objected still had his doubts, but with no better alternatives at the moment, he could only grit his teeth and agree to Han Mo's method.

"Then let's not delay. We shall strike together tonight."

“…”

At the stroke of midnight, at the core of the grand formation in the center of Pingyang County, 20-some cultivators stationed themselves around the array, meticulously guarding Pingyang City's protective enchantments.

Suddenly, the Grand Elder opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within his pupils.

"Who goes there?"

"Whoosh—"

A series of soft hums echoed through the darkness as several beams of light shot forth—they were actually multiple demonic treasures.

The Grand Elder acted decisively, summoning a ritual blade that cut across the sky and deflected the most formidable demonic artifact.

The battle erupted in the blink of an eye. Though the demonic cultivators' ambush caught everyone off guard, the Chen Clan cultivators were not entirely unprepared.

In the sudden clash, only 1 person failed to react in time and was severely wounded. The others quickly responded, summoning their magical artifacts and casting spells to engage the enemy.

From the very start of the battle, the demonic cultivator was quickly forced into a disadvantageous position.

Seeing the situation turning against him, Han Mo gritted his teeth and produced a blood-red demonic blade, then spat a mouthful of vital essence blood onto it.

This blade was known as the Blood-Transmuting Demon Blade (Magic Treasure), forged by his master, the Elder Demon Zhang, from millennium-old crimson iron. Strictly speaking, this demonic blade was merely an unfinished embryo. To complete its forging, it required the blood of 100,000 mortals.

This demonic blade was exceedingly domineering. Once forged, it immediately became a top-tier Second Order demonic treasure. When wielded by the Demonic Elder Zhang himself, even an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator would be cleaved in 2 with a single strike, their entire life force drained until nothing remained.

In order to forge the Demonic Blade, Elder Fiend Zhang entrusted this object to Han Mo, instructing him to conceal it within the city. Seizing the opportunity of the Chen Family's current weakness, Han Mo was to seek a chance for the blood sacrifice required to empower the blade.

The reason for this was simple: Old Devil Zhang was inherently paranoid and deeply feared the Blazing Sun Divine Fire Array. Although he was a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator, he dared not set foot in Pingyang County himself, and could only entrust this task to his disciples.

At this moment, to break the deadlock, Han Mo directly activated it with his vital essence blood, paying the immense price of severe depletion of his qi and blood, to summon this second-order demonic treasure embryo, aiming to achieve victory in 1 decisive move.

Not good.

The moment he laid eyes on the demonic blade, the Grand Elder's face paled dramatically as he exclaimed.

It is a second-order demonic treasure.

"I must activate the Great Solar Flame Array. Hold them off for a moment."

Hearing this, everyone swiftly mustered their strength, striving to block this demonic blade.

The incident struck with such abruptness that even if the Grand Elder wished to activate the Great Solar Divine Flame Array to fend off the enemy, it would require several breaths' time.

The Blood-Transmuting Demon Blade (Magic Treasure), being a top-tier second-grade demonic treasure, possessed power comparable to low-grade second-grade magical instruments even in its embryonic blade form.

At that moment, the demonic blade descended. Ordinary low-to-mid grade first-tier magical artifacts shattered upon impact, while even superior first-tier artifacts were notched and sent flying backward. 3 Chen Clan cultivators met with cruel misfortune—bisected by the strike, their bodies drained entirely of blood and vitality.

In the span of a few breaths, the cultivators resting in the side hall snapped to awareness.

Eldrin was the first to charge forward, summoning his Golden Light Blade to strike. It clashed against the Blood-Transmuting Demon Blade, only to be violently deflected.

Seeing that the Golden Light Blade could no longer hold out, he disregarded the pain of his magical instrument being damaged and summoned the Green Leaf Sword. This time, instead of striking at the Blood-Transmuting Demon Blade (Magic Treasure), he aimed directly for Han Mo's head.

The stratagem of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao proved effective. At this life-or-death juncture, Han Mo could no longer afford to concern himself with the Grand Elder. Frantically channeling his demonic blade, he swung it toward the Verdant Leaf Sword. After but a single clash, the sword’s radiance dimmed, its spiritual essence grievously wounded.