Chapter 114: Life for Life

“Go!”

With Jiao Shiliu pointing a finger, the triangular black awl let out a thunderous roar, transforming into a black lightning bolt that shot forth and slammed fiercely into the blood-colored light curtain above.

Almost at the same time, as Jiao Jiu urgently chanted his spell, a ring of runes surfaced on the blue longsword, its radiance becoming dazzling, while the dense fist shadows formed by Han Li’s fists also landed one after another on the blood-colored light curtain.

A great roar erupted!

The surface of the blood-colored light curtain flickered wildly and sank deeply, yet showed no signs of breaking.

At that moment, the blood-colored patterns on the surrounding walls suddenly blazed with blood light and emitted a gurgling strange sound.

The enormous blood cloud suddenly churned violently, sending out streams of blood mist serpents flying in all directions, which, like whales drinking water, seeped into the blood-colored patterns on the walls.

In an instant, the blood cloud covering the sky vanished without a trace, leaving the underground space feeling even more empty.

The blood-colored patterns on the walls suddenly thickened by half, and the eerie blood eyes also enlarged considerably, looking as if they were bulging wide, appearing even more ferocious and terrifying.

To Han Li and the others’ astonishment, the blood-colored light curtain blocking the stone ceiling above also became much more solid, and the sunken area caused by their combined attack emitted a dazzling blood light.

With a “bang” sound!

The triangular black awl and the blue longsword were directly sent flying.

Han Li was also knocked back by a tremendous force, staggering, with a trace of shock in his eyes.

Before they could make any other move, the blood eyes around them all blazed with intense blood light, and the dazzling blood radiance instantly enveloped the entire underground space, dyeing it into a blood-red world.

“Thump, thump, thump, thump”

Han Li frowned. He could clearly feel a law power stronger than before continuously pouring into his body through the blood light, causing his heartbeat to suddenly increase several times.

Even with his tough physique, he found it somewhat unbearable.

Han Li grunted and immediately activated the Little Dipper Star Origin Art at full power. Seven star patterns appeared on his chest and abdomen, and a starlight enveloped his body.

All his bones and muscles instantly tightened like iron, and a layer of starlight also appeared on his heart, finally slowing down the beating speed somewhat.

Jiao Jiu, however, had long turned pale. Without a word, he formed a hand seal, and a blue light flashed around him. A black light flew out from his body, rapidly expanded, and turned into an old man in a black robe, his whole body enveloped in a dazzling blue halo.

Countless blue runes danced within the blue halo, emitting waves of strong law power.

Jiao Jiu formed hand seals and waved his hand to summon.

The blue halo on the black-robed old man immediately flew out entirely and merged into Jiao Jiu’s body.

A blue light blazed around Jiao Jiu, and the protective shield formed by the law power instantly brightened by half, once again resisting the erosion of the surrounding blood light.

Unlike Han Li and Jiao Jiu, Jiao Shiliu neither possessed an extremely powerful physical body nor, as a loose immortal, could he activate law power to protect himself. Under the surging blood light, his face instantly turned deathly pale.

Streams of ever-strengthening law power crazily poured into his body, turning into a strange force that struck his heart fiercely.

His heart beat rapidly, and finally, with a muffled “pop” in his chest, he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with many internal organ fragments, and his body fell to the ground with a thud.

The triangular black awl’s light completely dissipated and fell to the ground with a “clang”.

Jiao Shiliu’s eyes were full of unwillingness. He dazedly reached out trying to grab something, but his body suddenly inflated like a balloon, then burst with a “bang”, turning into a large patch of bright blood mist, emitting astonishing spiritual power fluctuations.

This person, along with his Nascent Soul within his body, had been eroded by this blood law power and exploded, falling in death.

The blood mist he turned into, as if controlled by someone, once formed, churned and split into dozens of streams, all of which vanished into the surrounding walls, completely absorbed like the previous blood cloud.

This series of changes happened in the blink of an eye. After absorbing the blood mist from Jiao Shiliu, the law power filling the space increased again by a considerable amount.

Han Li only felt the thumping sound of his heart starting again in his ears, but although alarmed, he did not panic. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Since he had entered the immortal path as a Mystic Immortal, he had a thorough understanding of the physical body. The heart being the foundation of the human body, he naturally understood it extremely well.

This strange heartbeat was by no means simply getting stronger and faster; it contained some kind of pattern.

At the moment Jiao Shiliu’s body exploded, he vaguely grasped something.

On the other side, after Jiao Shiliu’s fall, Jiao Jiu had streams of blood flowing from his mouth and nose, his face growing even paler.

He clearly realized that the strengthening of the surrounding blood law power was closely related to Jiao Shiliu’s fall.

However, he had already taken back the faith power and law power from his earth deity incarnation, but unfortunately, he still could not isolate this strange law within the blood light.

Bang, bang, bang...

He could feel that his heartbeat had reached the extreme limit his body could endure.

"No, I will never give in!"

Jiao Jiu roared inwardly, but he was powerless, unable even to shout, watching helplessly as the protective law light shield gradually dimmed, despair filling his eyes.

With a "bang!"

A fist appeared out of nowhere, piercing through the shield around him and striking his back.

A surge of fist force penetrated his body and struck his heart.

This fist force was extremely subtle, soft as cotton and silk, fluctuating, and it actually disrupted the violent rhythm of his heartbeat, causing most of the strange force rampaging through his body to dissipate.

Pfft!

Jiao Jiu spat out a mouthful of blood, but his expression greatly eased. Turning his head, he saw Han Li standing behind him, slowly withdrawing his arm.

He was momentarily stunned, and though he didn't understand how that punch could break the erosion of this law force, he still nodded gratefully at him.

At this moment, the blood eyes on the wall began to slowly close for some reason, and the blood light filling the entire underground space also rapidly dissipated.

But the blood-colored patterns remained, and the layer of blood light blocking the rock wall above still hadn't faded.

However, Han Li and Jiao Jiu's heartbeats returned to normal. After letting out a long breath, they felt as if they had been reborn.

In the distance, a figure descended from the sky. It was Jiao Ba, but he was now covered in blood, looking quite miserable, clearly severely injured. However, having been able to withstand the invasion of that violent blood law earlier, the law force he comprehended must have been quite special.

Yet besides the three of them, there was no one else alive in the vast underground space, and the air still reeked of a nauseating bloody smell.

Just now, Han Li and the others could barely take care of themselves, let alone observe their surroundings, so they hadn't paid much attention to the situation of Jiao Ba and the others.

Now it seemed that Jiao Ba and his three companions had exhausted all means to break out of this space but failed, and in the end, besides him, the other three had fallen.

In other words, in this battle just now, at least four True Immortal-level cultivators had fallen on the spot, and it could even be said that they had been utterly destroyed, body and soul.

Moreover, the purple-robed short man on the high platform in the center of the blood-colored space had also vanished without a trace, leaving only a blood-colored large banner with dim spiritual light, standing there alone.

Han Li did not show any joy at the fall of the purple-robed short man; instead, he frowned slightly.

The one who set this trap was most likely Gongshu Hong, the Lord of Red Moon Island. This man was indeed ruthless, even sacrificing a loose immortal to lure them here, clearly determined to kill them.

As thoughts churned in his mind, Han Li took out some pills and swallowed them, quickly circulating his energy to refine them.

He didn't believe that the other party would really let them go just like that.

"Jiao Shi, thank you for saving my life just now. I am deeply grateful."

Jiao Jiu, after downing several pills in one breath and recovering a bit, quickly cupped his hands and thanked Han Li.

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and the black-robed old man standing beside him rapidly shrank, turning into a black light that merged into his body.

"We are all in a dangerous situation and should look out for each other. Fellow Daoist Jiao Jiu need not be polite." Han Li had clearly noticed the other's earth deity incarnation long ago, but his expression remained unchanged as he spoke calmly.

That incarnation was not only familiar to him, but he had even fought it before—it was the incarnation of Lu Kun, the ancestor who had come to Wumeng Island with Han Qiu that day.

He hadn't expected this man to also be a low-level member of the Wuchang Alliance, and coincidentally, they were on the same mission.

At this moment, Jiao Ba from afar also flew over, landing beside Han Li and Jiao Jiu. He cupped his hands and said with a bitter smile:

"It seems we were still outsmarted and fell into Gongshu Hong's trap."

"The cultivation technique Gongshu Hong practices is so sinister, slaughtering so many cultivators and mortals at once. He's utterly insane." Jiao Jiu said fiercely.

"Both of you, we are still in danger. Let's first consider how to break free." Han Li swept his gaze around and said slowly.

As soon as he finished speaking, a cackling laugh came:

"Hehe, I didn't expect you three to still be alive. The Wuchang Alliance truly hides dragons and crouching tigers!"

Then, with a rumbling crash, the high platform in the center of the space shattered and collapsed, revealing a large hole.

A mass of blood cloud shot out from it, rippled slightly, and then dispersed, revealing three figures.

One of them was none other than the purple-robed old man who had ambushed Han Li and the others in Tianshui City. The other two were a middle-aged man in a blood-moon purple robe, sturdy and robust, with a slightly bearded face and sparkling eyes.

The other was a black-dressed young woman, plump in figure, with flat features and skin as dark as the bottom of a pot, looking quite ugly.

The auras emitted by the three were all at the True Immortal level.

In terms of aura, the middle-aged man was slightly stronger, and the other two seemed to defer to him.

The bearded man looked at Han Li and the others with a gloomy gaze, a cold smile still hanging on his lips.