I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

The rest period was like a taut bowstring, each breath filled with a tense silence. Only the faint rustling and eerie hissing of unknown creatures emanating from the depths of the swamp, the suppressed breathing of the group, and the faint fluctuations of spiritual energy from the dissolving pills. A grayish-black miasma rolled silently around them, swallowing the light and enveloping them in a oppressive gloom.

Lu Zhao sat cross-legged on the relatively dry base of a stalagmite, his internal "Hibernating Dragon" technique slowly circulating, completely dispelling the slight exhaustion from the battle and the discomfort caused by the poisonous miasma. His spiritual power recovered to its peak, and his divine sense was like a taut string, using the sharpness of [Refining Spirit Technique] Lv7 to meticulously scan the area of ​​poisonous miasma that Elder Yun had marked as "abnormal."

He could "see" that it wasn't a naturally formed fog. Within the fog, there were extremely faint but orderly arranged dark red spiritual light threads, crisscrossing like a spider web, forming several layers of concealed, small-scale, interconnected arrays for warning, alerting, and attack. These arrays were cleverly integrated with the swamp's poisonous miasma and earth energy, forming a seamless whole. If it weren't for Elder Yun, a Golden Core stage array master, and Lu Zhao's own powerful divine sense, an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator who rashly entered would likely trigger the alarm instantly and be trapped in the array's trap.

"The formation covers a wide area and is interconnected. Forcibly breaking through or bypassing it will alert the enemies inside," Lu Zhao assessed in his mind. It seems that only Elder Yun can take action and try to use the most advanced formation techniques to silently tear open a gap without the enemy noticing.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn is gone in the blink of an eye.

Elder Yun and Elder Tie Xing exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. She slowly stepped forward to the edge of the poisonous miasma. Her fair, delicate hand emerged from her wide sleeves, her fingers moving with dazzling speed, sketching intricate, pale silver runes that exuded a cool, ethereal aura. These runes were not attacks, but rather, like the most exquisite keys, silently penetrated the poisonous miasma ahead, interacting, merging, analyzing, and recombining with the dark red array lines...

The entire process was silent and stealthy, as if weaving an invisible scroll. Lu Zhao could sense that the energy flow contained within the array in front was being cleverly guided, diverted, and even temporarily "shielded" by Elder Yun's runes. One by one, the warning and attack nodes dimmed and failed**, but the "outer shell" of the entire array remained intact, as if nothing had happened.

This is the skill of a Golden Core stage array master! He handles heavy tasks with effortless grace, delivering thunderous power in silence.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Elder Yun suddenly clasped his hands together and softly shouted, "Open!"

"Buzz..."

The thick poisonous miasma ahead suddenly caved inward and spun, as if parted by an invisible hand, revealing a temporarily "safe" passage about three zhang wide and several tens of zhang long, leading straight into the depths! The poisonous miasma and arrays on both sides of the passage were still flowing slowly, but all the restrictions within this passage had been temporarily blocked!

"The passage can only last for thirty breaths! Everyone, charge with me!" Elder Tie Xing roared, transforming into a sharp blade of light and leading the charge into the passage! Behind him, more than ten Foundation Establishment deacons and inner sect elites followed closely, their auras fully unleashed, like swords drawn from their sheaths!

"Go!" Lu Zhao shouted, and together with Hou San, Wang Tie, Huang Ling'er, and others, they mingled with the Qi Refining stage disciples and rushed into the passage. The ground beneath their feet was soft swamp, but there were no traps in the passage. They pushed their movement techniques to the limit, determined to cover the several dozen feet within thirty breaths and reach the outer perimeter of the enemy stronghold!

At the end of the passage, the poisonous miasma thinned out again, and the view suddenly opened up—it was a simple but heavily guarded camp built on several huge, slippery black rock hills and a relatively stable gray-black hard ground!

Outside the camp stood thick wooden fences and watchtowers, topped with ghastly white skulls. The black-robed guards who should have been on duty in the watchtowers were now staring blankly and in horror at the Qingyun Dao Sect cultivators who had suddenly emerged from the poisonous miasma. Clearly, they hadn't received any warning!

"Enemy attack!!" A shrill, terrified scream finally rang out from the camp. But it was too late!

"Kill!" Elder Tie Xing charged ahead, his massive, door-like blade slashing fiercely at the outermost fence and watchtowers of the camp with the force of splitting mountains and cleaving peaks! Wherever the blade's energy passed, wood and stone shattered, and screams of agony filled the air!

"You treacherous dogs of the Qingyun Dao Sect! How dare you offend my Holy Sect!" From deep within the camp, several powerful auras of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators erupted! Immediately afterward, dozens of black-robed evil cultivators, dressed similarly to the black-robed believers in the secret realm but with a blood-dripping skull emblem on their chests, surged out from every corner and cave of the camp, wielding various evil magical artifacts, and fearlessly charged forward! Among them, three auras were the most powerful, clearly belonging to two mid-Foundation Establishment stage cultivators and one early-Foundation Establishment stage cultivator! They were the leaders of this stronghold!

"Corrupted Poison Cult fiends, prepare to die!" The Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Azure Cloud Dao Sect roared, engaging the three Foundation Establishment evil cultivators and their subordinates in a fierce battle! In an instant, swords flashed, spells roared, poisonous mist filled the air, and blood and flesh flew everywhere! The battle instantly reached its climax!

The disciples at the Qi Refining stage were engaged in fierce battles with the larger number of black-robed evil cultivators in the camp, whose cultivation was in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining. These evil cultivators possessed bizarre techniques and ruthless methods, were skilled in using poison, repelling insects, and controlling zombies and skeletons, and seemed to be driven by some kind of fanatical faith. They fought fearlessly, causing considerable trouble for the disciples of the Qingyun Dao Sect.

Lu Zhao stood amidst the battle, his eyes cold. He didn't rush to the front, but instead moved like a fish through the chaotic battlefield. His target was clear—the leader of the evil cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refining, and... those auxiliary evil cultivators who attempted to release poisonous insects, poisonous mists, or set up small formations.

A black-robed leader at the eighth level of Qi Refining was wielding a bone staff that emitted a foul, green light, commanding several "Corrosive Poison Iron Beetles" the size of washbasins, with hard shells and sharp mouthparts, to besiege two disciples at the seventh level of Qi Refining from the Qingyun Dao Sect. The two disciples were clearly in grave danger.

Lu Zhao flashed and was already behind him. The black-robed leader seemed to sense something, and suddenly turned around. His bone staff shone brightly with green light, and a foul-smelling arrow of venom shot towards Lu Zhao's face!

"Flowing Cloud Step!" Lu Zhao moved like a willow catkin in the wind, effortlessly dodging the poisoned arrow. At the same time, he raised his left hand, and three "talisman swords" shot out in a triangular shape—Gold, Water, and Wood! The [Sharp Golden Light Talisman] was the main attack, the [Gentle Water and Frosty Ice Talisman] slowed down and purified the poisonous gas, and the [Life-Giving Vine Entangling Talisman] entangled and restricted the poisonous insects that he could not control.

The black-robed leader roared, brandishing his bone staff. Green light transformed into a poison shield, barely blocking the golden light, dispersing the cold mist, and cleaving through the vines. However, Lu Zhao's talisman array attacks were relentless and exquisitely coordinated, leaving him flustered.

Just as his old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated, a cold light flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. He suddenly pushed off with his feet and rushed forward like lightning. He brought his right index and middle fingers together and a wisp of condensed, seemingly gray dragon swimming inside his fingertips swelled and pulsed at his fingertips!

"Touch of Deathly Silence!"

With a single finger, he pointed at the bone staff that the black-robed leader had hastily raised!

"laugh--!"

The instant the fingertips touched the bone staff, the green-glowing staff rapidly dimmed and turned gray, centered on the point of contact, as if it had undergone thousands of years of decay in an instant! A cold power, filled with the aura of decay and annihilation, surged wildly into the black-robed leader's body along the bone staff!

"Ah!!" The black-robed leader let out a shrill scream, feeling his spiritual power, blood and energy, and even his life force being devoured and decayed by this strange power! He tried to loosen his grip on the bone staff, but found that the power was like a malignant tumor that had invaded his meridians!

Lu Zhao pressed his advantage relentlessly. With a flick of his left hand, a jet-black needle, silently mingling with the exploding talisman light, shot towards his brow—the [Mysterious Yin Soul-Slaying Needle]!

The black-robed leader was focused on fighting off the raging power of annihilation within him, so how could he possibly defend against this insidious sneak attack? The black needle pierced his brow without any resistance!

"Uh..." His body stiffened abruptly, the light in his eyes dimmed rapidly, and black blood mixed with gray death energy gushed from his seven orifices. His body swayed, then he collapsed to the ground with a thud, lifeless. The "Corrosive Poison Ironclad Insects," having lost control, also became dazed and were seized by the two Qingyun Dao Sect disciples to be killed.

Clean and swift! A leader of a heretical cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining was instantly killed by the triple attack of Lu Zhao's Talisman Array, the Annihilation Finger Force, and the Soul-Slaying Needle sneak attack! The entire process took only a few breaths!

The Qingyun Dao Sect disciples who witnessed this scene all gasped in astonishment, their gazes towards Lu Zhao filled with awe. This efficiency, this ruthlessness—it was simply unbelievable for a Qi Refining Level 6 disciple!

Lu Zhao's expression remained unchanged as he quickly put away his spoils (bone staff, storage bag), his gaze already locked on his next target—a seventh-level evil cultivator and array mage who was in a corner of the camp, trying to activate a small "corpse-summoning array" carved on the ground, emanating a strong bloody smell.

He moved again, like the Grim Reaper descending. Wherever he passed, talismanic light flickered, and his finger strikes were sharp and deadly, ensuring the demise of any evil cultivator. Hou San, Wang Tie, and Huang Ling'er gathered around him, forming a small battle formation centered on him, providing mutual cover and operating with extremely high efficiency. Huang Ling'er, in particular, possessed pure and agile water-based magic, which was quite effective against poisonous mist and insects. Combined with Lu Zhao's power of annihilation, Wang Tie's relentless attacks, and Hou San's harassment and sneak attacks, they actually carved a bloody path through the chaotic battlefield.

"Who is that? What a fierce outer disciple!" Not far away, a Foundation Establishment stage deacon from the Inner Sect's Enforcement Hall, who had just killed a heretical cultivator with a single sword strike, was surprised when he saw the battle unfolding on Lu Zhao's side.

"It seems Elder Yun granted him special permission to enter; his name is Lu Zhao. He seems to have some reputation within the secret realm, but I didn't expect him to be so formidable in actual combat," another person replied.

"The finger technique he used... seemed to contain an extremely strange power of 'decay,' which was extremely effective in suppressing the protective techniques and poisons of evil cultivators!"

Lu Zhao's performance naturally caught the attention of Elder Yun and Elder Tie Xing, who were engaged in a fierce battle with the three Foundation Establishment evil cultivator leaders high in the sky.

Elder Yun remained calm, but a barely perceptible hint of approval flashed deep within her beautiful eyes. Elder Tie Xing, on the other hand, snorted coldly: "This kid is ruthless enough; he's a good prospect. It's just that his spiritual energy attribute is a bit strange."

The battle continued. The Qingyun Dao Sect held the advantage in numbers and top-tier combat power, quickly clearing out most of the black-robed evil cultivators from the camp. The three Foundation Establishment evil cultivator leaders were also in dire straits under the suppression of Elder Yun and Elder Tie Xing, and were on the verge of being killed or captured.

However, at that moment, something unexpected happened!

Deep within the camp, beneath those black rocky hills, a massive cavern sealed by a heavy stone door and protected by powerful enchantments suddenly trembled violently! The enchantments on the stone door flickered intensely, as if a terrifying force was raging within!

Immediately afterwards, an intensely nauseating aura, filled with endless bloodshed, brutality, madness, and a soul-chilling sinister energy, surged forth from the cracks in the cave like a burst dam! Wherever the aura passed, the blood and corpses on the ground seemed to be drawn in by something, slowly writhing and flowing towards the cave! Even the poisonous miasma permeating the air seemed to be stained with a dark red!

"What is that?!" "What an evil aura!" Both sides involuntarily stopped fighting and stared in horror at the cave.

"Not good! They're performing a blood sacrifice inside! Or rather, they're raising some kind of evil creature!" Elder Yun's expression changed. She could sense that deep within the cave, an extremely powerful, chaotic, and thirsty life force was awakening and growing stronger!

"Quick! Stop it! Break down the stone gate!" Elder Tie Xing roared, forcing his opponent back with a single strike, and was about to rush into the cave.

However, at this moment, the three Foundation Establishment evil cultivator leaders revealed a strange smile on their faces, a smile that was both crazed and devout, mixed with a hint of fear.

"Hahaha! Too late! The sacred beast has awakened! You will all become sacrifices to the sacred beast, helping my Holy Sect to complete its great undertaking!" The leading Foundation Establishment mid-stage evil cultivator laughed wildly, no longer defending himself, but instead biting his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence, which he sprayed towards the cave, uttering a twisted chant: "With my blood, feed my sacred beast! Awaken!"

As he chanted and offered his lifeblood, the restrictions on the cave's stone door shattered with a deafening roar! The heavy stone door was forced open from the inside by an irresistible force!

"Roar—!!"

A terrifying roar, neither human nor beast, filled with endless pain, savagery, hunger, and a destructive desire, rose from the depths of the cave! The sound wave was so real that it shook the entire camp, causing poisonous miasma to churn. The Qi Refining stage disciples with lower cultivation levels were even more shaken, their blood churning and blood seeping from their ears and noses!

Then, to everyone's utter horror, a terrifying monster, three zhang tall, its body a tangled mess of viscous, dark red blood mixed with countless broken bones and rotting flesh, its form shifting and changing—sometimes resembling a giant python, sometimes a multi-legged monster—with only a single enormous mouth filled with sharp teeth and dripping with foul-smelling saliva, slowly "crawled" out of the cave! With every inch it moved, it left a trail of corrosive, black-smoking blood beneath it!

The aura emanating from the monster was clearly at the late Foundation Establishment stage! Moreover, it was filled with chaos, madness, and a voracious appetite for the flesh and blood of all living beings!

"It's...it's the 'Blood Pool Beast'! They actually managed to create such an evil creature!" A knowledgeable Foundation Establishment deacon exclaimed in shock, his face drained of all color.

Blood Pool Beast is a terrifying monster cultivated over a long period of time using special evil methods, made from a large amount of living beings' blood and souls, mixed with underground yin energy and poisonous miasma. It has no intelligence, only knows how to devour and destroy, and its vitality is extremely tenacious, making it difficult to be harmed by ordinary spells!

"Form the formation! Everyone, form the 'Azure Cloud Demon Subduing Formation'! Foundation Establishment disciples, follow me in the main attack! Qi Refining disciples, harass from a distance, we must not let it get close!" Elder Tie Xing, though startled, remained calm and roared fiercely, his voice shaking the surrounding area.

However, the Blood Pool Beast had already locked onto the direction of the Qingyun Dao Sect disciples, whose blood energy was the strongest and whose numbers were the most concentrated. It let out an even more excited and ferocious roar, and its huge body, flowing with foul blood, pounced on them with a bloody storm!

The real crisis has arrived!