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

"The Blood Sea of ​​the Nine Netherworlds?!"

Elder Yun, Zhao Ming, and Liu Qing turned deathly pale upon hearing the name. Even Lu Zhao, from the fragments of "Golden Radiance's" memories, found scattered descriptions of this terrifying place—a legendary endless sea of ​​blood located between the Netherworld and the mortal realm, filled with the most filthy, evil, and violent blood demons and souls, the birthplace and descent into depravity of countless evil spirits and demons! Any passage connecting to the "Nine Nether Blood Sea" signifies catastrophic disaster!

"No wonder...no wonder they need the 'Ten Thousand Dragons Devouring the Heavens Formation'! Only by sacrificing the dragon veins and creatures of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range can they temporarily stabilize and open a passage to this perilous place!" Elder Xuanjizi's voice trembled with disbelief. "They want to draw in the bloodthirsty demonic energy of the 'Nine Nether Blood Sea,' pollute the entire mountain range, and even use it as a springboard to bring the terrifying beings within the Blood Sea into the mortal world! Madmen! Utterly madmen!"

The scene before them confirmed "Golden Radiance's" intelligence, and even worse. Not only were they mass-producing undead creatures, but they were also attempting to open a spatial passage capable of overturning everything! Moreover, judging from the state of the crack, although it was still unstable, it was already showing signs of expanding under the control of the black-robed man.

"Elder, what do we do now?" Elder Yun forced down his shock and asked in a low voice. The enemy numbered large, roughly thirty or forty people, and judging from the faint aura they exuded, there were at least five or six late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators among them, and there might even be hidden experts at the Pseudo-Core Formation stage or even the Golden Core stage! Not to mention the terrifying pressure emanating from the altar, the bone pillar, and the spatial rift itself.

"We absolutely cannot allow the passage to stabilize!" Elder Xuanji's eyes flashed with determination. "We must destroy it immediately! At the very least, we must disrupt their ritual, delay the passage's opening, and wait for reinforcements from the sect!"

But how to break through? The enemy has superior numbers and strength, and also has the advantage of terrain (the altar and bone pillars may form some kind of formation). A direct attack would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

"Perhaps... we could try to destroy those eight bone pillars?" Lu Zhao stared at the eight bone pillars engraved with demonic runes and whispered, "Senior 'Golden Radiance' mentioned in his memories that similar spatial stabilization or guiding arrays usually have an array base. The aura emanating from those bone pillars is connected to the spatial rift, so it is very likely that it is the array base. Moreover, the power within my body seems to have a restraining effect on demonic runes."

Upon hearing this, Elder Xuanjizi quickly observed the location of the bone pillars and the distribution of the black-robed figures. The bone pillars were distributed in the eight directions of the altar, and each pillar seemed to be guarded by one or two black-robed figures, but not all of the guards were highly skilled. Most of the black-robed figures seemed to be focused on maintaining the altar's operation and transmitting energy to the spatial rift.

"It's one way, but the risk is extremely high." Xuanjizi quickly analyzed, "Once we attack any of the bone pillars, we will be immediately exposed and attract the siege of all the enemies. We must destroy enough bone pillars in the shortest time to disable the formation or cause violent turmoil, so that we can have a chance to retreat in the chaos, or... try to destroy the core of the altar."

He looked at Lu Zhao, Elder Yun, Zhao Ming, and Liu Qing: "We must split up and attack at least four bone pillars simultaneously, and quickly! Elder Yun, you and I will each take charge of one relatively close but distant pillar, destroying it instantly with our strongest attacks. Zhao Ming and Liu Qing, you two work together to attack the closest one. Lu Zhao…" He looked at Lu Zhao, his gaze complex, "You will take charge of one pillar alone. Attack with your power that counters the magic runes. Don't aim for complete destruction, but rather to disrupt the magic rune structure to the greatest extent possible, rendering it ineffective. Remember, after the first attack, regardless of success or failure, immediately move closer to me and prepare to retreat!"

"Yes!" the crowd responded in hushed tones, their hearts pounding in their throats. This was an extremely risky operation, with a success rate of less than 30%, but it was currently the only possible way to delay the disaster.

"Prepare...to attack!" Elder Xuanjizi took a deep breath, and the ancient longsword in his hand lit up once more, its blade shimmering with silver-white runes that seemed to come alive. Elder Yun's Moonflower Sword also hovered before him, emanating a cool, clear moonlight. Zhao Ming pressed his hands to the ground, and earthen-yellow spiritual light gathered in his palms. Liu Qing crushed a pale blue talisman, his figure becoming indistinct. Lu Zhao held his breath, frantically compressing and condensing all the annihilating spiritual power within him towards the tip of his right index finger. A gray-gold light shone brighter and brighter at the tip of his finger, as if annihilating and distorting the surrounding air.

"Now!"

Elder Xuanjizi gave a low shout, and the five of them shot out from their hiding place like arrows, rushing towards the four bone pillars they had already chosen at top speed!

"Enemy attack!!"

Almost the instant they charged out, among the black-robed figures surrounding the altar, a gaunt old man who appeared to be the leader and whose aura had reached the Pseudo-Core stage suddenly raised his head and let out a shrill shriek! All the black-robed figures were immediately startled and turned around, their bodies erupting with dense demonic energy.

But Xuanjizi and the others were even faster!

"A mighty sword strikes, shattering evil!" Elder Xuanjizi merged his body and sword into one, transforming into a dazzling silver rainbow that instantly traversed hundreds of feet, slashing fiercely at the bone pillar he had chosen! Crack! The demonic runes on the bone pillar flashed wildly, but it only lasted for less than a breath before shattering inch by inch under the overwhelming mighty sword energy!

Elder Yun's Moonlight Sword light fell almost simultaneously, like the moonlight from the heavens descending, carrying a purifying chill, freezing the bone pillar she had chosen, and then shattering it!

Zhao Ming and Liu Qing joined forces, unleashing a beam of light that combined the heavy power of earth with the sharp energy of wood, which slammed into the nearest bone pillar. Although it did not shatter it completely, it caused the bone pillar to shake violently, and large areas of its surface magic patterns dimmed and cracked.

Lu Zhao appeared like a ghost before the bone pillar he had chosen. Guarding the pillar was a black-robed man in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. When he saw Lu Zhao, who was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, rushing towards him, a hint of disdain and cruelty flashed in his eyes. He then unleashed a jet-black demonic claw.

However, Lu Zhao ignored his attack and focused all his attention on the gray-gold light compressed to the extreme at the tip of his finger, and pointed his finger hard at the most critical magic rune node on the bone pillar!

"Nirvana Finger!"

laugh--!

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a sound of annihilation, as if all things were returning to silence. The gray-gold fingertip, like a red-hot iron piercing ice and snow, instantly penetrated the bone pillar! That incomparably hard bone pillar, comparable to a magical artifact, seemed to have met its nemesis before the power of annihilation. The struck magical rune nodes and a large area around them rapidly turned gray and lost their luster, then crumbled away like weathered sand! The light of the entire bone pillar dimmed by more than half in an instant, and its connection to the spatial rift weakened abruptly!

"Pfft!" Lu Zhao was also grazed on the shoulder by the black-robed man's demonic claw. He groaned and flew backward, his shoulder a bloody mess, a chilling demonic energy surging into his body. But he couldn't care less about his injury; he immediately had to follow the plan and move closer to Elder Xuanjizi.

However, an unexpected change occurred!

"Damn it! It's scum from the Qingyun Sect! Stop them! Activate the blood sacrifice to accelerate the stabilization of the passage!" The gaunt old man at the Pseudo-Core stage shouted fiercely. At the same time, his figure flashed and turned into a wisp of black smoke, rushing straight towards Elder Xuanjizi, who had destroyed the two bone pillars and had the strongest aura! At the same time, three other black-robed men with auras no weaker than those at the late Foundation Establishment stage also rushed towards Elder Yun, Zhao Ming, and Liu Qing respectively.

Even more terrifying, the remaining four bone pillars on the altar, driven by the other four black-robed figures, suddenly erupted with blinding blood light! At the center of the altar, the spatial rift suddenly widened slightly, emanating an intensely nauseating stench of blood and a terrifying suction force! Behind the rift, the blood-red world became even clearer, and one could even vaguely see countless ferocious blood shadows struggling and roaring!

"Ah—!" Several shrill screams rang out. Several low-level cultivators, who seemed to have been kidnapped or were ordinary people, were thrown into the center of the altar without hesitation by the man in black robes. They were instantly swallowed by the blood light and turned into pure blood energy, which surged into the spatial rift, making it even more stable!

"They're using human blood sacrifices to accelerate things!" Elder Yun's eyes widened in fury.

The scene instantly descended into chaos and extreme danger. Elder Xuanjizi was entangled by the fake Core Formation elder, holding a slight advantage but unable to break free. Elder Yun was besieged by two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators and was also locked in a fierce battle. Zhao Ming and Liu Qing were in dire straits. On Lu Zhao's side, although he had destroyed a bone pillar, the mid-stage Foundation Establishment black-robed man was already grinning maliciously as he pounced again, along with two other late-stage Qi Refining black-robed men who had also surrounded him.

Lu Zhao gritted his teeth, using the [Flowing Cloud Step] to dodge while simultaneously channeling his qi and spiritual energy to suppress the demonic energy on his shoulder, all while guarding against attacks from other directions. He was in grave danger. The Annihilation Finger technique had consumed a huge amount of energy and could not be used again for a short time.

Just as he dodged a treacherous bone spike attack, another burst of demonic energy grazed his left leg, momentarily halting his movement. In that instant, the black-robed man, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, finally seized the opportunity. A sinister bone claw, accompanied by a mournful howl, aimed straight for Lu Zhao's heart! If this strike landed, Lu Zhao would surely die!

The shadow of death loomed over him instantly! Lu Zhao's pupils constricted. He could see the cold glint on the bone claws, smell the nauseating stench of the corpse, and even feel his heart suddenly stop beating out of fear!

At this critical moment—

"Buzz!!!"

The dark demonic mark between Lu Zhao's brows, which had always been hidden and belonged to the "Soul Devouring Demon Lord," suddenly erupted with unprecedented dark light, as if strongly stimulated by the dense demonic energy, bloody atmosphere, and Lu Zhao's life-or-death crisis in this place! A cold, evil, and terrifying will filled with endless desire to devour and destroy, like a flood breaking through a dam, frantically impacted the seal of the [Soul Sealing and Demon Suppressing Seal]!

Click!

Like the soft sound of shattering glass, a sound resonated deep within Lu Zhao's soul. The shackles formed by the [Soul-Sealing Demon-Suppressing Seal], under the combined attack from within and without (external stimulation from demonic energy, internal impact from demonic soul), actually... loosened a little!

"roar--!!!"

A demonic roar, seemingly from the deepest hell, filled with savagery and hunger, exploded in Lu Zhao's mind! A chilling and violent demonic energy, far exceeding his own level, surged out like a volcanic eruption from the crack in the demonic seal between his eyebrows, instantly flowing through his limbs and bones!

Lu Zhao's eyes were instantly filled with a deep, dark blackness, the whites of his eyes disappeared, leaving only pure darkness that seemed to devour all light! A cold, violent, and superior aura rose from his body!

The black-robed man, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, had his bone claws touching Lu Zhao's collar, but in that instant, he suddenly met Lu Zhao's eyes, which were as black as ink and devoid of any human emotion. A fear originating from the depths of his soul, a fear of facing a higher level of demonic existence, instantly seized his heart! His movements involuntarily froze.

Then, he saw a scene that terrified him.

"An ant... dares to hurt me?"

A cold, hoarse voice, completely unlike Lu Zhao's, came out of "Lu Zhao's" mouth.

Lu Zhao simply raised his hand, which had also turned black from being tainted by demonic energy, and gently clenched it.

"puff!"

The black-robed man, who was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, along with his bone claws, exploded into a cloud of blood mist, like an egg being squeezed by an invisible hand! He didn't even have time to scream!

The two black-robed men in the Qi Refining stage nearby were terrified and turned to flee.

"Blood food..." Lu Zhao's lips curled into a cruel smile as he opened his mouth and inhaled.

The two bursts of blood mist, along with the essence and souls of the two fleeing black-robed figures, uncontrollably transformed into two streaks of blood, which he swallowed! Under the surge of demonic energy, the wounds on his shoulders and legs began to heal at a visible speed, and his aura also strangely rose!

"Lu Zhao!!" Elder Yun, who was engaged in fierce combat with the enemy in the distance, cried out in shock and anger upon seeing this scene. She clearly sensed that although Lu Zhao still looked the same, his aura had become incredibly unfamiliar and sinister!

Elder Xuanjizi also noticed the unusual change, his expression drastically altered: "Demonic backlash?! His seal has loosened!"

"Roar—! More...blood...power...!"

"Lu Zhao"—or rather, the remnant of the demonic soul that temporarily dominated his body—roared excitedly, his dark eyes greedily scanning the entire battlefield. Finally, his gaze settled on the center of the altar, where the blood energy was most concentrated and the demonic energy was most turbulent, and... on the spatial rift that was slowly expanding and leading to the "Nine Nether Blood Sea"!

Its eyes revealed an intense longing.