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

The crimson pillar of light did not last long. After Lu Zhao traveled at full speed for about an incense stick's time, it gradually dimmed and dissipated. However, the thick stench of blood and evil intent that permeated the air, as well as the heart-palpitating muffled rumbling from the depths of the earth, became increasingly clear, like the dying gasps of a giant beast, foreshadowing misfortune.

When Lu Zhao arrived at the edge of "Dragon Bone Hill", the scene before him moved him slightly.

The so-called "Dragon Bone Hills" is not the hills piled high with bones one might imagine, but rather a vast area with extremely fragmented and bizarre terrain. The earth is a strange dark red, as if stained with endless blood, cracked with countless bottomless ravines. On the ground, one can see huge and twisted fossilized bones of unknown creatures everywhere, some half-buried in the soil, some exposed, reflecting a pale or dark light in the dim sky. Their shapes are bizarre, but most bear some dragon-like characteristics—winding spines, forked ribs, ferocious skulls... This place truly seems to be the burial ground of ancient dragons, but the deathly silence and evil permeating the air dilute the desolation and tragedy that should be there.

At this moment, however, a considerable number of people have gathered on this desolate hill.

In the heart of the barren hills, in front of the ruins of a magnificent palace built against a steep mountainside, mostly collapsed but still retaining its main outline, several camps are clearly divided on a relatively flat open space.

The largest and most conspicuous group, dressed in uniform blue robes embroidered with flowing cloud patterns on their chests, were cultivators from the Yunmeng Sect. There were about twenty or thirty of them, led by a composed, refined-looking middle-aged scholar whose cultivation had clearly reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. They stood in formation, their expressions wary, confronting another group.

Facing them was a group of cultivators dressed in dark, close-fitting attire, carrying longswords, their auras sharp and fierce. Though fewer in number, each possessed piercing eyes and an imposing presence; they were sword cultivators from the Xuan Tian Sword Sect, a powerful righteous sect in the Great Jin Dynasty, on par with the Yunmeng Sect. Leading them was a young man with a cold face, wielding a longsword. His cultivation was also at the late Foundation Establishment stage; his sword intent was restrained yet formidable, inspiring awe and respect.

A little further away was a group of disciplined cultivators dressed in crimson armor. They were few in number, but their movements carried the aura of a military formation. The leader, who appeared to be a general, was at the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. They were the troops of the Northwest Garrison Army of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Besides these, there were small groups of independent cultivators and several bandits who were clearly not benevolent, including the remaining members of the Black Wind Bandits and the Blood Wolf Gang. Each occupied a corner, wary of the others, yet all with their eyes fixed intently on the palace ruins. The air was thick with tension, greed, and restlessness.

What concerned Lu Zhao most were the several groups of figures clad in black robes, exuding a cold and eerie aura, scattered in several inconspicuous corners. They were few in number, some only two or three, others no more than five or six, but without exception, they all emanated a dense aura of bloodlust and vengeful spirits—a familiar yet repulsive scent to Lu Zhao—they were cultivators from the Soul Devouring Demon Sect! They seemed to belong to different teams, with no close connection between them, but tacitly occupying several key positions, subtly forming a kind of encirclement or surveillance of the central area.

All eyes were focused on the entrance to the palace ruins.

There, what should have been a massive palace gate, forged from an unknown material, had completely collapsed, revealing a dark, gaping hole from which a crimson mist constantly billowed. Around the hole, intricate and ancient restrictive runes remained, now cracked and shimmering with an ominous, blood-red light. These blood-red restrictions had formed the towering pillar of light earlier; though dimmed now, it still emanated a chilling pressure and, like a living thing, slowly writhed, constantly drawing faint but continuous streams of blood-red energy from the surrounding air and even from the scattered bones on the ground.

Even more bizarrely, Lu Zhao could clearly "see" that the life essence emanating from some low-level cultivators or injured people who were closer to the cave entrance was being slowly and imperceptibly absorbed by the blood-red restriction! However, this process was very slow, and driven by the intense confrontation and greed, few people noticed it.

"A blood-red restriction... drawing upon the life force of living beings... and this dense, corrupted aura of 'annihilation' and 'resentment'..." Lu Zhao, concealed behind a half-destroyed dragon bone fossil in the distance, carefully observed. "This is definitely not an ordinary 'Dragon General's Tomb.' It's more like... a 'Blood Sacrifice Tomb' corrupted by evil magic, perhaps even used to sacrifice and nourish some kind of evil being!"

The "Soul-Devouring Seal" between his brows throbbed violently, as if it were about to burst forth and fly towards the blood-red cave entrance. Meanwhile, within his dantian, the "Silent Demon Dragon" Dao Foundation emanated a complex emotion—a mixture of longing and intense repulsion and anger. The longing stemmed from the powerful primordial aura of the ancient dragon race (though corrupted) that remained here; the repulsion and anger arose from the fact that this aura had been tainted by evil magic, becoming filthy and filled with blasphemy against the glory of the dragon race.

"Senior Jin mentioned that the 'Soul Devouring Demon Lord' once attempted to corrupt the 'Silent Dragon Tomb' and steal the power of the 'Ten Thousand Dragons Devouring the Heavens Formation.' Could this place be an outer node that was successfully corrupted, or at least severely eroded? Those members of the Soul Devouring Demon Sect gathered here, probably to provide support or to further utilize this place." Lu Zhao's mind raced, and combining the information he had obtained from Lone Wolf's memories, he made a general judgment about the situation before him.

At this moment, the standoff in the arena seemed to have come to a conclusion.

"Fellow Daoist Li, Fellow Daoist Liu," the general of the Great Jin garrison bowed to the leaders of the Yunmeng Sect and the Xuantian Sword Sect, and said in a deep voice, "The strange phenomena here have alarmed all directions, and the evil aura is overwhelming; this is definitely not a peaceful place. I suggest that the three of us join forces for now to investigate the situation inside this palace, expel the evil spirits, and then discuss other matters. As for these rogue cultivators and bandits..." He glanced at the scattered forces and the people of the Soul Devouring Demon Sect, and said coldly, "If they dare to cause trouble, kill them without mercy!"

The refined scholar from the Yunmeng Sect (a cultivator surnamed Li) and the aloof young man from the Xuantian Sword Sect (a cultivator surnamed Liu) exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. Although they belonged to different sects and were competitors, joining forces was the wisest choice when faced with such an obviously evil relic that could potentially harm one side.

"General Zhao is quite right," the scholar surnamed Li nodded. "The restrictions here are strange, able to absorb the life force of living beings. They are definitely not left by the righteous path. We should join forces to break them to prevent evil creatures from being born and harming the common people." His words were grand and righteous, but deep in his eyes was a hint of eagerness for the treasures that might exist within the ruins.

"Agreed." The young man surnamed Liu said succinctly, and the longsword he held emitted a clear and melodious sound, indicating his attitude.

The three forces reached an agreement and immediately began to mobilize their forces to jointly attack the crimson barrier and open the entrance. Seeing this, the rogue cultivators and bandits, though unwilling, knew they were no match for the three major forces and could only hold back for the time being, waiting for an opportunity. Meanwhile, the Soul Devouring Demon Sect cultivators in the corners remained silent, their gazes beneath their black robes growing even more profound and icy.

Lu Zhao observed all of this and quickly made a decision in his mind.

"Forced entry is definitely out of the question; it would make us too conspicuous and immediately become the target of everyone's attention. The best option is to sneak in while they're attacking the barriers and opening the entrance." His gaze swept over the rogue cultivators and bandits. "These people have mixed cultivation levels and confused identities, making them the best cover for infiltration. Moreover..." His gaze fell again on the groups of Soul Devouring Demon Sect cultivators, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "Perhaps, we can borrow their 'light'."

He quietly activated the "Concealing Breath Technique," suppressing his cultivation to the early Foundation Establishment stage. At the same time, he activated a trace of "Annihilation Power," simulating a mixed and malevolent aura similar to that of those rogue cultivators, imbued with the dust and blood of the Gobi Desert. Then, he emerged from his hiding place, pretending to be a rogue cultivator who had just arrived, cautious yet greedy, and slowly approached the area where the group of rogue cultivators had gathered.

His arrival did not attract much attention; at this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on the three major forces, watching how they would break the restriction.

The cultivators from Yunmeng Sect, Xuantian Sword Sect, and the Great Jin Army took their positions and, under the command of the scholar surnamed Li, the young man surnamed Liu, and General Zhao, began to gather their spiritual power in preparation for launching an attack.

"Cloud Dream Transforms into Rain, Cleansing Aura of Evil! Attack!" The scholar surnamed Li made a hand seal, and a misty blue cloud appeared, transforming into countless raindrops of spiritual light, sprinkling towards the blood-red restriction, attempting to use water-based spiritual power to dissipate the blood-fiend energy within.

"Mysterious Heaven Sword Qi, break!" The young man surnamed Liu pointed his fingers like a sword and slashed through the air. A dazzling silver sword aura, seemingly capable of cutting through everything, was generated out of thin air and struck the brightest point of the restriction with a sharp sound.

"Suppress the killing intent of the military formation!" General Zhao shouted, and the red-armored soldiers behind him roared in unison. A fierce and tangible killing intent of the military formation soared into the sky, transforming into a huge blood-red spear that crashed into the barrier!

The three attacks, representing three different power attributes, simultaneously bombarded the crimson barrier!

"Boom—!!!"

Amidst a deafening roar, the crimson barrier trembled violently, its surface radiating crimson light as countless twisted runes emerged and exploded! The dark red mist churned even more violently, as if something within was struggling frantically. Above the barrier, crimson lightning even flickered faintly.

"Effective! Continue the attack!" The scholar surnamed Li shouted, his spirits lifted.

However, just when everyone thought the barrier was about to be broken, a sudden change occurred!

At the center of the crimson barrier, the area most severely attacked suddenly collapsed inward, forming a vortex. From within the vortex came a low, hoarse roar, filled with endless resentment and hunger:

"Blood...more blood...soul..."

Immediately afterwards, an incredibly powerful suction force suddenly erupted from the vortex! The target was not the attackers, but... all the cultivators in the vicinity with lower cultivation levels, or those who were injured, bleeding, or whose qi and blood were unstable!

"ah--!"

"Oh no! This restriction is actively sucking people in!"

Screams erupted one after another! A dozen or so rogue cultivators and bandits who were nearby and whose cultivation was at the Qi Refining stage were caught off guard and their bodies were uncontrollably pulled by the suction force, screaming as they flew towards the blood-red vortex! During the flight, their bodies visibly withered away, their flesh and blood essence forcibly extracted, turning into streaks of blood that disappeared into the vortex! And their souls let out mournful howls as they were swallowed by the vortex!

Even some cultivators in the early stages of Foundation Establishment felt their blood and qi churning and their spiritual energy unstable, desperately resisting the suction force.

"You wicked creature! How dare you!" The scholar surnamed Li, the young man surnamed Liu, and General Zhao were both shocked and furious, and they all intensified their attacks in an attempt to interrupt this evil devouring.

Lu Zhao, mingling among the rogue cultivators, also felt a considerable suction force. However, with his profound foundation, he subtly dissipated the suction force with a slight movement of the Annihilation Dragon Qi within his body. Observing coldly, he became even more certain: "It really is a blood sacrifice! This restriction, or rather, what lies behind the restriction, requires a large amount of blood and soul to maintain or awaken!"

Chaos was exactly the opportunity he had been waiting for!

Just as everyone's attention was drawn to the crimson vortex and the tragedy, Lu Zhao moved. His figure flickered like a ghost, silently approaching the ground. Using the shadows of several huge skeletons and the chaotic spiritual energy as cover, he moved with astonishing speed, like a slippery eel, towards the edge of the crimson barrier, which had become unstable due to the violent fluctuations and whose defensive power had been greatly reduced!

His target was the group of Soul Devouring Demon Sect cultivators who appeared to be the smallest, consisting of only two people, and positioned rather out of the way! He sensed a subtle resonance between the "Soul Devouring Demonic Art" aura emanating from these two individuals and the mutated "Soul Devouring Mark" between his brows. Perhaps, he could use this...