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

The cold, black-robed man stood at the edge of the blood-red steps, not immediately descending, but turning around. His eyes, hidden in the shadow of his hood, seemed to be scrutinizing Lu Zhao (in disguise) and the unconscious companion he was supporting.

"Something's not right." His hoarse voice carried a hint of suspicion as his gaze swept over his unconscious companion. "Why is the fluctuation of the 'Soul Devouring Seed' so weak, Third Brother? And your aura..." He twitched his nose slightly, as if sniffing something, "...seems a little 'purer' than before?"

Lu Zhao's heart sank slightly. Sure enough, the prolonged close contact, coupled with the unique environment within the Blood Palace, had alerted the other party to the anomaly. Although his simulated Soul Devouring Demonic Art aura was pure, and even possessed a peculiar, higher-level pressure due to the "Silent Demonic Dragon" Dao Foundation and the mutated "Soul Devouring Seal," subtle details, especially the simulation of the "Soul Devouring Seed" (a core controlled or marked within a Demonic Sect cultivator), likely differed from that of a genuine Demonic Sect cultivator. Moreover, this cold, black-robed man was clearly far more cautious and perceptive than the lone wolf from before.

We can't delay any longer!

The moment the cold, black-robed man finished speaking, Lu Zhao moved!

Without the slightest warning, like a gray lightning bolt, in the instant the cold, black-robed man became wary and had not yet fully mustered his spiritual power, he had already let go of the "burden" he was supporting and closed in on the other man! His speed was so fast that he even left a faint afterimage in place!

"You—!" The man in the cold black robe was shocked. He instinctively tried to retreat and activated his protective demonic energy. At the same time, a dark light shot out from his sleeve, aiming straight for Lu Zhao's face!

However, Lu Zhao was even faster! He pointed his fingers like a sword, and a point of gray-black light condensed at his fingertips, seemingly able to devour all light, and he pointed it with perfect precision at the black light that shot towards him—it was a poisoned Soul-Destroying Nail.

"laugh!"

Without the clang of metal on metal, the Soul-Destroying Nail, of considerable quality, melted and dimmed instantly upon contact with the gray-black finger energy, like a red-hot iron placed in ice and snow, before dissipating into a wisp of green smoke! At the same time, Lu Zhao's other hand gripped the cold, black-robed man's right wrist, which he had just raised to make a hand seal, like an iron clamp!

"Crack!" A sickening sound of bone breaking rang out! The cold, black-robed man groaned as his wrist bone was crushed! Even more terrifying, a cold, deathly power, carrying a domineering and devouring will, surged wildly into his body along the meridians of his wrist. Wherever it passed, his demonic energy dissipated and was devoured as if it had encountered its natural enemy! He could even feel his life force rapidly draining away!

"You're not...who are you?!" The cold, black-robed man's eyes were filled with boundless fear and disbelief. He was at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, not weak among his peers, yet he couldn't even withstand a single move from this "imposter"! The opponent's power completely countered his demonic arts!

"Answer my question, and you can die a quicker death." Lu Zhao's voice returned to its original coldness. He tightened his grip on the other's wrist slightly, and an even stronger surge of Annihilation Dragon Qi rushed in, instantly destroying the spiritual energy nodes within the other's body, rendering them completely unable to resist.

"Don't...don't even think about it!" The man in the cold black robes was surprisingly resolute, or rather, his fear of the "Soul-Devouring Demon Lord" ran deep in his bones. He gritted his teeth and said, "My lord...will not let you go..."

"Then let's see if your soul is as tough as this." Lu Zhao stopped wasting words, a flash of gray-gold light appeared in his eyes, and his powerful divine sense, mixed with a trace of annihilation power, pierced into the other's brow and sea of ​​consciousness like a sharp cone! This time, he used a more domineering but also more dangerous soul-searching secret technique from the "Ember" inheritance—the [Annihilation Divine Gaze Technique]! This technique forcibly invades the other's soul with the power of annihilation, forcibly reading the deepest memory fragments before the other's soul is completely annihilated by the power of annihilation. It is extremely efficient, but it is extremely harmful to the person being treated, almost certainly resulting in death. Moreover, the soul searcher himself also needs to withstand a certain amount of soul impact.

"Ah—!!!" The cold, black-robed man let out a shrill scream that was not human. His body convulsed violently, blood flowed from his seven orifices, and his eyes bulged out. He was clearly enduring unimaginable pain.

Lu Zhao closed his eyes and focused his mind, fully activating the [Annihilation Divine Observation Technique]. A series of fragmented, chaotic images, filled with blood and evil, forcibly flooded his mind:

* In the dark underground palace, a pool of blood churns, submerging countless twisted skeletons and tormented souls...

A strange crystal, about the size of a fist, constantly pulsating and emitting a dark red and grayish-black light, floats in the center of the blood pool, continuously absorbing the essence of the blood pool and the resentment surging from all around...

Groups of black-robed figures, under the command of several powerful leaders, threw captured cultivators, demonic beasts, and even mortals into a pool of blood, performing cruel sacrifices...

The will of "the Lord" watched all this with the indifference of a supreme deity, its target seemingly the "Wraith Dragon Soul Crystal" and some far greater entity beneath the blood pool...

* Information regarding the use of the "Blood Soul Talisman," and several relatively "safe" paths leading to the core area of ​​the Blood Pool...

* There is another important piece of information: it seems that a "special envoy" has personally arrived for this operation, and is stationed deep within this Blood Palace, with unfathomable strength, possibly even a pseudo-core cultivator or... a golden core cultivator?!

A barrage of chaotic information assaulted Lu Zhao's mind, especially the last message about the "special envoy," which sent a chill down his spine. He forced himself to steady himself and pulled the other's memories away before they were completely devoured by the power of annihilation.

"Thump." The cold, black-robed man collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, his breath gone and his soul annihilated.

Lu Zhao's face paled slightly. The intense soul-searching he had conducted on the two individuals (especially the latter who had used a secret technique) had placed a considerable burden on his spiritual sense. He quickly adjusted his breathing while processing the information he had received.

"Blood Dragon's Fiend Pool... Vengeful Dragon Soul Crystal... Nourishing evil creatures with the blood of living beings... And there's a 'special envoy' at least at the Pseudo-Core Stage overseeing it..." Lu Zhao's eyes flashed with cold light. "What a 'Soul Devouring Demon Lord'! He really came for the remnants of the dragon race here, and his methods are so ruthless. That 'Vengeful Dragon Soul Crystal' is probably an evil object he forcibly created by fusing the resentment of the dragon race's remnants with the blood of countless living beings using evil magic. It must be of great use to him."

"As for the even larger entity beneath the blood pool... could it be the corrupted and eroded core of the 'Silent Dragon Tomb' that Senior 'Jin' mentioned? Or perhaps the remains of an ancient dragon warrior who perished here, used as 'nourishment' by them?"

The situation was more complicated and dangerous than he had anticipated. A demonic sect envoy at the pseudo-core or even golden core stage was someone he could not confront head-on in his current state.

But he had no way out. The "Soul-Devouring Mark" between his brows was unusually active here, seemingly having a strong connection to the "Vengeful Dragon Soul Crystal" or something deeper. Without resolving this issue, even if he left, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be tracked down or suffer a backlash. Moreover, the corrupted dragon essence here was a kind of "tonic" for him, albeit a tonic tainted with "toxins." If he could refine and purify it with the power of annihilation…

Fortune favors the bold! The path of cultivation is inherently defying the heavens, contending with the heavens, with others, and with oneself!

Lu Zhao made a swift decision. He cleaned the two black-robed corpses (including the one that had been subdued earlier) with the Flame of Annihilation, then stripped off one of the relatively intact black robes and put it on. He also carefully hid the "Blood Soul Talisman" (two spares were found on the cold black-robed man) close to his body. This talisman seemed to have the effect of concealing one's aura and circumventing some restrictions in this place.

After doing all this, he took a deep breath and looked at the bottomless staircase filled with blood-red mist.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Lu Zhao tightened his black robe, concealed his aura, and simulated the bloodthirsty demonic energy fluctuations similar to those of the cold, black-robed man from before. Then he stepped onto the blood-red staircase.

The steps descended steeply, seemingly leading to the deepest hell. The stone steps were covered in a thick, dark red stain, possibly blood or something else, making them slippery underfoot. The rough, cold stone walls on either side bore faint, blurred reliefs depicting painful struggles, but most were now covered in blood. The deeper one went, the stronger the stench of blood, resentment, and chilling atmosphere became; a faint, dizzying pink mist even began to rise in the air—clearly a highly poisonous blood-red miasma.

Lu Zhao held his breath, and the Annihilation Dragon Qi within his body circulated on its own, easily absorbing and refining the trace amount of poisonous Qi that had invaded his body. He continued walking, quickly descending the stairs, while his divine sense extended forward like tentacles, carefully guarding against possible traps and ambushes.

After descending about two or three hundred steps, a relatively wide platform appeared ahead. Scattered on the platform were more broken bones and fragments of weapons, and the air was filled with the fresh smell of blood.

Lu Zhao paused, his keen senses detecting a series of suppressed, beast-like low moans and an intensely nauseating aura of bloodlust emanating from the shadows on the other side of the platform.

"What is that?" Lu Zhao stared intently.

From the shadows, several figures slowly emerged. They were still vaguely humanoid, but their skin was an unnatural dark red, covered with bulging, worm-like black veins. Their eyes were bloodshot, and foul-smelling saliva dripped from their mouths. Their fingers had become sharp, claw-like. They wore tattered clothing of various factions—some were rogue cultivators, some bandits, and even… the clothing of those cultivators who had been swallowed by the blood-red barrier earlier!

But these "people" had lost all their senses, leaving only the most primal, insane thirst for flesh and life! Their auras were chaotic and violent, roughly equivalent to the late stage of Qi Refining to the early stage of Foundation Establishment, but there were as many as seven or eight of them!

"A 'Blood Fiend Puppet' completely corrupted by the blood fiend of this place and lost its mind?" Lu Zhao immediately understood. This was a monster corrupted by the evil magic of the "Soul Devouring Demon Lord" or mutated in this Blood Palace environment. It had become a puppet that only knew how to kill and devour, guarding this passage.

"roar--!"

Upon detecting the presence of a living person, the Blood Fiend Puppet immediately let out excited roars, their crimson eyes fixed on Lu Zhao. Then, like mad dogs, they pounced on all fours, bringing a foul stench with them! They were extremely fast, and their claws and teeth were wrapped in a dense aura of blood fiends, clearly possessing potent poison and strong corrosiveness.

Facing these irrational monsters, Lu Zhao's eyes remained completely unmoved. He didn't even bother to cast a spell; he simply met the first demonic puppet that lunged at him with a single, unrestrained punch!

The fist was thrown silently. But in front of the fist, the air seemed to be compressed, solidified, and then suddenly exploded!

"Bang!"

The Blood Fiend Puppet, comparable to a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, was sent flying backward at an even faster speed than when it pounced. A deep fist-shaped indentation appeared in its chest, and dark red blood and shattered internal organs gushed from its mouth and nose! Even more bizarrely, the flesh around its wound rapidly turned gray and withered, as if all life had been drained away in an instant! When it landed, it was completely lifeless, and its body quickly shriveled up.

The other demonic puppets, fearless of death, continued to charge.

Lu Zhao moved like a ghost across the platform, each strike precisely hitting the vital points of a demonic puppet. Fists, fingers, palms—there were no flashy effects, only the most direct and effective killing. A dark gray, annihilating dragon aura flowed with every movement, instantly devouring and annihilating any trace of bloodlust. The demonic puppets, seemingly ferocious, were like clay chickens and earthen dogs before the absolute power and elemental advantage, falling dead one after another.

In less than three breaths, only a few rapidly desiccated and ash-turned remains remained on the platform.

Lu Zhao flicked non-existent blood off his hands, his gaze sweeping across the platform and down the stairs. There, the stench of blood and evil was even stronger.

"It seems this trip to the 'Blood Palace' won't be too lonely," he murmured, before disappearing once more into the crimson mist below the steps.