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

The mountains and forests under the moonlight were shrouded in deep shadows, with only the faint rumble of distant battlefields breaking the silence of the night.

The four outer disciples of the Soul Devouring Demon Sect, the highest of whom was only at the eighth level of Qi Refining, were currently focused on arranging the blood-red flags in their hands, completely unaware of the impending danger.

Just as they were about to drive the last battle flag into the ground—

"laugh!"

A faint, almost imperceptible sound, almost blending into the night breeze, rang out. The last disciple, the one with the lowest cultivation level at the fifth level of Qi Refining, felt a slight chill on the back of his neck, then lost consciousness and collapsed limply. A small, charred hole appeared between his eyebrows, its edges swirling with a grayish-black aura, instantly extinguishing any life force.

"Who?!"

The other three turned around in horror, only to see their companion fall silently, and a blurry gray figure leap out of the shadows like a ghost!

"Enemy attack!" The leading disciple at the eighth level of Qi Refining was shocked and furious. He reacted the fastest and was about to issue a warning signal when a flash of blood appeared in his hand, and a bone spike magic weapon was already being summoned.

However, in Lu Zhao's eyes, his movements were as slow as a tortoise crawling.

Lu Zhao didn't even use his flying sword. He simply moved and appeared in front of him as if by teleportation. His right index finger flashed out like lightning, with condensed dragon energy swirling around the tip. He struck the mouth and throat that Lu Zhao had just opened.

"Uh..." The disciple at the eighth level of Qi Refining was like a rooster being choked, all his voice was blocked, and the bone spike magic weapon that had just lit up with blood light suddenly dimmed. He only felt a deadly, domineering and strange power surge into his body in an instant, sealing his spiritual power, eroding his meridians, making him limp all over, unable to move even a finger.

At the same time, Lu Zhao waved his left hand, and two dark gray energy energies, like snakes emerging from their holes, instantly coiled around the necks of two other disciples at the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining, tightly strangling them and lifting them off the ground. The two struggled desperately, their eyes bulging, but they couldn't utter a sound, and their aura rapidly weakened.

The entire process was swift and swift, happening in the blink of an eye. The four Qi Refining stage disciples were utterly powerless against Lu Zhao, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with countless battles under his command; one was killed, and the other three were subdued.

Lu Zhao casually tossed the two disciples, who were half-strangled, to the ground and glanced at them coldly. The two disciples, meeting Lu Zhao's icy, emotionless gaze, felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave; they lost all strength to struggle, leaving only endless fear.

He carried the disciple at the eighth level of Qi Refining to a tree and casually set up a simple soundproof barrier.

"I ask, you answer. If you utter even a single falsehood, or attempt to pass on a message, your fate will be even worse than theirs." Lu Zhao's voice was calm, yet it carried a chilling aura that penetrated to the bone. Combined with the murderous aura emanating from his body, a result of his recent bloody battle and the fusion of battle intent, it terrified the demonic sect disciple.

"Yes...yes! Senior, spare my life! This junior will tell you everything I know!" The disciple's face was pale, and he nodded repeatedly, showing no trace of the ferocity of a demonic cultivator.

"What are you doing here, sneaking around like this?" Lu Zhao cut straight to the point.

"It's...it's an auxiliary node of the 'Nine Netherworld Summoning Array'!" The disciple dared not conceal the truth and blurted out, "The elders ordered us to set up these nodes at thirty-six specific locations on the outer perimeter of the 'Dragon Bone Wasteland' to draw the Yin and Death Qi from the depths of the earth's veins and gather it at the core array eye!"

"Nine Netherworld Demon-Attracting Formation? Where is the core of the formation? Who is in charge of the formation? What is its purpose?" Lu Zhao pressed.

"The core array... is near the ley line node where the sect previously set up the 'Blood Dragon Fiend Pool'! It's currently being personally overseen by 'Ghost Bone Master'!" the disciple said tremblingly. "The purpose... I heard it's to draw in some ancient fiendish energy from deeper underground to attack... a weak point in some kind of seal. I really don't know the specifics! I only know this is a major plan for the sect, a matter of great importance!"

Ghost Bone Master? A Pseudo-Core Formation Elder! Lu Zhao's heart tightened. This level of demon was not someone he could confront head-on in his current state.

"Where is the main force of your Demonic Sect now? And with whom are they fighting?"

"The main force of the sect, along with Elder Blood Bone and the others, is currently engaged in a fierce battle in the core area with the Cloud Dream Sect, the Profound Heaven Sword Sect, and the army of the Great Jin Dynasty! It is said that this is to restrain those righteous experts and prevent them from interfering with the setup and activation of the 'Nine Netherworld Summoning Array'!"

As expected! Lu Zhao's information and previous guesses were confirmed. On the surface, the Demonic Sect's great battle was for the "Blood Dragon Fiend Pool" and the "Wraith Dragon Soul Crystal," but secretly it was to buy time and cover for the "Nine Netherworld Fiend-Attracting Array"!

"Besides setting up the formation, do you have any other tasks here? For example, who are you guarding, or what supplies are you transporting?" Lu Zhao asked coldly, recalling the "blood sacrifice" mentioned in Di Yuanzi's notes and the Demonic Sect's consistent practices.

Upon hearing this, the disciple visibly trembled, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes. However, under Lu Zhao's icy gaze, he dared not conceal anything and whispered, "Yes...yes. In a secluded valley not far from the core battlefield, guarded by two early Foundation Establishment stage senior brothers, they are holding a group of cultivators and mortals, about a hundred or so, who were recently abducted from several nearby villages and a small market town...I heard they are intended to be used as 'blood sacrifice catalysts' to unleash the final power of the 'Nine Netherworld Summoning Array' at a crucial moment..."

"A blood sacrifice catalyst!" Lu Zhao's eyes flashed with a cold light. Just as he thought! The demonic path's actions were utterly cruel, actually intending to sacrifice over a hundred living people! And among them were likely many low-level cultivators!

"Specific location! The strength of the guards, the deployment details, tell me in detail! If I omit anything, you know the consequences." Lu Zhao's voice was even colder.

The disciple dared not delay and quickly revealed everything he knew, including the approximate location of the valley, its terrain features, the names of the two early Foundation Establishment stage guards, their spell proficiency, and any possible simple warning restrictions.

Having obtained all the information he wanted and confirmed that the disciple was of no further value and whose eyes held a death wish (knowing too many secrets and already captured, returning would only mean certain death), Lu Zhao showed no mercy. With a slight exhale of the Annihilation Dragon Qi from his fingertips, he instantly severed the disciple's life force. At the same time, a weak burst of divine sense annihilated the disciple's remnant soul as well, ensuring that even a soul search would yield no information.

He then used the same method to eliminate the other two dying demonic sect disciples, and completely destroyed the four corpses and the array materials with the Annihilation Dragon Qi, leaving no trace.

After doing all this, Lu Zhao quietly retreated into the shadows, his brows furrowed, quickly processing the intelligence he had just received.

The Soul Devouring Demon Sect's plan was far more ambitious and insidious than he had imagined. Refining the "Vengeful Dragon Soul Crystal" from the "Blood Dragon Fiend Pool" was likely just the first step, or perhaps a means to create chaos and powerful henchmen. The real killing move was the "Nine Netherworld Fiend-Drawing Array," intended to draw in any leaking fiendish energy from the weak points in the outer seal of the "Ten Thousand Dragons Devouring the Heavens Array" deep underground, and even to use it to impact and corrupt those weak points to achieve their ulterior motives! The hundred or so abducted cultivators and mortals were merely the "fuel" they planned to sacrifice!

"Ghost Bone Master... Pseudo-Core Formation Realm..." Lu Zhao weighed his own strength. In his current state, facing even the weakest Pseudo-Core Formation Realm cultivator, his chances of victory were extremely low, not to mention that the opponent might also have array support and other demonic cultivators.

"Escape immediately and leave this dangerous place; that's undoubtedly the safest option," Lu Zhao thought. He had already obtained the Earth Element's inheritance and information, acquired the "Soul-Purifying Jade Marrow Mushroom," and greatly improved his cultivation. The gains from this trip were already enormous. There was no need to take any more risks.

but……

Images of innocent cultivators and mortals, abducted and about to be sacrificed, flashed through his mind. Although the cultivation world was a place of survival of the fittest, and he didn't consider himself a saint with any great compassion, he still felt a pang of unease watching over a hundred living people, many of whom might be low-level cultivators or even mortals, being so cruelly sacrificed by the demonic path. More importantly, if the demonic sect succeeded in this, it would breach the weak point of the seal, and who knew what terrifying things it would unleash, or what calamities it would trigger? The impact might be far-reaching, and he himself might be caught in the crossfire.

"Moreover... Ghost Bone Venerable is presiding over the grand formation, while Blood Bone Demon and other main forces are holding them off from the front... The valley where the hostages are being held is only guarded by two early Foundation Establishment stage guards..." Lu Zhao's eyes gleamed. This seemed like an opportunity. If they could rescue those people, not only could they disrupt the Demon Sect's "blood sacrifice" plan, but they might also create even greater chaos, and perhaps... there would be a chance to fish in troubled waters and see if they could gain any other benefits near the core of the formation? For example, did the Demon Sect store any treasures there to set up the formation?

Risks and opportunities coexist.

Should we withdraw immediately, prioritizing safety?

Or should we take the risk and head to the valley where the hostages are being held, or even... seize the opportunity to do something in the core area?

Lu Zhao looked up at the battlefield in the distance, where spiritual light still flickered and the rumbling was faint. He then looked at the broken token in his hand, which he had obtained from Di Yuanzi and which was engraved with the two characters "Di Yuan". His eyes gradually sharpened.

A moment later, he moved swiftly, like a ghost blending into the night, and quietly headed towards the hidden valley where the hostages were being held, as indicated by the demonic sect disciple.