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

Seven days later, a hundred miles outside Blackrock City, above a desolate hilly area.

A streak of azure light was flying slowly and steadily; it was Lu Zhao, who was leaving Black Rock City and preparing to return to the Earth Origin Sect.

At this moment, Lu Zhao's aura was even more concentrated and restrained than when he left Blackrock City. He had completely refined and absorbed the medicinal power of the ten-thousand-year-old stalactite, making his Dao foundation incredibly stable and his spiritual power almost liquid. He was only one step away from the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. More importantly, his divine soul power had greatly increased, and he had become much more adept at controlling the dual dragon energies within his body. The "Taiyi Dividing Light Sword Intent" seal belonging to Liu Xuanfeng at his brow, nourished by the stalactite and constantly washed by his own annihilating dragon energy, had become more tightly integrated with his sea of ​​consciousness. The sealed dark red demonic thought had also become unusually quiet, seemingly completely suppressed.

Before leaving, Liu Xuanfeng reminded him again that the hidden dangers within his body had not been eliminated and that a cure needed to be found as soon as possible. He also warned him that the Netherworld Sect and the remnant soul of the demonic dragon might not let the matter rest, urging him to be extremely careful on his journey. Fairy Bibo also sent a jade bottle containing two crystal-clear pills emitting a faint fragrance. These were the "Heart-Cleansing and Soul-Treating Pills," which were remarkably effective in stabilizing the mind, resisting inner demons, and nourishing the soul. Liu Xuanfeng had commissioned a sect alchemist to specially refine them for Lu Zhao as a reward for his efforts. As for the "Soul-Nourishing and Spirit-Refining Pill," since the main ingredient, the "Soul-Stabilizing Flower," had not yet been found, it would have to be discussed later.

Lu Zhao was extremely grateful. After bidding farewell to Liu Xuanfeng, Fairy Bibo, Tieshan, and the Lord of Black Rock City, he embarked on his journey home alone. He did not choose to take a large flying boat, firstly to save spirit stones, and secondly to digest what he had gained along the way, especially the mysterious bone fragment and the incomplete "Sword of Silent Annihilation".

"The first three moves of the 'Sword of Annihilation and No Life'—Annihilation Slash, No Life Thrust, and Return to Nothingness Sting—seem simple, but in reality, they combine the true meaning of annihilation with the killing intent of the sword to the extreme. Each move pursues ultimate destruction and annihilation, which is extremely consistent with the artistic conception of the 'Heavenly Art of Annihilation.' However, to cultivate this sword, one must use the power of annihilation as a foundation. Ordinary spiritual power simply cannot be used to activate it; otherwise, one will injure oneself before harming the enemy. It suits me perfectly."

"As for this bone fragment..." Lu Zhao, while flying, spared a sliver of his consciousness to probe into his storage bag, sensing the withered bone fragment. The fragment remained cold, its patterns blurred and difficult to discern. However, whenever the Annihilation Dragon Qi within him approached this fragment, it would generate a faint resonance, as if encountering a kindred spirit, or perhaps, some kind of "food"?

"This item is no ordinary thing. It is collected by the Xuan Tian Sword Sect, yet no one can decipher its meaning. Perhaps it is truly related to the power of ancient annihilation. I will study it carefully when I return to the Di Yuan Sect and go into seclusion."

Just as Lu Zhao's thoughts were wandering, he suddenly frowned and stopped abruptly in mid-air.

Several miles ahead, in an inconspicuous mountain hollow, a faint but familiar, chilling aura emanated from the valley. Had his divine spirit not been greatly enhanced, and his memory of that chilling aura not been so vivid, he would have hardly noticed it.

"This is... the aura of the Blood Bone Demon?!" Lu Zhao's heart skipped a beat. Although this aura was much weaker than before, and mixed with a heavy stench of blood and violence, slightly different from the cold and eerie aura of the blood-path technique, he was absolutely certain that the core trace of "blood bone" was still there! This old demon was actually alive? And it seemed to be hiding here, its aura so weak and chaotic—was it healing? Or was it doing something else?

Lu Zhao immediately concealed his aura, pushing the "Nirvana Return to Nothingness" conception of the Annihilation Dragon Qi to its limit. He seemed to merge into the surrounding environment, his aura almost nonexistent. At the same time, he used the "Concealing Breath and Hidden Shadow Technique" obtained from the Scripture Pavilion, his figure moving like a ghost, silently stealthily heading towards the mountain hollow.

The "Concealing Breath and Hidden Shadow Technique" is not a core inheritance of the Xuan Tian Sword Sect, but rather a rather unorthodox yet highly effective concealment technique. When mastered to a high level, it can evade the spiritual senses of cultivators of the same or even higher levels. Lu Zhao's use of the Annihilation Dragon Qi further enhances its effectiveness.

In a short while, Lu Zhao arrived at the edge of the ravine, hiding behind a boulder. He activated his "Eye of Annihilation," turning his eyes into a gray expanse as he peered into the ravine.

Deep within the mountain valley lay a hidden cave, its entrance concealed by a simple illusion array. Had Lu Zhao not possessed keen senses and the Eye of Annihilation to see through illusions, it would have been nearly impossible to spot. At this moment, the illusion array at the cave entrance seemed somewhat unstable due to fluctuations in the internal energy, and that bloody, violent aura, imbued with the unique charm of the Blood Bone Demon, emanated from within the cave.

Inside the cave, a faint, dark red light flickered, accompanied by suppressed growls like those of wild beasts and a nauseating stench of blood.

"As expected of the Blood Bone Demon! His aura is so weak and chaotic. It seems that he was severely injured when he self-destructed his Blood God Child clone and was also struck by Liu Zhenren's sword. His injuries may have even damaged his very essence, making it difficult for him to perfectly conceal his aura." Lu Zhao judged in his mind, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

This old demon is ruthless and cruel, cultivating the Blood Path Demonic Art, and has harmed countless lives. That day outside Black Rock City, if Liu Xuanfeng hadn't arrived in time, I would probably have already met my end. Now, fate has brought us together again here, and the other party is currently in an unprecedented period of weakness!

"Strike while the iron is hot!" An uncontrollable thought arose in Lu Zhao's mind. The Blood Bone Demon was a pseudo-core cultivator, and in his prime, he was no match for him. But now, the opponent was severely injured and on the verge of death, which was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If he could kill this fiend, not only would he eliminate a major threat, but his storage bag would also likely contain many valuable items, especially blood-path techniques and secret arts. Perhaps he could find a way to restrain or even utilize the remnant soul of the demonic dragon to erode it?

However, Lu Zhao was not blinded by greed. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; the Blood Bone Demon was, after all, a pseudo-core cultivator. Even if he was severely injured and on the verge of death, he might still have the means to fight to the death. Moreover, this place was not too far from Black Rock City. If he made too much noise and attracted others, or if his accomplices in the Netherworld Sect sensed it, it would be undesirable.

"We must act swiftly and decisively, killing them in one blow!" A murderous glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes as he quietly began to make his preparations.

He first set up several simple restrictions on the outer perimeter of the mountain valley, using the rudimentary restriction techniques he had learned from the array jade slips in the Scripture Pavilion, combined with his own annihilating dragon energy. These restrictions were designed to isolate auras and block sound. He did not aim to trap his enemy, but only to avoid causing too much noise when he made his move.

Next, he took out the "Taiyi Dividing Light Sword Talisman" he had obtained from Liu Xuanfeng and held it in his left palm. This talisman was incredibly powerful, comparable to a strike from a sword cultivator in the early Golden Core stage; it was a true trump card. However, this talisman was precious, and it was a life-saving item given to him by Liu Xuanfeng. Was it worth using it here? Lu Zhao hesitated for a moment, but considering the Blood Bone Demon's cunning and possible backup plans, he decided to use it anyway. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit; against such an old demon, any reservation could be fatal.

With a flick of his right hand, the black longsword, crafted from extraordinary materials but of low grade and obtained from the Earthly Origin Grotto, appeared in his grasp. He silently circulated the "Silent Annihilation Heavenly Art," infusing the longsword with wisps of annihilating dragon energy. The sword did not gleam with dazzling light; instead, it became even darker and more ancient, as if it could absorb the surrounding light, emanating a nihilistic sword intent of returning all things to nothingness. At the same time, he was secretly gathering his strength, preparing to unleash the first move of the newly comprehended "Silent Annihilation Sword Technique"—the Silent Annihilation Slash.

Everything was ready. Like the most patient hunter, Lu Zhao concealed all his presence, even his heartbeat almost stopped. He seemed to merge with the rock beneath him, quietly waiting for the perfect moment.

The low growls and the stench of blood inside the cave grew stronger, and the dark red light flickered on and off, clearly indicating that the Blood Bone Demon's healing or some other action had reached a critical moment.

It's now!

A gray light flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes, and his figure emerged from behind the boulder like a ghost. His speed was extremely fast. He used the full power of the "Soaring Dragon Step" and instantly passed through the illusion array, appearing inside the cave!

The cave was small, only a few dozen feet square. The scene inside made Lu Zhao's pupils shrink even though he had a strong will.

In the center of the cave, the Blood Bone Demon sat cross-legged, but he was no longer the quintessential cultivator of the False Core Formation stage. His entire being was emaciated, like a dried corpse, his skin clinging tightly to his bones, displaying an unnatural dark red hue. A bowl-sized hole pierced his left chest, translucent and charred at the edges, faintly revealing lingering, sharp sword intent—the very wound inflicted by Liu Xuanfeng that day, clearly not yet healed. His aura was utterly depleted, barely maintaining the level of the early Foundation Establishment stage, and extremely unstable, filled with chaos, savagery, and a…hunger?

What horrified Lu Zhao even more was that three corpses lay before the Blood Bone Demon! Judging from their clothing, they appeared to be low-level rogue cultivators who had passed by, their cultivation only at the mid-to-late stage of Qi Refining. At this moment, these three corpses were shriveled up, their life essence drained, their deaths gruesome. The Blood Bone Demon was extending his withered, claw-like right hand, pressing it against the brow of the last corpse, wisps of dark red blood energy being drawn into his body from the body. As the blood energy was absorbed, his aura seemed to stabilize slightly, but the chaos and savagery within him became even more pronounced, his eyes filled with a crazed, bloodthirsty light.

"He's healing himself by absorbing the life essence of living people! And his condition is extremely unstable, seemingly showing signs of going berserk!" Lu Zhao instantly understood.

Lu Zhao's intrusion was completely unexpected and incredibly fast. The Blood Bone Demon was clearly not prepared for this; in this desolate wilderness, having set up an illusion array and being in such a weakened state, he was being approached at such close range! He abruptly looked up, his crimson eyes fixed on the cave entrance. When he saw who it was, he was first stunned, then his expression turned to disbelief, followed by overwhelming resentment and a frenzied killing intent!

"It's you! You little beast! How dare you..." Blood Bone Demon was both shocked and furious. He never expected to encounter this Foundation Establishment junior who had ruined his Blood God Child clone and thwarted his plans! New and old grudges surged into his heart in an instant, but his injuries were too severe. He forcibly interrupted his healing, causing his blood and qi to surge backward. He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of black blood, and his breathing became even more disordered.

"Old Demon, prepare to die!" How could Lu Zhao give him a chance to breathe? The moment he broke in, he locked onto the Blood Bone Old Demon and crushed the "Taiyi Dividing Light Sword Talisman" in his palm without hesitation!

hum!

A crisp sword cry echoed through the cave! The moment the jade sword shattered, a pale golden sword aura, condensed to its extreme and radiating a chilling killing intent, appeared out of thin air and, as if teleported, pierced straight for the Blood Bone Demon's brow! Wherever the sword aura passed, subtle ripples appeared in the space, and the sharp sword intent cut deep marks into the cave walls.

Bloodbone Demon was terrified! In his prime, he might have been able to barely withstand this sword strike, but now, severely wounded and on the verge of death, how could he possibly block it? He let out a strange cry, no longer caring about anything else, and suddenly bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of his life essence blood. That essence blood was not red, but rather presented a strange dark gold color, as if it were mixed with something else.

"Blood Demon Disintegrates, Escape!"

The dark golden essence blood instantly ignited, transforming into a dense cloud of blood mist that enveloped the Blood Bone Demon. Simultaneously, the three dried corpses beneath him, along with his own corpse-like body, exploded! It wasn't a self-destruction, but rather the explosions that transformed into countless tiny, wriggling blood threads, seemingly alive, burrowing in all directions, especially into the cracks in the ground and stone walls!

A pale golden sword aura slashed into the blood mist, evaporating and purifying most of it. A piercing, inhuman scream echoed from within the mist. But the remaining blood mist and those eerie blood lines vanished at an incredible speed, disappearing into the ground and crevices in the rocks! Only a small pool of dark golden, foul-smelling blood remained, along with a deep sword mark left by the sharp sword aura.

"Blood Escape Technique? No, it seems even more bizarre..." Lu Zhao's heart sank. He hadn't expected that the Blood Bone Demon, in such a severely injured state, would still possess such a strange life-saving escape technique. The dark golden essence blood, and the way it transformed into blood streaks to escape, seemed different from the blood-path techniques he had seen before, carrying a more ancient and evil aura.

Before he could think it through, almost at the same time as the sword energy was unleashed, his right hand, which had been preparing for a long time, also launched the "Annihilation Slash"!

There was no earth-shattering display, only a hazy, gray sword light that seemed to absorb all light, silently slashing towards the ground where the blood mist had vanished. Where the sword light passed, the ground and rocks silently turned to dust, leaving behind a bottomless, smooth, mirror-like cut, upon which lingered a sword intent of the end of all things and the return to annihilation.

The sword struck empty air. Most of the blood mist and blood threads had already vanished. But Lu Zhao's divine sense was sharp, and he caught a small strand of blood thread that seemed to have been grazed by the sword intent of the "Annihilation Slash," instantly losing all its vitality and turning into ashes.

"He still got away!" Lu Zhao's face was somewhat grim. He had used a life-saving Golden Core Sword Talisman and unleashed a newly mastered killing move, yet he still couldn't stop this heavily wounded and dying old demon. This old demon's methods of survival were indeed unpredictable and bizarre.

He quickly scanned the cave, finding nothing but a pool of dark golden blood and a few pieces of torn clothing and storage bag fragments. Clearly, the Blood Bone Demon hadn't even bothered with his storage bag in his final moments, or perhaps his bizarre escape technique prevented him from carrying anything else.

Lu Zhao picked up the fragments of the storage bag and probed them with his divine sense. The space inside had collapsed, and the contents were scattered all over the ground, mostly spirit stones, pills, materials, and a few blood-red jade slips. Unfortunately, most of them were destroyed by the spatial collapse and the sword energy and sword intent from earlier; only a few items remained intact.

He quickly gathered up the intact items, especially the few blood-red jade slips, which might contain the Blood Bone Demon's techniques and secret arts. Then, without lingering, he immediately used the "Soaring Dragon Step," his figure transforming into a wisp of green smoke, and left the cave at top speed, without even having time to carefully examine the pool of dark golden blood.

Less than an incense stick's time after Lu Zhao left.

boom!

A powerful divine sense, imbued with chilling killing intent, swept across the hills like a whirlwind, finally settling on the small cave. The next moment, a moon-white figure appeared in the cave as if teleported—it was Liu Xuanfeng!

His expression was cold and his gaze was like lightning as he swept over the scene inside the cave—the pool of dark golden blood, the remaining sharp sword intent, the sword intent of annihilation, and the faint aura of the Blood Bone Demon and Lu Zhao that had not yet completely dissipated in the air.

"The Blood Bone Demon... and that brat Lu Zhao's aura and sword intent..." Liu Xuanfeng's eyes flashed with cold light. "A battle took place here, not long ago. The Blood Bone Demon is still alive and healing here? That brat Lu Zhao encountered him and even fought him? He used my sword talisman..."

He crouched down, carefully examining the pool of dark golden blood, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. "This aura… it's not just a blood-path technique, it seems to also be mixed with… demonic energy? And… demonic energy originating from the same source as that demonic dragon's remnant soul?"

Liu Xuanfeng suddenly looked up at the direction the bloodline had disappeared, his eyes becoming incredibly sharp: "The Blood Bone Demon... was he corrupted by demonic energy? Or... did he actively merge with demonic energy? No wonder he was able to escape from that sword strike that day and even use such a bizarre escape technique..."

"That brat Lu Zhao actually managed to force the Blood Bone Demon, who used my sword talisman, to flee again. It seems he's gained quite a bit. However, the Blood Bone Demon is not dead, and his condition is strange, and he's also connected to demonic energy... This matter is probably not over yet."

He stood up, his powerful divine sense spreading out once more, meticulously searching every inch of land within a hundred miles, attempting to find traces of the Blood Bone Demon's escape and Lu Zhao's whereabouts. However, the Blood Bone Demon's bizarre escape technique seemed extremely sophisticated, and by utilizing the fissures in the earth's veins, his aura vanished without a trace. Lu Zhao had also already fled far away, his aura concealed, making him impossible to track.

"Hmph, they ran fast." Liu Xuanfeng snorted coldly, not pursuing them any further. The Blood Bone Demon was now a defeated fugitive, no longer a threat; however, his state of being combined with demonic energy required attention. As for Lu Zhao… this boy had many secrets and great fortune, but he had also caused a lot of trouble. Oh well, each has their own destiny.

He unleashed a sword beam, thoroughly purifying the remaining blood and demonic energy within the cave and erasing all traces of the battle to avoid unnecessary trouble. Having done all this, he transformed into a beam of sword light, soaring into the sky and returning to Blackrock City. The remnant soul of the demonic dragon had vanished into the earth's veins, the Blood Bone Demon was colluding with demonic energy, and the Netherworld Sect was operating with uncanny secrecy… It was far from time to relax in Blackrock City.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, in the depths of a desolate valley, a barely perceptible dark golden line of blood struggled to emerge from a crack in the rocks, writhing and converging, finally managing to coalesce into a distorted, almost inhuman, crimson shadow. The shadow emitted a painful and venomous screech:

"You little beasts... the Xuan Tian Sword Sect... and that damned demonic dragon's will... I... will not let you go... Once I recover... I will definitely... extract your souls and refine your spirits..."

The sound was weak and intermittent. Finally, the blood-red shadow completely merged into the ground and disappeared.

On the other side, Lu Zhao flew over a thousand miles in one breath, and only after confirming that no one was following him did he land in a hidden cave. His face was somewhat pale, not because he was injured, but because he had been using the "Taiyi Dividing Light Sword Talisman" and "Annihilation Slash" repeatedly, which had greatly depleted his energy, coupled with his high level of mental tension.

"The Blood Bone Demon... he actually colluded with demonic energy? That dark golden essence blood, and that strange escape technique..." Lu Zhao recalled the scene in the cave, still feeling a lingering fear. If he hadn't acted decisively with the sword talisman, if the old demon hadn't been seriously injured and on the verge of death, and in such a strange state, the outcome of today's battle would probably still be uncertain.

"We must improve our strength as soon as possible, at least to the Core Formation stage! Otherwise, we might not be so lucky next time we encounter an old demon like that, or the Netherworld Sect, or the remnant soul of the demonic dragon."

He sat down cross-legged, took the pill, and began to regulate his breathing to recover. At the same time, he took out the few relatively intact blood-red jade slips he had obtained from the fragments of the Blood Bone Demon's storage bag.

"Hopefully, we can find something useful in it..."