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

The red light formed by the talisman, like a serpent, swiftly darted through the dark, damp forest, sometimes disappearing into the crevices of vines, sometimes skimming over rotting tree roots, always pointing towards the depths of the forest, to an even darker, more desolate area.

Lu Zhao unleashed his movement technique, following closely behind. His aura was concealed, his steps light, as if he had merged into the ancient forest, making not a sound. Having just exchanged blows with Blood Shadow, he knew the man's danger and cunning, and dared not be careless in the slightest.

"Blood Shadow is injured. Using Blood Shadow Escape consumed his life essence, so his aura must be unstable, and his speed will be greatly reduced. This is the best opportunity." Lu Zhao's eyes flashed coldly. He wasn't one to wait passively. Since Blood Shadow wanted to kill him, he would take the initiative and eliminate him completely!

The tracking talisman traversed a swamp shrouded in gray, poisonous miasma, entering an even more eerie area. Here, the ancient trees were no longer towering giants, but strange creatures, entirely black with twisted branches resembling ghostly claws. The ground was littered with white bones, some from demonic beasts, others from humans, emanating a dense aura of death and resentment. A faint, blood-red mist drifted in the air, carrying a sweet, metallic odor that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Such a dense aura of bloodlust!" Lu Zhao frowned deeply and quickly activated the Nine Dragons Controlling Qi Technique. The Annihilation Dragon Qi circulated within his body, devouring and refining all the bloodlust that had invaded. This place was incredibly eerie, seemingly a natural breeding ground for corpses and a gathering place for malevolent spirits. The tracking talisman's speed noticeably slowed down here, and its light dimmed considerably.

"It seems the Blood Shadow's lair is nearby." Lu Zhao's vigilance intensified. He stopped, concealed his aura, and hid himself in the shadow of a strange, dark tree, cautiously probing forward with his divine sense.

A hundred feet ahead, there was a clearing surrounded by strange, dark trees. In the center of the clearing stood a simple altar made of white bones. Around the altar, nine small, blood-red flags were planted, each painted with a hideous skull and eerie runes, emanating a dense aura of bloodlust, forming a blood-red light shield that enveloped the altar.

On the altar sat a blood-red figure—it was Blood Shadow! His blood-red cloak was tattered, revealing a pale, gaunt face covered in scars. His eyes were closed, his complexion deathly white, a trace of blood lingering at the corner of his mouth, and his aura weak; clearly, he was seriously injured. He formed hand seals, his body surging with blood-red light as he circulated his internal energy to heal.

"As expected, they are remnants of the Blood Fiend Cult. They actually set up a Blood Fiend Array here." Lu Zhao's eyes narrowed. The nine small blood-red flags emitted a blood-fiend aura that originated from the same source as Blood Shadow, clearly indicating that it was an array he used for healing and cultivation. This array could not only gather the surrounding blood-fiend aura to accelerate Blood Shadow's healing, but also form a defense to resist external enemies.

"Strike while the iron is hot!" A murderous glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. Now was the weakest moment for Blood Shadow; if he were to recover, it would be much harder to kill him.

"However, this Blood Fiend Formation is somewhat troublesome." Lu Zhao's gaze fell on the nine small blood-red flags. He could sense that the formation's defense was extremely strong, and a forceful attack would likely alert the enemy, allowing Blood Shadow to escape.

"I need to think of a way to break this formation silently, or bypass it and attack Blood Shadow directly." Lu Zhao's mind raced as he quickly devised a solution.

"I've got it!" Lu Zhao's eyes lit up. He took out several array flags and array plates of different colors and shapes from his storage bag. These were a set of concealment and array plate arrays prepared by Su Yuanshan for his life-saving purposes. They were called the "Shadow Concealment and Restriction Breaking Array," which could conceal one's aura and weaken the power of the array to a certain extent.

"Hopefully it will work." Lu Zhao moved silently to the edge of the Blood Fiend Array, avoiding the front of the nine small blood-red flags. He carefully placed the array flags of the Shadow Concealment and Restriction Breaking Array around the Blood Fiend Array according to specific positions. Then, he took out the array plate and cast several incantations.

"Buzz—!"

A faint, almost transparent light shield silently enveloped the area where Lu Zhao was located, completely concealing his aura. At the same time, this light shield, like ripples on water, slowly seeped into the blood-red light shield of the Blood Fiend Array, silently eroding and weakening the power of the Blood Fiend Array.

Lu Zhao held his breath and waited quietly. He could sense that the crimson light shield of the Blood Fiend Array was slowly thinning at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye. The blood-red figure on the altar, however, seemed absorbed in healing and was unaware of this.

"Now!" A cold glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. The moment the blood-red light shield of the Blood Fiend Array was weakened to its weakest point, he moved like lightning, instantly passing through the blood-red light shield and appearing on the altar in front of the Blood Shadow!

"die!"

Lu Zhao let out a low shout, his right hand forming a sword shape with his fingers together. A gray-gold sword aura of annihilation, condensed to the extreme, carrying an indomitable killing intent, silently pierced towards the center of Xue Ying's brow!

"Sword Intent of Annihilation - Pointing Stars!"

This sword strike embodied all of Lu Zhao's energy and spirit—fast, accurate, and ruthless! It was aimed at killing with a single blow!

However, just as Lu Zhao's sword energy was about to pierce Xue Ying's brow, a sudden change occurred!

"Heh heh... Kid, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Blood Shadow's tightly closed eyes snapped open! The crimson light in his eyes, like that of a vengeful ghost, stared intently at Lu Zhao! His previously weakened aura surged instantly, and he no longer showed any sign of injury!

"Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!" Lu Zhao's expression changed drastically, and alarm bells rang in his mind! He tried to sheathe his sword and retreat, but it was too late!

"Blood Fiend Formation - Bind!"

Blood Shadow grinned maliciously, his hands forming hand seals. The nine small blood-red flags shone brightly! Countless blood-red threads, like living things, shot out from the flags, instantly binding Lu Zhao tightly! These blood-red threads were incredibly tough, carrying a dense aura of bloodlust, frantically eroding Lu Zhao's protective spiritual power, trying to penetrate his body!

"Boy, you think I'm really injured?" Blood Shadow slowly stood up, his crimson eyes mockingly looking at Lu Zhao, who was entangled in blood-red threads. "My Blood Shadow Escape, while consuming my essence blood, shouldn't have injured me to this extent. I deliberately created an opening to lure you in!"

"This is my territory! This Blood Fiend Array is the result of years of painstaking effort on my part. It can gather the blood fiend energy within a ten-mile radius for my use! Stepping into this place is tantamount to stepping into my trap! Now, you have no way to escape!"

Blood Shadow's voice was hoarse, tinged with cruel pleasure. He stretched out a pale, withered hand and gently stroked Lu Zhao's cheek, as if caressing a precious work of art.

"What a young, vibrant body... Your essence must be incredibly delicious, right?" Blood Shadow licked his lips with his scarlet tongue, his eyes gleaming with greed. "It's been a long time since I've tasted such pure and powerful essence. By absorbing your essence, not only will my injuries heal, but my cultivation might even advance further! Heh heh... Truly, heaven is on my side!"

Lu Zhao was bound by blood-red threads, unable to move, and his spiritual power was being rapidly eroded and consumed by the bloodthirsty energy. His face was pale, but there was no panic in his eyes; instead, he was unusually calm.

"You think you've got this in the bag?" Lu Zhao looked at Xue Ying, a cold smile curving his lips.

"What, do you have some other tricks up your sleeve?" Blood Shadow chuckled mockingly. "These Blood Fiend Threads are made from thousand-year-old blood silkworm silk, soaked in a pool of ten thousand people's blood. They are incredibly tough and can erode spiritual power. Even a Golden Core cultivator wouldn't be able to break free once entangled! What makes you, a Foundation Establishment brat, think you can escape?"

"Is that so?" A cold glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes, and a long-dormant power within him suddenly awakened!

"Nine Dragons Controlling Qi Technique - Dragon Qi Burst!"

"roar--!"

A deep dragon roar resounded from Lu Zhao's body! A terrifying dragon's might erupted from his body like a volcanic eruption! The blood-red threads wrapped around him seemed to have encountered their nemesis, hissing and emitting puffs of black smoke, quickly becoming dim and withered!

"What?!" Blood Shadow's expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with horror! He could feel that an unimaginable power suddenly erupted from Lu Zhao's body. This power was extremely yang, extremely strong, extremely righteous and extremely great, and had a natural restraint on his bloodthirsty energy!

"Break!"

Lu Zhao roared, and the Annihilation Dragon Qi within his body surged wildly. A gray-gold light emanated from his body, like a small sun! The blood-red threads wrapped around him were instantly shattered inch by inch, turning into black smoke that dissipated into nothingness!

"puff--!"

The Blood Fiend Formation was forcibly broken, and the backlash caused Blood Shadow to groan, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, and his face becoming even paler.

"You... what kind of cultivation technique do you practice?!" Blood Shadow's eyes were filled with disbelief. His Blood Fiend Threads had actually been broken open in such a brute force by a Foundation Establishment cultivator?!

"The technique to kill you!" Lu Zhao's eyes were icy cold. He took a step forward and instantly appeared in front of the Blood Shadow, throwing a punch!

"Nine Dragons Controlling Qi - Dragon Fist Piercing the Heavens!"

"roar--!"

A solid, gray-gold dragon-shaped fist imprint roared out, carrying an aura of annihilation, and slammed fiercely towards the Blood Shadow!

"Blood Shield!" Blood Shadow's expression changed drastically. He quickly formed hand seals, and blood light surged around him, condensing into a blood-red shield that blocked in front of him!

"boom--!"

The dragon-shaped fist imprint slammed into the blood-red shield! With a deafening roar, the blood-red shield trembled violently, cracks appeared on its surface, and finally, with a "bang," it exploded! Blood Shadow was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the bone altar, shattering it to pieces, and spitting out blood!

"Impossible!" Blood Shadow's eyes were filled with horror. He was a mid-stage Golden Core assassin, yet he was sent flying and injured by a Foundation Establishment brat with a single punch! How could this kid's strength be so terrifying?!

"Nothing is impossible." Lu Zhao's eyes were icy as he walked step by step toward Blood Shadow. With each step, his aura grew stronger. "You like to suck people's life essence, don't you? Today, I'll let you taste what it's like to be drained dry!"

"The Sword Qi of Annihilation - Ten Thousand Swords Return to Their Origin!"

Lu Zhao pointed his fingers like a sword and slashed through the air! Countless gray-gold sword energies of annihilation appeared out of thin air, transforming into a rain of swords that swept across the sky and shot towards the Blood Shadow!

"No—!" Blood Shadow roared in despair, frantically channeling the bloodthirsty energy within his body in an attempt to resist. But the Annihilation Sword Qi was indestructible and had a natural advantage over the bloodthirsty energy! The blood-red light shield was pierced through instantly, like paper!

"Hiss hiss hiss—!"

Countless sword energies pierced through Blood Shadow's body, riddling him with holes! Blood gushed out like a fountain from the numerous wounds on his body!

"ah--!"

Blood Shadow let out a piercing scream, the life in his eyes quickly fading away. Even in death, he couldn't understand how he, a mid-stage Golden Core assassin, could die at the hands of a Foundation Establishment brat.

"Bang—!"

Blood Shadow's corpse fell heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The crimson light in his eyes dimmed completely, and he was utterly lifeless.

Lu Zhao walked to the side of Xue Ying's corpse and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that it was completely dead. His face was slightly pale, and nearly 70% of his spiritual power had been consumed. Forcibly unleashing his dragon energy to break through the blood-fiend threads and then using the Myriad Swords Return to Origin technique had taken a heavy toll on him.

"A Golden Core assassin, indeed troublesome." Lu Zhao was still shaken. If it weren't for the Nine Dragons Controlling Qi Technique he cultivated, which had a natural restraint on bloodthirsty qi, and if he hadn't decisively unleashed his power, catching Blood Shadow off guard, he would probably be the one dead today.

"This place is not safe to stay for long." Lu Zhao quickly put away Blood Shadow's storage bag and the nine blood-red flags, checked the surroundings again, and after confirming that there was no other danger, he quickly left this strange area.

Half an hour later, Lu Zhao set up a concealment formation in a hidden cave and began to take stock of his harvest.

The storage bags of Yin Gu, Xue Tu, and Gui Shou contained a considerable amount of spirit stones, pills, and materials, but nothing particularly valuable. The most valuable item was Yin Gu's white bone staff, a decent mid-grade magic weapon imbued with rich Yin energy, suitable for those cultivating Yin and evil techniques. Xue Tu's ghost-headed dagger was a low-grade magic weapon, of moderate power. Gui Shou's two poisoned daggers were also low-grade magic weapons, their poison extremely potent.

Lu Zhao sorted and put these items away. Although he didn't need them, he could exchange them for spirit stones or other resources.

What Lu Zhao cared about most were Blood Shadow's storage bag and the nine small blood-red flags.

Blood Shadow's storage bag was enormous, filled with a dazzling array of items. Spirit stones were piled high, numbering in the hundreds of thousands of low-grade stones, and several thousand mid-grade stones. Pills, talismans, and materials were plentiful and of high quality. There were also several cultivation techniques and secret arts, mostly evil arts from the Blood Fiend Sect. Lu Zhao glanced at them and tossed them aside. Although these evil arts were incredibly powerful, they were against the natural order, and he disdained to cultivate them.

"This is..." Lu Zhao pulled out a palm-sized, jet-black, and icy-cold token from his storage bag. On the front of the token was a ferocious skull, and on the back was the character "Shadow".

"Blood Fiend Token?" Lu Zhao frowned. This token emitted a faint aura of bloodlust, originating from the same source as Blood Shadow, clearly indicating it was an identity token of the Blood Fiend Sect. Perhaps it would be useful in the future.

Lu Zhao put away the Blood Fiend Token and picked up the nine small blood-red flags. These nine flags formed a complete array flag set called the "Nine Nether Blood Fiend Array Flags," a decent array capable of setting up the Nine Nether Blood Fiend Array with considerable power. However, this array required blood fiend energy to activate, which Lu Zhao couldn't use, but he could exchange for it or study it; perhaps he could gain something from it.

"Hmm? This is..." Lu Zhao took out another jade slip from Xue Ying's storage bag. He probed it with his divine sense, and after a moment, his expression became solemn.

The jade slip contained some of Blood Shadow's mission records and intelligence. Among them were mission records related to the Qin family, as well as information about the Heavenly Sword Secret Realm.

"The Qin family...it really is the Qin family!" A cold glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. The jade slip clearly recorded that the Qin family had spent a huge sum of money, hiring Blood Shadow, to kill Lu Zhao in the Heavenly Sword Secret Realm at all costs. Moreover, the Qin family had provided detailed information about Lu Zhao, including his strength, techniques, and possible weaknesses.

"What a terrible Qin family!" Lu Zhao's heart surged with killing intent. The Qin family had tried to kill him time and time again; this was an irreconcilable feud!

"And this Heavenly Sword Secret Realm..." Lu Zhao continued to examine the information in the jade slip. The jade slip recorded that deep within the Heavenly Sword Secret Realm, there was a place called "Sword Tomb," which was said to be the burial place of the sword of an ancient sword master. It was possible that ancient sword inheritances and the sword of that master could be found there.

"Sword Tomb..." Lu Zhao's eyes lit up. He cultivated the sword path, and this Sword Tomb was undoubtedly a treasure trove for him. Perhaps, there, he could find an opportunity for a breakthrough, or even a way to save Ye Qingyi.

"I must go to the Sword Tomb!" Lu Zhao made up his mind. However, the Sword Tomb was located deep within the secret realm, fraught with danger, and the Qin family would probably not allow him to reach it easily.

"I'll recover my strength first, then head to the Sword Tomb." Lu Zhao suppressed his thoughts, took out a few pills, swallowed them, and began to meditate and regulate his breathing to recover his depleted spiritual energy.

A day later, Lu Zhao recovered to his peak condition. He dispelled the concealment formation, walked out of the cave, identified the direction, and sped off towards the Sword Tomb recorded in the jade slip.

The hunt in the Heavenly Sword Secret Realm continues. But this time, the roles of hunter and prey have reversed.