Chapter 43

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Just after Li Weixuan’s fierce Sword Intent turned the skeleton centipede into bone dust, the group’s eyes lit up as they realized they had reached the center of the ruins.

A gap appeared amidst the crowded buildings here, forming a deep pit.

The pit was currently filled with a viscous dark red liquid, resembling decayed and spoiled blood.

More exaggerated was the fact that the blood pool was even moving.

It pulsated as if alive, the entire blood pool contracting and expanding at a unique frequency, much like a giant slime.

As it moved, large and small bubbles continuously emerged, releasing a rotten smell that shot straight to the brain, making one feel as if their brain would rot with a single breath.

At last, they knew where all the blood had gone to!

It seemed one’s imagination still needed further refinement, this thing was far more bizarre than bloody tofu.

And even more unexpected, there was actually a person in the middle of the blood pool.

This person was extremely tall, but his hair and beard were all white, showing that he was of old age.

At the moment he was with his eyes tightly closed, motionless.

Surprisingly, not only was his body intact, but his upper body was also spotlessly clean, making a stark contrast with the foul stench below.

In the old man’s right hand was a long halberd with an exaggerated design.

Just by looking at the luster flowing on it, one could tell it was definitely a divine weapon.

However, looking closely, one could see that starting from the old man’s lower legs, which were soaked in the blood, signs of corrosion had begun to appear, and a dark rust had crept up to his waist.

“You all wait here.”

Li Weixuan dropped the phrase coldly and immediately prepared to go down to investigate.

Just at that moment, an anomaly abruptly occurred.

A bizarre pulsation appeared in the dark red fluid of the blood pool, and then a vortex formed around the old man.

The stench instantly increased tenfold.

The vortex’s speed accelerated from slow to fast, spinning wildly, and in the blink of an eye, it slithered up the old man’s legs, swiftly enveloping his entire lower half.

The next moment, the top of the fluid tightened into a cylindrical shape, then trembled like a snake, hoisting the old man high into the air.

The old man raised his long halberd high, as if descending from the sky like an executioner about to deliver a death blow.

Clang!

Accompanied by a streak of fire tearing through the sky, the old man crossed a distance of dozens of meters, and his long halberd smashed hard onto the ground in front of the crowd.

Across from him, Li Weixuan, who had remained uninjured thus far, finally had some bloodstains on his body.

The old man, failing to make his strike count, once again stood in the air with the support of the blood column.

“Stay back.”

Li Weixuan signaled everyone to retreat.

The next moment, Sword Intent surged and killing energy filled the air.

This was the power of the Fourth Phase pinnacle.

Fu Qian clicked his tongue in praise, yet his eyes were fixed on the old man opposite to him.

The momentum behind that single halberd attack was truly terrifying—if it hadn’t been for Li Weixuan blocking it, the Exploration Team would have either died or been injured.

Unfortunately, the attacker, who launched that strike, still hadn’t opened his eyes, his movements stiff, as if a dead man.

Is that thing attached to his lower body the real entity after all?

Fu Qian looked at the clump holding up the old man.

Now that mass had entirely transformed into the shape of a snail, with most of the dark red fluid absorbed into its body, revealing a circular dome at the bottom of the pool.

The old man must have been standing on that just before.

While everyone’s attention was drawn to the battle, Fu Qian quietly walked to the edge of the pool.

There was something he had wanted to do for a long time.

He was sure of his deduction, having watched all the way up to now.

“`

The people who entered the crucible had their flesh and blood refined by special rules, then they were transformed into various twisted monsters.

Clearly, this Blood Pond is one of those products.

So the question arises, why was the old man unaffected?

It seems he has been here for quite some time.

When things are abnormal, there must be demons; only those not governed by the rules have a chance to get out.

Looking at the dark red water of the pond, Fu Qian cut a wound on his arm, then inverted his palm, allowing his blood to flow into it.

Logically speaking, once blood leaves the body, it becomes lifeless and should be absorbed quickly.

However, unexpectedly, the blood Fu Qian let into the pond not only didn’t blend in but actually floated on the surface, like oil and water, refusing to mix.

Does this mean I am also unaffected? Fu Qian’s eyes lit up.

Do I have anything in common with this elder? Other than us both being male.

As Fu Qian was frowning in thought here, he suddenly noticed a change in the blood in the pond.

As if drawn by some force, the blood floating on the surface of the Blood Pond began to move.

Quickly, the pool of fresh blood stretched into a line, flowing towards the direction of the old man suspended in mid-air.

It can also do this?

Fu Qian watched with wide eyes as the bloodline followed the pillar of blood from the lower half of the old man’s body, eventually disappearing at the old man’s waist.

Because the color contrast was not obvious, no one else but him noticed this detail.

At this time, the fight between the two reached its climax. Although the old man possessed immense strength and a divine weapon, he appeared to be just a puppet, lacking flexibility in his movements.

Under Li Weixuan’s relentless assault, the old man quickly fell into a disadvantage, now desperately holding on.

Li Weixuan seemed to realize that the pillar of blood beneath the old man was the real body, so he aimed every strike at the lower half, causing blood and viscera to splash and flow everywhere.

With one final rip through the lower blood pillar of the old man, his entire body shuddered and he groaned, opening his eyes.

He began to struggle fiercely, and, just before the blood pillar could seal back up, he managed to break free, leaping to the shore.

“Thank you, for helping me escape from that Nightmare.”

Kneeling and gasping for air, the old man’s eyes showed a human’s light for the first time.

“I never imagined such a day would come.”

The old man spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and unpleasant, as if he hadn’t spoken for a long time.

Seeing this, Li Weixuan also ceased attacking but still watched him warily, issuing the soul’s triple inquiry.

“Who exactly are you? Why are you here? What is this place really?”

“I am…”

The old man, clutching the long halberd, slowly stood, frowning in contemplation, his face showing a pained expression.

“I can’t remember, I only remember being trapped somewhere, unable to escape no matter what…

Monsters everywhere, my thoughts growing more and more chaotic, sometimes even feeling like I was already dead…”

“Hold on a second!”

All of a sudden, as if the old man had discovered something, he pointed at the Academy students’ chests, his face trembling.

“Are you from the Academy?”

“You know about the Academy?”

Quite a few students had the Academy’s emblem on their chests; now it was their turn to be taken aback.

“Remember? I clearly know that I am the Fourth Headmaster of the Academy!”

“I remember now…”

Before the Academy’s people could express their shock, the old man’s demeanor suddenly became solemn, his long halberd striking the ground.

“My name is Feng Yunhong!”