249: Chapter 249 Blood Butcher is injured, his roar shakes the heavens.

Gravel continued to fall from the cave ceiling, splashing strings of dark red droplets into the pools of blood.

That milky-white stream of light finally exhausted its last bit of power, turning into tiny specks of light in the air like fireflies extinguishing on a summer night.

The black smoke from the barrier's explosion had yet to dissipate, and the depths of the cave were deathly silent, save for the water seeping from rock crevices, tapping against the ground—drip, drip, drip.

Blood Butcher stood in place, his chest heaving violently, his face as pale as paper.

The blood threads in his palm curled into a ball, no longer moving, like frozen snakes.

Another mouthful of black blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth, sliding down his chin and dripping onto the purple-gray moss at his feet with a soft "hiss," emitting a wisp of white smoke.

He looked down at his hands; his fingers were trembling slightly.

Three hundred years.

From carving a bloody path through the Righteous Path's encirclement, relying on the Blood River Demonic Art to tear through grand arrays, to devouring the essence and blood of thousands to change his fate against the heavens...

He never imagined that one day, his Meridians would be injured by a ray of "light."

It wasn't a breach of defense; it was purification.

It wasn't suppression; it was a cleansing.

That power bored into his body like a brush scrubbing his organs, peeling away layers of Evil Qi, resentment, and killing intent accumulated over many years, forcing his True Yuan into chaos and his blood to flow in reverse.

“Heh...”

He let out a low chuckle, his voice so raspy it didn't sound human.

In the next instant, his throat suddenly jolted—

“AAAAHHHHH—!!!”

A roar exploded, deafening as thunder, making the entire cave tremble.

Sheets of gravel collapsed from the ceiling, clanging against the mecha wreckage; cracks spread across the ground like a spiderweb extending ten zhang away; even the unexploded Talisman Mines in the distance were activated by the shockwave, humming incessantly.

“You all must die!” His eyes were blood-red, veins bulging on his temples, looking like a cornered beast. “Chen Wuwang! Chen Xiaodao! And you, this little girl who doesn't know the meaning of death! I will dig out your hearts and livers to refine into Blood Pills! I will make the entire Eastern Wasteland be buried with me today—!”

Before his roar faded, the airflow inside the cave shifted abruptly, and a figure emerged from the shadows.

The newcomer was dressed in black martial attire, covered by semi-transparent Psionic Armor. His left Mechanical Prosthetic Eye glinted with cold light, and his right hand was pressed against the dagger at his waist, his knuckles white.

Chen Wuwang had arrived.

He didn't speak, simply raising a hand and waving it.

Boom!

Six Talisman Mines pre-planted in the walls detonated simultaneously. Flames soared and airwaves rolled, forcing Blood Butcher to stumble backward.

Immediately after, three flying blades shot out from different angles—

They were fragments of scrapped mecha, remotely controlled, curving through the air to target his throat, heart, and knees.

Blood Butcher roared, forcibly channeling his remaining Blood River power to condense a thin blood membrane in front of him.

Two flying blades hit the blood membrane and melted instantly; the third grazed his calf, cutting a deep wound that revealed the bone.

Blood gushed out but did not hit the ground.

As soon as those blood droplets left his body, they were pulled by some invisible force, hovering in mid-air and forming a faint resonance with the purple-gray moss on the ground, as if trying to transmit some information.

But no one gave it the time.

“Tiezhu!” Chen Wuwang barked.

“Roger!”

A response came from the cave entrance.

The earth dragon mecha piloted by Chen Tiezhu roared to life. Its psionic drill spun at high speed, letting out a piercing shriek as it charged from the flank.

Soil flew and rock walls crumbled as the entire mecha, like a steel behemoth, lunged straight for Blood Butcher's rear.

Blood Butcher's pupils shrank. He spun around and formed hand seals, intending to summon Corpse Puppets for protection.

But those three corpses moved as sluggishly as rusted machinery, their joints creaking. They had barely raised their arms when two of them had their heads severed by a streak of Sword Qi.

The remaining one was about to retreat when Runic Formations lit up on the ground, locking it firmly in place, unable to move.

“The control signal is unstable,” Chen Wuwang said coldly. “Your Puppets can't even stand straight now.”

Blood Butcher's breathing was heavy as he leaned against the rock wall, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

He wanted to spit out more essence blood to repair his barrier, but the Meridians in his body burned with searing pain; every breath felt like swallowing knives.

He looked up, staring intently at Chen Wuwang: “You... were waiting for me all along?”

“What do you think?” Chen Wuwang took a step forward, the red light from his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye surging. “An old devil on the most-wanted list, appearing silently in my back mountain forest and happening to stumble upon a monster nest investigation? Don't you think that's a bit too coincidental?”

Blood Butcher's gaze flickered.

He remembered how smoothly he had entered the array.

No warnings, no obstructions, he hadn't even seen a single patrol mecha.

It was as if... he had been invited in.

“You are a pawn,” Chen Wuwang's voice wasn't loud, but every word hit like a hammer. “Someone lured you here, wanting to use your hand to stir up trouble. Pity, you were too impatient; you exposed your killing intent the moment you entered.”

“Bullshit!” Blood Butcher hissed, a ferocious light flashing in his eyes. “When I, Blood Butcher, kill people, why would I need someone else to guide me?!”

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his hand, pouring his last thirty percent of True Yuan into his right arm. Blood lines surged, condensing into a phantom blood blade that hacked down toward Chen Wuwang's head!

This strike was as fast as lightning and as fierce as a crazed tiger.

But Chen Wuwang simply tilted his body slightly and evaded it.

The blood blade struck the rock wall, leaving only a shallow mark.

“You're out of strength,” Chen Wuwang said flatly. “The Blood River Demonic Art emphasizes using slaughter to sustain slaughter, but now you can't even kill a single living person.”

Blood Butcher gnashed his teeth, wanting to attack again, but found his legs weak, nearly collapsing.

He looked down and saw that the edges of the wound on his calf had begun to turn black, as if being corroded by something.

“Purification residue.” Chen Wuwang pointed to the spot where Bai Ling had just been standing. “Her magic didn't just damage your barrier; it also invaded your blood.”

Blood Butcher jerked his head up, scanning his surroundings.

Chen Xiaodao stood on a high platform to the left, leaning on his sword. Though he hadn't stepped forward, his Sword Intent was locked on, ready to strike at any moment.

Bai Ling leaned against the rock wall below, her breath weak as she closed her eyes to recover, clearly exhausted.

And Chen Wuwang stood steadily in front, like an insurmountable mountain.

He suddenly laughed, a frenzied sound. “Good! What a Chen family! technological cultivation, sword array coordination, magic purification... you think you can win against me like this?”

“I don't need to win.” Chen Wuwang slowly drew a dagger, runes flowing across its surface. “I only need to keep you here.”

As he spoke, he raised his hand.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three psionic shells whistled in from different directions, forming a triangular formation to block his retreat.

The explosive airwaves sent Blood Butcher flying several zhang, slamming him heavily against the rock wall as he coughed up blood.

He struggled to climb up, but found his limbs as heavy as lead.

The Blood River Demonic Art within him was in total chaos; his Meridians were blocked, his True Yuan flow cut off, and he couldn't even stand steadily.

“You... all must die...” he muttered repeatedly, his voice growing lower. The fierce light in his eyes hadn't faded, but it could no longer hide his fatigue.

Chen Wuwang approached step by step, his footsteps echoing in the cave.

Behind him, the mecha fragments hovered once more, Sword Qi flickered, and runic arrays lit up.

A siege had already taken shape.

Blood Butcher leaned against the rock wall, panting like an ox, veins throbbing on his temples, his nails digging deep into the stone crevices.

He didn't run.

He couldn't run.

Because at this moment, he had become the prey.

Chen Wuwang stopped three paces away from him, the red light of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye locked onto the center of his brow.

“You said you would kill us,” he said softly. “But now, you're the one who can't hold on first.”

Blood Butcher looked up at him and suddenly grinned, revealing a mouth full of bloody teeth. “Then... let's see who dies first.”

He raised a trembling hand and pointed at Chen Wuwang's chest.

“You... won't escape either.”

Before his voice fell, a mecha afterimage slid quietly behind Chen Wuwang.