119: The Black Demon Lord! The Golden-Backed Mantis Displays Its Power!

Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen: Black Fiend Cult Leader! The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis Shows Its Might!

The bloody scent in the front courtyard of the Cold Palace had not yet dissipated; the night wind wailed, adding a few more layers of killing intent.

Lu Qiu ordered Zhao Wen, "Bring the corpses of these four fellows over here."

Zhao Wen immediately responded. Enduring the pungent smell of burnt flesh and blood permeating the air, he nimbly dragged the bodies of Iron Net, Ice Fiend, Green Pattern, and Leaf Snake before Lu Qiu, lining them up.

Lu Qiu's gaze swept over the four corpses, which had been notorious in life but were now devoid of vitality, his expression indifferent.

He extended his palm, palm facing up, and a wisp of pure and scorching scarlet gold flame flared up—it was the pure Chixiao True Fire.

With a casual wave, the scarlet gold flame split into four wisps, accurately landing on the four corpses.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle..."

The flames ignited upon contact, but there was none of the foul stench or thick smoke typical of burning corpses.

Under the calcination of the domineering and pure Chixiao True Fire, the four corpses, along with their clothing and remaining fragments of Magical Artifacts, quickly turned into primordial ash and scattered with the wind.

And the most refined Fiend Demon Origin, which they had Cultivated for many years within their Dantian and essence blood using the Fiend Demon Art, condensed into four pills the size of longans, each a different color, with faint bloody patterns flowing on their surfaces.

One was dark gold.

One was ice blue, emitting a bone-chilling cold.

One was emerald green.

One was earthy yellow.

These were the embryonic forms of the "blood condensing five elements pills," or rather, essences containing the corresponding Five Elements Fiend Demon Origins!

Lu Qiu waved his hand and grabbed the four pills, placing each into a jade box affixed with a Seal Talisman before putting them into his Storage Pouch.

After dealing with the bodies, Lu Qiu's powerful Divine Sense spread out like spilled mercury, meticulously scanning the entire Cold Palace area once again.

Soon, his gaze locked onto a seemingly ordinary, moss-covered rockery in a corner of the front courtyard.

The rockery itself showed no abnormalities, but about thirty feet beneath it, his Divine Sense perceived a blank area obscured by a Formation and the entrance to a secret passage extending downward.

"It's right here." Lu Qiu stepped toward the rockery, arriving at its shaded side.

He didn't look for any mechanisms, instead directly extending his right hand, his fingers covered in a faint scarlet gold glow, and pressed against a spot on the rockery that seemed solid.

With a soft "poof," the rock was easily pierced like tofu, revealing a deep stone step passage behind it that slanted downward, just wide enough for one person.

An even denser, chilling, and decayed aura mixed with a faint scent of blood rushed out from within the passage.

"Follow me, and be careful," Lu Qiu said to Zhao Wen behind him, leading the way into the passage.

Zhao Wen gripped the profound ice sword, the light of the profound earth shield faintly flickering as he followed closely.

The passage was pitch black, the air damp and cold, and the stone steps were slippery and covered in slick moss. However, for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, seeing in the dark was not difficult.

The two walked down the spiraling stone steps for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick. The passage gradually widened, and a faint dark red light began to filter through from ahead; the smell of blood and decay in the air grew heavier.

Turning another corner, the view suddenly opened up.

This was an underground stone chamber, roughly a hundred square feet, that had been manually excavated.

In the center of the stone chamber was a blood pond that occupied most of the space, bubbling with dark red bubbles!

The blood in the pond was as thick as syrup, emitting a nauseatingly sweet and fishy smell. Some partially melted skeletal remains floated on the surface, faintly recognizable as human.

On the ground around the blood pond, complex and sinister Formation patterns were inscribed. These patterns were embedded with dim Spirit Stones and unknown black crystals, which were currently flickering with a faint dark red light. Clearly, the Formation was still active, continuously drawing some kind of energy from the pond.

This was exactly the place where the Black Fiend Cult Leader practiced his arts.

Lu Qiu's Divine Sense swept through the stone chamber. Besides the central blood pond and the surrounding Formations, he found no other obvious life signatures or hiding places.

But a nearly imperceptible cold smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Just as he stepped toward the blood pond, seemingly wanting to examine the Formation patterns closely—

A sudden change occurred!

Behind Lu Qiu, beneath the feet of Zhao Wen who was following him, a stone slab that appeared no different from the surroundings but was actually cleverly concealed by an illusion suddenly flipped over!

A bizarre tentacle, crimson as blood, covered in suckers, and tipped with a sharp bone spike, shot out from the pit beneath the trapdoor like a lurking venomous snake, aiming directly for the back of Zhao Wen's heart with lightning speed!

This sneak attack was extremely abrupt, fierce, and silent. It was clearly a well-designed plan, exploiting the momentary vulnerability when Zhao Wen was following Lu Qiu and his attention was drawn to the blood pond ahead!

Although Zhao Wen had remained vigilant, his strength was only at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage. Facing this premeditated, lethal sneak attack from beneath his feet, his reaction was half a beat too slow!

He only felt a sinister wind attacking from behind, and a bone-chilling killing intent instantly enveloped his entire body. It was already too late to dodge or summon the profound earth shield for full defense!

"Master!"

In his terror, he only had time to shout a warning while desperately twisting his body to the side, hoping to avoid his vital organs.

However, Lu Qiu's reaction was more than ten times faster than his!

At the very moment the crimson tentacle burst from the ground, even before it had fully revealed itself, Lu Qiu acted as if he had eyes in the back of his head. Without even turning around, he simply flicked his finger backward!

"Whoosh—!"

A strand of scarlet gold Sword Qi, condensed like silk and moving with extreme speed, arrived first, accurately striking the sharpest bone spike at the tip of the crimson tentacle!

"Ding!"

A crisp sound, like the clashing of metal!

The bone spike, which seemed indestructible and capable of piercing Magical Artifacts, shattered inch by inch like glass the moment it touched the scarlet gold Sword Qi!

The Sword Qi's momentum did not diminish, continuing to shred its way up the tentacle!

"Pshhh..."

The crimson tentacle exploded section by section, spraying foul-smelling fluid everywhere!

The attacker hidden beneath the trapdoor let out a pained and angry muffled groan. The tentacle retracted like lightning, and the trapdoor slammed shut with a "clap." The ground returned to its original state, as if the sneak attack had never happened.

But the atmosphere in the stone chamber had already dropped to the freezing point.

Zhao Wen was still shaken, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He hurriedly retreated to Lu Qiu's side, his profound earth shield glowing brightly to protect himself, his heart filled with lingering fear.

If his master hadn't acted, he would likely be a dead man by now!

"Rat hiding your head but showing your tail, why don't you show yourself?" Lu Qiu slowly turned around, his gaze like lightning as he locked onto a seemingly flat rock wall across the blood pond, his tone icy.

"Hmph! Ruining my divine art, killing my Blood Servants... Your Excellency, just what is your background?" A somber, raspy voice, sounding like metal scraping together, came from behind the rock wall Lu Qiu was looking at.

Immediately following that, the rock wall rippled like water, revealing a more hidden side chamber behind it.

A middle-aged man dressed in a bright yellow Dragon-patterned robe, wearing a golden crown and possessing a sinister countenance, stepped out slowly.

His face was pale with an unnatural flush, his eye sockets were sunken, and his eyes flickered with a sharp light, faintly carrying a blood-fiend aura.

The Spiritual Pressure radiating from him had reached the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, and his aura was cold and violent, forming a bizarre and strong contrast with his noble imperial attire.

This was the one who had launched the sneak attack earlier, and also the "Cult Leader" mentioned by the four Blood Servants!

The yellow-robed man stared fixedly at Lu Qiu, his eyes filled with wariness and killing intent.

His well-prepared sneak attack had been intended to first eliminate the bothersome Early Foundation Establishment Stage attendant before concentrating all his power on this unfathomable green-robed Cultivator. He hadn't expected it to be broken so casually by the opponent, who even injured his "Blood Tentacle"!

This person's sharp Divine Sense, quick reactions, and fierce attacks far exceeded his expectations.

Facing the questioning, Lu Qiu's expression remained calm as he simply uttered a few words: "I have come here only to take your life."

Before his voice had even faded, with a slight thought, he no longer held anything back!

"Roar—!!!"

A terrifying roar, filled with endless ferocity and tyranny, suddenly exploded within the underground stone chamber!

The stone walls trembled, and the blood pond churned!

Dark gold light filled the entire space! A massive insect nearly thirty feet long, its entire body covered in a heavy, hideous dark gold carapace, its forelimbs' blade-arms glinting coldly like the scythes of a death god, and its compound eyes flickering with cold, cruel, and murderous light, appeared out of thin air in front of Lu Qiu!

A Peak Rank 4 Yao Beast—the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis!

That terrifying Spiritual Pressure, comparable to a Core Formation Cultivator in the Early Stage, crashed down like a physical mountain upon the yellow-robed man across from it!

"A... Rank 4 Yao Beast?!"

The sinister look and killing intent on the yellow-robed man's face were instantly replaced by boundless horror. His pupils shrank to the size of pinheads, and he cried out in shock, his voice changing pitch!

In his wildest dreams, he never thought the opponent would be carrying such a terrifying Yao Beast!

This aura... it had definitely reached the Peak of Rank 4, and might even be touching the threshold of Rank 5!

Such an existence was enough to easily crush him, a mere Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator!

Immense fear, like a cold tide, instantly submerged him.

In the face of this absolute gap in strength, everything seemed pathetically laughable!

"Go, kill him." Lu Qiu's voice was flat and calm, as if he were merely ordering a trivial matter.

Receiving the command, the murderous light in the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's compound eyes surged, and it let out an excited hiss!

Its massive body crouched slightly, and in the next instant, it turned into a dark gold afterimage, pouncing directly at the yellow-robed man with a terrifying speed that the naked eye could not capture!

The blade-arms tore through the air, letting out a shrill whistle. Wherever they passed, the air was sliced into white streaks!

The yellow-robed man's Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering; how could he have even a shred of Battle Intent left!

He let out a strange cry, blood-light surging around his body as he prepared to use some kind of life-saving escape technique!

However, in the face of the Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's absolute speed and power, combined with Lu Qiu's interference from the side, all these struggles were in vain!

"Pshhh!"

Soon, there was a sickening sound of a sharp blade entering flesh!

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis's blade-arms, as if cutting through soft tofu, easily tore through the several layers of blood-colored shields the yellow-robed man had hastily summoned, slicing across his chest!

The yellow-robed man's movements suddenly froze, the horror on his face solidifying.

He lowered his head, looking at the massive wound on his chest that had almost sliced him in half diagonally; his internal organs and broken bones were clearly visible.

No blood gushed from the wound because the terrifying power and demonic energy attached to the blade-arms had instantly destroyed all his vitality.

"You... just who..."

His lips moved, uttering a few blurred syllables as the light in his eyes quickly extinguished: "are... you..."

"Thud!"

The mangled corpse fell powerlessly to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The bright yellow Dragon-patterned robe was quickly soaked by the foul blood seeping from his body.

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis disdainfully poked the corpse with its blade-arm, confirming it was thoroughly dead, before slowly retreating to Lu Qiu's side and letting out a low hiss, as if seeking credit.

Lu Qiu glanced at the corpse on the ground. With a wave of his hand, another wisp of Chixiao True Fire fell, incinerating it into ash.

Similarly, a pill more solid than the previous four, with colors of dark red and bright yellow intertwined and an even more mixed and violent aura, formed in the ashes and was collected by Lu Qiu.

This yellow-robed man must have Cultivated the "Fire" element Fiend Demon Art of the Five Elements, and his cultivation was the deepest, so the Fiend Demon Origin contained in this pill was also the heaviest.

At this point, all the Five Elements Fiend Demon Origins required for the blood condensing five elements pill were in hand.

"Master, what should we do next?" Seeing Lu Qiu still standing in place, seemingly deep in thought, Zhao Wen asked softly.

Lu Qiu glanced at him and said calmly, "It's not over yet. Follow me."

After saying that, he didn't spare another glance at the bloody and foul secret chamber, turning to return the way they came.

Although Zhao Wen was puzzled, he didn't dare to ask more and hurriedly followed.

The two soon returned to the surface of the Cold Palace, the cool night wind blowing away the slight underground foul air clinging to them.

Lu Qiu identified the direction. Instead of heading out of the Imperial Palace, he moved, swiftly rushing toward the depths of the Imperial Palace—the most brightly lit and heavily guarded core area, the Emperor's sleeping quarters!

Zhao Wen was startled and quickly followed.

He looked at Lu Qiu's upright and composed back in the night, his eyes already filled with awe.

What he had seen today had completely overturned his understanding.

Not only was his master's own strength unfathomable, killing the four Foundation Establishment Blood Servants in an instant, but he also possessed a terrifying spirit pet capable of rivaling a Core Formation Cultivator!

The ferocity emitted by that dark gold giant insect earlier still left him with a lingering fear.

Before his master, the notoriously infamous Black Fiend Cult Leader was simply like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, without any power to fight back!

Just what kind of existence was his master?

Was his cultivation really only at the Foundation Establishment Stage?

Zhao Wen didn't dare to think too deeply, only feeling that being able to follow such a person was truly the greatest Opportunity of his life!

...In the night sky, two figures flitted across the many palace buildings like ghosts, heading straight for the sleeping quarters that symbolized the highest secular power in the State of Yue.

Because he had read the original work, Lu Qiu knew very well.

The "yellow-robed man" he had easily killed in the underground secret chamber just now was not the true Black Fiend Cult Leader at all!

At most, that was just a "body double" cultivated by the true Cult Leader using the External Incarnation, which had cost a great deal of energy to nurture!

And the true Black Fiend Cult Leader, that hidden mastermind with the deepest schemes and the greatest strength.

Was the person currently sitting on the Dragon Throne of the State of Yue, worshipped by ten thousand people and enjoying boundless wealth, seemingly held hostage by the Black Fiend Cult but actually manipulating everything—

The Emperor of the State of Yue himself!