Red Heart Patrols the Sky

The dense fog could not obscure such brilliant crimson light. At that moment, Zhao Rucheng had just struggled to his feet from the ground, nearly overwhelmed by the swarm of lost souls rushing towards him.

And then Du Yehu arrived!

He didn't even need to take action. As the intense Blood and Qi Power surged forward, the approaching lost souls crumbled away.

Du Yehu's approach was straightforward to the extreme. He simply grabbed Zhao Rucheng by the collar and carried him towards Ling He.

Having received a vicious claw from the Grudge Ghost, all his martial brothers were extremely anxious. But Zhao Rucheng himself didn't seem at all injured and, annoyed, shouted, "Hey hey hey, I can walk on my own!"

Du Yehu paid him no heed and sprinted halfway before tossing the incessantly noisy Zhao Rucheng towards Ling He. He then turned around, his fist wrapped in the rich Blood and Qi Power, and smashed it viciously into the Grudge Ghost.

Setting aside Ling He, who caught Zhao Rucheng mid-air, let's talk about Du Yehu's punch.

Compared to the Purple Qi Eastward sword technique, the fist technique he practiced was not as sophisticated, and was somewhat neglected even among the outer disciples of the Daoist academy. But when he used it, it became unusually violent.

This punch was not aimed at seeking an opening but met the Grudge Ghost's giant claw head-on, with force against force, attack against attack – truly fierce without equal!

His fist, enveloped in substantial Blood and Qi Power, collided with the Grudge Ghost's dark green claw and, for a moment, held firm.

Just then, Jiang Wang had already leaped over, and with a flash of sword light, he cut through the Grudge Ghost's other eye.

"Withdraw!"

Having succeeded in his strike, Jiang Wang retreated. Du Yehu also leaped back hastily.

Meanwhile, the now-blind Grudge Ghost became even more frenzied, its giant claws scratching wildly, stirring up a fierce wind in the vicinity.

As its onslaught began to tire, Jiang Wang immediately pivoted back into action. The Longsword arc gracefully through the air, as light as a falling leaf, drifting onto the Grudge Ghost's right claw almost silently. Yet, upon contact with the dark green talon, it unleashed an incomparable, piercing screech!

Purple Qi Eastward swordsmanship's third killing technique excelled in sharpness!

With a single stroke, the Grudge Ghost's right claw was severed.

Jiang Wang had no desire to linger in battle. He even began his retreat simultaneously with his sword strike.

The Grudge Ghost, deprived of vision, could only desperately lash out at the air in front of it, while Du Yehu, burning with fiery Blood and Qi, had already leaped high behind it. With his left hand holding his right, his hands swung like hammers and hammered ferociously onto the hideous head of the Grudge Ghost.

Boom!

Qi Blood Wolf Smoke naturally suppressed ghostly beings, let alone a strike as fierce as Du Yehu's. The fist, wrapped layer by layer in Blood and Qi Power, burst the Grudge Ghost's entire head with one blow!

Du Yehu couldn't dodge in time and was splattered with dark green filth, but it was quickly burnt away by the Blood and Qi Power.

Only after the headless corpse of the Grudge Ghost fell did the light on Du Yehu's body recede, and his complexion instantly turned deathly pale.

Jiang Wang leapt to Du Yehu's side and supported him, "Brother Hu, this..."

Blood and Qi are the foundation of a person. Now that Jiang Wang had started coalescing Path Origin, he, too, began with supplying Blood and Qi. Du Yehu's strength in the previous moment was at the cost of burning his own life force. He was not a Martial Artist specializing in martial arts and couldn't lock down such tremendous Blood and Qi. After this battle, he would need at least five years to recover.

Five years at the start of one's cultivation journey, how endlessly long it is! Not to mention the problems of declining Blood and Qi with age. One step slow, every step slow, this could mean he'd forever be estranged from transcendence.

But Du Yehu had not hesitated or wavered earlier. In a life and death situation, there wasn't time to think too much, and it is these subconscious choices that truly validate one's true heart.

"Small matter," Du Yehu adjusted his breathing quietly, recovering a bit of strength before pushing Jiang Wang away, "I'm not yet at the point where I can't walk. Let's go. The situation at the central palace must be even more perilous."

Ling He was naturally full of concern, but it was not the time to say much. He shifted Zhao Rucheng onto his back, then stepped forward to pick up his sword from the Grudge Ghost's corpse and silently guarded Du Yehu's side.

He had previously burned some Blood and Qi Power, but only a small amount, which did not affect his foundation. Therefore, he still had the strength to fight for his life.

Jiang Wang, as the strongest fighter among the four who was still in good condition, naturally needed to remain flexible to assist at any moment. So he simply walked in front with Longsword in hand, without any intention of lending a helping hand.

Only Zhao Rucheng continued to grumble and complain nonstop, "The boss is more considerate. Du Yehu is so clumsy; honestly, carrying me around like a chicken, what does it look like? If Miss Miao Yu found out, wouldn't my heroic image be ruined in an instant?"

Miao Yu was currently the top courtesan at the Three Fragrance House, and also the most popular lady in the entire Maple Forest pleasure district. Zhao Rucheng, in order to gain her favor, had already spent over a thousand silver at the Three Fragrance House, yet to no avail.

Du Yehu was silent, not because he did not want to give Zhao a thorough beating or, at the very least, scold him, but because he truly lacked the energy.

"Enough already," Jiang Wang said impatiently. "Other than the mindless wandering souls here, there are only the mentally disturbed Grudge Ghosts. Who are you trying to look good for?"

"Who can say for sure?" Zhao Rucheng, invigorated by the challenge, perched on Ling He's back, gesturing wildly, "What if there's a beautiful ghost hiding around here peeking at me? What was perhaps a marvelous romantic encounter is now all spoiled; can Du Yehu bear such a loss?"

Du Yehu almost leapt up from what seemed like his deathbed, summoning the last bit of his energy to explode at this mouthy guy.

However, Ling He had already struck him with the hilt of his sword before Du could lash out.

"Hiss..." Zhao Rucheng inhaled sharply, his arrogance instantly deflated.

...

...

Behind that dense fog wall, at the center of Xiaolin Town, which is also the center palace of this Nine Palaces Formation—

A giant vortex was slowly rotating. What this place used to be was no longer recognizable; everything had dissolved into this silent swirl. Besides this vortex, there was nothing else. The center of the vortex was a pure black, as if it could suck in one's gaze, making it impossible for anyone to escape.

Standing beside the vortex were four Cultivators with long and stable breathing, each filled with abundant Path Origin. They were all clad in black robes, their eyes gazing fixedly forward.

Not far in front of the vortex, a house that had been smashed into ruins remained, leaving nothing behind but a single brick wall.

A woman in a red dress was leaning lazily against this wall.

She was wrapped up tightly, yet somehow exuded an endless allure. She held an oval-shaped mirror in her hand, but the reflection in the mirror was not of her own stunning beauty, but rather the silhouettes of those battling Grudge Ghosts within the Nine Palaces Formation,

"The Disciples from Fenglin City's Dao Institute this year are not up to much either. Just a few swordsmanship moves that are not bad," the woman in red muttered, flipping her hand and putting away the mirror.

"Alright, the time has come. Had I known it would be this smooth, I would have taken a longer nap," the woman in red said, yawning as she walked gracefully toward the vortex, "So sleepy..."

Reaching the front of this mysterious vortex, her expression became somewhat serious as she respectfully bowed to the side, "Honored elders."

The four black-robed Cultivators also bowed in respect.

Out of the thick fog, an old man with white hair emerged. His face was as wrinkled as old tree bark, his eyes cloudy, his back hunched and his steps faltering.

However, as he approached, his back straightened inch by inch, and his aura surged tremendously.

The old man paid no attention to the woman in red and the others, focusing solely on the vortex, as if looking at the love of his life, his eyes filled with devout earnestness.

By the time he reached the vortex, his aura was as deep as an abyss, so overwhelming that it was stifling.

The woman in red bowed even lower.

The old man brought together his ring finger and little finger, forming a triangle with his thumb, index, and middle finger over his heart, and softly chanted, "At the depths of the River of Forgetfulness, within the abyss of the Yellow Springs. May the revered gods return to this world, shining light upon the mortal realm."

Then he pulled out a white bone dagger and plunged it decisively into his Heavenly Spirit, falling straight into the maw of the vortex!