Upon seeing the Blood Devouring Demon Venerable,
He had hoped to discern something, but he couldn't see through the true face hidden beneath the bandages. All he could sense was the dense aura of antiquity and a power of unfathomable depth.
That was enough for Chu Feng to confirm that this Blood Devouring Demon Venerable was indeed a martial cultivation expert from the ancient era.
"Your subordinate, Zhang Boyi, greets Lord
"No — no, I — I mean — I greets Lord Blood Devouring Demon Venerable."
Upon seeing the Blood Devouring Demon Venerable,
Zhang Boyi, in particular, even got the Blood Devouring Demon Venerable's name wrong.
This terrified him.
"My Lord, your subordinate is incompetent — I misspoke. I humbly beg the Demon Venerable to punish me severely."
The one who had misspoken, Zhang Boyi, immediately spoke up and requested punishment from the Blood Devouring Demon Venerable.
And he was not being hypocritical about it. It came from the bottom of his heart — a genuinely sincere plea for punishment.
"Calling me Qin Kunlun isn't really wrong. Don't worry about such things."
The Blood Devouring Demon Venerable smiled and waved his hand. Then a gentle breeze swept across the lake, helping Zhang Yanfeng and the other two to their feet from where they knelt in the water.
His manner was remarkably amiable — even his tone was soft and kind, entirely lacking the air of superiority one might expect. He seemed more like a benevolent old man.
Seeing the Blood Devouring Demon Venerable act this way, Chu Feng's first impression of him was rather favorable.
Despite the fact that he was wrapped head to toe in bandages, looking quite strange.
At the very least, his attitude in this moment was genuinely excellent.
Although Chu Feng hadn't knelt in full prostration, he still bowed with cupped fists and paid his respects.
"
"Young friend Chu Feng, this matter had nothing to do with you, yet you were willing to lend a hand. This old man thanks you for that."
To Chu Feng's surprise, the Blood Devouring Demon Venerable actually bowed in return.
"Senior, there's no need to be so formal.
"The youth of this generation — are they all this loyal? Truly, the young are to be feared," the Blood Devouring Demon Venerable chuckled.
Then he addressed Chu Feng and the others: "Let's get down to business."
"You have already begun fusing with the power of the Void Divine Tree. However, thanks to the array's reinforcement, you haven't felt the full effect. Without the array's support, there will be some pain."
"But only after the array's power is removed can you truly command the power of the Void Divine Tree — and only then can you channel that power into this old man's body."
"Next, I will undo the array."
"And you will finally face the power of the Divine Tree within that lake."
"I hope you are prepared," the Blood Devouring Demon Venerable said.
"My Lord, I am ready."
Zhang Yanfeng and the other two cupped their fists and spoke in unison.
"Senior, let's begin," Chu Feng said as well.
"Remember — hold fast to your conviction."
Having said this, the Blood Devouring Demon Venerable swept his great sleeve through the air.
Rumble—
The stone formation in the valley shattered all at once.
And as the formation broke apart, the lake water that had been suspended in midair came crashing down with Chu Feng and the other three, plunging back into the valley.
"GAHH—"
The next instant, heart-rending screams erupted one after another.
They came from Zhang Yanfeng, Zhang Boyi, and