The Blood Sunflower Emperor feared nothing under heaven. He had always held human cultivators in relatively low regard. But at this moment, a faint trace of dread had crept into his heart.
Not for any other reason — but because of the dragon Little Xuan at Jiang Chen's side.
"What background does this human cultivator possibly have? To actually have a True Dragon as his contracted battle beast? The True Dragon clan — how proud they are! How could they ever submit to a human?" The Blood Sunflower Emperor's mind was a fog of confusion, but he understood clearly that there was absolutely no chance to figure it all out now, nor was this the time to dwell on it.
The pressing matter at hand was shaking off his pursuer.
An emperor of the Demon race — chased down like a cornered stray by a mere boy who still had milk on his lips. Every time the Blood Sunflower Emperor thought of this, his chest churned with the urge to spit blood.
Humiliation. Unwillingness. Frustration. Every shade of emotion crammed into his chest, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.
Fortunately, the Blood Sunflower Emperor's speed was anything but slow. Before long, he had arrived at the altar region. The moment he entered the area, his composure stabilized considerably.
His blood cloud transformed into a streak of crimson light and hurtled straight toward the altar.
This altar was the very place where the Blood Sunflower Emperor would complete his blood sacrifice. At this moment, the ninety-nine — no, the eighty-one girls, minus Wei Xing'er — had already had their blood essence completely drained. They lay upon each of the small sub-altars like nothing more than walking corpses, devoid of all life.
The Blood Sunflower Emperor planted himself upon the main altar. Instantly, the entire formation array roared to life. The eighty-one small sub-altars, arranged in a circle around the main altar, began to rotate slowly.
The blood-colored sigil between the Blood Sunflower Emperor's brows flared brilliantly, and an eerie red light shot forth like a candle flame, striking out toward all eighty-one sub-altars.
In that instant, every young female cultivator on every sub-altar shifted faintly, then slowly — eerily — sat upright.
But there was no color left in their faces. Their expressions were vacant and rigid, like true walking corpses. The sight was deeply unsettling.
The red light radiating from the Blood Sunflower Emperor's brow descended like brand upon each girl's forehead, leaving behind a slightly dimmer sigil.
"You are now my demon soldiers! Prepare yourselves — the enemy approaches!"
As he spoke, demonic clouds and blood fiend energy surged anew around the altar, streaming in waves to infuse each of the young cultivators' bodies.
Demonic clouds and blood fiend energy seemed especially abundant in the vicinity of the altar. Bolstered by this power, the girls' movements grew noticeably swifter, their limbs more agile. A terrifying demonic aura radiated from every one of them, brimming with killing intent. The effect was profoundly unnatural.
The once-lovely young women now resembled nothing so much as female asuras — and soulless ones at that.
"This is the place. Brother Long, be careful." By now, Jiang Chen and Little Xuan had caught up to the location.
The moment they stepped into the underground chamber, they beheld the eerie altar and its ghastly spectacle. The sight that met Jiang Chen's eyes made his brow furrow deeply.
"Heretical devilry — committing such slaughter! Damn you all!"
How could Jiang Chen fail to see? These young cultivators no longer bore even a trace of living presence. All that remained was the thick, reeking aura of the Blood Demon race's demonic clouds and blood fiend energy.
Without question, these girls had not only served as sacrifices to the Blood Sunflower Demon Emperor — after their blood essence was drained, they had been forged into demon soldiers.
The sight set Jiang Chen's blood boiling with fury.
"The Blood Demon clan truly is the most venomous scourge among all demonkind," he snarled.
The Blood Sunflower Demon Emperor's complexion was still somewhat pale. Seated upon the main altar, surrounded by the throng of girl-demon soldiers, wreathed in dense demonic clouds and blood fiend energy, and guarded by the formation array — he suddenly felt his confidence surge.
He fixed Jiang Chen with a frigid stare, as if committing the young man's face to memory.
"Boy — I don't care who you are! Everything you've done to me today, I will repay tenfold! You just wait!"
Jiang Chen let out a cold laugh. "Why wait? If we're settling this — life or death — then today is the day."
The Blood Sunflower Demon Emperor's voice was icy. "I'll grant you this much — you have a few tricks up your sleeve. But that was only because you caught me off guard. Once my strength recovers to even half its peak, crushing you will be no harder than crushing an ant."
While the Blood Sunflower Demon Emperor was partly blowing hot air, there was a kernel of truth to his words. His losses today came from two factors: first, his strength had not yet recovered to its peak; second, he had been ambushed.
In a head-on confrontation, the Blood Sunflower Demon Emperor was absolutely certain he would never have taken a wound.
But regardless of the cause, for the Blood Sunflower Demon Emperor, suffering injuries today was an unprecedented humiliation. And so, his hatred for Jiang Chen had burrowed down to the bone.
"Brother Long — watch my flank. I'll break this formation!"
Jiang Chen himself feared nothing from the demonic clouds and blood fiend energy, but Little Xuan, for all that he was of the True Dragon clan, might not be able to withstand their corrosive effect.
So Jiang Chen decided to act alone. The wounded Blood Sunflower Demon Emperor's cultivation had clearly dropped another significant degree. What Jiang Chen wanted was to strike before his enemy had even found his footing.
With this thought, Jiang Chen did not hesitate. From afar, he raised the Five-Color Divine Light Sword, and the Five Thunder Divine Sound Sword began to gather its power once more.
Ten Thousand Swords — a Torrential Rush!