Devour

Chapter 467 Blood Edict Opens the Coffin

The four members of the Hu family collapsed to the ground in an eerie manner, and the heavy red wood coffin crashed down with a thud, raising a cloud of gray dust.

Hu Han tilted his head, letting the numerous praises from his sect and family replay wildly in his mind, but all that remained in his heart was despair: "I'm a genius... I shouldn't die here... I shouldn't..."

His eyes were bloodshot, his neck was broken, and he could only muster his last strength to exhale a breath of turbid blood from his nostrils. All his remaining magical power burst forth and condensed into a single word: "Imperial Edict!"

The dying edicts of the two leaders, filled with resentment and bitterness, merged into a secret incantation that activated the taboo, like a magical key that unlocked the coffin.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

With a series of dull thuds, the cinnabar coffin shook violently. The force was so great that even the stone slab supporting the coffin cracked and shattered in all directions, revealing spiderweb-like patterns.

Wisps of dark red smoke hissed out from the gaps in the coffin lid. At first, they were as thin as hair, but in the blink of an eye, they became as thick as blood plasma, gushing and gathering, turning into a churning crimson cloud above the coffin.

Thick smoke, accompanied by scorching heat, grew even more violent with the help of the wind, spreading to all sides of the alley! Anything that touched it suddenly exploded with a "sizzling" sound, melting as quickly as wax meeting a blazing flame.

The brick and stone walls could not withstand the furnace-like heat; the surface cracked and peeled off pieces. In the blink of an eye, the walls were melted through, leaving holes of varying sizes.

The acrid smoke rose up and was instantly absorbed and mixed by the blood-red smoke, churning and condensing into a large crimson cloud vortex that exuded a suffocating pressure.

A muffled, hoarse laugh echoed from the depths of the clouds, sounding both like the strange laughter of a child and the howl of a ferocious demon, gradually becoming clearer and louder as it approached.

Cheng Bai stared intently into the distance, puzzled. "Logically, since the master of the corpse puppet is dead, the corpse puppet he controlled should also collapse. Why is this guy not only not finished, but even more mischievous?"

Min Wushuang said in a low voice, "Most corpse puppets will vanish into thin air with the destruction of their mastermind. But few people know that there are exceptions among them."

Then, Min Wushuang explained in detail: "It is said in the martial arts world that the method of refining corpse puppets by the Wangliang Sect is unique. It can preserve the inner core of the puppet before its death and carefully nurture it as a magic treasure. If the corpse raiser dies in battle, the corpse puppet will not only not perish, but will also reveal its ferocity and become an autonomous evil spirit. This technique consumes a lot of resources, and small sects cannot afford to support it."

Bao Youchuan's face turned ashen, and he roared, "The Karmic Child is about to break free of its coffin! If it is allowed to awaken and wreak havoc on the world, it will surely cause endless trouble. I must eliminate this scourge!"

Cheng Bai quickly dissuaded him, saying, "How could I trouble you, senior? Leave it to me."

With a slight thought, the Golden Pagoda in his sea of ​​consciousness burst forth, circling halfway above the alley, its dazzling light dispersing the red mist, and its immense power immediately enveloped the cinnabar coffin within the alley.

An angry roar came from inside the coffin, and the blood-red miasma churned and solidified into the outline of a young child. It clung tightly to the coffin lid, struggling against the suction of the celestial artifact "Quiet Universe".

But even with Ye Jintong's desperate efforts, he couldn't stop the Golden Life Pagoda. In the blink of an eye, the coffin and the remaining red smoke were completely absorbed, as if they had never existed.

The alleyway fell into a deathly silence, with only four corpses lying on the ground. The bloodstains, broken walls and tiles, and lingering stench silently testified to the reality and cruelty of the massacre that had just taken place.

"Upon hearing about the inner core, you acted faster than anyone else." Yun Juan glanced at Cheng Bai, a playful smile playing on her lips. "You always make excuses about lacking this or that, unable to forge weapons for Her Majesty the Empress. Now that the inner core has been delivered to your door, don't forget your important favors again."

Cheng Bai gently waved his hand, retrieved the Golden Pagoda, and said with a chuckle, "Don't worry, how could I forget such an important matter? I'll first suppress Ye Jintong inside the pagoda, and then slowly refine him to extract his inner core."

Bao Youchuan did not stop him from taking the inner core, but was only concerned with saying, "Hu Hanshang is the young sect master of the Wangliang Sect. Although his Hundred Refinement Ghost God Body is at the bottom among all the geniuses and distinguished guests, it is still a rare type. Such a person died tragically on the spot for no reason."

He sighed in frustration, "Upon closer examination, the academy, as the landlord, is undeniably culpable! Now... what should we do?"

Ningxiang gently comforted him, "Mr. Bao Liu, there's no need to worry. There were many witnesses present, and this was most likely an attack by the Hu family's sworn enemy against a prodigy. The truth will surely be revealed in the future."

"Giving an explanation to the Demon Sect is secondary." Bao Youchuan changed the subject, revealing his real concern, "Without a prodigy, the Immortal Gathering won't have enough participants, and thus it loses its meaning. Alas..."

Cheng Bai suddenly asked, "I was just about to ask, how many people were in Cai Youling's group from the Di Yan Dynasty invited to the Immortal Gathering?"

Bao Youchuan was slightly taken aback, and then said truthfully, "The academy only sent one invitation to the Di Yan Dynasty, and the invitee was Crown Prince Cai Youling."

He paused thoughtfully, then hesitated before saying, "Unexpectedly, they brought an additional cultivator with the Human King Battle Body today, whose aptitude surpasses even the Hundred Refined Ghost God Body. Could it be that you think…"

Before Bao Youchuan could finish speaking, Yun Juan couldn't wait to interrupt: "Could it be that the Cai family secretly sent assassins to eliminate Hu Hanshang so that they could secure an extra spot at the conference in order to allow Wen Jia to take his place?"

Jinlian wholeheartedly agreed with this conjecture: "Very likely. The Di Yan Dynasty has a large army and many generals; it is indeed not difficult for them to dispatch a few veteran experts capable of killing those at the Wuwei Realm."

Min Wushuang chimed in, "When the Hu family members were murdered, their treasure bags were stolen. Perhaps it was intentional, to create the illusion of robbery and murder."

Shen Ya echoed, "The truth is gradually coming to light!"

Bao Youchuan pondered for a moment and said, "Even if this matter was indeed done by Crown Prince Cai, I can only discuss it with the Master and reserve the vacant position for that Human King Battle Body. After all, she far surpasses Hu Hanshang in every aspect and is truly a once-in-a-millennium genius. As for the other entanglements, we can discuss them further after the grand event. There are priorities in everything!"

Cheng Bai secretly wiped away his sweat, thinking to himself, "I didn't mean anything by it. They've overanalyzed it. Cai Youling has no choice but to take the blame."

The celestial gathering had not even officially begun when it was already stained with blood!

"I must inform the Master as soon as possible, as the academy may suffer some losses this time. Fortunately, Hu Han has only recently died, and if I act immediately, I may be able to revive him. But this lad is destined to miss the grand event."

After saying this, Bao Youchuan hurriedly took his leave, repeatedly instructing before departing: "Tomorrow at 3:45 AM, a refined gathering of immortals will be held in the Treasure Hall of Yilan Terrace. You are all cordially invited to attend!"

Looking down into the distance, the most striking sight is the two giant beasts, one in front of the other, slowly walking along the official road winding between Zhumapo and Tinghetai.

At the front is the two-headed Snow Lion of the Palace of Ten Thousand Beasts, carrying a pavilion on its back constructed of thousand-year-old ironwood, with ancient and majestic beams and pillars, and a well-arranged and staggered eaves.

On the rooftop sits a bronze bed, its headboard and beams inlaid with jewels. Lapis lazuli, turquoise, jade, topaz, and pink sapphires shimmer and sparkle, creating a dreamlike scene.

Even more alluring was the beautiful woman reclining on the bed, whose charm made all the jewels on the bed seem ordinary.

Gou Changniang rested her chin on her hand, her long black hair cascading down like a waterfall, swaying gently in the wind. Her charming figure accentuated her slightly parted lips and delicately furrowed brows, making her beautiful face even more captivating.

Today, Gou Changniang wore a purple and white dress that flowed like water over the edge of the bed, her long legs outlining graceful curves under the soft folds of the dress.

Even the surrounding air seemed to be imbued with the tender warmth she exuded.

Cheng Bai found it pleasing to the eye, but then he saw Gou Changniang slightly raise her chin, her beautiful eyes seemingly drunk, and blew a kiss towards the observation deck of the Sky-Patrolling Spirit Ship.

She was clearly aware of the gaze from afar and was deliberately provoking the onlookers.

"Hmph, that long-tailed girl still holds a grudge against me." Cheng Bai shifted his attention, casting his gaze further into the distance.

Behind them was the Water-Splitting Golden-Eyed Beast of the Non-Heavenly Cult, with a pavilion built on its back.

In the highest pavilion, there is a set of exquisite tables and chairs carved from smoky purple jade. The crimson coral inlaid on them is polished into various shapes, some like rising flames, some like solidified blood droplets, exuding a mysterious beauty amidst its magnificence.

The beautiful woman sitting gracefully on the chair was so stunningly beautiful that she outshone all the surrounding scenery.

Feng Yong, dressed in an apricot-red dress, her sleeves fluttering in the wind, gently stroked the "Mysterious Truth Stringless Zither" on the table with her slender fingers slightly curved.

When her eyes rippled slightly, even the sunlight streaming into the pavilion seemed gentler and more graceful, trembling into tiny golden shadows on her long eyelashes.