Chapter 150: Several Demonic Beasts

As the setting sun sank below the horizon, the mountain air grew gradually chillier.

Along the winding path, Li Mu himself had lost count of how many evildoers he had executed, though he was certain that not a single one had been spared. Every last one of them had at least a hundred innocent lives on their hands; leaving them alive was out of the question.

Even that one-eyed man he had previously let go was among them. Although incapable of traditional cultivation, the man had still chosen to walk the path of evil. This time, Li Mu felt not a shred of misplaced mercy; he exterminated them all without exception.

The blood-red pattern on the Crimson Blood Sword grew ever deeper, the fresh gore appearing almost ready to drip, vivid and crimson.

A short distance ahead, four evildoers stood with grim expressions, fixing their cold gazes upon the slowly approaching Li Mu.

"Where on earth does this fellow come from, daring to trespass in Liyu Mountain?"

"No matter where he is from, I shall certainly claim his human soul."

The four figures bore striking resemblances to one another, their ages nearly identical. At a glance, they looked like biological brothers, differing only in height and girth, while their physiques were otherwise entirely distinct.

"The Liyu Demons?"

From the remarks of the evildoers just moments before, Li Mu had already gathered that Liyu Mountain harbored several demonic beast kings who possessed the highest cultivation levels in these parts. These demons were blood brothers, and the fact that they had all stepped onto the path of evil in unison could be considered a wondrous rarity through the ages. Their style of conduct was arrogant and ruthless, far more vicious than that of ordinary evildoers. Among the brothers, only the eldest possessed a cultivation at the initial stage of the Pulse Refining Realm, while the rest were all at the late stage of the Spirit Building Realm.

"Enough talk. Bring out all your skills; this fellow is not easy to deal with."

Though the eldest brother was short in stature, he radiated a formidable presence. The moment he spoke, the others fell entirely silent. He squatted down, a bizarre smile playing across his face, and drove his hand directly into his own abdomen.

His flesh was pierced right through, yet not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound. His face contorted, the muscles twitching incessantly in a clear display of agonizing pain, yet a trace of a smile lingered at the corners of his mouth, as if he were experiencing an unforgettable, ecstatic thrill.

The sight was utterly grotesque. Complete silence fell over the surroundings, making even the flowing breeze seem to stall.

His hand churned about within his own torso for a few moments before he slowly withdrew a blade from his belly.

As the weapon was pulled free, an expression of sheer intoxication appeared on the eldest brother's face, the agonizing pain seemingly forgotten. He gazed at the blade and nodded in profound satisfaction, smiling as he looked toward Li Mu. Yet, a tether resembling a human intestine trailed from the back of the weapon, still rooted deep within his body.

The crimson blade resembled both a sword and a prong, featuring two tips at the front and a ring at the rear that connected directly to his abdomen.

Li Mu's expression grew profoundly solemn. While he did not entirely understand what kind of artifact this was, he knew better than to underestimate it. The blade had actually been nurtured using the man's own body, devouring his flesh and marrow while being ceaselessly sustained just to become a weapon of this caliber.

The remaining brothers cried out in unison, almost simultaneously executing their soul-refining arts. Resorting to such self-mutilating techniques from the very start made it abundantly clear that they were fighting for their lives.

"Kill!"

The other figures moved with astonishing speed, converging on Li Mu from multiple directions.

Soul-snatching, soul-disrupting, soul-pulling—several different techniques for seizing souls were unleashed upon Li Mu almost simultaneously. Most soul-hooking arts could only be executed at close range, and given the circumstances, that was the only option they had.

Li Mu did not move an inch, refusing even to cast a glance in their direction.

Even with evildoers at the late stage of the Spirit Building Realm employing their soul-refining arts, Li Mu remained utterly unconcerned. They were incapable of breaching the defense of his spiritual awareness, even with the defensive halo shimmering on the exterior.

His eyes remained fixed entirely upon the crimson blade.

The blood-red weapon darted back and forth like a crimson serpent, slithering around the periphery of Li Mu's position, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

With a piercing shriek, the blade-serpent suddenly expanded its form.

A mass of dark red blood qi instantly engulfed a radius of several dozen meters around Li Mu.

The blood qi possessed potent corrosive properties. In the blink of an eye, the defensive halo began to dissipate, and the tier-two green sharp armor slowly showed signs of wear, pitting into tiny gaps.

This was the very first time he had encountered such a phenomenon; the green sharp armor was damaged in mere moments. The corrosiveness was so terrifyingly potent that one could only imagine how much resentment from human souls and flesh fragments had been gathered to forge such a blade.

The Void Escaping Art was executed by Li Mu in a flash.

Murderous intent was concealed within the blood qi. Aside from the corrosive effect, he clearly sensed countless blood serpents darting about, flicking their tongues and hissing as they continuously lunged toward him. Any hesitation, and he would have been entangled beyond escape.

To be trapped within that blood qi meant certain disaster—there was no doubt about it.

Those bizarre techniques wielded by Pulse Refining practitioners were truly eccentric, each one more vicious than the last.

The eldest brother's body shuddered. Convinced of his certain victory, he froze instantly. "How can he be this fast?"

The blade in his hand—his ultimate trump card—was known as the Thousand Serpent Blade. Its body was forged from tier-four cloud-spirit iron infused with the venom of numerous serpents, and then kept inside his own body to be nurtured for decades. Refined day and night with human souls and scraps of flesh, it had long since surpassed the limitations of a standard tier-four magical treasure.

The manifold blood qi it produced could completely ensnare an enemy within moments, making it exceedingly difficult for the target to break free. Protective treasures below tier-four would be rapidly corroded, and their owners along with them.

Yet he never expected Li Mu's speed to be so astonishingly fast; before the Thousand Serpents could even strike, Li Mu had already vanished.

With this tactic rendered useless, a cold dread surged deep into the eldest brother's heart.

Li Mu was equally startled. The Green Lake Jade, embedded with the Void Escaping Art that he had spent time refining not long ago, truly proved its worth. While deploying the Dust-Sand Formation for defense would have allowed him to escape just as well, the external sand formation had been completely corroded and would definitely need to be reforged.

"My turn. Sand Entrapment."

A faint smile flickered across Li Mu's face.

The eldest brother's expression abruptly shifted as he realized he could no longer move. The others shared the exact same fate.

While they were busy executing their soul-refining arts and launching their attacks, Li Mu had quietly deployed the Dust-Sand Formation. The fine dust and sand had swept across the ground, instantly transforming the terrain within dozens of meters into a vast expanse of dust and sand.

All the Liyu demons were plunged deep into the sand, rendering them practically helpless and unable to extricate themselves.

The eldest brother reined in the Thousand Serpent Blade and slashed downward with all his might. A swarm of serpents surged forth like a meat grinder, sending sand flying in all directions until the formation was completely shattered.

"No more holding back."

Li Mu's voice reverberated as the Void Escaping Art flashed, instantly bringing him right before the eldest brother. He paused slightly, deliberately suppressing the greater part of the movement art's momentum. A Pulse Refining practitioner, if not trapped within the sand, would have been able to dodge it too easily—after all, spells could not be cast while executing the Void Escaping Art.

Yet, under the present circumstances, the eldest brother was utterly powerless to prevent it.

The Crimson Blood Sword drifted out leisurely. "Heart-Piercing Sword."

At a distance of mere meters, given the eldest brother's current state, guarding against the Heart-Piercing Sword was an impossibility.

A spray of blood erupted from the eldest brother's chest, entirely absorbed by the Crimson Blood Sword.

The sword trembled slightly, emitted a mournful cry, and swiftly recalled itself.

"Eldest brother!"

The three surviving brothers shrieked in despair, yet they could only watch helplessly as their most powerful member collapsed limply into the sand.

The Crimson Blood Sword swept out in rapid succession, claiming the lives of the remaining three one after another, reuniting them with their brother.

Li Mu picked up the Thousand Serpent Blade and the storage ring, quietly withdrawing the Dust-Sand Formation. Without sparing them another glance, he continued his ascent up the mountain.

A low growl suddenly echoed through the air as a bizarre beast blocked his path.

"Could this be the beast among those demonic beast kings?"

Li Mu scrutinized the creature closely. It resembled a hound, but its entire body was a sickly crimson, covered in numerous pits and unsightly lumps that nearly induced nausea. Atop its head grew an extra pitch-black eye, which glared fiercely at Li Mu with venomous hatred.

At that moment, the black shadow in the sky plummeted downward, landing right in front of Li Mu. Its sharp eyes locked directly onto the beast.

Heizi had grown significantly larger, standing nearly several meters tall with a wingspan stretching over a dozen meters when unfurled.
"Shall I leave this to you?"

"Caw, caw."

"Very well, I shall move ahead while you stay here."

Li Mu smiled, patted Heizi's feathers, and continued on his way.