143: Qiao Zimo

Three days later, above the valley where the greyish-white mist was as thick as paste, Xiao Zhuo’s black robes fluttered as he stood in the air with Zhao Xiange and three Spirit Transformation Realm venerables from the Zhao family.

They had searched the Mist Valley all day but still hadn't found any trace of Qiao Zimo.

The poisonous miasma in the valley surged, not only obstructing Divine Sense probes but also compressing Xiao Zhuo's Divine Sense, which was comparable to the Tribulation Crossing Realm, to a range of only a thousand feet.

Searching for someone in a dangerous area of over a hundred miles was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

As dusk painted the sky red, the group landed in the forest.

The dry branches under his feet crunched, and Xiao Zhuo frowned, stopping his steps and sweeping his Divine Sense around.

If Qiao Zimo was indeed hiding here, it would be difficult for just a few of them to flush him out.

While he was pondering, Zhao Xiange approached, stepping on fallen leaves, his jade pendant at his waist swaying lightly: "Brother Xue, don't worry. There are secret sentries at all the exits of the valley. He must be inside."

"Does Brother Zhao have a good plan?" Xiao Zhuo looked up, a faint bloody glint in his eyes, showing no impatience at all.

Zhao Xiange shook his head: "The mist here obstructs Divine Sense, and even probing Magical Artifacts cannot be used. I’m out of ideas too."

"If that's the case, then I'll do it!" Xiao Zhuo said, as a drop of blood flew from his glabella.

Before his words finished, a blood bead suddenly appeared between Xiao Zhuo's eyebrows. A sound like tearing silk rose, and a crimson long river exploded in the air, instantly engulfing an area of a hundred meters.

The pupils of the Zhao family members constricted, seeing surging blood waves carrying a Blood Wind, crushing through the dense forest like a destructive force.

"Haha! Brother Xue is indeed incredibly powerful."

Xiao Zhuo stood with his hands behind his back on the crest of the wave; wherever it passed, Yao Beasts turned into dry bones.

The bloody torrent grew fiercer and fiercer, gradually expanding to cover a thousand feet.

Within half a day, the entire valley had been plowed three times, but the target was still not found.

A strange look flashed in Xiao Zhuo's eyes, as if he was deep in thought, while the four Zhao family members' expressions turned somewhat grim.

And just a thousand meters beneath the Mist Valley, a pink-haired man with tattered combat attire and numerous wounds was cultivating to heal his injuries.

A muffled thunder-like tremor came from the rock layer above, and the roar of the surging blood river penetrated the earth.

Although the commotion above was considerable, he remained unfazed.

In fact, a mocking curve even appeared on his resolute face, even with his eyes tightly shut.

Just then, the man's expression changed, his eyes snapped open, and an increasingly loud rumbling sound came to his ears.

The next moment, dark red blood water suddenly poured into the tunnel.

"Boom!"

The man roared and threw a punch, a violent fist Qi exploded, and the entire underground vein collapsed in response.

A moment ago, when Zhao Xiange and the others saw Xiao Zhuo manipulating the sea of blood to pour into several cave entrances, they already had a guess.

Now, sensing the tremors underground, they showed even more joy.

"He's down there!" Zhao Xiange pointed to the ground, and a flash of light emanated from the Spirit Beast Pouch at his waist, releasing several huge Puppets resembling black Demonic Scorpions. "Go and drag him out."

As Zhao Xiange gave the order, the three black Demonic Scorpions immediately began digging with their six huge pincers.

In a blink of an eye, a huge hole several tens of feet wide had been opened.

Xiao Zhuo's Divine Sense followed the blood river and infiltrated the ground.

Underground, Qiao Zimo patted his Spirit Beast Pouch at his waist, releasing a Demonic Earthworm, three zhang long and five chi thick.

The Demonic Earthworm opened its large mouth, and the earth and rocks below were swallowed by it. It devoured earth and rocks at an extremely fast speed, and in a few breaths, a new underground passage had formed.

Qiao Zimo, while urging his Qi and blood to bombard the blood river to prevent it from advancing, followed behind the Demonic Earthworm, fleeing deeper underground.

"It's actually a subterranean Demonic Beast!" Xiao Zhuo's Divine Sense naturally detected the presence of the Demonic Earthworm, and he suddenly understood.

Then, he and the four Zhao family members leaped into the huge hole dug by Zhao Xiange's three Demonic Scorpions.

"Brother Zhao, dig this way!" Xiao Zhuo sensed the location of the blood river while directing Zhao Xiange.

Zhao Xiange understood, forming a hand seal, and the Demonic Scorpions turned as commanded, their steel legs flying as they tore through the rock layer.

Zhao Xiange's three Demonic Scorpions were excellent at digging, even faster than the Demonic Earthworm.

Just as the Demonic Earthworm dug into an underground secret river, Xiao Zhuo and the five others had already caught up.

In an instant, Xiao Zhuo and the three Soul Transformation cultivators of the Zhao family attacked simultaneously.

Flying Swords, pillars of fire, and rock spikes blasted towards Qiao Zimo, who was closely following the Demonic Earthworm.

The latter, upon breaking through the underground rock wall, had also instantly discovered Xiao Zhuo and the others. Blood-colored demonic patterns crawled up his neck like venomous snakes.

Amidst the cracking of bones, his body swelled by two circles, his pink long hair danced wildly in the air current, transforming from a slender, muscular, handsome pink-haired man into a muscle-bound, pink-haired behemoth in the blink of an eye.

A striking head of pink long hair cascaded to his waist, and in a flash, his figure had already charged towards one of the Zhao family's Soul Transformation cultivators.

The underground secret river was blasted by the violent Qi, creating a sky full of water mist. Qiao Zimo's bulging right arm forcefully tore apart a blue Qi Sword, and his fist, carrying blood-colored demonic patterns, slammed onto a profound iron heavy shield.

Zhao Shan, holding the shield, grunted and retreated three zhang, the rock layer beneath his feet shattering like a spiderweb.

"Boom!" Xiao Zhuo's right palm glowed with blood-colored runes. What seemed like an ordinary grab suddenly transformed into a three-zhang blood palm, reaching for Qiao Zimo's left shoulder.

The terrifying wind pressure caused the rock wall to peel off, but most of its force was dissipated the moment it touched the demonic patterns on the opponent's skin.

"Chila—" Blood bloomed on Qiao Zimo's shoulder, but he used the momentum to spin and break free.

His blood-stained pink hair suddenly stood on end, and an eight-armed asura phantasm appeared around him—it was the Asura War Body of the Desolate God Dao!

As Qiao Zimo turned, four arms grabbed the Vast Blue Blood Hand and tore it apart, the Vast Blue Blood Hand actually being ripped into a bloody rain.

"Retreat!" Xiao Zhuo roared a warning, forming a hand seal with his left hand to summon the Nine Yang Demonic Flame.

The black flames formed a cage, blocking Qiao Zimo's retreat.

Seeing the situation, the three Zhao family venerables acted. Zhao Yan was the first to unleash his Lifebound Treasure, the "Li Fire Mirror," and nine fiery Dragons roared as they charged towards Qiao Zimo.

"Crack!"

Amidst the sound of shattering rock, Qiao Zimo's eight-armed asura phantasm behind him actually tore open the fiery Dragon's throat with its bare hands.

His Main Body threw both fists through the flames, aiming for Zhao Yan's face, but at the crucial moment, his wound was affected by Xiao Zhuo's Blood Control Art.

The backflow of blood caused his movements to falter slightly. Zhao Yuan seized the opportunity to throw thirty-six small green jade swords, forming a sword array that bloomed like a lotus.

A series of attacks instantly poured onto the eight-armed asura, and a burst of sparks mixed with blood exploded.

A figure was blasted into the secret river.

The next moment, the underground river water suddenly surged upwards, and Qiao Zimo, stepping on the Demonic Earthworm, rushed out of the river.

Silver light flashed in Xiao Zhuo's eyes, and his hand seals flickered rapidly. A vast Divine Thought immediately surged into the distance, and a Taishi Space barrier instantly enveloped everyone within it.

Zhao Shan roared at the sight, throwing his profound iron heavy shield. The Taotie patterns on the shield glowed with an eerie light, actually increasing the gravity of the entire river section tenfold!

"Pfft!" Qiao Zimo spat out congested blood, and the bones throughout his body emitted explosive sounds, unable to bear the weight.

His blood-stained right hand suddenly formed a strange hand seal, a blood-colored vertical pupil appeared between his eyebrows, and colorless Qi flames, distorting the air, ignited around him!

His Aura surged explosively, subtly surpassing the Spirit Transformation Realm.

From a distance, Zhao Xiange, stepping on a Demonic Scorpion, merely watched the battle in the arena with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Rumble!"

The entire underground secret river was constantly evaporated by the violent energy. As figures intertwined, the three Soul Transformation cultivators of the Zhao family flew back with a series of afterimages, spitting blood and suffering severe injuries.

In the smoke and dust, Qiao Zimo transformed into a blood-red rainbow and charged directly at Xiao Zhuo, a hint of playfulness in Xiao Zhuo's eyes.

Qiao Zimo closed in, his face-basin-sized fists raining down on Xiao Zhuo.

At this moment, Xiao Zhuo was calm, his hands moving like afterimages, meeting Qiao Zimo's heavy punches from his Asura War Body with his bare hands.

"How is this possible? Are you also a Body Cultivator?" Qiao Zimo looked as if he had seen a ghost. Although Xiao Zhuo had also been attacking him earlier, the attacks he unleashed were not very powerful, at most at the Peak of the Spirit Transformation Realm.

But now, he could easily counter Qiao Zimo's attacks after he activated his Asura War Body with his Physical Body.

Xiao Zhuo glanced at Zhao Xiange, who had not yet made a move, and deliberately slowed down his hand by a fraction.

"Boom!"

A punch grazed Xiao Zhuo's arm and landed squarely on his left chest, sending him spewing a mouthful of blood as he crashed into the secret river, kicking up a spray of water.