80: Demonic Cultivator of the East Sea!

A chill instantly ran down Chen Daoxuan's spine, and he immediately recalled Qian Wanli's earlier warning.

"The methods are bizarre, not like something sea beasts would do..."

"Was it Demonic Path Cultivators?"

"Nine times out of ten."

Chen Xu nodded and said, "This is a good opportunity for you to learn more about the Demonic Path!"

The black iron flying boat was incredibly fast, arriving in just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The island named Black Reef Island soon appeared in the father and son's line of sight.

The flying boat slowly descended.

The moment their feet touched the island, a suffocating sensation washed over them.

It was too quiet.

Terribly quiet.

There were no insect chirps, no bird calls, and even the sound of waves crashing against the reefs seemed weak and listless.

The air was filled with a faint scent of blood and a subtle, lingering resentment.

It made one nauseous and uneasy.

"Such heavy resentment..."

Chen Daoxuan's brows furrowed, and the spiritual power within his body spontaneously circulated, resisting this ominous Aura.

Chen Xu said nothing, merely leading him slowly towards the only fishing village in the center of the island.

At the village entrance, the drying fishing nets still hung there.

There were even a few wind-dried sea fish still attached to them.

On the street, several shells used by children for play were scattered on the ground, and next to them was a wooden ball that had rolled halfway.

Everything seemed to have been paused.

The father and son entered a house; the courtyard gate was ajar and opened with a push.

In the courtyard, the clothes the woman had hung out to dry still swayed gently on the bamboo pole with the wind.

On the dining table inside, several plates of cold dishes were laid out, and the bowls and chopsticks were still in their original places; one bowl even contained half a bowl of fish soup.

The fire in the stove had long since extinguished, leaving only a faint residual warmth.

It was as if the owners of this house had been called out while eating and had never returned.

Chen Daoxuan looked at several houses in a row, and the situations were all largely similar.

The entire village was empty.

But everything was neatly arranged.

There were no signs of struggle, no resistance, not a single trace of a fight.

It was as if... thousands of people in the entire village had, at the same instant, willingly left this place and collectively vanished into thin air.

This eerie scene was even more chilling than seeing a ground covered in corpses.

"Father, this..."

Chen Daoxuan's voice was a bit dry.

"What have you noticed?"

Chen Xu's tone remained calm, like a teacher examining a student.

Chen Daoxuan forced himself to calm down, carefully recalling everything he had just seen, and said in a deep voice, "There are no signs of a struggle at the scene, indicating that the strength of the person who acted was vastly different from these Mortal fishermen, reaching a level where they could instantly obliterate them."

"And what else?"

"From the residual warmth of the food and the ashes in the stove, the incident must have happened the night before last."

Chen Daoxuan added, "Moreover, the perpetrator didn't seem to care about wealth; none of the houses showed signs of being ransacked. His goal was solely the people."

"Not bad."

Chen Xu nodded, acknowledging his analysis, but then added, "But you're only half right."

"These fishermen were not instantly obliterated."

Chen Xu reached out, his fingertip gently tracing a dusty tabletop.

"Look here, the dust is very even, without any handprints or struggle marks. If they were forcibly abducted or killed, even with a huge disparity in strength, people would instinctively react in the face of death. It's impossible for them to leave no trace at all."

He paused, his voice becoming somewhat cold and eerie.

"The only explanation is that before they died, they didn't realize they were heading towards death. Or rather, they were drained of all life in an unconscious state."

Chen Daoxuan felt a chill in his heart upon hearing this.

To die without knowing it?

What a bizarre and malicious method!

"But... how could that be done?"

"Demonic Path Cultivation Techniques are strange and varied, far beyond your imagination."

Chen Xu slowly raised his head, his gaze directed towards the center of the island.

"The surface clues end here. To know the truth, we need to look deeper."

The moment his voice fell.

Buzz~!

A flash of an eerie purple light flickered in Chen Xu's eyes!

Purple Pupils of Delusion Breaking, activate!

In an instant, the world before him underwent a drastic change!

The originally unremarkable fishing village shed its disguise.

In his eyes, countless blood-red lines, invisible to the naked eye, spread deep beneath the entire island!

The source of these blood-red lines was precisely where the vanished fishermen in the village had once been.

Countless resentful Qi and blood Qi were continuously converging towards the very center of the island along these patterns.

Finally, deep beneath the valley in the center of the island, they formed the rudimentary shape of a massive Formation!

The Formation was like a living thing, slowly breathing.

Each breath made the resentment of the entire island grow a little thicker.

"Found it."

Chen Xu smiled lightly.

What a Demonic Path fiend!

This Formation was laid out so secretly, completely integrated with the earth'spulse, without leaking any spiritual power fluctuations.

If not for his Divine Ability, Purple Pupils of Delusion Breaking, which allowed him to directly perceive the Origin, even a Nascent Soul Cultivator would probably only think this was an ordinary desolate island, completely unaware of the profound mysteries deep underground.

"Let's go, let's take a look."

Chen Xu retracted the purple light from his eyes and, taking Chen Daoxuan, followed the trajectory of the Formation lines, heading straight towards the valley in the center of the island.

The entrance to the valley was concealed by dense vines and scattered rocks; if one didn't look carefully, it would be impossible to find.

As soon as the father and son stepped into the valley.

Whoosh~!

Several sharp whooshing sounds echoed in the air!

Seven or eight dark figures suddenly lunged out from the surrounding shadows!

These dark figures were none other than several desiccated corpses dressed in fishermen's clothing!

Their eye sockets were hollow, their skin shriveled, and their bodies exuded a thick Devilish Qi; their fingernails had turned black and sharp, like steel blades!

Their movements were stiff but extremely swift.

They charged at Chen Xu and his son, fearless of death!

The Aura emanating from each desiccated Puppet had actually reached the level of the Foundation Establishment Stage!

"Demonic Puppets!"

Chen Daoxuan's expression changed, instantly recognizing the Origin of these things.

This was an extremely malicious corpse-refining method in the Demonic Path, where living people were tortured to death, then refined by secret arts into Puppets devoid of consciousness, knowing only slaughter!

Seeing those once simple fishermen now transformed into such inhuman, ghost-like appearances, Chen Daoxuan's eyes instantly blazed with furious anger!

He was about to draw his sword and strike.

But Chen Xu's hand pressed down on his shoulder.

Chen Daoxuan looked up, realizing that his father was standing with his hands behind his back, his expression unchanged.

Chen Xu noticed his son's gaze, then shifted his own, speaking calmly, "Use what you've learned to deal with them."

"Today is the second lesson your father is giving you."

"When facing enemies, use the fastest speed, the most ruthless methods, crush them completely, and give them no chance to breathe!"

Chen Daoxuan's heart trembled!

He took a deep breath, suppressing the distracting thoughts in his mind, and his eyes instantly became sharp!

"Your son understands!"

Clang!

The longsword was drawn from its sheath with a resounding clang!

Facing the seven or eight fearless Demonic Puppets rushing towards him, Chen Daoxuan did not retreat in the slightest; instead, he advanced.

He actively met them!

The Myriad Ages Evergreen Art within him roared into operation, and starlight flowed around his body!

"Myriad Ages Sword Art!"

Chen Daoxuan let out a low shout, his longsword shaking as he conjured several dazzling sword flowers!

Brilliant Sword Qi, like meteors falling from the night sky, shot out with a sharp intent towards the Puppets!

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The sounds of Sword Qi piercing flesh rang out continuously!

However, to Chen Daoxuan's alarm, the Physical Bodies of these Puppets were incredibly tough!

His powerful Sword Qi, striking these Puppets, could only leave shallow white marks.

It simply couldn't inflict fatal damage!

And the Puppets, as if feeling no pain, attacked even more ferociously!

One of the Puppets, taking advantage of a gap in Chen Daoxuan's Moves, suddenly closed in, its pair of black claws, carrying a pungent stench, aimed directly for his heart!

So fast!

Chen Daoxuan's pupils contracted, and in haste, he could only block with his sword held horizontally!

Clang~!

A loud clang of metal on metal!

A massive force came from the sword, numbing Chen Daoxuan's tiger's mouth and forcing him back several steps uncontrollably!

Damn it!

These things were simply a group of killing machines that knew no pain and no fatigue!

Ordinary Daoist attacks were useless against them!

Chen Xu, standing to the side, merely watched quietly.

He showed no intention of intervening.

He wanted his son to understand that true combat was not sparring or dueling.

It was a life-and-death struggle, using every means possible!

Knowledge from ancient texts was always dead!

Only through the baptism of blood and fire could one truly grow into a fierce tiger or wolf daring to defy fate!

Seeing that the other few Puppets had also surrounded him, a hint of determination flashed in Chen Daoxuan's eyes!

He no longer held back; the spiritual power within his body burned frantically!

"warrior star, possess me!"

Buzz~!

In the night sky, the warrior star, which governed slaughter, seemed to be drawn, suddenly shining brightly!

Brilliant starlight, traversing the endless Void Realm, projected down, falling upon Chen Daoxuan's body!

In an instant, his Aura soared!

A powerful, overbearing, and unyielding Battle Intent erupted from him!

"Die!"

Chen Daoxuan let out a roar, and the longsword in his hand also seemed to sense its master's Battle Intent, letting out a clear, resonant sword cry!

He no longer used those flashy sword arts but instead concentrated all his power on the basic Moves of chopping, slashing, and thrusting!

A single sword strike!

There was no dazzling sword light, only a simple, unadorned streak of light!

Pfft ch—!

The Puppet blocking his path, with its body as hard as refined steel, was instantly sliced apart before this sword imbued with the warrior star's killing intent!

Black demonic blood, mixed with shattered internal organs, splattered all over the ground!

With one successful strike, Chen Daoxuan's confidence greatly increased!

He moved with starlight underfoot, his figure like a ghost, weaving between several Puppets!

The longsword in his hand transformed into the blade of the Nine Nether King of Hell!

Each sword strike inevitably brought down a Puppet!

In just a dozen breaths, the seven or eight incredibly fierce Demonic Puppets were all slain by him, turning into a pile of mangled limbs!

"Hoo... hoo..."

Chen Daoxuan leaned on his sword, half-kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath.

Invoking the warrior star's Star Power to possess him was extremely draining.

At this moment, he felt waves of exhaustion washing over him.

But looking at the mess on the ground, his eyes were full of excitement.

He did it!

He solved these enemies with his own strength!

However, just as his mind relaxed, a chilling laugh echoed faintly from the depths of the valley.

"Hehehe... Not bad, not bad, little fellow."

"To be able to invoke the warrior star's Star Power to possess you right after changing Cultivation Techniques, your Aptitude is truly extraordinary."

"Perfect, my Blood River Sacrificial Spirit Array is still missing one final main Formation eye. Using the flesh and Divine Soul of a Prodigy like you as its core is truly most suitable!"

The voice was hoarse and grating, making one frown.

The moment the voice fell.

A figure completely shrouded in a wide black robe slowly emerged from the darkness deep within the valley.

Dense Devilish Qi, visible to the naked eye, swirled around the person, and even from a great distance, the chilling Aura emanating from him was palpable!

Late Golden Core Stage!

Chen Daoxuan's pupils suddenly contracted, and an alarm bell rang in his heart.

The pressure emanating from this Devil Head was far more terrifying than any opponent he had encountered before!

However, what made his stomach churn and his anger flare even more was that the black-robed man was holding a bloody object in his hand.

It was an apple!

An apple that was still "thumping"!

Fresh red blood dripped through the black-robed man's fingers, splattering into eerie blood blossoms on the ground.

The next moment, under Chen Daoxuan's furious gaze, the black-robed man actually brought the still-beating apple to his mouth and took a big, savage bite!

"Crunch... crunch..."

A teeth-grating chewing sound echoed in the silent valley, accompanied by a strong smell of blood, stimulating every nerve in Chen Daoxuan's body.

"Hehehe... Not bad, not bad, little fellow."

The black-robed man chewed as he let out a chilling laugh.

His gaze from beneath his hood landed on Chen Daoxuan with keen interest.

"To be able to invoke the warrior star's Star Power to possess you and kill eight blood corpses I meticulously refined, even though your Foundation is not yet stable after just changing Cultivation Techniques. Tsk tsk, such Aptitude is truly extraordinary."

He seemed to know Chen Daoxuan's background like the back of his hand.

"Perfect, my Blood River Sacrificial Spirit Array is still missing one final main Formation eye."

"Using the flesh and Divine Soul of a Prodigy like you as its core, absorbing your Luck, the power of the great Formation will surely ascend another level. It is truly most suitable!"

The hoarse voice was full of malice.

"You Devil Head!"

Chen Daoxuan was both shocked and enraged, forcing himself to stand upright, his longsword pointed at the opponent, and he shouted sternly, "What have you done to the villagers on the island?!"

"Villagers?"

Hearing this, the black-robed man first paused, then burst into piercing, wild laughter.

"Hahahaha! You mean those ants? They are, of course... integrated with my great Formation!"