136: The state of near death and the change of the mark

The cold gleam of the short blade magnified before Liu Shan's eyes, and he could even smell the sweet, fishy scent of the black-purple venom emanating from its surface.

He wanted to dodge, but his body felt as if it were filled with lead, and the intense pain from his back crawled up his spine, making it incredibly difficult for him to even move his eyeballs.

In his peripheral vision, Liu Zhi was being kicked down by a demonized dead soldier, his dagger flying from his hand, and a fatal blow was about to land.

Lin Qingxue's soft sword was entangled by another dead soldier; she tried her best to rush over but was firmly held back by the opponent, black blood seeping from her shoulder wound, her movements becoming increasingly sluggish.

"No—!"

A beast-like roar erupted from Liu Shan's throat, a roar mixed with anger, despair, and a hint of unwillingness.

He couldn't die here, at least not while watching Liu Zhi and Lin Qingxue being harmed before his eyes!

The desperate plight of near-death was like a match, igniting the last bit of hidden power within him.

The three-colored mark on his brow suddenly burst forth with dazzling light; this time, it was no longer a balanced blue, gold, and black, but the three colors violently colliding, forming a distorted, almost white, strong light!

The strong light exploded with Liu Shan at its center, forming a huge shockwave that instantly sent the nearby dead soldiers flying!

Their bodies slammed against the Pill Chamber's walls, making dull thuds, and the sound of bones shattering was clearly audible.

Even more bizarrely, the dead soldiers swept by the white light began to rapidly fade their black-blue Bloodline patterns, and the red light in their eyes dimmed, as if the control of the Bloodline patterns had been forcibly dispelled.

Liu Zhi and Lin Qingxue were also knocked to the ground by the shockwave but were not injured, merely staring in surprise at the white light erupting from Liu Shan's body.

Liu Shan himself was stunned.

He could feel an unprecedented power surging within him, a power more potent than any previous time, yet also more violent, as if it would tear his body apart.

A burning pain came from the mark on his brow; the three colors of light spun wildly within it, forming a constantly contracting and expanding vortex.

"This is... what is this...?" he murmured, his voice hoarse from the impact of the power.

The flying dead soldiers struggled to get up, and for the first time, fear appeared in their eyes as they looked at Liu Shan.

They wanted to retreat, but it was as if they were locked by an invisible force; their bodies trembled uncontrollably, and eventually, with a "thud," they knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly in Liu Shan's direction, as if worshipping some supreme existence.

Even the demonized dead soldiers outside the barrier fell silent, their roars abruptly ceasing, leaving only heavy, fear-filled gasps.

Liu Shan slowly raised his hand; the white light in his palm condensed into a ball, within which blue, gold, and black lights could be seen colliding wildly, yet strangely not annihilating each other, instead continuously Fusing and separating, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

He could feel that this power originated from the mark on his brow, yet it transcended the mark itself, as if the three powers, at the brink of death, had Broken through some boundary, giving birth to a completely New Power.

"Could it be... this is the true power of the Xuan Jin Bloodline?"

This thought had just emerged when it was interrupted by intense pain.

The power within him became increasingly violent, his Meridians felt as if they were about to burst, and three-colored patterns, identical to the mark on his brow, appeared on his skin.

These patterns were deepening at a visible rate, as if they wanted to drill into his bones.

"Liu Shan!" Lin Qingxue endured her injuries and crawled over, wanting to touch him, but was repelled by the white light.

"Hold on! Don't let the power control you!"

Liu Zhi also scrambled over, shouting anxiously, "Father! Look at me! Think of Luoxia Valley!"

Their voices were like two alarm bells, awakening Liu Shan's consciousness, which was about to be swallowed by the power.

He looked at their worried faces, at Uncle Wang's corpse on the ground, at the withered biye flower; the beliefs that had sustained him until now resurfaced, like a shackle, firmly locking the violent power.

The white light gradually receded, shrinking back into the mark on his brow.

Although the three-colored lights still spun, they no longer collided, but formed a stable spiral, emitting a soft yet powerful aura.

Liu Shan's body no longer trembled; a cool sensation came from the wound on his back, and the black-blue Bloodline patterns were slowly fading, revealing the healing flesh underneath.

He stood up and moved his limbs; although still somewhat weak, he no longer felt any pain.

The New Power within him became more refined, and every movement carried an indescribable rhythm, as if he had achieved some harmony with this world.

The kneeling dead soldiers still had their heads bowed, their bodies trembling like sieves, clearly not having recovered from the previous pressure.

Liu Shan walked up to a dead soldier and looked down at him: "Blood Ruins... where is it?"

The dead soldier's body trembled violently, his lips quivering, as if he wanted to say something, but he was also extremely fearful, eventually only emitting a hoarse gasp.

Liu Shan's brow mark flickered gently, and a soft power injected into the dead soldier's body.

The dead soldier's body no longer trembled, and his eyes regained a hint of clarity; although still fearful, he could speak: "It's... in the Duan Yun Mountains... in the deepest part of the... Blood-colored Canyon..."

"What is the White-Robed Figure doing there?"

"He... he is gathering all... Bloodline descendants... saying he wants to... open the 'Blood Gate'..."

Blood Gate?

A premonition of ill omen flashed through Liu Shan's heart.

The Xuan Jin Dragon's memory did not contain this name; it was clearly a more secret existence than the ancient ruin sound.

Just then, a shrill scream suddenly came from outside the valley, not from the demonized dead soldiers, but with a familiar, mournful wail belonging to Shadow Eaters!

Liu Shan suddenly turned to look at the barrier, only to see the demonized dead soldiers outside the barrier falling one by one; their bodies were torn apart by some invisible force, and black blood splattered everywhere.

And in the middle of the dead soldiers' corpses, a black shadow was slowly moving; the form of the shadow was similar to Shadow Eaters, but more solidified, emitting a more powerful aura than any Shadow Eaters he had encountered before.

"It's... it's Shadow Eaters!" Liu Zhi, frightened, hid behind Liu Shan.

"Why would they help us?"

Liu Shan's expression, however, became extremely grave.

He could feel that the black shadow's target was not the dead soldiers, but... him!

The black shadow seemed to sense his gaze, slowly raised its head, revealing a pair of eyes burning with crimson flames.

On its forehead, there was a pattern similar to Liu Shan's brow mark, but it was entirely black, emitting an aura of destruction.

"Ruin... Master..." The black shadow emitted a dry, voice, like countless people speaking at once.

"Come... with... me..."

Liu Shan's heart suddenly constricted.

This black shadow actually also called him "Ruin Master"!

Its aura was of the same Origin as the Shadow Eaters at the bottom of Chenyuan Lake, but purer, clearly the Shadow Eater King among the Shadow Eaters, a more terrifying existence awakened by the ancient ruin sound.

It wasn't here to help, it was here to... "greet" him!

The black shadow outside the barrier slowly extended its hand, and a black light shot towards Liu Shan; the light carried an irresistible suction, wanting to pull him out of Luoxia Valley.

Liu Shan subconsciously took a step back, and the three-colored mark on his brow lit up again; the blue-gold light formed a barrier, blocking the suction of the black light.

"What do you want?" His voice was cold, and the New Power within him was ready to erupt.

The black shadow did not answer, but its crimson eyes stared fixedly at him; the black light grew stronger and stronger, the air outside the barrier began to twist, and even light was sucked in, forming an ever-expanding black vortex.

Under the suction of the black vortex, the dead soldiers in the valley began to disintegrate, turning into black ash and being sucked into it.

Liu Zhi and Lin Qingxue were also affected by the suction, their bodies involuntarily sliding towards the barrier, only able to desperately cling to the nearby stones.

Liu Shan could feel that his barrier was being eroded little by little; the black shadow's power far surpassed any Shadow Eaters he had encountered before, and was even more overbearing than the White-Robed Figure's Xu Seal!

He looked at the constantly expanding black vortex, then at Liu Zhi and Lin Qingxue, who were struggling to hold on beside him; his heart pounded wildly in his chest.

With the White-Robed Figure plotting in the Blood Ruins ahead, and the Shadow Eater King's coercion behind, Luoxia Valley had just endured an attack from dead soldiers and could no longer withstand any more turmoil.

And he, caught in the middle, seemed to have no choice but a dead end, no matter what he chose.

The suction of the black vortex grew stronger and stronger, and a crack finally appeared in Liu Shan's barrier.

A satisfied light flashed in the black shadow's crimson eyes.

Its outstretched hand extended another inch.