157: Blood Valley Gate and Spiritual Vein Reversal

The smell of blood in the wind was thick and impossible to disperse.

Liu Shan landed on the hillside outside Luoxia Valley, the grass beneath his feet stained a dark brown.

Looking from afar, the familiar green-gold barrier at the valley entrance had vanished, replaced by a twisted, blood-colored light gate.

Patterns similar to those on Blood Master's palm flowed across the gate, madly devouring the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth.

The aura of the Spiritual Vein inside the valley was in complete disarray.

The originally docile green-gold Spiritual Qi had become violent, crashing through the valley like a terrified beast, only to be forcibly sucked into the blood-colored light gate to serve as fuel for its maintenance.

The withered locust tree had completely blackened, its branches entwined with blood-colored patterns like a giant, open hand, casting the entire Luoxia Valley into shadow.

"Blood Master... he is refining the Spiritual Vein!"

Liu Shan's heart sank.

He could feel the core of Luoxia Valley's Earth Vein being extracted by the blood-colored light gate at an alarming speed.

At this rate, the entire Spiritual Vein of Luoxia Valley would be completely exhausted within an hour, turning it into a wasteland.

What alarmed him even more was that the auras of Lin Qingxue and Liu Zhi were inside the valley, extremely faint, as if suppressed by something and on the verge of vanishing completely.

He did not hesitate, transforming into a streak of Light and Darkness Power as he rushed toward the blood-colored light gate.

As he approached the light gate, a powerful repulsive force surged forth.

The blood-colored patterns on the gate flared, transforming into countless tiny blood arrows that shot toward him!

These blood arrows contained a dense aura of destruction, similar to the power of source erosion, yet far more domineering.

"Break!"

Liu Shan gave a low shout, circulating the Light and Darkness Power within his body to form a Taiji light shield before him.

The blood arrows struck the light shield with a sizzling sound, only to be instantly swallowed by the shield and converted into pure energy that fed back into him.

The light gate did not seem to expect that he could absorb the power of the blood arrows; the repulsive force suddenly surged, and the entire gate trembled violently, attempting to repel him.

Liu Shan’s eyes narrowed as he also mobilized the power of source erosion.

The black and white bead in his palm grew slightly warm, radiating a destructive aura similar to the blood-colored patterns, and the repulsive force of the light gate actually weakened slightly!

"As expected... powers of the same source can restrain it!"

He seized the opportunity, accelerated sharply, and crashed through the blood-colored light gate!

The moment he passed through the light gate, a thick, bloody stench assailed him, causing him to frown deeply.

The scene inside the valley was even more tragic than he had imagined—the spiritual fields were completely destroyed, the soil turned a dark red, and the biye flower seedlings had long since withered, leaving only black husks.

Most of the Pill Chamber and the clansmen's houses had collapsed, with bloodstains scattered among the broken walls and ruins, clearly indicating that a fierce battle had occurred.

Shi Yan and a few surviving clansmen were bound to the stone pillar in the center of the square, their bodies entwined with blood-colored patterns.

Their faces were pale as paper, and their breathing was faint, as if they were on the verge of death.

At the highest point of the square, directly beneath the blood-colored light gate, the figure of the Blood Master hovered in mid-air.

He appeared more solid than he had been in the Ancient Forest.

The blood mist surrounding him had dissipated, revealing a face that resembled the ancestor of the Xuan Jin Snake but was younger.

However, there was no peace on this face, only cold madness.

His hands were pressed against a massive, blood-colored Formation Plate.

This Formation Plate was connected to a fissure leading to the depths of the Earth Vein; it was the core device extracting the Spiritual Vein.

Lin Qingxue and Liu Zhi lay unconscious beside the Formation Plate, their bodies similarly entwined with blood-colored patterns.

They were clearly the "sacrifices" the Blood Master was using to stabilize the Formation Plate.

"You have finally arrived, Ruin Master."

The Blood Master opened his eyes and looked at Liu Shan, who had just landed.

A cruel smile curled his lips: "I thought you would hide in the Ancient Ruin and not dare to come out."

Liu Shan ignored his sarcasm, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Qingxue and Liu Zhi beside the Formation Plate.

The Light and Darkness Power within him began to stir restlessly.

"Let them go!"

"Let them go?" The Blood Master seemed to have heard a joke.

"They are the keys to opening the 'Gate of Same Source.' If I let them go, who will help me complete the final Fusion?"

The Gate of Same Source? Liu Shan's pupils contracted sharply.

"Do you still not understand?" The Blood Master’s voice carried a hint of fanaticism.

"Xuan Jin and the Blood Master share the same origin. Only by allowing the Spiritual Vein to fully fuse with the power of destruction can we break the shackles of this world and achieve true eternity!"

"And they, possessing the purest Spiritual Vein power, are the best 'catalysts'!"

He raised his hand, and the blood-colored patterns on the Formation Plate flared.

Lin Qingxue and Liu Zhi’s bodies trembled violently as the Spiritual Vein power within them was forcibly extracted and injected into the Formation Plate!

"No!"

Liu Shan’s eyes were wide with fury as he transformed into a streak of light and charged toward the Formation Plate!

"Stop him!"

The Blood Master snorted coldly.

Several figures suddenly rushed out from the shadows beside the Formation Plate—they were the Shadow Eaters controlled by the Blood Master!

These Shadow Eaters appeared more solid than before, their bodies entwined with blood-colored patterns, clearly strengthened by the Blood Master using the power of the Spiritual Vein.

"Get out of my way!"

Liu Shan could not be bothered to entangle with them.

His Light and Darkness Power erupted, forming a swirling current of Light and Darkness around him.

The Shadow Eaters were swept into the current the moment they approached, instantly swallowed and purified before they could even let out a scream.

His speed was immense, and in the blink of an eye, he reached the Formation Plate, reaching out to unravel the blood-colored patterns on Lin Qingxue.

Just then, the Blood Master moved.

He abandoned control of the Formation Plate and flashed, appearing before Liu Shan.

His pitch-black palm, carrying a dense blood-colored aura, struck toward his chest!

The power of this palm was several times stronger than it had been in the Ancient Forest; clearly, absorbing the power of the Spiritual Vein had made him even more powerful!

"Your opponent is me!"

Liu Shan was forced to strike back in defense.

His fist, interwoven with light and darkness, collided with the Blood Master's palm, producing a deafening boom.

The two forces, sharing the same origin yet opposing each other, collided wildly, forming a massive energy shockwave that shattered the surrounding broken walls and ruins!

Liu Shan felt a powerful force surge up his arm, forcing him to take three steps back, his arm numb.

The Blood Master also retreated two steps, a look of surprise on his face: "You can actually fuse the power of source erosion? It seems you gained quite a bit from your trip to the Ancient Ruin."

"Enough talk!" Liu Shan’s eyes were cold.

"Today, I will put an end to this conflict once and for all!"

He charged forward again, his Light and Darkness Power erupting without reservation as he engaged the Blood Master in battle.

The streak of Light and Darkness Power and the blood-colored figure collided rapidly within the valley.

Each exchange shook the ground and threw the Spiritual Qi into chaos.

Liu Shan’s Light and Darkness Power was both offensive and defensive, capable of absorbing the Blood Master’s attacks while simultaneously unleashing powerful force.

The Blood Master’s power, however, was more domineering, bolstered by the blood-colored Formation Plate and the power of the Spiritual Vein, making it endless and seemingly inexhaustible.

The battle fell into a stalemate.

Liu Shan’s gaze remained locked on Lin Qingxue and Liu Zhi beside the Formation Plate.

Their auras were growing weaker, and their faces had turned a bluish-gray; clearly, they could not hold on much longer.

He had to end this quickly!

He took a deep breath and made a bold decision—to completely detonate the Light and Darkness Power within his body!

"With my body, I fuse the Light and Darkness Power. Break!"

Liu Shan’s body erupted with blinding light.

The two forces of light and darkness were no longer in balance; instead, they collided violently, generating a devastating shockwave!

This shockwave was more powerful than any previous attack, causing even the Blood Master’s expression to change drastically as he subconsciously retreated to defend!

Liu Shan seized the opportunity, ignoring the backlash from the shockwave.

His body transformed into an arrow of light, bypassing the Blood Master and charging straight toward the blood-colored Formation Plate!

His target was not the Blood Master, but the Formation Plate!

As long as he destroyed the Formation Plate, he could stop the extraction of the Spiritual Vein and save Lin Qingxue and Liu Zhi!

The Blood Master clearly had not expected this.

He roared and turned to give chase, a dense blood-colored aura condensing on his palm as he struck toward Liu Shan’s back!

He was only a step away from the Formation Plate.

Liu Shan could even touch Lin Qingxue’s cold fingers.

The Blood Master’s palm was also close at hand, carrying enough power to severely injure him.

He did not look back.

Instead, he used his last ounce of strength to concentrate the Light and Darkness Power at his fingertip, stabbing toward the core pattern on the Formation Plate!

The instant his fingertip was about to touch the Formation Plate, he felt the Blood Master’s palm land on his back.

A sharp pain surged through him, and his vision instantly went black.

Yet, a smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Because his fingertip had already pierced the core pattern of the Formation Plate.

The blood-colored Formation Plate instantly erupted with a blinding red light.