144: Chapter 144 Nighttime Blood Demon

Deep within an ancient cave in the desolate mountains.

Blood Venerable sat cross-legged beside a blood pool, where blood churned, emitting a thick aura of Evil Qi. The vertical blood-colored mark on his forehead opened and closed slightly, scanning the surroundings like a third eye.

"Something is wrong." Blood Venerable suddenly opened his eyes, a surge of blood-red light erupting within them. "Out of the thirty-seven hidden sentries, the 'Evil Qi sense' of thirty-six of them has vanished simultaneously!"

Two figures in black robes turned pale with shock. "How is this possible? How could the Ling Family discover all of our arrangements?!"

"The Ling Family is truly formidable, clearing all hidden sentries with such precision and speed." Blood Venerable slowly stood up, the Evil Qi around his body rising like flames.

His expression was grim. "Our plan has likely been exposed long ago."

"Then what should we do?" the tall black-robed figure asked urgently. "Should we withdraw immediately?"

"Withdraw?" Blood Venerable sneered. "To withdraw now is to admit defeat. The Heavenly Dao Palace will not let us off either."

A flash of madness crossed his eyes. "The plan remains unchanged! It will launch on time in two days! However, the target needs to be changed."

"Does Blood Venerable mean…?"

"Since Ling Hao has already noticed, we will strike directly at the heart!" Blood Venerable said, enunciating every word. "In two days, Ling Hao will be preaching in the Ancestral Hall; this is the best time to kill him. The Three Elders of Blood Evil do not need to go to Black Wind Canyon. Instead, infiltrate Qingyun City directly, coordinate with the remaining lurkers in the city, and launch a full-scale assault on the Ancestral Hall!"

"But the Ancestral Hall has the Chaos Dragon Pattern Array,"

"No matter how strong a Formation is, it still requires people to guard it." Blood Venerable grinned viciously. "Don't we still have our people inside the city? We will coordinate from within and without, using the Blood Evil God-Slaying Formation to force our way through! As long as Ling Hao is killed, the Ling Family will collapse without a fight!"

"But what about Manager Nangong He…"

"There is no time to worry about that!" Blood Venerable growled. "Killing Ling Hao is a secret order issued personally by the Hall Master of the Heavenly Dao Palace! As long as this order is completed, the Blood Fiend Sect will receive the full support of the Heavenly Dao Palace and replace Wanbao Pavilion as the number one merchant guild in the Eastern Wasteland!"

The temptation was too great; the breathing of the two black-robed figures became heavy.

"Pass the order to the Three Elders of Blood Evil: change the plan, the target is Ling Hao!" Blood Venerable said decisively.

However, just as his voice fell,

"That is a good plan."

A calm voice rang out in the ancient cave.

Blood Venerable shuddered violently and turned his head abruptly.

He saw a figure in green robes walking slowly into the cave from the shadows at the entrance. Moonlight slanted in from the entrance, illuminating a young yet profound face.

It was none other than Ling Hao.

"Unfortunately, you will not have the chance to implement it." Ling Hao's gaze swept over the three of them, as if looking at dead men.

"Ling Hao?" Blood Venerable's pupils constricted. "How, how did you find this place?!"

"Is it difficult?" Ling Hao raised his hand, and a blood-colored token appeared in his palm—it was the Blood Evil Token seized from the sentry. "Your tokens contain your aura imprint. Tracking the aura is very easy."

Blood Venerable's face turned ashen.

He had not expected that Ling Hao would not only clear all the hidden sentries but also trace it back to him through the token!

"Since you are here, stay here forever!" Blood Venerable roared, and the vertical blood-colored mark on his forehead opened completely!

A blood-colored eye stared fixedly at Ling Hao!

"Blood Evil Demon Eye, Divine Soul Erosion!"

A beam of blood-red light shot out from the demon eye, aiming straight at Ling Hao's forehead! The beam contained terrifying resentment, Evil Qi, and the secret Divine Soul attack technique of the Blood Fiend Sect. Even a Soul Transformation Peak Cultivator would have their Divine Soul collapse instantly if struck!

However, Ling Hao simply raised his hand gently.

"Time and Space Reversal."

A phantom image of a Chaos clock in his palm reversed.

When the blood-red beam touched within three feet of Ling Hao, it strangely retreated, shrinking back into Blood Venerable's demon eye!

"What?" Blood Venerable turned pale with shock. "Time Rule? You actually mastered the Time Rule!"

"I have just mastered the basics." Ling Hao said calmly, stepping forward and appearing before Blood Venerable. "Now, it is my turn."

He threw a punch.

It was plain and unadorned, yet it contained the Concept of Chaos returning to the source.

Blood Venerable retreated frantically, simultaneously summoning twelve blood-colored bone shields. Each bone shield was refined from the skulls of Soul Transformation Cultivators, filled with towering resentment and possessing astonishing defensive power.

But!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The bone shields shattered one after another like paper!

The fist slammed into Blood Venerable's chest without any obstruction.

"Pfft!"

Blood Venerable flew backward, slamming into the rock wall. His chest collapsed, and he spat out blood. Yet, he did not die. At the critical moment, a blood-colored jade pendant on his chest shattered, turning into a layer of blood light that protected his heart meridian.

"A Blood Jade of Substitution?" Ling Hao raised an eyebrow. "The Blood Fiend Sect is quite generous."

"Ling Hao! Do you really want to kill us all?" Blood Venerable roared. "If you kill me, the Blood Fiend Sect will never rest until you are dead! The Heavenly Dao Palace will not let you off either!"

"You say that as if you would let me go if I didn't kill you." Ling Hao shook his head and raised his hand again.

This time, a Chaos-colored Dragon scale appeared in his palm.

"The sixth transformation of the Nine Transformations of the Ancestral Dragon, Chaos Dragon Domain, open."

"Hum!"

With Ling Hao as the center, the Chaos-colored Domain expanded instantly, enveloping the entire ancient cave!

Within the Domain, all laws returned to their source, and rules were suppressed.

Blood Venerable discovered with horror that the Evil Qi in his body was melting like ice and snow, and even his demon eye began to close! The two black-robed figures were even worse off, collapsing to the ground, trembling, unable to even stand.

"This, this is Rule suppression?" Blood Venerable despaired.

The reason Void Refining Cultivators were powerful was because they had initially mastered rules. And Ling Hao's Chaos Rules was inherently higher than the Blood Evil Rule, forming absolute suppression!

"It is over." Ling Hao flicked his finger.

Three streams of Chaos Qi shot out, piercing the foreheads of the three men.

Blood Venerable and the two black-robed figures had their pupils dilate, and their bodies slowly fell to the ground.

The person in charge of the Blood Fiend Sect in the Southern Domain had fallen.

Ling Hao waved his hand, collecting the storage rings of the three, and then extracted a blood-colored bead from the blood pool. This was a "Blood Evil Bead" used by the Blood Fiend Sect for cultivation, containing a large amount of Blood Evil essence. Although it was useless to him, it could be used to Cultivate the blood-path Cultivators of the Ling Family.

After finishing all this, his gaze fell on the blood-colored communication token at Blood Venerable's waist. The token was still slightly warm, indicating that a message had just been sent—it was the instruction to change the plan that Blood Venerable had sent to the Three Elders of Blood Evil before he died.

"This instruction can be put to good use."

Ling Hao took the token into his hand and probed it with his Divine Sense. Inside the token were three unactivated blood-colored light spots, which were the communication marks of the Three Elders of Blood Evil. He pondered for a moment, then imitated Blood Venerable's tone, using the Primordial Chaos Force to simulate Evil Qi, and injected a message:

"Three Elders: The plan has changed. The target is Ling Hao. Act at the Welcoming Hall at the hour of the Rat (midnight). I will find a way to injure Manager Nangong He; Ling Hao will surely treat him, and that will be the best time to strike. I will lead the crowd to support you. Do not send any more messages before the operation to avoid exposure."

The message was sent, and the three blood-colored lights on the token flickered slightly before returning to calm—this was confirmation that the other party had received it.

"Now, they will only believe that Blood Venerable is lurking in the dark." Ling Hao's lips curled up slightly, and he put away the token.

He took a step, and his figure merged into the Void Realm.

When he appeared again, he was already in the Council Hall.

Ling Xiao and the others had long been waiting there.

"Young Lord, the hidden sentries outside the city have all been cleared." Ling You reported first. "The lurkers inside the city have also been exterminated, with none escaping."

"Very good." Ling Hao nodded. "Blood Venerable has been executed. Now, the forces of the Blood Fiend Sect in the Southern Domain have been basically wiped out."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Ling Xiao's brows remained tightly locked. "Young Lord, what about the Three Elders of Blood Evil?"

"They will not go to Black Wind Canyon." Ling Hao said calmly. "Before he died, Blood Venerable sent out a final message changing the plan: in two days, they will launch a full-scale assault on the Ancestral Hall, and the target is me."

"What?" Everyone's expressions changed.

"What are you panicking about?" Ling Hao scanned the crowd. "If they come, it saves us trouble. We will set up a net of inescapable traps in the Ancestral Hall and wait for them to walk into it."

He paused and looked in the direction of Manager Nangong He. "As for Manager Nangong He, I have my own arrangements."

He took out a communication jade talisman and sent a message to Manager Nangong He:

"Blood Venerable has been executed. The plan has changed. The Three Elders of Blood Evil will not go to Black Wind Canyon; their new target is me. I need you to cooperate and act out a scene."

A moment later, Manager Nangong He's reply came:

"How does Fellow Daoist Ling need this old man to cooperate?"

"The itinerary in two days remains the same; you come to the Spirit Mine cave. I will stage an 'accident' there, causing you to be 'seriously injured.' Then you flee back to Qingyun City, and I will announce that you need to go into seclusion to heal. At that time, the Three Elders of Blood Evil will think the opportunity has arrived, and they will infiltrate the Ancestral Hall to assassinate me."

"Luring the snake out of the hole?" Manager Nangong He's voice carried a smile. "A good plan! But to make it convincing, I must have some 'injuries,' right?"

"Rest assured, I have already arranged it." Ling Hao said. "Just act according to the plan."

In the night sky, the bright moon hung high.