48: Bloodbath of Xuanzhen Sect

Seeing this, Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi's pupils suddenly constricted.

There was no doubt about it—these guards were using ghostly qi to Cultivate!

However, these guards had hidden that sinister ghostly qi so well, weaving it perfectly with their own spiritual energy fluctuations.

To the point that, as Special Agents of the Spiritual Energy Bureau, they hadn't noticed a thing.

But Senior Chen Nian had actually seen through it!

If not for him, they might have remained completely oblivious until they were deep within the ghost's den.

It had to be said, Senior Chen Nian was simply too strong!

Not only was his combat power terrifying, but even this level of perception had already exceeded the scope of what they could understand.

For a moment, Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi looked at Chen Nian with eyes full of even greater admiration.

However, before they could recover from this immense shock...

Another change occurred.

The surrounding Xuanzhen Sect Disciples, after a brief moment of bewilderment, also reacted.

Disguise was now meaningless.

Since they had been seen through, there was no longer any need to act.

"Jie jie jie..."

Bursts of suppressed, inhuman cackling erupted from the throats of those Disciples.

Their originally upright bodies began to hunch over, and beneath their skin, it looked as if black insects were squirming.

Whoosh—!

In the next instant, ghostly qi as thick as ink surged from their bodies into the sky.

Cold, violent, and evil.

Countless strands of ghostly qi, so pure it was nauseating, instantly filled the entire Xuanzhen Sect, dropping the surrounding air temperature by over ten degrees.

Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi's faces instantly turned deathly pale.

They watched this scene in horror, their hearts pounding wildly.

It wasn't just one.

It wasn't two.

It was every single Disciple!

Every Disciple of the Xuanzhen Sect was actually a ghostly qi cultivator!

A terrifying realization surfaced in their minds.

Could it be that the entire Xuanzhen Sect... had completely fallen and become a nest for the Corpse Ghost Cult?

The thought made them go cold all over, their hands and feet freezing up.

However, Chen Nian, facing this sky-high ghostly qi, still maintained that calm and indifferent expression.

The corner of his mouth even curled into a slight arc.

It was a look of ultimate contempt, an indifference as if he were looking at ants.

"A bunch of fools who don't know their own limits."

His voice was very light, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"Come at me all at once, I'm in a hurry."

Arrogant!

Too arrogant!

The dozens of Xuanzhen Sect Disciples were completely enraged by those words.

The ghostly qi on their bodies churned frantically, and their eyes turned blood-red.

"Courting death!"

"You little brat, today we'll show you the methods of the Xuanzhen Sect!"

"Kill him! Refine his flesh and blood into a Ghost Pill!"

Amidst the angry roars, dozens of figures wrapped in black energy lunged simultaneously, pouncing toward Chen Nian from all directions.

They were extremely fast, bringing with them gusts of chilly wind and a ghastly, terrifying aura.

Seeing so many people attack at once, and knowing each one was quite strong—the weakest being at the First-rank Peak, with several even reaching the Second-rank Peak—

Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi's hearts instantly leaped into their throats.

Facing so many experts, could Senior Chen Nian really handle it?

However, Chen Nian didn't even strike a defensive pose; he just stood there casually.

It was as if those pouncing on him weren't vicious Ghost Cultivators, but a swarm of moths flying into a flame.

In the next second.

Chen Nian moved.

His movements were simple to the extreme.

Facing the Xuanzhen Sect Disciple lunging from the front, he merely raised his right hand casually.

Boom—!!!

Accompanied by an incredibly dull explosion.

That Second-rank Xuanzhen Sect Disciple exploded directly into a cloud of blood mist.

Red blood, white bone, and black organ fragments, mixed with thick ghostly qi, sprayed in every direction.

The entire process was so fast that people couldn't even react.

Immediately after, Chen Nian shifted his body slightly and casually raised his right leg, kicking outward.

Puchi—!

A Xuanzhen Sect Disciple attempting a sneak attack from the side had his body snapped in half from the middle.

His upper and lower body separated at a bizarre angle, blood and intestines spilling all over the ground.

He didn't even have time to scream before the light of life in his eyes rapidly faded.

And that wasn't all.

Chen Nian's figure blurred.

He was like a bolt of golden lightning, weaving rapidly through the encirclement formed by the many Xuanzhen Sect Disciples.

His method of attack remained simple.

A punch.

A kick.

Every time he threw a punch, a Xuanzhen Sect Disciple's head or body would inevitably explode; they died before they could even realize what was happening.

Every time he kicked, a Xuanzhen Sect Disciple's body would inevitably be torn apart, turning into a pile of scattered flesh and blood.

The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, filled with a beauty of extreme violence.

In an instant, the Xuanzhen Sect was transformed into a living hell.

Blood splattered, staining the stone steps red.

Flesh flew everywhere, even hanging off the ancient archway.

Shrill screams and desperate wails intertwined, playing a symphony of death.

Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi were completely dumbfounded.

They stood there blankly, mouths agape, but unable to make a sound.

The scene before them brought an unprecedented visual impact and spiritual shock.

What terrifying, what powerful strength!

And what sharp, what brutal methods!

A crushing defeat!

Complete annihilation!

This was a thorough, one-sided slaughter without any suspense!

Only now did they finally understand those rumors about Chen Nian.

About his sharp methods.

About his brutal terror.

It turned out those weren't exaggerations, let alone rumors.

They were all true!

Senior Chen Nian's power had completely exceeded the limits of their imagination.

The remaining Xuanzhen Sect Disciples no longer had even a fraction of their previous arrogance and ferocity.

Fear.

Endless fear gripped their hearts.

They watched that demon god who strolled through the crowd, taking a life with every move, and their courage was nearly shattered.

"A devil! He's a devil!"

"Run! Run!"

Someone let out a hysterical scream.

The remaining Disciples snapped out of it, no longer caring about the attack, and one after another they channeled their ghostly qi to flee in all directions.

They wished their parents had given them two more legs.

However, a cold, mocking sneer curled onto Chen Nian's lips.

"Run? Can you escape?"

He stopped his pace and no longer pursued them.

He simply gave a sudden wave of his hand.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Countless red silk threads, thinner than a strand of hair, emerged from his hand out of thin air, then whistled out like venomous snakes with lives of their own.

The speed of those threads was almost invisible to the naked eye, tracing sinister red streaks through the air.

Chichi chichi chichi—!

A series of terrifying cutting sounds rang out.

The bodies of those Xuanzhen Sect Disciples who were desperately fleeing suddenly stiffened.

Then, countless fine blood lines began to appear on their bodies.

Horizontal, vertical, diagonal.

Densely packed, covering their entire bodies.

In the next instant.

Puff—!

Their bodies, like building blocks that had been sliced countless times by the sharpest blade, instantly fell apart into piles of various-sized fragments.

Blood and organs covered the ground.

Crack!

Crack, crack!

It wasn't just the Xuanzhen Sect Disciples; even the thick courtyard walls and the hard rock ground were carved with terrifying marks.

The massive archway engraved with the three characters 'Xuanzhen Sect' was sliced into countless pieces and came crashing down.

Debris flew and dust filled the air.

When everything settled...

In front of the Xuanzhen Sect, there was not a single Disciple left standing.

Only severed limbs and broken remains scattered across the ruins remained.

Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi watched this scene, completely shocked into a daze.

Their minds were blank, having completely lost the ability to think.

After all, the scene before them was simply too terrifying.

This terror didn't just come from the bloodiness and violence of the imagery.

It came more from that absolute, suffocating gap in strength.

Dozens of Xuanzhen Sect Disciples.

From the First-rank to the Second-rank, with several quite capable Second-rank Peaks who were only a step away from the Third-rank.

Yet, even such experts were crushed so easily and died so casually in less than a minute.

And Senior Chen Nian...

From beginning to end, he had appeared so indifferent, as if he hadn't used even a shred of effort.

It was as if killing these people was, to him, truly just like crushing a few bothersome ants.

Too terrifying.

Just what kind of powerful strength was this!

However, they also knew very well that not a single person here was innocent.

They were truly collaborating with the Corpse Ghost Cult; they were all cultivating with ghostly qi, and even helping Ghostly Creatures harm innocent lives.

Thinking of this, the slight discomfort in their hearts vanished.

On their way to the Xuanzhen Sect, they had already reported the situation here to the Spiritual Energy Bureau Headquarters.

According to protocol, headquarters would definitely dispatch a combat unit to arrest and purge the area.

It's just... they glanced at Chen Nian's back.

Senior Chen Nian hadn't even waited for orders from headquarters before taking action.

This 'act first, report later' style was indeed a bit over-the-top with its sharpness.

However, Chen Nian clearly didn't care about their thoughts at all.

He didn't even look back at them, stepping forward directly across the remains and ruins, continuing toward the depths of the Xuanzhen Sect.

His pace wasn't fast, yet it carried an indisputable sense of pressure.

Wu Jiahao and Zhao Xinyi looked at each other, both seeing deep shock and a hint of bitterness in the other's eyes.

Though they were trembling with fear, they quickly adjusted their mindsets and hurried to follow.

They knew that today, the Xuanzhen Sect was likely finished.