32: The Murder in Chapter 32

Following the guidance of Wu Li's technique, all the essence blood converged in the air, forming a blood sphere the size of a human head.

It shimmered with a faint, eerie blood-colored light, spinning faster and faster while emitting a buzzing sound, as if something was gestating inside.

At the same time, a brilliant red light flared in Wu Li's pupils, and a trace of excitement flashed in his eyes.

"This should be enough to let my Blood Pupil fully form and reach the First Transformation Realm."

As he spoke, the blood-colored scriptures surrounding Wu Li's body suddenly flared, flying into the blood sphere one after another.

The blood sphere began to expand, growing from the size of a head to the size of a basin, and its color shifted from dark red to a deep, profound blood-red, resembling a sun on the verge of exploding.

"Blood Pupil Pagoda, using blood as the guide, using the eye as the vessel..."

Wu Li's voice grew higher and sharper, and the sound of his incantation echoed throughout the entire Desolate Ridge.

The corpses piled on the ground began to shrivel; their flesh withered, their bones collapsed, and all their essence blood was drained away completely.

The blood sphere suddenly contracted, compressing to the limit, and then... "Boom!"

With a muffled sound, the blood sphere exploded, transforming into countless streams of blood-colored light that surged into the center of Wu Li's brow.

Wu Li's body stiffened abruptly. Above his brow, a vertical Blood Eye Shadow slowly emerged. This time, the Blood Pupil was no longer faint and liable to dissipate at the slightest breeze.

The Blood Pupil solidified, resembling a real eye, hovering three inches in front of Wu Li's brow. The Blood Pupil was blood-red all over and had not yet opened.

"Hum~" In the span of a breath, Wu Li opened his eyes, and the Blood Pupil opened along with them, suffusing the area with blood-colored light.

In that instant, he saw a different world—not by looking with his physical eyes, but by looking with the Blood Pupil.

He saw the particles of Spiritual Qi drifting above Desolate Ridge, saw the earthworms wriggling three feet underground, and saw the beasts sleeping in the distant mountain forests.

He could even see the blood flowing within the bodies of those beasts.

The corners of Wu Li's mouth curled up slightly, and he let out a low, hoarse laugh. "It's done!"

This was the Blood Pupil First Transformation: Candle of the Nether.

Upon the initial opening of the Blood Pupil, it was like a red candle illuminating the netherworld; it could sense the flow of Spiritual Qi, observe Yin and Yang, and capture the heart and spirit.

The moment the Blood Pupil solidified, the Demon Power that had been silent within Wu Li for a long time suddenly became agitated.

The mass of dark red light deep within his Dantian seemed to have been ignited by something; it expanded violently, spinning faster and faster while emitting a low hum.

Demon Power surged out from his Dantian like a tide. Wu Li's body began to heat up.

A faint red glow appeared on the skin beneath his feathers—these were the traces of Demon Power flowing through his Bloodline. He could clearly feel his strength climbing at an incredible speed.

First Stage Mid-level... Boom... First Stage Late Stage!

The barrier that had stood before him was forcefully shattered by the power brought about by the solidification of the Blood Pupil.

An invisible wave of Qi exploded from within Wu Li, blowing the withered leaves and gravel around the nest into a scattered frenzy.

"Refreshing~~" "Caw, caw, caw~"

Standing at the edge of the nest, Wu Li tilted his head back and let out a series of hoarse and sharp cries. The sound echoed over Desolate Ridge, startling the flock of crows into scattering and fleeing.

His black feathers shimmered with a cold, eerie metallic luster under the moonlight, and the Blood Pupil between his brows rotated slowly. The scarlet light reflected on his face, making him look strange and demonic.

The excitement lasted for a dozen breaths before Wu Li gradually calmed down. He withdrew the Blood Pupil, and the red light on his brow slowly faded, his bean-sized black pupils returning to their deep, dark color.

On the nest, the bundle wrapped in robes still lay there quietly. Wu Li crouched down and used his claws and beak to untie the bundle, revealing the items inside one by one under the moonlight.

In the very center, the scarlet Soul Crystal lay quietly. It was the size of a fist, blood-red all over, and the points of light inside were still swimming about, as if it were a living thing.

Wu Li reached out his claw and touched it. That cold power surged into his body once again, rushing straight to his Sea of Consciousness, and his mind became crystal clear.

"Good treasure." Wu Li murmured softly, setting the Soul Crystal and the cyan jade porcelain bottle aside for now.

Wu Li set the Soul Crystal and the cyan jade porcelain bottle aside and let his gaze fall on the three cyan-green spiritual fruits in the corner of the bundle.

These three spiritual fruits were cyan fruits plucked from the spiritual tree in the Vulture Demon's lair. They were of no use for him to eat, so now it was just right to use them to sacrifice to his talent and peer into the path ahead.

He pushed the three spiritual fruits in front of him, pressed his right claw down on them, and closed his eyes.

Demon Power surged into the spiritual fruits; all three fruits simultaneously glowed with a faint red light, then were swallowed by the red light, turning into a puff of cyan-gray ash that drifted down from between his claws.

At the same time, two divination omens appeared in Wu Li's mind as if carved by a knife.

[The first, Medium Omen: Within seven days, news of the Yunshan Sect Disciple's death will spread. The Sect will be enraged and dispatch Cultivators to scour the mountains. A storm of blood will rise in Wanhui, and Desolate Ridge will be unable to avoid this calamity.]

[The second, Small Auspicious: Three hundred li to the east, there is a nameless mountain where Spiritual Qi flows like silk. An old manor is hidden deep within the earth's veins, with an Opportunity hidden amidst the desolation.]

"Damn, it gave good stuff; the news can actually be explained clearly this time."

Wu Li opened his eyes, his bean-sized black pupils narrowing slightly.

Within seven days—the Yunshan Sect Disciple must be Chen Yuanshan, Zhao Heng, and those people. The Yunshan Sect would investigate and send Cultivators to scour Wanhui Mountain.

Medium Omen, not Great Omen, meant that as long as he avoided their direct confrontation, he would be fine. But the six words "Desolate Ridge will be unable to avoid this calamity" made Wu Li frown.

As for the second divination, three hundred li to the east, there is a nameless mountain, an old manor hidden deep in the earth's veins. Wu Li tilted his head and memorized this direction.

Small Auspicious meant it wasn't a trap, but it wasn't some earth-shattering great Opportunity either... However, combining these... it basically meant Wu Li needed to move to a different place.

"Hmm, there probably aren't any good things left in Wanhui Mountain anyway; it's time to move house."

Wu Li stood up from the edge of the nest, took a deep breath, opened his beak, and let out a low, hoarse crow. "Caw~"

The sound was not loud, but it carried the pressure of a First Stage Late Stage, spreading in all directions like ripples and reaching throughout the entire Desolate Ridge.

The crows on the withered branches all raised their heads in unison, looking toward the direction the sound came from. After a brief silence, the flapping of wings sounded from all directions.

One, two, ten, dozens... Crows of all sizes on Desolate Ridge leaped from the withered branches and flew toward the withered tree where Wu Li was located.

A black mass covered the moonlight, circling over Desolate Ridge once before landing in unison on the withered branches below Wu Li.

Heiyu was at the very front, followed by Bai Chi, Heida, Heier, and Heisan lined up in order, with dozens of ordinary, unawakened crows behind them.

They crouched on the withered branches, lowering their heads in unison, their postures respectful.

"Old Ancestor." Heiyu's voice was hoarse and respectful. Although the other crows had not awakened their intelligence, they imitated Heiyu, lowering their heads and emitting low cawing sounds.