Chapter 87

The entire Black Blood Battlefield was permeated with factors that stirred unease, and the longer one stayed, the more oppressive it felt.

For martial artists at the Blood Qi Realm, their mental willpower would determine how long they could stay in the Black Blood Battlefield, be it a dozen days or several dozen days. However, for martial artists at the Sinew Training Realm, their mental willpower had already reached a certain level, and unless there were special circumstances, they would not be affected.

Walking on the Black Blood Battlefield, the ground was dark brown, and even the sky seemed to be shrouded in a thin layer of dark red mist, making it difficult for sunlight to penetrate, creating a cold and gloomy atmosphere.

As night fell, the wind began to blow, and Chen Zong could feel the temperature dropping rapidly. The nights here were enough to freeze an ordinary person to death.

Although martial artists had better constitutions than ordinary people, it did not mean they were invincible. In harsh environments, they could still fall ill. Therefore, when going to unfamiliar places, especially those with peculiar environments, one had to be well-prepared.

Finding a sheltered area formed by two broken walls, Chen Zong sat down, placed the precious iron sword on his lap, and slowly circulated his blood qi. This way, he would not excessively deplete his blood qi while still keeping himself warm and maintaining an appropriate body temperature, preventing the cold from invading.

At some point, a crescent of red moon quietly appeared in the sky, hanging so low it seemed within reach. Looking up, it had a strangely beautiful allure.

The wind howled, and Chen Zong lit a bonfire. The flickering flames vaguely revealed the shapes of distant rocks and dead trees, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Chen Zong, who had a large heart, was not afraid. He reached into his chest and pulled out a small, blood-red object, about the size of a pigeon's egg, but irregular, looking like a piece of jade stained with blood.

This was the Sunk Blood Jade.

The dangers in the Black Blood Battlefield partly came from other martial artists seeking Sunk Blood Jades. This particular Sunk Blood Jade was obtained by Chen Zong after he killed a martial artist who tried to assassinate him.

The Sunk Blood Jade felt cool and smooth to the touch. When Chen Zong held it, he seemed to feel his blood qi flow slightly faster, but the difference was so subtle it was almost negligible.

"About one or two ounces, it should be worth at least ten thousand white jade coins," Chen Zong said to himself, staring at the Sunk Blood Jade in his hand.

As the night deepened, the blood-red crescent moon hanging in the sky seemed even more eerie.

Shadows spread.

On the left side of the ground, a black shadow seemed to flow silently like water, approaching Chen Zong.

The mysterious sword tip suddenly trembled, enhancing Chen Zong's perception to the extreme. Without hesitation, he drew his sword, and the sword light, like a bolt of lightning, tore through the night sky, stabbing to the left, but missing the target.

Without a moment's hesitation, Chen Zong leaped up, landing a few meters away, and stared at his original seated position. He noticed a strange black shadow, which appeared blood-red under the firelight.

"Blood Yin..." Chen Zong's brows furrowed slightly.

Since coming to the Black Blood Battlefield, one had to do some investigation first.

There were no demonic beasts in the Black Blood Battlefield, but there were two strange entities: Blood Yin and Blood Li. Blood Yin had no physical form and usually existed as a shadow or mist, silently entering the bodies of martial artists and draining their blood qi. Blood Li, on the other hand, was the evolved form of Blood Yin, having developed a physical form with direct offensive capabilities and the ability to drain blood qi, making it extremely terrifying.

Before entering the Black Blood Battlefield, Chen Zong had prepared for various dangers.

The Blood Yin disappeared underground, vanishing from Chen Zong's sight, but he did not relax his vigilance.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared from his feet. Chen Zong leaped, narrowly avoiding it, and swung his sword, which emitted an intense light, piercing the ground.

"Blood Yin has no physical form and is cold, but it fears high temperatures."

Thinking this, Chen Zong extended his precious iron sword over the bonfire, the temperature rising rapidly, and the tip of the sword began to turn red.

Behind Chen Zong, a black and red mist quietly appeared, silent and formless, like a fierce ghost face and claws, fiercely grabbing at Chen Zong's neck.

"Die!"

It seemed Chen Zong had eyes in the back of his head. He quickly turned around, a sword strike igniting sparks, piercing the air like a bolt of lightning, and the intense heat from the sword tip and blade immediately inflicted severe damage on the Blood Yin, causing it to emit a shrill and piercing scream, like a demonic sound piercing the brain.

Puff, the mist exploded.

"Dead?" Chen Zong sheathed his sword, unsure whether the Blood Yin had escaped or died.

He sat down again, added more dry wood to make the flames more vigorous, which could somewhat affect the Blood Yin.

The uses of Sunk Blood Jade were extensive, but its primary function was to assist the cultivation of martial artists at the Blood Qi Realm, though it required specific methods.

For example, the Boiling Blood Pool was one such method.

In essence, the pure blood qi contained within the Sunk Blood Jade, after years of accumulation and sedimentation, had formed a solid-like substance. Without special methods, it was impossible to extract the pure blood qi.

If it were a demonic beast, things would be different. The Sunk Blood Jade could be directly consumed and digested by its powerful body.

As the sky brightened, Chen Zong awoke, feeling refreshed. His mental willpower was strong enough, not inferior to that of a ninth-layer Blood Qi Realm martial artist. He had not been in the Black Blood Battlefield for long and had not been significantly affected.

After extinguishing the fire, Chen Zong packed his belongings and continued on. Soon, he saw a mummy. After a brief inspection, it appeared to have died within the past few days, the cause of death being the complete draining of blood qi, possibly due to encountering Blood Yin or Blood Li.

On the mummy, Chen Zong found two red money tickets and five white money tickets, totaling 25,000 white jade coins.

"Going at this rate, I might even find a million white jade coins here," Chen Zong said to himself, jokingly.

"Ouyang Jianlin, hand over the Sunk Blood Jade."

"Hand it over, and I'll spare your life."

"Hmph, with you few mud chickens and clay dogs."

"Looking for death."

"Kill him."

As Chen Zong heard these voices, he also saw five figures ahead. Four of them formed a包围圈, surrounding the fifth person.

The surrounded person had a strong blood qi fluctuation, at the ninth layer of the Blood Qi Realm, with sharp eyebrows and piercing eyes. He wore a silver-gray martial uniform, which was close-fitting and exquisite, accentuating his tall and imposing figure. The sword in his hand immediately caught Chen Zong's attention.

The sword's body was bright and smooth like a mirror, with a green light emanating from the blade, a sign of extreme sharpness.

The hilt seemed to be carved from dark red jade.

The entire sword, in terms of lines and luster, was of the highest quality.

It was at least a precious iron-level sword.

The four people surrounding Ouyang Jianlin were also at the ninth layer of the Blood Qi Realm. Their martial uniforms were basically the same in style but differed in color.

They were disciples from other martial academies.

The Capital of Supreme Martial Arts had five major martial academies, and the Seven Radiant Martial Academy was just one of them.

The four people attacked simultaneously, their long knives slashing from three directions, a palm like a stone slab smashing down on Ouyang Jianlin, a leg like a pillar striking forcefully, and a sword with the force of wind and thunder.

Ouyang Jianlin's lips curled into a cold smile. His figure flickered as he advanced with his sword, the sharpness of the blade reaching its peak, as if it could pierce through anything.

Despite being at the same ninth layer of the Blood Qi Realm, Ouyang Jianlin's strength was terrifying. With one sword strike, he not only broke the combined attack of the four but also killed one of them.

The sword light flashed again, and the second person was slain, leaving only two.

"Stop!"

The two survivors realized the danger and quickly spoke.

"Too late." Ouyang Jianlin, a decisive and ruthless person, struck again.

"Go all out." The two, seeing the danger, immediately used the Blood Burning Technique, their blood qi burning and their strength increasing by a thousand pounds, performing high-level human-grade martial arts.

One slash seemed capable of splitting the earth, the blade light tinged with a layer of blood red.

One palm seemed capable of shattering mountains, like a large red millstone smashing down on Ouyang Jianlin.

"Vain struggle." Ouyang Jianlin sneered, his long sword moving with extreme sharpness, splitting the blade light and piercing through the palm, swift like a shooting star, killing the two.

"Too strong!" Chen Zong's pupils contracted.

At the same ninth layer of the Blood Qi Realm, Ouyang Jianlin could kill one person with each sword strike, even when the last two used the Blood Burning Technique to enhance their strength. Ouyang Jianlin's strength was truly terrifying.

Especially his sword, which was not only fast but also extremely sharp, with no fancy moves, only a resolute and ruthless forward thrust.

From over a hundred meters away, Ouyang Jianlin glanced at Chen Zong, his eyes sharp, then picked up the belongings of the four and left.

Chen Zong exhaled, thinking that if this person were to attack him, he would have no choice but to turn and run. The difference in cultivation and strength was too great.

"However, a sword can also be used in such a way." Chen Zong was inspired.

It can change or remain unchanged!

Whether to change or not depends on the specific situation. Some people practice the sword in a moderate way, finding no particular strengths, which is the case for most sword practitioners. However, some people, like Ouyang Jianlin, can achieve new breakthroughs beyond moderation, such as being faster, more powerful, or sharper.

Chen Zong drew his sword and thrust it forward. Only a sharp and piercing light flashed in the air, like a white line.

"Still not fast enough." Chen Zong shook his head. Compared to Ouyang Jianlin's sword strikes, there was still a noticeable difference. This difference was not only due to the difference in cultivation but also in the use of the sword. However, it did not mean that Chen Zong was inferior to Ouyang Jianlin in the application of the sword. Both had their strengths. Now, Chen Zong wanted to absorb the strengths of the other to further improve and enhance himself.

He sheathed his sword and examined the four corpses. The wounds were very thin and fine. After careful study and comparison, Chen Zong felt he had gained some new insights.

Thrust, thrust, thrust!

He tried again and again, making subtle adjustments each time. With each adjustment, he could feel the sword becoming faster, and the force carried by the sword when thrusting became more concentrated.

With sufficient concentration of force and sufficient speed, the power of the sword strike would be directly enhanced. If he could add some variations, making the sword more unpredictable, the power would be further increased.