Chapter 484: You tricked me...

Yin fire surged in the Dog God’s eye sockets as its skeletal arms slowly began to move, as if it were coming back to life.

Xun Ancai’s pupils dilated, her body trembling with excitement.

The Dog God is alive!

A flicker of hope ignited within her. If I kill him, everything will return to normal.

Kill him!

Avenge the Dog Clan people who died! Make him pay!

Xun Ancai’s heart screamed with fury, her murderous intent toward Xu Sanyan burning without restraint.

Yet Xu Sanyan’s lips curled into a smirk. Though his back was turned to the Dog God, he seemed to sense the change behind him. He spoke softly, “If you were alive, I might have feared you a little. But now… heh.”

His laughter dripped with mockery. He turned, his five fingers forming a loose fist as spiritual power coalesced into silken threads that bound the Dog God tightly. The Dog God struggled violently, but its efforts were futile, as helpless as Xun Ancai had been moments before.

The difference in power was glaringly obvious.

The hope that had flickered in Xun Ancai’s eyes vanished once more. Even the Dog God was no match?

Xu Sanyan ignored her, vanishing instantly with the Dog God. He was headed to the Jade Clan to see what kind of “god” dwelled beyond the mountains.

Xun Ancai descended Heroic Soul Mountain in a daze. When she returned to the Dog Clan, she immediately sensed something was wrong.

It was too quiet…

Only the rustling of the breeze could be heard.

Suddenly, a child’s sobbing voice emerged from behind a nearby tree: “Clan Chief, my father…”

Xun Ancai’s heart jolted, a growing dread consuming her. Without a second thought, she sprinted toward the mountain peak, the dignified Seven Blessings powerhouse stumbling clumsily as she ran. When she reached the cave entrance, her mind reeled.

Hundreds of Dog Clan people stood scattered like statues, frozen in place.

Xun Ancai collapsed to her knees, her voice breaking: “You lied to me…”

“Moo~”

Above Harmonious Mountain, the Mist Sea churned violently. The mournful cries of ghost beasts pierced through the clouds, carrying far across the land.

Boom!

A massive ghost beast, floating above the Mist Sea, crashed heavily to the ground. The great hall of the Harmonious Mountain Praying Dao Sect instantly crumbled into ruins. The beast let out a few feeble moans before succumbing to death.

A figure landed atop the beast’s head. His deathly pale face was utterly drained of color, and his exposed skin was covered in layers of festering boils. A milky-white pus, streaked with blood, oozed from the sores, creating a nauseating sight.

“Cough, cough…”

Dang Yunshu covered his mouth and coughed lightly. He plunged one hand into the beast’s eye socket, and streams of essence blood surged up his arm and into his body. The beast’s corpse visibly withered, shrinking from the size of a three-story building to barely taller than a man.

It was a mystery how his small frame could contain such a vast quantity of essence blood.

“Ah~”

Dang Yunshu exhaled deeply, a faint flush returning to his cheeks. Even the boils on his skin seemed to recede slightly.

This was the price he had paid for breaking through to the Sage Realm. He needed to sustain himself with essence blood, or the heavenly dao’s backlash would prove fatal.

When the Harmonious Mountain Praying Dao Sect was besieged by the Mist Sea, he had been unfortunate enough to suffer the heavenly dao’s backlash. Too preoccupied with his own survival, he had no energy to spare for others. Moreover, trapped within the Mist Sea, his supply of Blood Food had been cut off. Desperate, Dang Yunshu had been forced to prey on his own sect members. Now, though his condition had improved somewhat, he was the sole survivor of the once-mighty Praying Dao Sect.

Yet he felt no regret. As long as he remained, the Praying Dao Sect would endure.

Besides… what did it matter whether the Praying Dao Sect survived or not?

Once the ghost beast’s essence blood had been completely drained, Dang Yunshu rose to leave. Suddenly, his expression froze as his gaze drifted toward the depths of the Mist Sea. A crimson glow drifted toward him through the gray mist, its sudden appearance starkly conspicuous.

A sense of impending danger flooded Dang Yunshu’s mind. This feeling was ominous. He immediately focused his full attention, briefly considered his options, and prepared to retreat.

Few beings in this world could trigger such a sense of crisis in him, and there was no need to risk his life here. With a flicker of movement, he vanished from his spot, reappearing hundreds of miles away in an instant.

As Dang Yunshu traversed the Mist Sea, his mind replayed the crimson glow, trying to discern its nature. The distance had been too great for a clear view, but it had resembled a pavilion adorned with red lanterns.

Strange… what would a pavilion be doing here?

Could I have misseen it?

Dang Yunshu shook his head and continued onward, traveling over ten thousand miles more. The surrounding mist grew increasingly thin, suggesting he was nearing the edge of the Mist Sea.

Just then, Dang Yunshu suddenly stopped. Another crimson glow appeared in the mist ahead, flickering like candlelight as it drifted through the gray haze.

“What’s that…?”

Dang Yunshu narrowed his eyes. This time, he could see clearly: the red light was a pavilion adorned with lanterns!

In the endless Mist Sea, a pavilion floated—a scene so bizarre that even he couldn’t afford to be careless.

As the pavilion drew closer, Dang Yunshu’s view sharpened. The three-tiered structure had open windows on the lowest level. A delicate young woman draped in red gauze leaned languidly against the window frame, gazing into the distance, her beautiful eyes filled with melancholy.

Dang Yunshu instantly tensed, his voice hardening. “Who are you?”

Yu Anwei snapped out of her reverie, her gaze sweeping over him before settling on the bulging pustules covering Dang Yunshu’s body. Her brow furrowed in disgust.

What’s wrong with these so-called sages? Don’t they care about personal hygiene?

“What… what’s your name?” Yu Anwei asked.

“Dang Yunshu.”

“Ah, I see. We’re practically neighbors, then,” Yu Anwei said knowingly. Having thoroughly investigated the Central Region, she was well aware of the Five Sages’ names.

Neighbors?

The Praying Dao Sect’s neighbor… the Chaotic Cloud Mountains?

Could she be the source of this calamity?

Indeed, this disaster was no mere coincidence!

“What do you want? Why are you pursuing me relentlessly?” Dang Yunshu’s unease grew, desperate to escape.

Yu Anwei slowly shook her head. “It’s not that I’m pursuing you relentlessly. You killed my pet and left without a word. Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Your pet? You mean that ghost beast just now?”

Yu Anwei’s expression darkened. “What ghost beast? Her name is Xiao Weiba. She’s a girl, you know.”

Xiao Weiba…

Dang Yunshu’s lips twitched. The creature was hideous, yet its name was strangely endearing.

“What do you want?”

“Hmm…”

Yu Anwei pondered briefly. She had initially intended to keep him in her pavilion to alleviate her boredom, but Dang Yunshu’s repulsive appearance killed her interest.

“Then you’ll pay with your life.”

“Hmph, empty threats!”

A cold glint flashed in Dang Yunshu’s eyes. Though wary, he wasn’t afraid. As a venerable sage, he had seen countless trials. How could mere words intimidate him?

Yu Anwei had no intention of getting her hands dirty. With a delicate wave of her hand, a distant roar erupted, followed by a series of earth-shattering booms as something colossal charged toward them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Dang Yunshu’s heart jolted violently. He whirled around to see a towering figure striding toward him. The creature was so colossal that its chest vanished into the dense mist, making it impossible to discern its features. The skin on its lower body appeared to have been torn away, exposing raw, crimson flesh.

The flesh giant had reappeared, now subdued by Yu Anwei.

(End of the Chapter)