Chapter 146: Blood Fiend Formation

The three of them lay prone in a nearby earthen ditch, not daring to make the slightest movement. After waiting for a moment, however, no one approached, and Yuan Kui was the first to show his dissatisfaction.

He glanced at Li Sibai, then at Yao Xueqing, and was about to speak when Yao Xueqing made a silencing gesture.

Not long after, from far to near, several dozen people dressed in black cloaks marched over. They walked in neat formation and rapidly passed by the spot where Li Sibai and the others were hiding, seemingly heading in the direction of Fuyuan Slope.

Because they were outside the city and knew that the formation at Fuyuan Slope possessed peculiar properties, Li Sibai and his companions had cautiously chosen to conceal themselves. Only after all these people had passed and they had waited a little longer did the three shake the dirt from their clothes and stand up.

"Xiaobai, did you clearly see the attire of that group just now?" Yao Xueqing furrowed her brows, as if she had noticed something.

Li Sibai nodded and said, "Dressed entirely in black, such a large number of them, and radiating an aura of malevolence... Could it be that..." Before Li Sibai could finish, Yao Xueqing's gaze stopped him.

Yuan Kui asked anxiously from the side, "Who is it? Why did you stop talking, Brother Li?"

As if speaking to herself, Yao Xueqing said, "It is not yet certain who they are, but in any case, we must be even more cautious." With that, ignoring the other two, she set off on her own.

Li Sibai shook his head and immediately followed Yao Xueqing, leaving Yuan Kui behind feeling anxious and helpless. Since she was unwilling to talk, he had no choice but to sullenly tag along.

After the previous incident, the three proceeded with even greater caution. Li Sibai channeled more vital energy into his head to perceive the changes in his surroundings, and their pace became much slower than before.

Stopping and going in this manner, another hour passed before they finally spotted a massive energy fluctuation emanating a red glow not far ahead. Strangely, they had not encountered a single person along this stretch of the road.

The red light could be seen from afar, completely enveloping the entire Fuyuan Slope. Moreover, layers of mist hung in the middle, making it completely impossible to discern the situation inside.

Seeing that there was indeed no one around, Li Sibai exchanged glances with Yao Xueqing. Yao Xueqing activated her Purple-Light Divine Eyes, attempting to peer into the red glow.

Yet, after gazing for a long time, her expression turned peculiar. She said to Li Sibai, "Junior Brother Li, it seems something is blocking my sight, and the contents inside are completely blurred. Why don't you take a look and see if it's the same for you?"

Li Sibai smiled faintly. "Very well, Senior Sister, I will give it a try."

Yao Xueqing nodded. Although she had failed to see the situation inside earlier, under the illumination of her Purple-Light Divine Eyes, she had unmistakably discovered that this red sphere of light was indeed slowly expanding and seemingly moving at a sluggish pace as well, which she found quite unexpected.

Without hesitation, Li Sibai channeled his vital energy into his eyes and activated the Purple-Light Divine Eyes. The scene before him instantly shocked him.

Those red lights truly contained layers of battle qi, releasing a fierce and baleful aura. Under the gaze of his Purple-Light Divine Eyes, although he could perceive the contents within, he still could not see them very clearly due to the excessive distance. He could only make out several figures constantly moving about inside.

Withdrawing his Purple-Light Divine Eyes, Li Sibai pondered for a moment and said to Yao Xueqing, "Senior Sister, although I can perceive what is inside, it is not very clear. That must be due to the distance. Shall we move a little closer and take another look?"

Upon hearing Li Sibai's words, Yuan Kui cheered aloud. He had come precisely to broaden his horizons; having only glanced at it from such a great distance, he would inevitably feel regret if they turned back now.

Yao Xueqing glared at him, and Yuan Kui immediately restrained himself, as he still held considerable fear toward this senior sister.

Nevertheless, after a brief moment of thought, Yao Xueqing agreed to Li Sibai's suggestion. Since they had already come, they needed to fully understand the situation inside. To merely circle the perimeter and flee out of fear would not be fitting for her identity as an inner sect disciple of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect.

Yao Xueqing was slightly surprised that Li Sibai could see inside. Although this junior brother usually kept a low profile, after their recent trip to Yuzhu Peak, she had developed a newfound appreciation for him.

Therefore, despite her slight astonishment, she did not question him too closely.

This time, the three set off with even greater caution. Under the observation of his Purple-Light Divine Eyes earlier, Li Sibai had actually found the entrance closest to them. The spiritual energy there was weak, making it seem relatively easy to breach. At that moment, he led the other two toward this entrance.

In truth, Li Sibai was also feeling uneasy inside. Although Yao Xueqing had stopped him from speaking of the black-clad figures he had seen earlier, they seemed to be related to the Blood Demon Manor he knew of. The Blood Demon Manor was one of the four major evil sects of the present day. For reasons unknown, these people were actually cultivating battle qi; it was rumored that they were a faction secretly nurtured by the demon race in the mortal realm.

Because of this, the righteous factions had repeatedly organized joint campaigns to encircle and suppress the demon race, but the results were meager. Although the strength of the demon sect was not overwhelming, they seemed to adhere strictly to the strategy of "the enemy advances, we retreat; the enemy retreats, we advance," constantly engaging the righteous factions in guerrilla warfare.

Later, the righteous factions changed their strategy, halting large-scale encirclements and instead dispatching small elite teams to carry out suppression. However, after a few attempts, these teams were actually thwarted by the terrain advantages utilized by the demon sect, leaving several elite squads dead or wounded. From then on, whenever anyone proposed organizing small elite teams for suppression, no one would respond.

As time passed, this led to the current stalemate: the righteous factions would not allow the demon sect to grow unchecked, and large-scale encirclements took place irregularly; the demon sect was forced further and further away, yet the righteous factions could not completely eradicate them.

Although Li Sibai had previously heard Old Han mention that this formation seemed to contain battle qi, he had remained somewhat skeptical. Ever since he encountered those black-clad figures along the road, however, he had begun to believe it to a large extent. And his long-distance observation just now had indeed confirmed the existence of battle qi.

Because the demon sect was involved, Li Sibai himself lacked confidence.

With such a massive formation, the squad of Blood Demon Manor disciples he had seen earlier had probably already entered. What exactly were they doing? Li Sibai was filled with doubt.

Moreover, given their current strength, they could only observe from the outer perimeter; if they were truly to venture deep inside, the odds would be heavily against them. Setting aside the disparity in strength, the sheer difference in numbers alone would be enough to overwhelm them.

Yet, to let Li Sibai turn back now without achieving anything was something he could not easily accept. The reward of the Primordial Spirit Pearl lay right before him, and acquiring it would undoubtedly require considerable effort.

He had also noticed the movement and expansion of the formation observed by Yao Xueqing. What he was considering now was how to cause this formation to cease its movement without alerting anyone, and that required him to observe it from a closer vantage point before making a decision.

Before long, the three cautiously arrived at the entrance and concealed themselves in a nearby earthen ditch.