These people can only mess things up

The Red-robed Woman shot a venomous glare at those fools. She tossed the bell in her hand, and as it hovered mid-air, it rang on its own, instantly dispersing the incoming blood qi.

Her figure darted toward the blood orb suspended at the center of the ritual formation, while a phantom blood lotus bloomed behind her, swiftly enveloping her within.

Seeing this, the Wind Sword Sect Leader understood the situation at once.

This was the final rite of the Sacred Sect—this Holy Mother must be the real deal.

The Wind Sword Sect Leader swiftly drew his sword and rushed to assist, followed closely by several Golden Core elders. Their flying swords unsheathed in an instant, multiplying into dozens of blades that surged toward Chu Xingchen in a frenzied assault.

Without hesitation, Chu Xingchen manipulated the blood qi in the surroundings, directing it to cling to Yaoqin's body:

"Absorb the blood qi."

Hearing this, Yaoqin did not hesitate. She immediately dispelled her spiritual barrier, allowing the blood qi to coil around her. Almost instantly, she sensed that the blood qi was now under her command, flooding her with an overwhelming and frenetic energy.

This greatly alleviated the strain on her own spiritual power.

Yet, Yaoqin's icy expression, paired with the writhing blood qi around her, made her appear far more sinister than even Chu Xingchen.

After swallowing an emergency healing pill, Yaoqin lunged forward, her sword once again aglow with spiritual energy as the surrounding blood qi surged toward it.

With a cold shout, she charged at the four Golden Core cultivators of the Wind Sword Sect who were desperate to reinforce their allies.

The Heavenly Profound Purity Sword Art, now enhanced by blood qi, slashed through the air once more.

Where it had once been a pure, razor-sharp flash of spiritual light, the blade now carried an overwhelming tide of bloodlust.

If the original version of the Heavenly Profound Purity Sword Art embodied cold, unyielding sharpness, then this modified version was a declaration of raw, unrestrained brutality—a force that would crush everything in its path.

The violent energy rampaged outward, causing even the surrounding cliffs to crack and crumble.

Faced with this overwhelming strike, the four Wind Sword Sect cultivators dared not hold back. Their own blood qi erupted from within as they redirected their swords toward Yaoqin.

Chu Xingchen spared a glance, confirming that Yaoqin could still hold them off, before he too rushed toward the blood orb.

Whatever the Red-robed Woman intended, thwarting her plans would be a victory in itself.

If she couldn’t even contest the blood qi with him, then this orb was his for the taking!

His spiritual sword flared with a sinister crimson aura. Though Li Yingling’s techniques were more refined than Li Xingtian’s, after attuning to the blood qi, Chu Xingchen realized that Li Xingtian’s methods, though less polished, seemed innately suited to countering this energy.

In any case, he would use whichever worked best.

Dark-red, frenzied spiritual energy coiled around his blade as the Golden Core within him spun wildly. With a roar, Chu Xingchen gathered the blood qi into his sword.

The blade shattered the resistance of the blood lotus phantom effortlessly, piercing straight through it.

Without hesitation, he channeled his spiritual power into the orb—Whatever this thing is, I’m claiming it first!

However, the process wasn’t easy. The blood lotus continued resisting his encroaching energy, but with the natural suppression of his techniques and the full might of his flawless Golden Core peak cultivation, Chu Xingchen steadily forced his way in.

And then—Mine now!

Li Xingtian’s cultivation method roared to life, rapidly stripping away the Red-robed Woman’s control. A little more, and the orb would belong entirely to Chu Xingchen.

The Red-robed Woman could only watch helplessly. If she continued this struggle, she would be the one at a disadvantage.

Reluctantly, she unleashed a blinding radiance from the blood lotus. Fearing that Chu Xingchen might steal even more of her blood qi, she dared not rely on her usual sinister arts.

A demonic cultivator, forced to abandon her own dark techniques—what a joke.

Her Nascent Soul power erupted as another petal detached from the blood lotus, hurtling toward Chu Xingchen.

As a Nascent Soul cultivator, her attack was no trifling matter. Recognizing the danger, Chu Xingchen didn’t dare take it head-on and swiftly retreated.

The strike forced him back, but the Red-robed Woman could no longer sustain her stance either, collapsing from mid-air.

With the blood lotus no longer shielding the orb, Chu Xingchen finally saw its true form—a frail girl, no older than five or six, clad in tattered rags, her body being forcibly infused with blood qi.

The dark-red energy had already spread across her skin, turning her into what seemed like a living mass of blood.

Or rather… she was in the process of becoming one.

Chu Xingchen’s divine sense swept over her, revealing a body on the verge of dissolution—her bones and muscles nearly liquefied.

So this ‘Sacred Embryo’ is a ritual where they take a child meeting certain conditions, refine them with blood qi, reshape their foundation, and rebirth them as a new existence.

The girl’s heartbeat was faint—the ritual was nearing its end.

But there was no time to dwell on it. Chu Xingchen raised a hand, directing the surrounding blood qi toward Yaoqin to relieve her pressure.

The Red-robed Woman took a deep breath, her voice trembling with fury:

"Which demonic sect do you belong to?!"

Chu Xingchen’s sword flared once more with dark-red spiritual energy as his aura skyrocketed. The remaining blood qi surged into him, and in an instant, he closed the distance, blade descending with overwhelming force.

I have the advantage now. Only a fool would let you stall for time!

The Red-robed Woman let out a furious cry, her bell darting forward to block.

But she no longer had the strength to protect the ritual formation. When the two forces collided, the resulting shockwave ravaged everything in its path.

The explosion was so violent that even Yaoqin and the others on the opposite side were caught in the aftermath, forced to brace themselves with spiritual barriers.

The Red-robed Woman’s eyes darted toward the Sacred Embryo still suspended in mid-air, relief washing over her as she saw the six cauldrons of blood qi still fueling the ritual, keeping the fragile vessel intact.

But her relief was short-lived.

Chu Xingchen raised his free hand, gathering a terrifying mass of blood qi—Was he about to strike the defenseless Sacred Embryo?

Yet it was a feint.

The blood qi he controlled wasn’t aimed at the girl.

Just as the Red-robed Woman moved to intercept, a chilling sensation pierced her back.

Along with the Wind Sword Sect Leader’s frantic warning:

"Behind you!"

She instinctively raised a guard, but the cold force shattered her spiritual barrier effortlessly, driving straight into her body.

Clang!

A sword impaled her chest. Turning her head slightly, she saw Yaoqin, hands forming a seal, staring at her with icy detachment.

Behind Yaoqin, a wall of blood qi shielded her from the futile attacks of the Wind Sword Sect’s four incompetents.

Of course… these fools only ever cause trouble.

The thought barely formed before the sword flashed again, piercing her once more.

Chu Xingchen roared, channeling every last drop of power from his Golden Core.

Strike while she’s weak!

His blade cleaved through the blocking bell, followed by a sweeping arc of spiritual energy that bisected the Red-robed Woman’s body entirely.

BOOM!

The explosive force of the attack didn’t stop at annihilating her—it continued onward, obliterating everything in its path and carving a new exit through the mountain itself.

As Yaoqin recalled her sword, the blood qi barrier finally collapsed under the Wind Sword Sect’s assault.

The four members of the Wind Sword Sect were about to charge forward for another round when they realized the Holy Mother had already dissolved into a puddle of rotting flesh, scattered in all directions.

Chu Xingchen, gripping his spirit sword, and Yaoqin stood side by side, their icy gazes locked onto the four Wind Sword Sect disciples.

There was no need for hesitation—with the Holy Mother dead, their plan had already failed.

Even if they fought to the death and won, it would be meaningless. And besides… there was no damn guarantee they could even win.

Without a single word exchanged, the four Wind Sword Sect disciples moved in perfect unison.

Without a second thought, they turned tail and fled.