As Xuan Yinzi's words faded, thick crimson mist erupted violently from the building.
The scarlet fog obscured all vision, engulfing everyone within it.
"Holy shit! What's happening? Everything's gone dark!"
Hu Zi clutched Xiao Hei, peering warily at their surroundings.
As the crimson mist rose, Gao Xiaofeng and Ye Bing abruptly vanished from the shrubbery.
"The formation's been altered!"
Ye Bing's voice rang through the blood-hued fog.
"Destroy the formation's core immediately!"
Blinded by the crimson haze, Ye Bing relied on memory to lash her whip toward the blood pool's location.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The scarlet mist churned.
Bloody spectral hands materialized from the fog, grasping Ye Bing's whip.
Ye Bing snapped her whip, its engraved talismans flaring—the ghostly hands disintegrated into crimson vapor.
But soon she realized the danger: this blood-mist corroded living flesh.
"Damn it! Xiao Feng, use your magic to protect your meridians!"
Ye Bing shouted loudly.
"Sister Bing, are you okay?"
The two dared not move recklessly, immediately shielding themselves with magic to guard against the Blood Mist Lutenist.
"Now it all depends on Brother Bei."
Ye Bing raised her head.
Thick crimson mist enveloped the entire building.
On the rooftop.
Staring at the blood fog surrounding them, Xu Bei furrowed his brows.
"This evil cultivator is truly ruthless - he'd even sacrifice himself!"
He raised his left hand.
As magic energy circulated, faint golden light emanated from his palm.
The left hand represents yang, the right hand yin.
The yang palm suddenly struck towards Lu Fei's direction.
As long as Lu Fei broke free, the formation would destabilize. Then working together, they could surely capture this evil cultivator.
Boom!
Golden light pierced through the blood mist, directly striking the red glow entrapping Lu Fei.
"The crack is widening! Push harder!"
Inside the barrier, Lu Fei rejoiced and stopped conserving magic, launching a full-power strike at the fissure.
The crack rapidly expanded like a spiderweb.
Finally.
The blood wall collapsed with a thunderous crash.
The bloody water beneath their feet dissipated with a splashing sound.
In an instant.
Lu Fei found himself still standing on the rooftop, only now surrounded by thick crimson mist.
Yet within this bloody haze, faint golden light began to glow.
"Vice President Xu?"
Lu Fei called out towards the golden light's direction.
"Thank heavens you're out, Lu Fei!" Xu Bei's eyes lit up. "Xuanyinzi sacrificed himself to drag us all down. Find him quickly!"
He then withdrew his palms and channeled protective energy to expel the blood droplets penetrating his skin.
"Understood!"
Lu Fei narrowed his eyes.
Seems the old fox has devised new tricks!
The blood mist burned where it touched his skin.
Fortunately, he possessed the Gongde Zhan oil lamp.
Shielded by the lamp's amber glow, he moved cautiously yet swiftly through the bloody fog, searching for Xuanyinzi.
Xuanyinzi coughed up blood.
Lu Fei's breakthrough through the blood wall had caused severe backlash.
Had he not sacrificed his heart's blood earlier, the formation would have already collapsed.
"You only endure through reliance on these artifacts! When you die, they'll all be mine!"
A fierce ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.
The veteran grabbed at the blood mist surrounding him.
The fog surged and rapidly condensed into two blood figures identical to him.
"Go drain his blood!"
The two blood figures perfectly concealed themselves within the blood mist, silently approaching Lu Fei.
Lu Fei held the oil lamp when he suddenly sensed something amiss behind him.
Turning around, he saw Xuanyinzi's blood-red face!
"Old bastard, you finally show yourself!"
Lu Fei's spirit rallied. He'd been worried about locating Xuanyinzi, and now the old fiend had appeared voluntarily.
Xuanyinzi resembled congealed human blood as he clawed at the air towards him.
A hazy layer of blood mist immediately materialized around his body.
"Bloodsucking?"
This old monster truly was sinister and vile.
Lu Fei placed the oil lamp at his feet, channeled magic to protect his meridians, and whipped out a willow branch scourge to strike fiercely at Xuanyinzi.
Crack!
The whip sliced through the blood mist.
Xuanyinzi was cleaved in two but immediately reconstituted himself.
This wasn't the end.
Then another Xuanyinzi appeared, clawing at Lu Fei with both hands.
Fine droplets of blood began flowing towards their palms.
"Two Xuan Yinzi?"
Lu Fei was startled.
"Could there be doppelgangers?!"
He hastily took out the Samsara Mirror and shone it at both Xuan Yinzi.
They were both illusions!
He switched his willow whip to lightning-struck wood and swung it fiercely.
Under the dazzling electric light, both Xuan Yinzi vanished instantly, and the surrounding blood mist thinned slightly.
A thin layer of blood coated Lu Fei's skin.
"Just this much blood won't kill me!"
Ignoring it, Lu Fei turned around only to see three crimson Xuan Yinzi emerge from the blood mist.
"All clones!"
Lu Fei struck with his staff.
The clones dissipated.
The real Xuan Yinzi flashed past ahead.
"Chase!"
Lu Fei grabbed the oil lamp and pursued.
Xuan Yinzi turned back, grinning sinisterly at Lu Fei.
Lu Fei's heart sank.
Then—
His foot stepped into emptiness.
The entire body plummeted downward toward the lower floors.
So, that old bastard had deliberately lured him into falling from the building.
The howling wind roared in his ears. Lu Fei felt utterly vexed, yet completely powerless to act.
But right at that moment—
A black umbrella shot through the night like lightning, streaking across the sky.
Crimson petals scattered as jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall, coiling securely around Lu Fei.
"Xiao San! You've finally awakened!"
Lu Fei looked up at the black umbrella hovering above him, overwhelmed with elation.
"Quick, take me back up!"
The black umbrella exerted a gentle force, lifting him upward.
"Finally got rid of one!"
Watching Lu Fei plunge downward, Xuanyinzi curled his lips into a sinister smirk.
"Next, it's Xu Bei's turn!"
He then condensed several clones from the blood mist, advancing toward Xu Bei.
In his current state, he couldn't confront both opponents head-on—only resort to such underhanded tactics.
Xu Bei was straining to expel the blood droplets infiltrating his body.
Though tiny, if left unchecked, these droplets would pierce through his meridians, causing him to bleed from all orifices until death.
With two droplets remaining, he suddenly sensed a ripple in the blood mist around him.
"Someone's approaching!"
Immediately, he struck a Yin Palm strike toward that direction.
A crimson Xuan Yinzi instantly dissipated.
"It's a doppelganger!"
Xu Bei narrowed his eyes, immediately enveloping the two blood droplets with his magic power before striking several palm strikes in all directions.
Several doppelgangers dispersed, revealing the true Xuan Yinzi who deliberately exposed himself.
After drawing Xu Bei's attention, he repeated his earlier tactic, luring Xu Bei toward the edge of the building.
Xu Bei indeed took the bait, striding forward in pursuit.
Xu Bei was moments away from stepping into empty air and plummeting from the building.
At that instant, a figure suddenly flew in from outside the tower.
"What?!"
Xuan Yinzi's smile froze.
"Didn't he fall down? How could he fly back up?"
Immediately after, he caught sight of the black umbrella.
"Another evil object! Damn it!"
Gnashing his teeth, Xuanyinzi hastily concealed himself within the crimson mist.
"Vice President Xu, fall back!"
Lu Fei shouted, his hand already gripping the cloth doll, his eyes fixed in Xuanyinzi's direction.
In an instant.
His figure abruptly vanished.
The next moment.
He materialized soundlessly behind Xuanyinzi.
Xuan Yinzi jolted in surprise. Turning around to see Lu Fei's sudden appearance, his pupils contracted violently, filled with disbelief.
"You... how..."
"Xuan Yinzi, you can't escape!"
Lu Fei stood holding a black umbrella, a cold smile playing at the corner of his lips.
The crimson floral patterns on the umbrella's panels glowed as a scarlet eye slowly opened amidst the inky-black strands of hair.