The Blood Demon, in his youth, had also adventured in the Great Wasteland and suffered greatly at the hands of the Earth Giants back then. This remnant lineage of the ancient giants had evolved over countless years of struggle for survival into a new race. Though the Earth Giants were no longer as imposing or powerful as their ancient ancestors, they were exceptionally tenacious opponents. Especially since they had mastered several pure Five Elements Earth-series spells, which, when wielded skillfully, could unleash unimaginable might.

The innate Earth Evasion Art and Gravity Manipulation were two such techniques.

Having survived and preyed in extremely perilous environments for ages, the Earth Giant race possessed the ability to execute the Earth Evasion Art, merging seamlessly with the earth and stone. Moreover, due to the dense earth element within their bodies and their semi-petrified physique, they were incredibly difficult to perceive.

In terms of pure cultivation level, the Blood Demon was not much stronger than the Subduing Demon Venerable of Vajra Temple; he was still barely at the peak of the Nascent Soul initial stage. Under the combined pulling and dragging force of no less than twenty Earth Giants employing Gravity Manipulation, his form was instantly halted mid-air.

Boom~

A brilliant pillar of light, as if struck from the heavens, sliced through the night sky, precisely hitting the momentarily immobilized Blood Demon.

Pure Light Force, massive impact. It blasted the Blood Demon, who had only just managed to raise a defense, into a crevice, blowing away a substantial portion of his blood-fiend mist. With a face contorted by rage and terror, he roared, "The Winged God Race!"

The Winged God Race, since ancient times, had been an exceedingly powerful clan, each member innately gifted and formidable. With normal cultivation, upon reaching adulthood, they possessed considerable combat prowess. This clan's sole weakness was its sparse population and extremely low fertility rate. Yet, this alignment reflected the Heavenly Dao: the more powerful a race individually, the lower its reproductive capacity must be.

If they possessed the fertility rate of humans, the Winged God Race would have long since unified the Three Realms, Six Domains, and Nine Continents, instead of merely holding a secluded corner now, excelling in defense but lacking in expansion.

Even so, no one could deny the sheer strength of the Winged God Race.

Yi Kong, having recovered to his peak condition, spread his wings and stood proudly beneath the moonlit sky, aiming his hands, held in a profoundly esoteric posture, toward the Blood Demon from afar. Within his palms, dense Light Force condensed without dispersing; it was evident he could unleash a second Light Cannon at any moment.

The Blood Demon was no fool. From this posture, he knew he had fallen into a trap. Furthermore, at his level, he understood that if the opponent dared to scheme against him, they must possess absolute certainty. However, his lifelong confidence in his own strength made the Blood Demon somewhat reluctant to concede. He drove his Blood Fiend Divine Art to its absolute limit.

The blood-fiend aura that filled the heavens rapidly saturated the surrounding several li within mere breaths—countless blood shadows swirled, and crimson clouds rolled thickly.

A few Earth Giants who could not evade in time were engulfed by the blood-fiend erosion. Their rock-like muscles began to flake away, causing them to roar in unbearable agony. Simultaneously, a dozen faintly discernible Blood Puppets charged toward the Earth Giants amidst gusts of scarlet, foul wind. If he could annihilate half the Earth Giants in a short time, the Blood Demon was confident he could escape, even if it meant sacrificing those dozen Blood Puppets. He fiercely urged the blood-fiend mist to assault the now-exposed Earth Giants.

Yi Kong knew these Earth Giants were Lei Dong's treasures, and Lei Dong remained his master. While marveling at the power of the Blood Fiend Divine Art, he swiftly flashed, transforming into a dazzling beam of Light Evasion and plunging into the blood mist. He spread his wings wide, his hands parting before his eyes, and roared, "Edict. Great Light Mantra, shatter for me!"

Pure white radiance instantly shot outward in all directions, emanating from him as the epicenter. At this moment, Yi Kong resembled a blazing sun.

Where the radiance met the blood-fiend aura, acrid, foul-smelling black smoke sizzled continuously. The blood mist, as if encountering its nemesis, began to dissolve like snow and ice. In a sense, this pure form of Light Force possessed an exceptionally potent power to slay malevolence. Even though Yi Kong’s cultivation was slightly inferior to the Blood Demon’s, in the confrontation between Light Force and Blood Fiend Force, the Light Force clearly held a significant advantage.

Especially the Blood Puppets that were bathed in the Great Light Mantra’s radiance—they erupted in dense black smoke, wailing in agony.

The Blood Demon was deeply frustrated. Objectively, his power was a notch above this Winged God Race member. If he hadn't been injured by the surprise attack, in a straight confrontation, even with the restraint of the Light Force, with all his Blood Demon's stratagems, he wouldn't be this utterly wretched! At the very least, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage.

However, his primary goal this time was escape. He had achieved his objective of pinning down the Winged God Race member. He immediately executed his signature Blood Evasion Art, transforming into a mass of blood mist and speeding away.

For others, using the Blood Evasion Art demanded a huge expenditure of vital essence, leading to serious injury or even death. But the Blood Demon could fully utilize the endless Blood Fiend Power within his body as a substitute. Afterward, it would only cost him some vitality. This was one of the Blood Demon's inherent advantages, a means of survival in countless desperate situations.

"Sigh~ Stubborn to the point of petrification."

A slightly hoarse voice drifted as if from the deepest Netherworld, the sigh filled with disappointment in someone unwilling to improve.

To avoid detection by the Blood Demon, the hidden Heavenly Demon, who had arrived from a distance, also sighed softly upon seeing the Blood Demon attempting to flee. Since he had decided to ambush him, how could he possibly be ignorant of the Blood Demon's methods? He immediately activated and tossed out a carefully prepared, costly Space Solidification Talisman.

The Blood Demon saw the talisman ignite, instantly making the space spanning several li thick and nearly solidified, and he internally cursed his misfortune. His elegant, swift Blood Evasion Art, under these conditions, became like moving through a muddy swamp, its speed drastically reduced by more than tenfold.

"Boom~"

The Heavenly Demon struck at the opportune moment, unleashing a fist several zhang in size, condensed from pure demonic energy, delivering a direct blow to the Blood Demon's face.

Caught in the Blood Evasion state, the Blood Demon had absolutely no defensive posture and was instantly blasted backward. The blood-fiend mist enveloping him was nearly dispersed entirely by the impact.

"Heavenly Demon, you dare collude with outsiders to scheme against your own sect member? Do you know this is the crime of Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Souls?" the Blood Demon roared, grief and fury tearing through him. He never imagined that the one scheming against him would be the younger generation Heavenly Demon within the sect. At this point, he finally abandoned all thought of escaping. The remaining Blood Fiend Power was insufficient to sustain another Blood Evasion. After two unexpected, heavy blows, his injuries were certainly not minor.

"Blood Demon, I respect you as an elder of the sect. Stay put and await judgment. Otherwise, do not blame this Venerable for showing ruthlessness," the Heavenly Demon stated coldly, hands clasped behind his back, suspended arrogantly in the wind. Her current cultivation was also nearing the Nascent Soul middle stage, rivaling the Blood Demon at his peak. Now that the Blood Demon was severely wounded, even in a one-on-one fight, he was no match for her.

"Judgment? A joke! Who dares pass judgment on this Venerable?" The Blood Demon was truly enraged by the shame. Being schemed against by an alien race was one thing. But the Heavenly Demon, a fellow Grand Elder, would disregard the greater picture and ambush him.

"I!"

As the space slightly warped, Lei Dong appeared beside the Heavenly Demon, clad in sharp black armor with a pair of wings on his back. His expression was cold and severe: "Naturally, I will be the one to pass judgment on you."

Lei Dong did not employ the Heaven-Shrouding Sun Art at this moment. The Blood Demon instantly recognized him as a Golden Core initial stage cultivator, but judging by his attire and waist accessories, he appeared to be a Golden Core cultivator of the Yin Fiend Sect. The Blood Demon was unaware when such a young Golden Core cultivator had joined the sect, and upon hearing this, he became even more furious and scornful: "You, a mere Golden Core disciple, dare to pass judgment on this Venerable?"

While they spoke, Yi Kong on the side had finished dealing with the blood fiend aura, casually casting a few beams of white light. The blood fiend adhering to the earth giants was swiftly neutralized and expelled. Although the few injured earth giants still looked somewhat dispirited, given their tenacious vitality, they certainly would not die.

The remaining earth giants, led by Yi Kong, immediately surrounded the area, preventing the Blood Demon from making a desperate final move. In a short time, the Blood Demon was completely encircled, unable to escape even with wings.

"If you knew his true identity, you might reconsider the audacity of those words," the Heavenly Demon commented coldly, sparing the Blood Demon a frigid glance.

The Blood Demon was slightly taken aback, truly unable to fathom this person's identity.

Lei Dong saw no need to play games. He simply bowed slightly: "Elder Blood Demon, my surname is Lei and my given name is Dong. I am the direct disciple of the Old Ancestor of the Myriad Ghosts Cave, and also the husband of Ding Wanyan. Elder should now understand the reason for today's proceedings."

Upon hearing this, the Blood Demon's face, which was barely recognizable as humanoid, twisted fiercely. After a long silence, he coldly snorted, "This matter is indeed due to my fault. Since things have come to this, I have nothing more to say. Heavenly Demon, and this brat surnamed Lei. Given that we are of the same sect, grant this Venerable a swift end." In the demonic path, death was not the most terrifying prospect. Even within the Yin Fiend Sect, there were many methods of torture that made life worse than death.

"If I followed my nature, Elder Blood Demon, I would certainly let you savor the torment of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring Souls," Lei Dong spoke, calling him 'Elder' with every word, yet his content was chilling. After a pause, he continued, "However, as the Elder mentioned, we are members of the same sect, and there is some shred of common bond. Moreover, the Elder's scheme did not succeed. In consideration of the greater picture, this Dong is willing to grant the Elder a chance for redemption." Lei Dong avoided unnecessary complexity, stating his terms directly. Facing a Nascent Soul cultivator with such a firm mind and tested ideology, Lei Dong knew that playing word games would only invite revulsion and contempt.

Undoubtedly, the Blood Demon was a powerful cultivator. If he could be persuaded to serve him, it would be a joyous outcome. Even Lei Dong felt a flicker of anticipation.

……RO