When those two Eighth-Tier Yin Jiao fully extended, they measured three hundred zhang long, their bodies so thick that forty men linking hands could barely encircle them. They opened their cavernous mouths and roared forth. A vast soul pressure descended, carrying a faint hint of Dragon Might, rendering anyone unable to resist, wishing only to flee far away.

Ren Bo and Qiao Han trailed behind, their faces turned ashen. The gap between the Sixth and Seventh Tiers was a hundredfold; the difference in combat strength between the Seventh and Eighth Tiers was still more than tenfold. And these two peak Eighth-Tier Yin Jiao combined could sweep away the previous twenty Yin Jiao with ease.

Zong Shou merely chuckled, relying on the Blood Cavalry Killing method to mobilize the qi and blood throughout his body. The temporary meridians constructed externally ravenously drew in the internal energy and true power of the thousands of men behind him, causing a faint blood mist to envelop him entirely. Just as the two Yin Jiao spat forth their bone-chilling Yin energy, the blood-colored halberd in Zong Shou's hand flashed again, and a sharp shout erupted from his lips:

"Slash!"

The blood-red halberd light abruptly stretched for thousands of zhang, cleaving heaven and earth! It completely annihilated all Yin energy within a hundred zhang radius. As the crimson light swept past, both Yin Jiao let out roars of unwillingness. Then, when those two thousand eight hundred armored Blood Knights thundered past like rolling thunder, the massive Jiao corpses dissolved piece by piece, just like the previous Seventh-Tier Yin Jiao, transforming into pure streams of Yin power that scattered throughout the ravine.

Simultaneously, two incomparably pure and immense vital energies were forcefully absorbed by the great halberd in Zong Shou's hand. A portion replenished Zong Shou's own consumption, while the other part fed back to the two thousand eight hundred Blood Cloud Knights behind him through the Five Elements Meridians. The Blood Cloud Cavalry armor and battle-halberds could only draw vital energy by absorbing blood. But Zong Shou was not limited by this; having cultivated the Heaven-Swallowing Primordial Transformation Art, he could devour any substance in heaven and earth, even formless entities like the Yin Jiao!

With the thorough slaying of the two Eighth-Tier Yin Jiao, the momentum of the Blood Cloud Cavalry immediately surged to its peak. Nearly all the malevolent spirits within this Evil Spirit Ravine were driven to flee madly in another direction. Even the Seventh and Eighth-Tier entities dared not directly confront their sharp edge.

Sweeping continuously for over three hundred li through the ravine, the two thousand eight hundred great halberds proved invincible. No evil entity could withstand them for even a moment. Countless Chimei Wangliang were slain, and they personally eradicated a full six Eighth-Tier Yin Jiao. Zong Shou casually collected four Eighth-Tier Yin Jiao Soul Cores along the way.

As time passed, a faint crimson blood cloud subtly enveloped the entire cavalry troop. Sometimes, without even drawing their halberds, pursuing Yin souls would be crushed directly by the pressure of this blood mist!

Ren Bo, who had been somewhat apprehensive earlier, was now filled with surging excitement! This was truly the cavalry that allowed the Martial Valor Kingdom of the Ancient Cloud Barrens to dominate the world! Such invincible might far exceeded his expectations and brought surprising delight. He could almost envision this Blood Cloud Cavalry sweeping across the Eastern Frontier in the future, trampling armies on the battlefield!

Just as the cavalry troop charged along the Evil Spirit Ravine, gradually approaching the iron chain bridge before the Mountain-Suppressing Pass, another dragon roar echoed from the ghastly green miasma ahead. The massive sound wave impacted an area spanning a hundred li. Some less structurally sound rocks shattered upon impact, exploding into fine dust. Even the blood mist surrounding the Blood Cloud Cavalry was shaken by the dragon's shriek, though it stabilized again after only a moment.

A sharp, arrow-like light pierced through Zong Shou's eyes as he stared into the distance. It was another Yin Jiao, one already beginning to transform into a dragon, with scales appearing across its body. Its sheer bulk was several times larger than the previous Eighth-Tier Yin Jiao. The Seventh-Tier Jiao dragons slain earliest were like insignificant little snakes compared to it.

Ninth-Tier! With just one glance, Zong Shou was certain this was a powerful Ninth-Tier entity! It was only slightly inferior to the slumbering Cold Chi in Water Immortal Lake.

Yet, his heart grew more excited. He abruptly spurred his mount forward, accelerating rapidly. Unexpectedly, when Zong Shou closed the distance to about ten thousand zhang, this Ninth-Tier Giant Jiao showed signs of fear, utterly unwilling to meet the surging momentum of the Blood Cloud Cavalry head-on. Its body spun violently, and it fled wildly into the distance.

The two thousand eight hundred Dragon-Horned Winged Horses were ultimately only Fourth-Tier spirit beasts. Only the nine commanders were Winged Horses above the Fifth-Tier. Even at full gallop, they could not catch up. Consequently, the distance between them steadily increased, moving from the initial ten thousand zhang to forty or fifty thousand zhang apart.

Seeing that they could not close the gap and that his mounts were showing signs of fatigue, a sliver of cold light flickered in Zong Shou's eyes, accompanied by a cold snort. "Cowardly wretch, you dare aspire to dragonhood? Slash!"

As the words fell, Zong Shou threw his weapon with tremendous force. The combined qi and blood true power of the two thousand eight hundred men became one unified entity. The blood-colored great halberd abruptly left his hand, spinning forward in a deadly arc! The blood-colored qi light pierced through a thousand zhang, trailing a dazzling crimson brilliance across the wide Evil Spirit Ravine. Wherever it passed, all malevolent entities, even those merely grazed by the edge, instantly perished and turned to ash.

The Ninth-Tier Yin Jiao let out another screech. This time it was not a display of dominance, but a desperate struggle to escape with all its remaining strength. But the blood-colored halberd light was even faster. In an instant, it traversed tens of thousands of zhang, striking the Jiao dragon. It severed the creature neatly at the waist, hacking off the entire tail section of the thousand-zhang-long giant Yin Jiao. However, the other half of its body fled away at an even greater speed, successfully widening the distance between them. In moments, it vanished without a trace.

Zong Shou continued riding, retrieving the thrown halberd back into his hand. He then commanded the Fifth-Tier Dragon-Horned Winged Horses, which were less strained, to slow down, allowing the entire cavalry troop to gradually halt.

Although the Blood Cloud Cavalry's morale was at its zenith, some of the knights with lower cultivation levels were already showing signs of fatigue. Zong Shou himself also felt somewhat strained. Looking at the distant Yin mist, he couldn't help but curse his bad luck. He had originally intended to thoroughly subdue this Ninth-Tier Yin Jiao to secure a guardian beast for Ruo Shui, which could later evolve into a Profound Yin Dragon and serve as her powerful ally. But now, he could only watch it escape into the distance. This was the strongest Ninth-Tier entity in the Cloud Realm; to not even dare to face him directly was truly humiliating.

Qiao Han, observing from behind, felt a mixture of emotions and intense dread. These two thousand eight hundred Blood Cloud Riders indeed possessed the power to challenge the Ninth-Tier! They were so formidable that the Ninth-Tier Yin Jiao fled at the mere sight of them. Below the Ninth-Tier, all Eighth-Tier entities were utterly crushed.

And their Kong Qi Sect currently possessed only four Ninth-Tier experts. Though they concealed some strength, it was not significant. While they might theoretically be able to annihilate the Blood Cloud Cavalry, they must not forget that Zong Shou commanded a full three million troops! —Three thousand Profound Fox Iron Cavalry, four thousand Iron Tiger Great Halberd Warriors, four thousand Rending Wind Mo Daoists, four thousand Wind Bear Mountain-Cleavers, five thousand Eyewolf Guards, and two thousand Dan Crane Riders. That totaled twenty-two thousand innate masters! Moreover, Zong Shou commanded an entire thirty thousand Imperial Guard Cavalry, all at the Secret Martial Master level, among whom were three thousand innate powerhouses!

Before this Qian Tian Demon King apprenticed himself to Elder Long Ying, the sect could rely on elders from powerful affiliated sects in other realms to exert pressure. But now, even that external support was completely suppressed. The Nine-Nine Dragon Shadow, a Tenth-Tier Saint Spirit! Rumor held that in ancient times, even peak experts had to yield three steps before this swordsmanship! It was said that if Elder Long Ying did not advance further, he only had a few decades left before his demise. But before his death, no sect would dare to make a rash move.

Ren Bo waited a moment, and seeing that Zong Shou had no intention of continuing the battle, he spurred his horse to Zong Shou's side. "My Lord, I think it is time to return. We have witnessed the combat strength of the Blood Cloud Cavalry. This clearing of the Evil Spirit Ravine is sufficient to guarantee ten years of peace for our Qian Tian Mountain." The Evil Spirit Ravine was constrained by the Mountain-Suppressing Pass iron chains, preventing even powerful Ninth-Tier Yin spirits from escaping. However, ten thousand years of nurturing had made the Yin energy within extremely dense, causing slight breaches in the seal. Occasionally, spirit beasts below the Seventh-Tier would escape. Previously, the Eastern Ridge Sects were responsible for clearing them, but since the threat was not severe, they did not pay much attention.

Before Zong Wei Ran established his city, the Qian Tian Plain, despite its five thousand li of fertile land, was sparsely inhabited. It was only after Qian Tian Mountain City rose and launched campaigns to clear the surrounding areas that this region gradually became peaceful. Yet, every year, some citizens still perished at the hands of escaping malevolent spirits. This sweep had already annihilated millions of Chimei Wangliang, most of whom were crushed by the red mist. The Evil Spirit Ravine's vital energy was severely depleted and would require at least ten years to recover.

Zong Shou grunted noncommittally, then turned to the preoccupied Qiao Han with a smile. "If I were to gift one Spirit Abode to your Kong Qi Sect, how would your sect repay the favor?"

Qiao Han froze, initially unable to process the question. Immediately after, his face flushed crimson, his excitement surging uncontrollably, his hands trembling. Gift a Spirit Abode? But the nineteen existing Innate Spirit Abodes in this world already had owners; no new ones had been discovered. Then, which one would Zong Shou offer? Was it the High Heaven Profound Spirit Sect of the Third Spirit Abode, or the Fifteenth Profound Plain Sect of the Nineteenth Spirit Abode?

His mind raced chaotically. He instinctively wanted to agree immediately, but just as the words reached his lips, his mind snapped back to awareness, and he forcefully changed his reply: "This matter is too crucial, involving the rise and fall of our Kong Qi Sect. I, Qiao Han, dare not make the decision; I must consult the sect elders first!"

Yet, deep down, he sighed. He knew that the sect elders would absolutely not refuse. This time, the Kong Qi Sect was utterly bound to Qian Tian Mountain—they would prosper together and suffer together...RQ