Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Senior Brother is right.” Lin Yanxi smiled tenderly as she brushed a few stray strands of hair from her forehead.

 She hadn't taken the Blood Pill recently. Her white, flawless skin had begun to turn slightly dull and pallid. Not only that, but tiny wrinkles had also started to appear on her face.

 Lin Yanxi looked as young as Su Xun'er and Xia Chenxi, who were both in their early teens. However, unlike them, she was simply an old woman pretending to be young. Now that she was no longer taking the Blood Pill, it was only a matter of time before her true colors were revealed.

 The moment she thought about being old and ugly, Lin Yanxi felt an urge to kill and drink her victims' blood.

 The pair was determined to go to the Yin Corpse Sect, and they began discussing how they were going to eliminate Gong Xifan and s.n.a.t.c.h the spiritual tool from him.

 They were so engrossed in their discussions that they failed to realize that Ye Jiuge and Gong Xifan were watching their every move.

 “Please be careful, Great Master Gong. Don't fall into their trap,” Ye Jiuge warned Gong Xifan worriedly.

 “Wouldn't it be foolish of me to fall into their trap when I already know what they are plotting?” Gong Xifan laughed. He did not regard either Lin Yanxi or w.a.n.g Haoqiang as a threat.

 “Great Master Gong, the Bloodthirsty Sect is extremely crafty. Please exercise caution.” Ye Yu could not help but warn Gong Xifan after seeing how laid-back he was. She had every right to warn him, given her past experiences.

 “Okay. I'll be careful.” Gong Xifan quickly corrected his att.i.tude.

 After all, it would not be easy to deal with the Bloodthirsty Sect's protective formation. If he accidentally fell into their trap, his name would be dragged through the mud, and he would fall from grace.

 D-day arrived in the blink of an eye.

 Gong Xifan and Ye Jiuge led the spiritual pract.i.tioners to the foot of Bloodcloud Peak.

 The reddish mist surrounding the protective formation grew thicker, and the entire area was covered with blood clouds emitting a buzzing sound. Bloodcloud Peak looked even more menacing and frightening than last time.

 Su Xun'er could not help but swallow a mouthful of saliva when she saw it, and her palms broke into a cold sweat.

 Xia Chenxi, on the other hand, began trembling incessantly. The other male spiritual pract.i.tioners were not in a vigorous state either.

 While they had attacked the protective formation once in the past, they had been ignorant then of how fearsome it was.

 Now that they were fully prepared, however, they were getting cold feet.

 “Don't be afraid. Just do as we practiced.” Ye Jiuge comforted Su Xun'er after discerning her insecurities.

 “Okay.” Su Xun'er nodded.

 Ye Jiuge had proven herself during the past days of training. Everyone could see how strong she was.

 Su Xun'er and the rest of the spiritual pract.i.tioners all held her in high esteem, but they were never able to put their pride aside and befriend her.

 “Follow me closely!” Ye Jiuge commanded before leading Luo Tian and Ye Yu into the reddish mist.

 Baili Moyun and Nangong Li followed, positioned on either side of Ye Jiuge.

 All they could see before them was a sea of red. A miasma of despair hung over the place, and a putrid stench a.s.saulted their noses. The group expected to be attacked at any time, but strangely, the offensive never came. It was as though the Blood Mosquitoes had simply vanished.

 “What's going on?” Ye Yu furrowed his brow. Last time, they had been attacked the instant they'd made their way in.

 “Stay on your toes!” Ye Jiuge cautioned and began moving forward warily.

 “There's no need to stay on your toes. They want you all to venture deep into their territory,” Zi Shang said, looking at them with contempt.

 Ye Jiuge realized that Zi Shang was a master of ruining the atmosphere.

 The situation that they were in currently was tense and creepy. Anything could happen at any moment. However, Zi Shang made it sound like they were all on an excursion.

 Ye Jiuge was glad that she had made Zi Shang stay invisible.

 Otherwise, the spiritual pract.i.tioners would have been misled into thinking that everything was fine and die as a result.

 “Ms. Ye, what should we do next?” asked a befuddled Baili Moyun, positioned to Ye Jiuge's left.

 “Continue moving forward.” Ye Jiuge hastened her footsteps and headed for the Gate of Birth. [1]

 The group walked for another 15 minutes or so, but there were still no signs of the Blood Mosquitoes.

 A moment later, Zi Shang suddenly spoke up, “People are lying in ambush up ahead.”

 Ye Jiuge unleashed her Spiritual Eye and carefully observed what was before her. She saw many blood-colored silhouettes lying in wait in the distance. It was clear that the Bloodthirsty Sect planned to ambush them halfway up Bloodcloud Peak.

 “Everyone! Pay attention to your surroundings and stay on guard.” Ye Jiuge brandished her Lightning Snake Magical Whip at once.

 The whip transformed into the Purple Lightning Snake, and it began circling the top of her head.

 Both Ye Yu and Luo Tian raised their guard. Xiao Hong and Black Dictator were positioned at their sides, ready to protect them from an imminent attack.

 Baili Moyun and the others moved slightly slower. A deafening buzzing rang out, and, in the next second, a large malodorous blood cloud charged at them.

 “G.o.d-d*mnit! What is that smell? It stinks!” Baili Moyun had never smelled anything so offensive in his entire life. It nearly made him puke.

 He blocked his nostrils but began feeling a little dizzy.

 Just then, he heard a chirping sound nearby.

 Xiao Tao flapped its wings and perched on top of Baili Moyun's head. It looked as though it could take on a thousand enemies by itself!

 Xiao Tao had become very motivated ever since learning that its stupid owner was keeping a Tri-clouded leopard as a ‘mistress.' It had been searching for the chance to prove its worth to him all this while. That chance had finally come.

 “Well done, Xiao Tao! Keep it up!” Baili Moyun praised Xiao Tao before unsheathing his Dragonslayer Blade and attacking the blood clouds.

 Xiao Tao chirped proudly, which helped to nullify the hypnotic effects of the surrounding miasma.

 Su Xun'er, Xia Chenxi, and Sun Shufeng immediately snapped back to their senses. They brandished their spiritual weapons one by one and began attacking the Blood Mosquitoes.

 Once she saw how powerful Xiao Tao was, the temptation to buy a Legendary Venomous Insect from Ye Jiuge surfaced again in Su Xun'er.

 She had never thought of keeping a Spiritual Beast before. She found them too troublesome and costly.

 But things were different with a Legendary Venomous Insect. They had strong spiritual powers, they did not eat much, and they were even cute. They were definitely worth keeping!

 Su Xun'er was distracted by her thoughts. Consequentially, her movements slowed.

 At that very moment, a ray of b.l.o.o.d.y light shot out from within a blood cloud, narrowly missing Su Xun'er's head. The entire incident went unnoticed by Su Xun'er.

 All this time, Ye Jiuge had been on the lookout for the Bloodthirsty Sect's sneak attacks.

 Her wariness allowed her to swing her Lightning Snake Magical Whip at the ray of b.l.o.o.d.y light before it could hit Su Xun'er.

 Su Xun'er broke out into cold sweat the moment she snapped out of her reverie. She profusely thanked Ye Jiuge for saving her life.

 “Be more careful!” Ye Jiuge replied before she raised her voice and hollered, “Everyone! Be careful! The Bloodthirsty Sect's disciples are going to launch a sneak attack!”

 “F*ck! How dare they! Wait till I charge in and kill them all!” Sun Shufeng howled as he cast a colorful spiritual light at his opponents.

 Sun Shufeng was genuinely eccentric. He usually came off as a very timid man, but he was completely different on the battlefield. The longer he fought, the braver he became.

 The low-level Thousand Chance Umbrella that he wielded seemed like an all-powerful weapon in his hands. The spiritual light that emitted from his weapon was so colorful it resembled a rainbow. His attacks sent numerous skeletons flying out of the blood clouds.

 “Kill them all!” the other spiritual pract.i.tioners yelled in unison.

 The team's morale was high, but the Bloodthirsty Sect's disciples were extremely crafty and hard to dispatch. They hid their weapons within the Blood Mosquitoes, making them very hard to notice.

 Fortunately, Ye Jiuge had keen eyesight, and she was able to help deal with sneak attacks throughout the battlefield. They were able to minimize the casualties as a result.

 “Miss! How far are we from the Gate of Birth?” Gong Honglei asked as he fought the Blood Mosquitoes.

 “We are not too far. Everyone follow me!” Ye Jiuge was able to clear a path by swinging her Lightning Snake Magical Whip at the blood clouds. She then led the spiritual pract.i.tioners forward.

 The Bloodthirsty Sect's disciples noticed that their enemies were planning to move further up Bloodcloud Peak, so they immediately intensified their attacks. They ordered the Blood Mosquitoes to attack even more ferociously than before.

 Ye Jiuge and the other spiritual pract.i.tioners eventually reached the Gate of Birth in one piece. However, they had to step over a thick pile of dead Blood Mosquitoes.

 The blood fog before their eyes was as viscous as water. As they looked down from above, the team felt as though they were staring at a deep red ocean. The unpleasant sight sent s.h.i.+vers down their spines.

 1. The Gate of Birth is one of the ‘Eight Docked Gates' mentioned in the Qimen Dunjia. In the story, the author refers to the Gate of Birth as the exit for the protective formation.