Lu Yun punted Lin Yu and Lin Xuan away. Qing Han ducked her head, embarrassed. She hadn’t expected the reveal of her true self to have such lingering repercussions.

The Lin brothers were a pair of formidable formation masters who’d touched the ultimate heights of the formation dao, but even they’d lost their calm before Qing Han. They’d obviously witnessed the precise moment when Qing Han revealed her true self.

Lu Yun walked up to them and shot the effects of two Tranquility Talismans into their bodies, sending a shudder down their spines. Their gazes on Qing Han were no longer fervently heated. While traces of admiration remained, they were much more subdued.

Back to the matter at hand—they’d carefully made their way to Jadeite Manor, lest someone discover their involvement with the ‘shitstirrers’. The Lin Clan would be in a world of trouble if they were seen entering the manor.

……

Over the next three days, Lu Yun tore down all of the formations in and outside Jadeite Manor. There were no barriers left to guard the manor, and all cultivators could freely look into the premises.

Of course, they didn’t dare do anything more other than simply observe with their eyes. With Scarlet Ape here, not even origin dao immortals would risk a scan with their consciousness.

At the center of the manor was a small, exceedingly barebones altar. It was less than nine meters tall, and one might’ve taken it as a pile of mere dirt without closer inspection. Lu Yun had somehow acquired a jug of blood, and was pouring it onto the altar, painting it red.

A faint crimson figure made a circle around the manor before disappearing.

“The hearts’ blood of ten thousand spirits!” Scarlet Ape enunciated with its gaze fixed on the blood seeping into the altar. “The blood still lives, which means you took their hearts’ blood while they were still alive. You humans are as cruel as you’ve ever been,” it sneered.

Lu Yun shrugged. “What would you have done if it were you?”

“Kill them before taking their blood,” Scarlet Ape responded like it was stating the obvious. “The blood would be just as potent if it was extracted the moment they die.”

“Man, that’s monster spirits for you.” Lu Yun affected a dramatic sigh. “As bloodthirsty as you’ve ever been. I’m only taking their heart blood, not their lives. Why should I kill them? They were treated after having their blood extracted.”

Scarlet Ape paused.

It’d been Su Xiaoxiao and Xingzi who’d collected the hearts’ blood. Although Dusk Province had been blockaded, the vast North Sea bordered the province and countless living souls called the ocean home. It wasn’t that difficult a task to extract the hearts’ blood of ten thousand creatures.

Lu Yun wasn’t the sort who reacted well to threats. He most resented any attempts at coercion by force. Since the seventeen origin dao immortals had given him an ultimatum and ordered him to leave Destiny City in three days, he wouldn’t comply without giving them a surprise.

During the preparation process, Scarlet Ape had been following Lu Yun around, observing his every move with its eyes and consciousness. The more it saw, the more baffled it was.

Lu Yun reminded it of a human child making cakes out of mud, but instead of using mud, he was playing with the hearts’ blood of a thousand living souls to form a crude altar.

“What exactly are you doing?” Scarlet Ape couldn’t repress his curiosity.

“Remember, we’re enemies,” Lu Yun snorted. “Do you think I’ll reveal my secrets to my enemies?”

Scarlet Ape glared back with fiery eyes but didn’t say anything.

“Alright, it’s been three days. You may leave now.” Lu Yun’s expression turned steely. “Take the Silvermoon Wolfking and silverback gorilla with you.”

Scarlet Ape looked up and saw that the seventeen origin dao immortals were already showing themselves up in the clouds. Their attention had shifted from Lu Yun, the main culprit, to Qing Han, thus greatly rousing Lu Yun’s ire.

“House Donglin must’ve seen Qing Yu reveal her true self in Destiny City,” he muttered to himself. “The origin dao immortals must be after her because of House Donglin!”

“You’re on your own, then. Let’s hope you’ll really be able to run away from them.” Scarlet Ape grinned and grabbed Chu Yingxin, the Silvermoon Wolfking, and the silverback gorilla, while Lin Yu and Lin Xuan had been taken somewhere safe by Ge Long a long time ago.

Lu Yun and Qing Han were the only ones left in Jadeite Manor.

“So the two insects haven’t fled yet?” An origin dao immortal emerged from the clouds with a sneer—Dong Lin. Beside him was Donglin Taihuang. The greed in the Donglin arcane dao immortal’s eyes was so thick that it almost tangibly wrapped around Qing Han’s body.

“You must be the woman of cosmic constitution from the Qing Clan,” Donglin Taihuang murmured. “I sensed the birth of such a person in the clan eighteen years ago, but she disappeared later on.”

“Are they staying in the city because you’re protecting them, Destiny City Lord?” Dong Lin cast his gaze at the city lord’s manor before deciding whether to make a move.

The city lord silently swallowed his pride and humiliation. Destiny City was his territory, yet the seventeen visiting origin dao immortals were doing as they pleased with no regard for his authority.

“Since you’ve decided to stay out of this matter, I’ll take down those two insects.” Dong Lin reached out with a giant hand toward Jadeite Manor and grabbed at Lu Yun and Qing Han.

In the eyes of origin dao immortals like him, Lu Yun and Qing Han were as weak as ants. Without Scarlet Ape’s protection, capturing them would be as easy as flipping his hand.

Donglin Taihuang smiled as he watched his clan’s ancestor take action.

……

“It’s time, senior.” Lu Yun bowed to the altar.

“Ai.” Qi Hai sighed softly and vanished from hell. “I didn’t expect you to live to this day, Little Ying. You’ve been through a lot lately, haven’t you?”

Qi Hai appeared on the simple altar and smiled at the giant hand descending from the air. “Let big brother get in a few punches.”

He thrust a palm strike at the sky and scattered the giant hand.

Rumble!

All of Destiny City trembled and crimson light burst out in rays, conjuring the shade of a giant crimson beast. Qi Hai ascended the sky as if he was walking on stairs.

“Senior brother…?!” The Destiny city lord widened his eyes, staring at the faint figure in disbelief.

“That’s the Blood Formation of Ten Thousand Spirits of the shamanic race.” The shape of a sword flashed through the sky over Destiny City as a voice identified the formation.

“Who are you?!” Dong Lin demanded with a grave look after his attack was scattered.

“Those two little ones are my kinsmen,” Qi Hai said faintly. “My name is Qi Hai.”