The crimson formation expanded across the forest floor.
Blood from the slain assassins flowed into its glowing runes as though guided by an invisible hand.
The earth trembled.
Ancient trees swayed violently.
A foul, metallic smell filled the air.
Lin Yuan instinctively stepped back.
The First Chain inside his dantian vibrated continuously.
Unlike before, its reaction wasn't excitement.
It was warning him.
Something deeply unnatural was being born.
Forbidden Arts
In the cultivation world, not every technique followed the righteous path.
Some cultivators sought shortcuts.
Instead of patiently cultivating spiritual qi, they sacrificed their lifespan, blood, souls, or even other living beings to obtain power.
Such techniques were collectively known as Forbidden Arts.
While they granted terrifying strength in a short period, they always came with a heavy price.
For this reason, the major righteous sects had forbidden their practice.
The Blood Moon Sect, however, was infamous for ignoring such taboos.
Xu Jian's expression darkened.
"Retreat!"
His voice echoed across the clearing.
The remaining candidates immediately obeyed.
Even the Shadow Thunder Tiger slowly backed away, its instincts warning it that the crimson formation was dangerous.
Only the Blood Moon leader remained standing at its center.
He spread his arms.
His laughter echoed through the forest.
"You righteous fools speak of justice..."
"But justice has never made anyone stronger."
"The world belongs to those willing to pay the price."
As his words fell, crimson veins spread across his skin.
His spiritual qi became increasingly violent.
Li Tian swallowed hard.
"E-Elder Xu..."
"What is he doing?"
Without looking back, Xu Jian answered,
"He is offering his own blood and cultivation as a sacrifice."
"He intends to summon a Blood Spirit."
Li Tian frowned.
"A Blood Spirit?"
Xu Jian nodded.
"It is not a true living creature."
"It is an artificial spirit born from resentment and blood."
"The more lives sacrificed..."
"...the stronger it becomes."
Lin Yuan listened carefully.Every new battle taught him something about the cultivation world.
Strength came in many forms.
Not all of them were honorable.
The crimson formation suddenly exploded with light.
A pillar of blood shot into the sky.
The clouds above the forest turned dark red.
Thunder rumbled.
The temperature dropped sharply.
Then...
A gigantic skeletal hand slowly emerged from the center of the formation.
Its bones were crimson instead of white.
Black flames danced between its fingers.
The hand gripped the edge of the formation...
And pulled.
Another arm emerged.
Then a skull.
Its eye sockets burned with scarlet fire.
An enormous humanoid creature climbed out of the formation.
It stood nearly twenty meters tall.
Its entire body was formed from blood-colored bones wrapped in black mist.
The pressure it released caused weaker trees nearby to collapse.
Li Tian's face turned pale.
"What..."
"...is that?"
A Blood Spirit
A Blood Spirit was a forbidden creation.
Unlike Spirit Beasts, which were born naturally, Blood Spirits were formed through sacrificial rituals.
They possessed no emotions.
No fear.
No mercy.
They obeyed only one command:
Destroy.
The stronger the sacrifice...
The stronger the Blood Spirit .
The Blood Moon leader staggered.
His face had aged dramatically.
Wrinkles spread across his skin.
His black hair rapidly turned gray.
The ritual had consumed decades of his lifespan.
Yet he laughed.
It had been worth it.
"Kill them."
The Blood Spirit slowly lowered its head.
Its burning eyes locked onto Xu Jian.
Then
It exploded into with speed towards him. It moved so fast that Lin Yuan and the other disciples could not even follow its movement, It swung its massive fist.
The air exploded.
Xu Jian disappeared from where he stood.
BOOOOOOM!
The ground caved in beneath the impact.
A crater over thirty meters wide appeared instantly.
Every candidate felt their hearts race.
If that blow had landed...
No Spirit Foundation cultivator could have survived.
Xu Jian reappeared in midair.
His azure robes fluttered in the wind.
He attacked , unleashing a storm of sword attacks, the same he had used before.
The attack rained on the blood spirit raising dust and leaves in the air.
The disciples were still astonished again even after having seen it before.
When the dust finally settled disciples were horrified,the attack that had nearly killed all the assassins and the leader barely made a scratch on the blood spirit.
It seemed to have made it even more angry.it attacked the elder Again and again each time xu Jian moving away at the last minute.
Xu Jian moved further away from the spirit ,he knew he could not defeat it the same way he did with the others .
He calmed his breathing down, then closed his eyes for moment, then suddenly opened them at once his gaze becoming razor like.
He slowly raised his sword.
The blade glowed brighter than the morning sun.
Powerful sword intent spread across the battlefield.
Even Lin Yuan and the other disciples could feel it,it felt as if different blades were cutting on their skin.
He didn't fully understand what sword intent was.
But merely sensing it made the sword at his waist hum softly.
Sword Intent
Many cultivators practiced the sword.
Very few understood it.
When a swordsman comprehended the essence of the sword through countless battles and years of dedication, they could awaken Sword Intent.
Sword Intent wasn't simply spiritual qi.
It was the cultivator's will fused with their swordsmanship.
A swordsman possessing Sword Intent can defeat opponents of equal cultivation with ease,and could if defeat those of higher cultivation than them,that was the power of sword intent.
Among Azure Cloud Sect's elders, Xu Jian was renowned for his mastery of the sword.
Xu Jian pointed his blade toward the Blood Spirit.
"Azure Sky..."
The surrounding spiritual qi gathered around him.
"...Sword Art."
Thousands of tiny sword lights appeared in the sky.
Each radiated sharp killing intent.
The Blood Moon leader's smile finally disappeared,all the hairs on his body standing out .
"So you've mastered the third form."
Xu Jian's eyes remained calm.
"Fall."
He swung his sword.
Thousands of azure sword lights descended like a rainstorm.
The Blood Spirit roared.
It raised both arms to defend itself.
The collision shook the heavens, leaving massive scar's in the earth where the attacks fell.
The forest disappeared beneath an explosion of azure and crimson light.
Lin Yuan shielded his eyes.
The shockwave uprooted ancient trees and hurled boulders through the air.
Even from hundreds of meters away, the pressure made breathing difficult.
When the light finally faded...
Everyone stared at the battlefield, their months agape, their hearts beating widely like battle drums.
The Blood Spirit remained standing.
Its body was covered in hundreds of deep sword wounds.
One arm had been severed completely.
But...
It had not fallen.
The Blood Moon leader laughed weakly.
"Xu Jian..."
"You've grown stronger."
"But..."
"So has our Blood Moon Sect."
Xu Jian frowned slightly.
He had expected that attack to destroy the Blood Spirit.
Instead...
It had merely wounded it.
The battle was far from over.
Hidden in the distance, Gu Chen narrowed his eyes.
"Interesting..."