Chapter 288 - The Demonic Insect from Beneath the Earth

A shocking statement startled Baili An so much that his breath caught, sending both him and Fang Geyu flying out along with the coffin lid.

Tumbling through the underground tunnel like rolling melons, the two were covered in dust, their appearances completely disheveled.

Baili An fell and sat on the ground, his cheeks smeared with bloodstains and gray dust, holding the coffin board defensively across his chest, shaking his head desperately to indicate refusal.

Fang Geyu, dizzy from the fall, had no time to stand up before the two Horned Ghosts, controlled by the drum sound, continued their relentless charge.

The thunderous footsteps resembled lightning striking the earth, and in the narrow subterranean passage, dust and small rocks continually fell from the ceiling.

Without hesitation, Baili An stepped protectively in front of Fang Geyu, planting the Vermilion Bird coffin upright into the ground.

Ghost floated over with a dark coffin, tightly gripping the female corpse He Sha on top of it, and tauntingly said, “Ignorant child, do you really think your tattered shell can protect you forever?”

As he rapidly tapped the drum, another ancient lacquered Blood Coffin appeared from thin air, and another massive Horned Ghost broke free from the coffin.

This Horned Ghost seemed even more powerful than the previous two.

Its single horn jutting from the forehead was as long as an adult’s arm.

Although this Horned Ghost possessed only two arms, its solid back did not have the bulging drum-like growths containing bloodied hands, like the previous ones did.

But its arms were iron-like, claws sharp as steel knives, and the skin on its limbs densely covered with a layer of scales and patterns that resembled those of Jiao dragons.

It was also faster than the previous two Horned Ghosts.

As it ran, it resembled a wild storm, a flash of lightning, tearing the other two terrifying Horned Ghosts into a bloody mess without discerning friend from foe.

The same Horned Ghosts that had once caused Baili An endless trouble and left him at his wit’s end were so easily trampled into a pile of bones and flesh by this new one.

Then, could the coffin that had withstood two Horned Ghosts withstand this monster as well?

Baili An didn’t ponder this question.

Sharp swords would dull and snap someday; even the thickest armor could be penetrated.

The best defense was a desperate offense.

He had never thought to rely solely on this Vermilion Bird coffin to escape tonight’s predicament.

“Fierce Ghost Feng Qing, do you really think those big fellows you’ve raised will continue to rampage unchecked?” Baili An’s body was half-crouched, his palm pressed against the ground.

As he raised his head, his dark eyes seemed to harbor a silent and deep flow of blood.

Ghost’s figure halted, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

At that moment, he seemed to hear the gentle sound of flowing water.

With a thunderous boom, without warning…

The massive Horned Ghost toppled over like a giant tree uprooted by a fierce wind.

Underneath the Vermilion Bird coffin, fresh red blood began to seep out.

From deep within the earth, a restless rustling sound arose, as if countless tiny insects were hidden beneath, and something terrible was slowly awakening.

Ghost’s gaze hardened, his face for the first time showing a confused and distracted loss of composure.

In this desolate house, where he had dwelled for many years, he felt an unknown threat.

So much so, he couldn’t understand why his nurtured Horned Ghost would suddenly fall?

Looking closer, the once mighty and godlike Horned Ghost’s legs were now withered and thin, seemingly drained of Essence Blood, like dried-up trees.

It lay on the ground, wailing in agony, as the withered parts between its legs rapidly turned to dust and scattered.

In the blink of an eye, the withered parts of the body had spread to its waist, and dancing around the Horned Ghost’s body were numerous dust-sized blood-colored mites.

It was then that he finally saw the source of the flowing water sound.

Behind the Vermilion Bird coffin, from beneath the hem of the youth’s red robe, trickled several thin streams of fresh blood, like serpents.

And unbeknownst to them, the ground had been incised with numerous sharp, long sword marks, which were now absorbing the blood gushing out from inside him, seeping into the soil deep below.

Beneath this patch of soil lay a tributary of the living river.

Within its waters slumbered countless red and colorful Ghost Snakes, a kind of ghost, naturally controlled by his ghost artifact.

Lin Yuan had once caught a Ghost Snake and brought it back to the inn.

Since Baili An was preparing for his confrontation with the Fierce Ghost of three thousand years, how could he be unprepared?

He had carefully observed the Ghost Snake, an aquatic ghost that thrived on the resentful energy within the desolate mansion.

Yet, these Ghost Snakes freely roamed the border city and the Inner City, unaffected by the Barriers.

Over the years, unknown to anyone, they had inadvertently become hosts to another creature.

The Wuluo Demon Insect, a type of Demon Beast.

The Wuluo Demon Insect’s survival conditions were extremely harsh, requiring it to live parasitically on the extremely Yin and evil ghosts, absorbing enough yin energy to hatch into demons.

But achieving the conditions necessary to become a demon was easier said than done.

Even though countless Ghost Snakes lived together, not one could successfully hatch a single Wuluo Demon Insect.

Ghost knew this, which was why he ignored these difficult-to-remove eggs.

However, at this very moment, right before his eyes, the air began to emit a bizarre, sharp, and urgent bowstring-like buzzing sound, painfully piercing the soul.

In the not so spacious space, demon energy surged skyward as if the blood was thick and dense.

“What…

What exactly have you done?!” Ghost’s voice was suppressingly angry as he flicked his sleeve and smashed the Horned Ghost’s head on the ground into mist, its body swiftly dissipating into a wisp of Yin Fire.

Of course, it wasn’t just to put it out of its misery, but rather, he didn’t want his Horned Ghosts to become nourishment for this swarm of demon insects.

Baili An’s thumb emitted a mysterious light, reflecting the shimmer of Bi Water producing jade, and he retracted the Vermilion Bird coffin within.

At this moment, his complexion was scarily pale, even a hint of deathliness overshadowing his features, as blood continued to pour unstoppably from his palms into the depths of the earth.

The solid earth seemed to surge up like a tide of blood-red sand, covering the entire ground with a sweeping force.

Fang Geyu was also shocked by the overwhelming demon energy before her.

With a complicated gaze, she looked at Baili An, “Is this…?”

Baili An nodded at her.

Indeed, this was the power of the sixth river from the Demon World’s Blood River, the Blood Feather River.

The power of the sixth river, Blood Feather River, was to turn blood into feathers.

This aura and force held a deadly attraction and control over all demons below the heavens.

Once the power of the blood was released, the demon eggs deep beneath the desolate house would be insanely drawn to it, and once soaked in blood, could bypass the interminable process of absorbing yin energy and become demons in an extremely short time.

This was the terror of Mohe, even the last of the six rivers, the Blood Feather River, could overturn a corner of the universe.

The Blood Feather River’s unique ability was to control demon spirits.

The Wuluo Demon Insect, while not a particularly rare and powerful demon, was incomparable due to its vast numbers, and both Cultivators and Ghost Cultivators found it troublesome to handle since it fed on yin and Essence Blood.

At the moment, the amount of blood flowing from Baili An’s body determined how many Wuluo Demon Insects he could attract, and he was truly risking his life with his own blood.

Fang Geyu found it somewhat unbelievable, looking at Baili An as if he were a monster, “You’ve only been in the city for a few days and you already know how to properly use the power of this river?”

Over the past thousands of years, the rivers had passed through so many hands, and countless had been devoured by the power of the Blood River, turned to ashes.

The violent demonic nature of the Blood River was not something anyone could easily suppress.

Once it entered the body, it would embed itself like a stubborn, deep-rooted Demon Seed.

There had been no more than five people since ancient times who could successfully refine the power of the Blood River into their bodies and control it.

Let alone mastering the method and knack for controlling demon species in just a few short days.

Baili An’s half-kneeling body swayed, and he said, “It’s not that I can fully control these.

Right now, my cultivation is too weak, it’s very hard to control so many demon insects, and they might get out of control at any moment.

Let’s leave here first and find a safe place…

Fang Geyu, if your body can hold up, could you…

give me a nibble later?”

It might have been Fang Geyu’s misperception, but she always felt that he deliberately avoided using the word ‘bite’.

Fang Geyu was somewhat displeased, “A nibble?

Do you think I’m a big white bun?

To give you a nibble?”

The rising desire for blood within him clouded Baili An’s judgment, and without thinking, he blurted out his inner thoughts, “Fang Geyu isn’t a big white bun, but a soft little white bun.”

Fang Geyu instantly flushed with rage, “You!

You cad!”

Ahead, waves of verdant Yin Fire surged, burning nearly half of the blood-red insects, but soon, more demon insects surged out from the earth’s sword marks.

Baili An felt a sharp pain transmitting from his Divine Sense, his face changed as he could no longer afford to explain too much to Fang Geyu.

Enduring the pain in his body, he stood up, grabbed Fang Geyu’s wrist, and hurried toward the exit.

“Let’s not talk too much now, let’s quickly get out of here!”