"No time to explain, dodge quickly! This Death Blood Curse is not something you can break!" Sword Spirit said urgently.

Lin Feng felt a surge of panic in his heart; he had never heard Sword Spirit speak with such urgency before. This Beast King’s Death Blood Curse was definitely no simple matter and might even have explosive power.

He immediately cast Instant Teleportation, fleeing the scene as quickly as possible. Almost simultaneously, the Beast King’s body, which had transformed into a giant dragon, exploded into a mist of blood, chasing after Lin Feng together with the blood in the pit.

The speed of the blood mist was in no way inferior to Lin Feng’s Instant Teleportation; in fact, it surpassed it. Within a few breaths, it was right behind him. Lin Feng tried to teleport in different directions but couldn’t shake off the blood mist’s pursuit.

"Damn it! What is this thing that’s so formidable, even faster than my Instant Teleportation? What should I do now?" Lin Feng said as he saw the blood mist closing in.

"Find a large body of water and dive in. Maybe this way you can avoid the Death Blood Curse. Hurry, no time to waste!" Sword Spirit urged.

As luck would have it, when the blood mist was less than ten meters away, Lin Feng saw a huge lake ahead. Without a second thought, he plunged into the water and quickly used Water Transformation to dive to the bottom, escaping by a hair’s breadth. He felt like he had just narrowly escaped death.

The blood mist seemed to avoid the water initially, but it still dove in, instantly turning the lake’s surface red. The blood mist continued chasing to the lakebed, as if it had eyes and knew where Lin Feng was. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

However, the deeper it went, the more diluted the blood mist became until, before reaching Lin Feng, it gradually disappeared. The entire lake became a bizarre, blood-like liquid, which is why later people called it Blood Lake. It is said that dragon roars can sometimes be heard there.

Lin Feng considered himself lucky to have witnessed this heaven-defying skill. This skill comes at the cost of one’s life, and Lin Feng didn’t know what the aftermath would be, but one thing was certain: he had avoided the crisis for now. Even though he used Water Transformation, cold sweat broke out all over him. Truly unbelievable.

Looking at the blood-like lake water, Lin Feng couldn’t help but ask, "Sister Yue’Er, what’s so formidable about this Death Blood Curse that you were so anxious?"

"The Death Blood Curse doesn’t have the same destructive power as self-explosion, which annihilates surrounding objects with energy. The Death Blood Curse targets only one object, dooming it to a deadly fate. The curse is executed by exchanging the caster’s death for the target’s death, a mutual destruction.

This Death Blood Curse is extremely powerful; if the blood mist touches you, even heaven-defying Defense Power is useless. No one can save you—your soul will be slowly devoured until your body is assimilated and you perish.

Unless you reach the realm of an Immortal and can form an Energy Light Shield around yourself, you can’t avoid this fate. You presently cannot achieve this, and I was genuinely worried earlier. This Beast King is too cunning." Sword Spirit said slowly, making Lin Feng nervous.

"So you’re saying the self-explosion was a ruse, and using the Death Blood Curse was his true intent? Then why did he give me the Storage Ring? Wasn’t he afraid I would escape immediately?" Lin Feng asked, puzzled.

Lin Feng was baffled by the Beast King’s actions, and perhaps only Sword Spirit could explain it, as she had appeared ready to kill the Beast King, evidently seeing through the deception.

"The Beast King was so gravely injured he wouldn’t have chosen to live. His son was killed, and Beast King City destroyed; all this robbed him of the will to live. Giving up the Storage Ring was meant to lower your guard. Lin Feng, you truly stood at death’s door this time. You gave us all a real scare." Sword Spirit reproached.

"Haha, I’m fine now, aren’t I? With you, Chu Qing, and Chu Tong, nothing will happen to me. I didn’t expect the Beast King to possess the Death Blood Curse. Truly impressive," Lin Feng laughed.

"Be careful in the future. The Death Blood Curse is a skill among your Dragon Race. Once your bloodline fully awakens, you’ll know. It’s only used in utter desperation since using it means your soul scatters with no chance of reincarnation or rebirth, much like self-explosion," Sword Spirit said.

Lin Feng said no more but was internally delighted. Having obtained the Ghost King and Beast King’s Storage Rings, he still hadn’t looked inside and was eager to see if what he found would keep him awake for days in excitement.

With a thought, he flew out of the lake and looked at the massive lake, now entirely red. He was full of admiration—this Death Blood Curse was truly terrifying; he’d have to be more cautious. Losing one’s life means having even more heaven-defying treasures is meaningless.

Xiao Qiang and Lord of Netherworld went to find Ruoxi and Yiyi. Their safety should no longer be a concern. Lin Feng decided to first check the contents of the Ghost King’s Storage Ring; it was worth the near-death experience.

After flying to a solitary hill, Lin Feng took out the Ghost King’s Storage Ring and erased the Soul Mark. What he saw made him feel like he was dreaming; the Storage Ring contained millions of Nether Stones.

Of course, Nether Stones were of little use to Lin Feng, but the rare medicinal herbs inside were numerous, some even being soul medicine. This was immensely useful for Sword Spirit. The most exciting find for Lin Feng was dozens of Netherworld Purple Orchids.

Dozens of Netherworld Purple Orchids meant everything, as they were crucial for solving the problems of the Green Frost Sect. Of course, the Storage Ring also contained some Ghost Race martial skills and impressive weapons, which he found trivial. He might auction them off later for Netherworld Purple Orchids.

"This Ghost King was quite wealthy. If I later get the Storage Rings of Human King Xiang Shaolong and Netherworld Lord, I might not need to enter dangerous lands. I could even complete missions ahead of time. I’m looking forward to it! Also, I wonder what surprises the Beast King’s Storage Ring holds for me?" Lin Feng said excitedly.

After wiping the Soul Mark from the Beast King’s Storage Ring, Lin Feng’s divine sense checked its contents and was immediately dumbfounded. He was speechless for a long moment, feeling utterly deflated.

"Damn it! The Beast King duped me! The Storage Ring is completely empty, just a hollow Storage Ring. I risked my life for it only to be tricked!"

"Haha, think about it. He was your archenemy, eager to drink your blood and eat your flesh. How could he leave you the contents of the Storage Ring? Giving it to you was to lower your defenses. You really thought he’d appreciate your mercy? Too naive." Sword Spirit laughed, enjoying Lin Feng’s frustration.

"Never mind, having the Ghost King’s Storage Ring has already satisfied me. Since both the Beast King and Ghost King are dead, it’s time for the Lord of Netherworld to take over their territories. Let’s first check on Ruoxi’s injuries," Lin Feng said.

In a flash, after several consecutive Instant Teleportations, he arrived at the almost leveled Jiuyou City. Seeing the city in ruins, Lin Feng felt helpless, knowing he was largely responsible for its state.

"Ruoxi and the others have left; you can try searching elsewhere. However, I believe the Lord of Netherworld left you clues," Sword Spirit said.

Lin Feng didn’t want to linger in the devastated Jiuyou City. Flying onward, he soon stumbled upon the mark Xiao Qiang left, a sign written in the Canglan Ancient Land script on a massive stone tablet, which Lin Feng instantly understood.

He knew no one from the Netherworld could decipher this script, just as he couldn’t read Netherworld characters. Only a few among the Human Race might recognize it, but within the Ghost Race’s territory, Human appearances were even rarer.

The message Xiao Qiang left was simple, telling Lin Feng that Ruoxi had been taken away and was not in life-threatening danger. To find them, he should go to Qingtian City, three thousand miles away.

Lin Feng was familiar with Qingtian City, a unique city of the Ghost Race, akin to Wangtu City of the Ghost Race, a place where the Ghost Race recruited talent. Many strong Ghost Race individuals congregated there.

Lin Feng smacked the stone tablet into pieces with a palm strike; he didn’t want to expose their whereabouts. With his direction clear, he used Instant Teleportation to arrive above Qingtian City.

Not wanting to attract attention, he discreetly joined the procession along the official road, entering Qingtian City with the travelers. Although Qingtian City was guarded, its security wasn’t as strict as Jiuyou City. A hundred Nether Stones allowed entry.

Once in the city, Lin Feng instructed Chu Qing to use his Divine Sense to find where Lin Ruoxi and the others were staying. Although severely wounded, the Lord of Netherworld was still a clan leader, and many powerful individuals resided in Qingtian City. Some had long hoped to seize the clan leader position, so if word got out about the Lord of Netherworld’s injuries, nobody could predict the consequences. (Discharged from the hospital tomorrow morning, updating at midnight; three Chapters during the day tomorrow. Thanks for waiting!)