Chapter 40: Ruthless Slaughter

This was a secret buried deep in his heart, one that Bai Ling could naturally never reveal to his adversary.

While Bai Ling was contemplating how to escape, Xiao Wuhen stood with a smug smile, looking as if victory were already in his grasp.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

Three hundred meters ahead in the dim tunnel—the very path Bai Ling had been heading toward and where the Xiao family members were currently blocking the way—a pungent, nauseating scent of blood suddenly wafted through the air.

It swept past everyone like a gust of wind.

"What is this smell!"
"Ugh..."
"It's... it's blood!!"
"Where is this stench coming from!!"

The crowd turned to look toward the source of the smell. Fifty meters away in the gloom of the tunnel, dozens of figures were approaching. They were clad in coarse linen garments, drenched in blood, with fierce, cold expressions. Their gray clothing had long since been stained a vivid, sanguine red. They looked like demons crawled out of hell, radiating a thick, suffocating aura of blood and icy malice.

"Stop right there! Who are you!"
"What kind of people are you!"
"Take one more step and the Xiao family will not be so polite. Do not force us to make you pay for your actions!"

Behind Xiao Wuhen, the crowd shouted in low, menacing tones.

Bai Ling, trapped in the center of the tunnel, caught the pungent scent as well. Though the tunnel ahead was obscured from his view, he heard the shouts of the Xiao family members clearly.

Someone had arrived. Who were they? They were foes, not friends. Aside from Xuan Ningyue, Bai Ling had no close allies in Liuyue City, and he had entered the mountain range alone. The intense smell of blood suggested these people had emerged from endless slaughter, as if they had come from hell itself. Judging by the Xiao family's confusion, these strangers were not from the three great clans; otherwise, they would have recognized each other.

Xiao Wuhen’s face darkened. He had been on the verge of extracting Bai Ling’s secret, and this intrusion of uninvited guests—accompanied by such a heavy scent of blood—left him stunned. However, thinking that everyone allowed into the Origin Vein was supposed to be below the Spirit Origin realm, he let out a cold laugh. Whoever they were, they were fools to challenge his thousand-man force.

Xiao Wuhen gestured to his men, then wove through the crowd to the back of the line. Seeing the dozens of blood-stained figures, his heart sank, but he quickly steeled himself: he had a thousand men here—could the opposition possibly win?

He frowned and sneered, "I am busy with important business here. If you know what's good for you, turn around and take another path!"

Among the ten leading figures, a middle-aged man with a shocking scar across his face—presumably the leader—glanced at the starlight flashing on his forehead and uttered two icy words: "Kill them all."

The moment he spoke, the nine companions beside him also displayed shimmering starlight on their foreheads. Suddenly, a surge of powerful Origin Power erupted from within their bodies.

Origin Power manifesting externally!

Each of the ten drew cold blades and launched themselves forward like arrows toward Xiao Wuhen.

"Spirit... Spirit Origin realm!! No, that's impossible! How could there be Spirit Origin realm cultivators in this Origin Vein!" Xiao Wuhen stood frozen in shock.

The ten moved with blinding speed. Before Xiao Wuhen could process his disbelief, they were upon him, their cold blades slicing across his throat in an instant.

"Who... who... are you?"

Xiao Wuhen’s eyes bulged. He clutched his neck as blood sprayed everywhere. Even as he died, he could not understand who these people were or where they came from. The starlight on their foreheads proved they were not from Liuyue City, and the stench of blood trailing behind them meant he was far from their first victim. Just moments ago, he had been basking in the joy of an impending secret; now, he was dead.

The tunnel instantly turned into a living hell.

"Ugh... ahhh... no... don't..."
"Who are you people? We have no grudge against you, why kill our Young Master!"
"Ugh..."
"Run... hurry and run, they are devils..."

Fear, despair, and agonizing screams echoed throughout the tunnel. The cold blades in the hands of the ten men harvested lives like grass.

Bai Ling’s heart hammered against his ribs. He shared Xiao Wuhen’s realization: who were these people? There were at least five hundred tenth-level Initial Origin cultivators in the tunnel, yet they were being slaughtered without a chance to resist. This confirmed that their assailants were powerful Spirit Origin realm experts. How they had slipped past Ji Kun’s notice to get here was a mystery. They moved like reapers, and to them, everyone present was nothing more than lambs for the slaughter.

Blood splattered throughout the tunnel, sickening to behold. Bai Ling’s face turned pale; he forced himself to swallow his bile and kept a sharp eye on his surroundings. The fools before him still hadn't realized their Young Master was dead.

"The Young Master is dead!"
"They are all Spirit Origin realm!"
"Run... run away!"

The crowd descended into chaos, all surging toward Bai Ling’s position. Just then, from the other side of the tunnel—behind Bai Ling—the same heavy scent of blood emerged.

Five more middle-aged men in linen, holding cold blades, charged toward the Xiao family.

At that moment, everyone, including Bai Ling, was surrounded.

Despair and terror rippled through the crowd as they were mercilessly slaughtered by these nameless, mysterious figures. They were nothing but fodder, waiting to be butchered. With both ends of the tunnel blocked, a sense of absolute hopelessness took hold.

"Charge! We must break out! Otherwise, we are all going to die today!"
"Damn it, so what if they are Spirit Origin realm? There are so many of us, surely we can make it out! If we just wait here, we’re dead anyway!"
"Ahhh... no, don't kill me!"

Amidst the screams of horror, the scarred man leading the group cast a cold, emotionless gaze upon the crowd and suddenly threw a short blade.

*Thwack!*

The blade flew dozens of meters, burying itself into a young Xiao family member who was trying to slip away in the chaos. The youth’s mouth hung open, his eyes fixed on the scarred man in terror before he collapsed to the ground.

"Today, everyone dies!"
"Boss, if we kill everyone in this Origin Vein, will our mission be complete?"
"Heh... what a godsend. We planned for three years, but who would have thought we’d arrive in this city and finish the job in just half a month!"
"Stop talking! Get to work!" the scarred man growled grimly.

The dozens of men roared, and immense amounts of Origin Power surged from their bodies, manifesting into various lethal techniques that rained down upon the Xiao family.

The manifestation of Origin Power! This was a technique only those in the Spirit Origin realm could master.

Ten minutes later, of the thousand Xiao family members, fewer than three hundred remained. The stench of blood in the tunnel was so thick it was suffocating. Bai Ling watched with locked focus as the linen-clad figures closed in from both sides.

The Xiao family members continued to fall.

Three hundred...
Two hundred...
One hundred...
Fifty...