Chapter 38: Why Did You Save Me?

Chapter 38: Why Did You Save Me?

But because Shen Lian was standing far from the bridge, he wasn't caught up in the initial blast.

He looked at the remaining thousand-plus people, all charging toward the rope bridge.

Fighting and scrambling, and for a moment, no one managed to get on the bridge first.

Someone cruelly chopped off his own brother's hand, while others turned sisters into bitter foes.

Such is the cruelty of the cultivation world—everyone just wants to live.

Even without approaching the bridge, Shen Lian was seen as a rival by many.

Chen Xue warned, "Watch out!"

A man had crept up silently behind Shen Lian, holding a long saber.

Shen Lian turned and sliced through the man's saber in one clean stroke.

His attacker, a bald man, gaped, "My precious blade!"

Before he could shoot Shen Lian a hateful look, he was pierced through the heart by someone else's sword.

But Shen Lian sensed something was wrong.

The Tianheng Sect was a righteous sect—how could they run such a trial?

Bloodshed was everywhere. Shen Lian noticed that everyone's eyes were bloodshot. In fact, it wasn't just them—even Shen Lian felt a sharp pain stabbing through his head.

A violent surge of hatred rose up inside him.

It screamed relentlessly, urging him to kill the man.

The one he'd dreamed of killing, day and night, for two years...

Shen Lian bit down hard on his tongue, and at that moment, a wave of clarity washed over his mind.

It was Chen Xue's doing.

Chen Xue gasped, "Master! This is clearly the work of Evil Cultivators."

Little did they know, above the clouds, the Tianheng Sect examiner in charge also widened his eyes in shock. "What the hell is going on?"

The bridge-crossing trial they had originally set only required passing through the beast area.

They had never set up any twenty-flag challenge.

Seeing the newcomers growing increasingly frenzied, before the examiner could descend, a snow-white figure had already swooped down toward the disciples.

But just as he was about to approach, he was blocked by a transparent barrier.

Zheng Huifeng was deeply worried. "Is this a formation?"

The moment he spoke, a blood-red formation slowly rose beneath Shen Lian and the others.

The blood and corpses of all the cultivators flowed into the formation, making it more and more sinister.

"Quick, report to the Grand Elder—there are Evil Cultivators!"

The more disciple blood the formation absorbed, the stronger it became, exuding an aura of bloodthirst and coldness.

Shen Lian watched as the once-clear sky suddenly turned blood-red, and black mist surrounded them.

"This can't be part of the assessment, right?"

Chen Xue nodded. "Right."

Shen Lian gripped his sword tightly, his entire body tensing. But unexpectedly, at that very moment, bloody, grotesque monsters erupted from the ground beneath them.

Chen Xue's face turned grim. "Master, run! This is more than we can handle."

Outside the blood formation, a group of Tianheng Sect elders had gathered as well.

"This is a sacrificial blood formation. Once it's activated, there's no stopping it."

The formation elder's face turned ashen. "The Evil Cultivator who set this up has to be at least at the Void Immortal Realm One!"

To put it in perspective, even the Sect Master of this Tianheng Sect branch had only just stepped into the Void Immortal Realm One.

"This Evil Cultivator is clearly trying to throw their weight around."

They deliberately set this up right where we're testing new disciples.

Someone blurted out, "Those inside aren't even official disciples yet... Do we really have to go in?"

Hearing this, the Tianheng Sect members who had been ready to rescue hesitated. Even if they went in with their current cultivation, they wouldn't die, but they'd come out worse for wear.

Zheng Huifeng's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Shen Lian, who was being chased by a massive blood-red creature inside. "They may not be our sect's disciples, but they came from far and wide to participate in our assessment!"

"Are we really just going to stand here and do nothing?"

One of the elders fell silent for a moment, then grabbed Zheng Huifeng. "Zheng Huifeng, don't be reckless. With your talent, entering the Main Sect is practically guaranteed."

The message was clear: don't be an idiot.

"After all... this isn't Tianheng Sect's turf."

They had randomly chosen this location as a testing ground.

"You guys—"

Zheng Huifeng tried to charge in again but was restrained by an elder.

Zheng Huifeng's eyes blazed with rage, but then his gaze suddenly locked.

There, within the bloodthirsty formation, a snow-white figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

By now, Shen Lian was drenched in blood. The monsters nourished by the formation seemed tireless, never running out of steam.

Even when Shen Lian chopped off a monster's arm, it would quickly siphon blood from the ground and regenerate.

Shen Lian was also sent crashing to the ground by a monster's swing. He pushed himself up, his gaze fixed past the barrier, where the Tianheng Sect people stood.

Shen Lian's lips parted slightly.

He hadn't expected that these people, who called themselves righteous, would slap him in the face so soon.

How could they watch so coldly as hundreds, even thousands, died within the formation?

Just like Yan Huaixuan—all sanctimony and hypocrisy.

At that moment, the blood demon raised its hand, poised to pierce through Shen Lian's chest.

A glimmer of defiance crossed Shen Lian's eyes. He'd barely arrived in the cultivation world, and now he was supposed to be fodder for others?

Shen Lian dragged himself, trying to retreat, but could only watch as the blood demon drew closer.

Just as despair was about to swallow him, a white figure suddenly appeared before him, his wide sleeves billowing though there was no wind.

Yan Huaixuan, sword in hand, cut the blood demon down with a single strike.

Shen Lian was dumbstruck.

Yan Huaixuan.

Yan Huaixuan scooped Shen Lian into his arms and said in a cold voice, "Ling Yun."

The Lingyun Sword hummed. "Got it."

The instant it spoke, it transformed into a streak of light, shooting out to skewer the monsters mid-slaughter.

It wasn't until he landed in that familiar embrace that Shen Lian realized what had happened.

But resentment flickered in his eyes. "Let me go."

Yan Huaixuan paused mid-step, his tone flat. "Don't move. I just don't want you dying on Tianheng Sect's turf."

At that, Shen Lian laughed. "So you're scared that someone as filthy as me dying on your turf would stain your precious righteous name, huh?"

"Then just don't save me."

Shen Lian tried to shove Yan Huaixuan away.

But then Yan Huaixuan shot him a cold look.

Shen Lian suddenly couldn't move a muscle. All he could do was gape at Yan Huaixuan.

Ling Yun's voice cut in suddenly.

"Master, these monsters can't be finished off for good."

As long as there's blood, they just reform instantly.

Yan Huaixuan frowned, scanning the survivors in the blood formation. Of the original thousand-plus, only three or four hundred remained.

Shen Lian watched Yan Huaixuan raise a hand, and the long sword flew back into his palm.

Then Yan Huaixuan sliced a gap in the barrier.

His voice cold, he said, "Get up."

At that, the others scrambled desperately toward the gap.

The Tianheng Sect members outside spotted the crack and gaped. "That's Yan Huaixuan?"