Chapter 131: Bring Down the Blood-Year God!

"Whoosh—"

At the very moment the Blood Age God revealed its true form, Shang Lu threw his ox-tail saber. It pierced straight through the entity, pinning it firmly to the ground.

If it were merely an ordinary blade, the Blood Age God would not have cared, even if its body had been shredded. As a Taisui demon, it possessed the natural ability to separate and fuse its flesh at will. Physical wounds meant nothing to it. However, Shang Lu’s ox-tail saber was imbued not only with powerful blood energy but also with divine power. Had the Blood Age God’s strength not already been weakened, it might have been able to resist or break free. But now, suppressed by both blood energy and divine power, it could only emit a roar of frustration.

The Blood Age God struggled violently, even attempting to sever the part of its body pinned by the saber to escape and save itself. Shang Lu, however, would not allow it. He immediately shoved his fingers into his mouth and let out a sharp whistle.

The government horse in the distance heard the signal and charged over immediately. This horse had long wanted to join the fray, but its strength was lacking. When Shang Lu was riding it, it could avoid the direct brunt of the demon’s aura, allowing for easy maneuverability. But once Shang Lu had dismounted, it found it difficult to approach the battlefield; the clash between Shang Lu and the Blood Age God had erupted with such intense blood and demonic energy that the beast could not get close.

Only now, summoned by Shang Lu, was it able to approach. Yet, with the battle already over, the pugnacious horse was clearly dissatisfied. Upon reaching Shang Lu, it shot him a sidelong glance and snorted several times, seemingly complaining about being left behind during the charge. If it could speak, it would surely have said: "If you didn't want to ride me, you could have let me ride you!"

Seeing that Shang Lu ignored it, the horse vented its anger on the Blood Age God, raising its front hooves to stomp down heavily before taking a large bite. To everyone’s surprise, the bite actually tore off a chunk of the Taisui’s flesh. The horse chewed a few times, its eyes lighting up. It hurriedly swallowed the flesh and lowered its head to take another bite.

The Blood Age God was enraged. Its gelatinous flesh churned, sprouting several sharp, fleshy spikes in an attempt to pierce and kill the horse. Fortunately, Shang Lu noticed just in time. He flicked his beast-whip, snapping the spikes away. He then slapped the horse hard on its hindquarters and scolded, "Eat, eat, eat! All you know is how to eat—do you have a death wish? Get away!"

The horse finally stopped, obediently distancing itself from the Blood Age God, though it continued to chew the piece of Taisui flesh already in its mouth. While keeping a watchful eye on the horse, Shang Lu rummaged through the pack on his saddle and pulled out five nails.

These five nails were made of different materials—some stone, some wood, some metal. Each was about the length of an infant’s arm, covered in complex witch-runes and inscriptions such as "Subdue Evil and Extinguish Spirits" and "Confine Demons and Interrogate Ghosts." These were the Five-Element Spirit-Suppressing Nails, treasures Shang Lu had scavenged from the Armory. Produced by the Witch Academy and distributed to local offices, they were designed specifically for pinning down demons and subduing spirits.

Although the Blood Age God’s cultivation had been severely weakened, it was still at the Small Success stage of Meridian Passage; the nails alone would not be enough to hold it. But combined with the ox-tail saber already embedded in its body, it was enough to keep it pinned and prevent escape.

As Shang Lu nailed the Blood Age God down, he carefully monitored the horse, fearing that consuming the demon's flesh might cause it to fall into madness or addiction, much like the villagers. However, the horse seemed fine—only unusually excited. There were no signs of other problems, and its consciousness remained untainted by the demon. Its excitement seemed more like the reaction of a creature that had consumed something beneficial and gained a surge of new energy it was eager to digest.

Given permission by Shang Lu, the horse galloped joyfully around the earthen mound, using the movement to absorb its newfound power. It seemed the true form of the Blood Age God was not only non-toxic but actually quite nourishing!

Shang Lu turned back to look at the Blood Age God, his eyes gleaming with newfound interest. This gaze made the entity tremble. It desperately wanted to scream at Shang Lu: "Don't come any closer!"

But Shang Lu didn't give it the chance. He spoke first, "How do I cure the poison in my two subordinates?"

The Blood Age God didn't answer, only struggled. But now, under the influence of the Five-Element Spirit-Suppressing Nails, it could no longer escape by splitting its body. Shang Lu raised his whip, crackling with blood energy and divine power, and lashed it several times, scattering more of the demon's aura.

"My patience is limited. I’ll give you ten breaths. If you haven't spoken by then, I will extinguish your demonic aura and destroy your intelligence. You’ve worked so hard for so many years to finally open your spiritual apertures and gain cultivation—you wouldn't want it all to go to waste, would you?"

Shang Lu’s cold, menacing threat infuriated the Blood Age God. It tried to shout a curse, but before it could finish, Shang Lu cut it off with a stern, emotionless face.

"Cursing? I'm counting that as part of your time!"

Ten breaths passed, and still, the Blood Age God had not revealed the cure. Shang Lu didn't waste another word. He raised his whip and rained blows down upon the entity, sending flesh flying and its demonic aura dissipating.

The Blood Age God hadn't expected Shang Lu to be a man of his word. Fearing that its aura would truly be extinguished and its intelligence destroyed, it shrieked in desperation, "Stop! Stop! I'll tell you, I'll tell you... Just cut off a piece of my true flesh and give it to them. Applied topically or taken internally, it will cure the poison."

"See? You could have saved yourself the trouble, but you just had to be stubborn."

Shang Lu stopped whipping and called the frolicking horse over, instructing it to bring Du Feng and Liu Zhi. The horse, being intelligent and familiar with the trail, galloped off into the darkness.

Shang Lu turned back to the Blood Age God and warned, "If you dare to lie to me, I won’t kill you. Instead, I’ll drain your aura, stuff you into a jar, and cut off pieces of your flesh to eat every single day."

The Blood Age God shivered, feeling that Shang Lu was even more vicious than it was. Ignoring its thoughts, Shang Lu asked again, "What about the villagers who ate your rotting flesh? How do they get cured? Do I have to feed them pieces of your true body as well?"

"No, no! Those people just need to go a few days without eating the rot, and they will naturally detoxify and lose their addiction. It will be very uncomfortable at first, but they will pull through." The Blood Age God was terrified; if all those villagers came to carve off pieces of its flesh, it wouldn't have enough to go around, even with its regenerative abilities.

"Is that all? Will they suffer any lasting side effects?" Shang Lu asked, skeptical.

"That is all. There may be minor aftereffects, but a few medicinal herbs will set them right..." The Blood Age God was very cooperative, obediently reciting a few herbal prescriptions.

After noting them down, Shang Lu continued his interrogation: "Are you targeting the secret realm?"

"Yes."

The Blood Age God dared not hide the truth but tried to shift the blame. "But I was only an accomplice. When I arrived in Luoshui County and heard that the Witch Official had already taken over the secret realm at Mount Yunhua, I intended to give up and leave. But then someone approached me, proposing a partnership. I was to scout the terrain and figure out the defenses at Mount Yunhua, and they would handle the raid, stealing the treasures and opportunities, and we would split the loot..."

"Who were the people who approached you?" Shang Lu pressed.

The Blood Age God replied, "They didn't reveal their identities, but I know they are a gang of grave robbers. No matter how much they try to cover it up, that earthy, necrotic stench on them is impossible to hide."

Grave robbers? Shang Lu immediately thought of the feng shui master who worked for free. It seemed he wasn't acting alone but was part of a larger syndicate.

Shang Lu sneered, "You didn't even know who they were, yet you agreed to cooperate? Weren't you afraid that in the end, you’d do all the work and get nothing?"

"I'm not stupid," the Blood Age God said smugly. "I demanded a deposit. Regardless of whether it succeeded or how the spoils were divided, I wouldn't be at a loss."

"Oh? And what was the deposit?" Shang Lu asked, interested.

The Blood Age God froze instantly.