C382 Van Chaoguan Who Was Hiding His Strength

Van Chaoguan's physique and features underwent an astonishingly rapid transformation.

Once changed, he stood tall and athletic, his facial contours sharp as if chiseled, his vitality surging. His eyes shone with a bright, steadfast gaze that was unexpectedly charismatic.

Yu Yuan momentarily lost his composure, remarking with astonishment, "He really is an odd one."

It was rare for someone to present themselves with an unattractive appearance and demeanor year-round, yet Van Chaoguan before him was such an anomaly.

Yu Yuan had found it odd that Van Li was so handsome while his father was overweight and unsightly, as they bore little resemblance to each other.

But after the transformation, Van Chaoguan shared a striking likeness with Van Li.

The now ruggedly handsome Van Chaoguan dropped his playful demeanor, his expression stern as he twisted the blood-red thread and addressed Yu Yuan, "I don't believe you've come here alone."

Lee Yuchan, perched atop the stone pillar, saw her cheekbones sink in as she rapidly withered.

She was astounded and taken aback by Van Chaoguan's metamorphosis, realizing she may have never truly understood him.

What profound techniques had the Van family patriarch cultivated to spend years behind a facade of mediocrity or even lowliness?

Were his displayed longing and affection genuine, or merely a strategic overture towards the Lee family?

Confounded, Lee Yuchan felt the patriarch of the Van family was now a complete stranger.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Yu Yuan's heartbeat inexplicably quickened.

The veins leading to his heart seemed to expand, causing a subtle throbbing in his chest.

Before him, Van Chaoguan, now gripping the blood-red thread, exuded an overwhelming presence after his transformation, making Yu Yuan feel uncomfortable on all fronts!

Van Chaoguan proved to be a far more formidable opponent than Lim Hanyu!

"Swoosh!"

The blood-red thread shot from Van Chaoguan's hand, streaking through the air like crimson lightning.

"Ah!"

Lee Yuchan, atop the stone pillar, let out a sharp cry of pain as bursts of blood erupted from her chest, streaming toward Van Chaoguan like a gushing river of crimson.

The Van family master, fingers curled like talons, grasped the torrents of bloody light firmly.

Beads of blood, clear and glistening, formed in his palm, resembling red agate.

"Pfft!"

A blood-red filament stabbed into Yu Yuan's left shoulder in the blink of an eye.

As the thread penetrated, Yu Yuan's face contorted with a terrifying grimness as he bellowed, "Blood God Cult!"

At those words, the faces of Lim Hanyu, Lee Yuchan, and Lee Yu all underwent a dramatic change.

The Blood God Cult, infamous throughout the northern reaches of the Quietus Continent, was universally despised across all three continents, their members hunted and reviled.

As the patriarch of the Van family, Fan Chaoguan's practice of the Blood God Cult's techniques marked him as one of its adherents!

Even Lim Hanyu, who had regular dealings with him within the empire, could never have imagined this plump, lecherous man as a disciple of the Blood God Cult.

Insiders would have assumed the Van family's patron was the Thunder Sect from the Heavenly Source Continent.

And that was precisely what the Van family had proclaimed to the world!

Yet, unbeknownst to many, Fan Chaoguan had been practicing the Blood God Cult's techniques all along.

"He's hidden his true colors well!"

Lim Hanyu couldn't help but feel a sense of awe, as if he were seeing Fan Chaoguan for the first time, his gaze now tinged with suspicion.

"The Blood Link."

With a soft utterance, Fan Chaoguan activated a mysterious technique, and the blood pearls that had formed from Lee Yuchan's blood essence in his palm began to react.

The pearls burst open in his hand.

The blood-red thread that had pierced Yu Yuan's shoulder now seemed alive, carrying the scent of Lee Yuchan's life force as it infiltrated Yu Yuan's flesh.

Like a delicate vein, it sought to integrate forcefully into Yu Yuan's body, to become a part of him.

Meanwhile, Lee Yuchan, her vitality draining rapidly, watched her once full figure wither alarmingly.

The empire's female general felt an eerie sensation, as if she were being absorbed into Yu Yuan's flesh and blood, her own painstakingly cultivated life force being pumped into Yu Yuan's body.

Yu Yuan, at the Yellow Court Stage of cultivation, with his middle dantian still closed, was at risk of bursting from within due to the overwhelming influx of blood and Qi energy.

Her internal organs, meridians, flesh, and bones would all burst under the immense pressure of her surging Qi and blood.

Yu Yuan was destined to be shattered, and after her vital essence was drained, she too would succumb to the depletion of her life force and the severance of her vitality, resulting in her physical death.

In that moment, she came to the stark realization that Fan Chaoguan was utterly indifferent to her fate.

His previous displays of desire were nothing but a facade.

The current head of the Van family was callous and merciless, a fitting disciple for the Blood God Cult, devoid of any shred of humanity.

"Brother Lim, you wouldn't disclose my practice of the Blood God Cult's secret arts, would you?"

Upon witnessing the Blood Secret Technique take shape and sensing the flow of blood from Lee Yuchan into the crimson thread within Yu Yuan's body, Fan Chaoguan's demeanor lightened, and he turned with a relaxed smile to speak.

"I'm a keeper of secrets," Lim Hanyu replied, shaking his head. "Besides, despite the Blood God Cult's unsavory reputation, they are still practitioners of our human race, not Earth Demons or alien entities. It's true that the Blood God Cult isn't well-liked, but neither the Devil Palace nor the Demon Palace on the Quietus Continent have shown any desire to annihilate them."

"Therefore, the Blood God Cult has every right to stand its ground in the Boundless Land."

"Even if you've mastered the Blood God Cult's techniques and are recognized as a disciple, the worst you'll face from others is disdain and caution. You won't be relentlessly hunted like Earth Demons or foreign devils."

This encapsulates the stance of both the Heavenly Source Continent and the Quietus Continent towards the Blood God Cult.

They abhor their practices and mete out punishment for actions that provoke universal outrage.

Yet, they tolerate the existence of the Blood God Cult, refraining from exterminating its followers as they would with Earth Demons, Heavenly Demons, or otherworldly beings, who are eradicated upon discovery.

"Brother Lin, your words put my mind at ease," Van Chaoguan said with an easy smile. "I've used a secret method to inform an elder of my family about Su Yin's death here. The message has been sent to the City Lord's Mansion. He must have received it by now, and it won't be long before his Yin God arrives."

Upon hearing this, Lim Hanyu quickly responded, "Brother Fan, your consideration is thorough as always."

Both were convinced that Yu Yuan must have a master accompanying him.

Given that Van Xuan was aware of the situation and also within Darkmoon City, his arrival would be swift.

Moreover, Yu Yuan's life force had been linked to Lee Yuchan's by Van Chaoguan using the Blood God Cult's secret technique, sealing his fate.

Their current task was to wait for the person backing Yu Yuan to grow impatient and reveal themselves.

Without this person's intervention, Yu Yuan's demise would be imminent.

Puff! Puff!

Odd noises emanated from within Yu Yuan.

Each sound caused a slight shudder and a contortion of his facial features.

"Blood God Cult!"

The blood-red filament that was relentlessly expanding within him, filled with Lee Yuchan's potent life force, violently clashed with the power in his own bones.

He had fully unleashed the Evil Body Refining Skill, directing the wild and turbulent energies within his bones and flesh toward the invasive blood-red filament.

But Lee Yuchan was significantly more powerful than Su Yin, with a vast disparity in combat strength and realm.

Between one at the Yin God Stage and the other at the Profound Break Stage, Lee Yuchan's vitality was far superior to Su Yin's, bringing a level of destruction that was beyond comparison.

The energies triggered by the Evil Body Refining Skill were insufficient to quell the blood-red filament, unable to make even the slightest impact.

Soon, the sword intent harbored within his arm bones was stirred.

With a tearing sound, the fabric of Yu Yuan's sleeves split open, revealing arms that had turned a deep crimson.

Filaments of crystalline, scarlet lightning quietly surfaced from beneath his skin, clearly visible to the eye.

"Damn it!"

Yu Yuan grimaced in agony at the transformation of his arms, feeling as though his flesh was being sliced away.

The power of the sword intent within his arms was exceedingly difficult to replenish, not something he could simply restore by condensing spiritual energy. Indeed, every bit expended was irrevocably lost.

The essence and radiance of the sword could only be marginally replenished from the etchings within the Soul Transformation Pool's walls.

Additionally, there was the inherent sword essence sealed within the scabbard.

This power, a legacy of the Chopping Moon cultivator, could be collected only in small amounts from the pool and the scabbard, and once used, it was gone.

Seeing the sword essence in his arm stir and the sword light swirl, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

"General Lee!"

His voice thundered as he abruptly turned to Lee Yuchan, fixing his gaze on the Soul Suppressing Talisman at her forehead.

The talisman, inscribed with images of the sun, moon, and lightning, suddenly burst into a dazzling display of colors.

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