Beneath the Buddha statue was an opening leading to a cave.

Chen Yuan activated his Heavenly Eye once more, a glimmer of azure light flashing.

Finally, he had found it!

Grasping the long saber at his waist tightly, Chen Yuan took a deep breath and slowly entered the cave, looking around cautiously.

He couldn't determine how many Ning Gang realm experts were actually inside the Ci'en Temple.

Although there were already five outside, who could guarantee there weren't more inside?

Chen Yuan was essentially gambling!

With his current strength, facing opponents of the black-clad men's caliber outside, he would have a nine-out-of-ten chance of dying, perhaps even a certainty.

But...

This was the best opportunity he could create at the moment.

As soon as he stepped into the cave, he was met with a pungent, bloody odor, as if the entire cave had been soaked in blood.

"Crack."

Chen Yuan's foot moved, producing a crisp sound.

Looking down, he saw white bones buried in the dirt!

A Buddhist sanctuary with bones buried underground was quite ironic.

The cave was narrow, and Chen Yuan composed himself, carefully and quietly walking further inside.

After about ten breaths, Chen Yuan stopped, his gaze fixed on a tall, cyan stone door directly ahead.

The door was densely covered with Sanskrit characters, some of which Chen Yuan recognized as Buddhist scriptures for calming the mind.

"Rumble..."

Chen Yuan placed both palms on the stone door, and in the next moment, golden lacquer spread across his body beneath his clothes. A powerful force surged from within him, pushing open the stone door that weighed at least a thousand pounds.

"Cough..."

As soon as it was opened, a stench that was several times more intense than before instantly wafted from behind the door.

Chen Yuan frowned, and with a sudden burst of strength, he flung the stone door open.

Then...

Chen Yuan froze in place.

Before him was a blood pool several *zhang* wide and of unknown depth!

The bones piled up on the shore were several *zhang* high!

"How many people... were killed!"

Chen Yuan murmured.

He knew that many people had gone missing in Ping'an County, but he hadn't had a direct sense of it. Only now did Chen Yuan truly understand!

This single blood pool was filled with the lives of countless people.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Yuan cleared his mind of other emotions. In his eyes, the azure light was emanating from the center of the altar in the middle of the blood pool.

Looking around carefully, Chen Yuan was highly vigilant of his surroundings.

Stepping into the cave behind the stone door, he found it to be very quiet. Besides the bloody smell, there seemed to be nothing else.

His eyes flashed, and Chen Yuan bent his right leg, picking up a head-sized stone and forcefully kicking it towards the blood pool.

"Thump!"

Red blood splashed in the blood pool, and the stone fell into it without anything unusual happening.

Calculating the time, Chen Yuan knew he couldn't delay any longer. He used his footing to leap up, intending to jump onto the altar in the center of the blood pool.

Suddenly...

Within the blood pool below, streaks of blood-colored light flashed, and several crimson figures suddenly attacked Chen Yuan, who was leaping through the air.

"Swish!"

Having been somewhat prepared, Chen Yuan instantly drew his long saber and swung it.

"Shred."

Chen Yuan instantly decapitated a crimson figure, which fell into the blood pool. Chen Yuan used the force of the swing to return to the edge of the blood pool.

"Paper figures!"

Chen Yuan was startled when he saw the red figures.

Although the color was different, the cutting technique was almost exactly the same as the paper figures he had seen in Chen Ping'an's hands in Ping'an Town!

Chen Ping'an was connected to the master of these blood pools!

There were a total of four paper figures, all dyed red with blood, their faces painted with the makeup of the dead. As if they had intelligence, they attacked Chen Yuan from four directions.

The paper figure whose head Chen Yuan had cut off did not seem affected and continued to attack him as if still being controlled.

"Swish!"

The paper knives in the paper figures' hands made sharp sounds in the air, attempting to cut Chen Yuan in half.

Chen Yuan immediately ducked and soared into the air, repeatedly using the Liuhe Saber Technique, tumbling several times in the void to shred the first paper figure into pieces.

In this state, it was impossible for it to recover.

The three paper figures were fearless, completely ignorant of death, and mechanically continued to attack Chen Yuan.

Two paper figures attacked from the left and right. Chen Yuan dodged to the side and kicked the paper figure on the right. It was very elastic. Chen Yuan used the force to rise, and the third paper figure slashed down from above.

"Clang!"

The paper knife collided with the Hundred Refinements Saber, producing a sound of metal striking metal.

Chen Yuan immediately pressed forward, his left fist smashing towards the paper figure's chest.

"Pfft."

Chen Yuan's fist, glowing with a dark golden light, directly pierced through the paper figure's chest.

"Hmm?"

Chen Yuan frowned. The broken hole seemed to be alive, contracting and trying to restrain Chen Yuan's left arm. At the same time, a tearing sensation acted on his wrist.

"Get lost!"

Chen Yuan held the saber in his right hand and instantly cut the paper figure in front of him into pieces, which slowly fluttered to the ground.

Looking down, Chen Yuan saw that his left wrist had already been cut with a bloody mark!

If it had been anyone else, they would have certainly suffered a severed wrist!

In the blink of an eye, Chen Yuan had eliminated half of the four paper figures, with only two still attacking him.

......

Looking at the red paper scraps on the ground, Chen Yuan frowned. The individual strength of these four paper figures was definitely inferior to that of a Bone Refinement martial artist, but working together, the four paper figures could definitely kill a Bone Refinement with ease.

It was only because they encountered him that they were defeated. Otherwise, apart from Ning Gang realm experts, everyone else would have died here with regret.

Concentrating and calming his mind, Chen Yuan slowly walked to the side of the blood pool, squinting and examining the dark red blood pool. Since the four paper figures floated out of the blood pool, the blood pool was definitely not simple.

But Chen Yuan did not know the depth of the blood pool and was unsure if there was anything beneath it.

Using the Heavenly Eye Mystical Art was also useless. This pupil technique only reacted to things guided by the Luck Altar.

At the bottom of the blood pool, a withered man opened his eyes. Through the blood, he could vaguely see Chen Yuan watching on the shore. Although he could not move now,

if this guy dared to enter the blood pool, he would still have a way to kill him!

With his peak Ning Gang realm strength, killing a Foundation Establishment martial artist was no more difficult than killing an ant.

Beside the blood pool, after a moment of silence, Chen Yuan ultimately decided not to investigate. Not only did he feel a faint sense of unease in his heart, but he also knew that the battle outside was probably coming to an end.

He had to take the Blood Fiend Saber as soon as possible!

Looking up at the altar in the center of the blood pool, a fiery glint flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes. He suddenly stepped down, and Chen Yuan's figure landed steadily on the altar. This time, no paper figures emerged to attack.

Chen Yuan looked down and focused his attention. The azure light was emanating from the indentation in the center of the altar.

Reassured, Chen Yuan slowly extended his left hand.