Chapter 201 - The Treasures’ Location

“You should speak now.”

Chen Fan injected a strand of primeval force into the red-haired, blood-sucking bandit. Like an untamed horse, it rampaged inside the bandit, twisting and ripping his meridians.

“Ah...”

The red-haired, blood-sucking bandit writhed and screamed in pain. His red hair gradually vanished, revealing the ghastly pale face of a middle-aged man devoid of blood. He looked like a dead man.

Chen Fan’s cultivation technique was simply divine. His primeval force cultivated using it was incomparably overbearing, and due to the lightning strike, it also contained the powers of lightning.

The lightning-infused force was a formidable counter to the evil qi cultivated by the middle-aged man practicing the Blood Demon Cultivation Technique.

Faced with Chen Fan's qi, the man's primeval force recoiled, repeatedly beaten back and suppressed in his dantian. Chen Fan could cripple his cultivation anytime now.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk...”

The blood-sucking bandit, fearing death, promptly surrendered and admitted defeat, disclosing the location of the hidden treasures.

“It’s at the very center of the ancient city. Three hundred feet deep underground, a hidden tunnel leads to the stash where we've stored all the looted treasures from the northwestern lands,” said the bandit.

Chen Fan asked him for more details, including the deployment of the troops in the entire Loulan Ancient Imperial City, their experts, and the traps.

An incense stick’s time later, the blood-sucking bandit had told him everything about the hidden treasure. So, Chen Fan killed the bandit and took his blood demon core, about the size of an adult’s fist.

The blood demon core exhibited vibrant colors, adorned with countless crimson runes that flowed and flickered, emitting pulses of an evil aura. Inside it, the purest vitality essence and primeval force were stored.

This kind of blood demon core was much more poisonous than ordinary demon beasts’ demon cores.

If martial artists used them for cultivation, they would be infected with its blood poison. They would have to absorb blood every day. Otherwise, the poison would make them go numb and beg for death.

This drawback was inherent in demonic cultivation techniques like the Blood Demon Cultivation Technique.

Despite the rapid cultivation gains offered by such techniques, they came with substantial flaws and drawbacks. Still, many people couldn’t resist the temptation and flocked to it.

“A blood demon core from a third-level Yuanfu realm expert is worth two hundred contribution points. Sadly, I can't submit it; it would undoubtedly attract attention from those with nefarious intentions.”

He carefully stowed the blood demon core in his storage ring, recognizing the potential repercussions if he presented it to the sect.

After all, handing it over would mean that someone at the first level—second, if he exposed his cultivation—of the Yuanfu realm had killed someone at the third level. That would cause quite a commotion. Such attention could be detrimental, especially if word reached Duan Jingtian.

Nonetheless, Chen Fan could just use the blood demon core to fuel his cultivation.

The Heaven Seizing Furnace was capable of refining all things. Despite the blood demon core’s extremely poisonous nature, the furnace’s refinement would turn it into the purest vitality essence that would only increase his cultivation.

......

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Chen Fan jumped between the tall buildings again, raising his speed to the limit.

Soon, he saw the massive imperial city standing at the center of the Loulan Ancient Imperial City.

This imperial city dwarfed Xuanyang City by tenfold, serving as the stronghold of the Loulan Ancient Kingdom. Even the roof tiles were opulent—gilded and glazed, radiating a timeless splendor that illuminated the surroundings.

When he got close to the imperial city, Chen Fan immediately sensed a powerful force lying dormant in its depths.

This powerful force was like an ancient beast, exuding boundless strength that permeated the air, even influencing the clouds in the sky.

He could vaguely see a blood pillar rushing into the sky, connecting heaven and earth.

“That person inside should be Xue Chongtian! Fourth level. Powerful indeed!”

Chen Fan observed with narrowed eyes, recalling information gleaned from the red-haired, blood-sucking bandit.

Xue Chongtian was the leader of this group of blood-sucking bandits and one of the geniuses raised by Blood Demon Cave. Being at the fourth level, he was comparable to Chu Tiange.

If Chen Fan’s Myriad Elephants Divine Art hadn’t advanced to the eighth layer and he didn’t have the second illusory primeval vessel, he might not have been a match for either Xue Chongtian or Chu Tiange.

However, he wasn’t afraid in the slightest now.

He was no weaker than the two if he brought out his full strength.

“I shouldn’t bother with him for now. I’ll search the underground tunnel for the treasures before doing anything else.”

Stealthily descending into a corner of the imperial city, he crouched in a corner, his silhouette blending seamlessly into the snowy landscape. In the cover of night, he remained unseen by anyone, ensuring his movements remained undetected.

He could faintly hear the sounds of shouting and killing outside. Many blood-sucking bandit experts were outside, so there were almost no bandits inside the city.

Chen Fan stealthily made his way to a moat. Despite the freezing cold, the moat’s water hadn’t frozen. It was still swaying endlessly, the splashing noises of flowing water resounding ceaselessly.

The red-haired bandit had said that a concealed waterway existed beneath the moat, linking to the underground center of the imperial city.

A labyrinth of passages sprawled beneath the imperial city, akin to a maze. It housed the treasures the blood-sucking bandits had plundered across the northwestern lands.

Chen Fan made his move, sinking into the moat silently without creating a single ripple.

The moat was extremely deep. It was dark, and he couldn’t see the bottom. Chen Fan could faintly see plenty of fish swimming around, but these fish all had sharp teeth and crimson eyes. They were man-eating demonic fish.

Protected by a layer of primeval force, Chen Fan effortlessly repelled the approaching demonic fish, turning them into blood mist that dispersed into the water. Eventually, he reached the riverbed, finding it impeccably clean without a trace of silt.

Chen Fan sent out a strand of primeval force. He discovered that the bottom of the river was cast with gold. It was tough. Obviously, back when the Loulan Ancient Kingdom was constructing the moat, they had put a lot of effort into it.

Chen Fan’s divine sense swept through the waters, searching for the entrance to the underground passage.

Afterward, his figure shot out, arriving at a certain place in the river.

With a palm thrust, he created a massive hole in the riverbed, revealing a tightly sealed iron gate.

The iron gate opened, and the river water gushed in wildly.

Chen Fan followed the current and entered it.

Kachi! Kachi!

Suddenly, a bone-numbing noise resounded in the secret passage.

Only then did Chen Fan see this secret passage was full of blades, like a meat grinder.

The river water crashed violently, and the blades started spinning. The blades were sharp and cold, flickering with a chilling light. Anyone would cower at the sight.

These meat-grinding blades were made from a special metal comparable to Tier-1 treasures. Under these blades, even first or second-level Yuanfu realm experts would be turned into minced meat.

However, Chen Fan’s flesh was incomparably tough. Sparks immediately flew when these meat-grinding blades touched him, producing clanging noises. The blades snapped, turning into scrap metal.