Li Rushi had a keen sense of smell.

  He sensed something was wrong even before they got close to the Ma mansion.

  On the surface, the servants inside came and went, seemingly unaware of their arrival.

  But in reality, upon closer inspection, their movements followed a pattern.

  Servants in cultivation families were usually lazy; slacking off was normal.

  But these servants were busy and orderly, as if putting on a rehearsed performance.

  "Careful. This might be a trap."

  Li Rushi warned the group and kept Li Wangxuan close.

  The Qi Refining cultivators, though not highly ranked, were battle-hardened.

  They too sensed an unknown unease in the air.

  Eyes wide, they nervously watched every move of the servants below.

  As he spoke, a sudden gale wind nearly swept Li Rushi away.

  His flying artifact, the Needle Leaf Boat, was known for its stability, barely keeping him upright.

  The other Qi Refining cultivators had inferior flying artifacts.

  The wind scattered their formation in the air.

  "Not good, jump!"

  Li Rushi grabbed Li Wangxuan by the collar and leaped down from the height.

  He stepped on the Seven Stars, using light-footwork, and landed steadily in the jungle near the Ma mansion.

  This gale was caused by the Ma family's formation.

  Its purpose was to divide and conquer.

  "Everyone, regroup, form up!"

  After landing, Li Rushi immediately organized the team.

  Luckily, most gathered, except for Zhang Shan and another mid-Qi Refining disciple.

  But the situation was still grim.

  Their landing in this jungle was likely part of the Ma family's plan.

  The Ma family specialized in formation traps.

  Even Li Rushi's battle-hardened Canglong Gang cultivators would suffer heavy losses in a direct assault.

  But not breaking out quickly meant being trapped here, waiting to be butchered.

  At the critical moment, Li Rushi stepped up to steady them.

  "Don't panic. I'll summon the Blood Demon with the Blood Bone Soul Banner and break their formation."

  "Hold the line, don't rush in. Just buy me time."

  "Nephew, help me activate the formation."

  Eager for revenge, Li Wangxuan agreed. "Leave it to me, Uncle."

  Li Rushi threw out the Blood Bone Soul Banner and chanted: "Blood quenches thirst, flesh sacrifices land, bones offer to demons, Blood Gate, open!"

  The banner fell heavily, stirring up dust.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The ground around it slowly turned into crimson soil.

  This crimson soil, like a thirsty monster, devoured the surrounding land.

  Where it spread, plants withered, leaves fell.

  The once vibrant forest became a demonic realm in an instant.

  But the red soil stopped after expanding about fifteen meters.

  Another force seemed to be suppressing the banner's effect.

  "The Ma family's formation is suppressing it. Nephew, sit before the banner and pour your spiritual energy into it."

  "Yes!"

  Li Wangxuan sat down, focused, and guided his spiritual energy.

  In moments, his body slowly turned crimson.

  This was demonic corrosion. Once it reached the marrow, there was no return.

  But Li Wangxuan no longer cared.

  With his family destroyed, he wanted the entire Ma family to die with him.

  Even if he became an evil demon, it was worth it.

  Seeing his nephew slowly corroding, Li Rushi smiled sinisterly.

  He felt no kinship for this distant nephew.

  Might as well use him while he still had value.

  As the Canglong Gang guarded Li Wangxuan, two round objects fell from the sky.

  They were the heads of Zhang Shan and the other disciple.

  In that instant, arrows rained from the jungle.

  Ma family servants fired poisoned crossbows from the gaps.

  Late Qi Refining cultivators had iron bodies, arrows couldn't pierce them.

  But the mid-Qi Refining cultivators suffered. One was skewered.

  The poison was potent, rapidly draining their life force.

  After the arrows came the Ma family's charge.

  "Kill! Twenty spirit stones per Canglong Gang kill!"

  Ma Qianfang, Ma Zhaoyuan's uncle, appeared in black, leading the charge with his battle axe.

  Worse, a dozen Qingfeng Sect disciples joined the fray from another direction.

  "Qingfeng Sect is here!"

  The Canglong Gang grew uneasy.

  Li Rushi had left the Lei brothers to watch Lin Lin, fearing Qingfeng Sect's interference.

  Now the Lei brothers were gone, and Qingfeng Sect disciples were here.

  Were the Lei brothers dead? Had Sect Leader Liu Fenghai emerged from seclusion?

  Morale was everything in battle.

  The Canglong Gang had lost the initiative. If morale broke, they were all dead.

  Li Rushi saw through it. "Qingfeng Sect doesn't have that many flying artifacts to send a dozen greenhorns."

  "If Liu Fenghai were out, he'd only bring trusted experts. Don't panic, focus on the enemy."

  The Canglong Gang cultivators were seasoned.

  Li Rushi's words made sense.

  In moments, the battle was joined.

  In terms of skill and cultivation, the Canglong Gang could take on multiple opponents.

  The Ma family's hired and family cultivators were weak.

  The Qingfeng Sect disciples were the ones Ma Zhaoyuan had cultivated.

  Lin Lin, using Ma Zhaoyuan's name, had them help destroy the Li family.

  Now they guarded the Ma mansion, set up to be eliminated by Li Rushi.

  These idle rich kids never trained seriously. Their skills were all show.

  Against mortals, maybe passable.

  Against professional fighters like the Canglong Gang, no chance.

  Three late Qi Refining cultivators held off the dozen Qingfeng disciples.

  The disciples tried everything, but couldn't break through.

  If not for Li Rushi's order to just hold the line, they would have fled.

  On the main front, Ma Qianfang, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was powerful.

  The jungle's formations gave the Ma family the advantage.

  The Canglong Gang cultivators, weakened by poison, grew weaker.

  Soon, three lay dead.

  Left with no choice, Li Rushi activated his artifact.

  "Sprinkle beans to form puppet soldiers, how few return from ancient battles."

  He threw gold beans onto the fallen cultivators.

  The beans sank into their corpses. Soon, the dead stood again.

  "Sprinkle beans to form soldiers, a cheap trick."

  Ma Qianfang swung his axe, cutting them in two. Then he activated his own artifact.

  "Forest spreads for miles, roots deep for centuries."

  He threw a banyan branch. It sank into the ground.

  Countless roots erupted, pulling the corpses underground.

  These roots, like swords and spears, attacked the remaining Canglong Gang cultivators.

  Even Li Rushi had to defend Li Wangxuan.

  At the critical moment, huge flying insects, a meter long, appeared in the sky.

  They looked like giant mosquitoes, with long legs and sharp mouthparts.

  Covered in black bristles, their compound eyes were terrifying.

  These were second-tier demon beasts, Bloodsucking Mosquitoes.

  They relied on numbers and speed.

  Their mouthparts injected corrosive fluid, turning flesh to mush.

  Then they feasted on the remains.

  Li Rushi raised them on human flesh and livestock. They were his hidden guard.

  Sensing danger near the Ma mansion, he had hidden them as a surprise.

  But the wind had delayed them.

  Now, Li Rushi had revealed his hand.

  He was not a fighter, but a summoner.

  Coming all this way from Canglong Gang territory, he only brought these insects.

  He knew he was overreaching, so he hired the Lei brothers and others.

  He also prepared the Blood Bone Soul Banner.

  These insects only bought time. The real hope was Li Wangxuan.

  Now completely crimson, his face distort, Li Wangxuan completed the first stage.

  In an eerie voice, he chanted:

  "Blood quenches thirst, flesh sacrifices land, bones offer to demons, Blood Gate, open!"

  The crimson ground twisted and boiled like molten blood.

  Countless crimson monsters crawled out, with beast faces and elongated skulls.

  They wielded two-handed swords, shrieking as they emerged.

  These monsters were the demon race's Bloodletters.