# Chapter 0: The Forbidden bl**d Pool
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The Forbidden Zone of Thousand Bird City was always the most heavily guarded area of the Floating City. Its entrance lay within the core region of the Immortal Gate, and on normal days, only the Sect Leader was allowed to step inside. Anyone else who dared approach was basically signing their own d*ath warrant.
Last time the Floating City was attacked, Gongsun Ding and his pals had no choice but to barge into the Forbidden Zone and stop the enemy’s schemes, but credit and blame were evenly distributed.
After that little escapade, the Sect Leader decided to give Gongsun Ding a little time-out as punishment.
Since then, Li Ying Tian reinforced the defenses of the Forbidden Zone and added three layers of magical seals around the crucial prison.
Now, even if enemies tried to sneak in like last time, they couldn’t get one step further into the Forbidden Zone.
Even if the entire Floating City came crashing down, unless it completely fell apart, the Forbidden Zone would hold strong, giving enemies zero chances to exploit.
However, the current situation in Thousand Bird City had Li Ying Tian particularly worried.
Just as Gongsun Ding had reported earlier, it seemed everyone had fallen into a deep, temporary coma, unable to wake up.
The enemies could very well have breached the Forbidden Zone already. Although he had confidence in the magical seals he set up, nothing was foolproof.
His fellow disciple, Tan Ziyan, was not only adept at divination techniques but also skilled at crafting and breaking magical seals. He wasn’t so much worried about her betraying Thousand Bird City; rather, if the enemy used any dirty tricks, she could be coerced into compliance.
No matter what, he needed to see things with his own eyes to feel reassured.
“Gongsun Ding, you keep watch at the entrance. Shi Zi, you’re coming with me.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
At this point, Gongsun Ding didn’t even have time to lament how his status had dropped with Shi Zi’s arrival.
Given the current state of Thousand Bird City, it felt more like a ghost town, exuding an eerie vibe. Although they hadn’t seen a soul, a terrible premonition hung in the air, making them uneasy.
Meanwhile, Li Ying Tian, surrounded by Shi Zi and the others, stepped into the Forbidden Zone located underground in the Floating City.
Not long after descending, a strong smell of bl**d hit them like a freight train.
Li Ying Tian’s eyes widened, and he immediately quickened his pace.
Turning a corner, they came to a horrifying sight that stopped them dead in their tracks:
The disciples responsible for guarding the Forbidden Zone lay scattered across the ground, contorted like pretzels.
Their heads, missing from the mouth up, showed gory, uneven surfaces, as if a beast had taken a giant bite right off their skulls.
And it wasn’t just one; everyone had met the same gruesome fate.
Even the bravest of men felt their hearts race at the sight.
Li Ying Tian coldly commanded, “Ignore them, keep moving.”
Shi Zi and the others took a deep breath, trying to look past the corpses towards the dimly lit cave ahead.
After all, they had once subdued countless rebellious Great Demons at Half Moon City. How could any fierce monster compete with their full power?
With that pep talk, Shi Zi’s confidence and arrogance began to return.
Yet, as they continued, although they didn’t encounter any more bodies, the smell of bl**d grew stronger, which only added to their confusion.
Li Ying Tian increased his pace.
As they neared the end of the passage, they suddenly heard a “swoosh” sound beneath them. Each step forward became increasingly difficult due to an apparent obstruction.
Looking down, they saw that bl**d had gradually risen above the ground, mixed with severed limbs, hair, and fingers, crashing towards them like a tidal wave, as if it wanted to swallow them whole.
Shi Zi quickly conjured flying swords. Years of combat experience with his comrades made them all communicate without a word—just a glance was enough to know what to do next.
“Swish, swish, swish!”
Ten flying swords blazed with intense light, perfectly blocking the incoming wave of bl**d.
Like a shiny frying pan, the swords intensified their glow, quickly evaporating a large pool of bl**d.
Sure, this endeavor drained them of considerable stamina, but the results were clear; when the next rush of bl**d came, it barely reached their ankles.
A win, at least.
“Don’t waste any more energy!”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
After recalling the flying swords, Shi Zi took a deep breath.
Li Ying Tian’s expression didn’t improve much.
Suddenly, something his master once told him floated back into his mind.
Magical barriers are foolproof as long as no one knows how to break them.
However, there is one silly method to break any magical barrier:
That is to soak them with the filthiest substances known to man—like cat pee, dog bl**d, or even poop—for a long time, ranging from half a month to a year, and the barrier will definitely crumble.
Of course, it was just a joke from his master—a practical application was nearly impossible. Nobody was stupid enough to overlook such an obvious weakness.
But now, as he gazed at the gory sight before him, his heart sank.
These deranged maniacs had somehow brought in massive quantities of filth. Surely, his carefully crafted magical seals wouldn’t last much longer!
Li Ying Tian quickened his pace.
When they turned the last corner, an obscure area at the end of the Forbidden Zone became visible.
As he feared, half of the magical seals he had set up were now submerged in the bl**d pool, the bizarre patterns shimmering ominously.
Sure, living beings couldn’t pass through, but magical seals couldn’t defend against liquids. Had it not been for Shi Zi vaporizing some bl**d, the entire underground passage would likely be submerged by now.
Regardless, the magical seals had not yet been destroyed, which gave Li Ying Tian a small sigh of relief.
But letting the bl**d keep soaking would definitely weaken their power, so it was urgent to get rid of the filth.
He was willing to exhaust every bit of energy for it.
Shi Zi and the others immediately bowed and said, “Sect Leader, let us take care of it!”
Li Ying Tian pondered for a moment. “Alright, as long as we can maintain the integrity of the Forbidden Zone, Thousand Bird City will have a reason to continue existing. The Six Great Immortal Gates will undoubtedly come to our aid.”
Shi Zi immediately conjured flying swords again and suspended them above the bl**d pool.
Inside the cave, it looked like ten little suns had suddenly appeared, with the water level rapidly decreasing at a visible rate.
However, beads of sweat as large as soybeans appeared on everyone’s foreheads.
This effort was extraordinarily exhausting.
In just a few minutes, some began to turn pale and looked as if they couldn’t hold on much longer.
Seeing this, Li Ying Tian quickly ordered the weaker ones to rest.
He wanted to prevent Shi Zi from exhausting himself completely.
Grinding his teeth, he conjured a few swords of his own to join the effort.
He had considered blowing up the cave to drain the bl**d, but doing that would ruin the layout of the Forbidden Zone. Once they recaptured the Floating City, it would be a real pain to fix.
Just as he saw the bl**d receding lower and the fluid thickening on the ground, everyone wiped their sweat, believing they were almost finished.
But just then, a sudden “clap, clap, clap” echoed through the silent cave.
Li Ying Tian jumped.
A shadowy figure emerged behind the three magical seals, cackling wildly.
Then, with a swift spin, they opened the last sealed jade door with their bare hands!
Li Ying Tian was nearly choked with old bl**d, on the verge of going mad.
The magical seals were perfectly intact!
How in the world did this guy get in?!
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P.S.: The following chapters will introduce some intriguing mysteries. Bear with me; we’ll aim for three updates today!
