As soon as these words ended, someone pulled back the tree branches ahead and landed before Wu Yu eyes. This was indeed the black-clothed, black-haired youth.
In the few years since they had last met, Jiu Ying had matured quite a bit. He had already reached the Violet Kingdom of the Inner Sea Realm. His eyes were brighter and had more energy, and his dao had deepened even further as well.
Jiu Ying was about the same age as Nangong Wei. His progress was around the same as hers too. Even though he did not go through a place like the Shushan Reincarnation Realm, it was apparent that his innate ability was not much worse than Nangong Wei's.
Although meeting each other again was certainly a happy affair, Wu Yu was anxious and nervous that he had come across Jiu Ying under such circumstances. His expression did not look great. All the suspicions he had held in his heart started to unravel as soon as Jiu Ying appeared here. Everything became clear to him all at once.
Wu Yu finally understood!
However, it seemed a little too late.
He was led to believe that Jiu Ying would still be at the Supreme Hunting Ground since he was unwilling to hunt and kill cultivators. There was no way he would be here, but here he was nonetheless. This was no coincidence, and was definitely planned in advance. This very plan had been set into motion from the moment the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu had used his Natural Mystique to deal with Wu Yu!
"Don't come over for now," Wu Yu hurriedly exclaimed, causing Jiu Ying to stop in his tracks.
Jiu Ying was stunned as he looked at him. He did not know what was going on. Back at the Supreme Hunting Ground, they had parted ways hurriedly without bidding each other farewell, and now they had managed to reunite in such a place. Why did Wu Yu have such an uneasy expression? Could he perhaps have changed his point of view and started to bear hostility towards his origins?
Wu Yu felt like he had been struck by lightning. He hurriedly sorted his thoughts and promptly said, "Jiu Ying, you should quickly leave this place. I've been caught up in a larger scheme. Back when I was leaving the Endless Demon Seas, I came across the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu. He used his Natural Mystique to plant something on me. My guess is that he wants to use me to get rid of you, so after I've come to Yin Yang Mountain, he has lured you here as well! I have no idea what trick he's intending to use, but if you leave now and inform your father about this, both of us will no longer be in mortal danger.
"Blood Dragon of Mount Wu?" Jiu Ying was taken aback as well.
Wu Yu had spoken too quickly. Even though his words were clear, Jiu Ying did not immediately know how to react.
As for the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu, he was aware of his existence, but they had never met before. All he knew was that Zhu Huang had brought back an extremely strong demon with him, and the entire Endless Demon Seas liked to compare the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu with Jiu Ying.
It was unquestionable that in comparison to Jiu Ying's "timidness," the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu was pretty much perfect. Although they were compared like this, Jiu Ying never hated the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu, and simply believed that every individual was meant for different things.
Things seemed to make sense after further thought. If the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu truly wanted to get rid of him, the best way was to get help from the human race to do the dirty deed. Furthermore, Wu Yu and Jiu Ying's close relationship meant that there would be more chances for such a thing to occur. Wu Yu was definitely an optimal choice for this.
The only thing that the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu did not expect was that Wu Yu would continue to be concerned about the curse insignia. He had even sought out Shen Xingyao in order to analyze that the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu's focus was on Jiu Ying. The fact that Jiu Ying had been baited here today made the truth all too clear. Once Wu Yu knew the truth and told Jiu Ying about it, Jiu Ying was able to guard against this. The Blood Dragon of Mount Wu wanted Wu Yu to attack and kill Jiu Ying while the latter was unaware. This was no longer that easy to accomplish.
"Alright, I'll make a move then!" Jiu Ying noticed the urgent look on Wu Yu's face and quickly made his decision.
Wu Yu hurriedly retreated as well. He hastily looked at the back of his hand and, with a shock, he discovered that after meeting Jiu Ying, the curse insignia of the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu on the back of his hand had actually started to glow with the severe color of blood!
It felt like an eye was fixated on Wu Yu.
In a flash, the curse insignia started to take effect. Sure enough, the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu was in control of all this! This Natural Mystique had lain dormant for a long time before finally stirring into action at this very moment. Wu Yu suddenly felt like a wave of bloodthirst was permeating through his entire body.
He abruptly recalled that the Crimson Blood Demon also wanted to control his body, but he was repelled by the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
The Blood Dragon of Mount Wu had clearly used his mystique to achieve a similar effect.
This was a demon who belonged to the apex of all bloodlines. His Natural Mystique was the most terrifying thing in this world. Now that it had erupted, Wu Yu could only feel that the world before his eyes had completely turned to the color of blood. As he flailed powerlessly and tried to rebel against this, he seemed to have been transformed into a blood-sucking beast. From Jiu Ying's perspective, Wu Yu's two eyes had suddenly turned blood red, and a frightening aura was enveloped around his entire body as he even let out a roar. He was completely like a wild beast that had gone mad!
On the other hand, Wu Yu felt like he had been submerged into an ocean of blood. His entire body was unable to move and his violent feelings made him lose control. However, he could also clearly feel that his body was moving. However, it was moving according to raving, violent instincts, and was not under the control of his rational mind. At present, it was as though he had entered a frenzy. Within his subconscious, Wu Yu could even feel his strength rising suddenly and sharply.
Bang, bang, bang!
He did not know when he had transformed into an Immortal Ape. His golden hair had been practically dyed red by blood, and in his hands were two supreme immortal treasures. He was even able to use his Great Dao Mystique, and 10 doppelgangers with bloodshot eyes stood by his side. They were all in this crazed state as well. They immediately rushed forward and intercepted Jiu Ying as he was about to leave.
"The Blood Dragon of Mount Wu has trapped me in this violent, raving state. Now my body is like that of a beast. I'm afraid that I'll want to kill anyone in sight!" Wu Yu realized what the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu wanted to do even though his mind was in complete chaos.
It went without saying that this Natural Mystique was unimaginably strong. Even though it had lain dormant for so long, it was still able to have such a strong effect. Even though Wu Yu felt that his mind was rather stable, the enemy was still unexpectedly able to capture that willpower of his.
"Wu Yu!" Jiu Ying originally wanted to leave, but the sight of Wu Yu's sudden madness left him worried. He felt that once he left, no one could say for sure how Wu Yu would end up while he was subject to the Blood Dragon of Mount Wu's control. Nothing was predictable at all. He could not bear to see a friend of his trapped in such a dangerous situation, so he stopped in his tracks just as he was about to leave. In that very instant, the golden Immortal Ape that Wu Yu had transformed into pounced forward along with 10 doppelgangers to surround him. After this, they immediately engaged in a storm-like battle!
Jiu Ying was presently at the second tier of the Violet Kingdom of the Inner Sea. At his peak, his prowess rivaled those at the third tier of the Violet Kingdom of the Inner Sea. He was still slightly weaker than Nangong Wei and the rest, but he was not even an adult yet. Even with his powers, he actually found it quite difficult to deal with the frenzied Wu Yu. In particular, Wu Yu's Xuan Immortal Spirit Petrifying Sword Technique always cause a splitting pain in his head once he came into contact with it. At the same time, the 10 doppelgangers from his Great Dao Mystique were also very terrifying as they attacked him from all fronts.
"Wu Yu, quickly wake up!" Jiu Ying exclaimed.
The logical thing to do now was for him to quickly make his escape, but he was unable to bring himself to do this in after he saw Wu Yu in mortal distress before him.
As such, the uncontrollable Wu Yu continued to attempt to rip Jiu Ying apart under the provoking effects of the curse insignia. Jiu Ying had no choice but to reveal his true form in order to take the brunt of Wu Yu's attacks. He had to find a way to rouse Wu Yu from his madness before he would be reassured enough to depart in peace.
…
On the peak of a mountain far away stood two individuals.
"It succeeded." The Blood Dragon of Mount Wu gave a slight laugh.
Beside him was a pile of blood that coagulated into the bare form of a flirtatious woman without any clothes. She laughed along as well. "Even if Wu Yu's not strong enough to defeat Jiu Ying, once the others from Shushan hurry over, they won't know who Jiu Ying is. They'll just treat him as a demon and are bound to slaughter him as well. They won't give Jiu Ying a chance to speak."
"Jiu Ying sure is stupid. A random person leaking Wu Yu's position to him was enough to make him grovel over."
"This little thing is close to the human race. Even though he's a demon, he still has a heart of righteousness. What a joke." The Blood Dragon of Mount Wu laughed in contempt.
The Crimson Blood Demon shook her head and said, "Things will be settled soon. It's a pity that the bat demon working under me tried to test out Wu Yu's strength. Even before he had a chance to explain himself, he was directly butchered by Wu Yu."
The Crimson Blood Demon could not care less about the insignificant bat demon's life.
"How about that bunch of wild boars?"
"After Jiu Ying dies, let them charge forward. There are Sword Sages present among the humans. Once these wild boar demons successfully distract them, we'll retreat as well. This is the closest I can get. If not, I could have made Wu Yu even crazier and stronger."
The Blood Dragon of Mount Wu looked to the distance in the direction of Yin Yang Mountain. Everything was going according to the plan he had made from a thousand miles away.
…
"Hm?"
Mu Lingche was currently patrolling around the area. Due to her being the weakest, she had been allocated to the south as well. She was positioned closest to Wu Yu.
While she was patrolling, she suddenly felt as though there was a trace of a battle occurring to her left. Even though it was quite a distance away, she was sure she was not mistaken. A demonic aura was even surging over.
"That's probably where Wu Yu is! Could it be that another demon has appeared? But why didn't he inform us?" Mu Lingche thought to herself.
She suddenly remembered that she had broken the tail talisman that he had given to her, so even if he wanted to contact her, he couldn't.
"This brat sure is lucky. Every single time we divert our attention elsewhere, demons always head to him. Senior Sister and the rest are probably heading over. I'll go take a look as well."
Mu Lingche knew that their group was under the protection of the Crimson Shadow Sword Sage. The elusive Crimson Shadow Sword Sage had not shown himself, but Mu Lingche knew that under his watch, she would never truly be in danger.
This made her bold but cautious. She lifted her Peony Immortal Sword and quickly rode toward where Wu Yu was. She basically arrived not long after Wu Yu and Jiu Ying had started battling. As she closed in on them, she opened her eyes wide and saw Wu Yu fighting at close quarters with another demon. The others had not arrived.
"Another chance to be acknowledged for hard work and yet another chance for practical training. I won't let Wu Yu steal it all just like that!" Mu Lingche made her decision quickly. She saw that the nine-headed demon seemed to be evenly matched against Wu Yu, so she concluded that the demon was probably not that strong. Hence she rode her sword and rushed over with a sea of flower petals flying around her!
Mu Lingche assumed that Wu Yu would have definitely informed Li Chuxue and the rest, so she did not waste her core-tail talisman and charged directly at Jiu Ying. She angrily exclaimed, "A demon that deserves to die. How dare you barge into the territory of the Shushan Immortal Sect. Suffer this sword of mine!"
She immediately joined the heat of battle and fought Jiu Ying at close quarters along with the 11 versions of Wu Yu.
All of a sudden, Wu Yu's eyes glowed red when he discovered Mu Lingche's presence. As though someone had come to steal his prey, Wu Yu immediately let out a sharp howl and abruptly switched targets.