In a sea of churning crimson mist, a Peak-Stage Foundation Realm cultivator clad in dark robes stood trembling, his breath ragged and uneven.
Around him lay the corpses of Black Lotus Sect disciples, their eyes still wide with disbelief, their faces frozen in terror and confusion.
Some of them tried to flee, others begged, and a few even called him "Elder" with hoarse, breaking voices.
But it made no difference.
Blood pooled beneath their bodies, slowly drawn upward by an unseen force.
Thin scarlet streams twisted through the air like living veins, piercing into the cultivator's pores and meridians. With each infusion, his strength began to climb higher and higher, as if ready to pierce the bottleneck.
"Ugh…"
He could not help but let out a low, broken cry as the blood qi surged violently within him, his cultivation base swelling beyond control.
