Ch. 1375 - Heaven-Slaying Blood River Formation Activates, Huo Heavenly Clan Is Annihilated
I Really Am A VillainThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
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For him, fire had always been a great nourishment, his very path. Yet now, that same fire was burning him.
“What kind of flame is that?” the Golden Crow Saint Sovereign demanded, frowning.
“Do you think I’ll tell you?” Xu Zimo replied with a faint smile. “I’d rather you die not knowing. Whatever techniques you have, use them all. My flame is already starving.”
“In the Dao of Fire, our Huo Heavenly Clan has never lost,” the Golden Crow Saint Sovereign said coldly. “We never have, and we never will.”
To lose in the Dao of Fire, to anyone but the Radiant Court, was intolerable. Especially to someone like Xu Zimo, who clearly wasn’t even a true fire cultivator. He had dedicated his entire life to fire; such humiliation was beyond what he could allow.
“Children of the Huo Heavenly Clan, follow my lead!” he shouted. “Activate the Myriad Flames As One technique, merge your bodies with the fire and kill this man!”
Hearing their ancestor’s order, none of the clan’s disciples dared to hesitate. They all sat cross-legged, circulating the flames within their bodies. The fire spread along precise meridian paths, flowing through every limb and bone. Even the Golden Crow Saint Sovereign and the Hell Sovereign sat down, joining the formation.
A great invisible web seemed to connect every member of the Huo Heavenly Clan. At each point of that web, a flame flickered, the life flame of every clansman.
The Alchemy Sovereign hesitated at the sight, a troubled look crossing his face. He knew exactly what this ritual was, and that was why his heart wavered.
“Alchemy Sovereign,” Xu Zimo said, waving his hand, “we’re both from the Primordial Heartlands. Take my advice, leave now. I’ll spare your life.”
“It seems Fellow Daoist Xu is confident of victory,” the Alchemy Sovereign said, shaking his head. “But the Huo Heavenly Clan has shown me great kindness. I’m not one to forget my debts. If I turn my back today, my Dao Heart will falter, and I will never advance again.”
As he spoke, he too sat cross-legged, the pill flame behind him flickering. With each pulse, his aura weakened slightly, while the Golden Crow Saint Sovereign’s grew stronger.
“What a ruthless technique,” murmured the Inferno Crucible Envoy. “To merge ten thousand divine flames into one…”
“You see it,” Xu Zimo said with a smile. “The Golden Crow Saint Sovereign becomes the vessel, gathering all their strength into himself. And this isn’t just any fire, it’s each person’s life flame.”
“If the Saint Sovereign returns their life flames afterward,” the woman said gravely, “they’ll be severely injured but survive. But if he doesn’t… every one of them will die.”
“It’s a gamble,” Xu Zimo said lightly. “They’re betting that this will kill me. They don’t realize they’re only hastening their own deaths.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“It’s time to use the gift the Formation Emperor left us,” Xu Zimo said, his grin widening.
With a flick of his wrist, a crimson formation plate appeared in his hand, the Heaven-Slaying Blood River Formation.
This was the Formation Emperor’s proudest creation, even surpassing his famed Hexa-Genesis Immortal Formation. It embodied pure, unrestrained slaughter. The Formation Emperor had once feared its killing intent was too overwhelming, so he sealed it beneath a celestial vein, never allowing it to see the light of day.
He had later gifted it to Xu Zimo, first, to repay him for guidance in formation theory; and second, because they were both from the Primordial Heartlands. Above all, he did not wish for his life’s work to be forgotten. This formation had cost him countless years of effort, and he wanted to see it shine gloriously at least once.
“With this formation, I’ll erase the Huo Heavenly Clan,” Xu Zimo said. “Let it shake all of Demon Sin Heaven. Such a fate, worthy indeed of its name.”
As his words fell, he threw the formation plate into the air.
A cracking sound echoed, ka-cha, ka-cha!, as deadly energy burst forth. The formation expanded hundreds of times over, enveloping the entire Heavenly Fire estate in an instant.
From within surged the Blood River of Execution, endlessly churning, reeking of corrosion, filth, and death.
As the river flowed, the screams of the Huo disciples pierced the air.
From the outside, the formation didn’t look particularly destructive. There were no explosions, no apocalyptic fury. But wherever the blood river passed, everything it touched corroded away, flesh melted, bones turned to ash, leaving not even a trace behind.
“What a terrifying blood river,” Ancient Void murmured in awe.
The Golden Crow Saint Sovereign stood up from the Myriad Flames As One formation, staring in horror. Countless clansmen perished before his eyes, devoured by the river of blood. His expression twisted in shock and rage.
“You… you deserve to die!” he shouted, trembling with fury, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Xu Zimo.
“Die?” Xu Zimo echoed with a laugh. “Ask Ancient Void beside you, how many in the Heavenly Court have wished me dead? Even their Holy Progenitor likely prays for my demise. And yet, here I stand. Do you know why?” He smiled coldly. “Because they can’t kill me. If you want me dead, you’ll just have to wait in line.”
Having performed the Myriad Flames As One, the Hell Sovereign and the Alchemy Sovereign were already on the verge of collapse. They could only watch helplessly as the blood river consumed the clan.
Only the Golden Crow Saint Sovereign still burned with power. Flames roared around him like crashing waves, scorching heaven and earth as he desperately tried to shield his people.
But within the formation, the blood river was endless, surging from every direction. He could not protect them all.
Then, in a frenzy, he turned his power against the formation itself, trying to destroy it from within.
But the creator of this formation was none other than the Formation Emperor himself, the man who, when he forged the Hexa-Genesis Immortal Formation, had proclaimed that no formation of his could be broken from the inside.
The Heaven-Slaying Blood River Formation inherited that same trait.
Of course, no formation was truly unbreakable. With enough power, the Golden Crow Saint Sovereign could destroy it, but not quickly. And by the time he did, the Huo Heavenly Clan would already be annihilated.
“Why… why?” he muttered in despair. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We joined with the Heavenly Court, they promised us victory! Even the Radiant Court could not touch me. When the Ancient Demon Realm fell, they swore the Godfiend Abyss Heaven would belong to us. The Huo Heavenly Clan was to be its ruler!”
That was what the Heavenly Court had promised them. But now, watching his clanmates dissolve into nothing within the blood river, all his dreams turned to ashes.
Suddenly, the Saint Sovereign’s eyes widened. He turned toward Ancient Void. “When will your Heavenly Court arrive? Will they just sit and watch while my Huo Heavenly Clan is destroyed?”
“Patience, Brother Golden Crow,” Ancient Void said calmly. “The Heavenly Court will come, but they must ensure that nothing can go wrong.”