Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8496: Return _1

While Zhao Hai relaxed in the hidden underground chamber, a sudden throb in his chest jolted him awake. His eyes snapped open, alerting him that trouble had likely struck. Without such a sensation otherwise, it was clear something was amiss. Right away, he tapped into the space to scan the locations he'd previously visited.

Before long, Zhao Hai noticed he couldn't pick up any signs from the Blood Slaughter Sect. Keep in mind, he'd explored numerous spots within the Blood Slaughter Sect before. If he'd poured all his focus there without distraction, plenty of areas should have appeared on his view. That included even Dao Qianzhan's private study. Yet, in his spatial map, the entire Blood Slaughter Sect zone showed as a blank void. Nothing was visible at all. This drastic shift twisted Zhao Hai's features in alarm. He realized a major incident had befallen the Blood Slaughter Sect—nothing less would block his sight like this.

Even though shock gripped Zhao Hai, he kept his composure sharp. Rising to his feet, he glanced over at the group deep in cultivation. In a grave tone, he commanded, "All of you remain here and keep cultivating. I'll head out to check things." With those words, his figure blurred and vanished from the underground chamber.

Zhao Hai's sudden move left the others puzzled, but they detected no real issue. He often slipped away to scout around, so this felt routine by now. Besides, they understood prying into his movements could anger him and cost them dearly—perhaps their very lives.

Once outside the underground chamber, Zhao Hai summoned the blood lotus and slipped inside it. The blood lotus swiftly shrank down and sped off toward the Blood Slaughter Sect. He avoided the portable teleportation array or direct space travel back because those options were off-limits now. For the array to function, the nearby energy needed steady flow. Unstable conditions around it meant activating the device would invite disaster.

His spatial zone proved useless too in this case. Since the Blood Slaughter Sect's map wouldn't even load, spatial teleportation was out of the question. Clearly, a huge disturbance rocked the Blood Slaughter Sect to jam the map like that. Attempting space travel there risked exposure. Getting caught himself was one thing, but revealing the spatial zone's secrets would spell doom. That's why Zhao Hai skipped spatial methods altogether. Instead, he raced ahead on the blood lotus at top speed, hurtling toward the Blood Slaughter Sect to uncover the chaos unfolding.

On this journey, Zhao Hai relied on the blood lotus, which could shift into a misty form just like an alien warrior, evading all detection. Its velocity was unmatched, allowing Zhao Hai to push onward relentlessly, accelerating with every moment. Inside the blood lotus's inner realm, Zhao Hai seethed with worry. The blackout on the Blood Slaughter Sect's events gnawed at him.

Nearly a full month of flight later, Zhao Hai neared the Blood Slaughter Sect's borders. Shockingly, the view there stayed shrouded and unclear. This rattled him deeply; he couldn't fathom the cause at all.

Even greater surprise hit Zhao Hai when, via the spatial zone, he spotted another development. The Dark Ghost Sect had dispatched a sizable group of disciples, guided by an elder, straight for the Blood Slaughter Sect. These weren't pushovers—the lead elder's power rivaled the six top elders of the Blood Slaughter Sect. A thousand strong followed him, including a hundred Island Lords. The remaining disciples all held Refinement or Profound Cultivation realms. Undoubtedly, these were the Dark Ghost Sect's finest warriors.

That said, their pace dragged noticeably. They traveled aboard a magical artifact boasting its own inner space, aiming directly at the Blood Slaughter Sect. But the artifact crawled along slowly. This baffled Zhao Hai completely; he couldn't make sense of it. The seven major sects had plotted against the Blood Slaughter Sect, yet something had clearly gone wrong there. So why dispatch only this modest force from the Dark Ghost Sect? Had they gleaned some hidden intel?

Though puzzled, Zhao Hai pushed doubts aside for the moment. He was nearly within the Blood Slaughter Sect's domain now. Whatever turmoil brewed, answers awaited right away. Still, this only heightened his unease. He burst from the blood lotus, casting a quick disguise spell over himself. Then, he conjured a basic flying sword to pose as a rogue cultivator. Only after that did he drift leisurely toward the Blood Slaughter Sect.

During the approach, not a soul crossed his path—no lone cultivators or sect members from elsewhere. It was as though the Blood Slaughter Sect had sealed itself off entirely from the world. The whole region felt like a forsaken wasteland. Curiosity burned fiercer in Zhao Hai, but he held steady, knowing the truth would unfold in just two days.

Truth be told, Zhao Hai misjudged the timeline. Well before those two days passed, revelation struck. After only a single day in the air, the sight ahead froze him in disbelief. Never had he imagined witnessing such a horrifying spectacle.

From horizon to horizon, a vast black fog rolled like an endless shadowy sea, impossible to survey fully. Though still distant from Zhao Hai, the deadly vibe radiating from it chilled him to the core. That fog blanketed precisely the Blood Slaughter Sect's grounds.

As he stared into the boundless haze, Zhao Hai's spirits plunged. He pinpointed two possible origins for the fog. Either some assault unleashed energy packed with death aura, leaving behind this toxic residue. Or, untold masses had perished there, birthing the fog from their collective end in a zone of mass slaughter.

Without hesitation, Zhao Hai surged forward at full throttle. No one lurked nearby to spot him, so caution be damned. He merged back into the blood lotus, which dove ahead, piercing straight into the Blood Slaughter Sect's domain. Speed soared now; in under six hours, he hovered right at the fog's edge. With a swift motion, Zhao Hai emerged from the blood lotus.

So near was he that a mere reach could breach the fog's boundary. Yet the realms differed starkly—one a pitch-black void thick with gloom, the other a roiling blood sea where he stood. His position marked a grim frontier, splitting the infernal depths from the mortal plane.

Drawing a steadying breath, Zhao Hai faced the grim reality: the Blood Slaughter Sect was likely obliterated. But which power wielded the might to erase it? He doubted any such force existed in the Blood Sea Realm. Even united, the other nine major sects would struggle mightily against the Blood Slaughter Sect—let alone just seven banding together. Plus, Zhao Hai recalled vividly that the Dark Ghost Sect's forces had mobilized but held back from action.

That aside, Zhao Hai had weathered countless cataclysms across worlds, toppling realms and facing every horror imaginable. Fear didn't claim him. With a fluid shift, he plunged downward into the black fog. He needed to venture inside and witness the Blood Slaughter Sect's fate firsthand.

The instant he crossed the threshold, death aura enveloped Zhao Hai, thick and voracious, draining life from everything nearby. Perched atop the blood lotus, he resisted the pull unscathed. Still, he confirmed the aura greedily siphoned all vitality around it. Quick mental math told him a standard Profound Cultivation cultivator might endure three months here at best before total depletion. Refinement Realm experts could stretch to half a year, while even Island Lord powerhouses felt the drain's bite.

Naturally, this aura couldn't touch Zhao Hai. Yet a cold dread settled in him all the same. The zone's potency exceeded what he'd anticipated. With that, the final flicker of optimism in his chest extinguished. The Blood Slaughter Sect was utterly doomed.

Zhao Hai's expression stayed composed as he peered ahead. This wasn't indifference; rather, his vast experiences let reason clamp down on raw emotion. Rage or fury wouldn't help now. He needed facts: what struck the Blood Slaughter Sect, who survived if any, and who the culprits were. Vengeance demanded it all. Burning hatred fueled him.

That drive let his iron will stifle the turmoil inside. He grasped that only cool-headed strategy could unravel and resolve this nightmare effectively.

Deep down, he'd braced for the bleakest outcome. Should the entire Blood Slaughter Sect have perished, leaving him as the sole survivor, his path was set: preserve its heritage, rebuild from ashes, hunt the foes, and exact retribution.

Zhao Hai hadn't returned from the Dark Ghost Sect by chance; he'd aimed for the Blood Slaughter Sect's western defensive line, nearest his Blood Gale Island. First, he'd assess Blood Gale Island, the Blood Ghost Team, and the Divine Armament Battalion. Only then could he probe further afield.