Volume One: The Cloud Mist Immortal Palace Chapter Thirty-Three: Blood Sacrifice

Chapter Thirty-Three: Blood Sacrifice

Night fell, and the northern wind howled as snowflakes danced across the sky. On the icy peaks, countless crimson eyes flickered—one snow wolf demon after another.

A mournful howl echoed.

This land was a range of undulating mountains, the wolf demons occupying every summit. On this cold and snowy night, they raised their heads and howled, their voices swelling majestically under the snow-bound moon hanging high in the dark sky. The moon cast its chill, colder than even the ice and snow below.

Within a mountain cave, Zhou Hao, Yu Nan, and Su Qing were all on high alert. Their mountain was also beset with howling wolf demons, their numbers swelling, the sound a tumult like a tidal wave crashing against mountains.

“What’s going on? There are so many wolf demons—could they be behind the freezing of this star?” Yu Nan said, a hint of anxiety in her voice.

“Stay alert. The wolf demons on this mountain will likely discover us. Snow wolf demons have keen noses, so we must be ready for battle at any moment,” Su Qing replied, her brows tightly knit as her silvery, radiant immortal sword slowly slid from its sheath.

“When it comes to a real fight, we must not separate. There are too many wolf demons for any one of us to handle alone. Understood?” Zhou Hao cautioned the two women at the cave entrance.

Both nodded, their gazes fixed on the slightly slender figure at the edge of the cave. Though the candle they had lit earlier was extinguished, the entrance was still visible thanks to the snow and moonlight outside.

The two women were the strongest disciples of the Cloud Veil Immortal Palace, yet for reasons unknown, watching Zhou Hao stirred a sense of belonging in them—a feeling they had never experienced before.

Thunder rumbled.

Suddenly, the mountain trembled, as if a snow avalanche had struck, accompanied by the furious roars of the wolf pack.

The cave where they hid began to collapse, but as immortals, such trivial disasters were beneath them. In the blink of an eye, they emerged outside, confronted by innumerable crimson wolf eyes.

Crowds of wolf demons gathered like a disciplined army on the slopes above and below. Zhou Hao and the others seemed like lone boats tossed in a stormy sea, small and vulnerable, easily crushed.

“There are too many. We can’t take them all head-on. We need to break through!” Zhou Hao whispered urgently.

“They can fly, too, and their speed nearly matches ours. This battle will be hard-fought,” Su Qing said, her immortal sword gleaming coldly in her hand.

“You’re scared?” Yu Nan teased, her nerves loosened as she glanced at Su Qing.

“Who wouldn’t be, with so many wolf demons?” Zhou Hao muttered.

“Not scared—just worried you two might get hurt,” Su Qing replied, her expression stoic.

“How noble! At a moment like this, still thinking about—”

“Watch out!”

With a howl, several wolf demons lunged at Yu Nan. Zhou Hao shouted a warning as he struck with his palm.

A golden imprint struck the wolf demons, reducing them to ashes in an instant. Like burning paper, the surrounding wolves were stunned.

Howls echoed.

The battle erupted. Wolves surged forward, while the three formed a tight circle, immortal lights flashing and blooming like fireworks.

Su Qing, dressed in white, wielded her silver immortal sword, which burst into seven-colored radiance. Wherever the sword pointed, wolf blood splattered.

Yu Nan’s fiery red immortal sword, forged from blazing silver essence, unleashed torrents of fire, incinerating wolf demons with a mere wave.

Zhou Hao, meanwhile, did not use a sword. His hands were his greatest weapon. The Great Sun Palm astonished all—he had never tested its full might before, but now, he realized how terrifying its destructive power was.

Two palms struck, golden imprints soared, and twin miniature suns spun within his palms. The path they traced shone like daylight, dozens—hundreds—of wolf demons vanished in a flash, leaving Yu Nan and Su Qing envious.

“Too many. Let’s try breaking through from above!” Zhou Hao drew the immortal sword from his back.

The sword widened, and the three mounted it, soaring into the sky. Behind them, snow wolf demons flapped their four icy wings, relentlessly pursuing.

Soon, the wolf demons surrounded them, the frigid night wind biting as hundreds—thousands—howled and attacked Zhou Hao and his companions.

“This is bad. Their howling will call more. We’ll be trapped if we don’t find shelter quickly,” Zhou Hao exclaimed.

“Should we leave this star altogether?” Yu Nan suggested.

“It’s useless. The sky is sealed by some force. Tonight is a full moon—the snow wolf demons are preparing something special,” Su Qing said, activating her sword array to ward off the wolves.

Seven-colored light shielded the trio, conjuring phantom swords. This was Su Qing’s defensive sword formation, using radiant silver as its core, capable of resisting powerful foes.

Above them, the dark sky and full moon emanated a mysterious force, spreading across the entire star like a net.

“Wait—look, there’s a high mountain ahead. Doesn’t it look like a wolf demon?” Yu Nan pointed, exclaiming.

The towering mountain stood like a prehistoric giant, blanketed in snow. Its peak soared ten thousand meters high—the tallest on this ordinary star. Its shape was strikingly similar to a snow wolf demon, wings outstretched, poised to soar.

At this moment, Zhou Hao and his companions were only halfway up the mountain, still far from the summit.

Howls resounded, and more wolf demons flew toward them, their crimson eyes painting the night sky. Soon, the open sky was filled with wolves.

“That mountain must be the snow wolf demons’ lair. We have no other choice; let’s head there and investigate the freezing of the star,” Zhou Hao said, gazing at the colossal snowy peak ahead.

Surrounded by countless terrifying figures, the two women shivered. Even with their strength, facing such numbers would surely lead to exhaustion and death.

“We’ll follow your lead!” they said in unison.

In the next instant, Zhou Hao guided the sword upward, blazing a path with the Great Sun Palm toward the high mountain.

The journey was brutal. Su Qing’s sword formation lost its effectiveness, the Great Sun Palm decimated hundreds of wolf demons, Yu Nan summoned heavenly fire and lightning against the fiends. They were wounded, their immortal power nearly spent, and their situation dire.

Yet at last, they reached the mountain summit, where preparations for a ritual seemed underway.

The broad peak was half occupied by an altar—a three-tiered round platform, upon which many white-robed figures stood.

Zhou Hao and companions arrived, surprised to see the wolf demons that had pursued them suddenly retreat, as if in awe of the mountain.

“Strange. This should be their lair. Why do they fear approaching?” Zhou Hao wondered.

“There’s an altar and people up there. Let’s take a look—maybe we can ask what’s going on,” Yu Nan suggested.

“We must be cautious. This is indeed the snow wolf demon clan’s sacred mountain. Those on the altar may be their king,” Su Qing warned.

“You’re right. We should conceal ourselves and observe. We don’t know the dangers here,” Zhou Hao agreed.

Yu Nan snorted but said nothing. Zhou Hao noticed her mood and, acting casually, took her hand, making her quietly bow her head.

“We can try going invisible, approach the altar, and see what’s happening,” Su Qing said, vanishing instantly.

Zhou Hao and Yu Nan nodded at each other and quietly moved toward the altar.

Above the altar, the bright moon hung low, so close it seemed one could reach out and touch it. A white-robed man stood silently at the altar’s center.

He was strikingly handsome and tall, noble as jade, his eyes filled with both loneliness and deep affection. Between his brows was a vertical red mark.

“Xiaolai, don’t worry. I will succeed this time. Soon you’ll be revived, and we’ll meet again,” he murmured.

Beside him lay an icy coffin, within which rested a young girl, seventeen or eighteen, her features still tender, not beautiful but exuding a fresh, adorable charm.

The altar was crowded with white-robed girls, ranging from six or seven to twenty years of age, filling the entire platform.

“Six thousand six hundred sixty-six pure yin maidens, sacrificed on the night of the full moon, forming the Blood Yin Resurrection Array—then you will open your eyes, haha, hahahaha…” The man grew frenzied, clutching the hands of the girl in the icy coffin and laughing.

Hearing this, Zhou Hao and the others, blended in invisibly among the white-robed girls, clenched their fists.

“Monstrous! He wants to sacrifice these girls alive! I must save them,” Yu Nan said, her voice cold, yearning to kill the white-robed man on the spot.

“Calm down. We don’t know all the details yet. We must save these girls, but wait—the man is too strong for us now,” Zhou Hao stopped her.

“He hasn’t acted yet, so he’s waiting for the right moment. I think it’s the moon—see, the full moon hasn’t quite illuminated the altar. We should move when it does!” Su Qing said.

“Yes!” Zhou Hao and Yu Nan agreed.

“Xiaolai, do you remember? From the moment you saved me from the hunters, I fell in love with you. I was cultivating and lost control, turning into a white wolf, shot in the leg by hunters. You traded your precious family jade for my life and climbed the mountain daily to gather herbs for me. After I healed, I resolved not to become the snow wolf demon king, but to live with you as a mortal. Even if you saw me as a mute pet, I was content.”

The man’s eyes brimmed with passion as he gripped the girl’s cold hand ever tighter.

“But… why? Why did your parents and those villagers force you to marry some awful lord you didn’t love? Each time you cried, my heart ached. I wanted to see you smile, to see you happy, to be by your side every day. Yet even such a small wish was denied by fate.” His eyes reddened, and only after a moment did he regain his composure.

“That day, I swore to marry you, to give you the best life. I became human and stormed into that lord’s mansion. Those who blocked me shattered into ice. I rescued you, but I couldn’t accept your fear—you wouldn’t see me again. You told me to leave, so I did, but each night I watched you from afar, until that night, that night I wish I could forget forever…”

He released her hand, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked.

“How could your parents do that? They don't deserve to be called parents. They called you a curse, a monster. They abandoned you, even tried to kill you. The villagers were worse than beasts—they drowned you while you were helpless and desperate… It’s all my fault. I should have come sooner. I should have frozen this star earlier to prevent tragedy!”

By now, the white-robed man was in tears, pressing his face to the girl’s forehead as if this would let her hear his words.

The moon moved steadily, soon to fully illuminate the altar. Zhou Hao and his companions were deeply affected by his tale.

“So, the snow wolf demon king froze the star for the woman he loved,” Zhou Hao whispered.

“What a tragic love—worse even than the story you told last time about Hou Yi and Chang’e,” Yu Nan sighed.

“He’s indeed devoted, but he shouldn’t have frozen the star,” Su Qing said.

“Whatever happens, we must stop him. We can’t let him make another mistake. When it comes to life and death, you two retreat first—I’ll cover you!” Zhou Hao said firmly.

The two women did not respond, their plans already made.

Buzz!

Finally, the full moon bathed the altar in light. The white-robed man lifted his head, and the red mark between his brows split open, revealing a vertical eye emitting a demonic red glow.

“Blood Yin Sacrifice! Full Moon Array!”

The vertical eye shot a blinding red beam into the moon, and countless crimson webs formed around it, filling the sky above the altar. The night was awash with blood-red light.

“Now!”

Seeing the moment, the three unleashed their power, transforming into streams of radiant light, and charged toward the altar's center.