Blood sacrifice? thought Xia Jingyu. She nodded.

"I vaguely know about it. Sometimes, in order to summon an even stronger entity, ghosts will hold a blood sacrificial ceremony. By offering the flesh of strong living things, the ceremony will be completed. However, there are many different kinds of blood sacrificial ceremonies. We cannot know what kind of ceremony they might be holding.

"

Su Yu's eyebrows twitched.

"In other words, hiding here will be safer for us.

"

After thinking for some time, Su Yu took out a droplet of the earth energy channel's spiritual liquid.

"Swallow this,

" he said.

"I'll help you to make your body feel better.

" He sat down with his legs crossed.

Xia Jingyu's eyes flashed at the sight of the liquid.

"This is Bright Earth Milk. It can exorcise evil spirits and strengthen one's body. Moreover, it is extremely valuable. It's very difficult to attain in the outside world! If you carry one with you, the Black Snow Devil King must be a very wealthy man.

"

Su Yu grinned. Lord Yi Yu was very knowledgeable. It was humorous to think that Gang Dalei, even after so many years, did not know what the liquid was that he had found. Lord Yi Yu, on the other hand, had recognized it straight away.

Even Su Yu had used the spiritual liquid without knowing what it was. He laughed in embarrassment and passed the spiritual liquid over to her. Su Yu had used the cold energy within his body to get rid of the blazing hot energy within the Bright Earth Milk, but Lord Yi Yu knew the correct use of the item.

Xia Jingyu's clear eyes flashed.

"So, the Black Snow Devil King is proficient in ice techniques as well.

"

Su Yu controlled his cold energy efficiently and asked casually,

"Who specializes in ice techniques?

"

A delightful smile appeared on her pale face.

"Who, indeed. However, your ice techniques are not as pristine. You have introduced the cold energy into your body.

"

She was correct, of course. The icy cold divine herb had been completely swallowed by Su Yu. Hence, the cold energy had entered his flesh.

After thinking for some time, Xia Jingyu's fingertips started to write something on the ground. In the blink of an eye, she wrote out a formula.

"You must have obtained your cold energy from external resources. Probably by swallowing something. Hence, 90 percent of the cold energy is dormant within your flesh.

" She gestured to the formula on the ground.

"This is the Ice Immunity Formula, a cultivation technique I created with reference to an immortal-level ice cultivation technique. This can trigger the cold energy within your body and allow you to control ice to deal with your enemies. Nothing is free in the world. Consider this a trade for the Bright Earth Milk.

"

Xia Jingyu spoke indifferently. She was cold, distant, and unwilling to owe people favors.

Su Yu was shocked by her insight. This woman not only sensed the cold energy lying dormant within him but deduced what he had done. Her intuition was a bit unnerving.

Su Yu shook his head and let the matter drop. He focused his attention on the magical formula. Studying the formula, his jaw dropped.

"You could create a high-level cultivation technique of the immortal level with this,

" he said.

"This formula should be very close to legendary level!

"

This cultivation technique came from an immortal-level cultivation technique. However, it was at a level higher than immortal level, approaching legendary level! What a high level of comprehension for such a young woman! She may have even been younger than Su Yu!

Su Yu was stunned. Perhaps he had underestimated the Lords of the Empire of Darkness. If he came across Lord Shen Ying again, he would need to be a lot more careful.

Without hesitation, Su Yu sat with his legs crossed and started to comprehend the cultivation technique with ease. With the help of Heaven's Son Gazing at Air, his soul energy was incomparable to people at similar cultivation bases. Naturally, he could comprehend cultivation techniques a lot faster.

******

After half a day, a lump of cold energy surged within Su Yu's body. It transformed into a white tiger one instant, then changed magically into a dragon the next instance.

Moreover, he now emitted a spine-chilling aura. This was comparable to a strong martial artist at the level of Human King!

Xia Jingyu was shocked. Her spiritual energy had recovered, and she called on it to block the cold energy. She gazed at Su Yu with a stupefied expression.

"What a strong level of comprehension!

" she muttered.

"Although this formula contains some of my comprehension, it is still impossible for a normal person to comprehend it so quickly!

"

How could she have known that Su Yu's ability to manipulate time had been sealed? Otherwise, he would have comprehended it 20 times faster.

Su Yu woke up from his training. His face wore a delightful expression.

"Thank you, Lord Yi Yu,

" he said.

About 50 percent of the cold energy sleeping within his body had been triggered. It had grown into a small sapling—like a miniature version of the divine herb he had swallowed—planted directly beside his Dantian.

Like the Dantian, the sapling could store cold energy. In theory, it should be able to store unlimited cold energy. That was why the Ice Immunity Formula was comparable to a legendary-level cultivation technique. At the moment, if Su Yu used his full power, he might be able to go head-to-head with a Human King!

Xia Jingyu laughed and breathed quietly. Suddenly, many auras moved stealthily near them. Su Yu used his Soul Eyes to sweep over the area. After which, his expression changed slightly.

"Someone is here,

" he whispered.

Xia Jingyu was stunned. After some time, she sensed the presence as well and said seriously,

"Two Human Kings!

"

It was, indeed, two individuals at the Human King level, but they were not demonic creatures of the abyss. They were human beings!

Su Yu kept a lookout with great concentration. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, Xia Jingyu stared at him in astonishment.

Xia Jingyu had learned many of the cultivation techniques of the continent. Apart from Lord Bai Luo, who could feel the universe, no one else could compare with Xia Jingyu among the Seven Lords of Darkness. Yet the Black Snow Devil King had actually noticed the movements of these two Human Kings much earlier than her. This realization gave her pause.

Who is this Black Snow Devil King? she wondered. Who is this mysterious man who appeared out of the blue and massacred people across millions of miles of the north continent?

For a second, she almost imagined that the person in front of her was Su Yu. But this man looked too different. The thought disappeared the moment it appeared.

The two figures moved closer.

"We have come for you personally,

" one of them announced.

"It is pointless to keep hiding.

"

Su Yu and Xia Jingyu shared a look. Their location had been exposed. They had no choice but to show themselves.

They rose from their hiding place. Su Yu saw that one of the tow Human Kings was tall, while the other was short. Both wore demonic beast skin, had disheveled hair, and looked fiercely barbarous. There were many strange black symbols on their backs that were wriggling slightly.

The taller man examined Su Yu and became more vigilant.

"You are a bit dangerous.

" He paused to glance at the shorter man.

"Lü Mo, who are you going to choose?

"

The short man stared at Xia Jingyu and laughed.

"Is there a difference? That little lad is indeed dangerous. However, this tiny doll is extraordinary as well.

"

"In that case,

" said the tall one,

"we shall act accordingly.

"

Su Yu was stunned. Were these men two of the ferocious criminals rumored to be sealed within the Banished Abyss?

The difference between these men and average, earthly people was like the disparity between Heaven and Earth. They were unusually perceptive; before without testing their abilities, they knew how dangerous Su Yu and Xia Jingyu were. If a fight was what they wanted, it would be difficult for Su Yu and Xia Jingyu to be victorious.

"Little lad… tiny doll,

" said the taller of the two.

"No one needs to get hurt here. If you submit without resistance and follow us obediently, we will not make things difficult for both of you. You see, the City Master wants to invite both of you into the Abyss City. We swear that we will not harm you on the way.

"

Xia Jingyu was a bit hesitant, but Su Yu wasted no time.

"Enough,

" he snapped.

"Do you think we were born yesterday? You swear not to harm us on the way, but I notice your promise doesn't apply once we arrive at this Abyss City. Don't insult me with these tricks.

"

Xia Jingyu was stunned. She regained her senses abruptly, looked at Su Yu, and whispered shamefully,

"Why are you picking a fight? I have been with the Empire for many years, but I still lack experience. Not all of us are stained with as much blood as the Black Snow Devil King.

"

The Human Kings' expressions turned frosty.

"We gave you a chance, and you have chosen not cherish it. Now, you will suffer the consequences!

"

The tall man took a deep breath. He gathered spiritual energy on his palm and attacked without hesitation. Two lumps of spiritual energy were hidden below his legs. When the spiritual energy exploded, it created a great propelling force, and in an instant, his body shot forward!

Su Yu only saw a fragmentary shadow. He reacted quickly. A layer of cold energy covered his body. Everything the cold energy touched turned to ice.

The body of that tall man turned rigid, and he slowed down—his figure revealed once again. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Yu put both his palms together. The cold energy rushed toward the tall man like flowing water.

Thick ice caused the attacker's figure to freeze. This, in turn, reduced his speed even further. By the time his attack arrived, his speed was already 30 percent slower!

Wings unfolded on Su Yu's back. With a flap of his wings, he flew toward him fiercely. Su Yu's body flew over the tall man's head. With cold eyes, his fists moved like lightning as he attacked the tall man's head.

The tall man's body was frozen. His movements had been slowed. How could he hope to block Su Yu's attack in time?

At the critical moment, the tall man rotated his shoulders. His head shifted to one side, and he managed to evade an attack that could have killed him. Instead, he took the attack firmly on the shoulder.

The impact produced the sound of cracking bones. The tall man staggered and made use of the momentum to roll forward. He then stopped and turned back. Su Yu, who was about to follow up his attack with another punch, found the tall man ready for it and had no choice but to abort the second attack.

The tall man rubbed his shoulder. It was already red and swollen. His face was filled with hatred.

"Your specialization in ice techniques, coupled with your physique, makes you comparable to a Human King. As expected, it would be dangerous to underestimate you. But if you think that will be enough against me, you don't know the power of the Banished Abyss!

"

The tall man had a gloomy expression as he lifted his hand and stuck one of his fingers into his chest. Thick demonic energy burst forth from the strange symbol etched there. The demonic energy enshrouded his entire body.

"Be careful!

" warned Xia Jingyu.

"The martial artists in the Dragon Abyss have been influenced by the Demonic Dragon's dragon breath for years. In the use of spiritual energy, they are inferior to people like us from the outside world, but they have learned how to use the Demonic Dragon's dragon breath to strengthen their bodies!

"

Su Yu was surprised. It was no wonder the spiritual energy that his opponent gathered looked so impure and why its power was so limited. This must have been the result of being contaminated by the Demonic Dragon's dragon breath for such a long time. Their spiritual energies had become impure, which was as good as a death sentence.

After the demonic energy surged, it entered the tall man's body again. However, his body started to undergo a shocking change!

Black steer horns jutted from his head. Razor-sharp claws grew from his four limbs. His muscles swelled, growing many times stronger and gaining explosive power! As he transformed, his size increased from six feet tall to ten feet tall! The person in front of them no longer had a human being's physique!

With a shout, the horned man lashed out with a punch.

"Die!

" he roared.

The punch carried a fierce demonic energy. Long before the punch even landed on Su Yu's body, his whole body was in extreme pain.

Su Yu was astonished. He retreated as he called on the cold energy within his body. At once, the divine herb growing near his Dantian glowed brilliantly. Frightening cold energy engulfed his surroundings.

Roar—

Rawr—

A dragon and tiger both magically appeared and threw themselves at the man with the horns of a bull.

Those two attacks were not weaker than a strong martial artist at the level of Human King. In fact, they may have even been superior to the average Human King! The horned man's punch, however, stopped the dragon and tiger!

With a loud roar, the demonic energy surged and destroyed them both.

After witnessing this scene, Xia Jingyu shouted,

"This method they are using—it is temporary! After some time, their bodies revert back and enter a weakened state. But while the method is in effect, their abilities rise by a level, reaching the peak level of a Human King! Don't fight him head-to-head. Stall him until he reverts to his weakened state! That will be our chance to kill him.

"

The shorter Human King glared at Xia Jingyu. His brow furrowed.

"Woman! You know too much!

"