Chapter 526: The Pool of Blood

Chapter 526: Chapter 526: The Pool of Blood

Seraphina Sullivan’s pupils contracted slightly at the sight of the giant boa.

She recognized it.

’It’s that boa.’

The Wraith Titanboa.

The same one she and Crystal Lynn had encountered at the edge of the Demonic Forest.

Back then, it had been devouring a Necrotic Black Spider, completely uninterested in a few "small fries" like them.

"Is that the Blood Ancestor?" Paul Payne asked.

Seraphina Sullivan lowered her binoculars and shook her head.

"No."

She paused, then added, "It’s another... terrifying monster."

Sean Chandler stood at the head of the team, his gaze fixed on the giant boa coiled on the distant hill.

The Blue Crystal Stone on his forehead flickered more frequently, as if issuing some kind of warning.

"Something’s not right." His voice was low and grave. "This boa... it has the Aura of the Blood Ancestor on it."

He raised a hand to touch the forehead ornament formed from the Demon God’s Pillar. "This thing is telling me. It’s getting hot, warning me."

Dexter Luther sidled up, staring at the flashing Blue Crystal Stone on Sean Chandler’s forehead, and couldn’t help but chuckle. "Chandler, your new gear is pretty nice. All flashy and sparkly. It’s quite pretty."

Crystal Lynn slapped him on the back of the head. "Can you be serious for once? Do you know where we are?"

Dexter Luther rubbed the back of his head, looking innocent. "I was just trying to lighten the mood... Being too serious makes people tense, and being tense leads to mistakes..."

Seraphina Sullivan shot him a speechless glance but said nothing.

’Sometimes, Dexter Luther’s carefree personality really can help people relax in tense moments.’

But now wasn’t the time to discuss it.

The Demon God’s Pillar could sense the Blood Ancestor’s location.

Seraphina Sullivan looked at Sean Chandler. "Can it sense the specific direction?"

Sean Chandler closed his eyes to concentrate for a few seconds, then opened them and pointed in the boa’s direction. "It’s that way. But it’s not just the boa. There’s an even stronger reaction deeper in."

Crystal Lynn said thoughtfully, "Since this boa carries the Aura of the Blood Ancestor, could it be... the Blood Ancestor’s pet? Or a guardian beast of some kind?"

Paul Payne’s eyes lit up. "That’s very likely! If we follow it, we might find the Blood Ancestor’s lair!"

Matthew Dawson held the [Multi-colored Umbrella] aloft. The flowing light on its surface spun continuously, enveloping the entire team within a three-meter protective radius.

He glanced at the distant boa, then at the surrounding forest, and said in a low voice, "Then what are we waiting for? A snake that big will definitely make a huge commotion if we fight it. It’ll be trouble if we tip them off.

"If we follow it secretly, we might be able to sneak into the Blood Ancestor’s lair without a sound."

Seraphina Sullivan didn’t say much.

She raised her hand, and silvery-white particles of light gathered in her palm, instantly coalescing into her familiar Universal Sniper Rifle.

The rifle’s body was long and slender, gleaming with a cold, metallic luster.

Hoisting the rifle with one hand, she looked in the direction the boa had disappeared and said a single word:

"Go."

The team silently followed the giant boa.

Matthew Dawson’s [Multi-colored Umbrella] played a crucial role.

The three-meter protective radius allowed them to evade the perception of the Demonic Creatures along the way, letting them move like ghosts through the treacherous forest.

But the deeper they went, the more terrifying the environment became.

At first, they could still see normal trees, with only the occasional vine squirming.

Gradually, the trees began to twist. Their trunks became covered in bizarre, tumor-like growths that pulsed faintly, like living hearts.

Further in, even the ground changed color.

The original black soil had turned a dark red, and it was soft underfoot, like treading on rotting flesh.

A sickeningly sweet, metallic smell filled the air, so nauseating it could make one vomit.

What was even more horrifying were the monsters.

Normally, no other creature would dare approach the path the giant boa had taken.

But as they ventured deeper into the core area, monsters began to appear—

Giant wolves covered in eyes, with new ones squirming open beneath their skin with every step;

Headless humanoids with countless tentacles covered in barbs and suckers;

And masses of flesh, their original forms unrecognizable, that writhed across the ground, leaving trails of corrosion in their wake...

Every single one of them exuded a suffocating, oppressive feeling.

Seraphina Sullivan tightened her grip on the sniper rifle, her gaze sweeping warily across their surroundings.

’Any one of these monsters would be a Boss Level threat if it were outside.’

’But here, they are merely... wandering Guards.’

The danger didn’t just come from the monsters.

It also came from the Power of Demonization saturating the air.

Paul Payne was the first to show abnormal signs.

He was walking in the middle of the group, his once-wary eyes gradually losing focus.

Blood vessels began to appear in his eyes, spreading, branching, and intertwining across the whites as if they were alive.

His hands trembled slightly, and his breathing grew heavy.

Matthew Dawson, walking beside him, was the first to notice something was wrong.

"Paul Payne?" he whispered, tapping Paul’s shoulder. "What’s wrong?"

Paul Payne whipped his head around.

For an instant, Matthew Dawson saw the killing intent in his eyes.

It was a raw, naked impulse to kill.

Devoid of reason, devoid of warmth, there was only a primitive desire for destruction.

But the next second, Paul Payne blinked, and the killing intent vanished.

"What’s wrong?" Paul Payne asked blankly, as if nothing had happened.

Matthew Dawson didn’t answer, instead looking immediately to Seraphina Sullivan.

Seraphina Sullivan was already walking over.

She looked at Paul Payne’s bloodshot eyes, her brow furrowed slightly.

The Eye of Resume swept over him. In Paul Payne’s status bar, the Demonization level was jumping rapidly—

[Demonization Level: 27%... 31%... 35%...]

’It’s still rising!’

Paul Payne also sensed something was wrong.

His body began to tremble, not from fear, but because the murderous impulse inside him was furiously assaulting his sanity.

He clenched his jaw, digging his fingernails into his palms, using the pain to keep himself lucid.

"Sullivan... I..." His voice was so hoarse it didn’t sound like his own. "I’m... losing Control..."

Seraphina Sullivan didn’t hesitate.

She raised her hand and placed it on Paul Payne’s shoulder.

[Medical Soothing], activate.

A soft white light flowed from her palm into Paul Payne’s body. The rampaging Demonization Factors, as if meeting their natural enemy, were quickly suppressed and dispersed.

The bloodshot veins in Paul Payne’s eyes slowly faded, and his breathing gradually stabilized.

He gasped for air, his back soaked in a cold sweat.

"Th... Thank you, Sullivan..." he said weakly.

Seraphina Sullivan didn’t respond, instead looking at the others.

"It seems we’re getting close to the Blood Ancestor."

Her voice was calm, but her tone was grave. "The ambient concentration of Demonization has reached a level where it can directly affect the mind. Everyone, gather closer. I’ll cast Medical Soothing on all of you."

She went to each person, using Medical Soothing on them one by one, ensuring everyone was enveloped in its protective light.

Just then, Sean Chandler suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He raised a hand, signaling for everyone to halt.

He didn’t need to say anything; everyone had already seen it.

Ahead, the forest suddenly vanished, replaced by a wide, open space.

No, it wasn’t an open space.

It was a pool of blood.

A vast, seemingly endless pool of blood.