"Oh, am I supposed to know you?"

"PFFT—!"

Zhong Ming’s utterly bewildered words had just left his lips when another mouthful of blood erupted from Qi Yue’s mouth. The next moment, his vision went black, and he fainted on the spot.

"???"

His sudden breakdown and collapse left Zhong Ming scratching his head, completely speechless.

’How bizarre...’

Though he didn’t understand why the man had reacted that way, Zhong Ming realized that being completely immune to the attacks was a bit too conspicuous.

So, for the next part, he stopped using his [Divine Talisman: Cyan Thunder Tribulation Seal] to influence the Thunderbolt and instead allowed the raging tide of violet lightning to sweep over and completely engulf him.

Of course, as a True Dragon who could Call the Wind and Summon the Rain and who also commanded the Divine Talisman: Cyan Thunder Tribulation Seal evolved from a Thunder Tribulation, not only could the violent lightning not harm Zhong Ming, but it was like a sweet spring entering his body, transforming into power that nourished him.

"Haaa..."

"RUMBLE..."

And so, with every breath causing endless lightning to surge around him, Zhong Ming advanced like the Thunder God reborn. In an instant, he reached the end of the seventh gate, where the seven Silver Blood Guards, formed up in a tight array, were waiting.

Seeing Zhong Ming catch up, a trace of surprise, followed by deeper astonishment, flashed through the seven men’s eyes.

"You actually caught up... No wonder the Young Master values you so highly."

But their surprise was just that—surprise. The seven Silver Blood Guards had no intention of giving up, nor did they feel any fear toward Zhong Ming. They didn’t believe they would lose.

The captain leading them even offered Zhong Ming an apology. "Our apologies, little brother Zhong Ming. We have our cultivation suppressed, and we’re ganging up on you. We know it’s not right. But the formation of this New Army is crucial to our Silver Moon Legion, so we have to win!"

As he spoke, the seven Silver Blood Guards all channeled their power, merging their strength into one. With that, they easily passed through the Thunder Jail gate.

However, the moment they reached the eighth gate, they froze, their brows knitting together tightly.

This scene gave Zhong Ming a slight pause, but soon, he too stepped past the seventh gate and arrived at the eighth pass of the Path of Purgatory.

Upon reaching this gate, Zhong Ming’s brow furrowed as well.

Completely unlike the scorched earth of Purgatory, the bone-chilling cold, and the roaring Thunderbolt of the previous jails, the eighth gate of the Path of Purgatory was deathly still.

There were no earth-shattering gales or thunder, no killing intent visible to the naked eye. Yet, the instant he stepped foot inside, a sinister, insidious power, like a maggot burrowing into bone, silently wormed its way into his meridians.

What made Zhong Ming’s heart sink was that for the first time, he sensed danger from this power—lethal danger.

’What is this stuff?’

Zhong Ming’s confusion didn’t last long.

Just as they arrived at the Eighth Jail and sensed the danger, the anxious voice of the Qi Family Patriarch called in from outside the Path of Purgatory. "Young Master Zhong Ming, and all of you from the Silver Blood Guard, please be careful. The eighth gate is no ordinary disaster. To prepare for the Cataclysm of Anomalies, we have infused this area with the aura of Evil Spirits. This aura is extremely tenacious. Once tainted, it will pollute a Cultivator’s Magical Power and physical body, and like a maggot in the bone, it is incredibly difficult to eradicate."

"Furthermore, this aura can feed on a Cultivator’s Magical Power and physical body to continuously strengthen itself!"

"Because it is so bizarre and tenacious, this gate is extremely dangerous. Moreover, we cannot fully control this anomalous energy... If you fall here, I’m afraid you will truly perish!"

"..."

These words first made Zhong Ming’s brow tighten. He hadn’t expected the Qi Family to be so bold as to set up such an uncontrollable and perilous disaster on the Path of Purgatory.

But he quickly realized this was likely something the Qi Family had been forced to do.

Because of the second, third, and even fourth cataclysms, in the days to come, battles between Cultivators would no longer be the norm. The clash between humanity and the Evil Spirits and anomalies would be the sole path forward.

And when fighting Evil Spirits, the situation for Body Cultivators became very awkward.

When battling these anomalies and Evil Spirits, Sword Cultivators could strike from a distance with Sword Qi, and Cultivators who practiced Magic Techniques could bombard them from afar. But Body Cultivators had it rough.

Most Body Cultivators were experts with incredibly tough physiques. When they fought others, they typically didn’t engage in long-range combat but charged right up to their enemies and beat them to death.

In the process of closing the distance, Body Cultivators would inevitably be hit.

But in the past, this wasn’t a major problem.

Their powerful physiques and extreme Undying Nature allowed them to withstand many blows from a Cultivator’s Magic Techniques and flying swords.

But Evil Spirits and anomalies were different. Once you were tainted by this kind of thing, it was incredibly hard to get rid of. Furthermore, many of these beings could absorb a Body Cultivator’s qi and blood to strengthen themselves. It was no exaggeration to say that Evil Spirits were the natural enemy of Body Cultivators.

It was precisely for this reason that Bright Stone Peak of the Seven Profound Sect had become the sect’s most desolate peak.

At the very least, when faced with the decline of Longxi Peak, the sect still had the will to save it, only failing due to a lack of resources and foundation. But when it came to Bright Stone Peak, the sect had all but completely given up.

The Qi Family’s situation was more or less the same.

However, it was clear the Qi Family was unwilling to simply exit the stage of history.

And this Path of Purgatory was their attempt to see if they could rely on their physiques to forcefully resist the corrosion of the anomalous energy.

...

Having figured out the Qi Family’s reasons, Zhong Ming no longer hesitated and continued to press forward.

Unwilling to be left behind, the Silver Blood Guards at his side followed closely.

At the same time, the Cultivators and various factions watching the confrontation from the outside were also observing with intense focus. Although the formation of the New Army involved a power struggle, no one had forgotten that the core reason for assembling this force was to deal with the Evil Spirits and anomalies.