Gazing at the terrifying white vine spanning across the sky, stretching for who knew how many tens of feet, Luo Chen could not help swallowing hard.
"Is this the Tier 5 Withered Blood Vine?"
Just as Luo Chen was momentarily dazed, the Old Angler's dry, raspy voice drifted over faintly:
"It has indeed attained sentience and shed its innate shackles!"
The latter sentence was merely an elaboration.
Unlike humans and beasts who could easily attain spiritual awareness and step onto the Grand Dao of cultivation, it was excruciatingly difficult for things of wood and stone to attain sentience and cultivate as spirits. Not only were there innate bodily limitations, but the harsh living environment was an equally severe constraint. In all his years, the only spirit of this kind Luo Chen had ever encountered was the Hidden Dust Sand—a pearl spirit.
One could well imagine just how formidable a Withered Blood Vine would be to develop sentience and attain a Tier 5 body under such harsh constraints! Even if it lacked the divine abilities of a Soul Formation grandmaster, it was at least comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator.
This was Luo Chen's final assessment of the terrifying white vine before them.
Yet in the face of such an assessment, Luo Chen could not help feeling intensely curious: just what kind of means did the Old Angler intend to employ to deal with this Vine King?
Though the Old Angler usually looked like an old man with one foot in the grave, his true combat prowess was bound to surpass everyone else's present. As one of the Myriad Immortals Association's three Eight-Star Demon Hunters, that title represented not merely status, but absolute strength!
As if sensing something, the white vine in the sky violently whipped downward with an enormous tendril resembling a colossal scourge.
Before that terrifying might even landed, the sturdy valley crumbled into powder amid thundering tremors.
How could Golden Core cultivators take such an attack head-on?
Beneath the white vine, the Old Angler's aged frame trembled incessantly like a candle in the wind. An earth-yellow glow flared around him, only to be shattered an instant later.
Yet he did not retreat half a step. His eyes brimmed with wild ecstasy.
In his frenzy of joy, he suddenly dropped to one knee and cried out at the top of his lungs:
"We beseech the Perfected Person to manifest in this world!"
The next instant.
A blood-red figure shot straight into the ninth heaven. Reaching the clouds, he spread both hands horizontally.
Lifting a single hand high, he caught the massive whip out of thin air, bearing its weight aloft.
It was a man with a sinister countenance and narrow, sharp eyes, clad in blood-red robes as vivid as fire.
Recalling the shout from the Old Angler just before this figure appeared, Luo Chen blurted out, "Blood Hermit?"
Envoy Gouxing's voice drifted into his ear. Unbeknownst to Luo Chen, the envoy had already landed on a low hill a hundred paces away. Under Luo Chen's curious gaze, he whispered, "It is Blood Hermit, yet not his true self. This is an avatar of the Blood Sea he refined, known as the Blood God Child."
"Furthermore, this avatar was once a mighty expert of the Yuan Demon Sect who guarded Longyuan Immortal City a century ago."
"After being slain by him, he was refined alive into a Blood God Child!"
Envoy Gouxing, perhaps sensing Luo Chen's bewilderment, briefly relayed the specifics based on his knowledge of the Yuan Demon Sect from his time in the Heavenly Demon Astral Sect.
"Blood Hermit is a generational genius. Basing himself on the techniques of the Yuan Demon Sect's Blood Sea lineage, he cultivated the Blood God Scripture to its zenith, surpassing even the direct-line powerhouses of the sect's Blood Sea lineage."
In Luo Chen's observation, the person before them was clearly a genuine Nascent Soul Perfected Person, so how could he merely be an avatar?
Seeing this, Envoy Gouxing's expression relaxed slightly. "For now, it seems this Blood God Child came under Blood Hermit's orders specifically to capture the Vine King. Naturally, it will not pay attention to us."
"Fellow Daoist, if these entities are not controlled by their master, they are cruel and ruthless by nature. You and I must stay far away."
Luo Chen had previously wondered why Envoy Gouxing was explaining everything to him in such detail—it couldn't just be because he had praised him a few times before their departure, could it?
Only now did he realize that the envoy was afraid the Blood God Child, without direct control, might turn on them.
Luo Chen was no fool; naturally, he widened the distance at the first opportunity.
"Understood," Luo Chen acknowledged, immediately withdrawing alongside Envoy Gouxing.
Rustle!
A light breeze drifted by as he lightly tapped the tips of his feet. Gracefully and buoyantly, Luo Chen came to stand atop a tree canopy.
The moment he saw Dao Lan retreat with his saber in hand, Luo Chen had also instinctively moved far away from the valley.
In his line of sight, Dao Lan backed away even farther.
For someone as strong as Dao Lan to voluntarily give way, one could see just how formidable the impending foe truly was.
Swinging his long saber with his right hand, Dao Lan continually cleaved through the white vines surging from all directions.
The earlier portion of this battle had indeed gone as the Old Angler predicted before setting out—it wasn't particularly dangerous. Under the formidable combat power of their late Golden Core cultivators, the countless Withered Blood Vines could be shattered with a wave of their hands. Even the seemingly troublesome Tier 4 Withered Blood Vines posed no real threat to them with their explosive power.
Of course, that was predicated on all five of them possessing combat strength on par with Great Cultivators. Had they been early or mid Golden Core cultivators, dealing with them would never have been so effortless.
After finding a relatively safe vantage, Luo Chen looked back.
On Withered Wood Ridge, the battle between the Blood God Child and the Vine King had reached a fever pitch.
Man and vine continually shifted battlefields.
The scope of the battlefield was no longer confined to the original valley. Everywhere they went was left in ruins. Some earth veins were even pierced through, erupting in searing mountain fires.
Even so, the increasingly stifling atmosphere sapped any desire for idle chatter, and the cultivators focused all their mental faculties on guarding against any stray shockwaves.
Watching the battle, Luo Chen and the others were forced to keep retreating ahead of time.
The earth trembled!
Surging waves of magical power roared and echoed across the mountains.
In their sight, the Blood God Child continuously unleashed spells.
Now clapping both hands to send blood handprints crashing against the colossal white vine, now pressing his fingers like a sword to unleash crisscrossing sword beams. Occasionally, a flick of his sleeves cast out vast swaths of blood light.
Watching closely, Luo Chen noticed that the blood light appeared to be a high-tier baneful qi of extraordinary potency; every time it struck the white vine, the vine's aura weakened slightly.
Once tainted by the blood light, the white vine's body emitted a foul stench.
Yet this baneful qi was visibly depleted with every use. As the Blood God Child unleashed technique after technique, the magical power in his body grew thinner.
Luo Chen came to a sudden realization and said, "In that case, won't this Blood God Child become increasingly exhausted and unable to sustain the fight? Can it win?"
Luo Chen settled his mind, spiritual light blazing in his eyes as he stared intently at the constantly shifting battlefield.
In Withered Wood Ridge, the intense battle had raged for a full half-hour.
Though this Blood God Child possessed the combat prowess of a Nascent Soul Perfected Person, it seemed to lack the boost of a Nascent Soul domain.
Seeing this, Luo Chen sighed. "After all, it is a Blood God Child refined from a dead man. Not only does it lack any potential for advancement, but it can no longer deploy the Nascent Soul domain it wielded in life."
Envoy Gouxing explained, "The so-called Nascent Soul domain is essentially a resonance produced by the harmonious integration of a cultivator's Nascent Soul with heaven and earth. Once a cultivator dies, even if the Nascent Soul remains, that capacity for resonance is severed. Though Blood Hermit preserved this Yuan Demon Sect powerhouse's Nascent Soul through secret arts and refined it into a Blood God Child, he still cannot defy the laws of nature to reproduce the domain from its lifetime."
Sometimes, a single realm's difference was an insurmountable chasm!
"Not necessarily!" Envoy Gouxing shook his head, gazing into the distance several hundred li away toward the center of the battlefield where plumes of dust and smoke rose. "It all depends on whether Blood Hermit provided this Blood God Child with other combat means."
"That is indeed the case," Luo Chen agreed.
Evidently, the Withered Blood Vine King was no easy prey either. Its mighty main body bombarded relentlessly, frequently sundering mountains and summoning howling wind and thunder. Its stamina seemed inexhaustible, and it squandered pure spiritual qi as if it cost nothing.
Under its relentless assault, the Blood God Child remained silent but appeared somewhat battered, repeatedly knocked down into the dust.
Even though it could rise and fight again each time, the rich blood light enveloping it grew thinner and thinner.
Conversely, the Withered Blood Vine King, which had seemed weak at first, fought with growing ferocity.
Just as Envoy Gouxing had said, if the Blood God Child lacked other potent means bestowed by Blood Hermit, it would likely fail to take this battle.
Sure enough!
The next instant, the Blood God Child, tangled in combat with the white vine, suddenly soared straight into the sky.
Reaching the clouds, he spread both hands horizontally.
As his blood robes billowed, a vast sheet of dense blood light cascaded out.
As this blade emerged, wind and thunder answered throughout heaven and earth, faintly accompanied by the mournful wailing of tens of thousands of ghosts and wolves.
A brilliant, dazzling blade light flooded the world!
"It's the Divine Gang Blood Blade!" A cry of surprise burst from Envoy Gouxing's lips. "Blood Hermit's True Artifact, nurtured through centuries of painstaking cultivation!"
The others looked in the direction of the voice.
Rumor had it that it originated from the Yuan Demon Sect. Upgrading the grade of a magic treasure by absorbing living souls and blood-bane energy was the most popular artifact-refining method in the Northern Sea cultivation world, and this style was truly steeped in demonic character.
A so-called True Artifact was an evolution of a magic treasure; in essence, it was still a magic treasure. However, having endured the baptism of lightning tribulations, such treasures shed their mundane limitations, wielding tremendous might with every strike and move.
Luo Chen had met many Nascent Soul Perfected Persons, but exceedingly few possessed a lifebound True Artifact. Tianyezi might have had one, but it was stripped away after he was captured by the Demon Emperor Qingshuang. As for the others, they either had none at all or were ordinarily loath to bring them out in combat.
Clearly, Blood Hermit's lifebound True Artifact had reached an exceptionally elevated level. He had even purified ordinary blood-bane energy into astral gang baneful qi. A din of ghosts weeping and wolves howling echoed from it.
No one expected that for the sake of this Tier 5 Withered Blood Vine, Blood Hermit would actually part with his lifebound True Artifact and hand it to a Blood God Child to wield.
With the appearance of the Divine Gang Blood Blade, the Blood God Child radically altered his fighting style, turning bold, sweeping, and domineering.
With every slash of blade light, a section of the white vine's body was severed.
As time went on, the eerie, soul-piercing wails grew fainter and fainter.
Within the ravaged Withered Wood Ridge, strange, agonizing shrieks sounded from time to time.
"The Vine King can't hold out much longer. Our mission should be ending soon," Luo Chen remarked.
Envoy Gouxing shook his head. "Even so, a battle between Nascent Souls covers vast distances, easily spanning thousands of li. You and I must remain vigilant."
If not for their unfinished mission, they would have fled this earthly purgatory long ago.
Gazing at the slender, Miao-saber-like Divine Gang Blood Blade in the sky, Luo Chen's eyes stung. Instinctively, he glanced toward the broad saber in Dao Lan's hand.
Dao Lan leaned on his massive broad saber. Noticing Luo Chen's gaze, the habitually taciturn Dao Lan showed an uncharacteristic flush on his face.
"This Divine Gang Blood Blade indeed shares the same lineage as my Golden Suanni Saber, following the path of absorbing living souls and blood-bane energy to advance in grade. I have nurtured it for many years and slain countless demons, yet relying solely on the blood-bane energy of demon beasts, I have only managed to raise it to the high-grade tier. It is simply worlds apart from Blood Hermit's blade."
Luo Chen was surprised. He had thought his scrutiny discreet, not expecting Dao Lan to notice it so keenly.
He dryly coughed and changed the subject: "Where is the Old Angler?"
Luo Chen was truly puzzled as to where the Old Angler had gone. Since the eruption of the Nascent Soul battle, there had been no sign of him.
If someone claimed he died from the battle's shockwaves, not one of the four would believe it.
In his confusion, Luo Chen scanned the mountain ranges and paused.
Observing carefully, he finally noticed the source of the anomaly.
The lush, verdant peaks were losing their greenery at a visible rate; within a few breaths, only a faded pallor remained. The emerald hue receded continuously, turning increasingly pale until, moments later, the trees turned into deadwood. Even ancient trees of a thousand years grew increasingly withered under that eerie shuddering.
Amid suspicious and alarmed looks, the cultivators turned their eyes to the surrounding woods.
Looking out as far as the eye could see, the vast Withered Wood Ridge was entirely like this.
A vista of pure pallor, withered like ash.
Such scenery seemed to truly fit the name "Withered Wood Ridge."
It was as though something was draining their vitality!
And this phenomenon was not occurring only near them.
All the receding vitality in the surroundings seemed to be converging toward the Old Angler's direction.
As Luo Chen was lost in doubt, his spiritual eyes suddenly halted on a mountain peak.
On that summit, the long-absent Old Angler reappeared in the world.
He sat withered upon a boulder, holding a black-gold fishing rod. A scorched line of Heaven's Remnant Silk descended into the bottomless abyss beneath the mountain. On the rod, the Sound-Capturing Bell vibrated wildly, as if some colossal creature had bitten the hook.
The Old Angler remained perched at the brink of the abyss, fishing. Even though his aura had withered to the extreme, the hand gripping the rod did not loosen in the slightest. Even with blood leaking from the corners of his mouth, he held on with a death grip, his eyes focused entirely on the abyss below.
Suddenly, a terrifying roar echoed from within the abyss, and a blood-colored whip lashed through the air!
Panic showed in the Old Angler's eyes, and he roared toward the sky:
"True Person, save me!"
Standing ahead, the Blood God Child acted once more.
He pointed a finger toward the Old Angler, sending a streak of blood light flying. Another blood whip surged from the abyss, only to be blocked by the blood radiance cast by the Blood God Child.
Seeing terrifying power gathering once more beneath the abyss, the Blood God Child reached out from afar toward Luo Chen and the others!
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, four figures scattered and fled.
The shockwave from that strike, even across a hundred li, far exceeded what they could endure. Had the four not joined forces and deployed their respective techniques, one of them would likely have been severely wounded.
Under that strike, Luo Chen had first sent out a Qingyang Great Handprint and then activated the Qi Armor of his Xuanchen Armor, allowing him to escape unscathed.
Smoothing the tremors of his Qi Armor, Luo Chen pursed his lips.
"We underestimated this Blood God Child," Envoy Gouxing swallowed hard, rich lingering fear in his eyes. "Even without the enhancement of a Nascent Soul domain, its ferocious might is beyond our imagination."
Dao Lan leaned on his massive broad saber, his gaze suddenly falling upon Luo Chen. Looking at the man with fluttering robes and flowing black hair, Dao Lan suddenly praised, "This treasure is quite good!"
Among the four, Huangfu Song—with the great seal hovering above his head—was the most composed. Sheltered under that purple light, he was entirely unharmed.
At this moment, Huangfu Song smiled and said, "Qingyangzi is a renowned master smith in the Myriad Immortals Association. Dao Lan, didn't you yearn for a personal defensive magic treasure to no avail? After we return, why not ask Qingyangzi to forge one for you?"
Dao Lan seemed moved and silently looked toward Luo Chen.
Luo Chen sneered, "No matter how good my magic treasure is, it seems it cannot compare to Fellow Daoist's great seal!"
Seeing three pairs of eyes fixed upon him, Huangfu Song felt quite uncomfortable.
Earlier, he had intended to divert trouble by encouraging Dao Lan to ask Luo Chen to forge a treasure, hoping to disrupt Luo Chen's cultivation. Who would have thought Luo Chen would turn the tables, directing Dao Lan's attention toward his own protective treasure instead?
At that moment, the three of them looked toward the great seal hovering above Huangfu Song's head.
Looking closely, a dragon's head reared proudly atop it. Under full activation, its patterns grew clearer, unmistakably carved with miniature depictions of flowers, birds, insects, fish, mountains, rivers, and seas.
This was distinctly an imperial jade seal used by secular emperors!
With his smithing craft growing increasingly refined over the years, Luo Chen could tell at a single glance that this treasure appeared unrefined by anyone. It was impossible that Huangfu Song did not want to refine it; the only reason was that the residual methods of a Perfected Person blocked his attempts.
By its looks, it was at most of high-grade caliber, and because of its mixed functions, it was far inferior to a high-grade magic treasure of focused might. What was truly powerful was likely not the seal itself, but the lingering methods of the Nascent Soul Perfected Person within it.
Regal and noble purple brilliance poured down ceaselessly from the seal, unleashing the full might of that protective measure.
Huangfu Song was inclined to put the seal away, but this battlefield was perilously dangerous; with his combat experience, he knew that without this treasure's protection, he would hardly survive.
However!
In the sky, a streak of purple brilliance, like a shooting star forcibly commandeered by the Blood God Child, plummeted onto that abyss!
"My jade seal!"
The next instant, a tragic cry rang out.
In their sight, Huangfu Song, eyes wild and manic, chased frantically in the direction of the Old Angler.
When the terrifying noises in the abyss were about to erupt again, the seal was already suspended over it. No matter how frequent the strange sounds below, no blood whip could soar into the air again.
"The Blood God Child is finally bringing an end to this battle."
By now, the Blood God Child no longer cared about the lingering white vine. He descended beside the Old Angler.
When Huangfu Song arrived like a madman at lightning speed, the Blood God Child merely cast a cold glance at him. The latter felt as though struck by a heavy blow; all madness drained from his eyes, leaving only despair.
The Blood God Child suddenly made a move, sweeping a sleeve toward the jade seal that suppressed the abyss.
Huangfu Song impatiently reclaimed the jade seal, but a single glance turned his face pale.
Luo Chen and the others looked over curiously, only to see that the purple light on the seal had completely vanished, revealing the treasure's bare body. Several cracks had even surfaced across the jade seal. Looking at it now, where was any trace of the might that had resisted countless Withered Blood Vines and withstood the shockwaves of a Nascent Soul battle?
Luo Chen, Envoy Gouxing, and Dao Lan exchanged glances, seeming to realize what had transpired.
"The Old Angler gathered the four of us with well-rounded considerations for each person's role, but clearly, the most crucial one was Huangfu Song."
"He used his ancestral magic treasure to suppress the creature in the abyss while also exhausting one of his trump cards."
During the battle, the Blood God Child had used power a realm higher to forcibly seize the seal and burn through the residual techniques of the Perfected Person left on it. Yet at the same time, such an item was easily stolen by force.
Now, the treasure had been returned to Huangfu Song, but it was essentially ruined.
Everyone was enlightened.
Thoughts flashed through Luo Chen's mind as he looked at the despondent Huangfu Song, feeling a complex mix of emotions.
Without lingering, they flew toward the summit at a moderate pace.
When they arrived, the Blood God Child did not spare them a glance, still staring intently into the abyss.
Just as Luo Chen's heart tightened, a figure emerged amid the billowing dust.
The Old Angler stood up from the rock; the moment he rose, the giant boulder beneath him crumbled to powder. His body shuddered violently, rich red light spreading from his form.
Though the Old Angler's face was pale, his eyes were brimming with intense joy.
He grabbed the scorched thread and yanked it upward.
Whoosh!
Beneath the sunlight, a vine glistening with crystalline blood light emerged before everyone.
Examining it closely, it resembled the earlier white vines, but its vibrant vitality was a hundred, a thousand times greater!
This was the true main body of the Tier 5 Withered Blood Vine! That white vine was merely its external avatar.
Everyone's expression changed.
Looking at the lifeless remnant of the white vine on the ground, cold sweat broke out on their backs.
Wait, that wasn't right—the difference in vitality between the two shouldn't be this vast. Luo Chen frowned deeply, noticing something amiss.
Indeed! All the fading vitality from the surroundings seemed to be converging toward the Old Angler.
Luo Chen fell into deep thought.
Dusting off his robes, the old man revealed a smile of relief. He swept his gaze across everyone and nodded slightly.
"Everyone, thank you for your hard work."
"The mission is complete. Once we return, I will fulfill the conditions I promised each of you."
"Huangfu Song, I will also negotiate with the Tianqu Chen family on behalf of the Myriad Immortals Association. They should no longer interfere with the subordinate clan below. You may proceed unhindered."
Huangfu Song produced a smile uglier than weeping. "Thank you for fulfilling your word, Old Angler."
While everyone waited, the Old Angler chuckled, cast his eyes over the ruined ridges, and swept his hand.
The Heaven's Remnant Silk scattered like a fishing net. When pulled back, seven or eight massive white vines landed before him.
The Old Angler praised them and shared the vines, two for each person. When it came to Luo Chen, however, there were three.
"Though these white vines are not the true body of the Withered Blood Vine, they are molted husks from thousands of years of arduous cultivation. The Perfected Person did not sever them all, so we reap the benefit."
The molted husk of a Tier 5 Withered Blood Vine, even without the essence of the main body, could still serve as Tier 4 materials. All in all, this trip was not a loss.
Luo Chen understood: before departing, the Old Angler had reached agreements on conditions with the others, whereas only his side had lacked proper compensation.
Without hesitation, he generously accepted the white vines.
Glancing at the other three, none seemed dissatisfied except Huangfu Song.
Having pocketed the white vines, the group lingered no longer. The Old Angler summoned his flying boat, preparing to return.
As the dust settled, the cultivators exchanged glances. Looking back, Luo Chen found that the Blood God Child was already nowhere to be seen.
Luo Chen, however, did not board the boat.
"Fellow Daoist, what is the matter?" the Old Angler asked, puzzled.
The Old Angler blinked. "Fellow Daoist, I hope conscripting you for this mission didn't disrupt your affairs."
Luo Chen was momentarily speechless. Previously, the Old Angler had been cold and indifferent, paying no heed to their past rapport, yet now his attitude had abruptly shifted. Whether it was good cheer from completing the mission or a desire to mend relations, perhaps it was both!
Luo Chen cupped his hands. "It is rare to visit the Demon Sea; returning in such haste would be a waste. I intend to travel for a bit and will return to the Myriad Immortals Association on my own later."
Having said his piece, Luo Chen rode a cloud of magical power and departed leisurely in the opposite direction.
A flicker of displeasure flashed in the Old Angler's eyes on the flying boat, but quickly vanished. Frowning as he watched the direction Luo Chen had gone, he pondered for a long while without saying anything.
Merely waving his sleeve, he activated the flying boat.
Chapter 633