The Hermit and Moluo: Battle of Two Bloods

One, two, three, four! In the twentieth year since the opening of the Land of the Fallen Demon, a fourth palace among the Fourteen Mingzhao Palaces quietly lit up with radiance. Why "quietly"? Because the light of this palace was somewhat dim compared to the other three. It was none other than the Dark Palace, standing in distant opposition to the Hall of Harmonious Light. Had two figures not abruptly materialized upon the Cloud Sea Square, the crowd would hardly have noticed that the Dark Palace had opened. The moment their feet touched the ground, one of the two figures launched an attack without the slightest hesitation, treating the surrounding crowd as though they did not exist. A bolt of scarlet light, condensed to the absolute limit, slashed down thunderously alongside a majestic surge of saber qi. Boom! A violent explosion rang out, forcing the other figure back hundreds of zhang. Seeing that the burly, bearded man wielding the blood blade was about to press his advantage, his opponent immediately shouted, "Blood Hermit, do you truly insist on fighting to the death? The Dark Realm's legacy has already been claimed! Why must you and I fight to the bitter end here?" Beneath the biting glint of the saber, the burly man's true features were revealed. His expression was resolute, his beard thick and curly. His crimson robe billowed, exuding overbearing arrogance! And the long weapon in his hand, resembling a slender Miao saber, caused everyone around to instantly recognize his identity. The Divine Astral Blood Blade! The Blood Hermit! One of the Three Great Loose Cultivators of the Northern Sea cultivation world! Tales of this man reached every corner of the Northern Sea; his name alone was enough to stop crying children in their tracks. Once they learned who had arrived, the onlookers finally understood why he could be so overbearing. The Blood Hermit possessed the right! Meanwhile, although the other man also wore a blood-red Daoist robe, his withered aura paled considerably by comparison. At this moment, the Blood Hermit looked up toward the heavens, gazing at the palatial pavilion gradually glowing with light. Seeing his movement, Blood Nightmare Moluo finally breathed a sigh of relief. "You and I have fought for over a decade without a clear victor. Now that the Dark Realm's legacy has been taken, continuing to fight will only let the fisherman profit from the clash between the snipe and the clam." As he spoke, his gaze swept over the crowd behind the Blood Hermit. In response, the Blood Hermit slowly retracted his gaze, sneering, "A fight to the bitter end?" "Without a clear victor?" With every word, Blood Nightmare Moluo's complexion grew uglier. The Blood Hermit sneered coldly. "Relying on the residual power left behind by your Yuan Demon Sect's Blood Sea Patriarch, you struggled bitterly to hold on for over a decade, and you actually took yourself to be on equal footing with this seat? How much longer can you keep holding out?" "You!" Blood Nightmare Moluo flushed crimson, his voice dripping with malice. "Are you not coveting this power just the same?" The Blood Hermit nodded, making no effort to conceal it. "Indeed. This seat wants that power to bring my demonic arts to completion and step into the realm of a Great Cultivator. Unlike you, who possesses monstrous power yet cultivated it into something neither fish nor fowl, utterly bizarre." Before Blood Nightmare Moluo could retort, his chilling gaze swept over the people behind him. "Besides, if I kill you, how could these contemptible scoundrels possibly profit as the fisherman?" Under his aggressively domineering gaze, every person upon whom his eyes fell instinctively took a step back. Those who were weaker, such as Cave Master Moyun, trembled in fear as illusions of mountains of corpses and seas of blood surfaced in their minds. "It is the Living Slaughter Blood Fiend!" A low shout jolted Cave Master Moyun awake. When he looked again, a Nascent Soul True Person shrouded in a black robe had already shielded him behind himself. "Thank you, Senior!" Though he did not know why the other party had shielded him, Cave Master Moyun still thanked him sincerely. The black-robed True Person did not reply; right now, he was facing a great enemy. In midair, the Blood Hermit glanced at him and scoffed, "Neither human nor ghost, a mere puppet body, yet you do have a trick or two up your sleeve." The black-robed True Person nodded and took several steps back with Cave Master Moyun. "Blood Hermit, please proceed!" The implication was that he would not interfere in their dispute. At the same time, the others made their stances clear as well. Haijiao Tianmu was the most wary of all! Everyone gathered here was a human powerhouse; she alone belonged to the demon race. If everyone took it into their heads to kill her first... Under such concerns, let alone playing the oriole stalking the mantis, her first thought was self-preservation. Naturally, she had no intention of getting involved in the battle between the two "Bloods." 'If only Long Zong and Liu Jun were here, how could I ever have ended up in such danger!' Feiyunzi's eyes flickered, stirring with suppressed restlessness. His gaze drifted back and forth between the Blood Hermit and Blood Nightmare Moluo, then rested momentarily on the black-robed True Person, before finally settling upon the magnificent pavilions high in the nine heavens. He had no interest whatsoever in these meaningless battles. For a moment, only two people on the scene had not avoided the Blood Hermit's gaze. "Judging by the two of you, you seem rather tired of living?" Fairy Feileng's expression was frosty. "My apologies, but before entering, the three of us made a pact to advance and retreat together." Daoist Jiyuan gave a wry smile. "Hermit, why fight out of stubborn pride? Why not make peace and wait together for the Fourteen Mingzhao Palaces to open, so we may seize the treasures from the hands of those who obtain the inheritances?" Faced with these words, the Blood Hermit gave a savage grin. "Those things have nothing to do with me. I want only the power left by the Blood Sea Patriarch!" "All three of you, come at me together!" "What would this hermit have to fear!" As he spoke, rich scarlet light soared into the sky from his body, and a figure stepped forth from within him. The figure's features were somber and sinister, with narrow eyes. Though his appearance was completely distinct from the burly, imposing Blood Hermit, as they stood one before the other, their overall aura was virtually identical. The moment this person appeared, Fairy Feileng gasped, "Elder Yan!" "No, that is not Elder Yan—that is a Blood God Son refined by the Blood Hermit!" Blood Nightmare Moluo shouted, exposing the figure's identity, and hurriedly explained, "The Blood Hermit refined four Nascent Soul-stage Blood God Sons in total. One was destroyed by Dark Realm monsters, another perished alongside my One Hundred and Eight Heavenly Astral and Earthly Fiend Blood God Sons, and a third fell under my sword. This is the only one left!" Upon hearing this news, everyone on the Cloud Sea Square was shaken. They were shocked by the Blood Hermit's immense strength—at merely the mid Nascent Soul stage, he had refined four Blood God Sons of the same tier, no wonder he was reputed to rival late Nascent Soul Great Cultivators. They were equally curious about what methods Blood Nightmare Moluo had used to strike down two of his Blood God Sons and manage to survive until now. No matter how one looked at it, Blood Nightmare Moluo was only at the early Nascent Soul stage. Could it be that he truly relied on the "residual power left by the Blood Sea Patriarch" that the Blood Hermit had mentioned? Facing the gazes of the crowd, the Blood Hermit remained utterly unperturbed. This time, he wasted no words and attacked directly. Wielding the Divine Astral Blood Blade, he charged straight for Blood Nightmare Moluo. Meanwhile, the Blood God Son behind him—seemingly formed from Elder Yan of the Yuan Demon Sect—stood alone, barring Fairy Feileng and Daoist Jiyuan. "Junior Sister, be careful. The Blood God Son refined by the Blood Hermit uses the methods of the Yuan Demon Sect's Blood Sea Lineage; it is exceptionally crazed and cruel." A horsetail whisk appeared in Daoist Jiyuan's hand, flying swords circling around him. Fairy Feileng's expression was calm. "I know better than you; I do not need your reminder. You had best think about how to help Blood Nightmare. If he dies, when my elder sister emerges later, no one will help you." At those words, Daoist Jiyuan's expression changed abruptly. As things stood, Blood Nightmare Moluo's capabilities indeed surpassed their expectations. Having truly obtained the power left by his sect's patriarch, he could confront a mid Nascent Soul powerhouse directly, perhaps even battle a Great Cultivator at his peak with that strength. If he wished to survive, he really had to... Taking a deep breath, Daoist Jiyuan urged, "Let us strike together first and destroy this Blood God Son!" "Good!" Without a second thought, the two unleashed their magic treasures and killing moves. Across the square, the sea of clouds churned, signaling that the battle of the two "Bloods" had erupted once more. Yet on the whole, the Blood Hermit held an overwhelming advantage! The majestic saber light slashed across the battlefield without match, thoroughly suppressing Blood Nightmare Moluo from start to finish. Just as he said, his opponent was merely borrowing the patriarch's power; it was not his own strength in the end. During their battle of over ten years in the Dark Realm, the Blood Hermit had relied on his three Blood God Sons to continually wear down his opponent's power, and now matters had reached the point where a single decisive battle could settle it. Seeing that he was about to give out—and with the Cloud Sea Square seemingly vast yet offering no obstructions to block line of sight—Blood Nightmare Moluo began to cry for help. "What are you two dawdling for over there? Hurry and help me!" Daoist Jiyuan gritted his teeth. "Junior Sister, hold back the Blood God Son! I will go assist him!" With that, regardless of Fairy Feileng's reaction, he swept his whisk. Billowing white strands fluttered through the air, temporarily ensnaring the Blood God Son, before he sped off like lightning to support Blood Nightmare Moluo. Seeing this, Fairy Feileng bit her lip, a flicker of pain in her eyes. Just like this again! The people of the Penglai Immortal Sect were always like this. It was so back then, and it remained so now. Boom! After a brief clash, Blood Nightmare Moluo coughed up blood and flew backward. Just as the Blood Hermit moved to pursue, Daoist Jiyuan intercepted him midway. Swoosh! Blood Nightmare Moluo landed on the ground, his expression savage. "Jiyuan, buy me some time while I communicate with the sword spirit!" With those words, a blood-colored sword appeared in his hand. It was none other than the God-Slashing Blood Sword! Yet the so-called communication Blood Nightmare Moluo spoke of was not so simple. He pressed a finger to the center of his brow. A droplet of blood, interwoven in gold and crimson, floated out unhurriedly. Essence blood? No! This was soul blood, tainted with a cultivator's divine soul! As the soul blood drifted out, Blood Nightmare Moluo's face turned several shades paler. Yet he could not afford to be protective of himself; clutching the soul blood in one hand, he wiped it across the God-Slashing Blood Sword. Then, in the span of a breath, he executed hundreds of hand seals in rapid succession. Finally, he halted abruptly! "Command!" With that single command, the trembling God-Slashing Blood Sword instantly grew docile. Right at this moment, Daoist Jiyuan, who had been blocking the Blood Hermit, was blasted backward, crashing near Blood Nightmare Moluo. High in the air, the burly man with disheveled hair looked down upon them from above. "A deathbed struggle, futile resistance!" "Is that so?" Blood Nightmare Moluo sneered ferociously, flicking his finger. "Go!" The God-Slashing Blood Sword transformed into a streak of bloody light, shooting forward at blinding speed. Facing this sword, the Blood Hermit's expression grew somewhat solemn, yet confidence still gleamed in his eyes. The long saber in his hand slashed down vertically. Saber light raged across the sky like banners of silk, clashing incessantly against the God-Slashing Blood Sword. Clang! Clang! Clang! In merely a dozen breaths, saber and sword had clashed over a hundred times. When the two recoiled from each other, the Blood Hermit looked down at his saber. A dense array of notches had appeared along the blade's edge. The Divine Astral Blood Blade, a True Artifact renowned across the Northern Sea, had suffered complete defeat in this exchange! "That sword again?" He muttered softly, his right hand grasping at empty air. Crack! Suddenly, a long whip cracked through the void. As the long whip danced, it moved like a snake, like a python, like a vine, like a dragon! Faintly, soul-snatching caws of crows echoed across the firmament. 'The Blood Kiss Whip was originally a True Artifact I refined specifically to seize the Blood Sea Patriarch's power. This time, let us see whether it can counter this sword.' His thoughts flickered, and the Blood Hermit struck downward with the whip. Snap! The void trembled as a single lash split into two shadows, whipping toward the pair. Facing this lash, Daoist Jiyuan's expression changed drastically. The white strands of his whisk shifted, enveloping him in a massive cocoon. Snap! Just a single lash! With just one strike, the white cocoon was sent flying hundreds of zhang away before exploding in midair. Amid drifting shreds of silk, Daoist Jiyuan coughed up blood, dazed and disoriented. On the other side, Blood Nightmare Moluo exerted all his might to control the God-Slashing Blood Sword, slashing at the body of the whip. Boom! Whip and blood sword collided, magic power surging violently to churn up endless wind and clouds. "Haha! You have refined this True Artifact for too short a time—in the end, you cannot do a thing to me!" Blood Nightmare Moluo's loud laughter rang out. The Blood Hermit's expression darkened slightly. Gripping the handle of the whip, he snorted coldly. "It will merely cost a little more time, nothing more." Time. Yes, to everyone, time was of the utmost importance. Just as it was for Luo Chen. ... Inside the Alchemy Hall. At this moment, Luo Chen was plunged into the greatest life-or-death crisis of his life! Two primordial flames of exceedingly high tier were waging an extreme battle, using his body as their battlefield. Through over a thousand years of conflict, the energy of both flames had long since been ground away, leaving behind only the tiniest sliver of their origin. Yet there was no overcoming how high their grades were! Even with only a sliver of power remaining, it was not something Luo Chen could contend with. After the artifact spirit of the Heaven Refining Cauldron passed away, there was no longer any presence capable of suppressing them. And because the magic power cultivated through the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture shared the very same lineage as the Nirvana Holy Fire, the Nirvana Holy Fire—dormant for many years—reignited the war. Luo Chen was powerless against all of this. He could only watch helplessly within his body as the two flames fought madly, violently devastating his physical form. "No!" "I absolutely will not allow this!" A hoarse, desperate cry echoed within Luo Chen's divine soul. Though his magic power had already been mobilized by the Nirvana Holy Fire, he still possessed another force. Source power! As the Convergence of Myriad Paths was set into motion, streams of source power rose from all directions within him, completely enveloping his body. This "battlefield" must never collapse! In the brief battle, the Nine Refining Beacon Fire gradually began to fall into a disadvantage. In the end, it was a fire without a source. The Nirvana Holy Fire, however, had the aid of Luo Chen's magic power. By now, the tides had turned; no longer did it hold the upper hand. Sensing this, the Nine Refining Beacon Fire could no longer hold back. Upon plunging into his sea of qi once more, it actually charged resolutely toward that solitary white pellet floating there. The Second Primal Core! "No!!!" Perceiving this, Luo Chen was gripped by absolute terror. In the next moment, the white pellet was enveloped in nine-colored brilliance, swelling and expanding continuously as magic power contracted and expanded... And then... Boom! The Second Primal Core exploded! Terrifying magic power poured forth in an instant, like rivers bursting their dams. At this moment, the resilient sea of qi that Luo Chen had once been so proud of burst apart in an instant! Boiling magic power surged like tidal waves, running wild like runaway horses from the collapsing sea of qi as it washed outward into every part of Luo Chen's body. His physical body began to disintegrate!