Blood Sacrifice

Above the precipice. Zhu Wudao and his companions had already passed the mountainside, ascending along a stone path leading straight to the summit. This path was the swiftest of all the routes, yet the restrictions along the way were no fewer. Formidable though the four cultivators' divine abilities were, they felt mentally drained and had stopped once halfway to rest. They were drawing ever closer to the precipice's peak, but they could not peer at what lay there, for a ring of crimson mist hovered beneath the summit. The mist gathered without dispersing, shielding the peak from view. Separated from it by other restrictions, they could not yet tell what the source of the crimson mist was. Joining forces, the four broke through layer upon layer of restrictions and finally arrived below the crimson mist. Looking up, they observed it. The mist was dense, like a mass of thick, insoluble liquid. Not only did it block their sight, but when they attempted to channel spirit-eye abilities, they were thwarted one after another. Zhu Wudao hid the golden light in his eyes, a contemplative look crossing his face. Because of the freak-faced man, the Master of Qiling Cave was somewhat familiar with Zhu Wudao and stood closest to him, shoulder to shoulder. The Sword-Bearer stood to their right at equal level, though maintaining some distance. Mo Xingdao had stayed at the very rear of the group all along, offering almost no opinions, seeming somewhat detached from the rest. The Sword-Bearer probed a thread of divine sense into the mist. Like maggots clinging to bone, the mist actually crept along his divine sense toward him. Feeling a chilling coldness, the Sword-Bearer dared not take it lightly. He reflexively severed his divine sense connection, turned his head toward Zhu Wudao, and asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhu, what kind of restriction is this red mist?" When they first scaled the precipice, the Sword-Bearer and the others had brazenly shadowed Zhu Wudao, posing as if to claim a share of the opportunities. Unsure of Zhu Wudao's intentions, they had to stay on guard against him turning hostile. The atmosphere then had been at its most tense. During the ascent, Zhu Wudao had never shown anger, seemingly unbothered by others taking a share of the spoils. As they worked closely together to break through layer after layer of restrictions, the tension gradually eased, and they began conversing again. Thus, upon encountering trouble, the Sword-Bearer did not hesitate to ask Zhu Wudao's opinion. Staring at the mist, Zhu Wudao pondered before saying, "If I am not mistaken, we should now be standing on the Heart-Tempering Road meant for disciples of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect." "The Heart-Tempering Road?" The Sword-Bearer repeated the three words, lost in thought. From the name, one could infer its purpose, yet they had felt nothing unusual along the way. Moreover, since it was a Heart-Tempering Road prepared by the Wuxiang Immortal Sect for its disciples, this precipice certainly could not have been a forbidden ground; anyone could have approached it. Could the Wuxiang Immortal Sect have deliberately placed the teleportation array here to mislead others? The Sword-Bearer was certain Zhu Wudao would never scale this cliff without purpose; the teleportation array to Tiantong Hall had to be at the peak. "For the Heart-Tempering Road to have deteriorated into such a state, this final restriction must be at the end of its strength as well..." Zhu Wudao shook his head with some emotion. Without raising any defense, he strode into the crimson mist. Seeing this, the other three followed in succession. The moment they entered, the crimson mist sensed them and churned violently, surging toward them as a strange ripple diffused outward. The next instant, a long roar suddenly erupted from within the mist. The roar sounded like thunder, rolling on without pause. A large hole abruptly appeared at the center of the mist, the brilliance of magic treasures and divine abilities flashing alternately. The roar carried an invisible ripple that, aided by the other treasures, pierced through the mist and then swiftly spread in all directions, driving away the remaining mass of red mist until it was completely cleared away! Zhu Wudao closed his mouth, and the roar ceased abruptly. The Master of Qiling Cave and the other two also reined in their powers, eager to sweep up onto the summit of the precipice. Breaching the final barrier, the summit lay exposed before their eyes. Then, all of them were dumbfounded. The summit was entirely empty! The ground here was exceptionally level, clearly carved out by human hands, yet there was no teleportation array as they had imagined, nor was there even a single hall or pavilion! The Sword-Bearer's gaze darkened. "Fellow Daoist Zhu, what is the meaning of this?" "No need to worry, Fellow Daoist," Zhu Wudao said with complete confidence. "The Immortal Palace is the greatest secret of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. How could they leave the teleportation array out in plain sight? After the demonic upheaval broke out, the sect completely sealed the teleportation array away. We must expend some effort before we can open it." He truly was after the teleportation array! The Sword-Bearer's expression softened slightly. "Can the teleportation array send us directly into the Immortal Palace?" Mo Xingdao could not resist asking. Zhu Wudao walked forward and said, "The Wuxiang Immortal Sect was able to dominate Zhongzhou precisely because they relied on this teleportation array leading to Tiantong Hall to firmly control the Immortal Palace. Were it not for the calamity of the demonic upheaval, I fear no one to this day could have challenged the sect's position." Hearing this, the Master of Qiling Cave felt somewhat uneasy. "Are you certain the teleportation array is undamaged?" "Though the Immortal Palace was later occupied by the Daoist and Buddhist factions, the teleportation array's position within the Immortal Palace is extraordinarily concealed; it is nearly impossible to locate from the other side, unless the Wuxiang Immortal Sect destroyed it themselves..." As Zhu Wudao spoke, he walked to the center of the summit and looked around. Immediately after, he flicked his finger, releasing a streak of flowing light. Within the light appeared to be a crystal stele, but before the others could get a clear look, it sank into the ground with a flash. Mo Xingdao and the other two could not help but cast another glance at Zhu Wudao. This man knew far too many secrets! Though they were all descendants of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, the others paled in comparison to Zhu Wudao, making one wonder whether he possessed more than just the heritage of the Metal Phase lineage. This was understandable. The Metal Phase lineage occupied Mount Quyang and merged into Tianhao Tower, sparing them the need to hide. Not only was their heritage preserved intact, but they could also use Tianhao Tower's name to gather the relics of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. The instant it sank into the ground, the crystal stele split into four. The true body plummeted straight down, while three illusory shadows shot in three different directions toward the edges of the platform. Zhu Wudao turned to face the three and said, "If you wish to enter the Immortal Palace, lend this old man a hand first!" The three exchanged glances and raised no objections. Following Zhu Wudao's guidance, they each landed above one of the three stele shadows and sent their divine senses underground to sense the steles' positions. Zhu Wudao tapped his foot hard, rising about ten feet into the air. After looking down and examining the layout for a moment, his fingers moved like a wheel, completing an extremely intricate seal in the blink of an eye and striking it toward the subterranean stele. A muffled rumble echoed from within the precipice, followed by myriad rays of radiant light erupting from underground. Instead of shooting into the sky, these rays were guided toward the positions of the four crystal steles, coalescing into four massive steles of light that stood erect atop the cliff! The four flashed atop the light steles and sat cross-legged. Led by Zhu Wudao, they executed the same secret technique. Before long, another change occurred: the three outer light steles emitted thick pillars of light that poured into the central stele beneath Zhu Wudao, growing increasingly dim. Gathering the power of the rare treasure and the four cultivators, this stele of light became increasingly solid, almost tangible. A bright halo rippled outward in all directions like water, washing across the entire summit. An astonishing scene unfolded. Reflected by the light, clear radiance flickered upon the originally bare platform, revealing the phantom of a magnificent ancient hall. Zhu Wudao was positioned right before the phantom hall's main entrance! As the light waves rippled, the hall's phantom swayed as well; it was not yet real. The three looked astonished. Sweeping their divine senses across it, the feedback they received remained completely empty! Soon, they noticed that with Zhu Wudao's efforts, the phantom hall grew clearer and clearer, being pulled from illusion into reality. The peculiar restriction and the dreamlike spectacle held their rapt attention. The clear radiance and ripples of light converged. The ancient hall's phantom became sharper until its details could be seen. Outside the ancient hall were no superfluous decorations, and its doors were tightly shut. There seemed to be no division into smaller halls—the vast space was more than large enough to accommodate a teleportation array! When the hall reached a state half-solid and half-ethereal, Zhu Wudao's breathing grew rapid. Right then, the ancient hall suddenly shook violently. Everyone's expression changed as they watched a corner of the eaves crack and break away. Yet Zhu Wudao paid it no mind, increasing his speed instead. The clear radiance fluctuated wildly, and the phantom hall trembled with growing frequency and magnitude, inflicting immense damage upon the structure. Eaves broke one after another. Cracks along the walls and pillars became plainly visible. At last, a damaged ancient hall appeared before them, fortunately having avoided collapse. Zhu Wudao retrieved the crystal stele and flashed before the hall's entrance. Just as he was about to push the doors open, a scorching warmth suddenly brushed his right arm. Tucked inside his sleeve was a bizarre wooden carving. Apart from lacking the Five Elements Crown, its form resembled the statues worshipped by the Gu God Cult's followers. The carving had been completely pale white. Yet at this moment, a crimson hue suddenly diffused across it. Zhu Wudao paused almost imperceptibly, then pushed open the doors of the ancient hall! ... Outside the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. In the hinterlands of the two Southern Barbarian prefectures. After years of growth, the territory influenced by the Gu God Cult had expanded steadily. At this very moment, all followers of the Gu God Cult received an oracle. Gathering before the statues of their deity, they consumed immortal elixir, plunging into madness and frenzy everywhere. The immortal elixir left them in euphoric ecstasy. Even more, the oracle brought hope of life to all believers, declaring that the Immortal Palace would open today to guide all devout followers into the True Emptiness Immortal Realm to enjoy eternal immortal blessings! Following the frenzy came an even more horrifying spectacle. Praising their deity, they slaughtered one another before the statues the moment their last shred of sanity vanished. Corpses littered the ground, blood flowing like rivers! Countless settlements were wiped out entirely, reduced to purgatorial realms of ghosts. The statues sat enthroned amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood, their crude features dyed red by fresh blood, turning unimaginably sinister. Streams of blood gurgled quietly toward the statues, absorbed entirely alongside the souls. Even in a cultivation world that viewed mortals as mere ants, this was a terrifying blood sacrifice unprecedented in scale and gore. Once word leaked, it would surely shake the entire world! The night moon seemed draped in a veil of blood. Beneath the moonlight, figures robed in black flitted through the dead, silent villages, busy with their tasks—people seemingly from a mysterious power. As time passed, statues drank their fill of blood one by one, gazing upon the world with malevolent eyes. If someone were perched tens of thousands of feet in the sky looking down upon the Southern Frontier's heartland, they would see that in the areas governed by the Gu God Cult, the stone statues acted like nodes. Their qi pulled upon one another, outlining an extraordinarily complex and vast mysterious grand array! At the center of the grand array, within a dark grotto, two black-robed figures sat cross-legged facing each other, guarding a statue. Blood dyed the statue red and bathed the grotto in a crimson glow, illuminating two sinister, terrifying faces. "The grand array is complete!" The person to the left of the statue whispered, his tone tinged with undisguised excitement. "The Lord Envoy must have already entered the Wuxiang Immortal Sect by now. The Holy Sovereign will surely reign over all under heaven!" His companion was not as optimistic, hesitation in his expression. "Legend says the Holy Sovereign was sealed by the Wuxiang Immortal Sect within the Immortal Palace, in the palace far south of the South Sea. At such an immense distance, will our blood sacrifice here truly help the Holy Sovereign break the seal?" "Of course it will!" The person on the left raised his head and glared fiercely at his companion. "The Heavenly Way, the Earthly Way, the Mortal Way! Back then, the Wuxiang Immortal Sect channeled the earth qi of the Southern Frontier into the Immortal Palace to seal the Holy Sovereign. Why would our mortal blood sacrifice fail to shatter the earth qi grand array? We must also thank the Daoist and Buddhist factions for wiping out the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, leaving the nodes unguarded and granting us this opening! The Lord Envoy disguised himself as a descendant of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect to summon the heroes and divert everyone's attention. Even if exposed, we can withdraw at leisure and plot anew. Killing multiple birds with one stone—it truly is a masterstroke!" "Both you and I practiced the Wuxiang Immortal Sect's arts; calling ourselves descendants wouldn't be entirely wrong either." His companion gave a self-deprecating smile. "A mere expedient!" The person on the left snorted disdainfully. "The Holy Sovereign's methods reach into the divine. Both of us share the merit of aiding his release. Though our contribution cannot match the Lord Envoy's, the slightest reward from him could remake us completely. How could a few petty divine abilities possibly compare?" While the two spoke, the statue fully transformed into a blood-red human likeness and suddenly opened its eyes. Catching the gaze of those malevolent eyes, the person on the left shuddered involuntarily, stepping back reflexively. The statue gazed toward the north, establishing a connection with a certain presence. ... Within the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. Moving and pausing by turns, Qin Sang arrived noiselessly beneath the precipice. Looking up, he saw Zhu Wudao and the others had ascended to the cliff top, occupied with unknown matters. They had cleared the restrictions along one stone path, likely assuming no uninvited guests would enter the Wuxiang Immortal Sect anytime soon, and had left no obstacles behind. This stone path was open. Qin Sang ascended unhurriedly, having the Heavenly Eye Butterfly channel its full vision to search the stone path inch by inch. Finally, he detected something unusual in a stone pavilion halfway up the mountain. No need to guess—it was certainly Daoist Zilei and Yue Lingtian hiding there, waiting quietly for the remnants of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect to open the teleportation array. After a brief contemplation, Qin Sang found a concealed spot and stopped as well. He raised his left hand, back facing upward. With a slight thought, intricate divine runes suddenly surfaced along his left arm. The power of the divine runes converged toward the back of his hand, gradually forming the pattern of a blood moon. This divine rune was left behind by the Ghost Mother—the Witch Clan's bone-seeking secret technique. Qin Sang intended to activate it now. Finding the skeletal remains of the Witch Clan Deity Transformation cultivator was also one of his objectives. If the blood moon pattern showed any anomaly, it would mean the remains were nearby. In truth, Qin Sang had little faith in how effective a bone-seeking secret technique could be after countless years, especially when searching for the bones of someone he had never met. Was the Witch Clan's bloodline truly that extraordinary? However, once the blood moon materialized, Qin Sang changed his mind. Within the blood moon lingered an exceedingly unique aura. *Could this be the aura of that Witch Clan Deity Transformation cultivator?* Qin Sang was surprised. Only by obtaining a close personal treasure of a Witch Clan Deity Transformation cultivator could such an aura be refined. The Witch Clan was likewise adept in blood refinement, and their natal insect gu were also integrated with blood-refinement arts. Had the Ghost Mother truly found a relic that the Deity Transformation cultivator had blood-refined? Crossing three great domains and searching arduously for over two centuries, it seemed her efforts had not been in vain after all.