Leaving the underground palace, Sovereign Mi Luo entered the City of No Return accompanied by his subordinates.
He looked upon the City of No Return, awe showing in his eyes.
"In just a few short years, the City of No Return has completely transformed.
"If those old fellows in seclusion were to awaken and discover how drastically the world's landscape has shifted, their jaws... would surely drop."
To tell the truth, the transformation of the City of No Return left Sovereign Mi Luo deeply shaken.
Upon first learning of it, he had immediately sent word to his father, Grand Sovereign Mi Kong.
At present, Grand Sovereign Mi Kong was in fact in Great Compassion City.
As he watched the City of No Return, the aura of a Sovereign streaked across the sky from time to time.
Envy flashed in his eyes. "If only these Sovereigns were at my command, how wonderful that would be."
Sovereign Mi Luo wandered the city for half a day before finally returning to his inn.
As night fell, Sovereign Mi Luo sat in meditation with his eyes closed.
A single candle was lit in the room.
Suddenly, the candlelight flickered, and a figure clad in black crept furtively into Sovereign Mi Luo's room.
Sovereign Mi Luo opened his eyes, his expression chilling. "You're here?"
"Greetings, Young Master!" The newcomer was unexpectedly a Sovereign, yet before Sovereign Mi Luo, an equal in rank, he showed utter servility.
This Sovereign had originally been a peak Terrestrial Myth serving Sovereign Mi Luo.
Sovereign Mi Luo had made him swear an inner demon oath and sent him secretly to the City of No Return according to his instructions, where he had ultimately broken through to become a Sovereign.
There was far more than just this one Sovereign like him.
Apart from the first few sermons, where nearly everyone who came had clean backgrounds and genuinely sought breakthrough,
many among those who came to the City of No Return later harbored ulterior motives.
The moles planted in the City of No Return by Sovereign Mi Luo and his father went far beyond just one.
All had sworn inner demon oaths and were thoroughly trustworthy.
"How are things proceeding?" Sovereign Mi Luo asked in a deep voice.
"Reporting to Young Master, this Blood Palace... is not as terrifying as imagined.
"The members within are quite loosely organized, with no real loyalty to speak of.
"As long as we strike and take down the Blood Lord, those people might not lift a finger to save him—they might even applaud!" the black-robed man said in a low voice.
His words made plenty of sense.
Great kindness often breeds deep resentment.
The human heart was unpredictable.
The Blood Palace had been established for far too short a time; it possessed no guiding tenets, let alone any unified objective.
All the Sovereigns fought for themselves, devoid of loyalty.
Toward the Blood Lord, many Sovereigns felt gratitude, but others harbored fear and grievances.
They did not wish... for the Blood Lord to preach the Dao any longer, nor did they wish for more Sovereigns to emerge in this realm.
After all, if Sovereigns became too commonplace, their own status as Sovereigns would no longer seem so precious.
Sovereign Mi Luo nodded. "What of the Blood Lord's strength? What has been discovered?"
He had already posed this question to several undercover agents.
"The Blood Lord's strength is unfathomable, but when he once slew demonic monstrosities, the cultivation he displayed was roughly at the mid Sovereign stage. He is nothing to fear," the black-robed Sovereign answered.
Worry shadowed Sovereign Mi Luo's face. "Even if he is merely at the mid Sovereign stage, I still harbor some apprehension."
Indeed, the Blood Lord's ability to preach the Dao and grant comprehension of the origin was baffling enough on its own; he could not be treated as an ordinary person.
However, wealth and honor had to be seized amidst danger, and his father's lifespan was nearing its end. That was why his father had joined hands with several Grand Sovereigns to plot against the City of No Return.
In their view, for the Guardian of the City of No Return to preach the Dao and assist others into the Sovereign realm, the most likely explanation was that he possessed a Slate of Fate.
Other than that, there was no other explanation.
"Young Master, the Blood Lord merely looks mysterious. In truth, he is completely mad. Furthermore... his cultivation method seems to have induced qi deviation, causing him to constantly forget things," the black-robed figure urged again.
What he said was also the reality.
Anyone who had interacted with the Blood Lord could sense that his words and conduct were bizarre.
Moreover, for a Sovereign to have poor memory—and visibly not be faking it—was truly preposterous.
Hearing this, Mi Luo's eyes grew deep. "I still fear unexpected mishaps. What if... it is all an act?"
The black-robed man hurriedly urged, "If you do not replace the Blood Lord today, other Sovereigns will surely replace him tomorrow!"
This black-robed man was the very epitome of great kindness breeding resentment.
Serving under the Blood Lord made him feel profoundly ill at ease, and guilt gnawed at his heart.
If he wanted that guilt to vanish, then it was best for the Blood Lord to simply die.
Mi Luo's expression turned complicated at his words. "This matter... we shall discuss further."
Hearing this, the black-robed man could only withdraw.
In the inn, only Sovereign Mi Luo's solitary murmur remained:
"May this endeavor... succeed in one stroke!"
"If we succeed, my Mi family will become the number one hegemon of... the Liufeng Realm!"
In truth, he and his father had been plotting this for years!
They had allied with other Sovereigns, continuously sending Terrestrial Myths bound by inner demon oaths of loyalty into the City of No Return.
Within the City of No Return, many Sovereigns were loyal to him.
As for intelligence on the City of No Return, a vast amount was dispatched to Great Compassion City every day.
It flowed in through diverse channels.
These loyal subordinates differed from one another, yet the information they transmitted was largely consistent.
"Next time, once the thousand-person sermon assembly concludes, we must make our move!" Sovereign Mi Luo knew that if they did not strike soon, it would be too late.
The number of Terrestrial Myths he could channel into the City of No Return had reached its limit.
If another century passed and the City of No Return wound up with tens of thousands of Sovereigns,
plotting against it would be utter fantasy.
Now was the best opportunity.
The longer they waited, the slimmer the chances would become.
This time, quite a few Sovereigns from both the Southern and Northern Lands were cooperating, keeping information tightly locked down in order to plot against the City of No Return and make one grand gamble.
"May the Blood Lord truly be only at the mid Sovereign stage."
"May his refusal to make cultivators swear inner demon oaths of loyalty before preaching truly be because of his madness."
"May this endeavor... succeed!"
With three successive wishes, Sovereign Mi Luo revealed the cautious unease lingering in his heart.
***
Within the City of No Return, crowds bustled, horses and carriages streaming past in an endless flow.
Wang Gai and Li Yunzhi sat in a tavern, drinking together.
Wang Gai sighed. "A storm is brewing."
Presently, over two thousand peak Terrestrial Myths had arrived in the City of No Return.
Before long, these two thousand peak Terrestrial Myths would listen to the Blood Lord preach the Dao together and step into the Sovereign realm.
Li Yunzhi looked at his close friend and asked in a hushed voice, "Have you noticed that lately, something feels off about the City of No Return?"
Hearing this, Wang Gai's expression shifted slightly. "A bit, yes."
The Blood Palace currently possessed one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five Sovereigns.
To be honest, this number had almost surpassed the total count of Sovereigns in the entire Southern Lands.
Of course, among so many Sovereigns, not a single one was at the mid Sovereign stage.
"Yesterday, someone approached me," Li Yunzhi stammered hesitatingly.
Wang Gai looked at Li Yunzhi, his expression grim. "Speak plainly. I won't tell a soul."
Li Yunzhi looked at his dear friend, struggled internally for a moment, and sent a voice transmission to Wang Gai.
The gist of it was that a Sovereign had hinted that major upheaval might soon rock the Blood Palace, warning him not to take sides lightly.
After finishing the transmission, Li Yunzhi asked with an uneasy face, "Do you think... the Blood Palace is about to tear itself apart?"
"Someone wants to move against Lord Blood Lord?" A chill washed over Wang Gai's face.
Seeing that things had reached this point, Li Yunzhi no longer beat around the bush. "Tell me, having received the Blood Lord's grace, when the time comes, should we..."
He was deeply conflicted.
Emotionally, he wanted to repay the kindness of the Blood Lord's sermon.
Rationally, for matters to have progressed to such a stage, it meant the enemies came with ferocious momentum and had laid their trap long ago.
If he rashly intervened, he would likely only lose his life, utterly unable to alter the outcome or affect the broader situation.
"A bunch of clownish buffoons dare raise a hand against Lord Blood Lord?!" Wang Gai was furious.
Back then, the sight of the Blood Lord slaughtering over twenty Sovereigns was still deeply etched into his mind.
Were Sovereigns powerful?
In the Blood Lord's eyes, they were likely as fragile as ants.
Among those twenty-odd Sovereigns, ten had even been at the mid Sovereign stage, and all were Sovereigns of the Northern Lands.
Yet before the Blood Lord, they could not even withstand a single bout.
Watching the spectacle back then, Wang Gai had felt that had the Blood Lord turned on them as well, they would have met the very same fate as those Northern Sovereigns.
Regrettably, Li Yunzhi had been delayed by personal matters and hadn't been present on that occasion.
Otherwise, had Li Yunzhi known the Blood Lord's unfathomable might, he wouldn't be worrying over this in the slightest.
No matter how many Sovereigns gathered, before the Blood Lord, they were nothing more than heads of cabbage.
"Wang Gai, do you happen to know something?" Seeing Wang Gai place such complete trust in the Blood Lord, Li Yunzhi couldn't help but ask.
Wang Gai broke into a smile. "Rest assured, no matter how many conspiracies and schemes they hatch, none can harm the Blood Lord."
"You bastard, you really do know something!" Li Yunzhi said, annoyed.
It was an exasperating feeling.
"Could it be that the Blood Lord saw through the plot long ago?" Li Yunzhi guessed, though he still felt something was amiss. "With a loose organization like the Blood Palace, almost no one is truly loyal to the Blood Lord. How on earth can he win?"
Since the other side dared make a move, they were certainly fully prepared. There might even be Grand Sovereigns involved.
"Could it be..." Li Yunzhi's eyes widened. "The Blood Lord is the White Emperor's illegitimate son?"
At that, Wang Gai spat out a mouthful of tea. "That's an insult to the Blood Lord! Stop guessing!"
In Wang Gai's heart, the Blood Lord was an existence far more terrifying than even the White Emperor.
The White Emperor was indeed mighty, but was he as... horrifying as the Blood Lord?
The Blood Lord was not human at all; he was a fiendgod!
***
Upon the walls of the City of No Return.
This section was forbidden to ordinary people.
Only Chen Huan and Yuan Qi were permitted to ascend.
And, naturally, Qi Yuan and Xiao Jia.
At this moment, Qi Yuan, clad in crimson robes, had his arm around Xiao Jia as they stood atop the wall.
"Tightening too many screws means taking a break to breathe some fresh air."
As always, Xiao Jia leaned against Qi Yuan. A wooden slate carved with a smiling face slipped from her sleeve and dropped into Qi Yuan's hand.
"If only you could take human form," Qi Yuan said, looking at Xiao Jia. The game took a long time, but fortunately Xiao Jia had always been there by his side.
Xiao Jia stood quietly beside Qi Yuan, neither speaking nor making a sound.
"Lately, my memory comes and goes," Qi Yuan murmured reminiscently. "When I entered the Gate of Myriad Manifestations to comprehend the origin, I nearly sank into the state of 'Oblivion.'
"Besides hearing Canary's calls, I also seemed to feel someone constantly tugging at the corner of my hem.
"Xiao Jia, was that you?"
During this period, Qi Yuan had been attempting to break through to the Subtle level of the Great Oblivion Heart Scripture.
Fragmented scenes kept surfacing inexplicably in his mind.
For example, when he was submerged in the state of "Oblivion," a hand had continually clutched his hem.
These were images he was only now beginning to recall.
From Xiao Jia's sleeve slipped another wooden slate.
A drawing of a hand tugging a sleeve.
"It really was you." Qi Yuan tried to tap Xiao Jia's nose, but his hand touched empty air.
He wasn't disheartened and kept his arm around Xiao Jia, pondering, "Did something else happen inside the Gate of Myriad Manifestations that I forgot?"
He had a premonition.
Once he remembered everything completely, the Great Oblivion Heart Scripture might just reach the Subtle level.
When that time came, he would possess even greater confidence.
As he was now, he was merely invincible within the same realm.
As for the White Emperor and the Venerable, he had encountered neither and did not know just how powerful the two truly were.
He wondered whether they were as powerful as a Yin God.
If so, beating this game would be somewhat tough.
"Pity that demonic monstrosities have their limits. If I want to level up further, don't tell me I have to slaughter everyone in this world?"
Qi Yuan was no homicidal maniac, nor was he selfish to such an extreme.
"If only there were a new place to grind levels."
At present, merely slaying demonic monstrosities yielded minimal gains for him.
He would need to kill some Sovereigns instead.
"It's truly strange. Where exactly is the ceiling of this world? How can it produce so many Sovereigns without depleting its resources?" Qi Yuan sank into thought once more. "Or could it be draining the pond to catch all the fish?"
Generally speaking, in a normal world, the number of top powerhouses roughly hovered around a fixed limit.
In this world, there were far too many Sovereigns, yet experts on the level of the Venerable and the White Emperor were far too few.
It defied the standard pyramidal structure.
Meanwhile, deep within the White Emperor Palace.
The paramount powerhouse of the Southern Lands, the White Emperor, whose aura was paper-thin with weakness, opened his eyes. A complex light flickered deep within his gaze. "The Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends... have they already reached the Ends of the Earth?"
"I hope this time... our efforts will not fall short at the final hurdle.
"The grievances... should be settled as well.
"Honored Master... if you were still here, what would you do?
"Last time, when heaven and earth convulsed and it seemed the sermon on Mount Jiupan had reappeared, was it... the drop of blood you left behind undergoing reincarnation and manifesting in this world?
"Our fellow Daoists within the Gate of Myriad Demons cannot hold out much longer."
Desolation filled the White Emperor's eyes.
His shoulder supported the broader situation of the Southern Lands, but it wasn't merely the Southern Lands he bore—it was the entire Liufeng Realm.
The battlefield of this realm lay not only in the North-South Accord.
The North-South Accord was merely for eradicating demonic monstrosities.
The enemies of the Liufeng Realm were far more than just demonic monstrosities.
There were demons as well!
The greater battlefield lay within the Gate of Myriad Demons.
"Back then, Honored Master suppressed the Gate of Myriad Fiends single-handedly, wiping out the demonic monstrosities.
"Now, the Gate of Myriad Demons... we must suppress as well!"
Tens of thousands of years ago, Honored Master, the Blood Lord, stepped into the Gate of Myriad Fiends to suppress myriad devils, nearly perishing in the process.
Under the guidance of the Slate of Fate, the Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends—who were none other than the White Emperor's fellow junior disciples back then—resolutely chose to step into the Gate of Myriad Demons to awaken their master.
This act had indeed awakened the Blood Lord.
Once awakened, the Blood Lord exerted immense might to purge the entire Gate of Myriad Fiends.
Thereafter, he perished, leaving only a single drop of blood that flowed forth from the Gate of Myriad Fiends before vanishing without a trace.
The threat within the Gate of Myriad Fiends was exhausted.
Yet who could have foreseen that within the Gate of Myriad Demons, endless demons also ran rampant, striving to break free?
At the time, the White Emperor had harbored suspicions that the Slate of Fate directing them into the Gate of Myriad Demons was precisely what had opened it.
However, the deed was done and could not be undone.
"May we... succeed."
If success was attained this time, the state of the Liufeng Realm could endure for another three hundred years.
If they failed, the entire Liufeng Realm would truly become a playground for demons and fiends.
"Yanran... was it the Slate of Fate that influenced you?"
The White Emperor sighed softly, filled with boundless sorrow.
It was time for this avatar of his to merge with his true body and enter the Gate of Myriad Demons.
The situation within the Gate of Myriad Demons was far from optimistic.
***
Within the City of No Return, Sovereigns gathered in clouds.
For dozens of li outside the city, not a single living, running demonic monstrosity had been seen in many years.
Presently, the City of No Return was so secure that it practically required no guarding from Qi Yuan at all.
At this moment, powerhouses congregated within the City of No Return.
Two thousand peak Terrestrial Myths gathered in one place, their faces displaying all manner of expressions.
Some were anxious, some expectant, some apprehensive.
Several Sovereigns also stood among the crowd; having captured large quantities of demonic monstrosities, they had earned the opportunity to listen to the sermon once more.
Wang Gai and Li Yunzhi were likewise amid the throng.
Compared to Wang Gai's composure, Li Yunzhi now appeared visibly unsettled.
Unease churned inside him, and he looked exceedingly nervous.
"Wang Gai, how are you not nervous in the slightest?" Li Yunzhi couldn't resist sending a voice transmission.
For just moments ago, he had spotted Sovereign Mi Luo.
The former Guardian of Great Compassion City.
"Why should I be nervous? If a bunch of cabbages came baring fangs and brandishing claws to cause you trouble, would you be nervous?" Wang Gai remained utterly calm, even eagerly anticipating what was about to unfold.
Ever since witnessing the Blood Lord make his move that time, Wang Gai had come to regard the Blood Lord as the one true god, the Child of Destiny!
Were he not the Child of Destiny, how could he be so terrifying?
"You bastard, keeping everything you know to yourself. If I knew, I wouldn't be this worried either," Li Yunzhi grumbled indignantly.
Evidently, Wang Gai knew far more than he did.
"You don't need to do anything later. Just do what... Sovereign Yang Hun does... and fawn over him." Wang Gai glanced at Sovereign Yang Hun, only to see that powerful Sovereign behaving like a lapdog.
Just as Wang Gai's voice faded, an unfathomable aura swept across the area.
Everyone present ceased their chatter, looking up at the crimson-robed figure atop the city wall with awe and reverence written across their faces.
"Greetings, Blood Lord!"
"Greetings, Blood Lord!"
Their voices rolled like thunderclaps.
This was vastly livelier than the sermon on Mount Jiupan had been.
Regrettably, these people were nowhere near as pure and guileless as those on Mount Jiupan; many harbored wicked intent.
Standing in the crowd, Sovereign Mi Luo watched hundreds of Sovereigns salute Qi Yuan, yearning blazing in his eyes.
He wished desperately that he were the one standing up there.
His state of mind was turbulent at this moment,
filled with the tense urgency that preceded a monumental undertaking.
Right then, Qi Yuan's gaze fell upon Sovereign Mi Luo, causing Mi Luo's heart to lurch violently.
Then he heard the Blood Lord's ethereal voice: "Sovereign Mi Luo, you hesitate as if holding back words. Is there something you wish to say?"
At these words, thoughts raced through Sovereign Mi Luo's mind.
Could it be... I've been exposed?
Forcing himself to remain calm, he spoke slowly: "The Blood Lord is truly worthy of his name, keeping all living beings in his heart and preaching the Dao for all creation without demanding a single sliver in return."
He was genuinely praising him, albeit with a touch of exaggeration.
"If it were me, I could never accomplish such a feat," Sovereign Mi Luo continued.
"If it were you, what would you do?" Qi Yuan asked, an inscrutable smile in his eyes.
"If it were me, I would certainly require them to swear an inner demon oath before preaching, granting instruction only to those who pledge loyalty to me," Sovereign Mi Luo replied, voicing his honest thoughts.
This was likely the sentiment of most Sovereigns as well.
Hence, the Blood Lord's preaching had always struck them as baffling.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing Sovereign Mi Luo's words, Qi Yuan assumed a thoughtful look. "What you say... seems quite reasonable. How about... today, all of you swear an inner demon oath... pledging loyalty to me?"
Qi Yuan looked at the Terrestrial Myths below, a smile curling on his lips.
The Terrestrial Myths below exchanged glances in dismay, some utterly terrified.
Cold sweat seeped from Sovereign Mi Luo's palms.
If an inner demon oath was truly demanded, the agents they had concealed among these Terrestrial Myths would inevitably be exposed.
He was in a sheer panic now.
For some reason, an inescapable feeling gnawed at him that he had been seen right through.
Just then, Qi Yuan suddenly chuckled. "Just kidding. What use do I have for your loyalty?"
How could loyalty possibly be worth as much as lives?
"Let the sermon... begin."
Chapter 125