More than two thousand Terrestrial Myths and several hundred Sovereigns gathered within the barbican.
Draped in a blood-red robe, Qi Yuan sat cross-legged atop the city wall.
His gaze was sacred, his voice ethereal like celestial music.
The moment he began preaching the Dao, everyone present became utterly entranced.
Even Sovereign Mi Luo, harboring malicious intent, felt as if he were constantly drifting between an immortal realm and purgatory.
The crowd remained captivated as time slipped quietly through their fingers.
Outside the City of No Return, three terrifying auras lay dormant.
The leader was none other than Sovereign Mi Luo's father, Grand Sovereign Mi Kong.
An odd expression hung on his face. "Even with the aid of the Slate of Fate, this Blood Lord's talent is startling enough."
"The Way of the Human-Demon is the way of human nature. One must thoroughly fathom human nature or obsess over a single notion to comprehend the origin. And to preach this Dao requires at least... deep worldly wisdom, seeing through the intrinsic nature of all things under heaven. Unfortunately, this also signifies... muddle-headed confusion," another Grand Sovereign sighed. "The Blood Lord's madness is no feint. To thoroughly fathom the power of human-demons is something even a Grand Sovereign cannot endure. Becoming unhinged and crazy is only natural."
The three present were all Grand Sovereigns.
They had already engraved their origin divine abilities onto their bodies and divine souls.
They possessed an even deeper understanding of the Way of the Human-Demon.
This path was truly frenzied and chaotic; the deeper one's cultivation realm, the more profoundly one was affected by it.
Among the supreme figures still remaining in the mortal world, like the White Emperor and the Venerable, not a single one walked this path.
Otherwise, no one could tell whether they would suddenly go mad.
With the help of the Slate of Fate, the Blood Lord was able to explain the chaotic Way of the Human-Demon clearly, allowing Terrestrial Myths to come into direct contact with the origin. One could say the Blood Lord had sunk too deeply into the Way of the Human-Demon, on the verge of collapsing into madness at any moment.
If even a Grand Sovereign could not withstand it, let alone... the Blood Lord.
"Once the Slate of Fate is in our hands, we must not follow the Blood Lord's example and become too entangled with it. Each of us shall hold the Slate of Fate for seven years, taking turns," proposed Grand Sovereign Yellow Brows, who hailed from the Northern Lands.
This proposal was also something they had agreed upon beforehand.
"No objections," spoke a woman with long blue hair, her voice icy. "I enjoy studying bizarre things most of all. Two-thirds of the Blood Lord's body must be left to me; I wish to examine it thoroughly."
Grand Sovereign Mi Kong chuckled and said, "When we strike later, we must not be too ferocious. If we slap the Blood Lord into pieces, Grand Sovereign Ice Snow won't be able to study him."
Grand Sovereign Yellow Brows smiled faintly, though worry lingered in his eyes. "My brow has been twitching nonstop. I know not whether it bodes good or ill."
"What? What more do you have to worry about?" Grand Sovereign Mi Kong asked.
"Daoist Purple's disappearance in the Land of a Thousand Blood-Falling Cities is truly bizarre." Grand Sovereign Yellow Brows felt somewhat uneasy.
Upon hearing this, Grand Sovereign Mi Kong felt utter disdain in his heart. They had discussed this matter countless times, yet this old fellow Yellow Brows was still fretting.
"Even if that Blood Lord managed to execute Daoist Purple with the help of the Slate of Fate, we have... over a thousand Sovereigns serving us. Even if the White Emperor himself showed up, he would have to think twice, let alone the Blood Lord!" Grand Sovereign Mi Kong comforted him helplessly.
His lifespan was nearing its end; he had to succeed.
Over the years, the three Grand Sovereigns had joined forces to gradually funnel peak Terrestrial Myths into the City of No Return. Counting those attending this sermon, there were a full fifteen hundred of them.
One could say the prosperity of the City of No Return was inextricably tied to their contributions.
Grand Sovereign Ice Snow spoke indifferently, "If we delay any longer, we won't be the only ones coveting the Blood Lord."
Grand Sovereign Yellow Brows pressed his twitching brow. "Fine!"
Hearing this, Grand Sovereign Mi Kong chuckled. "Let us discuss once more how to divide the spoils."
Discussing such things was always thrilling and joyful.
After all, this opportunity was even greater than their breakthrough to Grand Sovereign.
***
Atop the city wall, the sermon concluded.
The crowd below sat upright, some frowning, some deep in thought.
Standing on the wall, Qi Yuan murmured to himself, "This sermon of mine was considerably more earnest than the previous few. You had better not let me down."
As Qi Yuan's voice faded, a man in the barbican abruptly stood up, the power of origin erupting from his body.
Though his eyes were tightly shut, the irrepressible joy on his face was unmistakable.
A Sovereign!
Some Sovereigns awakened from their enlightenment and looked at the newly ascended Sovereign with complex expressions.
Following that Terrestrial Myth's breakthrough, Sovereign after Sovereign sprang up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
In just a few shichen, the number of newly ascended Sovereigns in the barbican broke past a thousand.
This practically rivaled a millennium of accumulation in the Liufeng Realm.
Sovereign Mi Luo opened his eyes, awe brimming within them.
Hearing reports was nothing compared to the shock of witnessing it with his own eyes.
He glanced up at the Blood Lord on the wall of the City of No Return, an exceedingly audacious thought flashing through his mind.
Soon... he could take his place.
Wait... wait... wait until all the undercover agents had stepped into the Sovereign realm.
Half a day passed. For working stiffs, it was a tormenting day, but for someone on vacation, it was far too short—barely had one woken up and fooled around a bit before the day was over.
For those breaking through to Sovereign, time felt fleeting, so brief it seemed surreal.
Yet to Sovereign Mi Luo, this afternoon felt exceptionally long.
Finally, after the last Terrestrial Myth stepped into the Sovereign realm, all two thousand-plus Terrestrial Myths present had attained it.
Just like before, these two thousand-plus figures bowed in salute toward Qi Yuan in unison.
"Our humble thanks to the Blood Lord for his benevolence in bestowing the Dao!"
More than a thousand Sovereigns shouted in unison, their voices carrying dozens of li and echoing throughout the City of No Return.
At the very least, in this unified roar, there was a measure of sincerity.
Qi Yuan stood upon the wall, a languid expression on his face. "Finally, it's over."
An ending could just as easily be a beginning.
Saying that, he seemed poised to leave.
Right then, a voice suddenly drifted from the crowd.
"Things are not over yet." The one speaking was none other than Sovereign Mi Luo, who had been biding his time for a long while.
The voice was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears, and it reached Qi Yuan's ears as well.
The moment he spoke, the gazes of several thousand Sovereigns fell upon him.
Hundreds of Sovereigns looked toward Sovereign Mi Luo with complicated expressions.
Some were astonished, some frightened, and others bewildered and uneasy.
Li Yunzhi stood amidst the crowd, looking at Sovereign Mi Luo while cursing under his breath, "This guy is finally going to stir up trouble."
Worry filled his eyes.
Unless one was an utter fool, anyone could see that many Sovereigns were moving toward Sovereign Mi Luo, seemingly picking sides.
Among them were quite a few veteran Sovereigns.
Qi Yuan looked down at Sovereign Mi Luo. "Not over yet? Then hurry it up, I'm busy."
Sovereign Mi Luo felt unnerved seeing how calm Qi Yuan was, but he knew that at this stage, the arrow was nocked and had to be loosed.
He barked loudly, "Today's matter is a personal grievance between the Blood Lord and me! Everyone... need only watch! If you interfere and end up dead here, don't blame me!"
Sovereign Mi Luo laid down his harsh warning.
Following his voice, more and more Sovereigns surged toward him.
Even "veteran" Sovereigns from the City of No Return hurried over to his side.
In just a few dozen breaths, Sovereign Mi Luo was flanked by over a thousand Sovereigns.
Over a thousand Sovereigns gathered together, the aura they exuded enough to shake everyone to the core.
The other thousand-plus Sovereigns in the square remained like a sheet of loose sand, their faces fraught with shock and uncertainty.
A tall, burly Sovereign stepped forward, emotionally agitated. "What are you doing?! The Blood Lord bestowed upon us the comprehension of origin, helping us become Sovereigns! The moment you become Sovereigns, you turn around and betray him?!"
He furiously berated Sovereign Mi Luo and the Sovereigns gathered behind him.
After his tirade, he shouted to those behind him, "Everyone, join me in defending him! They have the numbers, and the Blood Lord needs us!"
Among the thousand-plus Sovereigns behind him, only a mere few dozen stepped forward.
The rest wore varying expressions; some hesitated, some felt uneasy, and some even contemplated crossing over to Sovereign Mi Luo's side.
Sovereign Mi Luo looked at the burly Sovereign with disdain in his eyes.
Human nature... was selfish through and through.
Any fleeting glimmer of nobility was like the stars in the celestial dome of ancient legends.
When the stars were gone, where would any light remain?
Still, Sovereign Mi Luo smiled and said, "Do not be deceived by the Blood Lord! The Blood Lord was originally a young prodigy who earned my father's deep esteem; my father, Grand Sovereign Mi Kong, even considered betrothing my younger sister to him. Yet who could have known this villain possessed an evil heart? He seduced and bewitched my sister into stealing a supreme treasure from my father! It was solely by relying on that supreme treasure that he attained his present achievements! My grudge against the Blood Lord runs deep. I advise everyone not to interfere!"
No matter the circumstance, one still needed a veneer of righteousness.
Sure enough, as soon as this claim emerged, some Sovereigns who had already been too fearful to step up to protect the Blood Lord chimed in.
"No wonder the Blood Lord could preach the Dao—turns out he stole Grand Sovereign Mi Kong's treasure! I refuse to defend such a despicable villain!" Certain Sovereigns found a convenient excuse not to intervene, setting their consciences at ease.
Some opportunists even called out, "Sovereign Mi Luo, may we join you to execute this despicable scoundrel?"
"Most welcome," Sovereign Mi Luo replied with a smile.
The other side also had over a thousand Sovereigns, perhaps even outnumbering his own, but that thousand-plus could not unite as one rope.
They posed no threat whatsoever.
Instantly, nearly a hundred more Sovereigns joined Sovereign Mi Luo's side.
Sovereign Mi Luo's smugness grew even stronger.
"Blood Lord... surrender the supreme treasure and slit your own throat to atone for your crimes," Sovereign Mi Luo pressed, backed by over a thousand Sovereigns.
Qi Yuan stood upon the wall, excessively calm. "Just you lot? Is there no one else?"
"Heheh, the Blood Lord truly lives up to his name. Remarkable courage indeed!"
A hearty laugh rang out.
Three Grand Sovereigns appeared, exuding mighty auras. They descended into the City of No Return, placing the thousand-plus Sovereigns in front of them as a shield.
They were Grand Sovereigns, possessing extraordinary power.
The moment the three appeared, they were like iron pillars anchoring the sea; the Sovereigns who had newly defected to Sovereign Mi Luo felt their hearts settle at once.
Separated from Qi Yuan by more than a thousand Sovereigns, the three Grand Sovereigns looked at him with fervent eyes.
At this moment, the Blood Lord was unnaturally calm.
This only deepened their suspicion that the Blood Lord had long gone stark mad.
Otherwise, even if the White Emperor stood in the Blood Lord's place, he would not be this nonchalant.
Of course, confident as the three Grand Sovereigns were, they did not stand before the thousand Sovereigns, positioning themselves behind them instead.
Who knew whether the Blood Lord possessed some terrifying trump card? If he traded his life to drag one of them down, it would be far too tragic.
"Blood Lord, three of us Grand Sovereigns and over seventeen hundred Sovereigns sending you on your way—are you satisfied?" Grand Sovereign Mi Kong declared, brimming with high spirits.
When had he ever commanded over a thousand Sovereigns before?
As long as they killed the Blood Lord, everything belonging to him... would be theirs.
With the aid of the Slate of Fate, they might even surpass the legendary White Emperor.
Even if they entered the battlefield of the Gate of Myriad Demons, they would secure a place of dominance and could even bargain with the legendary Venerable.
Was not the Venerable so formidable precisely because he possessed a piece of the Slate of Fate?
In the crowd, Li Yunzhi was filled with worry. "Old Gai, how can the Blood Lord possibly turn the tables? There are a full seventeen hundred Sovereigns!"
Seventeen hundred Sovereigns—treated like worthless cabbages!
Surrounded and besieged by such a terrifying force led by three Grand Sovereigns, even if the White Emperor himself arrived in person, he could not break this death trap.
"You... will find out soon enough." Wang Gai touched his back. A cool sensation brushed against his fingers; it was almost his turn to take the stage.
At that moment, Qi Yuan, standing on the city wall, smiled as well. "Did you think that when you plotted against me, I didn't notice at all, that I made no preparations whatsoever?"
Hearing Qi Yuan's words, Grand Sovereign Mi Kong's heart skipped a beat.
The seventeen hundred Sovereigns felt a sliver of apprehension as well.
Then Qi Yuan said, "I have also prepared a grand gift for you all."
With that, Qi Yuan produced a cup in his hand and lightly tossed it down from the city wall.
Seeing this, the thousand-plus Sovereigns could not help stepping back half a pace.
Even the three Grand Sovereigns were startled into taking several steps back.
The cup tumbled from the wall, and apart from a dull thud, practically nothing happened.
Wang Gai glanced at the intact cup, an odd expression on his face.
This was a bit different from what they had agreed upon, wasn't it?
The three thousand-plus Sovereigns present looked terrified and bewildered, staring at Qi Yuan, wondering what trick he had up his sleeve.
Then Qi Yuan beamed and said, "Aiya, I used a silver cup as a signal to throw down, but it didn't smash. How embarrassing. Well, smashed or not... come out, the grand gift I prepared for you all!"
At Qi Yuan's call, Grand Sovereign Mi Kong, Grand Sovereign Ice Snow, and Grand Sovereign Yellow Brows felt their hearts tighten.
He truly had a trump card?
If so... this was going to be a battle to the death!
Following Qi Yuan's voice, one hundred Sovereigns from below flew up to the city wall.
Among these hundred was Wang Gai, of course.
These hundred were also Sovereigns who had witnessed Qi Yuan in action before.
Seeing these people land on the wall, Qi Yuan felt completely assured. "With them here, what do you have to fight me with?"
Below, the three Grand Sovereigns exchanged glances.
A sense of absurdity washed over them.
It was normal for the Blood Lord to have a hundred Sovereigns willing to lay down their lives in loyalty.
But expecting to stop over a thousand with just a hundred Sovereigns?
Was he an idiot?
The three Grand Sovereigns felt that the Blood Lord was genuinely sick in the head—not acting, and severely afflicted at that.
To think they had been so wary of this lunatic for so long, devising countless plans and contingencies. Looking back now, it was utterly laughable.
The Blood Lord stood on the city wall, facing the thousand-plus Sovereigns before him, and broke into a grin.
"To deal with you, I assembled an orchestra. That shows you plenty of respect, doesn't it?"
Back in the Canglan Realm, Qi Yuan had often thought that playing some background music during battle would make things much more atmospheric.
Unfortunately, back in the Canglan Realm, he didn't have so many lackeys and could only play music from jade slips, which severely diminished the effect.
Now that he was the Blood Lord, the one thing he didn't lack was manpower.
"A hundred Sovereigns playing music to send you off to your graves—stylish enough for you?"
Qi Yuan snapped his fingers.
The hundred Sovereigns clad in blood-red robes looked solemn and dignified as they brought out a wide array of musical instruments.
Xiao flutes, transverse flutes, horns, gongs, drums, suonas, sheng mouth organs, cymbals, erhus... everything one could imagine.
The five at the very front, including Wang Gai, held instruments resembling suonas.
This scene struck everyone present as utterly ludicrous.
"Strike up the music." Qi Yuan took a step forward.
Wang Gai gripped the suona and blew with all his might.
*Wuwu—*
The moment the suona sounded, a shrill, piercing wail rang out like a funeral dirge.
Sustained and high-pitched, like weeping and mourning.
Those hundred-odd Sovereigns resembled musicians at a funeral, their expressions solemn and grave.
In the dry desert, only that shrill, piercing music could be heard.
Qi Yuan immediately got into the groove.
"Hearing the suona for the first time, one knows not its tune; hearing it again, one is already the person in the coffin.
"Pity I haven't prepared any coffins for you, so you can't even be called persons in the coffin!"
As the music played, Qi Yuan stepped off the wall, walking through the air step by step toward the thousand-plus Sovereigns.
Qi Yuan felt a wave of sentiment in his heart.
With a hundred Sovereigns blowing suonas, his combat power felt even stronger.
Too bad such a thing couldn't be replicated in the Canglan Realm.
Otherwise, he would find several hundred Sovereigns every day to blow suonas outside the Palace of Light.
The thousand-plus Sovereigns exchanged glances.
The sound of the suona was indeed steeped in sorrow, but this was... far too ridiculous.
Grand Sovereign Mi Kong's expression darkened.
This Blood Lord really was a madman!
"Kill him!" Grand Sovereign Mi Kong commanded.
The thousand-plus Sovereigns hesitated for an instant before finally preparing to strike.
Right then, Qi Yuan halted his steps.
"Have you ever seen... a thousand demons running amok, blood showering the mortal world?"
Virtual Realm Sovereign's Inner Demon Summons!
In that instant, Qi Yuan's long-brewing origin divine ability surged forward like floodwaters bursting through a dam.
Amidst the suona's wails, blood rain drifted down, falling around the thousand-plus Sovereigns.
Seeing this, the Sovereigns instinctively moved to ward off the blood rain.
Yet the blood rain seemed incorporeal; it could not be blocked, nor could it be touched.
And yet... as it fell upon their bodies, something terrifying transpired!
Qi Yuan, like a blood-drenched god of death, sat poised in the void, a cruel smile in his eyes.
"Keep playing the music! Keep slaughtering!"
Virtual Realm Sovereign's Inner Demon Summons!
Amidst the suona's dirge, countless screams of horror rang out. Those exceedingly powerful Sovereigns now looked as though they were witnessing the most terrifying monster in this world.
Some wailed relentlessly, others wept uncontrollably.
Terrifying demonic monstrosities crawled out from their bodies.
They were like utterly helpless newborn babes, completely unable to resist.
Beneath Qi Yuan's origin divine ability, inner demons spawned en masse within a thousand Sovereigns.
The menacing army of Sovereigns collapsed in an instant.
Mournful music echoed, carrying the sorrow of the living mourning the dead.
Within the barbican, over seventeen hundred Sovereigns bared twisted grimaces, tearing into themselves, devouring their own flesh.
On the field, only the music and the agonizing screams of those thousand-plus Sovereigns could be heard.
The scene was... exceptionally grotesque.
Li Yunzhi and the remaining thousand-odd Sovereigns watched this scene without a single word.
What in the world... was this?
A single divine ability unleashed,
and inner demons burst from the bodies of a thousand Sovereigns!
Even Sovereign Mi Luo, a veteran Sovereign from outside the City of No Return, met the same gruesome fate.
This scene was truly... horrifying.
How was the Blood Lord some naturally born sacred being? He was an indisputable... god of slaughter!
The thousand-plus surviving Sovereigns swallowed hard, sheer terror stamped on their faces.
Did this not mean that if the Blood Lord wished, he could also execute them... in an instant?
Everyone was shaken to the core, gazing at the Sovereigns dying gruesome deaths with utter horror in their eyes.
Seeing this, the three Grand Sovereigns' eyes were filled with sheer terror for the first time.
"What... what kind of monster are you?!"
Over a thousand Sovereigns dying together, transforming the place into a demonic realm... was this a scene mortals were ever meant to witness?
Even a god could not achieve this!
Chapter 126