Having received Qi Yuan's reply, Bing Jian felt at ease.
"I need to cultivate this Ancestral Blood Art as soon as possible. Otherwise... if it spreads everywhere, my advantage will diminish."
"Blood Robe is truly remarkable. This Ancestral Blood Art feels as though it was tailored specifically for me."
Because it was custom-made, he would reap the greatest results from cultivating it.
If others cultivated it, the results would be correspondingly inferior.
"Why... does he understand my bloodline so well?"
Suddenly, Bing Jian froze.
He and Blood Robe had always had very few dealings, having met only a handful of times.
Nor had his bloodline ever been revealed to Blood Robe, so Blood Robe couldn't have obtained a sample of it.
Yet how could Blood Robe understand his bloodline so deeply?
Bing Jian jolted in shock, trembling from head to toe.
"Could it be... that I carry Blood Robe's bloodline, and that's why... he understands me so well?"
"Otherwise, why would he expend so much time and effort to revise and bestow such a precious Ancestral Blood Art upon me?"
Countless thoughts raced through Bing Jian's mind. Thinking of Blood Robe now, he felt a wave of warmth, like the radiant summer sun shining down upon him.
...
The encampment of Guiyu Heaven was called Ghost Pass.
Ghost Pass and Demon Pass were similar outposts and fortresses.
At this moment, prodigies had gathered within Ghost Pass.
"The Black Demon Abyss truly produces a constant stream of talents. Not only did they produce Hei Jian and Blood Robe, but now there's even one who lays eggs... Bing Jian." The man had a jade-like, handsome countenance, was clad in gold-filigreed dark armor, and wore a white-bone jade pendant at his waist. Mentioning Bing Jian, a look of greed flashed in his eyes.
"Is this his egg? As expected, it makes an exquisite... soul emissary."
Everyone's gaze fell upon a wooden box.
Inside the wooden box, an azure egg the size of a dinosaur egg appeared before the eyes of the prodigies.
Seeing this egg, their breathing involuntarily quickened, their eyes brimming with greed.
"This is the most perfect egg I have seen in a hundred years!"
"This ice egg is a natural-born soul emissary!"
The egg possessed only an embryonic, muddled soul.
Furthermore, it was an impeccable fit for a soul emissary.
Taking it into the Ten Thousand Soul Banner would make it the finest soul emissary.
Ordinarily, powerful soul emissaries required periodic suppression to prevent mutiny.
With this egg soul emissary, there was no need to worry about that at all.
"How could such a coincidence exist in this world? Could there be... some trick inside this ice egg?" one prodigy asked with concern.
Guiyu Heaven and the Black Demon Abyss had only just begun their war, yet a resource Guiyu Heaven desperately needed had suddenly emerged in the Black Demon Abyss.
The whole matter reeked of strangeness.
Under any conspiracy theory, there was bound to be a catch.
Mo Zhong, clad in his gold-filigreed dark armor, spoke up at this moment: "I took an ice egg to see the Old Ancestor. The Old Ancestor said... there is no issue with this ice egg."
Hearing Mo Zhong's words, the prodigies present breathed a sigh of relief.
"Since the Old Ancestor said so, it should be fine!"
"The Old Ancestor is a Great Ultimate Principle expert..."
Their hearts settled completely.
"I have received the latest news: inside the Huayue curious land, there is a large number of ice eggs," Mo Zhong said, his voice cold and stern, concealing a thread of killing intent.
Hearing this, the other prodigies all shivered.
Evidently, they had all received this information as well.
"This man Blood Robe acts bizarrely. After bringing the ice eggs into the Huayue curious land, he claimed that anyone who wants an ice egg must defeat him. Truly arrogant!" one prodigy remarked, thick killing intent in his eyes.
"He does have the right to be arrogant. Not only did he slay Mona, but he also escaped from the grasp of a Yang God Heavenly Venerable!"
"No matter how strong he is, he is just like us—merely in the Mythological realm."
These prodigies were all indignant.
Every one of them was a once-in-ten-thousand-years genius, each possessing their own pride.
Having never clashed with Blood Robe, why would they fear a mere Blood Robe?
"This time, I will enter the Huayue curious land to fight Blood Robe and seize the ice eggs. Who is willing to go with me?" Mo Zhong asked, surging with fighting intent.
"I'll go!" a prodigy declared with a ferocious gleam in his eyes. "The merit of victory and the ice eggs—I want both!"
"I'll go too!"
"That wretch Blood Robe goes too far! Does he truly believe our Guiyu Heaven has no one capable?"
Filled with righteous indignation, the prodigies clamored to go to the Huayue curious land.
Of course, there might be a scheme by the Black Demon Abyss behind this, but they couldn't care less.
In the Huayue curious land, if an ordinary Yang God entered, their cultivation would be suppressed down to the Mythological realm.
As for experts of the ultimate principles, a single move would affect the entire situation. Stationed respectively at Demon Pass and Ghost Pass, they could not act recklessly.
Furthermore, once they entered the curious land, both Guiyu Heaven and the Black Demon Abyss would deploy Yang Gods outside to confront each other.
In the early stages of the war, there was still a balance to maintain: generals against generals, soldiers against soldiers.
Of course, when dealing with prodigies, assassinations were still inevitable.
Meanwhile, inside Demon Pass, heated discussions were also underway.
"This Blood Robe... is far too reckless. Sneaking off alone to the Huayue curious land—if something were to happen to him, the morale of our Black Demon Abyss would plummet," one Yang God Heavenly Venerable said.
They had all learned of Blood Robe provoking Guiyu Heaven's prodigies in the Huayue curious land.
"Does he truly believe he can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Hei Jian?" a Yang God from Yinhun Heaven sneered, making no attempt to conceal his displeasure.
If Hei Jian had pulled something like this when he was still in the Mythological realm, they would have acknowledged it.
But Blood Robe... was merely a lesser Hei Jian.
In the minds of these Yang Gods, only Ancestor Ziyuan treated him like a treasure; in reality, he was nothing more than an oversized Bing Jian.
As for Blood Robe surviving an assassination by a Yang God, they all presumed Ancestor Ziyuan had intervened.
"Since he dared to go, it shows he has confidence," another Yang God chuckled. "It works out well. Through this battle, we can catch a glimpse of Blood Robe's talent and combat prowess, and see just how wide the gap is between him and Hei Jian."
The others nodded, not paying excessive heed to the matter.
Blood Robe was cherished only by Ancestor Ziyuan; to them, he was merely a young prodigy.
What kind of prodigy hadn't they seen?
"Ziyuan Feng, how about you act as the Dao protector this time?" a Yang God Heavenly Venerable suggested slowly, looking at Ziyuan Feng.
Ziyuan Feng was a man of few words. He nodded. "All right."
"With you there, you will surely be able to stop Guiyu Heaven's Yang God Heavenly Venerables from interfering," a Yang God said.
Not far off, Heavenly Venerable Fengshuai watched this scene, countless thoughts racing through his mind.
Ever since Blood Robe called him out as a mole last time, he had been treading on thin ice, frequently second-guessing himself.
He had never understood Blood Robe's way of doing things.
Wasn't he supposed to target Heavenly Venerable Huizeng?
Why on earth had he gone to the Huayue curious land to provoke Guiyu Heaven's prodigies instead?
Could Blood Robe have been bluffing, saying similar things to every single Yang God Heavenly Venerable?
If he had reacted or acted rashly, would he have exposed himself?
Fortunately, he had kept an extremely low profile during this period.
Right at this moment, a hearty voice rang out.
"If Blood Robe is in danger, you may take this talisman into the Huayue curious land and rescue him." Dressed in a moon-white robe, Hei Jian appeared, placing a talisman into Ziyuan Feng's hand.
Accepting the talisman, Ziyuan Feng wore a respectful expression. "Thank you, Heavenly Venerable!"
A faint smile surfaced in Hei Jian's eyes. "However, I doubt this talisman will be needed this time."
His words surprised the Heavenly Venerables present.
After all, Blood Robe was challenging numerous Guiyu Heaven prodigies all by himself.
Back when they were young, none of them would have had such audacity.
"Could it be that Senior Brother Hei Jian knows what Blood Robe is relying on and thinks highly of him?" one Yang God Heavenly Venerable couldn't help asking.
In truth, opinions varied widely regarding Blood Robe's talent.
Some claimed that Ancestor Ziyuan was simply dissatisfied with the Abyss Master, which was why he forcefully promoted Blood Robe.
Hei Jian shook his head. "I do not know. My intuition simply tells me... he will win."
"Since Senior Brother Hei Jian thinks so highly of him, it seems all we need to do this time is quietly await good news."
Within the Black Demon Abyss, strength reigned supreme.
Hei Jian's strength and talent surpassed theirs, which was why... they addressed him as Senior Brother.
"These matters are trivial... Do any of you have Bing Jian's ice egg?" Hei Jian asked.
"Like this?" A Yang God produced the egg gifted by Qi Yuan.
"No, the ones that appeared later, the ones coveted by Guiyu Heaven," Hei Jian shook his head.
Having just emerged from seclusion, he had learned about the ice eggs and felt curious.
"Why not summon Bing Jian and have him lay one before us? In truth, I am also curious about how he suddenly became able to lay such bizarre ice eggs." Ziyuan Feng thought of something. "Could these ice eggs have something special about them, that Senior Brother Hei Jian values them so much?"
Just then, a Yang God Heavenly Venerable spoke up, a complicated look in his eyes: "I happen to have one in my possession."
As he spoke, he produced an ice egg.
Instantly, dozens of pairs of eyes fell upon the ice egg, gleaming with curiosity.
"This egg... is somewhat extraordinary!"
"It seems made specifically for the Ten Thousand Soul Banner!"
With just a single glance, these Yang God Heavenly Venerables gleaned a great deal of information about the egg.
They scrutinized and examined the ice egg closely.
At that moment, Hei Jian's pupils turned blood-red.
A blood-red light shone upon the ice egg, and the original egg suddenly shattered.
The azure blue vanished, leaving behind only a single drop of blood.
This drop of blood was eerie, arcane, and enigmatic.
When all the Yang God Heavenly Venerables looked at it, for reasons unknown, the bloodlines within their bodies boiled slightly.
"This blood... shares the same origin as ours. It seems this egg... was truly laid by Bing Jian!"
"This egg is truly out of the ordinary!"
The Yang God Heavenly Venerables discussed amongst themselves.
Hei Jian spoke then, his voice profound: "Have any of you noticed that this ice egg has cultivated the Ancestral Blood Art?"
"What? Even the eggs Bing Jian lays can cultivate the Ancestral Blood Art?" A Yang God Heavenly Venerable was thoroughly astounded.
The other Yang God Heavenly Venerables focused their senses.
"It really is true!"
"No, wait! The Ancestral Blood Art it cultivates seems different from ours."
The Yang God Heavenly Venerables were filled with astonishment.
After all, the Ancestral Blood Art was already considered perfect; even if the Abyss Master personally modified it, he could not surpass the original.
Generally speaking, no one would attempt to alter the Ancestral Blood Art.
Yet now, they had discovered an entirely different Ancestral Blood Art.
Moreover... vaguely, they could sense that this Ancestral Blood Art seemed even better than the one they cultivated.
"Was this egg truly laid by Bing Jian?"
Someone asked in wonder.
Heavenly Venerable Fengshuai narrowed his eyes, his heart trembling.
He, too, perceived the extraordinary nature of this egg and the implications behind it.
If there was a stronger Ancestral Blood Art, wouldn't that mean his own strength could increase?
And that the strength of the Black Demon Abyss would increase as well?
"Should we summon Bing Jian to ask him?" a Yang God suggested.
Hei Jian shook his head. "Bing Jian is in seclusion; there is no need to disturb him. This matter is likely related to Blood Robe. Once the matter in the Huayue curious land is settled, I will go ask him personally."
Having just emerged from seclusion, he had gone to look for Bing Jian.
However, Bing Jian was in closed-door cultivation, so he had not disturbed him.
"Related to Blood Robe?" Hearing this, Heavenly Venerable Fengshuai was amazed, his mind turning to mush.
Why was it that everything seemed connected to Blood Robe?
At this moment, a white-bearded Yang God Heavenly Venerable suddenly spoke up, wearing an odd expression: "From what I observe of this version of the Ancestral Blood Art, cultivation entails condensing an egg and letting the egg cultivate in one's stead. It is truly... bizarre."
Hearing this, the other Yang God Heavenly Venerables fell silent.
They were pondering: if this Ancestral Blood Art truly proved superior, once they obtained it, would they cultivate it as well?
Just then, a Yang God Heavenly Venerable suddenly proposed: "I suggest that from now on in the Black Demon Abyss, the term 'laying eggs' be changed to 'Divine Shedding'!"
Hearing this, the other Yang God Heavenly Venerables nodded one after another, clearly in agreement.
Chapter 457