Chapter 1159: Blood God Scepter
"Lin Yuan, do you still intend to persist in your errors?"
The sky was pitch black, with only eerie red clouds drifting there, sometimes gathering together, sometimes scattering apart.
A faint scent of blood hung in the air.
The Blood God Sect Leader, Chi Linyuan, stepped out from the blood clouds.
He stood about two meters tall, appearing to be around thirty years old, clad in a dark red mystic robe, wearing a bronze ancient crown, and exuding an aura of authority from head to toe—clearly a domineering overlord.
Chi Linyuan's gaze fell upon the gray-robed elder, a flicker of surprise passing through the depths of his pupils. "Uncle-Master, do you already know everything?"
The gray-robed elder was gaunt, no different from an ordinary old man. He sighed, "Did you really think your uncle-master hadn't paid attention to sect affairs these past few centuries? You're sinking deeper and deeper. It's not too late to turn back now."
Chi Linyuan said, "In truth, I did all this for the future of the Blood God Sect. The world is in chaos, slaughter is imminent, and no one can stand aloof. Only by making a choice in advance can one survive in the turbulent times ahead. Uncle-Master, you shouldn't be stopping me."
The gray-robed elder shook his head. "Cooperating with the Undying Blood Clan is like seeking skin from a tiger. In the end, it will lead the Blood God Sect into an abyss of eternal damnation."
Chi Linyuan replied, "Uncle-Master may not know this, but I have already communicated with the Blood God through sacrificial rites and glimpsed some visions of the future. Only by allying with the Undying Blood Clan can the Blood God Sect be preserved, allowing our teachings to be passed down without shame to the patriarchs of past generations."
The gray-robed elder said, "The Blood God has long since passed away. Even if some remnant souls still wander beyond the nine heavens, how much divine power remains? Moreover, the visions you saw may not be real. Any one of those Blood Emperors from the Undying Blood Clan could, with a few tricks, influence your will and judgment. The path of sacred cultivation defies the heavens. Why trust the future instead of yourself?"
Though the gray-robed elder's tone was calm, his words carried weight, exuding a proud and lofty spirit.
He trusted neither the Blood God nor the future—only himself.
Xiao Hei transmitted his voice to Zhang Ruochen, muttering, "This old man is no simpleton. He's already broken free from his faith. Even a god probably couldn't sway his will."
The Blood God Sect was founded on faith in the Blood God, yet the gray-robed elder was now questioning the Blood God itself, as if severing the faith within his heart. His will had grown immensely powerful.
The gray-robed elder was trying to persuade Chi Linyuan, hoping he would see the error of his ways and stop persisting in his mistakes.
Chi Linyuan showed a moment of hesitation, then let out a long sigh. "Uncle-Master is right... I have indeed lost myself. Is it too late to change now?"
"As long as you can recognize the right path, it's never too late to change at any time." A faint smile appeared on the gray-robed elder's sallow, wrinkled face.
Just as Zhang Ruochen thought Chi Linyuan had truly recognized his mistake and was about to reform, Chi Linyuan, who had walked up to the gray-robed elder, suddenly launched an attack, unleashing his overwhelming sacred might once more.
"Boom, rumble."
Chi Linyuan's hands opened and closed, his long hair flying wildly, thunderous sounds echoing from within his body. At lightning speed, he struck out with the Blood God Sect's supreme sacred artifact, the Blood God Scepter, aiming it at the gray-robed elder's brow.
Clearly, Chi Linyuan did not believe he was doing wrong. His earlier words were merely meant to lower the gray-robed elder's guard.
"Uncle-Master, your thinking is too outdated. You're only hindering the Blood God Sect's development."
The sacred qi surging from Chi Linyuan's body was incredibly potent. Every strand of sacred qi condensed into phantom images of different divine beasts, as if he were unleashing the power of ten thousand beasts.
The Blood God Scepter, forged by the Blood God himself, had always been the Blood God Sect's supreme sacred artifact. With a single strike, countless inscriptions lit up simultaneously, giving the impression of the sky collapsing and the earth splitting.
"Crack!"
The ground beneath the gray-robed elder's feet, along with the surrounding stone walls and mountain bodies, all cracked from the force of the Blood God Scepter's power, sinking downward.
Faced with Chi Linyuan's full-force strike, the gray-robed elder showed little emotional fluctuation. He merely sighed, then extended a withered hand, forming an immense palm imprint to meet the Blood God Scepter.
Xiao Hei jumped in fright, his tail standing on end. "Using his palm to clash with the Blood God Scepter? Is that old man trying to get himself killed?"
Zhang Ruochen had heard of the Blood God Scepter's fearsome reputation. It was one of the Blood God Sect's foundational treasures, possessing unfathomable power.
The Blood God Sect had faced several great calamities in the past, and each time, they had used the Blood God Scepter to repel powerful enemies.
Was the gray-robed elder being too overconfident by using his palm to meet the Blood God Scepter? Even Zhang Ruochen broke out in a cold sweat for him.
Before the Blood God Scepter even struck down, the ground beneath Zhang Ruochen's feet had already collapsed entirely. For dozens of miles around, not a single rock or mountain remained.
Keep in mind, this was the first gradient of the Endless Abyss, where the rules of heaven and earth suppressed cultivators' cultivation. Yet, wielding the Blood God Scepter, Chi Linyuan could still unleash such devastating power.
On the surface, a vast range of towering mountains would likely be flattened.
The massive palm imprint the gray-robed elder had formed was shattered inch by inch by the Blood God Scepter, unable to withstand it.
"Uncle-Master, do you still think I'm the same young cultivator from back then? With the Blood God Scepter in hand, how many in this world can stand against me?"
Chi Linyuan's body radiated a dark red evil light as he charged out from the darkness, swinging the Blood God Scepter down toward the gray-robed elder's head.
The gray-robed elder's cloth robe stiffened like iron, and his white hair stood up like steel needles. He uttered a single word: "Seize."
In the next instant, the Blood God Scepter, which had been in Chi Linyuan's hand, somehow appeared in the gray-robed elder's grasp.
"Pfft!"
Chi Linyuan was sent flying sideways, a bowl-sized bloody hole torn open in his abdomen. Crimson sacred blood gushed from his body, turning into blood qi that transformed the first gradient into a mist-shrouded secret realm.
With a loud crash, Chi Linyuan slammed into a black mountain in the distance, piercing straight through its iron-hard body.
"Too fast! I couldn't even see how that Supreme Elder made his move. He snatched the Blood God Scepter in an instant and severely wounded Chi Linyuan."
Zhang Ruochen held his breath, staring at the gray-robed elder. He seemed like a ghost or god, unfathomably deep.
Xiao Hei said, "The gap is too huge. That old man's cultivation is terrifying. I never expected the Blood God Sect to have someone like him hidden away."
The gray-robed elder gripped the Blood God Scepter and shook his head. "Did you really think your uncle-master had grown old?"
A cold snort echoed from the darkness.
Then, the sound of rushing wind came, and massive figures charged forth.
Thousands upon thousands of blood beasts surged out like a blood cloud, endlessly rushing toward the gray-robed elder.
Those blood beasts were all powerful, some even reaching the sacred realm. Their faces were twisted, their eyes blazing with bloodlight, and their roars rose and fell in waves.
"You've raised so many blood beasts in the Endless Abyss? What exactly are you planning?" the gray-robed elder said in a deep voice.
From the darkness came Chi Linyuan's cold laugh: "Uncle-Master, aren't you very strong? No matter how strong you are, the blood beasts of the Endless Abyss will devour you down to the bone."
"It seems I must show you the true power of the Blood God Scepter, so you'll know there's always a sky above the sky and people beyond people."
The gray-robed elder raised the Blood God Scepter, and a force of heaven-and-earth-shaking power radiated outward in all directions.
"Whoosh!"
A pillar of blood shot up from the top of the Blood God Scepter, piercing through the darkness of the Endless Abyss and reaching beyond the heavens.
In that moment, the endless Ancient Desolate Snow Mountains were completely covered in blood qi. All the saints of the Blood God Sect were jolted awake, sensing the terrifying aura emanating from the Endless Abyss.
"The Sect Leader has activated the Blood God Scepter! Is a great upheaval happening in the Endless Abyss?"
"The Blood God Scepter isn't activated lightly. The Blood God Sect must be facing a powerful enemy. I hope the Sect Leader can suppress them."
...
Recently, the Endless Abyss had been far from peaceful, with many bloody incidents occurring.
The disciples of the Blood God Sect all assumed the Sect Leader had activated the Blood God Scepter to deal with a formidable foe.
Hai Ming Fawang soared up from a hall on Kongcheng Island, standing tens of thousands of feet high, gazing toward the Endless Abyss with a look of astonishment in his eyes. "Three hundred years... three hundred years have passed, and the Blood God Scepter is stirred again. What on earth is happening in the Endless Abyss?"
Hai Ming Fawang was curious but dared not approach the Endless Abyss.
The power fluctuations from the Blood God Scepter were too terrifying. Even with his cultivation, getting close risked death.
By the time the Blood God Scepter's light gradually dimmed, Zhang Ruochen, standing in the first gradient of the Endless Abyss, finally regained his sight.
Before him, the ground was covered with the corpses of blood beasts, densely packed in a vast expanse.
The air still crackled with chaotic power fluctuations that lingered without dissipating.
"All the blood beasts in the first gradient have been annihilated!"
Zhang Ruochen looked at the massive blood beast corpses on the ground and couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.
The blood beasts were numerous and powerful, but before the Blood God Scepter, they were as fragile as ants.
The Blood God Scepter hadn't even struck down; its mere power fluctuations had killed them all, including some sacred beasts.
Xiao Hei was badly shaken, his four legs trembling.
Zhang Ruochen was curious. "Why are you so scared? Didn't you claim to be the Slaughter-Heaven Extermination-Earth Emperor, with an immortal body that even Xumi Saint Monk couldn't destroy?"
Xiao Hei suppressed his fear and said disdainfully, "This emperor naturally has an immortal body. I've seen scenes like this countless times."
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly, not believing Xiao Hei's words.
This cat always showed fear when facing true top-tier experts. Clearly, the title "Slaughter-Heaven Extermination-Earth Emperor" was mostly self-aggrandizement, with no historical records to back it up.
As for the "immortal body," that was probably an exaggeration too. Based on Zhang Ruochen's speculation, a top-tier expert could likely kill it.
"Tap, tap."
Footsteps sounded as the gray-robed elder returned, carrying the Blood God Scepter. (To be continued.)