# Chapter 1210: Xue Hou Not Dead?
Zhang Ruochen did not decline the position of Jiaozhu, but accepted it openly.
The Blood God Sect was an ancient sect with a long heritage and profound foundations. Becoming its Jiaozhu would grant access to vast cultivation resources that ordinary saints could not obtain.
For example, divine blood.
Within the Blood God Sect, there was a divine corpse.
Legend had it that this was the corpse of the sect's founding ancestor, the Blood God.
A divine corpse was like a massive treasure trove, containing a vast amount of divine blood.
Moreover, everything on the divine corpse was a treasure—the cloth wrapping it, a piece of divine bone, a single strand of hair... all were precious treasures that even saints would covet.
Of course, what Zhang Ruochen valued most was still the divine blood.
"As long as I can obtain a large amount of divine blood, I can refine enough blood-suppressing talismans," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
The turmoil among the upper echelons of the Blood God Sect had already ended. The infiltrators from the Undying Blood Clan and the human cultivators working for them had been almost completely purged.
Of course, the fall of a large number of saints had severely weakened the Blood God Sect. Small-scale disturbances among the lower and middle-level cultivators continued unabated. It would likely take a considerable amount of time for things to fully stabilize.
Elder Yuan Zhou proposed inviting all the saints of the world to hold an enthronement ceremony.
Zhang Ruochen, however, vetoed this proposal. He believed the Blood God Sect should continue sealing its mountain gates, carry out internal reorganization, and strive to improve its own strength.
Once the Blood God Sect was completely stabilized and had grown stronger, there would be plenty of time to hold the enthronement ceremony.
...
...
The great battle at the Black Market headquarters had already spread far and wide, shocking not only Tiantai Prefecture but also causing an uproar among cultivators throughout the entire Kunlun Realm.
The imperial court and the Black Market had joined forces to wipe out more than twenty saints from the Huangtian Tribe, including the Golden Robe Elder Mu Qianxiansheng of the Undying Divine Temple and the imperial princess of the Huangtian Tribe.
Rumors had it that the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen, had participated in this battle, using the Azure Sky Bow and the Daylight Arrow to shoot down the Huangtian Imperial Princess.
The major powers of Tiantai Prefecture had all entered a state of heightened alert and defense, fearing that this great turmoil might spread to them.
"With more than twenty saints falling in succession, even the Huangtian Tribe must be feeling the strain. Most of their infiltrators deployed in the Central Domain should have been wiped out."
The Huangtian Tribe's main deployment in the Central Domain had revolved around the Blood God Sect, aiming to use it as a foundation to throw Tiantai Prefecture into chaos.
Now, all their forces within the Blood God Sect had been destroyed, making it difficult for them to stir up any major waves in the Central Domain.
Many cultivators were analyzing the current situation, including Shengshu Cainü, who was far away in the Central Imperial City, as well as the wise minds of the Ministry of War, the Martial Market Bank, the Black Market, the Bright Hall, and the Moon Worship Demon Sect.
They were calculating the changes in the situation to come up with countermeasures in advance.
"With the Huangtian Tribe's infiltrators wiped out, Zhang Ruochen's crisis should be resolved, right?"
Standing beside the Heavenly Chess Platform, Shengshu Cainü watched as chess pieces disappeared one by one from the game. A charming smile appeared in her lively, intelligent eyes.
All saint-level beings in the Kunlun Realm were like chess pieces in the Heavenly Chess Game.
When a saint-level being died, one chess piece would vanish from the game.
"Boom!"
From the area representing the Blood God Sect on the chess platform, a faint sound of shattering could be heard.
"What happened? Could it be that the turmoil in the Blood God Sect hasn't ended yet?"
Shengshu Cainü's eyes narrowed. She mobilized her spiritual power and immersed herself in the Heavenly Chess Platform again, trying to find out which saint had just fallen.
"Boom, boom."
Immediately afterward, another large cluster of chess pieces shattered, with at least twenty saints falling.
The violent changes on the Heavenly Chess Platform alarmed the great Confucian scholars of the Confucian Path. They rushed to Lianzhu Mansion, asking Shengshu Cainü what had happened.
Shengshu Cainü was also quite puzzled. According to the intelligence she had, the internal strife in the Blood God Sect should have already ended. Why had such a fierce battle erupted again?
With so many saints falling, just imagining it was enough to guess how brutal the battle in the Blood God Sect must have been.
"Painting Saint is in the Blood God Sect. He should be able to suppress any turmoil."
"I'm not so sure. Old Man Chu's cultivation is indeed profound. At the saint level, he can sweep through everything. However, the chess platform shows that a figure at the Saint King level has emerged. The appearance of a Saint King is definitely no small event!"
"If that newly emerged Saint King is an ally, then the turmoil in the Blood God Sect should be quelled. If that newly emerged Saint King is an enemy, then the turmoil in the Blood God Sect is just the beginning. From now on, the thirty-six prefectures of Tiantai Prefecture will all be plunged into war and upheaval."
...
The Heavenly Chess Game could only present a general picture. None of those present knew exactly what major event had occurred in the Blood God Sect. They could only continue waiting, hoping that news would arrive soon.
Shengshu Cainü was also very nervous, gently biting her red lips, even holding her breath.
She was worried about the situation in the Blood God Sect, worried about Chu Siyuan, and of course, worried about Zhang Ruochen. After all, Zhang Ruochen was at the center of the vortex. One misstep and he could be crushed to pieces.
"Whoosh—"
A message light talisman flew in from beyond the heavens, charging into Lianzhu Mansion.
Shengshu Cainü's eyes lit up. She flicked her sleeve, creating a swirling vortex of energy, and caught the message light talisman in her hand. She examined the contents on the talisman.
The great Confucian scholars of the Confucian Path gathered around, guessing that the contents of the message light talisman must be news from the Blood God Sect.
After reading the contents of the message light talisman, Shengshu Cainü's starry, black-and-white eyes blinked gently, as if she had relaxed completely. She smiled and said, "It's a message from Yue Shuzi, the governor of Tiantai Prefecture. There was indeed a great turmoil in the Blood God Sect, but it has been temporarily stabilized."
Then, Shengshu Cainü handed the message light talisman to the great Confucian scholars.
After reading the contents of the talisman, all the great Confucian scholars present showed contemplative expressions.
"The awe-inspiring figure who stepped into the Saint King realm is actually Qiu Yichi, the wife of the Blood God Sect's Jiaozhu. How could she be working for the Undying Blood Clan?"
"In just a few hundred years, Qiu Yichi has cultivated a large number of saints and secretly taken control of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm. Her methods are truly extraordinary. We overlooked her before."
Shengshu Cainü also found it hard to believe. She said, "Qiu Yichi should not belong to any of the ten major tribes, nor has she ever had any contact with the Undying Divine Temple. So, who is she working for?"
Shengshu Cainü controlled the most extensive intelligence network in the Kunlun Realm. Nothing could escape her notice.
If Qiu Yichi had indeed been in contact with the Undying Blood Clan, no matter how secretive she was, there should have been some trace.
Mr. Mei, the head of the Qin Sect, had been standing beside the Heavenly Chess Platform the whole time without speaking, staring at the area representing the Blood God Sect on the chessboard.
Then, he pointed his finger at the chess platform and said, "Look, what place is this?"
Shengshu Cainü and the great Confucian scholars all turned their gazes to where Mr. Mei's finger was pointing.
"The Endless Abyss," said a great Confucian scholar.
"What does the Sect Head mean?" someone asked, puzzled.
Shengshu Cainü's eyes flashed with a sharp, penetrating light. She was very surprised and said, "Could Mr. Mei be suggesting that Qiu Yichi's reason for working for the Undying Blood Clan might be related to the Endless Abyss?"
Mr. Mei looked serious and nodded. "When you went to the Shangguan Aristocratic Family to seek an audience with Que Saint King, didn't he give you a note guiding you to the Endless Abyss?"
"That's right, but that note might not have been written by Que Saint King himself. It could have been a trap set by the Undying Blood Clan," Shengshu Cainü said.
"At first, I thought so too. But Qiu Yichi's appearance has made me change my mind. Perhaps that note was indeed written by Que Saint King himself. The reason he guided you to the Endless Abyss might have been to tell you something else. The Endless Abyss likely hides a shocking secret," Mr. Mei said.
Shengshu Cainü said, "If the Endless Abyss really does hide a shocking secret, why didn't Que Saint King just say it directly?"
Mr. Mei said, "What if Que Saint King didn't dare to say it directly?"
A great Confucian scholar expressed disbelief. "Que Saint King had already reached the Saint King realm eight hundred years ago, and his current cultivation is even more unfathomable. In this world, aside from the Empress, what power could seal his mouth?"
Mr. Mei said, "For eight hundred years, Que Saint King has lived in seclusion, rarely appearing in public. In the last hundred years, he has completely vanished, as if he had already fallen. Isn't this behavior itself a form of avoidance? Perhaps there really is a force comparable to the Empress that is suppressing him, making him afraid to even speak."
"A force comparable to the Empress?"
None of the great Confucian scholars present could remain calm. Their minds were greatly shaken.
Mr. Mei had already spoken so clearly, and they were not foolish. They had already guessed something in their hearts, but they dared not say it out loud.
Shengshu Cainü said cautiously, "Could Mr. Mei suspect that Xue Hou from eight hundred years ago did not die and is now in the Endless Abyss? Is Qiu Yichi working for Xue Hou?"
A great Confucian scholar beside her immediately denied this speculation. "Xue Hou back then was stronger than the Nine Emperors. She was an unparalleled and unmatched overlord. If she were truly alive, she would have already dominated the world. How could she be hiding in the Endless Abyss?"
"That's right. Xue Hou was a sharp-edged emperor. She nearly wiped out the human race back then. If she were truly alive, she would not have endured in silence."
None of them were willing to believe this speculation. If Xue Hou were truly still alive, with the Empress missing, no one among the human race could stop her.
"It's just a speculation. Everyone, don't be too nervous."
Mr. Mei smiled slightly, then added, "For now, the most important thing we should do is to invite a great figure to go and capture Qiu Yichi. Once Qiu Yichi is captured, the truth will naturally become clear. Who should we invite?"
Shengshu Cainü suggested, "Qiu Yichi has only just reached the Saint King realm. As long as we invite Lingxiao Heavenly King to act, he should be able to capture her."