Chapter 2045: Blood Mist Space
Turning his gaze, Zhang Ruochen looked at the group of Black Demon Realm powerhouses. None of them had died, but they had all lost their combat ability, collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
The lightning net that Blood Lingsan had spat out was too terrifying. If he hadn't held back, probably no one would still be alive by now.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Ruochen took out a Space Exquisite Ball and collected all the Black Demon Realm powerhouses into it, suppressing them all to avoid any mishaps.
Then, Zhang Ruochen looked at Zhou Yu, Mo, and Xue Tu, who were imprisoned on the Blood God Sacrificial Altar. These three had been imposing and majestic just moments ago, like rulers of the world, but now they had become prisoners, falling from heaven to hell.
Among the three, Zhou Yu's condition was slightly better, while Mo and Xue Tu were severely injured. Xue Tu, in particular, had his body pierced by Blood Lingsan's snake tail, with a special power lingering at the wound. Even the Undying Blood Clan's powerful regenerative ability could not repair it, and blood continuously flowed from Xue Tu's body.
Confirming that the three could not break free from the Blood God Sacrificial Altar, Zhang Ruochen wasted no more time. He immediately released his spiritual power, allowing it to penetrate into the Blood God Sacrificial Altar.
He would have preferred to enter in person, but that was clearly impractical unless he forcibly destroyed the altar.
From the first time he saw the Blood God Sacrificial Altar, Zhang Ruochen had recognized its extraordinary nature. It must contain many secrets, but he had never had the chance to examine it closely.
With his current cultivation and strength, no one could stop him from investigating the Blood God Sacrificial Altar.
The Blood God Sacrificial Altar was entirely built from white bones. Over the course of more than a hundred thousand years since the Blood God Sect's establishment, countless bones had accumulated, making the altar increasingly towering. It was even more majestic and imposing than Qianyuan Mountain, exuding an awe-inspiring aura.
Beneath the Blood God Sacrificial Altar, there was an extremely vast space where the divine corpse of the Blood God was stored. This place was both a sacred ground and a forbidden area of the Blood God Sect, and ordinary people had no right to enter. Of course, that was not the interior of the altar.
The Blood God Sacrificial Altar contained a strange power that offered great resistance, repelling Zhang Ruochen's spiritual penetration.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power was strong enough. He forcibly broke through layer after layer of obstacles, following the traces left by Blood Lingsan's Sacred Thought Body, and delved deeper into the altar.
At a certain moment, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power came to a halt. A blood qi barrier appeared ahead, blocking his spiritual power.
At this point, the traces left by Blood Lingsan's Sacred Thought Body completely disappeared.
This blood qi barrier was incredibly tough. Not only was it difficult to penetrate, but when spiritual power approached, it was also corroded.
"A blood qi barrier wants to stop me? Break!"
Zhang Ruochen made a decision and released even more spiritual power, flooding it into the Blood God Sacrificial Altar.
His vast spiritual power condensed into a needle, fiercely stabbing at the blood-colored barrier.
"Pfft."
After expending great effort, the blood qi barrier was finally pierced, allowing Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power to pass through.
"If my spiritual power hadn't reached the peak of the fifty-ninth rank and been refined by the Life-Death Bronze Furnace, I might not have been able to break through," Zhang Ruochen thought with some surprise.
Such strong defenses meant that few Spiritual Power Saint Kings could likely breach them.
Among the native cultivators of the Kunlun Realm, those with such ability could be counted on one hand.
After penetrating the blood qi barrier, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power entered a dim blood mist space, like a spatial bubble, which was quite expansive inside.
Immediately, Zhang Ruochen dispersed his spiritual power to carefully examine this blood mist space.
"This is..."
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen made a significant discovery.
Within this blood mist space, there were numerous oval-shaped long cocoons formed from condensed blood mist. Inside these cocoons were sealed various sacred souls, some strong and some weak, all perfectly preserved in a dormant state.
Some of the sacred souls within the blood cocoons, even while asleep, emitted extremely terrifying auras that made Zhang Ruochen wary.
Based on this alone, it was clear that the Blood God had a special purpose when constructing the Blood God Sacrificial Altar.
Immediately, Zhang Ruochen thought of the Ancient God Mountain of the Liangyi Sect and the sacred altar that Emperor Ming had ordered to be built. Both could store sacred souls.
"The Dao Soul Platform, Ancient God Mountain, Yin-Yang Sea, Blood God Sacrificial Altar, Sacred Altar... Is there some connection between them?" Zhang Ruochen pondered.
He realized that the more he encountered, the more questions arose in his mind, leading to some frightening conjectures.
Zhang Ruochen did not disturb the sacred souls sleeping in the blood cocoons. His spiritual power quickly extended to the center of this blood mist space.
There, an enormous blood cocoon lay horizontally on the ground, three hundred zhang long, resembling a coffin.
Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power passed through the tiny gaps on the surface of the blood cocoon and entered its interior.
As soon as he entered, his mind trembled.
Unlike the other blood cocoons, this massive one contained not a sacred soul but a physical body.
"How is Blood Lingsan's corpse inside the Blood God Sacrificial Altar?"
Zhang Ruochen was extremely puzzled.
Apart from the Blood God's divine corpse, he had never heard of any other person's body being stored in the Blood God Sacrificial Altar.
Especially since Blood Lingsan was a legendary traitor, killed personally by the Blood God. There was no way his corpse could be perfectly preserved in the altar.
The Sacred Thought that had awakened earlier was inside this blood cocoon, now wrapped in a large amount of blood qi and already fallen back into slumber.
Thus, even if Zhang Ruochen wanted to ask questions, he could not.
It seemed that Blood Lingsan's Sacred Thought was gathering strength again, but it would likely take a considerable amount of time.
A Sacred Thought surviving for over a hundred thousand years without being extinguished, able to gather strength on its own and slowly recover after being depleted, was truly astonishing.
Steadying himself, Zhang Ruochen mobilized his spiritual power to carefully examine Blood Lingsan's true body, hoping to confirm certain things.
As if triggered, silver lightning burst forth from within Blood Lingsan's body, intertwining and nearly tearing apart the outer blood cocoon.
"Boom."
Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power bore the brunt of it, exploding directly and dissipating into nothingness.
Outside the Blood God Sacrificial Altar, Zhang Ruochen's brow furrowed slightly. He had not anticipated this situation.
"I want to see what secrets are hidden here."
After a brief contemplation, Zhang Ruochen made a decision.
Using the traces left by his spiritual power, Zhang Ruochen performed a Space Displacement, and his true body appeared in that blood mist space.
Fortunately, his mastery of space was now extremely high; otherwise, he could not have accomplished this.
Entering in person felt vastly different from penetrating with spiritual power.
"Every wisp of blood mist here is extraordinary. If released to the outside world, it would transform into vast blood qi," Zhang Ruochen murmured, scanning the strands of blood mist.
Moreover, he discovered that this blood mist was not stagnant but full of vitality, as if freshly stripped from a living being.
With a thought, Zhang Ruochen tried to inhale a wisp of blood mist.
Once inside his body, the blood mist automatically dissolved, forming a highly active and powerful blood qi that quickly integrated into his limbs and bones.
Incredibly, Zhang Ruochen felt his injuries accelerating in healing, and his depleted blood qi was replenished.
However, Zhang Ruochen did not continue absorbing the blood mist, as he could not be sure if there were any drawbacks.
In any case, it was better to be cautious.
After all, the Blood God Sacrificial Altar was created by a deity. Who could fathom a god's intentions?
With a strange look, Zhang Ruochen glanced at the blood cocoons of various sizes around him.
The sacred souls in these cocoons belonged to unknown eras, but they were all perfectly preserved, making one wonder if they might one day be reborn.
Zhang Ruochen's mind flashed to the scene of the Divine Son Battle, where spiritual void bodies combined with skeletons and absorbed large amounts of blood qi to become indistinguishable from ordinary people. Was this a form of alternative rebirth?
Shaking his head slightly, Zhang Ruochen stopped overthinking and walked straight toward the massive blood cocoon containing Blood Lingsan's true body.
"Hmm? This is..."
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed slightly as he stared at the ground.
When he had penetrated with his spiritual power earlier, he had not noticed that numerous blood threads extended from the blood cocoon containing Blood Lingsan's true body, weaving into a large net on the ground.
Following the direction of these blood threads, Zhang Ruochen found that each thread corresponded to a blood cocoon.
"Could it be that all the blood cocoons are derived from this central one?" Zhang Ruochen speculated.
In fact, the moment he saw the blood cocoons, Zhang Ruochen had thought of the Undying Blood Silkworm's Immortal Sacred Body.
Especially since the aura of these blood cocoons was very similar to that of Yan Liren's cocoon body, Zhang Ruochen was even more certain that there was a significant connection between them.
Upon careful perception, one could sense that these blood cocoons contained a strange power of transformation and rebirth. Perhaps that was why the sacred souls within could be preserved intact.
"Thump."
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen heard a low heartbeat.
"Whoosh."
Zhang Ruochen immediately turned his head, focusing on the largest central blood cocoon.
Through the tiny gaps on the surface of the blood cocoon, Zhang Ruochen saw Blood Lingsan's chest rising and falling, with large amounts of blood mist being drawn into his mouth and nose.
"Heartbeat, breathing... Blood Lingsan is indeed not dead."
A hint of shock appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
In the blink of an eye, all the blood mist in this space was sucked into Blood Lingsan's body.
Suddenly, the space became empty and hollow, and each blood cocoon fell into absolute stillness.
"Blood Lingsan's true body was placed in the Blood God Sacrificial Altar by the Blood God, and he is not truly dead. It seems there must be hidden circumstances behind what happened back then," Zhang Ruochen thought.
If the Blood God had truly killed Blood Lingsan with his own hands, Zhang Ruochen did not believe Blood Lingsan could have survived. His Sacred Thought would likely have been extinguished as well.
Given the current situation, Blood Lingsan's inhalation and exhalation cycles were quite long, taking about a day, as Zhang Ruochen estimated.
This meant that Blood Lingsan would likely continue to sleep, but he might also awaken in a short time.
Zhang Ruochen very much wanted to awaken Blood Lingsan and learn many secrets from him, but he clearly could not.
Blood Lingsan's body was surrounded by terrifying lightning, and a faint divine might emanated from it, causing ripples in the space. Anyone who approached rashly would likely suffer consequences.
Moreover, from the behavior of Blood Lingsan's Sacred Thought Body, it seemed unwilling to say much to Zhang Ruochen, even looking down on him as the current sect leader.
Clearly, Blood Lingsan felt that Zhang Ruochen was too weak and not qualified to know too much.
"Remember, do not tell anyone what you have seen. Leave now."
Just then, an extremely cold voice suddenly rang out.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's mind stirred, and many thoughts flashed through his head.
He took another look at the sleeping Blood Lingsan, then did not delay any further. With a movement of his body, he performed a Space Displacement and vanished from the spot.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen reappeared outside the Blood God Sacrificial Altar.
"Hmm? The space mark I left has disappeared!"
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed slightly.
He suddenly realized that the special space was not something one could enter casually; permission from Blood Lingsan was required.
Clearly, Blood Lingsan had seen that he had many questions and allowed him to enter that space.
But Blood Lingsan did not take the initiative to answer anything. All answers would have to be obtained by Zhang Ruochen himself.
"Zhang Ruochen, where did you go just now? What's the situation with Blood Lingsan?"
Xiao Hei appeared beside Zhang Ruochen and asked curiously.
Zhang Ruochen snapped back to reality and said thoughtfully, "I just went into the Blood God Sacrificial Altar to take a look. As for Blood Lingsan's matter, there's no need to dwell on it. Let's think about how to deal with these people."
Since Blood Lingsan had instructed him not to reveal the secrets inside the Blood God Sacrificial Altar, Zhang Ruochen naturally would not mention it casually, so he quickly changed the subject.
"Is there even a need to think? A bunch of ungrateful wolves, what use is keeping them? Kill them all," Xiao Hei said angrily.
Whenever the Black Demon Realm was involved, Xiao Hei could not stay calm, wishing to annihilate the entire realm.
Bao Lie agreed, "Xiao Hei is right. Kill the chicken to scare the monkey. Kill them, and see who dares to cause trouble in the future."
Thinking about how he had almost been killed by Mo and Zhou Yu earlier, Bao Lie was furious and would not let them off.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Mo and Zhou Yu and said, "Now, I'll give you a chance. Submit to me, and you will live."
"Zhang Ruochen, if you want to kill, then kill. Why waste words?" Mo shouted coldly.
"You want me to submit? You're dreaming. If Blood Lingsan's Sacred Thought Body hadn't intervened, you would already be dead at my hands," Zhou Yu said coldly.
"It seems you're not convinced. How about we fight?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhou Yu's heart stirred, a hint of joy rising, and he said, "If I defeat you, will you let me go?"
"Of course not. I just want to spar with you. Earlier, I wasn't at my peak and didn't get to fully experience the power of the Light Controller," Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhou Yu was so angry he almost spat blood. "You want to use me as a whetstone to sharpen yourself?"
Zhang Ruochen indeed wanted to engage in more battles with top-tier experts like Zhou Yu and Mo, accumulating experience in fighting against strong opponents to elevate himself further.
"Don't think too highly of yourself. Whether you're qualified to be a whetstone remains to be seen," Zhang Ruochen said, confident in his own strength. If he used all his trump cards, the outcome was uncertain.
"There's a gap of two realms between us!"
Zhou Yu laughed, thinking Zhang Ruochen was overestimating himself. Just a Dao Domain, and he was this arrogant?
"Boom."
A vast divine might of a Great Saint came from beyond the sky, as if it would crush the heavens.
"They came quickly."
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the sky, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
The cultivators watching around the Blood God Sect changed color and looked up.
"It's the Patrol Heavenly Envoy."
"Zhou Yu and Mo both have the potential to become gods. The Paradise Realm, Black Demon Realm, and even the Heavenly Palace will definitely intervene. They won't let Blood Lingsan and Zhang Ruochen kill them. Just wait. When it comes to prodigies with the potential to become gods, many titans won't sit idly by."
"It's said that last time, when Shang Zi was killed, it triggered a divine war, and even the one guarding the Heavenly River made a move. I wonder if it's true."
"Even the ancient fierce man Blood Lingsan has come back to life. It would be strange if the Patrol Heavenly Envoy didn't show up."
"Zhang Ruochen and the Blood God Sect are in for trouble."
The cultivators lurking near the Blood God Sect were eager to know if Blood Lingsan had truly revived, but they dared not approach the sect directly. They could only wait for the Patrol Heavenly Envoy to investigate.