Chapter 2330: Singing
The water of the Undying Blood Clan's home star was all blood-red.
After entering the underground and reaching the subterranean river, the water here was not only more vividly red but also viscous, emitting a faint bloody smell, much like it was formed from gathered blood.
The river channels were intricate and complex, with numerous tributaries, resembling a maze.
Cultivators with insufficient spiritual power would never be able to find their way out once they entered these channels.
The channels were made of a sealed, milky-white crystalline rock material, with streaks of spiritual light flowing inside, like spirit snakes slithering within, scattering tiny white specks of light.
"Swoosh—"
Zhang Ruochen condensed sacred qi into a four-foot sacred sword and swung it, slashing out.
The crystalline rock was split open, revealing a sword mark one zhang long and three chi deep.
"How is it so tough? Wind Empress, what exactly is this crystalline rock?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
With Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, a casual sword strike could carve a hundred-mile-long sword gorge on the surface. This showed just how hard the crystalline rock was, comparable to the bones of an Immortal Realm Great Saint, and perfectly suitable for refining sacred artifacts.
"I've never seen it before."
Wind Empress shook her head and said, "In fact, I can't even determine whether it's a naturally formed material from heaven and earth or some kind of creature's bones or sinews."
Blade Prison Emperor, standing nearby, let out a soft exclamation.
He saw that the crystalline rock, which Zhang Ruochen had split with his sword, was now shimmering with specks of light and visibly regenerating, restoring itself to its original form.
Zhang Ruochen, Wind Empress, and Blade Prison Emperor were all powerful cultivators, but at this moment, a chill ran down their spines, and a thought arose in their minds: "Could this home star really be a giant blood-sucking creature?"
After a moment of silence, Zhang Ruochen said, "Let's go. I'm getting more and more curious about where all this blood water is flowing to. What secrets lie deep within the home star?"
Releasing his Space True Domain, he condensed it into an egg-shaped protective barrier and followed the flow of the blood water, advancing toward the planet's core.
Wind Empress and Blade Prison Emperor followed closely behind.
The deeper they went, the wider the river channels became, and the harder the rock grew, nearly impossible to break.
Suddenly, a melodious and enchanting singing voice reached Zhang Ruochen's ears. It sounded like a peerless beauty was singing a timeless masterpiece, irresistibly drawing him into a trance.
Zhang Ruochen stopped and looked at Wind Empress and Blade Prison Emperor.
Clearly, they had also heard the singing, their faces showing expressions of shock and uncertainty, their blood fiend qi surging.
"I didn't hear such an unusual sound when I came in last time," Wind Empress said.
Blade Prison Emperor added, "Last time, you entered the underground from Yellow Heaven Continent. This time, we entered from Blood Heaven Tribe. The encounters are bound to be different."
Zhang Ruochen probed with his spiritual power but found nothing. His expression turned serious as he said, "Everyone, be careful. If we encounter an insurmountable danger, don't linger—retreat to the surface immediately."
Blade Prison Emperor looked puzzled and said, "There's one thing that's strange. We've been underground for so long, why haven't we been drained of blood? Could it be that because our cultivation is strong and we've set up various defenses, the Blood Shadow Ghost Seeds can't get close to us?"
A hint of doubt flickered in Wind Empress's eyes as she said, "If they were truly Blood Shadow Ghost Seeds, they wouldn't fear us at all. Our defenses definitely wouldn't stop them."
"Careful."
Zhang Ruochen's low voice rang out.
At the same time, he moved like lightning, swinging his sacred sword and slashing toward a certain direction in the blood water.
Then, Zhang Ruochen rapidly retreated, spreading his arms to activate his Space True Domain, forming a fast-spinning spatial vortex as if to block something.
The entire underground blood river churned violently.
Wind Empress and Blade Prison Emperor didn't know what was happening, but they still went all out in defense, wrapping themselves in layers of blood fiend qi.
"Still trying to escape? Come back."
With a deep shout, Zhang Ruochen reached out his hand, and strands of sacred qi flew from his fingertips, trapping a mass of blood water and forcibly dragging it back.
The mass of blood water let out a piercing, shrill sound that made Blade Prison Emperor and Wind Empress's eardrums ache as if they were about to split.
"Swoosh—"
The blood water suddenly dissolved into a gaseous state, resembling a fierce wolf.
Because the surroundings were filled with flowing blood-red waves, it was impossible to see it with the naked eye. Even spiritual power struggled to detect any fluctuations in its aura.
Zhang Ruochen had been able to discover it because he possessed the Space True Domain.
Anything that entered the Space True Domain couldn't escape his perception.
The gaseous fierce wolf was originally over five meters tall, but after being suppressed into Zhang Ruochen's palm, it shrank to the size of a fist. Now, it radiated intense blood light, its eyes fierce and vicious, still emitting sharp cries.
Blade Prison Emperor sealed off his hearing and approached Zhang Ruochen, staring in surprise at the blood wolf. "Is this a wolf soul? Huh..."
The gaseous blood wolf suddenly turned back into a liquid state, indistinguishable from the surrounding blood-red water.
Unfortunately, even so, it couldn't escape Zhang Ruochen's grasp.
"It's a Blood Shadow Ghost Seed—it must be a Blood Shadow Ghost Seed."
Wind Empress's eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen's palm, a gleam of excitement shining in them. "Legend says that if you can refine and absorb a Blood Shadow Ghost Seed, it can enhance a cultivator's blood qi and sacred soul. You should try it immediately."
For the Undying Blood Clan, blood qi was the most important thing.
As long as blood qi could be continuously strengthened, cultivation could advance rapidly.
Zhang Ruochen didn't attempt to refine the mass of blood in his hand, because even just holding it increased his urge to drink blood.
If he actually refined it, he feared he would never be able to suppress that bloodlust again.
"I'll give it to you. You take it."
Zhang Ruochen handed the mass of blood to Wind Empress.
Wind Empress was already ninety percent sure that what Zhang Ruochen had suppressed was a Blood Shadow Ghost Seed, and a very powerful one at that.
So, she immediately took it, carefully pressing it between her hands, and began to refine it, erasing the Blood Shadow Ghost Seed's spiritual will.
Blade Prison Emperor watched, unconsciously licking his lips, thinking to himself, "If even Wind Empress is this excited, then the Blood Shadow Ghost Seed must be incredibly effective at boosting blood qi and sacred soul. This isn't a dangerous thing at all—it's a premium blood medicine."
But then he remembered that he hadn't even sensed the gaseous wolf's aura earlier. If not for Zhang Ruochen, he would probably have fled in panic after having his blood drained.
"Since Zhang Ruochen can suppress Blood Shadow Ghost Seeds, I'd better stick close to him, or else Wind Empress will get all the benefits."
Blade Prison Emperor looked at Wind Empress's graceful and alluring figure with a strange gaze, thinking, "Zhang Ruochen just gives away a Blood Shadow Ghost Seed like that—his relationship with Wind Empress must be anything but ordinary. They've probably already been intimate. To become a goddess, this woman really goes all out."
At the same cultivation level, if one's blood qi and sacred soul were stronger, their combat power would naturally be greater.
Blade Prison Emperor knew very well that if he wanted to further enhance his combat power, he could only work on his blood qi. Other aspects were unlikely to see major breakthroughs.
The thicker the accumulation now, the stronger he would be when he eventually broke through to the Thousand Questions Realm.
Wind Empress completely erased the Blood Shadow Ghost Seed's spiritual will. The ghost seed no longer turned into a gaseous wolf or made sharp sounds. Instead, it transformed into strands of blood qi threads, which Wind Empress continuously absorbed into her body.
Wind Empress's blood qi kept rising, and her power fluctuations surged dramatically.
Blade Prison Emperor approached Zhang Ruochen and quietly asked for the method to capture Blood Shadow Ghost Seeds. Upon learning that one needed to cultivate a Space True Domain, he immediately abandoned the idea.
"Ruochen the Great Saint, could you help me capture a Blood Shadow Ghost Seed too?"
As soon as he made the request, Blade Prison Emperor felt it was somewhat inappropriate and quickly added, "I will surely repay you handsomely."
"What kind of repayment?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Blade Prison Emperor glanced at Wind Empress and said, "Whatever Wind Empress can give you, I can give you double—no, ten times."
Zhang Ruochen raised an eyebrow. "What did Wind Empress give me?"
Blade Prison Emperor flashed a sly, knowing smile and said, "The Undying Blood Clan is full of beautiful women. With my cultivation and status, finding ten women no less beautiful than Wind Empress would be no problem. After all, Wind Empress is only more tempting because of her noble status and greater power."
"Rest assured, Ruochen the Great Saint, the women I give you will be at least at the Saint level. If you want beauties from any realm of the Heavenly Court, I can capture them for you too."
Zhang Ruochen's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he sighed bitterly. It seemed that because of Lianxi's incident, his reputation in the Hell Realm was already well-known, to the point where even Blade Prison Emperor was trying to curry favor by catering to his supposed preferences.
This wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
After all, one had to reveal some weaknesses to put those who feared you at ease.
Zhang Ruochen lowered his voice and said, "Don't tell anyone about what happened between Wind Empress and me."
"I understand."
Blade Prison Emperor thought he had grasped leverage over Zhang Ruochen and Wind Empress, feeling secretly pleased. If the three of them turned against each other after leaving the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, he would at least have a trump card to use.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I don't need ten Saint-level beauties for now. As for the Blood Shadow Ghost Seed, if we encounter one, I can suppress it for you. But you have to do me a favor."
"What favor? Just say the word, Ruochen the Great Saint," Blade Prison Emperor said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "After we return to the surface, go and persuade Yue Tinghai to put the big picture first and stop doing things that harm the Undying Blood Clan's interests. I believe he'll listen to you."
Blade Prison Emperor's heart tightened, thinking, "Does Zhang Ruochen already know that Yue Tinghai's attack on Blood Heaven Continent was ordered by me?"
"Alright, I'll definitely give him a good talking to and make sure he hunts Heavenly Slaves to make up for his mistakes."
Just then, the melodious singing sounded again, clearer and closer than before.
Zhang Ruochen's face turned stern as he expanded his Space True Domain, enveloping both Blade Prison Emperor and Wind Empress. "A truly powerful Blood Shadow Ghost Seed should be coming. You go protect Wind Empress. I'll handle this."