# Chapter 839: Green Stele, Blood Pool
"Really? We can't read those characters, so don't try to fool us," said the Divine Demon Rat.
Mu Lingxi also showed a suspicious expression and said, "Xiao Hei, this is no small matter. Don't do something unreliable again. Can you really understand those words?"
Seeing everyone staring at him with doubtful eyes, Xiao Hei was truly furious. "You should have a little more trust in this Emperor! How could I possibly make a mistake? Step aside and watch this Emperor display his great divine power. I'll collect the talisman right now."
Xiao Hei appeared full of confidence, chest puffed out and head held high, swaggering toward the green stone stele. After studying it for a moment, he pressed both claws down at the base of the stele.
Suddenly, the characters on the stele transformed into sword qi, all striking Xiao Hei's body and sending him flying more than ten zhang away. Even after he crashed to the ground, sword qi continued to strike him.
"Bam, bam."
Xiao Hei rolled around incessantly, howling in pain. "How could it be wrong... it doesn't make sense..."
"Let me try."
Zhang Ruochen was quite cautious. He slowly raised both arms, mobilizing spatial power and attaching it to the stele. The characters on the stele immediately emitted intense light, seemingly about to transform into sword qi again.
"Rise."
Zhang Ruochen quickly used spatial displacement to move the green stone stele into the Scroll World first.
Inside the Scroll World, dozens of sword qi flew out from the stele, but they quickly dissipated without harming Zhang Ruochen.
After the stele was moved, a large pit appeared on the ground.
Zhang Ruochen was about to enter the Scroll World to continue studying the green stele when suddenly, a faint green light emerged from the bottom of the pit.
"Oh?"
Zhang Ruochen stopped, walked to the edge of the pit, and looked down.
He was shocked to discover that the bottom of the pit was filled with divine blood.
The divine blood had gathered into a small underground blood pool, hidden beneath the green stone stele. If the stele hadn't been moved, it would have been impossible to discover.
Even more astonishing was that on the surface of the blood pool grew a verdant green plant.
The plant, like a vine, floated on the water's surface, bearing seven leaves in total.
The first leaf was shaped like a dragon, with a crimson fruit at its center, resembling a dragon's eye.
The second leaf was shaped like a tiger, with tiger stripes interwoven across its surface.
The third leaf was shaped like a phoenix, emitting wisps of flame, making the leaf burn like a lantern.
The fourth leaf was shaped like a Xuanwu; the fifth like a Qilin; the sixth like a blazing sun; the seventh like a moon in the night sky.
The seven leaves floated on the water's surface, arranged according to the seven-star pattern, emitting a faint green light.
And the light... was growing increasingly intense.
Xiao Hei rushed over, saw the seven-leaf plant in the blood pool, and drool flowed from his mouth without stop. He roared, "Divine medicine... Seven Star Divine Lingzhi..."
Just as he roared, the light of the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi shot out from the blood pool, blinding everyone so they couldn't open their eyes. At the same time, roars of dragons, tigers, Vermilion Birds, Xuanwu, and Qilin echoed from the pit.
The sounds spread like divine thunder shaking the earth. Even with their cultivation comparable to Half-Saints, everyone present felt their eardrums ache, dizziness, and their blood and qi churning.
If it were a Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator, they would likely have died on the spot.
Faintly, the ground began to tremble slightly. The vines of the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi grew longer and longer, rushing out from the bottom of the pit and extending upward rapidly.
"Since the Middle Ages, the Heaven and Earth Boundary Talisman has been suppressing the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi, keeping this divine medicine in slumber. Now that the Heaven and Earth Boundary Talisman has been moved, the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi is gradually awakening. We must collect it before it fully awakens. Once it awakens, even Saints won't be able to take it," Xiao Hei said.
"Why waste words? Act immediately!"
Zhang Ruochen mobilized spatial rules, forming a space domain that completely enveloped the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi and the blood pool.
By now, the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi had grown to several dozen zhang in length, its vines as thick as an arm. Fine scales could be clearly seen on the vines, with wisps of flame spreading out.
Xiao Hei didn't hesitate. His two claws quickly carved inscriptions in the air.
Strange and mysterious patterns, like a great net, hovered in the air, wrapping around the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi.
"Harvest."
Xiao Hei's claws pressed downward, piercing through the inscriptions and reaching toward the roots of the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi.
But the first dragon-shaped leaf of the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi suddenly shot out a massive dragon soul several dozen meters long, emitting a deafening dragon roar.
The powerful sound waves sent Xiao Hei flying back again.
At the same time, the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi grew even faster, its emitted aura becoming more terrifying, nearly shattering the space domain Zhang Ruochen had deployed.
Xiao Hei possessed secret techniques for harvesting divine medicine, but his own cultivation was too low, so he couldn't do anything to the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi.
Zhang Ruochen glared at Blood Moon Ghost King, gritting his teeth and shouting, "Hurry up and help! Once the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi's power shatters the space domain, the divine medicine's aura will leak out. If it attracts Death Zen Ancestor, forget about getting the divine medicine—we'll be lucky to keep our lives!"
For a divine medicine, Death Zen Ancestor would be willing to kill to silence them.
Among those present, Blood Moon Ghost King had the highest cultivation, far surpassing the others. Only with her help would they have a chance to collect the divine medicine.
Xiao Hei said, "As long as we can suppress the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi's power for one breath's time, this Emperor can move it into the Scroll World. Once inside the Scroll World, this Emperor can slowly deal with it."
Blood Moon Ghost King was clearly well aware of the value of divine medicine. Although she looked reluctant, she still mobilized all her power.
"Swoosh."
Her ghostly body transformed into a wisp of black ghost mist, flying out and coiling around the vines of the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi, temporarily suppressing its power.
Xiao Hei rushed out again, pressing both claws at the roots of the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi, pulling it up from the blood pool and sending it through the spatial gate.
With a bang, the space domain shattered in an instant.
Zhang Ruochen's clothes were completely soaked with sweat. He gasped heavily and knelt on one knee.
Blood Moon Ghost King also reformed her ghostly body, but her consumption was equally enormous, not much better than Zhang Ruochen's.
Mu Lingxi stared at the spot where the spatial gate had disappeared and said, "I just saw something wrapped around the roots of the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi. It emitted a very bright light, much like a piece of jade."
Zhang Ruochen nodded, having also noticed this.
However, the Seven Star Divine Lingzhi had already been taken into the Scroll World, so there was no need to worry about it for now.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze turned to the demon ape. "Demon Ape, go to the surface of the magma ocean and scout the situation in the Ghost Valley. If you find other cultivators coming this way, report to me immediately."
After the demon ape left, Zhang Ruochen drank a mouthful of Xuanwu Sacred Blood, using the sacred blood's power to recover his consumed sacred qi. Then, he stood up and looked at the blood pool at the bottom of the pit.
Xiao Hei chuckled. "A whole pool of divine blood—we're about to—"
"Xiao Hei, you know how to seal divine blood, right?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Xiao Hei nodded. "The energy of divine blood is extremely powerful. Ordinary vessels can't hold it at all. Only using the marrow of sacred jade, combined with a top-tier sealing inscription, can preserve it. But that method is too troublesome. We have a simpler way."
"What way?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Xiao Hei said, "The Sky-Connecting Divine Wood is a divine tree. A piece of its wood is like a piece of divine bone. Although the Sky-Connecting Divine Wood is only a stump now, and even the residual divine power has been transferred to the new sapling, it is still divine wood. Vessels made from it are sufficient to hold divine blood."
Mu Lingxi slapped her forehead, suddenly enlightened. "Right! Why didn't we think of that before?"
Zhang Ruochen immediately entered the Scroll World, cut a large piece of divine wood from the roots of the Sky-Connecting Divine Wood, and crafted over a dozen containers of various sizes.
Then, he collected all the divine blood from the blood pool into the containers for preservation.
The Divine Demon Rat looked at the divine blood in Zhang Ruochen's hands with extremely greedy eyes, licking his lips repeatedly, wanting to pounce and snatch it.
Xiao Hei slapped the Divine Demon Rat on the shoulder with his claw and laughed. "What? Want some divine blood?"
The Divine Demon Rat shuddered all over, quickly suppressing the greed in his heart. He bent at the waist and said with a fawning smile, "In front of Black Lord, how would I dare have such thoughts? But... if Black Lord could discuss with Zhang Ruochen and have him reward me with some divine blood, from now on, I will definitely work for you with all my heart, even unto death."
"Is that so?"
Xiao Hei pinched the Divine Demon Rat's rear, a cold aura emanating from his eyes. "If you honestly work for us, there will be plenty of benefits for you in the future. But if you dare have any crooked ideas, this Emperor can make you wish you were dead."
The Divine Demon Rat's four legs were trembling. He said repeatedly, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare, I definitely wouldn't dare..."
"Then go now and cooperate with your sect's Holy Maiden and Hanxue to dig up all the divine blood-red soil and transport it into the Scroll World. Be quick about it. If you do well, you might be rewarded with a drop of divine blood," Xiao Hei said.