Chapter 946: Blood Sea Demon Mirror
Returning to the foot of Polo Mountain, Zhang Ruochen walked over to Lan Ye and Ji Shui, slightly cupping his hands with a smile. "Two uncle-masters, I have secured one of the banner leader positions. Now, can we go back and report the results to the grandmaster? Completing such a difficult task should earn quite a bit of reward."
Lan Ye's face showed no joy; instead, it was extremely stern. Coldly, he said, "Complacent and carried away. Gu Linfeng, shouldn't you restrain your lustful nature a bit? Do you think any woman is within your reach?"
Zhang Ruochen raised his chin. "Uncle-master Lan, I don't quite understand your words."
"You'd better stay far away from the Holy Maiden in the future. Don't always think a toad can eat swan meat, or you'll bring deadly trouble upon yourself," Lan Ye said bluntly.
Zhang Ruochen's face immediately turned cold and heavy, clearly showing disdain for Lan Ye's words.
If Gu Linfeng had heard Lan Ye's words, this would certainly be his reaction.
Since Zhang Ruochen was now disguised as Gu Linfeng, he naturally couldn't show any flaws in his personality. He had to be angry when anger was called for, ruthless when ruthlessness was needed, and even put on a show of being blinded by lust when appropriate.
Lan Ye glared at Zhang Ruochen, his hands trembling slightly. If he didn't know that this man was useful to his master, he wouldn't bother to warn him at all.
Ji Shui, wearing a blood-red robe, stood within a mass of blood mist, his voice ethereal and distant. "Your uncle-master Lan's words are truly for your own good. The Holy Maiden is destined to marry the Divine Son in the future. If you get too close to her, how could the Divine Son let you off?"
"Thank you for the reminder, Uncle-master Ji," Zhang Ruochen immediately changed his attitude. He took off the Sacred Crow Fist Gloves and returned them to Ji Shui. "Lin Feng was able to smoothly secure the banner leader position thanks to the help of the Sacred Crow Fist Gloves. I thank Uncle-master Ji once again."
Ji Shui said nothing more, merely nodding slightly and taking back the Sacred Crow Fist Gloves.
The three of them returned to Immortal Demon Sea.
Once again, in the Dharma King's Great Hall, Zhang Ruochen met the Sacred Soul avatar of Sea Nether Dharma King.
Learning that Zhang Ruochen had single-handedly defeated Bai Yu, Ning Guihai, and Yan Kongming to become a banner leader of the Netherword Heavenly Palace, Sea Nether Dharma King was naturally in high spirits.
"Lin Feng, this time you have truly surprised your grandmaster. With the Divine Son and Holy Maiden joining the competition, you still managed to sweep aside the other half-saints and seize the last spot. You are practically the third young king of the Blood God Sect, bringing great honor to your grandmaster," Sea Nether Dharma King said with a laugh.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Ji Shui and smiled. "This time, I must also thank Uncle-master Ji for his help. Otherwise, your disciple-grandson might not have succeeded so smoothly."
Sea Nether Dharma King nodded. He took out a blood-red crystal ball and a small bronze box, waving his sleeve. The crystal ball and small box flew toward Zhang Ruochen simultaneously.
"This is a drop of divine blood from the Blood God and a third-grade sacred yuan pill, considered your reward. If you handle the tasks your grandmaster assigns in the future, there will be even more and better rewards," Sea Nether Dharma King said, looking at Zhang Ruochen with an encouraging gaze.
Zhang Ruochen caught the crystal ball and small box, appearing very excited. He immediately bowed deeply. "Thank you for the reward, Grandmaster."
Both the Blood God's divine blood and the third-grade sacred yuan pill were things Zhang Ruochen urgently desired.
Especially the third-grade sacred yuan pill. With it, Zhang Ruochen had full confidence in breaking through to the third-order half-saint realm.
Sea Nether Dharma King nodded in satisfaction. Then his expression gradually turned serious, and his voice deepened. "Your two uncle-masters should have told you about the purpose of sending you to the Netherword Heavenly Palace, right?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "I do know a bit, but I'm not very clear on the specific mission."
Sea Nether Dharma King walked down from the highest seat, his sacred energy churning like waves.
His gaze fixed on a direction outside the hall, his eyes deep and profound. "For a long time, cultivators outside have believed the Endless Abyss to be an unapproachable death ground, unwilling even to speak of it much."
"However, few know that the Endless Abyss hides many secrets. Moreover, those secrets might very well be related to the Undying Blood Clan."
As he spoke, Sea Nether Dharma King had already walked to stand opposite Zhang Ruochen. The aura emanating from his body was like a towering sacred mountain, exerting immense pressure on Zhang Ruochen, Lan Ye, and Ji Shui. None dared to raise their heads to look directly at him.
Zhang Ruochen lowered his head, his body trembling slightly. "How... how could it be related to the Undying Blood Clan?"
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's terrified expression, Sea Nether Dharma King was naturally quite satisfied. "I wasn't entirely sure before, but not long ago, the battle at the saint level that occurred in the Endless Abyss confirmed this for me."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen immediately thought of the incident where Shengshu Cainü died in the Endless Abyss. This event had shaken most of the Kunlun Realm.
It was said that because of this, the Confucian Path had dispatched a large number of elite students to the Northern Domain to wage full-scale war against the Undying Blood Clan.
Additionally, some major figures from the imperial court and the Confucian Path wanted to go to the Endless Abyss to investigate Shengshu Cainü's fate. However, they were all intercepted by the Blood God Sect, and no one could get close to the Endless Abyss.
Before Zhang Ruochen could ask, Sea Nether Dharma King continued, "About a month ago, one of the Empress's Nine Heavens Mysterious Maidens, Shengshu Cainü, went to the Shangguan Clan to seek an audience with their ancestor, Shangguan Que, for the 'Blood Clan Secret Scroll.'"
"No one knows whether she obtained the 'Blood Clan Secret Scroll.' Shortly after leaving the Shangguan Clan, for some unknown reason, news leaked out, and she was intercepted by several saints of the Undying Blood Clan."
"In that battle, all the major powers of Taizhou were involved, most going to rescue Shengshu Cainü. However, the Undying Blood Clan had prepared thoroughly, setting up formations and assassination methods, causing heavy losses to the imperial court and the Confucian Path."
"As far as I know, after leaving the Shangguan Clan, Shengshu Cainü's destination was the Endless Abyss. Why did she go there? Could it be that she truly obtained the 'Blood Clan Secret Scroll' and learned some secret, prompting her to investigate the Endless Abyss?"
Zhang Ruochen also showed a thoughtful expression. "Grandmaster means that Shengshu Cainü's ambush was related to the secrets hidden in the Endless Abyss?"
Sea Nether Dharma King nodded. "I suspect that the secret of the Endless Abyss might be connected to the Blood Queen, who fell into it back then."
"Grandmaster suspects that the Blood Queen is not dead?" Zhang Ruochen was secretly startled.
Sea Nether Dharma King shook his head. "If the Blood Queen were not dead, with her cultivation, she would have already thrown the Kunlun Realm into chaos. How could she have allowed it to remain peaceful for five hundred years?"
"I suspect that the Blood Queen left something behind in the Endless Abyss, which is why Shengshu Cainü went to investigate. It's even possible that the Undying Blood Clan also knows about that thing being in the Endless Abyss. Otherwise, why would they intercept Shengshu Cainü?"
There was another sentence Sea Nether Dharma King didn't say: he strongly suspected that the Blood God Sect's leader might also have some connection with the Undying Blood Clan.
"A thing? Something left by the Blood Queen?"
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's pupils contracted as he thought of a legendary supreme sacred artifact—the Blood Sea Demon Mirror.
Legend had it that the Blood Sea Demon Mirror was controlled by the Blood Queen and possessed unparalleled demonic power. Even a saint, if struck by the mirror's light, would instantly lose all their blood, turning into a dried corpse. The saint's blood would then automatically fly into the mirror's interior for storage.
The Blood Sea Demon Mirror had a very long history. Over the vast river of time, it had absorbed the blood of billions of living beings, and the world within the mirror had long since turned into a vast sea of blood.
Any member of the Undying Blood Clan dreamed of obtaining the Blood Sea Demon Mirror. With it, they would have access to an endless supply of blood, allowing their cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.
It was said that the Blood Sea Demon Mirror also possessed a very important special power: it could identify the disguises of Undying Blood Clan members, revealing their true forms.
This was a sacred artifact that could both help the Undying Blood Clan and be used against them. It all depended on whose hands it fell into.
However, after the Blood Queen fell into the Endless Abyss, the Blood Sea Demon Mirror also disappeared from the Kunlun Realm, never to appear again.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Grandmaster wants me to go to the Endless Abyss to find that thing left by the Blood Queen? But legend says the Endless Abyss is a one-way trip, a true death ground."
Sea Nether Dharma King glanced at Zhang Ruochen and smiled. "If the Endless Abyss were truly a death ground, would your grandmaster send you to die? Report to the Netherword Heavenly Palace in two days. When you get there, you'll understand the meaning of my words."
"Also, once you arrive at the Netherword Heavenly Palace, take the third-grade sacred yuan pill as soon as possible and strive to break through to the third-order half-saint realm. The Netherword Heavenly Palace is also a place of trouble. Without strong cultivation, you won't last long there."
After giving these instructions, Sea Nether Dharma King's Sacred Soul avatar dispersed and vanished from the Dharma King's Great Hall.
Zhang Ruochen would report to the Netherword Heavenly Palace in two days.
In just two days, even with the aid of a third-grade sacred yuan pill, a cultivator couldn't break through from the second-order half-saint to the third-order half-saint.
That was why Sea Nether Dharma King told Zhang Ruochen to break through after arriving at the Netherword Heavenly Palace.
However, Zhang Ruochen didn't want to wait that long. For others, it was only two days. For him, it was twenty days—more than enough to break through.
Returning to Forgetting Beginning Island, Zhang Ruochen immediately entered the Cosmic Divine Wood Map. He spent a day adjusting his state.
Then, he took out the third-grade sacred yuan pill, examined it, and swallowed it. He clasped his hands together, activated the sixth layer of the Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture's technique, and began to fully charge toward the third-order half-saint realm.
(There's still one more chapter.) (To be continued.)