Chapter 967: Seven Great Ancient Sects
Sea Nether Dharma King and Ji Shui stood atop the cliff wall, having clearly witnessed the duel between Lan Ye and Zhang Ruochen just now.
Ji Shui’s heart was greatly shaken. Standing within a mass of blood mist, she said, “Gu Linfeng has actually cultivated to the sixth orifice. The power of the Seven Orifices Blood Nether Palm is enough to rival a Sacred Art—it’s truly unbelievable.”
For a long time, there had been rumors that successfully cultivating the fifth orifice of the Seven Orifices Blood Nether Palm was already the limit for humans.
Unless one was a prodigy of the Undying Blood Clan, it was simply impossible to break through to the sixth orifice.
Since Gu Linfeng dared to unleash the power of the sixth orifice, it proved that he could not be a sleeper agent of the Undying Blood Clan.
What kind of fortuitous encounter had he obtained to cultivate the Seven Orifices Blood Nether Palm to such a profound level?
Not to mention Ji Shui, even Sea Nether Dharma King found it somewhat unbelievable.
If Gu Linfeng had truly relied on his own strength to break through the sixth orifice, then Sea Nether Dharma King would have to reassess his value.
“What an unexpected surprise. It wasn’t in vain that I personally intervened to negotiate with Qi Zhenxian and rescue him.”
A mysterious smile appeared on Sea Nether Dharma King’s face as he nodded lightly, as if he had made some decision.
Below the cliff.
Zhang Ruochen wiped the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth, a resolute light shining in his eyes as he stared at Lan Ye across from him. “Uncle-Master Lan, wasn’t that strike just now a bit too harsh?”
Lan Ye, after all, was a high-ranking Half-Saint with a deep state of mind. He quickly recovered from his shock, rubbed his palms together, and said coldly, “Too harsh? I didn’t even use one-tenth of my strength just now. Otherwise, how could you still be standing here talking?”
Zhang Ruochen said coldly, “I’ve said it before—the Divine Son’s death has nothing to do with me. If Uncle-Master Lan still doesn’t believe me, then I can only report this to Grandmaster and let him make a fair judgment.”
“You want to report to Sea Nether Dharma King? Little do you know, the one who wants to teach you a lesson is precisely your grandmaster.”
Lan Ye thought to himself, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
“You’ve only been in the Netherword Heavenly Palace for a few days, and already your wings have hardened. Have you forgotten how to respect your elders?”
Lan Ye snorted again, “Even if the Divine Son’s death has nothing to do with you, I still need to teach you a lesson today, so you understand how to speak in front of your elders.”
Lan Ye spread his arms wide, forming the posture of an eagle spreading its wings. On his back, a pair of ice wings dozens of feet long actually condensed into being.
Three streams of cold air swirled rapidly around the two ice wings.
From atop the cliff wall, an aged cold voice rang out: “Lan Ye, how dare you! Stop immediately!”
“Swoosh, swoosh.”
Two beams of light shot down from the cliff wall, landing on the ground. As they solidified, they formed the figures of Sea Nether Dharma King and Ji Shui.
Sea Nether Dharma King’s hair and beard flew wildly as he struck out with a palm.
From seven or eight zhang away, a profound palm force formed ripples that struck Lan Ye’s body.
Lan Ye flew back like a scarecrow, crashing into the cliff wall.
With a thunderous roar, a large section of the hard cliff wall collapsed, and rubble tumbled down continuously.
“Master…”
Half of Lan Ye’s body was buried under the rubble and snow. His hair was disheveled, and there was a bloody palm print on his chest, caving his body in slightly.
Lan Ye was utterly confused. Wasn’t it Sea Nether Dharma King who had ordered him to teach Gu Linfeng a lesson? Before he could even truly strike, why had his master punished him first?
Sea Nether Dharma King flicked his sleeve, looking furious. “Lan Ye, who told you to act on your own and strike your junior nephew so heavily?”
“Disciple… Disciple…”
Lan Ye didn’t know why Sea Nether Dharma King had suddenly changed his mind, but he naturally dared not say anything he shouldn’t.
He struggled to his feet, clutching his aching, splitting chest, and bowed before Sea Nether Dharma King. “Disciple only wanted to test Nephew Gu’s cultivation. I had no other intention.”
“I hope that’s really the case. Otherwise, I won’t let you off easily.” Sea Nether Dharma King snorted coldly, putting on a very angry demeanor, and barked, “Apologize to your junior nephew immediately!”
No matter how unwilling Lan Ye was in his heart, he dared not defy Sea Nether Dharma King’s will.
“Nephew, this was indeed too rash of me, your uncle-master. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”
Lan Ye tried to use a gentle tone to apologize to Zhang Ruochen.
But deep in his eyes, there was immense resentment—whether toward Zhang Ruochen or Sea Nether Dharma King was unclear.
If Zhang Ruochen hadn’t known that Sea Nether Dharma King had been nearby all along, he might have actually believed that Sea Nether Dharma King was protecting him.
One played the good cop, the other the bad cop. Quite interesting.
Zhang Ruochen still wore a displeased expression. “Uncle-Master Lan is an elder after all. How would I, a junior, dare to be angry with you, sir? Heh.”
Sea Nether Dharma King waved his hand, dismissing Lan Ye.
Then, Sea Nether Dharma King walked over to Zhang Ruochen, a smile appearing on his aged face. He asked, “Lin Feng, when did you cultivate the Seven Orifices Blood Nether Palm to the sixth orifice?”
Zhang Ruochen showed no panic. He had already figured out how to respond.
He immediately cupped his hands and bowed respectfully to Sea Nether Dharma King. “Reporting to Grandmaster, your disciple-grandson recently had a fortuitous encounter. In truth, being able to break through the sixth orifice was entirely a matter of luck.”
“Oh? What kind of fortuitous encounter?”
Sea Nether Dharma King was somewhat curious, narrowing his eyes, and added, “Does it have to do with your disappearance these past few days?”
“Nothing escapes Grandmaster’s notice.”
Zhang Ruochen looked very serious, nodded, and said cautiously, “Grandmaster ordered your disciple-grandson to investigate the secrets of the Endless Abyss, and I have always prioritized this matter. In truth, during those days I was missing, I went down into the Endless Abyss.”
Hearing Zhang Ruochen’s words, Lan Ye and Ji Shui drew in a cold breath, both showing expressions of shock.
He had gone down into the Endless Abyss and still come back alive?
Clearly, the two of them knew very little about the secrets of the Endless Abyss, and might not even know that it had three gradients.
Sea Nether Dharma King knew more about the Endless Abyss, but even so, a dazzling light flashed in his eyes. He immediately asked, “You went to the first gradient?”
“Yes.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded.
Sea Nether Dharma King asked again, “Did you discover any secrets?”
So, Zhang Ruochen revealed the secret of the blood beasts.
Sea Nether Dharma King seemed to have some understanding of the blood beast secret and wasn’t particularly interested. He pressed on, “You said earlier that you had a fortuitous encounter in the first gradient that allowed you to break through the sixth orifice. What exactly was it?”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Deep in the first gradient, there is a deep ravine. At the bottom of that ravine, there is an unusually dense concentration of blood qi. Moreover, sometimes blood-red light pillars surge up from the ravine’s bottom, shooting straight into the sky.”
“It was on the outskirts of that ravine that I used that powerful blood qi to break through the sixth orifice.”
“That must be the residual blood qi of Blood Queen.” Sea Nether Dharma King said very decisively, the light in his eyes growing even more intense.
At the same time, various expressions flickered across Sea Nether Dharma King’s face, as if he were deep in thought.
After a long while, he asked again, “Did you go to the bottom of the ravine? Is that the entrance to the second gradient?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and sighed. “The blood qi in that ravine is extremely powerful and contains death qi. With your disciple-grandson’s cultivation, I could only investigate the outer area. I didn’t dare get close.”
Sea Nether Dharma King nodded, not blaming Zhang Ruochen. “For your cultivation level to have investigated this far is already quite impressive. Now, carefully draw the exact location of that ravine. With this contribution, your grandmaster will find a way to help you dissolve the Blood God Gu inside your body.”
Zhang Ruochen naturally showed a grateful expression. Then, using his finger as a brush and the cliff wall as paper, he began to carve.
“Whoosh.”
His finger swept through the air, and lines gradually appeared.
Zhang Ruochen had his own plans for doing this.
In the future, Zhang Ruochen intended to remain hidden in the Blood God Sect for a long time, fully uncovering the secrets of the Blood God Sect and the Endless Abyss.
But as long as Sea Nether Dharma King was alive, he would constantly constrain Zhang Ruochen.
The best way was to eliminate Sea Nether Dharma King first.
Sea Nether Dharma King’s cultivation was unfathomably deep. Even Blood Moon Ghost King was no match for him. To kill him, Zhang Ruochen would have to rely on external forces.
“Whether it’s the Blood Demon or that mysterious figure riding on the giant beast’s back, both are unparalleled experts. If I guide Sea Nether Dharma King to the Endless Abyss and he encounters those two, no matter how high his cultivation, he’ll likely never return.”
Soon, Zhang Ruochen finished carving the map. The cliff wall was covered in dense lines.
After Sea Nether Dharma King memorized the location of that ravine, he waved his hand casually. A surge of overwhelming Saint Qi erupted, shattering the hundred-zhang-tall cliff wall into pieces and sinking it into the ground.
Sea Nether Dharma King was in an excellent mood. He laughed, “Lin Feng, dissolving the Blood God Gu is neither difficult nor easy. The key is that you must take the initiative to strive for it.”
“Please enlighten me, Grandmaster.” Zhang Ruochen said.
Sea Nether Dharma King stroked his beard. “The Blood God Sect’s power is deeply rooted, spread across the nine prefectures of the Central Domain. Saints emerge in succession, hidden dragons and crouching tigers abound, and experts are as numerous as clouds. It is one of the seven great ancient sects of the Central Domain. In Tiantai Prefecture, it is the premier top-tier force, capable of contending with the Taiji Dao and the Imperial Court.”
“Every ancient sect selects a Divine Son and a Holy Maiden from its younger generation. They are not only the future heirs of the ancient sect but also the leading figures of the younger generation, representing the sect’s face as they walk the world, showcasing the sect’s unparalleled elegance.”
“Subtly, the strength of the Divine Son and Holy Maiden also represents the capability of an ancient sect. As one of the seven great ancient sects, the Blood God Sect naturally has its own Divine Son and Holy Maiden.”
“However, Mei Lanzhu’s death has greatly affected the Blood God Sect’s face and dignity. Therefore, the Sect Leader has decreed that next month, a new Blood God Sect Divine Son will be selected.”
Zhang Ruochen understood immediately. “Grandmaster means for me to compete for the position of Divine Son?”
Sea Nether Dharma King smiled. “As long as you become the Divine Son, the Sect Leader will surely take you to pay homage to the Divine Corpse. At that time, dissolving the Blood God Gu in your body will be a trivial matter.”
(Finally, this chapter is made up—it really wasn’t easy!
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