Chapter 983: New Divine Son
"Gu Linfeng."
"Gu Linfeng."
...
The name "Gu Linfeng" resounded like crashing waves and roaring seas, spreading throughout the entire Blood God Sect, signifying that a new Divine Son was about to be born.
However, at this moment, Zhang Ruochen felt not a trace of joy, for another trial still awaited him.
The Blood God Sect's Holy Maiden, Shangguan Xianyan, arrived at the top of the altar together with Zhang Ruochen.
Her bearing was filled with celestial grace, her entire body radiating pure sacred light, yet only her eyes possessed a soul-enticing charm.
Shangguan Xianyan gazed at Zhang Ruochen beside her and smiled sweetly, saying, "The Divine Son is truly an extraordinary talent; even Blood Lingxian could not withstand your unmatched brilliance."
"I am not yet the Divine Son, so how can I bear such praise from Your Highness the Holy Maiden?" Zhang Ruochen puffed out his chest, deliberately adopting a cold and proud demeanor.
Shangguan Xianyan's crimson little lips gently pressed together as she chuckled, "Your strength has already conquered all the disciples of the Blood God Sect. If anyone else were to become the Divine Son, no one would accept him."
Zhang Ruochen fixed a playful gaze on Shangguan Xianyan's jade-like face from close range and said, "Since I have conquered all the Blood God Sect disciples, does that include Your Highness the Holy Maiden?"
Shangguan Xianyan merely smiled faintly and did not answer him.
The Palace Master of the Netherword Heavenly Palace began to urge them, so Zhang Ruochen and Shangguan Xianyan ceased their exchange and stepped forward to pay respects to the saints of the Blood God Sect.
Hai Ming Dharma King's aged eyes held a hint of coldness as he said, "Sect Leader, since Gu Linfeng's performance has been so outstanding and he has passed two rounds of assessment, can we directly crown him as the new Divine Son of the Blood God Sect?"
"Hold on."
A dignified voice rang out.
Immediately after, one of the Four Dharma Kings, Diyuan Dharma King, slowly rose to his feet.
Around Diyuan Dharma King, powerful sacred qi churned endlessly like a black sea of clouds. He said, "When Gu Linfeng fought Blood Lingxian, he did not seem to use his full strength. I, the Dharma King, wish to personally test him to see just how strong he really is."
A Dharma King testing a Half-Saint-level cultivator?
Anyone could see that Diyuan Dharma King did not want Gu Linfeng to become the Divine Son and was trying to create obstacles.
Then, another saint-level titan challenged Zhang Ruochen. Standing at the center of a golden cloud cluster, a surge of powerful spiritual power surged from his eyes as he said, "I have just reviewed the records on Gu Linfeng. This child has been cultivating at the Blood Dragon Hall in Yuan Mansion, practicing the ghost-grade upper-rank 'Blood Dragon Scripture.' Logically, his strength should not be this formidable."
Diyuan Dharma King sneered, "A true human could never cultivate the Seven-Orifice Blood Nether Palm to the sixth orifice. That Gu Linfeng has achieved this step is indeed somewhat peculiar."
Diyuan Dharma King and Hongyuan Saint simultaneously controlled a powerful saintly might, pressing it down upon Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen had long anticipated that someone would doubt his identity.
Becoming the Divine Son would not be smooth sailing.
But he remained extremely composed, without a trace of panic, neither humble nor arrogant as he said, "If the two saintly ancestors have any doubts, why not speak them plainly?"
Seeing Gu Linfeng's calm and collected demeanor, many of the saints present showed expressions of admiration.
To face the saintly might of two saints without changing his expression—such a figure was worthy of representing the Blood God Sect as they walked the world and would never bring shame to the sect.
If he was not qualified to be the Divine Son, who was?
Of course, the suspicions of Diyuan Dharma King and Hongyuan Saint were not without reason. Gu Linfeng's strength was indeed terrifyingly abnormal.
Hai Ming Dharma King did not intervene but instead watched with a look of amusement.
He, too, was curious about what secrets Gu Linfeng was hiding.
"Very well, then I, the Dharma King, will speak plainly."
Diyuan Dharma King's voice was resounding and forceful as he continued, "You are no longer the old Gu Linfeng but an infiltrator from the Undying Blood Clan."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Dharma King, do you have any evidence for such a statement? If you make such a hasty judgment without proof, it is truly disappointing to this junior."
"Is that so?"
Diyuan Dharma King's gaze was sharp, his two eyeballs like thunder pearls, as he said, "Then explain how a cultivator of a ghost-grade upper-rank technique could defeat the strongest Divine Son in Blood God Sect history?"
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a moment, then said, "I cannot say."
"Is it that you cannot say, or that you cannot explain?"
Diyuan Dharma King mobilized his sacred qi to condense a semi-transparent giant handprint, suspending it above Zhang Ruochen's head, and said, "Boy, will you not reveal your true form immediately? Must I, the Dharma King, personally strike to force you back to your original form?"
Zhang Ruochen appeared very calm, without a trace of nervousness, because he knew someone would surely explain for him.
At the summit of Qianyuan Mountain.
The Supreme Elder, who had been sitting motionless since ancient times, slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the direction of the Blood God Altar.
Then, his lips moved slightly, transmitting a message to the Blood God Sect Leader.
The next moment, at the top of the Blood God Altar, the Blood God Sect Leader finally opened his eyes, fixed his gaze on Zhang Ruochen below, and revealed a look of surprise on his face, muttering to himself, "A full thousand years, and finally someone has comprehended the 'Blood God Diagram.'"
Then, the Blood God Sect Leader shouted loudly, "Diyuan Dharma King, you are a saint-level figure. Pressuring a junior like this is beneath your dignity. Withdraw your handprint at once."
Diyuan Dharma King said, "Sect Leader, this child's strength is far too great; it cannot be the old Gu Linfeng. If he is an infiltrator from the Undying Blood Clan and becomes the Divine Son of the Blood God Sect, would that not make us a laughingstock to all cultivators under heaven?"
"I already know his secret. You need not worry. This child is a man of great fortune, and his future achievements will surpass everyone present," the Blood God Sect Leader said.
Diyuan Dharma King's eyes showed confusion as he asked, "What exactly is his secret?"
"That, I cannot tell you yet," the Blood God Sect Leader said, his tone still very calm.
Everyone could hear a hint of sternness in the Blood God Sect Leader's voice.
Since the Blood God Sect Leader had already spoken, naturally no one dared to target Gu Linfeng further.
Even Diyuan Dharma King, given his status and position, dared not continue questioning and immediately withdrew his handprint, returning to his seat.
"This Gu Linfeng kid truly harbors some earth-shattering secret."
Hai Ming Dharma King did not guess it was related to the "Blood God Diagram" but instead speculated that Gu Linfeng had obtained an extraordinary opportunity in the Endless Abyss.
"Once he is crowned as the Divine Son, I must find a way to extract all the secrets of the Endless Abyss from him," Hai Ming Dharma King thought to himself.
After the Divine Son's coronation ceremony, Zhang Ruochen was taken by the Blood God Sect Leader to pay homage to the divine corpse of the Blood God.
Moreover, the Blood God Sect Leader used a secret technique, aided by the divine corpse, to draw out the Blood God Gu from within Zhang Ruochen's body.
How could the Divine Son of the Blood God Sect, with such a noble status, be controlled by a Blood God Gu?
Half a month later.
The sky was as blue as if washed clean, with layers of cotton-like clouds floating by.
A golden-winged thunder eagle, over seventy meters long, pulled an ancient war chariot resembling a small palace as it flew through the clouds, casting a massive dark shadow on the ground.
The golden-winged thunder eagle, a sixth-rank barbarian beast, exuded a very powerful aura as it flew over the mountains and ridges, terrifying all lower-rank barbarian beasts into trembling.
When the golden-winged thunder eagle flew over the Xuanyun Sect, the sect's elders rushed out one after another. Seeing that the golden-winged thunder eagle had not stopped and had already flown to the horizon, they breathed a sigh of relief.
A young disciple of the Xuanyun Sect looked up at the sky, shocked, and said, "Such a terrifying aura—is that the legendary divine beast, the Roc?"
An elder of the Xuanyun Sect said, "That is the Blood God Sect's golden-winged thunder eagle and Blood Soul War Chariot. There must be some titan of the Blood God Sect inside the chariot. Such a titan-level figure could reduce the Xuanyun Sect to rubble with just a wave of his hand."
The young disciple clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with longing, and said, "I will also train hard, striving one day to drive a golden-winged thunder eagle, ride a Blood Soul War Chariot, and be revered by thousands."
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen sat alone inside the Blood Soul War Chariot, refining an ancient bronze mirror.
The ancient bronze mirror was only the size of a palm, its surface crystal clear as if forged from blood jade.
The edges of the ancient mirror were carved with mysterious patterns. Some patterns converged to form a tree, while others converged to form a divine beast.
Zhang Ruochen fully refined the ancient bronze mirror, gaining control of its artifact spirit, then stopped, holding it in his hand and gently stroking it.
"Life and Death Mirror."
Every Divine Son of the Blood God Sect could receive a thousand-mark sacred artifact.
The thousand-mark sacred artifact that the Blood God Sect Leader passed on to Zhang Ruochen was this Life and Death Mirror.
It was said that the Life and Death Mirror was a replica modeled after the Undying Blood Clan's supreme sacred artifact, the "Blood Sea Demon Mirror."
"Even a replica can reach the level of a thousand-mark sacred artifact. I wonder how powerful the true Blood Sea Demon Mirror is?" Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
The Blood Sea Demon Mirror and the Blood Queen had both fallen into the Endless Abyss. Had they truly vanished completely from the Kunlun Realm?
Zhang Ruochen's mind flashed back to the towering blood light he had seen on the first gradient.
Could that blood light be related to the Blood Sea Demon Mirror or the Blood Queen?
In the past half month, Zhang Ruochen had been staying at the Blood God Sect's main altar and had learned many pieces of news.
It was said that not long ago, the imperial court and the Ministry of War had dispatched ten saints to forcibly break through the defenses of the Netherword Heavenly Palace and enter the Endless Abyss.
But the ten saints never returned, vanishing like stones dropped into the sea, never emerging from the Endless Abyss.
Clearly, Shengshu Cainü had safely returned to the Central Imperial City and reported the news of the Endless Abyss to the higher-ups.
However, Zhang Ruochen was somewhat curious. With such an important matter, why had Chi Yao not acted personally?
Was it because she disdained to act, or... could it be that she truly could no longer act?
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head, temporarily setting aside thoughts of the Endless Abyss and Chi Yao. He pulled open the chariot's curtain and looked out, saying, "We should be arriving at the Black Market headquarters in Tiantai Prefecture soon, right?"
This time, Zhang Ruochen was leaving the Blood God Sect to return to the Sacred Bright Imperial City to pay respects to his mother and also to see Kong Lanyou.
Of course, before that, he needed to go to the Black Market headquarters in Tiantai Prefecture to purchase a saint-level elephant soul.
Only by obtaining a saint-level elephant soul could he successfully cultivate the tenth palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm.
Moreover, only by refining the elephant soul would he have the chance to break through to the seventh orifice of his palm and cultivate an even stronger physical body.
To achieve physical sainthood, he had to pass this hurdle. (To be continued.)