Chapter 1218 - 1215: Thirteenth Level
"Xue Ming, if I hadn't taken you in back then, perhaps your fate would have been the same as theirs! But thankfully, you weren't that foolish, ha ha ha ha!" Lin Chuan laughed wildly to the sky, suddenly spread his arms wide, and flew above the blood pool, looking down at everything in the great hall. The domineering aura made Xue Ming all the more excited; his king had truly returned!
With Xue Ming as his helper, his king's cultivation would be restored sooner or later! Xue Ming looked at Lin Chuan, only to see Lin Chuan pondering as he gazed into the pool. The demonic qi left in all the demon creatures' bodies was being blood refined, and no matter how they struggled and twisted, they were tightly bound by the Blood Soul Prison. With the mournful cries gradually subsiding, beneath the blood pool, not a trace of demonic qi could be seen anymore.
Although the demon creatures were heartless by nature, the desperate, pitiful screams of their kind pierced as if in Xue Ming's heart. Xue Ming's blood-red eyes turned toward the pool, and as the pool water grew ever more tranquil, Xue Ming seemed to have made a decision, looking at Lin Chuan: "Master, I am willing to return to the Blood Soul Prison, to completely merge with the Blood Tower, to guard it for eternity, until I turn to dust."
The years here had passed long, long ago, and the taste of blood had become a memory. If not for his own reckless longing to indulge in the supreme flavor of the blood of the strong, perhaps the Evil God would not have paid attention to one like him, insignificant as an ant. "No! Master, if the demonic qi in Xue Ming is eradicated, my cultivation would decrease by half. I guarantee my king, even if Xue Ming does not blood refine the demonic qi, I will ensure its safekeeping!"
"Silence!" Lin Chuan shot a cold glance at Xue Ming, sneering, "What, must the things I do be reported to you?!"
Xue Ming anxiously looked at Lin Chuan, eager to explain, but Lin Chuan ignored him, turning instead to look back into the blood pool. The demonic qi that once filled the third layer was now nonexistent, and in the blood pool, something unexpected caught Lin Chuan's attention! The color of the blood seal was gradually changing. The blood-red characters began to faintly emit a golden hue.
Lin Chuan flew over, only to see the blood seal flowing in the shape of the Eight Diagrams, with a faint golden light flickering within, as if someone had sprinkled a layer of gold dust on it!
"Master!" Xue Ming, unwilling to leave, looked toward the blood pool, unaware of what was happening with Lin Chuan. "Demons have never been eradicated since ancient times. The Demon Lord is a convergence of human malice, to eradicate the Demon Lord, one must first eradicate the demonic nature of the human heart, my King! In my humble opinion..." Xue Ming's words suddenly halted as Lin Chuan was at that moment focused on the blood seal. The number of golden glimmers steadily increased, and now it had taken shape, forming the outline of a weapon!
Lin Chuan was mesmerized, and though he could not entirely discern its form, he had already vividly outlined its true form in his mind.
The sword's blade seemed to emit a golden glow like amber, resplendent and transparent. The bone-like structure within the blade extended all the way to the hilt, with all parts having a bony texture.
"It's the Blue Spirit!" Xue Ming shouted excitedly, rushing over to admire the sword that had appeared out of thin air with Lin Chuan.
"Blue Spirit?!" Such a peculiar name for a weapon, yet unexpectedly fitting. Lin Chuan reached out to grasp it, only to pass through its blade, his hand empty. It turned out to be but an illusory shadow.
Angrily, Lin Chuan returned to the Blood Throne, looking at the phantasmal weapon flickering in and out of the blood seal.
"Xue Ming, what is this Blue Spirit?" Lin Chuan asked, casting a glance over at Xue Ming.
Xue Ming quickly replied, "Master, this Blue Spirit is a sharp sword from the world of hell, a mystic artifact designed to subdue all forms of Yin Spirits."
A top-tier mystic artifact?
Lin Chuan, looking at the 'amber' mirage inside the blood seal, nonchalantly swept a glance at Xue Ming: "Explain this amber to me in detail, tell me explicitly what grade it belongs to and what mysteries it holds, make everything clear for me."
"Yes," Xue Ming answered, respectfully looking at Lin Chuan and saying: "The Blue Spirit was a weapon of an ancient powerful being, a tool by which he cut off all emotional ties, broke through the illusion, and reached the realm of unity. As for this amber sword, in terms of grade, it is considered a Ten-Layer Restriction Celestial Artifact."
Lin Chuan nodded his brow slightly, not asking more.
The realm of unity, as its name implies, is to unify, simplifying the path you walk, the great path to unity is the realm of unity.
"I suppose that ancient powerful being was a sentimental person." Lin Chuan mused, muttering, "The path of passion, cutting off the emotional ties is unity, then where is my path? What path do I walk?"
Lin Chuan lifted his head, blood flashing through his eyes, a realization emerging: "Slaughter, demonic powers, my path is slaughter..."
A clarity of realization dawned within him, and in his consciousness sea, a scarlet spear suddenly appeared, tearing through Lin Chuan's spiritual consciousness sea, heralding the path of slaughter.
Amidst the heavens, blood spread wide, ending killing with killing.
"Kill..."
As Lin Chuan uttered the word 'kill', the inside of the tower became suffused with blood, Xue Ming was greatly alarmed and knelt trembling at Lin Chuan's feet, more awe imbued in his gaze as he watched Lin Chuan's sudden transformation.
The thirteenth floor of the Blood Tower.
This floor was unlike the others. No longer limited to confined regions, it was a vast, boundless small world.
Since the realm of mountains and rivers, there was no division of day and night, no sun, moon, or stars, but abundant spiritual energy, ten times richer than the outside world.
Nestled within a ceaseless mountain range lay a place, filled with meticulously crafted courtyards, water pavilions, and gardens by the lake, all of exquisite craftsmanship and beauty beyond mortal skill.
"The scent of blood." By the lake, an old man in rough clothes sat alone, holding only a single bamboo pole, with a thin line tied to the top, poised as if fishing.
The elder's figure was hunch-backed, emaciated to the bone. From afar, he resembled a skeleton wrapped in skin, with nothing visible except a layer of skin over bones.
Outside, when Lin Chuan's blood-like eyes uttered the word "kill," the elder sitting by the lakeside on the thirteenth level, fishing, suddenly had a bright glimmer in his otherwise placid eyes, quietly remarking on the taste of blood.
"Gu Huang, did you sense it just now?"
At that moment, a white light flashed across the sky like a dragon emerging from the abyss, leaving behind a white divine rainbow. By the time the sound descended, another person had appeared beside the elder by the lakeside.
The fishing elder by the lakeside lifted his eyelids, nodding slightly, having not spoken a word the whole time.
If it hadn't been for his muttering just now, he might have been mistaken for a mute.
"We've been imprisoned here for a millennium; do we finally have a chance to leave now?" The speaker, looking about fifty, had graying hair and a presence as steady as a mountain, resonating with the rhythms of the earth. His yellow robe fluttered without wind, his words carrying a calm dignity.
If Xu Ji were here at this moment and saw these two, he would certainly be shocked and turned pale.
"Blood Ming, how long was I immersed in the previous mood?"
Earlier, Lin Chuan clearly felt as if he saw a world of blood in that instant, yet he didn't know how long he had been submerged in that blood-colored world.
Blood Ming looked at Lin Chuan with growing respectfulness: "My Lord, you were immersed for roughly half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."
Lin Chuan nodded slightly, his eyes suddenly opened wide as he sat up from the ground. He found himself out of the Blood Tower, appearing in the cave where Xu Ji had brought him. As soon as his eyes opened, he inhaled a delectable scent that entered his nose, and his stomach protested with a rumbling sound.
Standing up, Lin Chuan changed out of his blood-stained robe, took a white robe from within the Blood Tower and put it on.
Once the robe was swapped, Lin Chuan's aura shifted drastically. The previously intense and eerie blood aura faded entirely, replaced by an elegant scholarly demeanor.
Having changed into the robe, Lin Chuan strode out of the cave.
The hell world actually resembled the human world. Even within the dark and illusionary spaces, there would appear illusions similar to those in the human realm.
Here was covered in forests, with an endless sea of trees visible from afar. Only ancient towering trees and beast roars between the woods were present. Lin Chuan looked up at the sky, where the lush leaves formed a vast net, blocking his view of the heavens.
Walking briskly, it took Lin Chuan no longer than a tea break to find the source of the alluring fragrance.
The place was near a shallow stream, where two men and three women gathered. Judging by their attire, they were likely members of a cultivation sect within the hell world.
At this moment, among these five, some laughed by the stream, others gathered firewood, except for one chubby boy, earnestly crouched by the fire, grilling fish and Shan Ji, occasionally adding seasonings.
The enticing aroma emanated from the fish and Shan Ji sizzling on the fire.
Lin Chuan felt somewhat disoriented; was this world hell or the human realm? Were these people Yin Spirits or cultivators from the real world?
Judging by the coldness in their expressions, they were definitely disciples of Maoshan Tao.
Previously, Lin Chuan had already encountered people from Maoshan Tao in this hell world, so he did not find it surprising at all.
"Esteemed friends, this humble one is passing through, and upon catching the scent of delightful aromas, I've come to have a taste. May I ask if you might be willing to share?" Lin Chuan approached with large strides, his face graced by a gentle, elegant smile, exuding the appearance of a scholar.
The three women, upon seeing Lin Chuan step forward, gazed somewhat entranced.
His graceful smile, upright posture, and handsome looks captivated their attention entirely.
"Who are you? Which sect's disciple are you? Why are you here?" The chubby boy grilling fish, alongside another tall and lean comrade, stood together cautiously, their hands hiding behind their backs, ready to draw weapons and fight at any moment.
To prevent misunderstanding, Lin Chuan halted a few paces away from them, expressing with no hostility: "I am just passing by, traveling in this area, attracted by the aroma of the food this chubby brother is grilling, so I followed the scent here."
"You say you're passing by, but why did you come here?" One of the women, now alert again, eyed Lin Chuan cautiously, while the other two women sensed that something was amiss and also grew wary.