Chapter 282: Sea of Blood Source, Heavenly Secret Sect Members! Purple-gold Spiritual Power

Chapter 282: The Sea of Blood Source, the Disciple of the Heavenly Secret Sect! Purple-Gold Spiritual Power, Qin Feng's Colossal Breakthrough!

Opportunity, within the desolate and blood-soaked forbidden zone, was never absent; it merely awaited a hunter qualified to grasp it.

After traversing the boundless, crimson earth for several months, Qin Feng's sharp spiritual perception caught two currents of psionic fluctuations moving at high speeds and colliding violently.

Without a shred of hesitation, his silhouette transformed into an imperceptible shadow, silently following the trail.

Soon, the two parties engaged in the pursuit came into his view.

One of them was entirely bathed in holy radiance, and with every flap of the twelve wings of light upon his back, a terrifying speed that tore through space burst forth. It was none other than his old rival, Neil of the Holy Light Clan.

At this moment, his face was cold and severe, the killing intent in his eyes utterly undisguised, like a deity judging the world, relentlessly pursuing the fleeing figure ahead.

The one being hunted by him was a young man clad in a purple-gold imperial robe, bearing a noble and magnificent aura.

Qin Feng recognized him; he was a prince of the Taixu Cosmic Empire, a powerhouse who had also left his name on the Hidden Dragon Ranking.

However, this once-lofty prince now appeared rather wretched; his imperial robe was torn in several places, and his aura was slightly chaotic, clearly having suffered quite a setback under Neil's pursuit.

Qin Feng did not reveal himself immediately, but instead, like the most patient hunter, trailed far behind the duo.

He concealed his entire aura, transforming into the most inconspicuous grain of dust in this blood-colored world.

The chase continued to play out across the vast forbidden zone.

The prince of the Taixu Cosmic Empire possessed extraordinary means, several times performing profound secret arts of space to instantly vanish from his original position and teleport to an extremely distant location, attempting to shake Neil off by this.

However, a bizarre thing happened.

Every single time, no matter how hidden a corner the prince teleported to, and no matter how he cloaked his own aura, Neil could always adjust his direction without hesitation, accurately and flawlessly pursuing him once more.

The entire process was smooth as flowing water, without the slightest pause or investigation, as if in his perception, that prince was a bright lantern in the dark of night, unable to hide no matter what.

Taking all of this in, Qin Feng carefully observed Neil's state, discovering that he had not activated any technique resembling a tracking secret art, nor were there any psionic fluctuations of a special treasure upon him.

That kind of lock-on was more like an instinct, an intuition that could discern a position with a mere thought.

"As expected."

Qin Feng understood in his heart.

"After refining Blood Jade Crystals, a cultivator's body or soul will be branded with a special imprint by a certain law of this forbidden zone. This imprint enables a subtle resonance among all who have refined it, allowing them to directly perceive the other party's location."

Qin Feng had already confirmed his hypothesis.

This was not merely a treasure-hunting game, but a dark forest where all participants were exposed to one another's field of vision.

Every genius who had refined a Blood Jade Crystal was both a hunter and liable to become another's prey at any moment.

"Therefore, before having absolute certainty, one must never easily refine a large number of Blood Jade Crystals, otherwise it will only make oneself a target for all, drawing endless pursuits."

Qin Feng's gaze grew deep as he examined his current situation and strength.

"But... refining them 'after having certainty'..."

The corners of his mouth hooked into a cold arc, "And the current me happens to count as one of those with certainty. Since that is the case, it does not matter; I can just begin refining directly."

To the present Qin Feng, apart from that unfathomable Stone Buddha, the geniuses within the forbidden zone were no longer enough to pose a fatal threat to him.

Exposing his location, far from being a crisis to him, might instead become an excellent bait to lure prey to the hook.

Having seen through this point, he no longer paid heed to the pursuit still continuing in the distance, but with a shift of his body, sought out a sufficiently remote and sturdy giant valley upon the vast plains.

With brutal strength, he carved out a temporary cave dwelling and casually laid down several restrictions to cloak his aura, before sitting cross-legged, his mind sinking into his body.

With a shift of his thought, a crystal stone entirely blood-red, roughly the size of a fist, and covered in countless profound runes upon its surface, floated quietly above his palm.

This was the Blood Jade Crystal.

Merely by gazing at it, Qin Feng could feel a tremor originating from the depths of his soul.

Those blood-red runes seemed like living things, slowly flowing within his vision, assembling into scenes of bloody yet glorious tableaus.

Listening carefully, one could seemingly hear the shrill howls and roars of countless souls echoing from within the crystal stone; those were the products of the unwilling resentment and majestic vital energy of countless experts who had fallen in this place, melted and forged by the laws of the forbidden zone.

Streams of killing intent and fighting spirit, intense to the utter limit, seeped out from the Blood Jade Crystal like an invisible giant hand, constantly plucking at Qin Feng's heartstrings, attempting to completely ignite the deepest desire for battle and impulse for destruction within his heart.

"Kill! Slaughter brings glory!"

"Fight! Battle is the sole meaning of existence!"

"Devour! Plunder! Become the unique sovereign of the cosmic sea of stars!"

A grand and sinister voice resounded as if directly within the depths of his soul, carrying a bewitching magic.

This voice did not belong to any known language, yet it could allow any living being to instantly comprehend its meaning.

That was the whisper of the Blood God.

Qin Feng's expression did not waver in the slightest; his mind-lake was perfectly serene.

"The Crimson Forbidden Zone... is the forbidden zone of the 'Blood God'."

He soliloquized in his heart, "Then this Blood Jade Crystal is likely also a creation of that Blood God."

He recalled the warning given long ago by that mysterious existence who had taught him the Nine Spiritual Primordial Diagrams—the Nine Spiritual King.

"Just as the Nine Spiritual King said back then, the knowledge of gods is itself a most fatal bewitchment.

Their thoughts, their Dao, to mortal beings with infirm minds, are the sweetest poison.

But conversely, if one possesses an iron-like will and an indestructible Dao-heart, then this bewitchment cannot shake you in the slightest.

When that time comes, all so-called divine knowledge will shed its dangerous cloak and become an unharmful, and incomparably bountiful, gift to those with steadfast minds."

Qin Feng's martial Dao heart, having experienced countless trials of life and death, was already as firm as a monolith, far from what ordinary geniuses could compare to.

He was confident that this mere whisper of the Blood God was not enough to contaminate his will.

Hesitating no longer, he took a deep breath, and the Eternal Singularity Dao-foundation began to slowly operate.

A majestic suction force was birthed from his palm, instantly enveloping that Blood Jade Crystal.

"Buzz—"

The Blood Jade Crystal vibrated violently, the blood-colored runes on its surface seeming to be activated as they burst forth with an eerie light.

A blood-colored psionic energy far more colossal than before by a hundredfold, mixed with endless negative emotions and killing intent, like a torrent breaking a dam, frantically surged into his body along Qin Feng's arm.

At that instant, Qin Feng's body felt as though it had been cast into the junction of lava and glaciers.

Scorching, raging killing intent and icy, deathly resentment simultaneously assaulted his limbs and bones, attempting to tear his physical body apart and devour his soul.

However, the moment these raging psionic energies entered Qin Feng's body, they encountered the absolute suppression of the Eternal Singularity.

No matter how raging the incoming psionic energy was, it would be instantly decomposed and purified by it, turning into the most primordial essence.

Those shrill soul howls were utterly obliterated by the power of the singularity; those raging intentions to kill were forcibly suppressed and filtered by Qin Feng's own martial Dao will.

Ultimately, only streams of incomparably pure purple-red psionic energy, radiating the primordial aura of life and power, were left to slowly merge into Qin Feng's physical body and sea of spirit.

This was a marvelous process.

Qin Feng clearly felt that his physical body strength and the quality of his spiritual power were continuously rising in an inconceivable manner.

This elevation was not a direct increase in quantity, but a fundamental transformation in quality!

If it were said that his previous physical body was a piece of tempered steel, then at this moment, this piece of steel was being injected with some mysterious catalyst, causing it to evolve in the direction of 'divine gold' and 'Dao iron.'

Every cell, every inch of sinew and bone, underwent earth-shattering changes, becoming tougher, more vibrant, capable of bearing far greater power.

The same was true of his spiritual power.

His spiritual power, already refined to its utmost limit, now seemed to be repeatedly tempered and polished by a pair of invisible hands, removing all unseen impurities, making it purer, more translucent, its quality steadily advancing toward a higher level.

This was an elevation of potential and aptitude, a leap in the hierarchy of life!

Its value was billions of times more precious than a mere increase in strength!

But at the same time, the temptation originating from the Blood God grew ever stronger.

Even after being filtered through the [Eternal Singularity], the most primal will to kill and fight still seeped out, merging into Qin Feng's true heart.

His heartbeat accelerated, his blood boiled, and a fierce desire to fight all the strong in heaven and earth to his heart's content grew wildly within him.

This battle intent, combined with his own martial will, did not cause him to lose himself; instead, it made his gaze sharper and his aura more overbearing.

The moment the first Blood Jade Crystal was completely refined, Qin Feng's vision suddenly opened wide.

An immensely vast and clear three-dimensional star chart appeared out of nowhere in his sea of consciousness.

The outline of this star chart was identical to the treasure map he had obtained from the Thirteenth Prince—it was the complete map of the entire Crimson Forbidden Ground.

But unlike the treasure map, this star chart was 'alive.'

Upon the vast star chart, tens of thousands of points of light were now flickering.

Each point of light represented a being who had refined a Blood Jade Crystal.

These points varied in color and brightness, seemingly corresponding to different races and the number of Blood Jade Crystals refined.

Qin Feng moved his mind slightly and focused his consciousness on one of the points.

In an instant, detailed information about that point flooded into his mind: the exact location of the other party and the precise number of Blood Jade Crystals they had refined—one.

He quickly swept across the entire star chart; his vast spiritual power allowed him to complete the scan of all points in a flash.

So that's it... This is the 'Hunter's Vision.'

Qin Feng thought to himself.

The entire forbidden ground now held no secrets from his eyes.

He made a rough count: the beings who had refined Blood Jade Crystals numbered about ten thousand.

This was a considerable number; clearly, the vast majority of prodigies who entered the forbidden ground had already made gains.

Among them, the points representing most beings were relatively dim, having refined between one and three Blood Jade Crystals.

This group should be the ordinary participants in the forbidden ground.

But a few points were much brighter; they had refined seven to ten Blood Jade Crystals.

Qin Feng easily found familiar figures like Neil and Yeluo among them.

These were undoubtedly the famous prodigies on the Hidden Dragon List, or the ancient monsters at the Extreme Black Hole Level who had survived countless ages.

Among all the points, two were the most brilliant, like bright moons in the night, far surpassing all others.

Qin Feng locked his consciousness onto them.

One of them exuded an aura of deathly stillness and Zen, its location exactly matching where he had sensed the 'Stone Buddha' before.

The number of Blood Jade Crystals he had refined was an astonishing thirteen!

The other was filled with a domineering, wild, all-devouring brutal aura—that was the 'Lion God Statue,' who was on par with the Stone Buddha.

The number of Blood Jade Crystals he had refined was also thirteen.

Thirteen, huh...

A glint of battle intent flashed in Qin Feng's eyes. 'It seems this is the current first echelon.'

He withdrew his mind, hesitated no longer, and took out the second Blood Jade Crystal.

Since I'm already in the game, there's nothing to hesitate about.

The second one!

The surging crimson spiritual energy once again poured into his body; this impact was even more violent than the first.

The Blood God's whisper became clearer, as if roaring right in his ear. Endless illusions began to appear before his eyes.

He saw himself ruling the universe, with all races submitting;

saw himself holding a divine weapon, slaying gods;

saw endless glory, power, beauties, wealth—everything that all living beings in the world craved—unfolding before him like a scroll, as if he only needed to nod and give up resistance to obtain them effortlessly.

These illusions were extremely real, enough to make any being with a flawed Dao heart fall instantly.

Illusory things, how dare you disturb my Dao heart? Break!

Qin Feng's will, like an indestructible divine sword, fiercely slashed down in the sea of spirit.

All the illusions, whether glorious honor or tempting power, shattered inch by inch under that sword, like mirror flowers and water moon.

He firmly guarded his true heart, letting the illusions flourish outside; he remained unmoved.

This spiritual confrontation lasted a full half month.

Half a month later, Qin Feng's eyes snapped open; a flash of light passed, and all illusions and tempting voices dissipated completely.

The second Blood Jade Crystal was also completely refined at that moment.

His physical body and spiritual aptitude visibly rose another level.

Qin Feng could feel that his body was filled with unprecedented vitality; it seemed that with every breath, he could absorb deeper layers of spiritual energy from space.

Without pause.

The third one!

The fourth one!

…

Qin Feng thus entered a long and solitary seclusion.

He devoted all his mind to the cycle of refining Blood Jade Crystals and resisting the Blood God's temptation.

Outside the cave dwelling, time slowly passed.

The prodigies in the forbidden ground continued to fight madly for opportunities and Blood Jade Crystals; every day on the entire crimson land, bloody hunting and being hunted took place.

During this time, it was not that no prodigies passed by the valley where Qin Feng was.

But when they sensed the faint yet unparalleled domineering aura lingering around the cave dwelling, their faces changed dramatically, and they hurried away, not daring to have any intention to spy.

The name 'Fierce God' Qin Feng had long spread across the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races after the Battle of Twin River and the Battle of Red Feather Pass.

In this Crimson Forbidden Ground, aside from the few supreme prodigies at the very top, no one dared to provoke this evil god lightly.

Even beings who had accepted assassination missions did not dare to make a move against Qin Feng easily.

As for the Stone Buddha, whom Qin Feng feared most, he could monitor his position at any time through that spiritual star chart.

He discovered that although the Stone Buddha was also active in this area, he seemed to have no interest in him; the two sides always maintained a safe distance.

Qin Feng was perfectly content with this arrangement; as long as the other party showed no intention of approaching, he could focus on his cultivation without distraction.

Spring passed and autumn arrived, cold and heat alternating in endless cycles.

In this secluded valley cave, a hundred years slipped away in silence.

"Hum——"

The moment the light of the thirteenth Blood Jade Crystal fully merged into Qin Feng's body, an unprecedented surge of powerful energy erupted from him.

Within his sea of consciousness, towering waves arose.

His originally golden-red spiritual power had now undergone a complete transformation, revealing a noble and profound violet-gold hue!

Red to the point of turning purple!

This signified that the quality of Qin Feng's spiritual power, after a century of arduous cultivation and the tempering of thirteen Blood Jade Crystals, had finally shattered its shackles and ascended to an entirely new level!

At this moment, he felt his thoughts were incredibly lucid, and the entire world in his perception had become different.

He could more clearly discern the flow of spiritual energy and mental force fields around him, manipulate the spiritual energy in space with greater ease, and even the operational efficiency of the [Eternal Singularity] had increased by several tenths.

Qin Feng slowly opened his eyes, and a flash of violet-gold divine light flickered within them, causing even the void before him to ripple faintly.

He glanced at the four remaining Blood Jade Crystals in his hand but temporarily halted the urge to continue refining them.

At this moment, the whispers of the Blood God in his ears were no longer mere sounds but countless sharp needles, incessantly piercing into his soul.

His surroundings were no longer occasional illusions but a blood-colored world woven from slaughter, battle, and destruction that enveloped him.

Endless temptations, like parasites clinging to bone, eroded his will at every moment.

He had to stop and spend some time adapting to and suppressing this peak-level spiritual contamination.

If he lost this battle and his mind completely fell, he would no longer be Qin Feng but would become the most devout follower of the Blood God.

"Huff..."

Qin Feng let out a long breath of turbid air, which carried a faint trace of blood.

"If it's only to this extent, it still can't truly threaten my Dao heart."

He felt the violent battle intent within him, almost bursting forth, yet his gaze remained clear. "It's just that I need time to digest the Blood God's temptations. If I had enough time, I could even refine a hundred, several hundred!"

Qin Feng was extremely confident.

The reason was simple: he discovered that as the Blood God's whispers grew louder, the three golden nails in his sea of consciousness began to radiate light...

The Emperor's protection was enough to allow him to resist the whispers of the evil god.

"This upper limit is something other beings lack! The Blood Forbidden Zone is where I will surpass them!"

Qin Feng murmured to himself, once again sinking his mind into that spiritual star map. At this moment, the light point representing him had become incredibly radiant, its brightness almost on par with the distant Stone Buddha and Lion God statues.

He had refined thirteen Blood Jade Crystals, placing him among the top three of the tens of thousands of participants in the forbidden zone!

Meanwhile, the Stone Buddha and Lion God statues had not rested during these hundred years; the number of Blood Jade Crystals they had refined had reached seventeen, still firmly ahead of him.

As for other prodigies, even those of Neil and Yeluo's caliber had at most just reached the threshold of ten.

"The gap still exists."

Qin Feng felt no complacency. He closed the star map and shut his eyes once more.

A new round of struggle and cultivation began again.

Another hundred years passed.

Within the cave, Qin Feng's aura had become as deep as the ocean, as steady as a mountain.

The remaining four Blood Jade Crystals had been completely refined by him at some unknown point.

Now, he was fully resisting the spiritual impact brought by refining seventeen Blood Jade Crystals, which surged like raging waves.

At the same time, the [Nine Spirit Primordial Diagram] within him was quietly undergoing a transformation.

Driven by vast resources and the violet-gold quality of his spiritual power, the outline of the fifth lifelike totem on that mysterious primordial diagram had been mostly sketched out, only one step away from true condensation.

"My combat power has grown far, far too much compared to when I first entered the Blood Forbidden Zone."

Qin Feng murmured, feeling the earth-shattering power within him.

"Is this the might of the Blood Jade Crystals? Directly enhancing a being's potential from the root..."

He slowly stood up, stretching his limbs, and a series of crackling sounds like popping beans emanated from his body.

Each crackle contained a terrifying force that could shake space.

Now, all seventeen Blood Jade Crystals in his possession had been fully refined.

Continuing to sit in meditation was meaningless.

The next step was to compete for more Blood Jade Crystals.

And his goal from the very beginning had never been to search aimlessly like a headless fly across the world for Blood Jade Crystals hidden in unknown places.

Qin Feng's target was the beings who had already refined Blood Jade Crystals.

By killing them one by one, the Blood Jade Crystals they had painstakingly refined would naturally recondense, becoming his spoils of war.

This was the most efficient way to grow within the forbidden zone.

With a thought, the spiritual star map dotted with light points once again appeared in his mind.

Each light point, in his eyes, had now turned into a walking Blood Jade Crystal.

"Oh?"

Qin Feng's gaze suddenly sharpened.

He noticed that on the star map, the numerous light points originally scattered across the forbidden zone were now converging like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, all heading toward the same direction, the same location.

At that location, the light points were densely packed to an extreme, with thousands upon thousands nearly merging into a brilliant sea of light.

Among them were the two brightest light points of the Stone Buddha and Lion God statues.

"Everyone is gathering toward this place... Has something happened? Or has a great treasure appeared?"

Qin Feng immediately locked his consciousness onto that area while comparing it with the treasure map in his memory.

Soon, a name surfaced in his mind.

"Blood Source Sea?"

According to the treasure map, this place was called the Blood Source Sea, located in the core region of the entire Blood Forbidden Zone, near the central "Blood God Tower." It was said to be one of the origins where Blood Jade Crystals were born, containing not only a vast number of Blood Jade Crystals but also many secret treasures.

"So it's a top-tier opportunity emerging. No wonder it's drawing everyone like moths to a flame."

Qin Feng estimated the distance between his current position and the Blood Source Sea.

"At my normal cruising speed, it would take at least a hundred years to get there."

"By the time I arrive, the competition for the Blood Jade Crystals will probably be nearing its end. But... that's fine."

A cold killing intent flashed in his eyes. "Fortunately, the final ownership of the Blood Jade Crystals doesn't depend on who finds them first, but on who survives to the end. I'll just start the journey. This core region is a place I must visit sooner or later."

Having made up his mind, Qin Feng wasted no time.

He withdrew the restrictions, rushed out of the cave, and directly summoned his black hole-level secret treasure—the [Crimson Gold Wings].

“Buzz!”

A pair of dazzling, golden wings covered in profound prohibitions suddenly unfurled behind him.

As Qin Feng poured the vast spiritual energy within him into them, the crimson-gold wings emitted a piercing cry, and he instantly transformed into a golden streak that pierced heaven and earth, vanishing beyond the horizon.

At a terrifying cruising speed of forty-five times the speed of light, the scenery along the way blurred into indistinct streaks of light and shadow.

During his journey, Qin Feng also tested his current peak combat power.

He drove the crimson-gold wings, which had fully refined one hundred and eight prohibitions, to their extreme, while pouring his mental power—now transformed into a purple-gold hue—into his killing move [Inch Light], using the mental power to accelerate himself to the limit.

“Boom—!”

In that instant, his speed surged once more, directly breaking through the shackles to reach an inconceivable sixty times the speed of light!

At this speed, the concepts of time and space themselves seemed to blur, and he truly became an unstoppable “divine light.”

...

A hundred years of travel was long and desolate.

The vastness of the Blood Forbidden Land was beyond imagination.

Qin Feng sped all the way toward the core region, seeing nothing but crimson and lifelessness along the way.

Yet he did not entirely immerse himself in travel; he remained highly vigilant.

If he encountered some natural opportunities born from the land, he would not hesitate to seize them.

In the seventy-third year of his journey, he even ambushed and killed an alien prodigy who was also heading to the Blood Source Sea and had refined three Blood Jade Crystals.

The battle was simple and pure.

Qin Feng did not even use trump cards like the [Guluo Bell] or [Sky-Opener]; with just a seemingly ordinary [Inch Light], he pierced through all the opponent’s defensive treasures with absolute speed and power, annihilating him along with his soul.

That prodigy, a formidable figure in the outside world, turned into dust of history without even seeing Qin Feng’s true face.

The three Blood Jade Crystals were smoothly collected by Qin Feng.

A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

When a boundless, surging crimson “sea” of viscous blood waves appeared at the edge of his vision, Qin Feng knew his destination—the Blood Source Sea—had arrived.

He slowed down and descended gently to the shore of the blood sea.

This so-called “sea” was less a sea and more an endless abyss.

What churned within the waters was not water but blood as thick as magma, exuding a terrifying aura that chilled the heart.

Crimson waves crashed against the shore with a dull roar.

Qin Feng saw a massive meteorite fall from the heavens; the moment it touched the blood sea, it didn’t even create a ripple before being instantly devoured and dissolved by the viscous blood, as if it had never existed.

He dared not be careless in the slightest.

He could sense that within this blood sea lay countless immortal obsessions left by fallen great beings, and a supreme, terrifying power that seemed to transcend all laws.

That was the power of the “Blood God.”

Before this Blood Source Sea, any living being, no matter their cultivation or physical strength, would likely face only one outcome.

Enter, and die!

Qin Feng’s gaze crossed the blood sea and fixed on the shore.

Tens of thousands of figures were scattered along the boundless crimson coastline, maintaining a tacit and wary distance from one another.

They were prodigies from myriad races, the brightest stars of their respective cosmic nations and supreme sects.

Yet here, they had all become patient fishermen, silently confronting the surging abyss before them.

Mental power turned into invisible threads, probing into the crimson that could even swallow light.

It was a tedious, perilous, and mentally draining process.

Within the blood sea lay endless pressure and corrosive nature; every deep probe of mental power felt like scraping one’s soul with the sharpest blade.

A single misstep could cause the mental thread to be assimilated by the blood sea, resulting in irreversible severe damage.

Even so, no one gave up.

For all knew that deep within this terrifying blood sea slept opportunities that could change fate—Blood Jade Crystals, as well as supreme treasures left by ancient great beings who had fallen here, and countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

Time lost meaning in this silent struggle.

Only the occasional flash of light from a Blood Jade Crystal laboriously “fished” from the sea could stir a ripple in this frozen tableau, drawing countless gazes of greed, envy, or solemnity.

Qin Feng understood instantly.

The higher the quality of one’s mental power, the tougher the “hook” formed, the better it could resist the blood sea’s erosion, and the deeper it could reach.

And the deeper one went into the Blood Source Sea, the greater the quantity and quality of Blood Jade Crystals and treasures one could “fish” up!

This was an ultimate test of all prodigies’ mental power cultivation.

Qin Feng did not make a sound. He perfectly blended his form and aura into the surroundings, silently finding an unnoticed corner of the coastline, sitting cross-legged on a black reef.

No one noticed his arrival, as if he had always been part of that reef.

Only one person was an exception.

In the central area, far away at the best position along the entire coastline, the stone Buddha sitting like a mountain slowly opened his eyes.

His calm, unfathomable gaze crossed the vast distance and quietly looked in Qin Feng’s direction.

In that look, there was no killing intent, no hostility, only a pure “seeing.”

As if to say, “You have come.”

Qin Feng’s mind tensed slightly, but he remained outwardly unmoved, not even meeting the gaze.

The stone Buddha merely glanced and then closed his eyes again, as if everything just now had been an illusion.

This supreme prodigy of the “Divine Forbidden” domain showed no intention of attacking Qin Feng.

This left Qin Feng deeply puzzled, wondering what the stone Buddha was up to.

...

Still, it was a good thing that this fellow didn’t attack him, so Qin Feng didn’t bother to think too much.

Afterward, Qin Feng concealed himself in an inconspicuous corner, his purple-gold mental power condensed into a tangible, unbreakable divine needle, steadily piercing the surface of the blood sea and precisely searching for traces of Blood Jade Crystals.

His efficiency far surpassed ordinary people, but against the vast, smoke-like Blood Source Sea, it still seemed like a drop in the bucket.

Just as this near-eternal silence was about to become familiar to all, a slightly abrupt, smiling voice sounded without warning, clearly reaching every prodigy’s ears.

“Everyone, everyone, forgive me for saying so, but your method is actually wrong.”

The voice was gentle, yet like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, it instantly stirred a thousand waves.

“This method exhausts your energy, yields little, and is extremely dangerous. One mistake and your Dao foundation is damaged—why suffer so?”

Shua! Shua! Shua!

Tens of thousands of gazes, filled with surprise, wariness, and displeasure, simultaneously turned toward the source of the voice.

There, at the edge of the crowd, a figure had appeared, as if from nowhere.

It was a harmless-looking chubby young man, slightly round in figure, with a perpetual smile on his face, as if even the sky falling could not make him frown.

He wore a well-tailored robe of yin and yang, black and white flowing over him, outlining a mysterious Daoist charm, giving him an aura of unfathomable enigma.

“Hmm?”

Countless prodigies furrowed their brows, their minds shaken.

When had this person appeared? Not a single one had noticed!

In this Blood Source Sea, where the strong gathered in droves, to achieve such a feat itself signified depths of power beyond measure.

“Who are you?”

A giant from the Molten Titan tribe rumbled, his voice like rolling thunder, his bare upper body covered in magma-like patterns, radiating terrifying heat.

The chubby young man grinned and cupped his hands, seemingly unfazed by the oppressive pressure: “I am San Ruo, just an unknown wandering cultivator.”

“A wandering cultivator?”

Immediately, some beings let out sneers. A wandering cultivator dared to speak so boldly in such a setting?

Yet some more knowledgeable ancient beings, upon seeing that iconic yin-yang robe, instantly turned grave.

“That robe… yin and yang flowing, celestial mechanisms self-contained… Could he be from that place?”

A Limit Black Hole level powerhouse who had lived for tens of millions of years murmured, deep wariness in his eyes.

“A disciple of the Celestial Mechanism Sect?”

The moment that name was uttered, the entire coast fell into a chorus of gasps.

The gazes that had been dismissive and contemptuous instantly shifted to shock and awe.

“Impossible! Hasn’t the Celestial Mechanism Sect long since withdrawn from the world, hidden in the ‘Endless Sea’? How could they appear here?”

“A follower of Tzeentch?”

Someone whispered instinctively, the term carrying clear disdain and caution.

Immediately, another retorted: “No, no, that’s wrong! The ancient Celestial Mechanism Sect split long ago.

Initially, they all worshipped the Changer of Ways, master of change and intrigue. But later, ideological differences arose. One faction believed knowledge was supreme and should serve the Changer; another revered extreme rationality and logic, becoming followers of the Machine God. The oldest and most mysterious branch took a different path, venerating a local deity named ‘Celestial Mechanism.’ The three factions, with vastly different philosophies, have long since parted ways.”

“Then this fellow… which faction does he belong to?”

Murmurs rose and fell, and every being’s gaze toward the chubby young man had completely changed.

The Celestial Mechanism Sect was a behemoth more ancient and mysterious than many cosmic empires.

Its origins could be traced back to the latter half of the Myriad Races Battlefield, to that forbidden land even humanity could not fully infiltrate—the Endless Sea.

It was said that disciples of the Celestial Mechanism Sect knew the past, foresaw the future, and excelled at deducing all things. They rarely walked the universe, but every time they appeared, they inevitably stirred up colossal waves.

No one had expected that this small Blood Forbidden Land would attract a disciple of such legendary top-tier sect.

Faced with the crowd’s shock and speculation, the chubby young man named San Ruo’s smile grew even brighter. He cleared his throat and announced loudly: “Haha, fellow Daoists are indeed well-informed.

Indeed, I am a disciple of the Celestial Mechanism Sect, named San Ruo, of the ‘Celestial Mechanism’ lineage.

I am merely traveling the universe on my master’s orders, and happened upon the opening of this divine forbidden land. How could I miss such a grand occasion?”

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the crowd, his smile unwavering, but his tone gaining an unshakable confidence: “Our Celestial Mechanism Sect has many records concerning this Blood Forbidden Land.

If you trust me, follow my words. If not, continue using that clumsy method of ‘fishing’—just don’t drown yourselves.”

As his words fell, an indescribably terrifying aura suddenly erupted from San Ruo’s slightly plump frame!

It was not a mere pressure of energy, but a higher-dimensional “force.”

In that instant, he seemed no longer a man, but had transformed into a heaven and earth, a universe!

His existence resonated with the surrounding space, time, and even causality in a profound and mysterious way.

“Divine Forbidden… This is the ‘Divine Forbidden’ domain!”

Among the crowd, several prodigies ranked high on the Hidden Dragon List changed color and cried out in shock.

At these words, the entire assembly erupted!

Every being’s pupils contracted to the extreme.

If the identity of “Celestial Mechanism Sect” had made them wary, then the words “Divine Forbidden” evoked awe and trembling from the depths of their souls.

The Divine Forbidden domain! It was a chasm on the path of prodigies, the dividing line between the mortal and the mythical!

Among a trillion geniuses, perhaps not one could be born who stepped into this realm.

It was said that once one entered the Divine Forbidden, it meant having the potential to become a god, and one’s combat power could even overthrow a Domain Lord!

Of the tens of thousands of prodigies present, the vast majority could not even touch the threshold of the Divine Forbidden.

Among them, the only one acknowledged to have stepped into the Divine Forbidden domain was that stone Buddha, sitting like a mountain, his aura unfathomable!

And now, another had appeared!

Most importantly, San Ruo was not on the Hidden Dragon List… Outside the cosmic will, such a background from the Celestial Mechanism Sect made many beings deeply wary.

At this moment, no one dared to question San Ruo’s words any longer.

All disdain and doubt vanished, replaced by conviction and recognition.

A powerhouse in the Divine Forbidden domain, hailing from the mysterious Celestial Mechanism Sect—his words carried immense weight!

Even Qin Feng, who had remained as calm as an ancient well, cast a second glance at San Ruo.

This seemingly amiable chubby young man was likely no less dangerous than that stone Buddha.

Moreover, he came from the Endless Sea, a mysterious place even human forces had not penetrated, which in itself represented too many unknowns.

(End of chapter)