Chapter 283: Seven-color Bodhi Tree Seed! Attracting the King's Corpse, Destructive Blow

Chapter 283: The Seven-Colored Bodhi Seed! Summoning the Corpse King, Devastating Strike! The Blood God Pagoda Appears!

Feeling the awe-filled gazes converging from all around, San Ruo nodded with satisfaction. He slowly withdrew that divine prohibition aura, and the smile on his face returned to its harmless, innocent look.

“Alright, alright, there’s no need for everyone to be so tense. We of the Heavenly Mechanism Sect value the word ‘fate.’ Meeting you all here today is fate. Offering a bit of guidance can be considered forging a good karmic bond.”

He cleared his throat, and his voice once again spread across the coastline.

“Listen carefully, everyone. This Blood Source Sea is the burial ground of many mighty beings. Their blood and essence have all merged into it, thus it can nurture countless secret treasures and Blood Jade Crystals.”

“If you wish to fish for Blood Jade Crystals, the method you’re using—condensing your spiritual power into a ‘hook’ and probing deep—is indeed effective.”

San Ruo shifted his tone, first affirming their approach, “Because Blood Jade Crystals have no consciousness; they are pure aggregates of rules, ownerless objects that can only be retrieved by brute force.”

Hearing this, many beings wore expressions of “I knew it.”

“But…”

San Ruo’s voice suddenly rose, carrying a tone that enlightened the lost.

“Heavenly treasures and earthly rarities are different! All things have spirit, especially those that can be called ‘heavenly treasures and earthly rarities’—they have long since given birth to hazy intelligence! To them, your spiritual power should be ‘bait,’ not a ‘hook’!”

“‘Bait’? Not a ‘hook’?”

The crowd was stunned, chewing over the difference between the two words.

San Ruo extended a finger and lightly tapped the air, as if pointing at everyone’s hearts.

“Exactly! What you’re doing now is forcefully using the ‘hook’ of spiritual power to delve into the perilous blood sea and snatch those treasures. Not only is this method inefficient, but once the treasure resists or triggers the blood sea’s prohibitions, your spiritual power will be damaged. This is the worst strategy!”

“The best strategy is ‘luring’!”

“What you need to do is transform your spiritual power into the most delicious ‘bait,’ spread it on the surface of the blood sea, and ‘lure’ out the treasures sleeping deep within the Blood Source Sea, making them actively approach you and acknowledge you, rather than you forcibly fishing for them!”

These words struck like a thunderclap in the minds of the assembled prodigies!

Yes! Why hadn’t they thought of that?

Heavenly treasures and earthly rarities have spirits and choose their masters—this is the most basic common sense in the universe.

They had been fixated on how to probe deeper with their spiritual power, how to more precisely “hook” their targets, but they had forgotten the fundamental principle.

Forced fruit is not sweet; forcibly hooked treasures are naturally fraught with danger!

“So that’s it… so that’s it!”

“It’s luring, not hooking! I understand!”

“Dispel the aggressiveness and purposefulness of spiritual power, instead release its most primal essence and aura, using this as ‘bait’ to attract treasures of compatible attributes!”

In an instant, many beings showed expressions of sudden enlightenment, their eyes gleaming with excitement and fervor.

This seemingly simple truth was like piercing a layer of window paper, revealing a brand-new, infinitely possible way to seek treasures.

“Thank you for your guidance, Brother San Ruo!”

“Your insight is profound; we admire it!”

For a moment, thanks rang out one after another.

San Ruo waved his hand with a chuckle: “You’re welcome, you’re welcome. Everyone, quickly give it a try; don’t miss the opportunity.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the prodigies, who could no longer contain themselves, immediately began to act.

They withdrew the threads of spiritual power that had probed deep into the blood sea, instead spreading them on the surface of the blood sea. They removed all concealment and disguise, releasing the primal attributes of their spiritual power without reservation.

In an instant, above the coastline of the entire Blood Source Sea, countless visions appeared.

Some people’s spiritual power blazed like fire, evaporating the surrounding blood-colored mist;

Some people’s spiritual power was icy cold, as if it would freeze the rolling blood waves;

Others’ spiritual power was filled with a killing aura, stirring certain fierce creatures deep within the blood sea to stir restlessly.

Shi Huang’s son, Ye Luo, as a top prodigy on the Hidden Dragon List, was the first to make a startling discovery.

His rock-solid, heavy spiritual power spread out, like an invisible land covering the sea surface.

Before long, a sudden change occurred!

The blood sea before Ye Luo began to churn violently, and a blood-colored whirlpool appeared out of nowhere. Then, a dazzling earthy yellow light shot up from the center of the whirlpool, breaking through the blood waves, and steadily suspended before Ye Luo.

It was a stone about the size of a fist, entirely earthy yellow, its surface covered with natural Dao patterns. It hung silently, yet emitted an overwhelming, majestic aura of weight, as if bearing the mass of an entire land. With each faint pulse, ripples spread through the surrounding space.

“That’s… a Domain Lord-level Stone Heart! Heavens!”

“A true Domain Lord-level resource! And it’s a ‘Great Earth Stone Heart’ of extremely high quality!”

“Ye Luo’s spiritual essence perfectly matches this Stone Heart; it actually lured it out!”

A series of exclamations pierced the sky.

All beings stared fixedly at the Stone Heart, their eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and even greed.

A Domain Lord-level resource, enough to make even Domain Lords take notice in the outside world, had appeared here so easily!

However, when their gazes touched Ye Luo’s cold and powerful figure, all greed was instantly extinguished.

Ye Luo’s strength was already unfathomable, and as the prince of the Stone Clan, who would dare to snatch from him?

Moreover, this Great Earth Stone Heart had limited use for most non-stone lifeforms; offending a future giant for it was not worth the loss.

But Ye Luo’s success acted like the most potent catalyst, igniting everyone’s enthusiasm.

Facts speak louder than words!

San Ruo’s method was correct!

Previously, they would spend years or decades to fish out a Black Hole-level resource, considering it good luck.

To even dream of touching a Domain Lord-level resource deep within the blood sea was a fantasy.

Only top prodigies with extremely high spiritual power quality could barely explore that depth, but they still faced enormous risks.

Now, they only needed to maintain their spiritual power on the surface, letting its essence spread, to attract those sleeping treasures to come and acknowledge them on their own!

This was a world of difference!

In an instant, the entire coastline of the Blood Source Sea erupted into frenzy.

“Haha! I caught a ‘Blood Dragon Saliva Grass’—at least a limit Black Hole-level divine herb!”

“I’ve got a reaction here! It’s a piece of ‘Star Iron Mother’!”

“Look over there! Neil of the Light Clan lured out a broken Holy Light Sword—the aura… it’s definitely a fragment of a Domain Lord-level secret treasure!”

Exclamations and wild laughter rose and fell in waves, continuous and unending.

Treasure light continuously burst from the blood sea, multicolored and dazzling, illuminating the crimson sea surface like a divine realm.

Domain Lord-level heavenly treasures, Domain Lord-level secret treasures; someone even lured out a metal fragment shimmering with immortal radiance from the blood sea—a fragment of a Marquis-level secret treasure!

Even more astonishing, a prodigy from the Yellow Springs of the Azure Fall Sect, with his cold and deathly spiritual power, actually stirred an incomplete inheritance!

Dark runes rose from the blood sea, forming a scripture that directly imprinted itself into his soul.

The terror of that aura made surrounding beings retreat in haste. Someone recognized it as a long-lost King-level inheritance secret technique!

The entire Blood Source Sea had become a grand feast of revelry.

All were immersed in the immense joy of continuously acquiring supreme treasures, greedily releasing their spiritual power, hoping to attract even greater fortunes.

Yet, amid this sea of clamor and frenzy, there existed a solitary island.

Qin Feng still sat cross-legged in that inconspicuous corner, as if everything outside had nothing to do with him.

He glanced at the soaring beams of treasure light, a flicker of understanding in his eyes, but without a trace of envy or wavering.

The method of the Three Weaknesses was correct, and its value was immeasurable.

But Qin Feng knew more clearly what he wanted.

Secret treasures? Mere external objects.

Indeed, a powerful secret treasure could skyrocket combat power, and a king-bestowed inheritance could set one’s direction.

But for Qin Feng, these were not the foundation.

His path had been different from the very beginning.

What he sought to forge was the 【Terminal Singularity】 after the 【Eternal Singularity】—the supreme Dao foundation promised by the will of the universe!

What he aimed to tread was the “Divine Forbidden” realm, one in a trillion!

These were the core roots of his martial path.

If the foundation is not solid, the earth shakes and the mountains tremble.

Possessing the strongest external objects is merely a castle in the air.

And to achieve these two goals, the most direct and effective way at present was to refine enough Blood Jade Crystals!

Blood Jade Crystals enhanced potential, talent, and the most fundamental “qualitative” transformation of life.

This enhancement was far more important than any secret treasure.

Moreover, he had the Imperial Gold Nail to resist temptations and extract Blood Jade Crystals to the fullest extent?!

The relative importance, Qin Feng distinguished with perfect clarity.

Thus, while all living beings turned their spiritual power into “bait” to lure those flashy treasures, Qin Feng’s spiritual power remained the sharpest, toughest, and purest “hook.”

His goal was clear and singular—Blood Jade Crystals!

The purple-gold spiritual hook ignored the treasures exuding alluring auras, precisely probing into the Blood Sea, searching for those unique blood-colored halos.

The exclamations from outside became the perfect cover for his actions.

When the Stone Emperor’s son, Yeluo, fished out a domain-level Stone Heart, drawing the attention of all, Qin Feng silently hooked three hundred Blood Jade Crystals from the Blood Sea and stored them in his ring.

When the Light Clan’s Neil obtained a fragment of the Holy Light Sword, radiating brilliance, Qin Feng struck again, dragging a vein containing nearly a thousand Blood Jade Crystals to the surface, instantly decomposing and collecting them.

When the king-bestowed inheritance appeared, causing a massive uproar, the number of Blood Jade Crystals in Qin Feng’s ring had quietly surpassed three thousand.

Thus, amid this magnificent treasure-hunting carnival, he remained a silent contrarian.

Like the most efficient farmer, while others’ gardens bloomed with a hundred flowers vying for beauty, he simply lowered his head, silently and unceasingly harvesting the most humble yet most important grain from his own field.

Time, in this one-sided revelry and the other-sided harvest, flowed slowly.

Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

The grand feast of the Blood Source Sea gradually moved from its climax to its conclusion.

Most of the easily attracted treasures had already emerged; what remained were top-tier treasures sleeping in the deepest parts of the Blood Sea or those with strong spirituality, extremely hard to communicate with.

The prodigies’ harvests were already overflowing; their current “fishing” was more out of reluctance, hoping to create another miracle.

And in these ten years, Qin Feng’s harvest reached a terrifying number.

His spiritual power, like an untiring machine, probed into the Blood Sea again and again, returning fully laden each time.

Finally, when he collected the last batch of nearly five hundred Blood Jade Crystals, Qin Feng slowly withdrew his spiritual power.

He looked inward at the mountain of Blood Jade Crystals in his ring; the blood-colored radiance nearly burst the ring’s internal space.

One hundred thousand.

This was a number that would drive any informed person mad.

Qin Feng stopped.

He calmly sensed and felt that these Blood Jade Crystals were absolutely enough for him to absorb and refine.

In fact, many would inevitably be wasted in the end.

Enough.

He opened his eyes and glanced at the beings still diligently “fishing” in the distance.

Their faces brimmed with the joy of harvest and anticipation for the future.

Qin Feng’s face, however, showed no expression.

“After refining these hundred thousand Blood Jade Crystals, my strength will undergo earth-shattering changes.”

“Of course, to refine these hundred thousand Blood Jade Crystals, with the Imperial Gold Nail, if time were abundant, spending tens of thousands of years should be enough to finish, but in reality… it’s utterly impossible. Still, I must test my limits.”

Qin Feng murmured to himself.

“Enough, even… far beyond what is needed.”

With the foundation laid, occasional diversions were not amiss.

Qin Feng’s gaze finally shifted from the floating Blood Jade Crystals to the deeper, darker depths of the Blood Sea.

A faint, barely noticeable smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

“Very well, let me see what secrets lie in the deepest part of this Blood Source Sea.”

With his mind made up, Qin Feng hesitated no longer.

He imitated the other prodigies and began to release his spiritual power origin.

Yet his “release” was fundamentally different from that of other beings.

Ordinary prodigies, even those with spiritual power quality reaching gold-red, carefully kept their power near the sea surface, like cautious fishermen casting bait in safe shallows.

But Qin Feng, like a dragon diving into the abyss, boldly thrust his spiritual power toward the endless depths!

Hum—

A condensed, noble, purple-gold spiritual power, as if containing the mysteries of the universe’s dawn, emanated from Qin Feng’s brow.

This spiritual power did not disperse but coalesced into a solid, needle-like probe, instantly plunging into the Blood Sea.

Inside the Blood Source Sea, it was filled with the residual wills of countless fallen mighty beings and the overbearing power of the Blood God, possessing a terrifying corrosive effect on spiritual power.

Even gold-red spiritual power, when penetrating deep, would be continuously worn away, like snow under the scorching sun.

But Qin Feng’s purple-gold spiritual power presented a completely different scene.

It originated from the supreme Dao foundation of the 【Eternal Singularity】, tempered by the Bodhi Flower and seventeen Blood Jade Crystals; its quality surpassed the comprehension of all beings present.

The Blood Sea power, capable of dissolving souls, upon contact with this purple-gold spiritual power, retreated like tides on both sides, unable to cause any damage, not even corrosion.

One thousand meters, ten thousand meters, one hundred thousand meters…

Qin Feng’s spiritual power continued to descend without hindrance, reaching a domain that even a powerhouse of the Stone Buddha’s level had not easily ventured into.

Here, time and space seemed frozen, surrounded by pure, viscous blood-colored psychic energy as tangible as substance.

Qin Feng could "see" countless shattered weapons, broken armor, and long-lost spiritual treasures lying silently like sediment on the ocean floor.

The essence of his spiritual power, that unique imprint of Qin Feng's own life mark, spread without reserve through this dead abyss.

He did not wait long; only a moment later, the deepest reaches of the Blood Source Sea responded.

A faint tremor, brimming with boundless vitality and a sense of closeness, transmitted from afar, precisely linking with Qin Feng's violet-gold spiritual power.

"Found it."

With a thought, Qin Feng turned that violet-gold spiritual probe into a soft thread, coiled around the source of the tremor, and began to slowly ascend.

The next moment, a sudden change erupted!

Boom! Rumble!

The entire Blood Source Sea boiled violently without warning, as if an ancient primordial beast that had slumbered for eons was about to awaken. Blood waves surged skyward, crashing against the void with a thunderous, muffled roar.

Then, a dazzling, indescribable seven-colored radiance burst forth from the depths of the blood sea, tearing through the endless crimson and shooting straight into the heavens!

In an instant, light and splendor filled the sky, a thousand auspicious rays.

The thick stench of blood and death was swept away by this sacred light. The entire boundless blood pool was completely enveloped and dyed by the seven-colored glow, as if transformed into a holy pure land.

A refreshing fragrance spread; just one whiff made all the prodigies present feel their souls clear, their thoughts racing three times faster.

Every gaze—whether from those fishing, those fighting, or those watching—was instantly riveted to the source of that light.

Before Qin Feng, as his spiritual power retracted, a small tree, about the size of a palm, crystal clear and shimmering with seven-colored divine light, slowly rose from the blood sea.

It was the source of all these phenomena!

At first, there was dead silence.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden celestial anomaly.

Then, a scream mixed with extreme shock and disbelief shattered the brief stillness.

"That... could that be... the seed of the Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree?!"

That voice was like a spark igniting a powder keg, instantly setting off the emotions of every being present.

"My god! How is it possible! The legendary cosmic treasure long thought extinct, the Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree seed?!"

"It's a seed! A living seed! That means it can be directly soul-contracted and carefully nurtured! Once it grows, it will be a living, walking King-level life form!"

"Far more than that! The Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree is naturally attuned to the Great Dao; cultivating beneath it greatly enhances mental faculties and provides unimaginable boosts to comprehending any secret technique! This is a supreme treasure that even King-level experts would covet, even start wars to seize!"

"In these hundred years, the best we've fished out are King-level inheritances or broken artifacts, but he... he directly obtained a complete, infinitely potential top-tier King-level exotic treasure!"

"Who is this man?! Who exactly is he?!"

"His spiritual power... is violet-gold! Never seen before, what kind of divine being is this?"

Murmurs, exclamations, gasps of air rose and fell.

But these sounds were soon replaced by a more primal, purer emotion—greed.

Burning, undisguised greedy gazes converged from all directions, locked onto Qin Feng and the Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree seed before him.

The air seemed to freeze in an instant, then twisted, scorched by waves of murderous intent surging skyward.

"Kill!"

Someone roared.

"Such a treasure belongs to the virtuous! Are you not afraid of divine retribution for hogging it alone?"

"Attack together! Seize the treasure first, then each fends for themselves!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Without another word, before the irresistible temptation of the Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree seed, reason was instantly incinerated.

In an instant, dozens of ferocious attacks, carrying the aura of destruction, poured down on Qin Feng from different directions!

Among them were several Limit Black Hole-level experts with spiritual power quality already at gold-red, their attacks especially vicious, sealing off all escape routes around Qin Feng.

Because Qin Feng had always hidden his aura, in that split second, no one recognized his true identity.

In their eyes, he was just a mysterious powerhouse who appeared from nowhere with incredible luck. Facing this world-shattering siege, Qin Feng's expression remained terrifyingly calm.

He didn't even look at the enemies attacking him first; instead, he focused most of his mind on the stone Buddha sitting like a mountain in the distance.

The stone Buddha was the only being here that could truly threaten him.

If it showed any sign of making a move, Qin Feng would unhesitatingly put away the seed and flee immediately.

Yet the stone Buddha remained motionless.

Its eyes, seemingly containing ancient stars, merely glanced briefly in his direction and then did nothing more.

"Good."

Qin Feng understood in his heart.

Since the greatest threat chose to stand by, it was time to remind these blinded-by-greed fools of some long-forgotten fears.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort, like a wind from the nine underworlds, clearly reached every being's ears.

Before the sound faded, Qin Feng moved.

Whoosh!

A pair of huge, magnificent, metallic-feeling red-gold wings spread fiercely behind him; on the wings, countless complex Dao patterns lit up instantly, and terrifying psychic energy erupted like a volcano!

At the same time, a pitch-black ancient spear, seeming to devour all light, quietly appeared in his hand. It was the divine weapon—Swallowing Star!

He chose neither defense nor evasion, but with spear in hand, in the moment before countless attacks were about to land, he charged against the tide into the densest crowd!

His momentum, like a dragon!

A point of ultimate light bloomed at his spear tip.

Inch Light!

Swoosh—

It was a light impossible to capture with sight.

It appeared without warning, as if born from the void itself.

It was so fast that time and space lost meaning before it.

In everyone's perception, the world seemed to hit pause; all psychic torrents and secret art lights froze, leaving only that brilliant speck, fine as a hair, as the eternal sole existence in heaven and earth.

It flashed and vanished, piercing the brow of a huge, grinning Lava Titan clan powerhouse.

At that moment, the familiar attack method that chilled the blood of all prodigies finally made some sharp-minded beings recall the name of that demon.

A piercing scream, filled with endless terror, suddenly rang out:

"Inch Light! That's Inch Light! He is Qin Feng!"

"It's that fiend Qin Feng!!"

"Fall back!!"

"His spiritual power... has actually transformed into purple-gold! His strength... has grown even stronger!!"

The name "Qin Feng" seemed to carry a terrifying, word-made-flesh magic.

The dozens of experts, who moments ago were murderous and bent on seizing the treasure, all froze for an instant upon hearing that name.

Then, a fear a hundred times greater than their former greed shot from the base of their spines straight to their crowns.

Without a second thought, they madly burned their spiritual energy and mental power, retreating in all directions at the fastest speed of their lives!

The encirclement, which had been airtight just moments before, instantly collapsed.

Those attacks already launched and mid-flight were even forcibly aborted, causing no small backlash to their users.

Retreat tens of thousands of miles!

Every single being wished they had grown two more legs, their faces etched with terror and regret, terrified that the demon god would set his sights on them.

Fortunately, Qin Feng's goal was not to slaughter them all, but to make an example of one.

While that terrified scream still echoed, the lava titan struck by "Inch Light" had its grin of malice yet to fade, but the light in its eyes had already dimmed completely.

Pfft.

A soft sound.

No earth-shattering explosion, no scene of blood and flesh flying.

That lava titan, renowned for its formidable physique, with defenses comparable to a limit black hole-level secret treasure, its massive body silently began, from a point at its brow, to annihilate inch by inch, turning into the purest stream of particles, dissipating between heaven and earth.

Flesh perished, soul shattered.

One strike, instant death!

The entire scene fell into dead silence.

The Blood Source Sea, which had been boiling with noise moments before, was now so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Only the Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree Seed still emitted a soft and sacred radiance, illuminating faces pale and twisted with fear.

Countless gazes instinctively shifted away from Qin Feng, turning to the three figures in the distance.

The Stone Buddha, the Lion God Statue, and the Stone Emperor's son, Ye Luo.

In everyone's eyes, these three powerful stone beings should be on the same side.

With Qin Feng so dominant, would they make a move?

Yet, the result once again surprised everyone.

The Stone Buddha remained as before, eyes watching his nose, nose watching his heart, as if in deep meditation, indifferent to all external events.

The Stone Emperor's son, Ye Luo, the moment Qin Feng appeared, unhesitatingly retreated tens of thousands of meters, keeping a wide berth, his decisiveness even faster than that of the attackers by a third.

His gaze at Qin Feng was filled with wariness and an indescribable complexity.

As for the Lion God Statue, a fierce battle intent and killing urge did flash in his golden pupils.

Killing Qin Feng was one of his goals upon entering the Blood Forbidden Land.

But...

He glanced at Qin Feng, whose might was overwhelming, holding the Star-Swallowing Spear, sensing the terrifying aura that had grown by more than an order of magnitude since entering the forbidden land, and the battle intent in his heart could not rise to its peak no matter what.

No certainty...

For the first time, the Lion God Statue made such a judgment about himself.

If he had faced Qin Feng immediately at the entrance of the forbidden land, he had absolute confidence, even if he couldn't kill him, to severely wound him.

But now, the other had refined who knows how many Blood Jade Crystals, his spiritual power transformed into purple-gold, and his strength was likely infinitely close to "Half-Step Divine Forbidden."

The outcome was now unpredictable.

Moreover...

The Lion God Statue's peripheral vision glanced at the Stone Buddha, who sat unmoving, and a nameless anger and deep suspicion arose in his heart.

"Both being stone beings, the Stone Buddha's strength far surpasses mine—why doesn't he act? He is clearly the most qualified and capable being to punish Qin Feng. Why does he sit securely on the fishing platform, while I have to go fight to the death?"

"This beast definitely harbors ulterior motives! Hmph, those not of my kind are bound to have different hearts. Though he bears the form of a stone being, his origins are mysterious; he is not a being from my Stone Realm Cosmic Kingdom at all. What... is he scheming?"

One thought after another flashed through the Lion God Statue's mind, causing his already unsteady battle intent to completely dissolve.

He snorted coldly and likewise chose to retreat, maintaining a safe distance from Qin Feng.

From then on, no one dared to show the slightest hint of covetousness toward Qin Feng and the Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree Seed in his hand.

Qin Feng looked around, seeing that everyone was cowed by his thunderous strike, and was content with the peace.

He casually stored the Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree Seed into his subspace storage unit, then sat cross-legged again.

His spiritual power origin once more released itself without restraint into the Blood Source Sea, continuing to wait for treasures that resonated with his origin to be attracted.

However, this time, it seemed Qin Feng had used up all his luck.

Time passed bit by bit, and around him, exclamations from other prodigies pulling out treasures came continuously, but his spiritual power origin bait was touched by no treasure at all.

Clearly, a cosmic rarity like the Seven-Colored Bodhi Tree Seed was a one-in-a-billion chance encounter, something to be met but not sought.

Qin Feng, however, refused to believe it.

"Since the treasures of the surface and middle layers are not for me, then I'll go deeper to take a look."

A stubborn glint flashed in his eyes.

That purple-gold spiritual power probe, driven by his will, dove again, heading toward that absolute abyss that even he felt a chill from, a place no being had ever explored, advancing without hesitation!

Five hundred thousand meters, one million meters, three million meters...

As the depth increased, even Qin Feng's purple-gold spiritual power began to feel a faint pressure.

The surrounding blood water had become viscous to an unimaginable degree, the resentment and killing will within it extremely terrifying.

Just as Qin Feng's spiritual power was about to touch the very bottom of the Blood Source Sea, a change occurred once more!

This time, it was no auspicious glow, but a shuddering thrill from the depths of the soul!

Boom!!!!

The entire Blood Source Sea, as if a star had been thrown into it, completely exploded!

The blood sea raised waves a thousand times more terrifying than before, each wave capable of shattering a star.

Vast stretches of void collapsed, revealing pitch-black chaos.

Then, countless blood-colored lightning bolts, thick as mountain ranges, burst forth within the blood sea, weaving into a net of death. The entire blood sea churned and roared violently!

Under the horrified gazes of all beings, a... broken and battered humanoid body slowly emerged from the very center of the surging blood sea.

This humanoid body was in the most pitiful state imaginable.

Its arms were severed cleanly at the shoulders, the wounds smooth as mirrors.

Its right leg was reduced to a small stump of thigh, likewise severed by a supreme blade.

Its chest bore a large hole, transparent from front to back, through which the twisted void behind it could be clearly seen.

The skull, moreover, had been slanted, sheared away by half, leaving only a numb, hollow half-face.

Yet, upon this broken corpse, countless mysterious runes glimmered with a faint, ethereal light—ancient and powerful runes that seemed barely to sustain the flesh’s immortality.

The moment the corpse appeared, an indescribable, irresistible kingly might, as if it could crush all heavens and myriad realms, swept forth!

Hum—

Doom descended!

Beneath the shroud of that kingly might, space froze solid, time seemed to stand still.

The blood sea boiled and evaporated in an instant, only to be refilled in the next by an even more vast surge of blood energy.

Every living being present, regardless of strength or race, felt at that moment as if an invisible hand had seized their soul, about to crush it!

Some weaker creatures, those closer to the source, did not even have time to scream before their flesh and souls exploded under that pressure, bursting into clouds of blood mist that merged into the seething blood sea.

“Not good!”

The Tianji Sect disciple Sanruo, who had always appeared calm and composed, now changed color drastically; his plump face showed, for the first time, a look of terror mingled with fear.

He could no longer hide. The aura of the Divine Forbidden Domain erupted fully, his spiritual energy waves spreading like a tsunami, and he let out a roar with all his might, echoing in the depths of every survivor’s soul:

“It’s a king corpse!! No wonder there were no beasts in this Blood Source Sea—a true king corpse lies here in suppression!”

“Flee at once! Everyone, head immediately to the Blood God Tower! Only the light curtain around the Blood God Tower is safe!”

“This king corpse has no reason left, only pure killing instinct! Its power is beyond any of us to withstand! Go!”

“To the Blood God Tower, quickly!”

Sanruo’s roar, like a thunderclap, jolted awake those beings whose minds had been paralyzed by the kingly might.

The instinct to survive instantly overwhelmed everything.

“Escape!”

“Flee now!”

Without hesitation, without delay, under the shadow of death, all survivors transformed into streaks of light, fleeing desperately toward the faint, towering blood-red pagoda on the horizon.

An unprecedented great escape had begun!

Yet, though the king corpse lacked reason, it possessed instinct.

Its remaining half-face turned its hollow eye sockets toward the scattered “ants” fleeing in all directions, then slowly raised its broken right leg—only a stump remained—and gently stamped on the void.

Dong!

Like the heartbeat of the cosmos, or the death knell of the apocalypse.

In that single stamp, space for millions of miles was instantly imprisoned!

It became harder than divine gold, more stagnant than absolute zero.

Most of the fleeing prodigies jerked to a halt, as if crashing into an invisible wall, left stranded in place.

But the king corpse was, after all, broken and had been dead for countless ages; this strike was merely instinctive, leaving some leeway—it did not trap everyone.

A handful of the strongest—Qin Feng, Shi Fo, Sanruo, the Lion God Statue, and a few others—relied on their immense power to break through the spatial confinement and continued their flight.

Yet among those left behind, not all were lambs for slaughter.

“Open for me!”

Shi Huang’s son, Yeluo, roared the moment he was trapped.

He offered a jade talisman flowing with imperial aura; it burned instantly, transforming into a golden divine light that could cut through anything, tearing the spatial seal and allowing him to escape, battered and bruised.

As Shi Huang’s most beloved offspring, his life-saving means far exceeded ordinary imagination.

But the others were not so fortunate.

“A mere corpse dares to be insolent! Be suppressed by me!”

The prodigy “Sang Zhong,” ranked extremely high on the Hidden Dragon List, showed no fear when trapped; instead, his eyes blazed with fervent light.

Born from the Necromancer clan, he cultivated the bizarre path of enslaving corpses—a king-level corpse was an unimaginable temptation for him.

Sang Zhong formed hand seals, muttered incantations, and waves of black spiritual energy, filled with enslavement and decay, surged toward the king corpse, attempting to refine this supreme being’s body into his puppet.

But he ultimately underestimated the dignity of a “king,” even one long dead.

In the corpse’s hollow eye sockets, a ripple of anger seemed to flicker.

The next moment, a far more terrifying aura swept across the king corpse.

“Pfft—”

Sang Zhong’s proud enslavement technique, fragile as paper before that aura, shattered instantly.

He himself had no chance to react; his divine body and soul disintegrated under that impact, and he fell on the spot!

A Hidden Dragon List prodigy had fallen.

This bloody and shocking scene sent chills down the spines of all trapped beings.

And those who had escaped were not yet safe.

Chaos reached its peak in that moment.

Behind them, the king corpse pressed closer, constantly emitting death.

Ahead lay the only hope for survival—the Blood God Tower.

On this race between life and death, the ugliness of human nature was laid bare.

“Stay behind!”

A prodigy, mid-flight, suddenly struck a companion dead, just to snatch a secret treasure the other had fished from the Blood Source Sea.

“Think you can leave? Hand over your goods!”

Ambushes, betrayals, backstabbings… played out endlessly on this path of escape.

To lighten their own burden, to plunder others’ wealth, to make others cannon fodder against the king corpse, countless beings turned their blades on “fellow cultivators” who had fought beside them moments before.

In an instant, divine light flashed wildly, flesh and blood flew, screams and roars shook the heavens.

The entire scene was a hundred times more chaotic and bloody than the earlier siege of Qin Feng.

This chaos continued until the crowd slammed into an invisible barrier—then abruptly ceased.

It was a light curtain emitted by the distant, towering blood-red pagoda.

Once inside the light curtain, it felt like stepping into another world.

The kingly might behind, capable of crushing everything, was instantly sealed off.

The endless rage, battle lust, and fear that had risen from flight and slaughter were quenched like a bucket of ice water, rapidly calming and cooling.

All survivors who rushed into the light curtain felt an unprecedented peace.

Yet within that peace, a strange, irrepressible impulse quietly grew.

A powerful urge to charge into the Blood God Tower ahead, to leave one’s name there, to gain supreme glory, and to be remembered for eternity.

This impulse came from nowhere, yet felt utterly real—as if it were the most primal desire deep within their souls.

No one knows how this impulse comes into being.

This is the singular wonder of the Blood God Tower.

(End of chapter)