Chapter 436: Blood Robe? Just a Spirit Envoy of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner!

Chapter 436: Blood Robe? Merely a Spirit Servant of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner!

"It seems I should take on a mission and go out for a while."

Qi Yuan pondered.

Based on the information revealed by these intelligent micro-detection insects.

There were three locations where the Black Demon Ancestor's blood could be found, two within the territory of the Black Demon Abyss, and one outside it.

"It looks like I'll need to seek Ziyuan Xiaolu's help." After a moment's thought, Qi Yuan used a jade communication slip to contact Ziyuan Xiaolu.

About the time it takes three incense sticks to burn, a graceful figure appeared outside his cave dwelling. Ziyuan Xiaolu, dressed in a navy blue horse-face skirt, looked both cute and alluring.

"Senior Brother Blood Robe, what do you need me for?"

Ziyuan Xiaolu seemed quite delighted.

"It's like this: today I dreamed of a treasure, and I want to take you along to find it.

But in the dream, I didn't know where that place was.

Since you're familiar with the Black Demon Abyss, I thought I'd ask you."

Qi Yuan made up a casual excuse.

Hearing this, Ziyuan Xiaolu appeared quite excited.

After all, for Senior Brother Blood Robe to be willing to tell her about such a major matter as treasure hunting meant he truly trusted her.

"Please tell me, Senior Brother Blood Robe, where is it?"

"Here!"

Though Qi Yuan couldn't draw, he excelled at copying and pasting.

Without a second thought, he showed Ziyuan Xiaolu a fragment of the broken image he had seen.

In the air, a projection of the land appeared.

Everywhere was black soil and black seawater, with only a single straight, towering mountain peak wrapped in chains coming into view.

Ziyuan Xiaolu stared at the projection, blinked, and looked at Qi Yuan in disbelief: "Senior Brother Blood Robe, are you sure this is the place?"

"Yes, I'm sure. The scene in my dream was very clear.

This place looks extraordinary and must hold many treasures," Qi Yuan said earnestly.

Ziyuan Xiaolu took a deep breath: "There are indeed many treasures here, but... this is the Black Demon Abyss's Treasure Pavilion."

"...Ah, this?"

Qi Yuan was speechless.

You've got to be kidding me—they built the Treasure Pavilion here?

"Can we sneak in and steal something?

What I want to steal... I mean, take, might be in the Treasure Pavilion, or perhaps in the ruins beneath it," Qi Yuan still clung to a sliver of hope.

Seeing this, Ziyuan Xiaolu grew anxious: "Senior Brother Blood Robe, don't even think about it! This isn't just the Treasure Pavilion; it's also the origin ancestral land of our Black Demon Abyss!

Our Black Demon Abyss was born from the ruins of this place!

If we rashly infiltrate, even as demon sons, we won't escape death!"

Ziyuan Xiaolu rarely looked so serious, her small face tense with worry.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt disappointed.

It seemed that the Black Demon Ancestor's blood here was probably... the one belonging to the Black Demon Abyss itself.

The first location was taken; what about the second?

Qi Yuan held little hope.

After all, given the power of a Yang God Venerable, especially one who had reached the Great Principle Realm, there were almost no secrets within the Black Demon Abyss.

"What about this one?"

Qi Yuan copied the scene of the second location for Ziyuan Xiaolu to see.

Ziyuan Xiaolu tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said: "I know this place."

"Take me there, thank you!"

"Let's go!"

The two left Ziyuan Heaven, took a teleportation formation, and headed toward another part of the Black Demon Abyss.

About a day passed, and they transferred through six or seven teleportation formations.

Finally, they stopped at a basin.

"This is the place, Senior Brother Blood Robe. We need to hurry—this Brahma Realm Heaven isn't friendly to our Ziyuan Heaven," Ziyuan Xiaolu said, standing small beside Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan looked at the basin ahead, disappointment flickering in his eyes.

"The treasure is gone."

Both his perception and his eyes told him that the Black Demon Ancestor's blood here had long been moved.

No need to guess—it must have been taken back to the Treasure Pavilion.

"Ah?" Ziyuan Xiaolu was a bit let down.

Just then, Qi Yuan's form turned into a streak of light, darting through the spatial cracks beneath the basin.

After about a hundred breaths, he reappeared beside Ziyuan Xiaolu: "But it wasn't a total loss—I found some of this!"

Qi Yuan extended his hand, and a large pool of blood-red water appeared.

This blood water was just like the blood river in the Ancestral Blood Pavilion, teeming with many intelligent micro-detection insects.

These detection insects all stored data within them. If Qi Yuan could receive it, he might obtain a great deal of useful information.

"This is... Ancestral Blood Spirit Water?" Ziyuan Xiaolu was surprised, never expecting that Senior Brother Blood Robe's sought-after treasure was this.

Qi Yuan glanced at her and asked: "Do you know of other places where this can be found?"

"Yes. Does Senior Brother Blood Robe need this?

If you do, I can help you collect it!" Ziyuan Xiaolu said earnestly.

Ancestral Blood Spirit Water was generally only found in the Ancestral Blood Pavilion, used to test one's progress in cultivating the *Ancestral Blood Art* and thereby earn merits.

This kind of thing was actually quite useless.

After all, if you were cultivating the *Ancestral Blood Art*, wouldn't you know what level you had reached?

Why would you need to test it?

Thus, Ancestral Blood Spirit Water had almost no other use.

"How much? I'll pay you!" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up at this.

If he could obtain enough Ancestral Blood Spirit Water and more intelligent micro-detection insects, he might find more traces of the Black Demon Ancestor's blood, or even... that terrifying giant insect's body.

That would be a fine thing—in the famine years of Blue Star, it could feed people for ten thousand years and still never run out.

Of course, it might also crush the Blue Star to pieces.

“This is very cheap, worthless, I’ll pay for it,” Ziyuan Xiaolu said cheerfully.

“No, free things are actually the most expensive. Your lord is now a wealthy man, and I can no longer be stingy with my spending.”

The Moluo clan had been annihilated, and the treasures Qi Yuan obtained were vast.

As Qi Yuan spoke, he generously yet painfully pulled out an Immortal Jade from his storage pouch: “Is one Immortal Jade enough?”

Seeing this, Ziyuan Xiaolu couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh: “Enough!”

Indeed, it was still Blood Robe Senior Brother’s style.

If it were anyone else saying such words, wouldn’t they have to produce at least ten thousand Immortal Jades at this moment?

Yet Blood Robe Senior Brother spoke so generously, but only took out such a tiny amount.

For an ordinary Yin God, perhaps one Immortal Jade was of considerable value.

But for a Demon Son, Immortal Jades… were like how a Golden Core cultivator viewed Spirit Stones.

Seeing this, Qi Yuan felt a bit embarrassed.

Clearly, one Immortal Jade was not enough.

He quickly tried to make amends to avoid embarrassment: “This one Immortal Jade is merely a deposit!”

“Good!” Ziyuan Xiaolu laughed as she took the Immortal Jade, her smile even brighter.

After making the agreement with Ziyuan Xiaolu, she returned to Ziyuan Heaven to collect the Ancestral Blood Spirit Water.

Qi Yuan, on the other hand, accepted a mission and prepared to go out.

The final location was not in the Black Demon Abyss.

According to Ziyuan Xiaolu’s judgment, it was at the Heavenly Cliff.

The Heavenly Cliff was a wonderland of the Sixth Heaven.

Wonderlands were the most special places in the Sixth Heaven.

There were various rumors and speculations about wonderlands.

However, what was most accepted by all was that wonderlands were worlds outside the Sixth Heaven, places bordering the Sixth Heaven’s domain.

First, within wonderlands, one could not see the stars that reflected the heavens.

Second, in the Sixth Heaven, experts at the Great Principle realm could retain all their power when traveling to other worlds, but in some wonderlands, even a Great Principle’s cultivation would be reduced.

Moreover, wonderlands held all kinds of unknown dangers, and some even had the terrifying Holy Light Clan appearing.

Thus, generally speaking, few Yang Gods set foot in wonderlands.

Or rather, few cultivators were willing to explore wonderlands.

“At the realm of the Myriad Dao Martial God, if I go to the Heavenly Cliff, will my cultivation be reduced?”

Qi Yuan pondered, then without any hesitation, he took a teleportation array and headed toward the location of the Heavenly Cliff.

The nearest great city to the Heavenly Cliff was called Heavenly Suspension City.

This city took its name from the Heavenly Cliff.

This city could be considered a major transportation hub.

The three colossal holy lands—Black Demon Abyss, Shenluo Heaven, and Ghost Control Heaven—were all not far from this city.

And cultivators from the lower realms also often came to this city for procurement and trade. Qi Yuan, clad in a black robe, arrived at Heavenly Suspension City via the teleportation array.

Without any hesitation, he transformed into a streak of light and headed toward the Heavenly Cliff.

About a hundred breaths later, in Heavenly Suspension City, a burly woman in golden robes appeared.

Her aura was deep as the sea, clearly at the peak of the Mythical Realm.

Only one step away from the Yang God realm.

She crushed the communication jade slip in her hand, a cold smile in her eyes: “He left so quickly, without a moment’s pause.”

Just now, she had received information that the newest Demon Son of Ziyuan Heaven in the Black Demon Abyss had accepted a mission and was heading to Heavenly Suspension City.

Within the Black Demon Abyss, factions were complex, and such information about the Demon Son’s movements was easily leaked.

The higher-ups of the Black Demon Abyss knew about it but merely turned a blind eye.

After all, for the Black Demon Abyss, from the perspective of time, if a powerful bloodline died, perhaps another powerful bloodline would emerge in the future.

A powerful bloodline that had not undergone trials might as well be sent back to the furnace, die early, and let the newborn inherit an even stronger bloodline.

“He must be afraid of Senior Sister!” said a young man with a delicate face beside her.

“Hmph, among the younger generation of the Black Demon Abyss, only Black Sword is somewhat formidable; the rest, aside from Ice Sword, are nothing but chickens and dogs.”

The golden-robed woman said indifferently, her voice carrying murderous intent.

“Perfect. For my Ghost Control Heaven’s Yang God path, I need a Spirit Envoy for the Ten Thousand Soul Banner. He barely qualifies!”

The golden-robed woman’s eyes were filled with killing intent.

The creation treasure of Ghost Control Heaven was the Ten Thousand Ghost Soul Banner.

All cultivators of Ghost Control Heaven cultivated the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

Within the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, there were endless souls, billowing with black smoke.

And this kind of artifact, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, due to devouring too many souls, had chaotic thoughts that could even affect the personality of its master.

Thus, cultivators of Ghost Control Heaven were also called demon cultivators, mostly insane killing maniacs with troubled minds.

“Once I refine him and break through to the Yang God realm, I will challenge Black Sword.

This time, I will not lose!”

The golden-robed woman’s face twisted ferociously.

A thousand years ago, she had challenged Black Sword and was defeated by him in three strikes.

That had become a great humiliation.

And Black Sword had long since entered the Yang God realm, while she remained at the Mythical realm.

Now, she was naturally no match for Black Sword.

But over these thousand years, she had been diligently cultivating, slaughtering unclaimed small worlds everywhere to collect souls.

With the twelve Spirit Envoys in place and a breakthrough to the Yang God realm, she was confident she could defeat Black Sword and wash away her past shame.

Black Sword was her goal, and Blood Robe was merely nourishment.

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan’s figure appeared outside the Heavenly Cliff.

Unlike the bustling noise of Heavenly Suspension City, this place was especially quiet, desolate and uninhabited, with almost no cultivators in sight.

“Aside from cultivators hiding from their enemies, few come here.”

Qi Yuan thought for a moment, then stepped into the wonderland.

In an instant, he discovered a scene identical to when he had entered the Flowing Wind Realm.

He was too large to be squeezed in.

This was the will of the Strange Land, or rather, the world's rules preventing him.

His Yang God's immortal power had to be reduced to the Mythical realm before he could enter.

Of course, if it were another world, he could choose not to enter, or even devour the world itself.

But once he lowered himself and entered this world, an ordinary Yang God would only have Mythical cultivation.

It was as if a supreme Dao rule had decreed this law.

Naturally, in ordinary worlds, the Great Principle was not restricted.

Qi Yuan suppressed his cultivation and entered the Heavenly Cliff.

"Indeed, the Myriad Dao Martial God remains unrestricted."

Qi Yuan felt a sliver of security.

Because of the Ancestral Blood Art, his Myriad Dao Martial God cultivation was not far behind his immortal cultivation.

Now, he was at the peak of the Great Heavenly Position.

This gave Qi Yuan a fair amount of reassurance.

"Fire."

After a moment of thought, Qi Yuan spoke and executed the simplest fire Dao technique of the immortal path.

A wisp of flame appeared before Qi Yuan.

"The flow of the technique is somewhat sluggish... It seems the Strange Land is indeed another world, or a part where the universe borders the Six Heavens."

Qi Yuan glanced at the Heavenly Cliff.

This Strange Land's area was twice as large as Archstar.

The land below looked chaotic, like a garbage dump, littered with all sorts of metal riddled with holes.

Qi Yuan's powerful spirit swept over, sensing roughly several thousand cultivators dwelling there.

He paid them no heed.

His target was the Black Demon Ancestral Blood recorded by the intelligent micro-probe insect!

Following the records in the image, he descended to the deepest layer of the Heavenly Cliff.

It was a chaos, a place where chaos had condensed into various metals.

After about half an hour, Qi Yuan beamed with joy, a smug expression on his face.

"This trip wasn't wasted!"

Ahead in the depths lay a blood crystal the size of a fist.

Had he not seen it with his own eyes, even if he swallowed this Strange Land whole, he would never have discovered that blood crystal.

This blood crystal was condensed from Black Demon Ancestral Blood.

"This should be enough for me to cultivate for a while, right?"

Qi Yuan felt a surge of eagerness.

Converted into Black Demon Ancestral Blood, this blood crystal was probably worth nearly a hundred drops.

If he fully absorbed it, he could likely advance the Ancestral Blood Art to the tenth layer within a month.

Then, his Myriad Dao Martial God cultivation would rival the Great Principle.

"Let's go, back!"

Stowing the blood crystal, Qi Yuan prepared to return to the Black Demon Abyss to continue cultivating the Ancestral Blood Art.

This outing had been far too smooth.

No schemes or plots, no murder or treasure snatching.

"Indeed, a man who smiles always has good luck."

"Exploring this Strange Land was like a game—no danger at all!"

"Though not thrilling, it was steady and reassuring—just the kind of secret realm I like!"

Qi Yuan had no love for fighting and killing.

Nor did he enjoy having his coveted treasures eyed by others, only to obtain them after countless trials.

True, hard-won treasures were more cherished, but Qi Yuan was different—he loved the feeling of easy acquisition.

"I'll strive to perfect the Ancestral Blood Art within ten years!"

With that thought, Qi Yuan left the Heavenly Cliff.

But no sooner had he left than his expression turned grave.

He looked toward the distant Heavenly Suspended City, growing cautious.

"I sense a strong killing intent—is it aimed at me?"

At Qi Yuan's level, if someone harbored killing intent toward him or even spoke his name, he would sense it.

Now, he caught that very scent.

"How infuriating! I just sneaked out to explore a treasure, and someone wants to ambush me!"

"Indeed, a harmonious cultivation world was just my fantasy!"

"This is the bloody reality of the cultivation world!"

"For no reason, I've become a target, drawing others to kill me!"

"No, I'm still too weak!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Qi Yuan dove back into the Strange Land.

He decided to train the Ancestral Blood Art to the tenth layer before leaving.

Facing a great enemy who dared scheme against him, he had to be cautious.

He needed to rapidly boost his strength and take this seriously!

(End of this chapter)