Chapter 1: The Asura Emperor
The Ancient Eight Domains, the Asura Domain, Blood Prison City.
Beneath a dim firmament lay a million miles of crimson earth. Thick, fishy whiffs of blood drifted in the air, filling people's nasal cavities. As far as the eye could see, it was a dark red expanse, resembling a river made of fresh blood.
Blood Prison City sat right in the center of this blood-colored earth, and it was the imperial city of the Asura Domain!
In a grand hall forged from stark white bones, a towering figure sat enthroned upon the throne. Thick blood-mist coiled around the body, radiating a terrifying baleful aura and killing intent. A pair of blood pupils flickered with a faint, chilling light, as if they contained mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
The Asura Emperor, master of the Asura Domain, ruled over the endless living beings within the Asura Domain.
Every single Asura Emperor had climbed to the throne stepping over piles of bleaching bones, representing death and slaughter.
At this moment, numerous figures were also present within the grand hall. Every single figure surged with utmost, terrifying fierce might and killing intent. Yet at this moment, all of their gazes focused upon the Asura Emperor above.
"Ten days from now, open Shura Blood Purgatory, and determine the Asura Blood Scion." A cold voice devoid of emotion issued from the mouth of the Asura Emperor, echoing throughout this empty grand hall.
The crowd's gazes flickered. The Asura Blood Scion was the heir to the Asura Emperor and the new emperor who would wield the Asura Domain of the Ancient Eight Domains in the future! None but a freak among freaks could assume the role.
Under the Asura Emperor were the Five Great Blood Clans, and each clan possessed a newly ascended monarch. These five young monarchs were all monstrous figures of supreme talent, qualified to vie for the Asura Blood Scion and become the next emperor in the future.
This was the eternal and immutable iron law of the Asura Domain: the Asura Emperor's throne was not hereditary, but won through strength by contending, seizing, slaughtering, and snatching!
Even an Asura prince, if unseated by others in the struggle for the blood scion, could only end up in bleak desolation. Furthermore, the entire lineage behind him would be stripped of its imperial status.
One could imagine just how fierce every Blood Heir Contest would be. It represented not merely personal victory or defeat, gain or loss, but also the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of the lineage behind them.
"Disperse." Upon the throne, the Asura Emperor waved a large hand. The crowd bowed in salute and dispersed separately.
The blood prison opened, monarchs vied, and the Asura Blood Scion would be decided ten days later. Like a hurricane, this news swept through the entire, vast Asura Domain in an extremely short span of time.
The Northern Asura Domain, one of the Five Great Blood Clans: the Qin Clan.
Upon a tall pavilion, a majestic figure stood with hands clasped behind the back, radiating a monarchical domineering aura over the whole body, aloof and supreme.
Lord of the Qin Clan, King Qin Guang, Qin Hao!
As a former Asura Imperial Clan, Qin Hao and indeed the entire Qin Clan held an extremely deep obsession regarding the Asura Emperor's throne. His great-grandfather, Qin Ao, was the previous Asura Emperor!
Enduring in silence for generations, Qin Hao was determined to secure this generation's Asura Blood Scion.
Standing behind Qin Hao was a young man clad in a purple robe. At sixteen or seventeen years of age, his momentum was nevertheless exceptionally astonishing, his whole body encircled by blood-light, with sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a pride that soared to the heavens.
"In this Blood Heir Contest, the only ones qualified to contend with you are Chu Tian of the Chu Family and Yan Chen of the Yan Family. The rest are not worth worrying about."
Qin Hao turned his head slightly, looked at the young man behind him, and said in a deep voice.
Qin Lang, the young monarch of this generation of the Qin Clan. At a tender age, he already displayed terrifyingly extreme talent and strength, hailed as a supreme freak capable of suppressing an entire era.
"Chu Tian? Yan Chen?" Qin Lang smiled upon hearing this, shaking his head slightly. "I have never taken them to heart. How could either of them be qualified to contend with me?"
The smile on Qin Lang's face was calm and breezy, confident and proud.
"Good. Such bearing truly makes you worthy of being the son of me, Qin Hao." Looking at Qin Lang, Qin Hao wore a look of satisfied smiling approval on his face. "This time, my Qin Clan shall certainly ascend to the imperial throne once more!"
Yet Qin Lang made no reply, his gaze looking into the distance as a lightning-like sharp glint flashed across his starry eyes.
"What I truly care about is that person who has been hidden away by the Emperor for ten years. Only he is qualified to act as my opponent."
"That brat?" Hearing Qin Lang's words, the smile on Qin Hao's face froze instantly, the pupils in his eyes contracting slightly, and his brow furrowed.
Ten years ago, the Eight Domains Contest took place, with ten thousand clans fighting a bloody war, and the Asura Emperor led his armies to conquer the Myriad Heavens Battlefield. When the army returned, the Asura Emperor brought back a child of five or six years old.
He bestowed upon him the name Xuanyuan and established him as the prince!
Although a prince did not mean he could directly inherit the imperial throne, before the Asura Emperor abdicated, his status was second to none and unmatched by anyone!
Though no one knew whence this child came or why the Asura Emperor chose to establish him as prince, with the Asura Emperor's vision and temperament, would he take a fancy to a mediocre person?
Let alone a mediocre person, how could the Asura Emperor spare even a glance for a monstrous prodigy?
"Ning Xuanyuan, I have waited ten years for you. I hope that in this Blood Heir Contest, you will not disappoint me." Qin Lang gazed far into the distance, battle intent surging in his eyes............
The Western Asura Domain, the Chu Clan, one of the Five Great Blood Clans.
Blood-light filled the sky, and baleful auras soared to the heavens. Endless blood-light blotted out the sun, obscuring the firmament. A figure stood suspended in the air, bathed in blood-red light rays over the whole body, tyrannical, arrogant, and supreme.
wisps of blood-light gathered as if taking physical form, swirling around this person's body. Faintly, the sound of ten thousand ghosts wailing seemed to ring out, seizing the soul and making one's hair stand on end.
"Not bad, Tian'er! Your Asura Blood Body has reached completion. In this Blood Heir Contest, you will surely crush all rivals and ascend to the supreme peak." A figure threw his head back and laughed aloud, an uncontainable joy in his eyes.
The speaker was the head of the Chu Clan, King Chu Jiang, Chu Yu! And the young man suspended in midair was none other than Chu Tian, the young monarch in the Chu Clan who shared equal renown with Qin Lang of the Qin Clan!
The blood-radiance receded, and Chu Tian stepped through the air, landing before Chu Yu. The long, blood-red hair fluttering wildly in the wind behind his head appeared demonic and bewitching.
"That crown prince of ours should have emerged from seclusion by now, shouldn't he?" Reaching out to take the robe handed over by a servant and draping it over himself, Chu Tian looked toward his father, Chu Yu, and asked.
Hearing this, Chu Yu was momentarily stunned, his expression shifting slightly as if he had suddenly thought of something. Then he gently shook his head: "I do not know. I truly have received no news regarding that."
"It must be so, otherwise why would the Emperor suddenly announce the opening of the blood prison to hold the Blood Heir Contest? I certainly do not believe our Emperor is the sort of person to willingly hand over the imperial throne to others." Chu Tian smiled, tilting his head slightly to look in the direction of the imperial city.
"Actually, I am truly curious as to what extraordinary traits this crown prince possesses that could cause the Emperor to regard him with such special favor?"
Chu Yu's expression grew somewhat gloomy, and the joy in his eyes restrained itself quite a bit. He clearly remembered that back then, over the matter of establishing Ning Xuanyuan as crown prince, the Asura Emperor had exterminated an entire bloodline.
Simply because that lineage held opposing views.
Of the six great blood clans, only five remained. He had been willing to wipe out an entire clan just to establish the position of Crown Prince. That showed how highly the Asura Emperor regarded Ning Xuanyuan.
"The Asura Crown Prince, Ning Xuanyuan..." Chu Tian smiled faintly, but blood gleamed in his eyes. "Your Highness, you must come out of seclusion this time. I really want to see what kind of expression the Emperor will wear when I trample you beneath my feet."
Southwestern Asura Domain, one of the five great blood clans, the Song Clan.
Roaring bloodflames scorched the heavens and boiled the seas. The terrifying heat made the space around them twist violently, a horrifying sight.
Within the bloodflames, a Blood Phoenix soared through the air, proud and noble.
"Whoosh!"
Bloodflames swept across the sky, like the Milky Way pouring down from above. They descended from the heavens, then surged like a flood into the Blood Phoenix. The phoenix spread its wings, and when it landed atop the high platform, it transformed into a graceful figure.
"Congratulations, Miss, on successfully awakening your Blood Phoenix bloodline."
An old woman with a head of white hair stood there, delight filling her cloudy eyes. The young lady she addressed was the Song Clan's prodigy, Song Di's daughter, Song You'er.
"The Blood Heir Contest is in ten days. For Miss to awaken her bloodline at such a time is truly Heaven's blessing upon our Song Clan." The white-haired old woman smiled as she stepped forward.
"Among the five great blood clans, our Song Clan has always been weak, looked down upon by the other four." The white-haired old woman came to Song You'er's side and gently draped a cloak over her. "This time, we'll let them see the might of our Song Clan's phoenix."
The white-haired old woman clearly had great confidence in Song You'er.
Song You'er, however, lowered her bright eyes, her expression calm.
"Granny, don't forget that among the imperial clan, there's still a Crown Prince who keeps his true abilities hidden." Song You'er's soft voice rang out, and the white-haired old woman's expression stiffened at once.
Her long black hair fluttered in the wind as Song You'er raised her peerlessly beautiful face and gazed into the distance.
"The person who made our Emperor willing to wipe out an entire clan just to appoint him Crown Prince—I, Song You'er, want to see what you're truly capable of."
Asura Imperial Palace, Ancestral Grounds Cave Abode.
A boy who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen sat cross-legged, dressed in white.
The boy had handsome, youthful features. His black hair fell loosely down his back, giving him an indescribably ethereal air.
Wisps of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi curled around his body, glimmering faintly. A layer of mysterious radiance also clung to his skin, flowing ceaselessly through his pores as if cleansing and refining his meridians and marrow.
Suddenly, the boy's tightly shut eyes snapped open, and he looked ahead. A towering, blood-red figure had appeared there without warning, ferocious and overbearing, as if he alone ruled the world.
The cave abode was dim, obscuring the figure's face. Only a pair of blood-red eyes could be seen, enough to make one's heart tremble.
"I have announced that the Shura Blood Purgatory will open in ten days, and the Asura Blood Scion will be chosen." His indifferent voice rang through the cave abode, setting off waves of echoes.
"Then let it open. What's that got to do with me?" The boy raised an eyebrow, his manner casual. He seemed not to know that the figure standing before him was the ruler of the entire Asura Domain.
The Asura Emperor's blood-red eyes flickered faintly. A trace of subtle emotion seemed to stir in his indifferent tone. "You'll participate too."
Hearing this, Ning Xuanyuan raised a hand and rubbed his cheek, then looked helplessly at the figure before him. "Do you really want to die that badly?"
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