Blood Pool

The entire cave was shrouded in blood mist, but Ji Tian was constantly devouring it.

"This little bit of killing intent isn't enough." Ji Tian beckoned with both hands, and a great surge of blood from the Blood Pool rushed toward him.

The Corpse King let out a strange shriek, trying to suppress the blood that kept surging forth, but the suction was far stronger than its control.

Seeing the very foundation of its cultivation about to be seized, the Corpse King grew furious. With a gesture, a mass of yellow sludge burst from the bottom of the Blood Pool, giving off a powerful stench.

Then its Essence Blood shattered, and all the blood in the Blood Pool quickly flowed into the yellow sludge.

The sludge shifted incessantly, coalescing into a ferocious giant. Thick Corpse Water streamed down its body, and every drop melted a hole into the hard floor of the pool.

The giant opened its eyes and said angrily, "Who dares disturb my slumber?"

Ji Tian looked at the yellow mud before him. "You're only a clone, yet you dare bark at me?"

"You destroyed my disciples and their descendants. Unforgivable!"

Ji Tian sneered. "You stink to high heaven. You're truly repulsive. Die!" He thrust out one arm and punched. The force of his fist cut like a blade, struck like a mountain, and roared like thunder as it bore down on the yellow mud figure.

Perhaps the mud figure hadn't expected Ji Tian to attack so suddenly, or perhaps it was simply too slow to react.

The illusory fist punched straight through its chest, sending yellow Corpse Water flying.

But the hole in its chest was gradually covered by the sludge left behind.

"Your paltry strength can't do a thing to me. Die!" A gigantic yellow palm struck toward Ji Tian, dripping with yellow Corpse Water.

Ji Tian didn't know whether the protective layer formed from his killing intent and Yin Energy could withstand the Corpse Water. This thing was surely far stronger than the Corpse King, so he hurriedly grabbed the Demonic Dragon and dodged to the side.

Seeing Ji Tian flee toward the mouth of the cave, the sludge giant turned into a stream of mud and swept toward them.

The cave was narrow, and fighting there would surely affect the Demonic Dragon, who was still cultivating. Ji Tian quickly cast a restriction to protect it, then punched the cave roof. Rubble flew everywhere, opening up a deep hollow in the rock. The falling stones were swallowed by the stream of mud.

The mud surged into a towering wave and crashed straight down on Ji Tian.

Knowing it would be difficult to dodge, Ji Tian hurriedly tossed the Demonic Dragon into the hollow in the roof. Killing intent enveloped his entire body, and a black longsword formed in his hand. He slashed at the wave of mud.

The mud wave was split in two. Ji Tian charged through the gap, then swung his sword back, releasing nine streams of sword energy. They multiplied into eighty-one, slicing the entire mass of sludge to pieces.

Clumps of mud wriggled incessantly, then pieced themselves together into a ferocious giant. It raised its head and roared, "Oh..."

Its aura continued to rise, and a human-shaped phantom appeared behind it, sending out a divine sense.

"You've made me furious. You..."

"Death Spirit Technique!"

Ji Tian ignored it completely. He pointed a finger and unleashed a divine ability. A black hole appeared out of nowhere in the cave, then transformed into invisible ripples that surged toward the phantom.

The phantom was instantly surrounded by a frigid power that continuously devoured the Spiritual Sense manifesting it.

Ji Tian didn't stand idle either. He kept attacking with both palms, blasting the entire mud body into fragments. With the mud figure's Spiritual Sense restrained by the Death Spirit Technique, the clumps of sludge on the ground gradually turned into yellow Corpse Water and slowly drained away.

The Spiritual Sense, continually assailed by the Death Spirit Technique, gradually weakened. Ji Tian drew it toward himself with his Primordial Spirit.

"Dare to devour me, and I'll make sure you meet a terrible end!"

Ji Tian answered with action: he would not only devour it, but search through its memories as well.

Ji Tian frowned. He actually couldn't refine it. Could that wisp of Spiritual Sense have an extraordinary origin? His realm simply wasn't enough to refine it.

If he couldn't refine it, he would suppress it.

Golden waves surged across his sea of consciousness, weaving themselves into a golden Heavenly Net that tightly wrapped around the wisp of Spiritual Sense.

It transformed into a stream of yellow water. It wasn't Corpse Water; it was its true body, the Yellow Springs Origin.

Ji Tian pondered. This Origin felt familiar. Its origins were surely extraordinary.

He had to try to refine it slowly. It would surely help restore the memories of the Pangu Remnant Soul.

The Pangu Remnant Soul had forgotten far too much. It couldn't even piece together a complete cultivation method. If it hadn't been for the Nine-Headed Savage Lion's remnant soul, Ji Tian would still be lost. He would have continued searching endlessly for soul fire and slowly strengthening his Primordial Spirit, never knowing when his cultivation would finally bear fruit.

At that moment, the remnant soul inside the Black Bone Relic cursed from deep within Ji Tian's sea of consciousness. If I hadn't given you the very source of my Soul Power, you wouldn't even be as strong as you are now. Before, you flat-out refused it, afraid I'd set a trap for you.

There was no need for any scheming. You were bound to walk the path I chose for you.

After the battle in the pool, the Pangu Remnant Soul had been outmaneuvered and lost all its Soul Power. Now only its consciousness remained, without a trace of Soul Power, residing deep within Ji Tian's sea of consciousness.

At the edge of this space hung a stream of yellow water, suspended in the void and reaching from top to bottom. Beside it stood a huge stone stele, ancient and desolate, with the words "You Ming" carved upon it. This place, which Ji Tian had always called the Sealed Space, was the Netherworld Land.

This stream of yellow water was the Nine Nether Yellow Springs. It connected the Blood Sea and the Netherworld, and was the only passage out of the Netherworld Land.

An Innate Deity was gestating within the Yellow Springs. It had yet to awaken fully, but it could sense that the divine sense of its clone had been sealed. Enraged, it raised wave after wave of yellow water.

Its roars made the surrounding Undead Beings tremble with fear, living in constant dread.

There were eighty-one Blood Pools in this Netherworld Land. They were a means for the Yellow Springs to condense clones and raise their cultivation.

It had intended to wait until it emerged from its shell and took form, then reclaim all eighty-one clones and break through to the Golden Immortal realm in one fell swoop. It hadn't expected someone to seal one of its divine senses.

Innate Deities had the cultivation of Golden Immortals as soon as they took form. (This meant they could quickly absorb the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth to reach the Golden Immortal realm.) They were all nurtured by the Heavenly Dao, but before taking form, they possessed only powerful divine senses. At most, they could condense within their true body, the Yellow Springs; they couldn't separate from it. (The levels of immortal cultivation were: Heavenly Immortal, Golden Immortal, Grand Unity Golden Immortal, Grand Unity Golden Immortal, Quasi-Saint [having severed one or two corpses], and Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal [at perfection, one could draw infinitely close to a Saint].)

In the cave, Ji Tian faintly sensed a soul's roar that made his heart tremble. Could it be related to the divine sense he had sealed?

The fact that this divine sense had chosen this cave meant there must be something special about it. The Spirit Gathering Array above the Blood Pool had been left behind when he returned, but it could gather Soul Power. Apart from the Soul Summoning Technique he cultivated, could there be some natural treasure nurtured by the Heavenly Dao?

Could it be at the bottom of the Blood Pool?

Ji Tian clenched his right fist, wrapped it in spiritual power, and punched the pool floor, which had already been stained red.

His sharp punch blasted a huge pit into the bottom of the pool.

Nothing. He punched again.

Nothing. Ji Tian felt uneasy. Could his punch have pulverized it? That was impossible. He hadn't sensed any other energy fluctuations.

On his third punch, Ji Tian was disappointed. Had he judged incorrectly? Had the divine sense chosen this place only because of the Spirit Gathering Array? Could that array gather souls? What a mistake. He should have studied it carefully. Then he could have obtained an array no weaker than his Soul Summoning Technique.

That way, the power of the Soul Summoning Banner he refined would surely increase greatly.

Regret. Endless regret.

From the hollow in the cave roof, the Demonic Dragon watched Ji Tian in trepidation. Refining that Dragon Soul had given it more of its inheritance, and it had gained much greater insight into Heaven and Earth and the Dao. With enough Heaven and Earth Power, its cultivation would surely improve considerably.

Moreover, the Demonic Dragon's entire Bone Body was now enveloped in a red blood mist. This wasn't the Demonic Cloud that protected its body. The mist truly covered its bones, like a layer of flesh and blood.

But the more its cultivation improved, the more it feared Ji Tian.

Ji Tian glanced at the Demonic Dragon, still trembling, and his expression changed. "Useless."

The words seemed to wound its innermost pride. Its entire bearing changed, and an aura of supremacy arose naturally. With one sweep of its tail, it sliced off the entire mountaintop.

Ji Tian said coolly, "Remember, I don't need a useless follower, and I don't need you to fear me. If you make me think you're useless again, I'll devour you next time."

The Demonic Dragon lifted its proud head and roared at the sky.

Ji Tian's eyes flashed, fixing on a fallen rock that gave off a strange red glow.

The Demonic Dragon hurried forward to search through the rubble and exclaimed in surprise, "A crystal stone. It's filled with such rich spiritual energy."

After thinking for a moment, it shouted excitedly, "Could this be a Blood Soul Stone? It's formed from the Soul Power of Heaven and Earth. It can gather souls and absorb Blood Qi. Once refined, Soul Power can be extracted from it."

Ji Tian's heart stirred. Could the black stone he had be a Soul Stone too? It absorbed Death Qi, Yin Energy, and even killing intent. Perhaps it had condensed a trace of Pangu's bone marrow—or perhaps it had formed in the unique environment of that pool.

He had to study that black stone thoroughly first. His cultivation might depend entirely on it.

Ji Tian said to the Demonic Dragon, "Refine this Blood Soul Stone right away. Remember, I don't keep useless followers."

The Demonic Dragon wasn't displeased at all. It knew Ji Tian was doing this for its own good; otherwise, it might have long since forgotten that it was a dragon—a true dragon.

It would have known only how to wag its tail and beg for mercy, becoming someone else's puppet, a useless puppet.

The days it had spent as a puppet had worn away its edge, its pride, and even its self-respect.

I want to grow strong. I want to rule the world—not only this sealed space, but the entire Primordial Continent.