The Unyielding Faith

Jia Meng thought for a moment before answering, "Back then, he was welcomed because someone capable of inheriting the ancestral technique appeared in his family every few centuries, whereas our Jia Meng Family produces someone capable of inheriting the Blood Manipulation technique in less than a century.

"Although their overall strength is inferior to ours, they are still on par with the other six great families."

However, Jia Meng shook his head.

"I did think so before, but now I can be certain that isn't the case."

He paused, then continued, "The secret is hidden within this Black Box."

Jia Meng's eyes widened as he stared at the Black Box before him, his heart filled with anticipation and curiosity.

The Jia Meng Family Head slowly explained, "Whenever a Jia Meng heir inherits the position of family head, they receive a Black Box from the previous generation.

"Then, they must drip the blood of a curse technique user onto the Red Glowing Eye on the Black Box."

He pointed at the Red Glowing Eye on the Black Box.

"Yet every generation of family heads has failed to open the Black Box. They only know one sentence—'When the Black Box is opened, cursed power shall turn into blood, and the Red Glowing Eye shall transform the body.'"

Although the Jia Meng Family produced someone capable of awakening the Blood Manipulation technique in less than a century, they could only use cursed energy to control their own blood. They could not turn cursed energy into blood.

However, according to the words left behind by the Black Box, its secret lay in being able to learn how to convert cursed energy into blood.

Even if they could convert cursed energy into blood, it would not only eliminate the danger of excessive blood loss, but also grant them enough power to contend with the six great families and the Demon Race.

Therefore, the family heads of every generation had speculated that the secret could only be hidden within the Black Box, and only clansmen capable of converting cursed energy into blood could open it.

At that thought, Jia Meng's expression grew somewhat excited. He had never expected that someone capable of converting cursed energy into blood would appear in his generation.

"So I need to drip my blood onto that Red Glowing Eye?"

Jia Meng looked at the tiny hole on the Black Box and frowned.

"I'm not sure how to open it, but it should be something like that.

"Moreover, it was clearly meant for a clansman capable of converting cursed energy into blood. Perhaps only you can discover what lies inside."

Jia Meng's voice echoed through the silent hall, carrying a trace of expectation.

Jia Meng told Jia Meng to take the Black Box back and find a secluded place to open it himself. There was no need to tell him what was inside.

He knew full well that, in this world filled with countless curse techniques, even his own family could not be trusted completely. He had to act with utmost caution.

Jia Meng could sense Jia Meng's desire to uncover the Black Box's secret, yet he restrained his curiosity. That self-control made Jia Meng regard the family head more highly.

He nodded slightly, cradling the Black Box as he took his leave from the hall.

After passing through several twisting corridors, Jia Meng arrived at a secret chamber.

Moonlight streamed through the skylight and fell upon the Black Box, making its crimson pupil appear even more sinister in the darkness.

As Jia Meng looked at it, an indescribable emotion stirred within him.

He knew that this Black Box contained the Jia Meng Family's secret—or perhaps an immense hidden power.

He began to feel uneasy. His understanding of the Black Box was still unknown territory.

What would happen after it opened? What secret was hidden within? Could he withstand that power?

These questions swirled endlessly through his mind.

However, when he recalled the immense threat posed by Five Stripes and Shou Lao, his unease gradually faded away.

He had to become stronger. With his current abilities, he was simply not enough to survive the dangers ahead.

"I have to become stronger."

Jia Meng clenched his fists, determination flashing in his eyes. He no longer hesitated. Gathering his cursed energy, he transformed it into a drop of blood and let it fall onto the Red Glowing Eye of the Black Box.

As the blood fell, a flame abruptly ignited within the Red Glowing Eye.

The Black Box began to emit a low humming sound, and an immense aura spread from within.

Jia Meng stared intently at the scene, his heart filled with anticipation and unease.

The Black Box was like a sleeping beast. After absorbing Jia Meng's blood, it seemed to have awakened.

The curse seal upon it slowly began to turn, giving off a faint buzzing sound. The once-crimson eyeball seemed to have been infused with new life, becoming ever deeper and more profound, as though it could devour everything.

When the Red Glowing Eye opened completely, a thick scent of blood spread through the room, involuntarily bringing thoughts of life and death to mind.

Suddenly, a dazzling blood-red beam shot from the Red Glowing Eye, moving so fast that there was no time to react.

Although Jia Meng reacted swiftly, he was still too late to evade it. In an instant, the blood-red beam tightly wound around him.

The blood-red beam seemed alive. It writhed continuously, wrapping Jia Meng's entire body and forming a dense humanoid cocoon of blood.

Jia Meng could feel the cold dampness of blood flowing over his skin, and an inexplicable terror rose within him.

After releasing the blood-red beam, the Black Box returned to stillness.

The seal upon it condensed once more, returning to its original form.

The eyeball formed by the seal was no longer completely lifeless. It had taken on a faint bloody hue, as though it had been activated, losing the deathly aura it once possessed.

The entire chamber fell into deathly silence. Only the blood cocoon enveloping Jia Meng slowly squirmed.

The sound of its writhing was exceptionally clear in the silence, as if something were gestating within, awaiting the moment it would break free from the cocoon.

In Jia Meng's perception, he seemed to have entered a crimson world of blood sea.

At the center of the churning blood sea, he sat cross-legged, doing his utmost to remain conscious and prevent his mind from being swallowed by the deathly sea of blood.

He was surrounded by dead silence, darkness, and blood-red hues. Only he himself remained the sole patch of pure white.

In his perception, countless balls of colored light were devouring one another.

These light spheres represented different bloodline forms and powers. They collided and merged within the sea of blood, until only one remained in the end.

That sphere of light was no longer purely transparent. Its deathly transparency was mixed with a strange trace of blood-red, giving off an unfathomably mysterious feeling.

When the sea of blood returned to calm, Jia Meng remained seated cross-legged.

"This is the new Crimson Blood Demon Eye formed by fusing the deathly bloodline?"

Feeling the surging power, Jia Meng could not help but sigh inwardly.

He could sense that this power was far stronger than before, and even more mysterious.

This was the true Crimson Blood Demon Eye, a power worthy of its name.

Jia Meng slowly opened his eyes within the sea of blood. He raised a hand, his fingertips seeming to summon the colored sphere of light floating above the blood sea.

The sphere radiated a gentle glow, as though responding to his summons.

Meanwhile, in the real-world chamber, everything remained silent.

Black Box lay quietly on the ground, without the slightest sign of life.

Yet the blood cocoon beside it suddenly let out a crisp cracking sound, shattering the silence.

Cracks spread rapidly like a spiderweb, and the blood cocoon gradually split apart, revealing a slender, jade-white arm.

Soon after, the entire blood cocoon seemed to struggle in agony before finally splitting apart completely, its fragments scattering across the floor.

Amid the fragments, a youth slowly rose to his feet. It was Jia Meng, reborn anew.