Demon Blood

Qin Yu felt the scene before his eyes change drastically once more. If the rolling hills were desolate, and the Illusion Array a paradise, then what lay before him now was hell.

Before he could even get a clear look at his surroundings, he was assaulted by an overwhelmingly potent stench of blood. When he finally saw the densely packed piles of bones ahead, Qin Yu's heart leaped.

The space here was a pale purple, with lightning occasionally flashing across the sky. Thunder rumbled through the air, and the surrounding scene resembled an ancient battlefield. The ground was pockmarked, littered with corpses, and countless broken swords and sabers. Among the fallen were many enormous Fierce Beasts, some as large as mountains, and others Qin Yu had never even heard of. Most of these bodies were reduced to mere skeletons, though many still had flesh that hadn't yet decayed.

Recalling the Ancestor Ape that had died deep within the Land of Beast Burial, Qin Yu was certain it must have escaped from here before perishing in the hills.

"Suppressing Ancient Demon?" Qin Yu carefully recalled the words on the broken and fragmented stone tablets. The complete inscription must have contained more than just these three characters. Yet, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out. Watching Ling Yao slowly walk forward, treading on the bones, Qin Yu continued to follow.

About an hour later.

Qin Yu stood atop the skeletal remains of a colossal Fierce Beast, staring in shock at the scene before him. Even with his extensive knowledge from his previous life, he couldn't help but be stunned.

In the far distance, a colossal mountain made of piled-up bones rose nearly three hundred feet high. From afar, it looked like a pillar supporting the heavens and earth. Above this mountain of bones hovered a ball of purplish-white flames, its radiance illuminating this hellish space.

Faintly, he could see that the flames had a purple core and white edges. Above the flames, lightning occasionally flickered, like countless rivers flowing into the purple inferno. A low rumble of thunder could be heard.

"This... this... with lightning at its core and the fires of heaven and earth as its flames, this is Lightning Fire?" Qin Yu gasped, looking up at the lightning in the sky. Feeling the faint rumbling thunder in the air, Qin Yu was utterly horrified.

He had only heard of Lightning Fire in ancient texts, never expecting to witness it here!

The conditions for the birth of such flames were incredibly harsh, with only a minuscule chance of appearing in places where lightning energy was most concentrated. The specifics were beyond Qin Yu's knowledge.

However, according to ancient records, lightning was an extremely yang substance, containing a trace of primordial chaos energy, capable of suppressing all demons in the world. Lightning Fire, moreover, was the ultimate manifestation of lightning energy.

Wait...

Could it be... this Lightning Fire was here to suppress some powerful demon?

Recalling the inscription on the stone tablet, Qin Yu's scalp tingled. He became increasingly certain that a terrifying demon must be imprisoned here, necessitating the use of Lightning Fire for suppression.

Watching Ling Yao slowly advance, Qin Yu suddenly leaped down and rushed after her with all his might.

It must be that the Dying Dao Sound produced by the suppressed demon resonated with Ling Yao's Innate Dao Body. If this demon absorbed the power of her Dao Body, even the Lightning Fire might not be able to contain it. If that happened, the Azure Lotus Heavenly Domain, and indeed the entire Trapped Dragon Star, would be doomed.

"Ling Yao, wake up!" Qin Yu reached out towards Ling Yao, shouting loudly. But as soon as his hand extended, he was repelled by the Gang Qi emanating from Ling Yao's body.

"What should I do?" Qin Yu gasped. His cultivation was nowhere near enough to stop Ling Yao.

After a moment of hesitation, Qin Yu sprinted towards the bone mountain at the forefront.

Since there was Lightning Fire, even if a peerless great demon was truly suppressed here, it would be severely restricted. Thus, Qin Yu could seize an opportunity.

An hour later.

Qin Yu climbed to the summit of the bone mountain. The peak was a vast, flat clearing.

In the center of the clearing sat five skeletons. At the heart of the skeletons was a small bronze pagoda, about the height of an adult. The pagoda looked exceptionally strange, composed of countless interlocking bronze hand seals. Upon closer inspection, these hand seals were made up of even smaller hand seals! They emitted a golden light, like a bronze bell covering this place!

A deep purple lightning dragon, several dozen feet long, coiled around the bronze pagoda. Its head was submerged within the Lightning Fire, meaning this small lightning dragon was the core of the Lightning Fire!

Through the bronze hand seals and the purple lightning dragon, Qin Yu could vaguely see a figure flickering within the bronze pagoda.

As Qin Yu stared at the phantom image in the bronze pagoda, the pores on his body suddenly stood on end. He looked at the figure with dread, as if he could feel two pairs of eyes staring at him through the bronze hand seals.

Qin Yu's face turned pale, his heart filled with immense shock.

What kind of powerful being was this? To be suppressed here for who knows how many years and still not be dead?

Qin Yu glanced at the five skeletons, his shock deepening. These five must have been drawn here by the resonance of the Dying Dao Sound, and Ling Yao's fate would be no different from theirs.

Turning his gaze back to Ling Yao, who was still a thousand feet away, Qin Yu's eyelids drooped, his mind calming. Suddenly, he noticed several enormous footprints ahead, leading step by step towards the bronze bell.

Staring at these footprints, Qin Yu thought of the deceased Ancestor Ape. His mind raced. He vaguely felt that these footprints might have been left by that Ancestor Ape. Judging by the deep imprints, the Ancestor Ape seemed to have endured immense pressure as it walked towards the pagoda.

But...

Standing here, Qin Yu felt only a slight pressure, almost nonexistent.

Could it be due to cultivation?

Perhaps the higher one's cultivation, the greater the pressure they would experience here? The Ancestor Ape was at the Dao Realm, which is why it was unable to move forward!

If that were the case...

Qin Yu's mind worked rapidly. He looked back at Ling Yao, his heart torn. Ling Yao's cultivation was far superior to his, making it impossible for him to stop her. Therefore, the only way to save Ling Yao was to destroy the phantom figure within the pagoda!

But a being that even Lightning Fire could only suppress, not obliterate, how could he possibly slay it?

"Wait, could this Lightning Fire... be a form of Extreme Power of Heaven and Earth? An extremely yang substance?" Qin Yu stared at the small lightning dragon, suddenly thinking of the Nirvana Seed.

"The Nirvana Seed needs to absorb the Extreme Power of Heaven and Earth to undergo Nirvana... and the Extreme Power of Heaven and Earth is as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Encountering it requires immense fortune. If I don't take it now, who knows when I'll get another chance," Qin Yu hesitated internally.

That Ancestor Ape must have perished after coming into contact with the Lightning Fire. What would happen to him, with his current cultivation, if he touched it?

Qin Yu turned his head to look below again and saw that Ling Yao was already climbing the bone mountain!

He didn't have much time to ponder.

After a long while, Qin Yu gritted his teeth and cautiously moved forward. As he got closer to the pagoda, the phantom figure within it slowly began to materialize.

Finally, Qin Yu's pores stood on end. He was almost certain that the phantom figure in the pagoda was staring intently at him.

In an instant, the pressure Qin Yu felt intensified dramatically, making his steps increasingly difficult.

Half an hour later.

Qin Yu was only ten feet away from the pagoda, and Ling Yao had also climbed onto the bone mountain.

The lightning dragon, which suppressed the phantom with its body and used its head as the flame core, seemed to sense something. It suddenly opened its eyes wide, its dragon eyes fixed on Ling Yao, and let out a dragon roar. A hoary voice echoed in Qin Yu's mind: "Stop..."

At the same time, the phantom fully materialized, forming a figure in black robes sitting cross-legged in the small tower. A pair of eyes filled with demonic energy could be vaguely seen staring excitedly at Ling Yao, who was slowly approaching.

Just as Qin Yu had guessed, the higher the cultivation level, the stronger the pressure. Ling Yao's steps visibly slowed, her speed even less than Qin Yu's.

Qin Yu took a deep breath, looked at the lightning dragon, and said in a low voice, "Senior, I can't stop it!"

"Borrow your... hand to touch... the demon's blood. Absolutely... do not let him absorb the Immortal Origin Power... a great disaster!" The hoary voice sounded again.

Qin Yu's heart trembled, utterly horrified.

Was there demon blood in the small tower? A single drop of blood required the Lightning Fire to suppress it?

How terrifying must this demon be?

And if the lightning dragon wanted him to use his hand to eliminate this drop of demon blood, then... could the Nirvana Seed absorb the Lightning Fire power contained within it?

As Qin Yu hesitated, Ling Yao's speed suddenly increased, and she actually caught up.

Qin Yu was slightly startled and also moved forward slowly, facing the powerful pressure of the demon blood.

"Hurry!" The lightning dragon's voice became urgent.

Qin Yu's mind raced. There was no more time for hesitation. He had only two possible outcomes: either he would be killed while trying to eliminate the demon blood, or he would eliminate the demon blood, and the Nirvana Seed would absorb the Lightning Fire power. This way, Ling Yao could also be saved.

"Nirvana Seed, it's up to you!" Qin Yu thought to himself, quickening his pace.

Ling Yao's speed was even faster. The two, one in front and one behind, rushed towards the small tower.

"Not good!" Qin Yu was suddenly alarmed to find Ling Yao already beside him. He abruptly extended his right hand and touched the lightning dragon. In that instant, Qin Yu felt an ancient aura surge fiercely into his body, an ultimate power coursing through every part of him. A warmth spread from his dantian in his lower abdomen, but Qin Yu had no time to check it.

In this instant.

The bronze small tower exploded violently, and countless hand seals turned to dust. Among them, one hand seal struck Qin Yu's right palm.

The phantom then shot fiercely towards Ling Yao.

At this very moment, Qin Yu suddenly raised his left hand and roared in a low voice, "No!"

The phantom, caught off guard, collided with Qin Yu's left hand.

"Bang!"

"Rumble!"

"No!"

A piercing roar, accompanied by thunderous sounds, made Qin Yu's ears buzz. His internal organs were almost displaced. After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Qin Yu directly fainted.

As his consciousness faded, Qin Yu vaguely heard bursts of explosions. His body seemed to have suffered heavy blows, and he even heard the sound of rushing wind...

At the same time.

A humming sound echoed through the heavenly domains of the four great stars. Countless powerful beings heard it, and what shocked them was that within the humming, they could faintly hear a mournful roar.

It sounded like unwillingness, like resentment.