The Blood Python Holy King's Ambition

Chapter 45: The Blood Python Holy King's Ambition

After hearing what Crab Three had said, Xuanji was stunned. He suddenly realized that he might have been too pessimistic. In the Primordial World as it was now, he still held a position of supreme authority.

As they spoke, Holy King City gradually came into view. It looked much like Demon King City, with nine-tenths of its scale. Red stone gave it a bloodlike hue, while colorful coral adorned its walls in a hazy, dazzling display. The city walls, ramparts, gates... everywhere, squads of guards stood with swords and blades in hand. All had python heads and human bodies. Xuanji knew at a glance that they had forcibly transformed after reaching the peak of the Demon Core realm.

Very few living beings in the Primordial World knew of the Golden Core path. Many Innate Deities and Descendants of Pangu were ignorant of it as well. Those beings knew next to nothing about anything below the immortal level, so the living creatures of the Primordial World still did not understand the Golden Core method.

"Nascent Spirit cultivation?" Looking around, Xuanji saw countless python demon soldiers guarding Holy King City. They were all at the early or middle stages of the Nascent Spirit realm. The occasional one at the late stage was a commander of some sort. Seeing this only deepened his confusion. Since arriving in the North Abyss River, he had encountered just one Giant Beast, a shark. This was far too strange!

Aquatic beings of all shapes and sizes converged from every direction, truly opening Xuanji's eyes.

As the many creatures entered Holy King City, Xuanji saw that it was much like his own Demon King City, only more than ten times smaller. Its building materials, however, made his eyes light up. Never mind the ordinary courtyards and dwellings—the palace was built with plenty of white jade, gold, silver, black iron, red copper, and more. There was even a small piece of Taiyi Gold Essence and Jade Heart Crystal cast and set into a plaque bearing the words "Holy King Palace."

"What a waste! All these treasures would be perfect for refining artifacts or evolving the Ancient Wild World. Looks like I'll have to help myself to a few things." With so many precious materials before him, how could Xuanji let them go? He immediately began plotting. But he still hadn't figured out the strength of the North Abyss River, so he couldn't act rashly. If he failed, getting his hands on them again would be difficult.

Splash! Rumble!

The currents roared and whirlpools sprang up. As a powerful, terrifying aura swept over the area, hundreds of Giant Beasts appeared above Holy King Palace. Blood pythons were the most numerous, numbering at least two hundred. The rest—Tiger Sharks, Dragon Whales, and Snake Turtles—totaled around three hundred.

Five hundred Giant Beasts appeared together, hovering over and obscuring a vast stretch of Holy King City. The world suddenly darkened before Xuanji's eyes. When he looked up, all he saw were ferocious Giant Beasts. The weakest among them was at the late Earth Immortal stage, and at least half were early-stage Heavenly Immortals. Xuanji was utterly shaken. These Giant Beasts were far beyond what he could contend with now!

More than five hundred pairs of enormous eyes gazed down. The aquatic beings fell silent, trembling all over. The strongest among them had only reached the peak of the Demon Core realm. Compared with these Giant Beasts, they were no more than ants!

Whoosh! Rumble!

A fierce wind howled, the currents surged, and whirlwinds erupted. A gigantic blood python, roughly one hundred and fifty zhang long, burst forth. Its scales were bloodred from head to tail, a horn grew from its forehead, and blood-colored spikes covered its underbelly. The mighty pressure of a late-stage Heavenly Immortal spread throughout Holy King City. All the aquatic beings prostrated themselves. The python's cold, merciless eyes swept over the gathered creatures, and the corners of its mouth curled up. A flash of sinister madness flickered through its eyes.

"This... this aura? How can this be?" Hidden inside a piece of colorful coral, Xuanji felt the aura coming from the blood python and froze, unable to believe it.

The aura of an Innate Spiritual Treasure?

The Blood Python King's body was emanating the aura of an Innate Spiritual Treasure. Having the Sun Moon Pearl, Xuanji was very familiar with such auras. The treasure inside the Blood Python King was nowhere near as powerful as the Sun Moon Pearl; it should be a low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. But even that was enough to move Xuanji. Innate Spiritual Treasures were so precious that even the great gods of the Primordial World and Heavenly Dao Sages fought over them.

"Judging by this aura, the low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure inside the Blood Python King has already been nurtured to a third of its full power. It can be used to unleash a fraction of its might. But it's strange—why does it carry a faint trace of blood and evil? Could it be an evil-path Innate Spiritual Treasure?" All things in the world could be divided into good and evil; where there was yin, there had to be yang. The same was true of Innate Spiritual Treasures: some belonged to the righteous path, others to the evil path. Righteous treasures surpassed evil ones in their ability to enlighten and reveal the profound, but when it came to sheer power, evil treasures had the edge.

"You are all under the protection of this Holy King. The time is ripe today, and you can all become members of my Blood Python Clan. From now on, the Eastern Wasteland will no longer have six races, but seven!" The Blood Python King's face was alight with mad excitement as he roared. Every corner of Holy King City heard him clearly.

"Holy King? He dares call himself that?" Hidden in the coral, Xuanji sneered in disdain. In the Primordial World, "sage" was the highest honor. Neither the Heavenly Dao Sages nor Hongjun, who had merged with the Dao, dared call themselves Holy Kings. And yet this mere late-stage Heavenly Immortal Giant Beast of a blood python dared? What a joke!

"Become members of the Blood Python Clan?" The Blood Python King's words were like a thunderclap. All the aquatic beings stared in shock, then their hearts leapt with joy. For those lowly aquatic creatures, becoming members of the mighty, noble Blood Python Clan was like having a pie fall from the sky.

Just then, a giant crab at the peak of the Demon Core realm stepped out from the crowd. Facing the Blood Python King's overwhelming might, it stood tall and proud, its heart filled with pride. It channeled its demonic power and spoke directly: "Your Majesty the Holy King! My Crab Clan does not wish to become part of the Blood Python Clan. We beg Your Majesty to grant our request!"

"We beg Your Majesty to grant our request!" At the Crab Clan chief's words, all the crabs prostrated themselves in agreement. The other aquatic beings gaped at them, thinking, "Could the Crab Clan be stupid? Becoming part of the Blood Python Clan is a dream come true! How could they refuse?"

At the Crab Clan chief's refusal, a chilling glint flashed through the Blood Python King's eyes, and killing intent surged in his heart. How dare one measly Crab Clan provoke his authority? They truly had a death wish!

A terrifying pressure, charged with intense killing intent, swept out and enveloped the crabs. A sense of death settled over them at once, and cold fear rose in their hearts.

The Blood Python King's magical power surged like a vast sea. It was as if a primordial beast, long asleep, had begun to awaken. Blood-red light poured from his eyes, striking at the minds and souls of all who looked upon him. A single glance felt like a plunge into the Eighteenth Level of Hell, into a slaughterhouse of asuras, with hundreds of millions of vengeful spirits and wicked ghosts swarming around them. All the aquatic beings immediately prostrated themselves in terror, not daring to meet his gaze. They all thought the Crab Clan was about to be wiped out. After all, the Blood Python King had exterminated quite a few aquatic clans before!

"Your Majesty the Holy King! Please spare my clan for the sake of Crab Ancestor!" The Crab Clan chief was also terribly anxious, but at the thought of becoming part of the Blood Python Clan, he couldn't worry about anything else. In the eyes of the other aquatic beings, the Crab Clan was lowly and insignificant. But in the crabs' hearts, they were proud: they were a Demon King clan of the Primordial World, a noble royal clan throughout the whole world. When Crab Ancestor emerged, they would welcome a glory such as they had never known.

Hearing the name Crab Ancestor, the Blood Python King's killing intent and pressure vanished. He stiffened, and deep wariness, reverence, and fear rose in his eyes. He was a Demon King from ancient times, and one of the vassals under Xuanji's command. He knew all too well the power of a Demon King: at the height of his glory, his influence swept across the Primordial World, and none could oppose him. If the Primordial World had not been so vast and time so short, the Demon King might have ruled every corner of it. Now the Demon King had vanished, the Six Races had risen, and the Ten Demon Marshals and Fourteen Great Demon Generals had all gone into seclusion to cultivate. But even the leaders of the Six Races still feared the Demon King.

"Crab Ancestor? If the Demon King emerges one day and rules the Primordial World, I'll still have to answer to him. I'd better leave myself a way out. Besides, the Crab Clan is weak and can't help me much." After considering this, the Blood Python King reluctantly said, "For the Demon King's sake, you crabs need not join my clan. But any other aquatic beings who refuse to become one of us can die!" By the end, his face was twisted with ferocity as he glared at the gathered creatures.

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Holy King!" The Crab Clan kowtowed repeatedly. The other aquatic beings stared at them in disbelief. This was utterly unexpected: the Crab Clan had directly refused the Blood Python Holy King, yet nothing had happened to them—and the Blood Python Holy King had even agreed to their request.

Was this really the lowly, insignificant Crab Clan?

"Crab Ancestor? The Demon King? Could Crab Ancestor be that legendary being?" The aquatic beings suddenly thought of a possibility. They were so shaken that their eyes nearly bulged from their sockets, and their mouths gaped wide.

"Looks like my reputation still carries some weight! Heh!" Xuanji smiled smugly, feeling rather pleased with himself.

The Blood Python Holy King shot upward and hovered among the Giant Beasts, looking down at the aquatic beings below. He opened his massive jaws, and a hazy orb of blood-red light slowly emerged. Inside it was a blood-red pearl about the size of a bowl, gleaming with flowing light and a hazy aura of treasure.

"A low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure!" At the sight of the blood-red pearl, Xuanji froze. He recognized it as a low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, and an evil-path one at that.

"This is the Blood Transformation Pearl, the treasured relic of my clan. It was only under this treasure's protection that you were able to avoid becoming Giant Beasts. Though you lost your formidable cultivation, you gained the chance to join my clan. Now that the Blood Transformation Pearl can reveal its power, the rise of my Blood Python Clan is just around the corner! Hahahaha!" The Blood Python Holy King laughed madly. The opportunity he had awaited had finally arrived. He had planned with care all along, treading as if on thin ice at every step, afraid the Six Races would discover him. Today, at last, he would reap his reward.

"The treasured relic of a clan?"

"The Holy King has a treasured relic too? That's unbelievable!"

"I heard the Six Races of the Eastern Wasteland can dominate the Eastern Wasteland because each of them possesses a treasured relic!"

The crowd broke into discussion. Xuanji's heart stirred, and many of his questions were answered. It seemed Innate Spiritual Treasures had allowed many creatures to escape the Great Beast Calamity. The Six Races' treasured relics?

"Could each of the Six Races of the Eastern Wasteland possess an Innate Spiritual Treasure?" This news completely stunned Xuanji.

There was already one low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure before him, and the Six Races' treasured relics were probably six more Innate Spiritual Treasures. That would make seven in all!

"Seven Innate Spiritual Treasures?" As he considered it, Xuanji knew he wouldn't let this go now that he'd learned of it. Anyone would be tempted—unless they were a fool. Innate Spiritual Treasures contained the innate principles of the Dao, greatly aided enlightenment, and possessed extraordinary power. They would also greatly help perfect the Ancient Wild World.

"Hiss!"

The Blood Python King hissed, and two streaks of blood-red light shot from his eyes, striking the Blood Transformation Pearl. After absorbing the two beams, the pearl began to radiate brilliant blood-colored mist. Streaks of blood-red light descended and entered the foreheads of the aquatic beings, guards included. Only the Crab Clan was spared.

As the blood-red light entered their bodies, the aquatic beings let out a chorus of agonized howls. Blood-colored radiance burst from their bodies, their eyes slowly reddened and filled with bloodshot veins, and their faces twisted into terrifying grimaces. The aura of the blood pythons swirled around them as their bodies grew larger and longer, gradually transforming into blood pythons. They were all around thirty zhang long. Though they were smaller than the Giant Beasts, their cultivation was no weaker.

The aura of early-stage Heavenly Immortals filled all of Holy King City.

Looking down at the scene below, the Blood Python Holy King was overcome with excitement. He could almost see the glorious sight of his clan dividing the Eastern Wasteland with the Six Races. The rise of his clan was right before his eyes!