Blood Pool Cleansing Ceremony

Blood Pool Cleansing Ceremony

"Hmph, that little scorpion is indeed extraordinary. This Concubine can refrain from competing with the Elder for it, but the Blood Wolf King brought by your lineage's disciple possesses the faint aura of a 'Heaven-Howling Moon Wolf King.' It is highly suited for practicing the Blood Transformation Technique of my Blood Hand Lineage, so this Concubine must ask the Elder for a favor."

The moment the old man's voice faded, a woman in palace attire, appearing to be a young matron, spoke up immediately. She wore palace silks embroidered with intricate, dark patterns; the thin, light fabric fluttered slightly, and her cloud-like black hair was pinned high. With willow-leaf brows and phoenix eyes, her gaze was filled with Sha Qi.

"Easily done, easily done..."

The Elder nodded with a smile.

"Eh?! Look at that silver fox beast. It is actually able to resist a sliver of our pressure. Usually, such beasts possess noble bloodlines or unique innate divine abilities. It is certainly worth our anticipation."

On the sacrificial altar, numerous powerhouses spoke up one after another, staking claims on the promising seedlings they had set their eyes on. Some grew red-faced and tense, even on the verge of coming to blows, as they vied for beasts that appeared exceptional.

"Enough, everyone. It is far too early to say anything now; we can only see a rough estimate. Let us send them into the Blood Pool and wait for the results before we fight over the quotas."

Just then, in the central position, a middle-aged man who had been sitting with his eyes slightly narrowed, seemingly resting, slowly opened his eyes and spoke indifferently.

His eyes were like divine blades, with purple radiance flowing within them, as if they could slice through the void!

"Li Juekong, Master of the Heaven-Overturning Lineage!"

Once Li Juekong spoke, everyone fell silent and calmed down, no longer uttering a word. Clearly, this man held immense deterrent power.

After another half-stick of incense had passed, Li Juekong's eyes flashed with purple light, and he nodded toward the Punishment Elder, Chu Duanyu, who stood beside him.

Chu Duanyu bowed slightly, then levitated into mid-air, appearing above the Blood Pool in the next instant.

Pressure permeated the air. The aura radiating from Chu Duanyu grew increasingly dense, pressing down so heavily that the many beasts below were struck dumb, cowering on the ground and trembling in fear.

After a long while, he let out a deep shout. His voice was like a great bell or a thunderclap rolling across the sky!

"Listen well, all of you. I know that many among you possess awakened intelligence. Today, our Myriad Demon Sect conducts the Heavenly Demon Blood Pool Cleansing, which occurs once every fifteen years. Only after the Blood Pool Cleansing and joining our Myriad Demon Sect will you have the qualifications to cultivate into demons! As for the consequences of failing the cleansing, it is death! Everything depends on your own fate and fortune!"

As his voice fell, quite a few of the beasts below truly understood his meaning and began to stir, but they quickly quieted down.

"The Blood Pool is formed from the gathered essence blood of fallen Heavenly Demons and contains immense power. This is the essence left behind by peerless demons throughout the ages. While it cannot increase your cultivation base, when combined with our sect's unique formation, it will stimulate your potential, awaken your bloodlines, and break through your bloodline shackles. If you are lucky, you may even awaken innate divine abilities!"

Upon hearing this, those beasts with significant intelligence gazed toward the central Blood Pool, their eyes filled with heat and longing, restless and eager to act.

The blood waves in this Heavenly Demon Pool rolled violently, reeking of Sha Qi. A great, restless pressure emanated from it, yet it was suppressed by a stone stele at the center of the pool.

This stele stood over eight zhang tall, shaped like a dragon's head, and rose from the Blood Pool. Blood energy permeated the air around it, and clusters of blood waves lashed against the pitch-black surface of the stele, appearing extremely eerie.

"The Blood Pool has limited capacity. The seventy-two demon lineages will undergo cleansing in order of their ranking!"

Chu Duanyu did not waste words and began the Blood Pool Cleansing directly. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he flicked his index finger downward and shouted in a low voice: "Formation, rise!"

"Hum, hum, hum~"

"Hum, hum, hum~"

The statues surrounding the plaza suddenly began to tremble eerily, as if they had come to life. Blood-colored chains shot forth from the tops of the statues, spanning across all directions!

These blood-colored chains flickered with runes and seemed to possess a life of their own, intertwining and overlapping to form an eerie formation.

The moment the formation took shape, the Sha Qi in the Blood Pool seemed to be suppressed, becoming strangely still.

"Heaven-Overturning Lineage, enter the Blood Pool for cleansing!" Chu Duanyu shouted.

Immediately, the group of beasts near the Blood Pool stirred. Under the guidance and orders of their respective disciples, they plunged into the pool!

Nearly two hundred beasts entered the pool, filling it to capacity.

Seeing that all the beasts had entered, Chu Duanyu did not hesitate. He pointed at the tall stone stele in the center, and a blood-red light suddenly shot into the sky, vanishing into the clouds. The entire Blood Pool was activated by the formation; the sea of blood churned, undercurrents surged, and Sha Qi rampaged like an Asura's purgatory!

"Screech!!"

Suddenly, a golden-feathered Fire Crow beast had barely steadied itself in the Blood Pool when its body could no longer withstand the monstrous Sha Qi within the blood waves. With a shrill, miserable cry, its entire body exploded, turning into a rain of blood that scattered everywhere!

"Awoo!!"

No sooner had the Fire Crow died than another miserable, savage beast roar followed. A strange-looking three-eyed jackal stiffened, and its body suddenly burst open with bowl-sized holes. Then, its flesh was stripped from its body, and it died a miserable death!

Almost every few breaths, a beast fell in the Blood Pool, leaving no corpse behind!

Even though they felt the crisis of life and death, they could not struggle. Once they entered the Blood Pool, they were suppressed by the formation and unable to move!

"Is the Heavenly Demon Blood Pool Cleansing so easy to endure? This is both a stroke of fortune and a test of life and death. If you survive, you will at least become an outer disciple. If you cannot, you will be shattered to pieces and die!"

Around the Blood Pool, Myriad Demon Sect disciples watched the cruel scene within with cold, emotionless expressions, their eyes even glinting with cruelty.

"These little brats have such poor willpower. They couldn't even withstand the moment they entered the pool. I fear not many will survive this cleansing."

On the sacrificial altar, several lineage masters looked displeased. Some even wore grim expressions upon seeing the beasts they had favored go mad and perish.

"The essence in the Heavenly Demon Pool is dwindling. In a few hundred years, it will likely be exhausted."

Other masters whispered to one another while watching, their eyes filled with worry.

Below, the Blood Pool Cleansing continued.

Chen Lin felt a chill in his heart and grew faintly uneasy. Looking at the tragic scene in the pool, he truly dared not think about whether he could survive it himself.

In the blink of an eye, half a stick of incense passed.

Every few breaths, another beast died miserably. In the end, only a mere seventy or so remained—more than half had perished!

"ROAR!!!"

Suddenly, from a certain spot in the blood pool, an earth-shattering roar erupted, and everyone couldn't help but look over!

Its crimson body was as dazzling as molten lava, its massive frame towering like a small mountain. With a mane like burning flames and a ferocious head resembling both a lion and a tiger, it let out roar after roar, the thunderous cries piercing the heavens and shaking the very soul!

Behind it, a phantom image suddenly emerged! This phantom grew increasingly solid, and upon closer inspection, it was a strange creature with two heads, roaring toward the sky!

"Flaming Mane Tiger-Lion Beast!"

On the altar, several lineage masters stiffened, and upon seeing that phantom, someone cried out in shock!

"Indeed, it is the Heavenly Demon 'Flaming Mane Tiger-Lion Beast'! This child is actually able to condense the ancestor's phantom to such a degree; the bloodline within his body is extraordinary, likely of Earth-grade quality or higher, perhaps even Heaven-grade! Worthy of cultivation!"

"This 'Flaming Mane Tiger-Lion Beast' is proficient in fire-attribute energy, making it the most suitable for practicing the Nirvana Ten Directions Immortal Art of my Burning Extinction Lineage! You all shouldn't try to snatch this one from me, should you?"

"Hmph! Your Burning Extinction Lineage has a fine plan, but the Flame Baleful Golden Body of my Flame Baleful Lineage is also a fire-attribute immortal art! This time, I must compete with you for it!"

Setting aside the fact that the lineage masters on the altar were once again arguing until their faces were red, within the blood pool, dozens more ferocious beasts successively condensed phantom images behind them. These phantoms took on various forms, but all possessed extraordinary presence and ancient origins.

Finally, the purification results for the Heaven-Overturning Lineage were out, with a total of thirty-two ferocious beasts successfully condensing phantom images!

Immediately following, several disciples headed to the blood pool, guiding the surviving ferocious beasts to gather at one end of the plaza.

Once the blood pool returned to calm, Chu Duanyu stood with his hands behind his back, his expression cold as he said, "Next batch, Hidden Calamity Lineage, enter the blood pool to receive purification!"