Profound Origin Descends from Heaven, Incense and Votive Thoughts Fill the Cave

The cave was deep and dark. Xiao Li stepped into it on his sword, but his progress was not fast.

Deep inside the cave, the light did not become clearer as he moved forward; it was as if even the source of the light was moving forward, constantly receding.

"This cave is just as described in the sect's records. Since that's the case..." Thinking this, a thought flashed through Xiao Li's mind, but just then, a whooshing sound came from behind, and the woman in purple Ziyun, arrived on her sword.

"Hmm?" Xiao Li a soft exclamation, pressing down on his sword. "I didn't expect Senior Sister to come too."

Ziyun also stopped his sword flashing, shook his head and said, "This time entering the valley, your combat strength and mine are both outstanding. We should cooperate to increase our chances of survival."

"Survival?" Xiao Li composed himself, frowning. "Is this Broken Lotus Valley really that dangerous? Must we proceed with extreme caution? Will it take the two of us working together to find out what's going on?"

Ziyun shook her head again. "The danger of Broken Lotus Valley is secondary. The real threat to our lives comes from the elders of the Three Sages Dao."

"What did you say?" Xiao Li's eyes changed, instantly becoming sharp, and his entire aura changed accordingly, no longer ordinary, generating a powerful killing intent and pressure!

"You were indeed hiding your cultivation level!" Ziyun's robes fluttered under the pressure, but her expression remained unchanged. "However, this was within my expectations. If you don't even have this much cunning, you're not qualified to cooperate with me."

Across from him, Xiao Li toned down his imposing manner and asked again, "You said the real threat comes from the elders of your sect. What exactly do you mean by that?"

Ziyun did not answer directly, but instead asked, "Are you aware that in eastern Zhou Rao, there are people advocating for a united Daoist Sect to form Dao Court?"

Xiao Li nodded. "I've heard a little about it, but such matters have nothing to do with me; they're the concerns of those influential figures who Zhou Rao."

"Originally, it wouldn't have mattered, but once we entered the Broken Lotus Valley, it became a problem."

"What a cold-blooded bunch. Even gods wouldn't truly exterminate all their worshippers, yet you people of this Continent, in order to increase your own strength, are willing to send your disciples to the altar for blood sacrifice. Just to obtain a little bit of power or Cultivation Method..."

Outside, on the edge of Broken Lotus Valley, the altar where people were sent into the valley was already stained red with blood.

The Eye-Bearing Star Lord stood by the altar, carrying a person in his hand, and uttered a sigh.

The man he had captured was none other than Xiao Li's martial uncle, an elder of the Three Sages Dao, a man of considerable status. But now, he had lost all his imposing aura; his limbs were twisted in a grotesque manner, his face filled with terror. He forced himself to remain calm, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Don't be impulsive. Our Three Sages Dao is a renowned sect in the East, and our founder even possessed Nascent Soul..."

"You can discuss these things with the patriarch yourself after you enter the underworld," the Eye-Bearing Star Lord smiled slightly, smoothing a strand of hair with his other hand. "Of course, that's on the condition that both you and he can retain a trace of your soul."

"What do you mean by that..." The withered old man was horrified upon hearing this. Before he could finish speaking, he exploded into blood and water, which fell onto the altar and flowed down the patterns along its edge.

The altar's patterns are actually grooves, allowing blood to flow within them. At this moment, the cultivators from several major sects have all been slaughtered, and their blood, scattered across the altar, did not seep into it but instead flowed slowly along the grooves, gradually approaching the center of the altar.

Zhao Wu chimed in, "Lord Star Lord, if we kill all these people and leave no one with their Three Souls intact, how can we break the barrier and enter?"

Eye-Bearing Star Lord smiled and shook his head, "If they can't get in, then let them out, or simply make it so that Min Yuan can never get out again."

After saying that, he stretched out his finger, and the tip of his finger transformed from flesh into Divine Body. A beam of Divine Radiance shot out and landed on the altar, bursting with brilliance. He had forcibly activated the formation within!

Boom!

The blood flowing on the altar suddenly flew up, turning into a sky full of bloody light, whistling as it landed on the restrictions of Broken Lotus Valley, then seeped in and spread throughout the valley.

"This is..." Zhao Wu's eyelids twitched upon seeing this.

The Eye-Bearing Star Lord raised his hand, a Karmic Thread swirling around his fingertips, which was drawn from the withered old man of the Three Sages Dao.

"Min Yuan is in the valley, and it's not convenient for me to personally pursue him right now, so let's give him some things to do first." As he spoke, he turned and looked up at the sky.

In the sky, a man dressed in dark robes with long, flowing hair stood silently. He had a wine gourd hanging at his waist and a long sword in his hand. He looked at the bloodstains around the altar with a gloomy expression.

"When did such a Devil Creature like you appear in this world?" the man asked in a deep voice.

"Devil Creature? Calling us Devil Creature means you've never truly seen a demon." Eye-Bearing Star Lord said calmly, his smile unchanged, as his body gradually transformed from flesh and blood into Divine Body, and spatial rifts appeared around him.

"Stop with your sweet talk! Now that I'm here, I won't tolerate your arrogance any longer!" the sword-wielding man shouted, forming a sword incantation. His longsword flew out, multiplying from one to two, from two to four, from four to eight...

In the blink of an eye, sword light filled the sky, forming a battle array. Order from heaven and earth converged and merged into it, rapidly constructing a material scene in mid-air!

The Eye-Bearing Star Lord narrowed his eyes. "The Mountain-River Mystery, huh? So you're a Life Cultivation Yuan cultivator at the Fifth Realm of Profound Origin Cultivation. Your combat power is comparable to First Grade Deity who has half-departed from the Heavenly Court, but I have already exceeded the limits of rank. If you don't have any help, all your hard work in cultivating will have come to an end today."

Boom!

Above the canyon, another violent explosion rang out. This time, the aftershocks were far greater than the previous one. The cultivators who remained in the canyon were shaken in mid-air by the shockwaves and almost lost their footing on their flying swords.

However, even if they survived the initial shock, no one could escape the ensuing crimson light. The moment they were enveloped in the bloody light, they screamed in agony as their flesh and bones melted away, and crimson smoke billowed from their bodies.

Within that crimson smoke lay a rich essence of Qi and Blood, and even a trace of soul power that was almost Divine Soul, refined to the extreme.

Not only their physical bodies, but also the flying swords in their hands, and the heavenly materials and earthly treasures, Law Treasures, magical Law Artifact, and spiritual objects contained in their storage bags, were all exposed. Under the red light, they melted little by little and eventually turned into smoke, but it was all extremely pure Spiritual Qi!

This blood-red light doesn't melt a person instantly; instead, it slowly penetrates from the skin. When the person being irradiated screams, they don't die immediately. Instead, they endure excruciating pain, watching helplessly as their own flesh melts and sublimates in the blood-red light.

This torment was unbearable even for cultivators. Many struggled to escape, but the vast red light filled the entire canyon in an instant, spreading downwards relentlessly. Even those who flew on swords could not escape from the light.

However, some reacted quickly, seeing the holes in the rock wall around them, and rushed in to hide. But once inside, they discovered that the blood-red light seemed to have a spirit of its own, and followed them closely!

"What is this thing?" In their panic, the refugees were forced to hurry deeper into the cave!

"Is the purpose of these elders in the sect to use us as living sacrifices to enhance their own power?"

Inside the cave, Xiao Li was processing Ziyun's words and pondering their veracity. "So, the matter of the Dao Court is true? Our sect elders, in order to secure a place in the Dao Court, are willing to sacrifice our lives to enhance the power of several elders. But in terms of cultivation, we are dozens of times weaker than that expert. Even if we refine them all, what use would it be?"

Ziyun then said, "Our cultivation is low, so even if we are refined, it won't improve much. But our flesh and blood, along with our life and soul, are extraordinary. They can be used to draw out the hidden power in the Broken Lotus Valley. After it breaks out, they can use it. The reason why those major sects joined forces is for this purpose."

"Other forces in this valley?" Xiao Li's heart stirred upon hearing this.

"That's right. My parents were both disciples of the Three Sages Sect, but they also perished here. That's why after I joined the sect, I paid special attention to the relevant scriptures and knew that the altar by the valley could communicate with a certain will and bestow Cultivation Method and mysteries upon it."

"Since you know it's so dangerous, why did you come?" Xiao Li narrowed his eyes.

Ziyun calmly replied, "If I really showed any abnormality and was discovered by my martial uncle, my life would be in danger. Now that I've arrived, I've actually found fortuitous opportunity..."

"Oh?" Xiao Li was about to ask another question, but on the way there, he heard a commotion.

What was that sound?

Amidst their confusion, both Xiao Li and Ziyun felt a strong sense of impending doom!

Qiu Yan also felt a tremor of Karma, knowing that this change was related to that Star Lord.

"Walk!"

He sent a message to Xiao Li, who, without needing to be urged, unleashed his sword light and headed deeper into the cave!

Almost simultaneously, Ziyun also raised her sword and followed.

Behind the two, a streak of blood followed closely, moving at a speed much faster than the two swordsmen!

Amidst the light, screams of agony echoed!

Seeing that the two were about to be engulfed by the bloody light, Qiu Yan had the idea of showing himself.

"Now that we've entered the forbidden area, we don't need to worry about alerting the Daoist Sect for the time being. The only question is what secrets this valley holds, or whether it's a trap set by the Daoist Sect experts. But things have come to this, and we can't Ruyi."

As he was thinking, Xiao Li steeled his heart and swallowed a pill.

At this moment, Qiu Yan sees it as a question of whether or not to show up, but Xiao Li sees it as a matter of life and death; how could he not fight?

Xiao Li's Qi and Blood and qi surged suddenly, the medicinal power of the pill spread, his muscles, bones and flesh expanded, and his Qi and Blood surged, flowing through his Seven Souls and into his flying sword!

In an instant, the speed of the flying sword increased nearly three times!

They barely managed to maintain their distance from the bloodshed!

Afterwards, Ziyun also took out two pills and swallowed them, and then her strength increased greatly, and her speed of movement suddenly increased!

"Oh? Both of them have trump cards." Qiu Yan suppressed the urge to reveal himself, and was about to investigate the true nature of the blood-red light when the surrounding scenery suddenly changed. The dark cave disappeared, replaced by a surging vitality! And...

The fragrance of incense Votive Thoughts!