Gathering Storm, Blood Sacrifice at Saber Peak

The battle at Soul Severing Cliff was like a hurricane that swept through Qingzhou, its aftermath lingering for a long time.

In Black Stone City, at a certain tavern.

This was where all the gossip from the martial arts world gathered. People from all walks of life mingled, and at this moment, every single topic of conversation, without exception, revolved around the man who had single-handedly overturned the entire martial arts landscape of Qingzhou—Lu Shaoyou.

"Did you hear? On Soul Severing Cliff, that Lu Shaoyou is practically inhuman! With a single iron rod, he beat True Man Songyue of the Qingcheng Sect into a pulp!" a burly man with a face full of muscle whispered, his eyes filled with undisguised excitement and dread.

"More than just True Man Songyue! Mount Tai, Mount Heng, Diancang… seven Xiantian experts attacked him, and he cut through them like vegetables, wiping them all out!" The skinny man at the next table picked up the conversation, gesticulating wildly as he spoke, spitting with enthusiasm, "You should have seen the scene! Blood flowed like a river, and not a single bone was left!"

"The most venomous one is Xue Yutang of the Blood Saber Sect!" A young man dressed as a scholar slammed the table, his face filled with righteous indignation. "He invited all the fellow martial artists of Qingzhou, ostensibly to put a devil to trial, but in reality, it was to activate some 'Blood River Spirit Sacrificing Array,' using thousands of us martial artists as sacrifices to forge his Demonic Blade! Such actions are an outrage to gods and men!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in an uproar.

"So that's how it is! My third uncle died at Soul Severing Cliff, and I thought Lu Shaoyou was the killer. I never expected it to be Xue Yutang's scheme!"

"Blood Saber Sect, a fine and prestigious sect! Bah! More demonic than the demonic path!"

"So, in that case, Lu Shaoyou was actually acting on behalf of heaven?"

"Nonsense! How many people has he killed? He blows people into bloody mist at the slightest disagreement. He and Xue Yutang are birds of a feather!"

Inside the tavern, the debate raged on.

Some cursed the Blood Saber Sect for their despicable shamelessness, while others feared Lu Shaoyou's cold-blooded brutality.

But no matter what, a consensus had formed: Qingzhou's sky had changed.

The prestige that the Blood Saber Sect had built up over hundreds of years collapsed in a single day, making them a target of public condemnation, like rats scurrying across the street.

The news, naturally, reached the desks of the major powers at the fastest possible speed.

Lingshui City, the headquarters of the Giant Whale Gang.

The gang leader, Li Changge, looked at the scroll delivered by the scout, his palms covered in cold sweat.

Every word on the scroll seemed to carry the thick, unshakeable scent of blood from Soul Severing Cliff.

One rod shattering divine weapons, one punch destroying Xiantian experts, one man fighting an entire sect, one strike destroying the Demonic Blade…

Each of these deeds, each of these events, exceeded his understanding of martial arts common sense.

"Gang leader, this Lu Shaoyou has already emerged from obscurity. We can no longer comprehend him." Wei Tuo, standing beside him, also had a solemn expression.

Li Changge took a deep breath and put down the scroll. "Wei Tuo, luckily we listened to you and didn't get involved in this mess. Instead, we befriended him. Otherwise, our Giant Whale Gang would be in grave danger."

Wei Tuo: "Gang leader, the Blood Saber Sect's reputation has been utterly ruined after this battle, and they have become the target of public outrage. Sects like Qingcheng and Diancang have also lost all their top experts. The Qingzhou martial arts world is facing an unprecedented reshuffle."

Li Changge took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the storm in his heart, and asked, "In your opinion, what should our Giant Whale Gang do?"

A glint flashed in Wei Tuo's eyes. "Wait."

"Wait?"

"Indeed." Wei Tuo stepped forward and said slowly, "Wait for Lu Shaoyou and the Blood Saber Sect to settle things. Wait for the Qingzhou martial arts world to calm down after this great chaos. Wait for Lu Shaoyou to leave Qingzhou."

"By then, it will be the best time for our Giant Whale Gang to take over and lead Qingzhou! For now, we just need to observe the situation and reap the benefits of others' labor."

"Good!" Li Changge slapped the table. "We'll do as you say!"

Unlike the turbulent situation outside, Blood Saber Peak was eerily silent at this moment.

All the elite members of the various halls had been urgently recalled, and thousands of Blood Saber Sect disciples guarded the entire mountain peak like an iron barrel.

However, this strict defense did not bring any sense of security. Instead, a plague called "fear" spread in everyone's hearts.

Inside the deliberation hall, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it felt like water could drip from it.

"Scoundrel! Useless!"

Xue Yugang kicked the precious purple sandalwood table in front of him, shattering it into pieces with flying wood chips.

His handsome face was contorted with anger, his eyes bloodshot, like a ferocious beast ready to devour someone.

"Big Brother! My dear Big Brother, you've really done a wonderful thing!" he roared at the empty hall, his voice filled with unwillingness and fury. "Sacrificing the fellow martial artists of Qingzhou with blood? What a grand gesture! What a venomous strategy! But what was the result! Did you succeed?"

"Not only did you fail to kill Lu Shaoyou, but you've made yourself look like a stray dog fleeing for its life! Now the entire Qingzhou is laughing at our Blood Saber Sect! How am I supposed to clean up this mess! Huh?"

His anger was not due to the cruelty of Xue Yutang's plan, but rather the plan's utter failure.

After venting his fury, Xue Yugang's breathing gradually stabilized, and his gaze returned to its usual coldness.

He tidied his robes, turned, and walked towards the forbidden area behind the mountain.

Deep within the forbidden area, a huge blood pool was gurgling and bubbling, emitting a strong mixed odor of blood and medicinal herbs.

In the center of the blood pool, a shriveled figure, almost unrecognizable, sat cross-legged.

It was Xue Yutang, who had narrowly escaped death by using the Blood Escape Great Law and burning his primordial essence blood.

His physical body was almost destroyed, leaving only a skeletal frame covered in skin, but the eyes burning within him were not the flames of life, but hatred, colder than the netherworld's ice and more intense than hellfire.

"You've come." Xue Yutang's voice was hoarse and dry, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other.

Xue Yugang stood by the pool, looking down at him, and said coldly, "Brother, you look disgusting like this."

Xue Yutang seemed not to hear his mockery and continued on his own, "Lu Shaoyou… he will definitely come to Blood Saber Peak…"

"Of course I know he will come!" Xue Yugang's anger was ignited again. "What exactly do you want? Now that you are a cripple, and Father is in seclusion, are you expecting me to lead these thousands of disciples to fight him to the death?!"

"Compete?" Xue Yutang suddenly grinned, revealing a row of yellowed teeth, his laughter sharp and maniacal. "Heh heh heh... Why compete?"

He slowly raised his head, his crazed eyes fixed on Xue Yugang. He spoke word by word, "I want you... to activate the 'Blood Shadow Array'!"

Xue Yugang's pupils contracted sharply!

"Are you insane?!" he exclaimed, "The Blood Shadow Array requires the sacrifice of our sect's most elite disciples, their vitality, blood, and souls merged into one as nourishment! That is the Blood Saber Sect's final trump card, never to be used unless the sect faces annihilation!"

"Now is the time for annihilation!" Xue Yutang roared, the blood pool churning violently with his agitation. "If Lu Shaoyou isn't dead, the Blood Saber Sect is doomed! Rather than be killed by him one by one, it's better to turn those weaklings into the strength to kill him!"

"To kill him, I would even sacrifice the martial artists of Qingzhou, let alone a few thousand sect members and disciples?"

A deranged smile spread across Xue Yutang's face. "Brother, don't forget, our goal is the Divine Sect Plan! It's this world! What are a few sacrifices?"

Xue Yugang fell silent.

He looked at his brother, who seemed possessed by madness, and felt a chill in his heart.

He knew that Xue Yutang had been completely consumed by hatred and could no longer turn back.

And it seemed he had no other choice.

After a long pause, Xue Yugang slowly spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Fine, I agree."

He turned and left, his cold voice echoing through the forbidden area.

"Transmit my order, in the name of the Ancestor, summon all disciples from the various halls, stewards, and elders to the forbidden area for a discussion!"

The order quickly spread throughout Blood Saber Peak.

No one dared to defy the "Ancestor's" decree, nor did anyone know that a silent sacrifice awaited them.

The moment the last disciple stepped into the forbidden area, the pre-arranged formation roared to life!

There were no screams, no struggles.

An invisible and strange force enveloped everyone. The expressions on their faces froze at the moment they stepped into the forbidden area, while their bodies withered at a visible rate.

Essence, Qi, Spirit... everything was drawn out, transforming into streams of scarlet torrents that poured into the depths of the forbidden area, towards the thirty-six figures already prepared.

They were the Ancestor's most loyal guards – the Blood Shadow Guard!

As the immense power of blood fiends surged in, the bodies of the thirty-six Blood Shadow Guards began to tremble violently. Veins bulged beneath their skin, and scarlet patterns spread across them, their auras skyrocketing at a terrifying pace!

Post-natal peak... breakthrough!

Xiantian early-stage!

Xiantian mid-stage!

Thirty-six powerful Xiantian pressures shot towards the heavens, dyeing the clouds above Blood Saber Peak a strange blood red!

Xue Yugang watched it all impassively. Then, his gaze fell upon the figure at the very front of the Blood Shadow Guard, whose face was particularly ferocious due to extreme hatred.

He strode forward and handed a scarlet token, representing the position of commander, to that person.

"Li Mo."

"Don't disappoint me."

Li Mo took the token, feeling an unprecedented power surge within him. He raised his head, his blood-red eyes looking down towards the direction of the mountain.

He was waiting for someone.

Three days later.

At the foot of Blood Saber Peak, on the mountain path, a figure carrying an iron rod slowly walked.

He glanced up at the mountain peak, shrouded in blood mist and appearing like a ghost realm. A cold arc curved on his lips.