Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
The higher they climbed on Qianyuan Mountain, the thicker the Spiritual Qi became. It had formed purple clouds of Qi that floated in the air like a sea of clouds.
The Spiritual Qi seemed to spew from the peak before descending to the bottom.
The mountain was abnormally large and tall. It was like two of the Yin and Yang Sect's Ancient G.o.d Mountains. If placed in the sea, it would be a large island. It wouldn't be crowded even if 100,000 people lived on it.
The mountain road was scraggly. Thousand-year-old pines and spiritual vines rose up on either side. Precious spiritual medicine could be seen everywhere. For example, there were man-shaped berries and fan-sized tubers.
They all belonged to someone. If anyone dared to pick something planted by the Blood G.o.d Sect's elders, their lives would be at risk.
Around 6,000 meters up Qianyuan Mountain, they were close to the purple clouds. A cultivation residence with tumultuous Holy Qi appeared.
Many monks were gathered outside. Most of them were young and vibrant with extraordinary temperaments. Each one was a top figure with a respected position in the Blood G.o.d Sect.
This was the Saintess' Lin Lang Cultivation Residence. It was a very high-level residence, comparable to many Saint residences.
A young man in a blood red robe stood outside. He looked in Zhang Ruochen's direction. “Someone else has come for the banquet.”
“Who's that? I've never seen him before.”
“Lingyun, you're always in the Savage Barren Territory, so you obviously don't know. He's a new powerful figure of the sect. He killed Ning Guihai and defeated Bai Yu and Yan Kongming. His name is Gu Linfeng.”
The other Deity candidates all looked over at Bai Yu.
Embarra.s.sed, Bai Yu huffed. “He only won because he used the power of the Blood G.o.d Venomous Worm. Plus, the technique that he cultivates is the Blood Dragon Scripture. It's only in the supreme cla.s.s Ghost Level.”
“So he was planted with the Blood G.o.d Venomous Worm.”
“How can someone cultivating the supreme cla.s.s Ghost Level qualify to be a candidate?”
Everyone lost interest.
As candidates for the Deity, they were all very proud. They either had strong physiques or cultivated an advanced and miraculous technique. None of them were average.
They all decided to somehow drive Gu Linfeng out. The Saintess' banquet wasn't for everyone.
Unexpectedly, Gu Linfeng didn't even stop. He walked straight toward the mountaintop.
“What does this mean? Did he not receive the Saintess' invitation?”
Someone couldn't help but mock him. “The Saintess doesn't give everyone an invitation. Seems like Gu Linfeng isn't powerful enough.”
Bai Yu furrowed his brow because it was clear to him that the Saintess had sent someone to invite Gu Linfeng.
Such an arrogant fellow. He actually dares to not attend the banquet. Isn't he afraid of angering the Saintess? His days in the Blood G.o.d Sect will be difficult. Bai Yu sneered inwardly.
The Saintess naturally saw Gu Linfeng leave too. Confusion colored her eyes. She didn't understand why Gu Linfeng, who'd been flirting with her, wouldn't attend the banquet.
Of course, she didn't really care. In her opinion, Gu Linfeng was a bit stronger than Bai Yu and Yan Kongming, but he couldn't be compared to Hai Lingyin and Wei Longxing. He couldn't become the Deity.
With Gu Linfeng's personality, he was just easy to take advantage of. It would be nice if he could work for her.
Zhang Ruochen followed Ji Shui into the purple clouds. They'd climbed more than 20,000 meters and finally reached the peak. The peak of Qianyuan Mountain soared above the purple sea of clouds.
A single beam of purple light shot out of the center. It connected with the sky and seemed to shoot out of the world.
The Blood G.o.d Map was carved on a stone wall that was 190 feet tall.
An elder clad in gray sat cross-legged below the Blood G.o.d Map. He was like a clay figurine. His aura was completely collected. One couldn't feel his aura at all.
Zhang Ruochen saw that the elder was covered in dirt. Moss even grew on his shoulders and head. He hadn't moved in countless years.
“This elder is already dead,” Zhang Ruochen said. “Why hasn't he been buried?”
The elder didn't have any sign of life. He was clearly dead.
“Nonsense. This Taishang Elder is sitting here to guard the Blood G.o.d Map. He has a very high status in the sect, even higher than the founder.”
Despite her words, Ji Shui wasn't very confident. It wasn't her first time visiting the Blood G.o.d Map, but she'd never seen this Taishang Elder move before. He was no different from a corpse.
But since he was at the Taishang Elder level, it didn't matter if he was dead or alive. Zhang Ruochen didn't dare offend him. Repressing the urge to check with his Spiritual Power, he looked at the Blood G.o.d Map.
To be honest, the Blood G.o.d Map was just a scraggly cliff. He couldn't see any images. It was no different from a natural wall of rock.
Zhang Ruochen furrowed his brow. He questioned whether the Blood G.o.d Map was really as magical as Ji Shui had said.
“It's fake.” A voice streamed over from below the wall. “It must be fake. This is just a regular stone wall. You can't learn anything from it.”
Zhang Ruochen looked for the source of the voice. He saw a red monkey sitting below the Blood G.o.d Map, shaking its head. It stood up, clearly not wanting to continue wasting time on the Blood G.o.d Map, and walked down the mountain.
Finally, Zhang Ruochen realized it wasn't a monkey. It was a human. However, he was covered in red monkey hair and even had a long tail hanging behind him.
“Monkey-Human Clan,” Zhang Ruochen gasped.
The Monkey-Human Clan had the longest lifespan of all half-human clans. They were comparable to a savage beast. They lived on a faraway island in the East Sea and very rarely appeared in Kunlun's Field. Zhang Ruochen naturally found it odd that this Monkey-Human appeared in the Blood G.o.d Sect.
This Monkey-Human seemed to be a teenager—a youth just like Hai Lingyin. However, Zhang Ruochen knew that Monkey-Humans lived for a very long time. He couldn't judge their age by regular standards.
When the Monkey-Human youth walked by, he glanced at Zhang Ruochen and said, “Don't waste your time comprehending this stupid Blood G.o.d Map. It's a scam.”
Zhang Ruochen chuckled. “I'm already here, so I have to at least try.”
The Monkey-Human youth studied Zhang Ruochen. “No! You must be a candidate for the Deity, right?”
“Indeed.” Then Zhang Ruochen asked, “Is there something wrong?”
“The Saintess invited all the candidates to a banquet. Why did you come here to waste time instead of going?” the Monkey-Human youth asked.
“You didn't go either,” Zhang Ruochen said.
The youth scoffed. “I'd just be a supporting figure even if I went. Only Hai Lingyin and Wei Longxing are her esteemed guests. The next Deity will definitely be one of them. It'll be weird if the Saintess has her eyes on someone else.”
“That's what I think too.” With that, Zhang Ruochen walked to the Blood G.o.d Map. He sat down, adjusted his mindset, and looked up the rock wall.
“I can't believe there's someone else not impressed by the Saintess. Interesting.”
The Monkey-Human youth looked curious. Instead of leaving, he hit Ji Shui's back with his tail. “Sis, who's this?”
“Stay away from me,” Ji Shui said coldly.
The youth looked at her, a bit confused. His tail hit her again. “Why?”
Ji Shui glanced at the youth's tail. b.l.o.o.d.y mist rolled down her body while two beams of black light shot out from her hood.
The youth flashed and dodged the beams of light. With a boom, the two beams. .h.i.t the ground, melting the rock.
“I was just asking. Why did you attack me?” The youth moved horizontally in a streak of firelight and appeared on the other side of Ji Shui.
Since when did such a strong figure appear in the Blood G.o.d Sect? Ji Shui was actually shocked. She didn't dare underestimate this person. The speed that this person just displayed was actually at her level. He wasn't an average person.
“This sister isn't easy to talk to at all.”
The Monkey-Human youth shook his head. Instead of continuing to ask Ji Shui, he walked to the Taishang Elder sitting in the distance.
His tail peeked out again and hit the elder's right shoulder. “Hey, old guy,” he said. “The so-called Blood G.o.d Map is fake, right?”
The Taishang Elder sat there without budging like a stone statue.
“Oh, he's dead.” The youth furrowed his brow and sighed. “The disciples of the Blood G.o.d Sect don't respect their elders at all. Since he's already dead, he should be buried.”
The youth found a corner below the stone wall and dug a ditch around two meters deep. Then he carried the Taishang Elder's “corpse” on his shoulder and strode to the ditch.
Even now, the Taishang Elder was still in his sitting position. His muscles and bones were very stiff and his eyes were shut tightly. He didn't wake up.
The youth put the Taishang Elder in the ditch. Then he started filling the ditch with dirt.
Ji Shui held her breath. She watched this scene with anxiety, fearing that the Taishang Elder would suddenly wake up and kill them all in fury.
When she saw that the elder still didn't wake up, she finally breathed in relief. Perhaps he really did die long ago.
