C545 The Blood Formation!
Beneath the bright moonlight, the heart-shaped Blood God Island erupted with columns of blood-red light, shooting into the sky like a reverse cascade of blood-colored waterfalls!
Seventy-two wells in total, each spewing a torrent of crimson light, transformed the sky above Blood God Island into a dense ocean of blood.
This sea of blood divided Yuan Lianyao and Yu Yuan, leaving them on opposite ends.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The blood sea churned, unleashing waves of earth-shattering energy.
Hovering above the blood sea, Yuan Lianyao's heart raced uncontrollably, as if on the verge of bursting. Her face paled; she swiftly ascended over a hundred feet to distance herself from the blood sea, which helped to steady her heartbeat.
She quickly deduced that a powerful array had been triggered the moment Yu Yuan touched down.
The last thing she heard was Ann Ziqing's voice saying, "It wasn't me."
After that, silence fell. She could no longer hear any sounds or see the changes happening on the island below.
Her vision and spiritual sense were cut off by the blood sea, leaving her unable to perceive anything.
"You little wretch! I knew you were up to no good!"
Once her heartbeat settled, Yuan Lianyao's anger erupted. She activated the newly mastered Magma Devil Spell, and the petals of red lotus blossomed into scale-like armor around her.
Rivers of flame, forged from molten lava, cascaded down towards the blood sea below.
She assumed that Ann Ziqing, who had once given a blood jade pendant to Yu Yuan, had malicious intent.
Ann Ziqing had exposed the identity of the Chaos Roc, prompting many powerful beings to depart. Yet she remained. Wasn't it obvious she intended to confront Yu Yuan?
They had baited Yu Yuan to Blood God Island, and as soon as he landed, the array sprang to life.
As the goddess of the Blood God Cult, Ann Ziqing must have given the command. Who else would dare such folly?
Could a concealed array operate on its own?
"Scion of the Red Devil Sect, back off!"
An abrupt, gruff voice erupted from the heart-shaped island beneath the blood sea. The sea roiled violently, sending a tumultuous tide of blood surging towards Yuan Lianyao.
The churning blood sea abruptly solidified into the forms of ferocious beasts, each exuding a horrifying scent of blood.
Towering over ten feet tall, the beasts emanated a formidable presence with their wildly surging life force.
"Uncle Han! Cease your actions!"
Beneath the blood sea, Ann Ziqing's voice rang out sharply, urging the individual to refrain from rash behavior.
The beasts, born from the blood sea's waters, turned and dissolved back into the crimson tide at her command.
"Young one from the Red Devil Sect, should you dare to act without our consent, do not expect leniency at the expense of Faang Yao's reputation!"
The hot-headed disciple of the Blood God Cult grumbled a warning from beneath the blood sea before quieting down.
"Sister Yuan, it wasn't my intention to target him! Please, take a moment to calm down," Ann Ziqing implored once more. "I have no desire to spark a conflict between the Blood God Cult and the Red Devil Sect on your account."
"She's hardly worthy!" scoffed the member of the Blood God Cult, "How long has she been with the Red Devil Sect? She holds no special rank within their ranks. How could she ever measure up to the Miss? Even if I were to kill her, Faang Yao would have no choice but to concede. At most, we might offer a comparable disciple in exchange for her life."
In his view, Yuan Lianyao was not even close to Ann Ziqing's stature.
Ann Ziqing was revered as a divine figure, with only Zhou Cangmin, who had cultivated the Yang God, as her equal within the sect.
"If not you, then who?"
Streams of molten lava cascaded towards the blood sea, only to be neutralized by the effervescent blood energy, unable to penetrate the barrier and reach Blood God Island below.
This indicated that the newly formed array could effortlessly repel all her assaults.
Should the volatile Blood God Cult disciple on the island wield the sea's might once more, disregarding Ann Ziqing's intervention, it would become nearly impossible for her to linger above the blood sea.
She would be engulfed by the roiling blood waves, overwhelmed by the throng of solidified beasts.
Despite Yuan Lianyao's pride, she recognized that the Blood God Cult disciple had spared her further harm in response to Ann Ziqing's commanding cry.
With this thought in mind, she realized it was best to stay put when she saw that the magma water couldn't seep through. "Sister Yuan, please, don't be rash..."
It was then that Yu Yuan's eerie voice echoed from the blood sea below. Upon hearing him, Yuan Lianyao regained her composure, ascending on her lotus flowers, she called out, "Are you okay? I'll summon Lord Faang Yao immediately. He won't stand by and do nothing!"
The magma she had unleashed was now being siphoned from the blood sea, reabsorbing into the petals of her lotus. "There's no need to bother Lord Faang," Yu Yuan quickly reassured her, "I'm truly fine. The Blood God Cult hasn't harmed me. It's just..."
"Just what?"
"It's just a bit odd, that's all."
On the ground beneath the blood sea, Yu Yuan watched as beams of blood light surged skyward from the wells. Numerous streams of blood light, as if pulled by an unseen force, were desperately trying to reach him.
The Blood Sacrificial Altar within his Qi and blood realm, crafted from eleven pieces of Giant Beast Soul Amber, became ravenous the instant he touched down on Blood God Island. It was like a vicious beast, starved for eons, suddenly set loose upon a mountain of sheep.
The seventy-two wells scattered across the heart-shaped island had been stirred by the Blood Sacrificial Altar inside him, sensing a threat and springing into action autonomously. This was no trap laid by Ann Ziqing to have him killed by the Blood God Cult.
"What Spiritual Spell are you practicing?" the gruff voice demanded once more, "Why has the formation I taught you reacted so strongly to your presence, as if bracing for a formidable foe?"
Ann Ziqing was equally astonished. The formation on Blood God Island was designed for defense and cultivation support, not for offense. The disturbance caused by Yu Yuan's arrival and the subsequent eruption of the blood wells were clearly out of the ordinary.
"I..." Yu Yuan began, but his concentration faltered, and he noticed the strands of blood light, like untamed horses, causing a commotion once again, both in the sky's blood sea and from within the seventy-two blood wells.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The disciples of the Blood God Cult practicing near the "blood wells" were suddenly stirred into action. Some soared into the sky, while others mounted their artifacts and sped toward the commotion.
"Yu Yuan!" One of them bellowed, leading the charge.
"Lin Yue!"
Yu Yuan caught a glimpse of him and felt a twinge of surprise. He hadn't expected to find the Blood God Cult trial leader, with whom he had fought alongside in the depths of the Ember Waters, not back at the Cult's headquarters but here on Blood God Island.
"Yu Yuan? The Great Sword Immortal from Sword Island? The one who was attacked?"
"Wasn't there talk of him vanishing without a trace on some nameless island? Why has he suddenly shown up on our Blood God Island, setting off the Origin Blood Great Array?"
"How does this kid have the nerve to roam the Crack Archipelago without the backing of a powerful sect, especially after acquiring the Evil Cauldron?"
Dozens of Blood God Cult disciples, upon hearing Lin Yue's cry, turned their attention to Yu Yuan, murmuring among themselves.
From a larger "blood well," a figure emerged, drenched in bloodlight, tall and emanating a wild vitality—a Yin God undergoing Blood Refinement.
He fixed his gaze on Yu Yuan, and after a moment, he declared, "The unusual activity of the Origin Blood Great Array is due to his Profound Gate acupoints!"
Yu Yuan immediately recognized him as the cultist who had threatened to kill Yuan Lianyao.
"You refined the Giant Beast Amber?" Lin Yue gasped, realization dawning on him. "Did you secretly process those pieces of Giant Beast Amber you found in the Ember Waters into your Qi and blood microcosm?"
"Giant Beast Amber!"
The man Ann Ziqing referred to as "Master Han" was suddenly ablaze with excitement.
"Miss, his Qi and blood microcosm contains the essence of the Starry Behemoth's Qi! He will be incredibly beneficial for the completion of your divine technique!"
